Release. Revive. Right on Time.
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Submit
Just clicked “Submit” on my DTS and Southwestern apps.
I winced as my finger went down…
It’s all you now, God!
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Look At This Resilient Dog of the Day: A Welsh Corgi named Ole, who managed to survive the avalanche that killed one of his...
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What If This Year Was Different?
The New Year rolls around and most of us find ourselves making promises to improve our lives from the previous year...
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“The victim’s smart phone did not have service to call out when she...
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The Resolutions of God (Tyler David/Austin Stone)
God is going to do 2 things this year:
- Exalt His name
- Work everything out for His people’s good...
Deirdre Mars: Beyond Fair Trade Durability, Part 1
World of Good on eBay
Eco Fashion World
Worldstock Fair Trade on Overstock
Featuring my original song: Taking a Stand
Please subscribe to my channel & check back next month! This is the 7th video in my series of anti-slavery or anti-human trafficking videos. Over this next year, I hope to inform and intrigue those who know very little about or may have never even heard of human trafficking. This series is launching with NYC Urban Project’s LoGOFF campaign to explore what it means to live Local, Green, Organic, Fair (trade) and (slave) Free.
Ten Years Into the U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement Brutal Sweatshop Conditions Endure
Major American Brands Silent on Alleged Rights Abuses at Overseas Factories
Inspection Report of the Immigration and Naturalization Service’s (INS) efforts to combat harboring and employing illegal aliens in sweatshops.
US Trafficking In Persons Report 2011
Do Something: Background on Sweatshops
Do Something: 11 Facts About Sweatshops
Courtney Wong, Singer/Songwriter/Worship Leader
Facebook | Youtube | iTunes | CDBaby | Tumblr | Twitter: @CourtneyBWong
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
PSYCHED because I just finished recording my album last weekend! Can’t wait to share it with you guys next month! Release party ideas, anyone?
And here’s a little preview. More Than Conquerors—inspired by Romans 8:35-37: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”
Enjoy! And GET EXCITED!!!!!
In the meantime, find me on:
Facebook | Youtube | iTunes | CDBaby | Twitter: @CourtneyBWong
Sign the petitions to tell companies we want to wear clothes free of child slavery and abuse!:
Featuring my original song: Taking a Stand
Please subscribe to my channel & check back next month! This is the 6th video in my series of anti-slavery or anti-human trafficking videos. Over this next year, I hope to inform and intrigue those who know very little about or may have never even heard of human trafficking. This series is launching with NYC Urban Project’s LoGOFF campaign to explore what it means to live Local, Green, Organic, Fair (trade) and (slave) Free.
© Courtney Wong 2012
Sources:
International Labor Rights Forum
Global clothing brands boycott Uzbek cotton
Responsible Sourcing Network videos
US Department of State Trafficking In Persons 2011 Report
Courtney Wong, Singer/Songwriter/Worship Leader
Facebook | Youtube | iTunes | CDBaby | Tumblr | Twitter: @CourtneyBWong
Thanks to the second video in my anti-human trafficking series about conflict mineral mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo that produces our electronics, my video series and I garnered enough interest to be featured on MTV Act! Check it out!
I’ve released my 5th stopmotion video in my anti-slavery youtube series. This month, we’re discovering how children in Cote d’Ivoire are impacted by our demand for chocolate–just in time to respond by how we make our Valentine’s Day chocolate purchases!
Slave- and Child-Labor Free Chocolate
Fair Trade Valentine’s Day Gift Guide
Featuring my original song: Taking a Stand
Please subscribe to my channel & check back next month! Over this next year, I hope to inform and intrigue those who know very little about or may have never even heard of human trafficking. This series is launching with NYC Urban Project’s LoGOFF campaign to explore what it means to live Local, Green, Organic, Fair (trade) and (slave) Free.
© Courtney Wong 2012
Sources:
Ivory Cocoa Farms Child Labor: Little Change
Cocoa Campaign: International Labor Rights Forum
2011 Tulane University Report: Oversight of Public and Private Initiatives to Eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labor in the Cocoa Sector in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana
ILO and Chocolate and Cocoa Industry Forge New Partnership to Combat Child Labour in West Africa
US Department of State Trafficking In Persons 2011 Report
Hershey’s $10 million Pledge to Improve West African Cocoa Farming & Fight Child Labor
Slavery In the Supply Chain (video discussing how to find fair trade chocolate)
Courtney Wong, Singer/Songwriter/Worship Leader
Facebook | Youtube | iTunes | CDBaby | Tumblr | Twitter: @CourtneyBWong
I believe unforgiveness is one of the heaviest burdens we can carry consistently. We may still be able to serve God in different capacities. Heck, we may even still feel pretty great most of the time. But for at least some of that time, we are robbing ourselves of experiencing the Lord’s freedom and PEACE. More than that, it is as if we have not fully understood the forgiveness and grace that we have been shown by our Lord Jesus Christ, by withholding that forgiveness and grace from someone who has wronged us.
Wrote this song many years ago, performed it publicly only once. It’s really long, but I needed to get through all that brutal honesty and repetition in order to reach a place of resolution. It’s encouraging to realize that I am now in a place of peace and forgiveness over the past that initially prompted me to write this song. It’s still early in 2012, so here’s to a fresh start with forgiveness.
