Welcome To Life

so far, so good.

2009-07-14T09:26:00.004-04:00

This update is coming to you from the booming metropolis of Douglas, Ga. Me and the guys are down here leading worship for a summer camp for FBC Douglas. We came down last year and had a blast and they invited us to come back, pretty cool! Anyways, it's been a really long time since I've posted an update...sorry.

As we were preparing for this trip, the main scripture that we were focusing on was from Romans 12: 1,2.

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-His good, pleasing and perfect will."

Our prayers were focused on what God's will was for this camp [and for these kids] and how we could all experience Him. Personally, I was praying that we would all get past our fears of living up to the expectations that are put on us by our families, friends, and others, and just find a place where we are so comfortable in who are are in the LORD that He would then begin to show us truly who He wants us to be. Grace is not about being good enough. In fact, it seems to me that we focus so much on earning grace that it's hard for us to just accept it and take it for what it really is... amazing, unconditional, perfect, etc,.

It was super cool when we got here and started really talking through the way the week was going to progress, and found out that we're studying in Malachi this week. We learn in Malachi that the priests we not offering perfect sacrifices to the Lord. The people would bring a perfectly good lamb to the priests to offer and the priest would keep the good lamb for himself and take one of his gimp lambs and offer that one instead. Isn't that kind of what we [I] do? Jesus is the spotless lamb and He [and only He] could and did take away our sins. He was the perfect sacrifice and through Him the wrath of God was sufficed. But in our daily lives, how often do we give less that what we really should to God? And I'm guilty of this too. I think it comes down to us just not trusting God enough to really take care of us. We think we need to do things on our own. And why? When have I ever been able to do anything on my own without completely screwing it up? Let me think...never! If it really were up to me, I'd probably lying in some ditch somewhere shriveled up because of all the stupid decisions I've made over the course of my life. Praise the God of the universe that it's not up to me and that my life is NOT in my hands! I'll sing a million "hallelujahs" because of that!

At one point last night, Mike [the speaker] quoted a line from a John Mark McMillan song. The basic premise of the line was that, in the old testament, the priests were offering up the equivalent of rent each time they made a sacrifice. They were paying rent. Now, by the amazing Grace and Love of the Father, the house has been paid for IN FULL! No more paying rent, the mortgage has been covered; totally, completely, finally.

So, let's stop trying to do things to earn God's love. Let's stop trying to do things on our own. Let's give God all that we have [not blemished offerings but OUR WHOLE LIVES] and trust Him completely to take care of us. I am praying that this week we can leave here with a whole new perspective of who God is; that we could encounter Him and experience Him so much this week that we'd even look like different people by the time this week is over.

More to come...

-Andy-

CD Release Party!!!

2009-04-14T14:18:00.012-04:00

Well, the time has finally come for you guys to come and hang out with us as we release our new EP "Falling!" We have an AWESOME show planned with the great Scott England and featuring the wonderfully talented Anna Houston. Here are the details:

What: Scott England/Seven Stories Up CD Release Party; feat. Anna Houston

When: Sunday May 17th. Doors open at 5pm

Where: The Murray Arts Center; 2250 Stilesboro Road Kennesaw, GA

Cost: $7 in advance; $10 at the door.

It's so easy. Just follow the link below to purchase your tickets. They'll be mailed directly to you! We look forward to seeing everyone there! Oh, and if you're bringing a group of 15 or more, the cost is only $5!

crazy beautiful

2009-01-09T11:47:00.004-05:00

good day friends. i'm writing from the safe confines of my favorite starbucks here in good ole' alpharetta, ga. i'm in a good place today; i've got a great family, great friends, and most of all, a God who truly does care about me and wants desperately for me to spend as much time in His presence as possible. i'm still learning to understand that it really is for my good that i spend time daily in His presence.

my life continues to be a whirlwind of emotions and busyness, that i don't often get time to sit and journal on here. what with putting a band together, recording our first album, coming up with a name for said band, and also trying to manage my week-to-week schedule, i'm a bit overwhelmed. however, i believe i'm on a back swing right now waiting for things to get really crazy.

