Music and Worship in the Evangelical Brazilian Church podcast

I'm glad to announce the podcast I did with Denise - my mother - featured at the Emergent Village podcast. It's called "Music and Worship in the Evangelical Brazilian Church". Here it is:

http://www.emergentvillage.com/podcast/music-and-worship-in-the-evangelical-brazilian-church

It ends with the music "Em Nome da Justiça" by João Alexandre.

Let me know what you think!

- Gustavo

Unis en Jésus / Eins in Jesus / Uniti in Gesù

I like this CD. I bought it in Paris. It is a group of Christians from Switzerland. What I like most (more than the lyrics) is the fact that they sing in the 3 official languages: French, German and Italian. Here's an excerpt in French:

Nous voulons vivre Wir wollen eins sein - Sylvain Freymond

1 Nous voulons vivre l'unité, rester ensemble à chaque instant.
Sourtout ne pas nous séparer, continuer d'aller de l'avant.

Tous ensemble, nous partageons l'amour du Seigneur, l'adoration du Sauveur.
Tous ensemble, nous accueillons l'Esprit du Seigneur, l'unité du Créateur.

2 Nous voulons te rester fidèle et devenir un même corps,
Travailler au lien de la paix, marcher toujours dans le même Esprit.

3 Reconnaissons nos différences en Dieu, elles seront notre force.
Nous allons partager ensemble, chercher encore le Royaume de Dieu.

There's a Hole in the Bottom of the Sea

If it said "there's a hole in the roof of the sky" I guess they would be referring to the ozone layer and global warming. That's not the case. If you think of it from the philosophical sense, what does it mean that "There's a hole in the bottom of the sea"? I guess it's one of those tales from the XV century. At that time people created these myths to impress others and to impart fear on others. I don't think that's what Grover says. I think he's helping us to expand our imagination. He gradually adds to the details. It must be something important, otherwise he wouldn't repeat it this much. Here it is (I hope I could sing it Sunday):

There's a Hole in the Bottom of the Sea
sung by Grover (Frank Oz)

There's a hole in the bottom of the sea
There's a hole in the bottom of the sea
There's a hole
There's a hole
There's a hole in the bottom of the sea

There's a log on the hole in the bottom of the sea
There's a log on the hole in the bottom of the sea
There's a log
There's a log
There's a log on the hole in the bottom of the sea

There's a bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea
There's a bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea
There's a bump
There's a bump
There's a bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea

There's a frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea
There's a frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea
There's a frog
There's a frog
There's a frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea

There's a tail on the frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea
There's a tail on the frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea
There's a tail
There's a tail
There's a tail on the frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea

There's a flea on the tail on the frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea
There's a flea on the tail on the frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea
There's a flea
There's a flea
There's a flea on the tail on the frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea

There's a speck on the flea on the tail on the frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea
There's a speck on the flea on the tail on the frog on the bump on the log on the hole in the bottom of the sea
There's a speck
There's a speck
There's a speck on the flea on the tail on the frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea

There's a teeny weeny something that's so small you can't see it
On the speck on the flea on the tail on the frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea
There's a what?!!
There's .... all that stuff in the bottom of the sea
There's a teeny weeny something
There's a teeny weeny something
There's a teeny weeny something ...
On the speck on the flea on the tail on the frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea

Let's forget about that teeny weeny something and we'll ...
Pluck the speck
Flick the flea
Tweak the tail
Flip the frog
Move the bump
Lose the log
Fill up the hole ...
In the bottom of the sea ...

'Cuz no one wants a hole in the bottom of the sea!!!!

In the Name of Justice

It's not intended to fit the metric. In any case, here it is

In the Name of Justice
Original title: “Em Nome da Justiça”
Music and Lyrics: João Alexandre
English translation from Portuguese (2007): Gustavo Frederico

While violence devastates people in the slums,
And those who know everything say they know nothing,
While wages rot waiting in line,
And men revoke the laws instead of fulfilling them,

While sickness takes the place of health,
And those who promised being beside the people keep changing their attitudes,
While deals are struck behind closed doors,
And the noble’s honor yields its place to the scoundrel’s sauciness,
There’s no way out, there’s no way out

We can only change this country with plenty of love
Only God’s love can make our people truly happy
We, his children, must unite our hands
In the name of justice, through deeds of justice.
She who knows God cannot hear this and be silent,
She has to be a prophet and raise his banner high
To transform the world is a matter of commitment
It’s all of that and so much more…

While Sunday is still our sacred day
And in the name of God we overlook the wounded,
While sin is just a sin,
Lived out, felt by, embedded within, sneaked in and thought out

While some sing and dance with their eyes closed
There’s people dying of hunger everywhere
The “God” one sings about not always is the God one lives out,
Because God reveals himself, gets involved, resolves and revives
There’s no way out, there’s no way out
There’s no way out, there’s no way out

===========

Em nome da justiça - João Alexandre

Enquanto a violência acabar com o povão da baixada
E quem sabe tudo disser que não sabe de nada...
Enquanto os salários morrerem de velhos nas filas
E os homens banirem as leis ao invés de cumpri-las...

