And I decided to go for a run. Only one man looked at me funny….he was a white guy, He was probably wondering what I was doing running through city streets filled with little asians. Especially when there was 90% humidity @ 85 degrees. But to be honest the Asians didn’t seem to even notice I was there. The island is very tiny but many tourists come to gather from all over. Its a very rich island. The government really takes care of its people…but the people certainly pay to live here!

They mix the old and new together in a beautiful fashion. Even the scaffolding looks cool at night. There’s old bridges and old churches and old clock towers mixed with new performing arts buildings. Today I went to the National Library…which actually had the old library card stock on display as if it was a museum of the old….

Singapore is a melting pot of people from all over Asia. Their national language is English (Singlish) but they also speak Mandarin…along with Chinese and other asian dialects. The streets speak this with old colonial names like Queen and Victoria mixed in with streets that are called Islam street and   Lots of bright colors on the hi rises…the cabs are blue and all the green tropical trees make for a very beautiful landscape despite all the people.

Ian our guide, told us last night that the island stretches only 20 x 40 miles, yet it is home to about 4 million people crammed in high rise apartments. Community is everything….a value that I adore about the people. They are very hospitable and embraced us as a team.

I look forward to what tomorrow brings.

We are getting ready for the show…only 5 days to go before we perform in front of 10,000 people. A lot to prepare for!

I’m so thankful for this opportunity to perform on Christmas day for this nation. I’m so grateful to have the chance to be flown out here. Its my first time in Asia….and I have to say…I’m hooked!

Will write more soon….

God bless and God speed,

- Adjoa

How I love thee

Let me count the ways

How quickly goes the hours

How long may seem the days

O sweet procrastination

how you keep me from my task

How you deny the question

“Been up to what? you ask?

Beautiful and lazy

you distract me from my work

Comforted by others

who say this with a smirk

O sweet procrastination

we salute you and your friends

I’m busy with so much it seems

and nothing shows @ end

but boy do I feel better

and man do I feel bad

But chalk it up to knowing

you’re the best I ever had.