we finally got a name for our band. the official name is... drum roll please... Seven Stories Up. moving forward, i'm super stoked to see where God takes this new approach to doing ministry . what i mean by that is, for 3 years now, i've operated under the umbrella of 'andy rocker music.' that has been what has kind of defined who i am as a worship leader and has been my brand. now, i'm moving into a totally new direction, but obviously with the same goals. my purpose on this earth is still to help people first understand a bit better who God is and how He wants for them to have a relationship with His son Jesus, and to help people to worship God through music; our expression of love and adoration of our King.

now, seven stories up is the vessel God will use to hopefully reach tons more people and place us on a much larger platform for ministry. the label already has quite a few things in store for us and those things will be unfolding as the year progresses. our debut album is scheduled to 'drop' 4.21.09, so be on the lookout for that! it will be a six-song 'ep' type of a album but will have full art work and all of the works that a full-length album will have. i'm still a bit in the dark on how all of this will work, except that i'm really stoked about it! more info on that later... :)

as for now, we are all really excited to get this thing rolling and to get on the road touring our new songs. we ask for your prayers as we move into this because only by the grace and guidance of God can we accomplish anything. Colossians 1:16 says, "For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him."

we have nothing except for the love and grace of God and if we hold firmly to that, all of the riches in the world cannot compare to how immensely God will pour His favor upon us... if we could only trust...

thanks so much for your love and support and prayers!
-andy-

what do ya do?

2008-12-26T19:56:00.004-05:00

yesterday was a day filled with happiness and enjoyment as i was able to spend some relaxing time with my family. we had a great dinner (feast really) shared a bit with opening some gifts... nothing much really, but it was just enough. there were a few times yesterday that i was quite sad though.

as most of you know, my sister Beth lives in Johannesburg, South Africa serving with campus outreach. she's been there just over 4 years now, but it is still hard to not be able to spend such a meaningful holiday with her. we did get to talk with her on the phone for about a half an hour and that was amazing, i love technology. but i still would have loved to give her a big hug and actually say the words, "merry Christmas" to her face. she's expected to come home sometime in February and i know those will be some good times!

also, around 1:30 yesterday, my mom and i went to visit my grandmother at her nursing home where she is being very well cared for as she has fallen ill to Alzheimers. i've made my peace with the fact that i'll never really spend a Christmas with my grandmother again since the disease has pretty much put her in a state of unconsiousness most of the time. i mean, she's there sort of, but it's just not her. i miss her sense of humor and they way she'd say, "hey suga!" everytime she'd see me. my grandfather is a champion. he spends at least 5 hours a day at the nursing home sitting with her, helping her eat, and just keeping her company. they (well, he) celebrated their 60th anniversary this year!

what saddens me the most though is to see all of the people in the nursing home just sitting there with no one to visit them or to care for them, other than the nurses, and they are just spending the rest of their days there in that home. now, i'm no philosopher or wise man by any means, but i just don't see how there is justice in that. why don't the majority of us care for older people better? we put them away in homes and forget about them because it's easier than having to take time out of our busy days to simply go and sit with them and love on them and, whether they know it or not, care for them. of course i realize that some people brought the lonliness upon themselves and may have treated others poorly, but still, i just don't see how it's right for someone to sit in a chair staring blankly into a world that has all but forgotten about them.

if you know me then you know that i am one who stands against injustice and i'm making it a point in my own life that i will not allow this to happen to those in my family. there, now i'm off my soap box. many thanks for letting me vent... comments?

-ar-

C-R-A-Z-Y

2008-12-08T11:13:00.004-05:00

the title of this blog post pretty much describes my life for the past month, and that's just about how long it's been since i last posted anything on here. for those of you who check this regularly, i'm truly sorry. i'll do my best to re-cap the last month or so of my life without going into so much detail that you fall asleep whilst reading.

around the middle of september all of the works were being started for the new venture of my life. the contract with VSR was signed and the logistics were being ironed out to begin producing my first record with them. as i was praying about the future of this ministry, God began to put some names in my mind of guys who could possibly join me in this mission. so, as i kept praying and getting more and more comfortable about the guys i was praying for, i began speaking with them about the possibility of them joining and becoming a part of this band (name still undecided) and writing and tracking the album with me. the conversations went well and all party's were in agreement that it would be cool to see where it went and agreed to be on board for the time being.