Enquanto a doença tomar o lugar da saúde
E quem prometeu ser do povo mudar de atitude...
Enquanto os bilhetes correrem debaixo da mesa
E a honra dos nobres ceder seu lugar à esperteza...

Não tem jeito não, não tem jeito não...

Só com muito amor a gente muda essa país,
Só o amor de Deus pra nossa gente ser feliz...
Nós, os filhos Seus, temos que unir as nossas mãos
Em nome da justiça, por obras de justiça...
Quem conhece a Deus não pode ouvir e se calar,
Tem que ser profeta e Sua bandeira levantar...
Transformar o mundo é uma questão de compromisso,
E muito mais e tudo isso...

Enquanto o domingo ainda for nosso dia sagrado
E em nome de Deus se deixar os feridos de lado...
Enquanto o pecado ainda for simplesmente um pecado,
Vivido, sentido, embutido, espremido e pensado...

Enquanto se canta e se dança de olhos fechados,
Tem gente morrendo de fome por todos os lados...
O Deus que se canta nem sempre é o Deus que se vive, não,
Pois Deus se revela, se envolve, resolve e revive

E não tem jeito não, não tem jeito não...

L'église universelle

L'église universelle

1 L'église universelle
a pour roc Jésus Christ;
elle est l'oeuvre nouvelle
que sa parole fit.
Habitant le ciel même,
il vint se l'attacher,
et, par un don suprême,
mourut pour la sauver!

2 L'église en sa prière
unit à leur Sauveur
les peuples de la terre
soumis au seul Seigneur.
C'est son nom qu'elle acclame,
son pain qui la nourrit;
elle verse à toute âme
l'espoir qui la guérit.

3 Honnie et méconnue, menant de durs combats,
elle attend la venue de la paix ici-bas.
Contemplant par avance la fin de son tourment,
la grande délivrance, le repos permanent.

4 Aujourd'hui, sur la terre,
elle est unie à Dieu,
et, par un saint mystère,
aux élus du saint lieu.
Rends-nous, comme eux, fidèles,
et reçois-nous, Seigneur,
dans la vie éternelle,
dans l'éternel bonheur!

Words: Samuel John Stone 1866; French translation: Fernand Barth 1923

Myths About Hunger

Myths About Hunger
Myth 1: Not Enough Food to Go Around
Reality:
Abundance, not scarcity, best describes the world's food supply. Enough wheat, rice and other grains are produced to provide every human being with 3,500 calories a day. That doesn't even count vegetables, beans, nuts, root crops, fruits, grass-fed meats, and fish. Enough food is available to provide at least 4.3 pounds of daily food per person worldwide: two and half pounds of grain, beans and nuts, about a pound of fruits and vegetables, and nearly another pound of meat, milk and eggs - enough to make most people fat! The problem is that many people do not have access to the resources to produce or purchase food. Foodgrains Bank member churches seek to address this problem by working with people to gain access to more food.

Myth 2: Too Many People
Reality:
Globally, population growth is slowing. Although rapid population growth remains a serious concern in some countries, population density does not explain hunger. For every Bangladesh, a densely populated and hungry country, we find a Nigeria, Brazil or Bolivia, where abundant food resources coexist with hunger. Rapid population growth is not the root cause of hunger. Like hunger itself, it results from underlying inequities that deprive people, especially women who are poor, of economic opportunity and security. Foodgrains Bank members work at issues of land ownership, jobs and education in communities where there is hunger.

Myth 3: Nature's to Blame for Famine
Reality:
Food is always available for those who can afford it. Starvation during hard times hits only the poorest millions who live on the brink of disaster because they are deprived of land, trapped in the grip of debt, or poorly paid. Natural events rarely explain deaths; they are simply the final push over the brink. Human institutions and policies determine who eats and who starves during hard times. The real culprits are economies that fail to offer everyone opportunities, and societies that accept hunger as inevitable. The Foodgrains Bank members work to bring about lasting change in disaster-prone countries like Bangladesh and Ethiopia through helping communities build a more equitable economic base.

