When Asking For Something...

I've just realized I haven't written in a month and a half...for this I offer some form of apology.  But to the point of this post.

We like to hit God relentlessly with requests and petitions with almost no expectations at times, this hits me as odd. We ask him frequently to heal someone, provide something, make a change, the mountain is never ending, and when it happens, we're blown away.  Two missionaries from our church recently visited and shared with us a story of answered prayer.  This may seem like an underwhelming statement or conversation, however it's the direction this is going that is the underlying theme to this writing.

Their prayer: The wife (Anchalee) comes from a small village in Thailand and has a heart for people in her situation, so obviously she has a heart for people in similar situations.  Anchalee and her husand (Kim) began to pray for the people in the jungle villages that they would know freedom in Christ and find hope in situations that would seem hopeless.  They wanted light in the darkness of the jungle. 

They however did not expect the answer they received.  God not only answered the prayer to send someone for the people, but He chose them.  This brings me to the point of this post.  When asking God to guide your steps, make sure you're ready to walk.  We pray for revival, for change in our family, provisions, so on and so forth, we rarely expect an answer, and even less often expect Him to use us to answer it.  On the flip side there's the I prayed for revival but God isn't using ME! That's a whole other can of worms I'll get in to some other time.  This is why I say (or I guess in this case write) MAKE SURE YOU'RE READY TO WALK, we should always stay in tune with God's will and where we fit in.  Make sure you're walking WITH HIM!!  That is the imperative point of this.  Without Him we can do nothing, ministry will fail, worship won't happen, evangelism will die; with Him, things flourish.

Not Afraid, Not Alone

I have a heart for inner city kids, when I was in college doing my education degree (I had to leave during the recession), my first practicum was at an inner city school. A lot of the kids come from broken homes, a number don't know their moms/dads, or barely know them. They don't have any positive influence in their lives, and some make bad choice, either for attention, or the impression they've been left with. It breaks my heart on a daily basis seeing kids go through this. My eyes are not dry, my heart is definitely broken, my emotions run wild, my passion flares up, and I get raw and down to the point with this. These kids need someone, they need hope, and a light in their life. They don't need punishment, or this reform school garbage. They need love, because they ain't gettin it any where else. They end up going to the wrong places looking for acceptance, for love, for some fake level of 'you did alright'. There is an attack on our Youth today, turning them into lifeless zombies drifting through life, numb and cold. Things need to change. Please help me; help me spread hope. Help me bring life to young men and women who feel their life deep down, means nothing. Help me, make a difference. 

**I wrote the words previous, and following this in raw aggression and desire for a change. Everything I say is real, pass it on.

When I slip into ignorance, complacancy surrounding me
I go numb, don't know what's goin on.
Ignorance is bliss, can I keep living like this?

When I see the hurt, when I see the pain
I know there's a God, he couldn't be more real to me
Cuz I know that when there's pain in the night, Joy comes in the morning
There is a hope, I'm not afraid, I'm not alone, I'm not afraid, not alone.

In the pain and the suffering, I know what hope will bring
I'm not alone, I'm not afraid.
I got the Lord Almighty by my side.
I'm not alone, not afraid.

Though the world is dark, cold, falling apart,
Here in His presence, He comforts me.
No mourning in Heaven, He'll wipe away my tears
I will rejoice, I will rejoice
I'm not afraid, I'm not alone.

Musical Tastes

Music is very much about taste.  To declare one genre greater than another is foolish.  Genres vary, and some genres are a result of preceding genres.  We would not have Metal today, if it were not for the Rock and Roll movement before, and the Blues/Jazz movement.  And those genres wouldn't exist if it wasn't for classical composers such as Beethoven and Bach the "rock stars" of their day.

This is something that always gets me going when I hear a comment like "(INSERT GENRE)sucks" or, I hate "(INSERT ARTIST)".  They don't enjoy the style of the artist, or the genre, and thus deem it to be musically unworthy of consideration.  I'm not a fan of Ke$ha, or Lady Gaga, or any of those artists, it's not a genre I'm in to, or artists I'm a fan of.  I won't discredit them, they obviously know what they're doing with sold out shows and high Record Sales.

One artist in particular has been up for discussion in my circle of friends lately, (please keep in mind we're all twenty something musicians), Justin Beiber.  Ever since JBeibs entered the music scene he's been the brunt of jokes and criticism as well as critical acclaim.  His music? Not really my taste.  He was discovered because of his voice, I personally as a musician can not discredit him for that.  It was talent that got him where he is, regardless of what pop culture has done with his abilities (unfortunate really).

This brings me to what I think is my final point; Different Strokes, for Different Folks.  You may not like Country (a lot of my friends don't), You may love Hip Hop (I don't).  I have a lot of Metal Head friends (I'm not one), You may not like Hard Rock (It's my favourite).  We all like different music, and as a musician I see it a lot.