as we began to move forward and start writing and being creative, it became clear to me that God was going to do something huge. our writing and creative sessions, although few, were very productive and meaningful; at least to me they were. i felt as though we were writing well as a band and everyone had great input as far as creativity, arrangement, and writing. we worked really, really hard and came up with 6 great songs. these will accompany 5 songs from my first album 'this is my song.' all in all, i was very happy with what we were able to accomplish.

well, last wednesday, drew and josh flew out to phoenix, az to track all the bass and drums for the new songs. phil flies out on wednesday of this week, yep, day after tomorrow, to track electric parts; i fly out a week from tomorrow to track vocals and acoustic parts; and dan will be tracking all the piano parts here in town! it's been a really crazy process getting to where we are now, and we're trusting that God is going to use this project to bring many people into at least an understanding of who He is and hopefully into a relationship with His son Jesus. what an increadible thing to be able to make music that can span thousands of people and share a message of hope and restoration with a world that is so constantly beaten down by lies and deceit.

please join with us in praying for this project and asking that God would open doors in massive ways for us to bring this message to the world. we know that it's tough to get into the countries that are 'closed off' from the Gospel, but we know that we walk boldly and powerfully with the Spirit that raised Christ from the dead and that anything is possible with Him.

thanks so much for your support and prayers and i promise that i'll try to do better about posting reports on our progress as a band. oh, and by the way, the name of the band is 'seven stories up.'

until next time
-ar-

---> BASICS <---

2008-11-18T16:55:00.006-05:00

we're approaching upon one of the craziest times of the year, if not the craziest! Thanksgiving day is so close i can almost taste the turkey and green bean casserole, and Christmas is just right around the corner from that. The days of insanity at the mall are at hand and all around your neighborhood you can see families out hanging their lights to signify their joy for this season. somewhere, a little boy is writing a letter to Santa Clause asking for something he has wanted all year long. somewhere, a little girl is writing a letter asking for her father stationed somewhere in the middle east to be allowed to come home for Christmas. and somewhere a mother is wondering where she is going to get the money to afford to buy her children just one thing each so they won't be disappointed on Christmas morning.

as i think about the different circumstances people all over the world face during this Christmas season, it saddens me to know that so many will wake up with nothing, not simply because it's Christmas day, but because it's just another day. it's so hard for those of us who "have" to imagine those who "don't have." it's not that we don't want to, we're just basically oblivious to it.

so the challenge is this: let us not think of what we WANT for Christmas this year as more important than what someone somewhere NEEDS. we have an incredible opportunity to DO something. as we face this season of hope and joy, let us actually offer it to those who need it rather than just pay lip service to it. and i'm in the boat here with everyone else. my selfishness makes me sick sometimes and i'm going to be challenging myself in this too.

if you have any ideas or any ministries that help people in this way, please post a comment here and let us know what it is so that we can help get the word out to start helping people on a larger scale. I know of one that we used to work with a lot called Angel Tree. let's be creative and please don't hesitate to write something!

be love,
andy

of GREAT importance

2008-10-31T15:55:00.007-04:00

i received these thoughts in an email earlier today, and i feel most compelled to share because i believe in this message with all that i am. please read:

"I’m not much for debate and I usually steer clear of speaking about controversial political issues. HOWEVER, history is going to be made in a few days when we choose our next US President and there is a MAJOR issue at stake that I believe many people are misinformed about, so I feel compelled to speak out. I want you to know that my purpose is not to condemn or stir up anger, but rather to inform and challenge you to look at some facts.

As a result of next week’s votes, either Barack Obama or John McCain will likely be this country’s next President. I’m personally not a huge fan of either candidate. But I am a huge fan of the legal protection of the largest and most defenseless minority group on earth. And only one of the candidates has promised to protect these innocent people. I realize that this isn’t the only important issue at stake in this election. But I do believe that, right now, this one is of overriding importance.

Rather than feebly attempting to explain this complex situation myself, I want to direct you to the words of another person who has articulated the urgency of this situation aptly. Below is an excerpt from a blog written by Randy Alcorn on 10/22/08. It’s well worth the time it will take you to read it – even if you disagree in the end. Randy is regularly adding to his blog, so I’d encourage you to personally check out his site – http://randyalcorn.blogspot.com."