Myth 4: The Environment vs. More Food?
Reality:
Efforts to feed people who are hungry need not cause an environmental crisis. The world is capable of producing enough food for everyone in a sustainable way, but as people without access to resources struggle to survive, they are often forced to farm marginal lands that are susceptible to erosion, flooding or drought. Over-cropping and lack of crop inputs may mean further soil loss. Foodgrains Bank members work with partners in developing countries who promote good farming practices and local production for local consumption.

Myth 5: New Technology is the Answer
Reality:
The production advances of the past 20 years are no myth. Thanks to the new seeds, millions of tonnes more grain a year are being harvested. But focusing narrowly on increasing production cannot alleviate hunger because it fails to alter the tightly concentrated distribution of economic power that determines who can access the additional food. That's why in several countries - India, Mexico, and the Philippines for example - grain production has increased while hunger has persisted. Foodgrains Bank members promote appropriate agricultural technologies and access to those technologies by those most vulnerable.

Myth 6: We Need Large Farms in the Developing World
Reality:
Large landowners who control most of the best land often leave much of it idle. By contrast, small farmers often achieve four to five times greater output per acre, in part because they use more "hands-on" farming practices. However, without secure tenure, millions of tenant farmers in the developing world have little incentive to invest in land improvements, rotate crops, or improve soil fertility. A World Bank study of northeast Brazil estimates that moving farmland into smaller holdings would raise output an astonishing 80 percent. The Foodgrains Bank members support small-scale farmers in developing countries.

Myth 7: The Free Market Can End Hunger
Reality:
Unfortunately, market efficiencies only work to eliminate hunger when purchasing power is widely dispersed. Those who believe in the usefulness of the market and the necessity of ending hunger must concentrate on promoting not only the market, but also the ability of people to participate in the market in ways that reduce poverty. Foodgrains Bank members work to inform policy makers in Canada about the effects Canadian trade policies have on developing countries.

Myth 8: Too Hungry to Help Themselves
Reality:
People will feed themselves, if given a chance. Bombarded with images of people who are poor and hungry, we lose sight of the obvious: for those with few resources, mere survival requires tremendous effort. If people who are poor were truly passive, few of them could even survive. Our responsibility is to remove the obstacles in their paths. Foodgrains Bank members take the responsibility to work with people in developing countries to increase their self-sufficiency.

Myth 9: There is little we can do about hunger
Reality:
World hunger can be ended - significant progress has been made. The percentage of people who are hungry has declined substantially in the 20th century. Bread for the World Institute has outlined (2000 report) a politically feasible and economically affordable plan to overcome hunger worldwide. The outcome of the war on hunger is determined not by forces beyond human control, but by decisions and actions well within the capability of nations and people.

You can make a difference by raising awareness in your own community - talk with your neighbours or encourage discussion about hunger issues in your schools and churches.

Through prayer, mobilizing resources, becoming aware of the effect of our investments and lifestyles on international economic systems, and writing to politicians to encourage better trade and hunger policies, together we can bring an end to hunger.

Based on "World Hunger: Twelve Myths, 2nd Edition," by Frances Moore Lappé, Joseph Collins and Peter Rosset (Grove Press/Earthscan, 1998), a book from Food First/The Institute for Food and Development Policy

As curas

A cura - Lulu Santos

"Existirá,
em todo porto tremulará
A velha bandeira da vida
Acenderá todo farol iluminará
Uma ponta de esperança
E se virá, será quando menos se esperar
Da onde ninguém imagina
Demolirá, toda certeza vã, não sobrará
Pedra sobre pedra
Enquanto isso não nos custa insistir
Na questão do desejo, não deixar se extinguir
Desafiando de vez a noção
Na qual se crê que o inferno é aqui

Existirá E toda raça então experimentará
Para todo o mal, a cura."

A Cura - Cassiane

"
Eu quero mergulhar nos rios do Espírito
Entrar na dimensão do sobrenatural
E onde esses rios me levarem eu irei
E cada vez mais fundo eu mergulharei
E aquilo que se fez deserto em mim florescerá
E a terra seca, em mim, se faz manancial
E poços,rios, vales dentro do meu coração,
Cheios de águas vivas para sempre serão

A cura logo vem...
Não há como impedir
Os rios do espírito estão passando por aqui
A nuvem da unção...
Repousa sobre nós
É hoje o dia de romper
Não há como impedir

Hoje é dia de romper
E eu recebo a unção de Deus
"

( pegando o gancho do saite Crer e Pensar )