Ryszard Kapuscinski Life is truly known only to those who suffer, lose, endure adversity and stumble from defeat to defeat.
John Paul Jones The general who is able to persuade his forces that there is victory, even where there seems to be defeat, is one who will inspire them to fight against apparently impossible odds. They will, indeed, never suffer defeat, but will fight on until annihilate
Gerard Hargraves Did is a word of achievement Won’t is a word of defeat Might is a word of bereavement Can’t is a word of defeat Ought is a word of duty Try is a word each hour Will is a word of beauty Can is a word of power.
Josephus Daniels Defeat never comes to any man until he admits it.
George Eliot There are many victories worse than a defeat.
Wendell Phillips What is defeat Nothing but education nothing but the first step to something better.
Unknown Nothing can cause turmoil and the defeat of accomplishment as quickly as disorganization.
Ernest Hemingway But man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated.
Rabindranath Tagore The mountain remains unmoved at seeming defeat by the mist.
Napolean Hill You don’t have to fear defeat if you believe it may reveal powers that you didn’t know you possessed.
George E. Woodberry Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure.
Robert South Defeat should never be a source of discouragement, but rather a fresh stimulus.
Sallust A good man would prefer to be defeated than to defeat injustice by evil means.
Mahatma Gandhi Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary.
Steven Wright I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, “where’s the self-help section?” She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
John Bay Noble souls, through dust and heat, rise from disaster and defeat the stronger.
Sir Edmund Hillary You defeated me But you won’t defeat me again Because you have grown all you can grow…. but I am still growing (about Mount Everest)
George Lois Creativity can solve almost any problem. The creative act, the defeat of habit by orginality, overcomes everything.
Douglas MacArthur Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid, one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.
Katherine Anne Porter Defeat in this world is no disgrace if you fought well and fought for the right thing.
Pan Ku If you must choose between two paths, either of which will bring death and defeat, then choose the path wherein you die fighting for honor and justice.
Walter Lippmann Modern men are afraid of the past. It is a record of human achievement, but its other face is human defeat.
Kristen Ashley Roth Hate is not a feeling toward another, but a feeling of defeat by another.
Martin Luther King, Jr. The limitation of riots, moral questions aside, is that they cannot win and their participants know it. Hence, rioting is not revolutionary but reactionary because it invites defeat. It involves an emotional catharsis, but it must be followed by a sense
Ann Landers If I were asked to give what I consider the single most useful bit of advice for all humanity, it would be this Expect trouble as an inevitable part of life, and when it comes, hold your head high. Look it squarely in the eye, and say, I will be bigger than you. You cannot defeat me.
Ben Stein It is inevitable that some defeat will enter even the most victorious life. The human spirit is never finished when it is defeated…it is finished when it surrenders.
Ashley Montague The deepest human defeat suffered by human beings is constituted by the difference between what one was capable of becoming and what one has in fact become.
William Orville Douglas Restriction of free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-American act that could most easily defeat us.
Christy Mathewson You can learn little from victory. You can learn everything from defeat.
Martin Luther King, Jr. The limitation of riots, moral questions aside, is that they cannot win and their participants know it. Hence, rioting is not revolutionary but reactionary because it invites defeat. It involves an emotional catharsis, but it must be followed by a sense of futility.
Theodore Roosevelt Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.
Theodore Roosevelt Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.
General Douglas MacArthur A Prayer For My Son Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory???Give him humility, s
Denis Watley Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end. Failure is something we can avoid only by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.
Edna Ferber Life can’t ever really defeat a writer who is in love with writing, for life itself is a writer’s lover until death–fascinating, cruel, lavish, warm, cold, treacherous constant.
Gerald R. Ford A coalition of groups … is waging a massive propaganda campaign against the president of the United States. … an all-out attack. Their aim is total victory for themselves and total defeat for him. (On Watergate crisis)
G. Gordon Liddy They were afraid, never having learned what I taught myself: Defeat the fear of death and welcome the death of fear.
Orson Scott Card In the moment when I truly understand my enemy, understand him well enough to defeat him, then in that very moment I also love him.
Arab Proverb An army of sheep led by a lion would defeat an army of lions led by a sheep.
Dag Hammarskjold The pursuit of peace and progress cannot end in a few years in either victory or defeat. The pursuit of peace and progress, with its trials and its errors, its successes and its setbacks, can never be relaxed and never abandoned.
Henry Miller Life has no other discipline to impose, if we would but realize it, than to accept life unquestioningly. Everything we shut our eyes to, everything we run away from, everything we deny, denigrate or despise, serves to defeat us in the end. What seems nasty, painful, evil, can become a source of beauty, joy and strength, if faced with an open mind. Every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to recognize it as such.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause who at best, if he wins, knows the thrills of high achievement, and, if he fails, at least fails daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.
Theodore Roosevelt The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood who strives valiantly who errs and comes short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause who at best, knows the triumph of high achievement and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.
Theodore Roosevelt It is not the critic that counts not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or the doer of deeds could have them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the Arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood who strives valiantly who errs and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming but he who does actually strive to do the deed who knows the great devotion who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails while daring greatly, knows that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls, who know neither victory nor defeat.
To expect defeat is nine-tenths of defeat itself.
When something (an affliction) happens to you, you either let it defeat you, or you defeat it.
I never seek to defeat the man I am fighting, I seek to defeat his confidence. A mind troubled by doubt cannot focus on the course to victory. Two men are equals – true equals – only when they both have equal confidence.
What is defeat? Nothing but education; nothing but the first step to something better.
He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat.
Tyranny cannot defeat the power of ideas.
It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument.
When defeat is inevitable, it is wisest to yield.
Victory has a thousand fathers; defeat is an orphan.
Many things are worse than defeat,and compromise with evil is one of them.
Never let the sense of past failure defeat your next step.
Divorce is defeat…It’s an adult failure. Lucille Ball
The goal of all inanimate objects is to resist man and ultimately defeat him.
Once we have a war there is only one thing to do. It must be won. For defeat brings worse things than any that can ever happen in war.
To save a Life in defeat, is to receive Victory and Honor.
There is only one way to defeat the enemy, and that is to write as well as one can. The best argument is an undeniably good book.
Exile, for no other motive than ease, would be the last defeat, with no seed of future victory in it.
Creativity can solve almost any problem. The creative act, the defeat of habit by originality, overcomes everything.
The greatest test of courage on earth is to bear defeat without losing heart.
Many a man has finally succeeded only because he has failed after repeated efforts. If he had never met defeat he would never have known any great victory.
Winning is great, sure, but if you are really going to do something in life, the secret is learning how to lose. Nobody goes undefeated all the time. If you can pick up after a crushing defeat, and go on to win again, you are going to be a champion someda
Even against the greatest of odds, there is something in the human spirit- a magic blend of skill, faith, and valor- that can lift men from certain defeat to incredible victory.
When one is trying to do something beyond his known powers it is useless to seek the approval of friends. Friends are at their best in moments of defeat.
When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plans are not sound, rebuild those plans, and set sail once more toward your coveted goal.
“Once again, truth and American technology defeat Satan!”
Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.
Far better is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the grey twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.
Some forms of reality are so horrible we refuse to face them, unless we are trapped into it by comedy. To label any subject unsuitable for comedy is to admit defeat.
“Life is the one enemy we cannot defeat.” — LaCroix
“We are not interested in the possibilities of defeat.” -Victoria
Life has no other discipline to impose, if we would but realize it, than to accept life unquestioningly. Everything we shut our eyes to, everything we run away from, everything we deny, denigrate, or despise, serves to defeat us in the end. What seems nas
If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in eve
Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it, for that determines our success or failure. The way you think about a fact may defeat you before you ever do anything about it. You are overcome by the fact because you think you are.
Free men cannot start a war, but once it is started, they can fight on in defeat. Herd men, followers of a leader, cannot do that, and so it is always the herd men who win battles and the free men who win wars.
Like President Reagan, President Bush has not shied from calling evil by its name or declaring his intention to defeat its latest incarnation, terrorism, just as free men and women of all political persuasions, here and abroad, defeated fascism and commun
“Who else will defeat us if not ourselves?” -C. Brunetti
Death is the enemy. I spent 10 years of my life singlemindedly studying, practicing, fighting hand to hand in close quarters to defeat the enemy, to send him back bloodied and humble and I am not going to roll over and surrender.