When someone says, “Abortion isn't the only issue,” I agree. If neither candidate were committed to the legalized killing of people, any people, then I would say, by all means weigh and measure those other important issues and make your choice. But can you seriously argue that these other issues trump the killing of millions of innocent children, not just now, but in the decades to come under a pro-abortion Supreme Court that could have been a pro-life Supreme Court? Don't you believe that though there were other issues in Nazi Germany besides the killing of Jews, Gypsies and the disabled, that all those other issues were trumped by that one?

I am not excited about John McCain in every area. But when I compare him to Barack Obama in the overriding issue of our day, the right of preborn children to live, there is a stark and radical difference. In America right now, the rights of Jews to live is not on the table. The right of unborn children to live is on the table. The killing of the unborn is the holocaust of our day. Where do you want to have stood on this issue? Where do you want the man you vote for to have stood on it? If your grandchildren ask you one day whether you voted for or against the right of children to live, what will you say?

Would John McCain be a great president? I don't know. Maybe he wouldn't even be a good president. There are so many claims by both candidates that their words seem like wind to me. I don't feel like I know a lot. But I do know for certain that one candidate defends the right of the unborn to live, and the other is utterly committed to be sure that it remains legal to kill them. In one sense I'm not voting mainly for John McCain. I am voting for McCain because it's my only way in this election to vote for the right of unborn children to live rather than die.

Now, if you think that's an overstatement, that the difference between the candidates isn't that great, or they will not influence the future of abortion in this country, I challenge you to look at Obama's dogged commitment to the legalized killing of unborn children, backed up by his 100% pro-abortion voting record. And look at McCain's repeatedly stated commitment, also demonstrated by his voting record, to oppose the legalized killing of children. If you think your presidential vote is not for or against unborn children, you don't understand the significance of the Freedom of Choice Act or the significance of the balance of power of the Supreme Court with the Obama judges who are certain to be pro-legal-abortion and the McCain judges who are virtually certain to be anti-legal-abortion.

But is it too strong to say that Obama is “pro-abortion”? He’s not pro-abortion, just pro-choice, right? Wrong. What would you think if a politician said, “I'm not pro-rape, I'm simply pro-choice about rape. And though I would not choose to rape a woman, I believe that every man should be free to rape a woman if that is his personal choice.” And what would you do if that politician promised the rape lobby that if he is elected president, the first thing he’ll do is to sign legislation that would invalidate all the state laws that restrict rape in any way?

I don't think that anyone has the right to vote for a candidate who is committed to legalized abortion unless you are willing to watch the video link below showing you exactly what abortion does.

http://www.abort73.com/HTML/I-A-4-video.html

If you are not viewing the video to see what happens as the result of an abortion, then I hope it's because you know the truth. But if you refuse to watch this because it is too horrific to look at a dismembered child, then don't you think abortion is too horrific to be legal? And too horrific to be supported by your candidate? And too horrific for you to vote for by voting for him?

be Gods'

2008-10-27T12:55:00.004-04:00

did that title seem awkward to you? yeah, me too, until it was explained. and i'll do my best to explain it to you now.

last night, i went with my buddy Paul [check out his blog, it's on the right] to IMPACT at Church of the Apostles. it was my first time, so i wasn't sure what to expect. i walked away with an incredibly fresh light on my current station of life. the communicator, Kevin, was preaching from Colossians chapter 1. he basically set up the evening by stating an obvious fact: "each of us has someTHING that we're good at." duh. i'm pretty sure we all knew that. but where he went after that was not so NEW to me as it was REFRESHING.

the point was that we all have these things that we do well, but if we hold to the teaching from Paul in Colossians, it is Jesus Christ who holds all things together and in Him, and through Him, and for Him all things were created; it's for His glory, not ours.

we each had a little white box that we put together and on it wrote the name of our "thing" (ie. music, arts, teaching, love, ministry, etc...). Kevin then got a HUGE box and wrote ALL THINGS on it signifying that, duh, that box belongs to Jesus because in Him are ALL THINGS. it's quite elementary, but it had such a profound affect on me last night. why would i look to anyone other than the creator of all things for guidance on the one thing i do well?