HOW DO I FORGIVE
© Courtney Wong
How do I forgive, Lord
When her smiles drew deception and her actions placed herself above me
How do I forgive, Lord
When she willingly destroyed all the blessings that You poured out so freely
How do I forgive, Lord, how do I forgive, Lord
How do I forgive
When he made me so secure and safe only to leave me bare and disgraced
How do I forgive, Lord
When he promised me real love forever only to turn away towards a prettier face
How do I forgive, Lord, how do I forgive, Lord
How do I forgive, Lord, when she isn’t even sorry
When she thinks that she is justified by her own selfish desires
How do I forgive when he doesn’t ask for my forgiveness
And I’m just an episode that he’ll soon forget
How do I forgive, how do I forgive
How do I forgive, Lord
When I held onto all anger, hatred, rage and malice, turned my heart cold
How do I forgive, Lord
When You gave me freedom new each day
But I chose to drown in bondage anyway
How do I forgive, Lord, how do I forgive, Lord
How do I forgive when You commanded, “Love your enemies”
Not revenge but turn the other cheek, and take on humility
How do I forgive when I broke Your heart with my actions
Ignored Your word to selfishly grasp sin
How do I forgive
I’m sinking under temptation Lord but don’t let me drown
Let me release all pain and anger to bow before Your crown
I lay down at Your feet my past and present hurt
Help me to leave them there and practice all that I’ve learned
I know I can forgive, Lord
Though I’ve lost all I thought was gain, I am finding purpose in this pain
I know I can forgive Lord
Though they said it’d take a miracle, I know it’s by Your grace and not my own
Help me forgive Lord
Show me how to love her just as You do, give me strength and courage to see all this through
Help me forgive Lord
Though at times my heart, it still is breaking, it’s the only way I’ll fulfill Your plans for me
I know I will forgive Lord
For through You I have the power to choose forgiveness and pursue peace
I know I will forgive Lord
For I’m thoroughly inspired to love others by the way You’ve loved me
I will forgive, Lord, I will forgive, Lord
iTunes | CD Baby | Facebook | Youtube | Twitter: @CourtneyBWong
Donating all January 2012 proceeds from “Calling Out to You (Pour L’Haiti)” to World Vision for Haiti relief efforts! And TODAY is the last day of January! Buy it today on iTunes or CD Baby!
You can still purchase this song and my other single, Promise Devotion, but after today, all those proceeds will be going towards recuperating my production costs of living as a starving artist this past year! Ha! (Also greatly appreciated too!)
In the past year since quitting my full-time job to pursue this singer/songwriter & social-injustice-fighting-in-the-nonprofit-sector career, I think my life has lacked balance more than anything and more than ever before. I’ve never had such an unpredictable schedule working so many different “jobs”—most of which were self-assigned and required me to develop skills I never thought I’d ever use or need. Creating and maintaining real balance is now absolutely necessary if I am to continue into this next chapter in my fairy tale life.
God has been opening so many new doors for me lately—from releasing my first two singles to being featured by World Vision—and I’m walking through the latest one this Monday. I was not even actively looking for a full-time position, but was offered one of my dream jobs by a great team of people with whom I have been doing sporadic freelance work for the past 3 years. As I am approaching the end of the year-long commitment I initially made to pursuing my music/nonprofit career, I discussed the job offer with my parents, prayed & ultimately felt peace (and sheer uncontainable excitement) to take the job!
With a new full-time job on my plate, balance means downgrading my other commitments. This was a tough decision to make, as I suffer from some sort of Super Woman complex—always thinking I can handle everything, loving a packed schedule, and not allowing myself any time to breathe. But this complex gets easily and consistently overridden by my super-sensitivity to stress lol. So this time, my health and sanity win.
Although this may not be a big deal because I’m not sure most people knew of my initial commitment to release anti-slavery videos every 2 weeks (yes, how..ambitious), I will now release videos for my anti-human trafficking youtube series every month instead of every 2 weeks. Please don’t judge me lol. Yes, the whole 3 preceding paragraphs were more or less a preamble/caveat to this announcement..and a mini life update! Ha. Sorry it’s nothing more profound or exciting!
All January 2012 proceeds from “Calling Out to You (Pour L’Haiti)” will be donated to World Vision for Haiti relief efforts! Buy it TODAY!
iTunes
CD Baby
Please subscribe to my channel & check back next month! This is the 4th video in my series of anti-slavery or anti-human trafficking videos. Over this next year, I hope to inform and intrigue those who know very little about or may have never even heard of human trafficking. This series is launching with NYC Urban Project’s LoGOFF campaign to explore what it means to live Local, Green, Organic, Fair (trade) and (slave) Free.
Video & Script © Courtney Wong 2012
Sources:
US Trafficking In Persons Report 2011
NY Times Economix: Haiti’s Economy
Painful Plight of Haiti’s Restavek Children
Amnesty International: Annual Report 2011
Children Sold by Traffickers for as Little as 76 Pence Each
Rape Flourishes in Rubble of Haitian Earthquake