poem based on Erwin McManus’ Easter service – Hollywood 9pm

April 12th, 2009

The commandments are the minimum the basic things to do.

But we find the Beatitudes refresh us toward the new.

Blessed are those who trials make them different and strong,

Blessed are the persecuted, who know they don’t belong.

Whose eyes are fixed on heaven, but whose feet are here on earth,

Who are living different, and call it their re-birth.

When they are so reminded, that they’re human and they break

But blessed are they that give out love, and never love forsake.

Despite the harsh realities, despite their past mistakes,

Blessings are for everyone whose hardships they can’t shake.

Poor in spirit, rich in love, they’re gifted outside fear

Of what the world may give them and what trials may come near.

What  makes it difficult for them is finding sense within

the tainted and strange history that they have since been given.

Blessed are they who are the persecuted for no wrong.

Who time again will give out love but sing a Martyr’s song.

This is not the strong and mighty, this is not the proud

this is not the one who speaks their righteousness out loud.

These are  the lives that speak in rhythms of the beating heart

who understand their purpose and so live a work a art.

Overcoming obstacles that drag them to the ground.

Looking at the hope within this good thing that they’ve found.

Blessed are they who know the answers come when they first trust,

within a God who loves them, and so trust this God they must.

The world will never hold a flame to all the grace He shows

The door outside the tomb was sealed but opened when He rose.

- Adjoa Skinner

Easter Sunday

I broke a glass today

I really didn’t want to

Its just I had so much to do

so busy I stopped thinking

Disregarding time

My mind was in another place

while I was on a foolish chase

so busy I stopped thinking

Rented home, not much to own

Now one glass gone

What went wrong?

I was so busy I stopped thinking

Or maybe I just thought too much

about another person’s touch

that I lost touch

with what was true

when I lost touch, lost touch with you…

And so my thoughts kept moving

and my hands they moved as well

but how the story ended

I’m so ashamed to tell.

I lost touch with where I was

when I said I stopped thinking

yet I kept moving forward

just as fast as I was blinking.