here's where the title of the blog comes into play. when adam and eve were in the garden, they had a choice to make. would they "be Gods" or would they "be Gods'?" the first means that they would try and make their decisions themselves and would not look to any higher being as their provider and keeper. this decision is why we now find ourselves in the perdicament we're all in now. but, they're not to blame, because truth be told you and i would have made the same exact choice... in fact, we do each day. but, the second meaning is where we find truth and life. we need to be Gods'. we need to belong to God; find our meaning in Him; find our very purpose and drive in Him. only there can we find who we're supposed to be and how we're supposed to use the one thing that we do so well.

with all that has been going on in my life the past 2 months, it was so great for God to impress this again on my heart. there is one purpose why i do what i do: for His glory. it is for His glory that i'm able to write music, let alone play it. so my prayer must be for God to, in some way, continue to use my feeble attempts at worship and praising Him to bring other people closer to Himself. i'm just trying to be real. and in doing so, there is much vulnerability; that's ok. it's when we're most vulnerable that God is able to do some cool stuff with us and through us.

i'm not a communicator by any means, so hopefully you were able to make some sense of all of this. until next time...

-ar-

::: RAIN :::

2008-10-17T15:04:00.005-04:00

is there a thing that you really love more than any thing else? no really, think about that question for a second. what is it that you really, really love more than anything else. and i'm not talking about a person, because of course [hopefully] we all have someone we really love... at least, everyone should. i'm talking about the one thing that maybe brings back a delightful memory, or a thought of someone special, or a time of your life that meant a lot to you.

for me, it's the rain. it didn't become my favorite thing until i moved back home from Seattle. the rain reminds me of all the people i met while i was in Seattle. it reminds me of little cozy coffee shops in the U-district that had some of the best baristas in the world, who could make an espresso based drink that literaly would cause you to fall into some kind of waking slumber and all you could think about was the amazing gloriousness that was the drink you were consuming. haha, i know that's a little overboard, but it paints a good picture.

the rain reminds me of all the great conversations i had with some of the students at UW. some of those conversations really helped me to grasp and understand even more who i am as a follower of Jesus. other conversations gave me a clearer understanding of the culture that is the "bible-belt" and what life is like outside of that bubble. but the majority of the convos i had were ones that happened in the extremely early hours of the morning, [like 2-5 am] when people would let go of their worries of what others thought, and they would just unload their issues and problems. it was in those times when we would really see life change happen.

the rain reminds me of driving across the i-90 or 520 bridges and you could barely see the water below the clouds. or walking down "the ave" talking to estranged homeless people who really have some amazing stories to tell if only we could decipher between the drunken slurs and pleas for some spare change. or going to the mongolian grill with dan the man, chris, and mike. or going to eat some pho after sojourn church! great times.

i hope that i would always be reminded of the people whom i encountered while i was the great northwest. they all hold a very near place to my heart [and you all know who you are!]. i've always been a sap for memories and things of that sort. thanks for reading my rambles...haha!

until next time...
-ar-

tonight...

2008-10-10T12:22:00.003-04:00

so, i just picked up the 12-passenger van that we're taking down to Douglas for our night of music and worship. i'm sitting at this starbucks here at permiter mall waiting to go a pick up the boys and i opened up my favorite bible search engine bible gateway. they have a verse of the day and today it is Proverb 19: 20-21: "Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise. Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails."

it has already been a bit of a hectic day for me as i've been preparing and trying to stay focused on all of the things that need to be done. this was an absolute perfect verse for God to use to really speak to me about the reason why i (we) do what we do. as i wrote in my last post, we really have no clue what it is that God is going to do...or how He is going to reveal Himself. all we can do is sit and wait and know that if we are patient He will reveal Himself to us. that is my prayer for tonight. i really want this to be a time when we as a band and as a group of people aim all that we are 100% towards the God of the universe. it is because of Him that we are even able to draw breath, and it is for Him that we are made.

so going back to verse 21, "many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails..." oh how i long for God to take my purposes out of the way; to take my selfish nature out of the way; take my desire for all the sound and lights and "stuff" to go just perfect and really place within me a desire for just one thing... just ONE thing: to GLORIFY HIM ALONE. it's only when we offer ourselves to that end that God shows up in big ways.

i could definitely go on and on about this but i'd just be saying the same thing over and over. plus, i'm about to jet and make the trek to round up all the guys. so, here's to a great weekend and i'll post sooner than later next time!

