Lighten Up! It's Only Eternity!

I am thirty six years old. A young man to some, to others, I am ancient. There is one old man trait about me that is very prevalent, unfortunately. I have come to realize that I am a very intolerant person. Year by year, I have watched the culture of American society erode, little by little, bit by bit, until one day, you look up, and you can hardly believe what you're seeing. To see immorality celebrated, even worshipped by our country's youth is more than my fleshly patience system can take. But that's just the problem. None of this is spiritual. Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still, and know that I am God". Instead of handing the reins over to the creator of the universe, I get so angry that evil, promiscuity, and other moral traps are so hyped by our media...promising our young adults (and yes, our children) that this is the way to live. I've heard comments from people saying.."That Lady Gaga....she's a genius. She's so original." All she has done is taken the seediest, dirtiest side of humanity, and moved it to the mainstream. Top 40 Radio, MTV, right into the hearts of children everywhere. They form their morals from that, and in turn, raise children with even fewer convictions until before you know it, it's Thunderdome. I don't know though, maybe I'm just being cranky, ya know, uptight...not "with it". I know I have work to do, but I also know that I am being attacked, and so are you. If I'm taking the threat too serious, then that's okay by me, I think.

Leaky Jugs, or.. "Gotta Love that MAN!"

"Therefore I still contend with you, declares the Lord,
and with your children's children I will contend. For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see, or send to Kedar and examine with care;
see if there has been such a thing. Has a nation changed its gods,
even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this;be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the Lord, for my people have committed two evils:they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
broken cisterns that can hold no water.”

Jeremiah 2:9-13

I have seen so many people I know (myself included) put God on the back burner. Their eyes see something they want, and automatically, without thought, God goes out the window. It’s most manifest in relationships. Now, to be fair, I’m sure men are just as prone to have priority issues; but I see it most in young women. It seems that society has taught our young women that they are not, cannot be, and will never be complete without a relationship, that, wonderful, wonderful man that validates who they are. Many of these relationships are abusive, as the man has convinced the woman that they are nothing without him. Amazingly, it happens among Christian ladies as well. They forget that God has called them, they forget that God has already validated them, and they forget that God is jealous for them. So, why am I talking about this? Because it makes me think of what ways I may be taking God for granted, putting him on the back burner. What are the things in my life that replace God so easily? That make me feel as though I’m being validated?

Is This Thing On?

I am a slacker. That would be evident to anyone that is looking at this blog, and notices the gap between entry dates. In this gap is the recording of an album, a handful of concert dates, and writing for the next record. In this writing, I discovered that I can write about a subject other than evangelism, and that makes me happy. Knowing that I can indeed write love songs to my God is a nice feeling. There are songs about how much I love him, how my life would be useless without him, and songs thanking him for all he's giving me. Then, there are some about the struggle. A friend of mine suggested that I begin writing about the struggles of walking with God, and as I started to think on the subject, words flowed like they haven't since my first teenage crush, or more poignantly, the death of my father. Concept albums are great, but I didn't want to make a record exclusively about how hard everything is all of the time. Maybe people can relate to one or two cuts about it, but an entire album of it would discourage. So, in the organizing stage of making the next record, I decided that this would be a mix of emotions...the full range of what a child of God in Christ goes through in his or her walk. There's joy at being found, and subsequently saved, there's a longing to serve, there's the initial shock at how hard the Christian life is, and then the longing to overcome it all, and knowing that the God that found you, is the same God that will see his work in you through to the very end, which sees you as the bride, no more pain, no more tears. In short, I'm very excited to record this album. Then there's been the response (or lack of it) to my debut album. I envisioned record sales, signing CD's at Gigs after my set, glowing reports from iTunes, and all that stuff... What happened, though, caught me by surprise. I wasn't selling any of them. I'm still not. The trade off, though is that I have given away many many copies of this record to anyone that wants an uplifting. It's been a blessing for me to bless others with my album, even if I wasn't paid for it. Believe me, It's a nice feeling to know you've sold a record, and I sincerely thank everyone that has laid their money down. But it's also a great thing to know that you're not a slave to an idea that you have to sell. I love to play music. I love to write, I love to sing. And I DO have an audience. God has given me that. What a blessing. The rest is gravy.

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon Earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal; But lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth or rust corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal; for where your treasure is, so will your heart be."
Matthew 6:19-21

"But Seek ye first, the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all of these things will be added unto you."
Matthew 6:33