And so thats how I got here

broken glass and broken heart

I think its time I swept this up

and made a brand new start.

- Adjoa Skinner

re-edited on Tuesday April 7th @ 12:30am

It’s about people
It’s about relationships
It’s about hurting
It’s about taking risks

Daily living
Daily living love in action
Daily giving
Though it causes a reaction

They may want more
They may want your very life
They may take you
They may cut you with a knife

Don’t let that steal
Don’t let that steal you away
Don’t let your love
Don’t let love cease for the day

Take on grace
Take on grace, let go, forgive
Take on mercy
And give out the life you live

What I mean is
What I mean is what I say
What I mean is that tomorrow
Is determined by how I live today

So I’m loving
So I’m giving out my heart
So I’m learning
And what I learn becomes my art

Yes it’s worth it
Yes it’s worth the goal I see
Yes it’s worth my losing everything
To know you’ll be set free.

Because I love you
Because I was the only one
Because I chose to
When everyone else would just run

I am running
I am running toward your pain
I am running
For the name above all names

Let me love you
Let me learn to love just right
Let me fail too
So that I can see the light

When the tunnel
When the tunnel starts to end
When the tunnel shows the future
And the present gains a friend.

Ends without means
Ends without a hope to hold
Ends without you
And all we’ve gained was time grown old

Walk beside me
Walk beside, and then we’ll run
Walk beside me
And we’ll know the day we’re done

It’s about people
It’s about relationships
It’s about hurting
It’s about taking risks

This is a story about a little fella and his family….they need your prayers…
Please read.

http://shaneyupdates.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2009-01-17T06%3A56%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=10

with the spirit of Christmas in the air everyone is fair game to strick up conversation with…right?

“You know he’s single” the words reverberated through my brain as I tried not to puke..

I was talking to my sister’s ex-husband (14 years my senior) while picking up my nephew from his family Christmas party. I had not seen him in a good while so we were catching up. He was talking about his surgery I was talking about my career….and that’s when his cousin chimed in with “You know he’s single”…..

We both stepped back from each other quickly revealing the obvious fact that his cousin didn’t catch on, you can’t pick up a chick at your family’s Christmas party…or any family party for that matter.

12/22/08

Finding your Lead

“Find your lead” he said to me as sweat dripped off of his forehead.

“Excuse me?” I said as I thought about what foot I was on.

 “This is so stupid I thought to myself” “This is a dance for white people who clap on 1 and 3”  Why can’t they just choreograph ahead of time & then teach us the routine on our own? Or better yet, lets free style individually, I can twirl and shimmy with the best of them if we do that. Who says that I need some guy to lead me around the dance floor, expecting me to follow him through the slight of his hand?

“Find your lead” he repeated, interrupting my thoughts.

“You need to trust me and lean back into my hand so I can lead you” He said.

“Plus you’ll open up the space between us so I can do more with you”…

It seemed so simple when he put it that way. But my fears had kept me staring at my feet so long I was hardly looking for a leader to take me to a new place…I was just trying to get comfortable in the situation I had been placed in…He already had me with 2 other gentlemen before it was my turn to dance with the instructor. I felt like I suddenly had to prove myself and so I tried to act as if I was free and easy to move, but because I distracted with myself I failed to follow what he was doing…or trying to do with me.

“Keep your arm bent and don’t let your shoulder come in. Keep it forward and ridged and find your balance with the rhythm, stay straight and bob up and down, don’t sway…

“Wow I feel so white right now” I thought to myself…

I felt that if it was rigid it meant it was not beautiful, it was not graceful… it was not what I loved about the freedom of dance.

But as learned to trust him more I realized that the rigidity of the dance when put into context actually wasn’t rigid at all.

It was more so that I actually had to learn to be sensitive to my partner and allow him to lead in the way that was most comfortable for him. And once I was comfortable enough to trust him completely…he would go on to lead some of the most free flowing and beautiful moves that came easy and looked effortless.

It was my first swing dancing class. I learned I had to stop trying to learn by feel and control and instead learn to adjust through trusting the instruction of my leader. So that I would become a partner that was a more suitable counterpart for whatever lead I was placed with. Who knew that a simple dancing class would speak to me so much?