-ar-

sometimes...all the time!

2008-09-29T14:50:00.003-04:00

i used to believe that there were times when we could understand what God may be up to at certain times. well, last night i found out that i really have absolutely no clue what God is up to... except to make Himself known at all times. let me explain...

last night, me and the boys (drew, nathan, dan, zac, and pj) made the incredible trek down to Dublin, Ga to lead worship at Access Church. much effort had already been put forth by the time we got there. the sound, the lighting, and just about everything else had already been prepared when we rolled in. so we set our stuff up, rehearsed and then left the stage to chill a bit before it was time to begin. we were scheduled to start at 6 pm. at 5:45, no one was there... at 5:55, still no one. hmm....what is goin on? so, drew initiated for us just to start praying... we gathered and began simply asking God to do something big...

amazing when God really shows up and blows your mind!!! we prayed for a good 15 minutes... God moved in BIG ways just during our prayer time... then, around 6:45 we decided to just go on stage and start jamming and praising God... a seemingly empty room we were playing for...haha.

it only took until halfway through the first tune that God began changing my vision... i began seeing angels gathered around the throne of God worshipping Him in His splendor and glory. what seemed like an empty room became filled with the Spririt of God and for a few moments, we were all surrounded and enveloped by His presence. it was heavy, exciting, scary. God gave us a glimpse of what we're going to experience when we are before Him one day. in fullness and in grace we will be made complete in Him.

it's exactly what needed to happen right then and there. our plans and efforts are not set in stone. we can plan all we want, but God is the ultimate storyteller and He turns the pages and pens in the details the way He sees fit. He will be glorified and His name will be made known. our choice is to jump into this amazing story, or to opt out and see if we can do life on our own...

i know what my choice is...

-ar-

let's do this...

2008-09-13T08:23:00.002-04:00

it's amazing how some things happen differently than you may have planned, but still end up working out... i was supposed to meet phil and drew at the marta station (marta is smarta) this morning at around 6:30 to catch the train that left for the airport at 6:41. well... phil was the only one who got there on time to catch that plane and we had to wait for the 7:01 plane. i wanted to catch that 6:41 train because i needed to get phil and bryan to the airport around 7:25 as their plane is scheduled to leave at 9:20. the 7:01 train didn't get us to the airport until 7:45! so, i really wasn't that happy... but, things went quite smoothly going through security and they're all at their gate waiting to board their plane...phew!

i'm really excited about the festival. there are going to be a lot of great people there and i can't wait to see all the people that i met last year! there's no a whole lot more to update right now, but i'll definitely keep you posted if anything out of the ordinary (or just cool) happens!

until next time...
-ar-

yes, you!

2008-09-07T13:24:00.006-04:00

this morning i lead worship at a church in macdonough, ga called the church at southedge. they are a great community of people who are helping the folks around them see God a little more clearly. they've got a great pastor named Jay Docweiler who brings an amazing message from God every week! he speaks with truth and authority and alway challenges the way i think about faith and how i serve God.

so anyways, they have been going through called "rockys wanted." Jay has given us a good picture of what the church, in essence, should be. we've all seen, or at least know of, the "Rocky" movie series. Rocky Balboa is a boxer who has nothing really, except a big heart and a few people who believe in him to become something great. Jay, over the past few weeks of this series, has been comparing the church to the gym where Rocky trained. you see, the gym is where Rocky perfected his skills. he would spar with other boxers until his arms practically fell off, and would just keep going because he knew that was the only way he was going to be a good fighter. he would jump rope, hit the sparing bag, and train in other areas to make himself faster, quicker, tougher.

in the same way, the church [not just within the four walls of a building, but with other followers of Jesus] is where we strenghten our skills to fight the daily battles of this life. constantly, if we believe in spiritual warfare, which i do, [sorry if i went way over your head there...email me to talk more about this!] we are bombarded with messages of despair and hopelessness from the enemy that seeks to kill us and destroy our faith. so, we must stay alert and must devote ourselves to a discipline of remaining in God's word and allowing others around us to help build us up and keep us accountable of things we may be doing wrong...

this morning, Jay was teaching from Matthew 3 and the account of when Jesus was baptized. the point of this mornings message was when Jesus came up out of the water...here's what Matthew wrote:

"16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove a lighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.' "

YES! God's voice came from heaven and spoke! the Father is pleased with His Son and made it very clear to everyone who was present at that time that this truly was the Son of God;the long awaited Messaiah and Savior of the world. in the same way that God said that about Jesus, He says that about us! Christ has paved the way for us to get to the Father. there's nothing we could have done or ever will be able to do. we must simply accept that fact and allow Him to do the work inside us to make us the people we were created to be.

so... if you've ever asked the question, "what does God want from my life?" i think we've found our answer. be who He created you to be! what are your gifts, talents, abilities? are you able to make people laugh? well... use that. if you feel that's a gift He's given you to reach people, then use it! whatever your gifts and abilities are, use them for His glory and let His Spirit work inside you to show you what He wants from you.

I'm still on my journey of understanding how to use the gifts God has given me. right now, i'm exactly where He wants me, and i'll be ready to take whatever steps He wants me to take in the future. i pray that you all would discover the gifts and abilities that He's given you to reach the world around you for His glory.

until next time...
-ar-

crazy...

2008-09-02T11:45:00.002-04:00

so, it has been quite some time since i've had a chance to sit down and update my blog. i've had quite a bit going on and time is just not something that i have a lot of anymore! a lot has happened for me in the past week and a half. and i'm going to do my best to fill you in the best that i can.

my ministry is taking a turn in a direction that i've been praying for now for quite some time. there are some folks out in Arizona who are on board with my music and want to help me take this thing to the next level. no names will be mentioned just yet, but they are a great organization that is doing some great things for the cause of the Kingdom and glory of God. it will be an honor for me to come on board with them! i just want to keep praying that in all of this, i would continually ask God for His guidance to make the right decisions.

also... some cool dudes and i are heading up to Evart, Michigan in a couple of weeks! we're playing at the 2nd annual Spring Hill Music Festival. Seth Condrey and i went up there last year and had a blast... so this year i'm able to actually take a band with me...very cool! we play Saturday night at 6:00 pm in the gym. i'm really stoked!

2nd also... i'm getting some new t-shirts designed and printed some time in the near future. i'm going to be getting with my art dude to see if we can't work on a cool design that will totally rock your faces off! haha... yep, i said it.

and last but not least... there is a certain person who i've been spending quite a bit of time with lately. her name is Jennifer and she's pretty incredible. we've actually known each other for 5 years, but lost touch :( until she found me on facebook! anywho... she's awesome and i just felt that she needed to me mentioned on here... since this is a blog about my life and all...

thanks for reading!
until next time...
-ar-

cocooning...

2008-08-20T10:30:00.003-04:00

we have, as a whole, become very good at placing ourselves in whatever environment, group, setting, etc, that makes us most comfortable. this is true, not only of the church, but all humans in general i believe.

last night at 7|22, Dan Kimball was sharing with us about how we have done such a good job as a church at creating awesome environments for people to come and worship God. we create comfortable places that usher a feeling of comfort and calmness to worship God freely. however, we seem to have missed the boat at actually reaching out and getting more people even interested in Jesus. as Dan described it, we have cocooned ourselves. and i feel that is a perfect way of putting it. we sit inside a happy little bubble and it's almost an "invite-only" party on the inside. don't misunderstand this. there is still a great need for the church to be able to gather and worship God corporately. but we have to focus the same attention on those who have yet to experience the joy of awakening to the truth of the Gospel for the first time. this really challenged me to be more intentional with my relationships. Dan just released a new book called "they like Jesus, but not the church." i am stoked about reading this book because it hits hard on this subject and i really do have a lot to learn about it.

also at 7|22 last night was a guy named Charlie Hall. he has been one of my favorite artists/worship leaders over the years and i always do my best to be there anytime he and his band are leading worship. he writes with intention and holds nothing back when it comes to the challenge before us as the people of God who are called out and made to be lights shining in this dark world. he just released a new album "the bright sadness" and it is amazing! every song is packed full of the truth from God.

ok, so i'm done with my product reviews. it just happens sometimes that there are good things out there that i feel people really need to know about. sue me. just kidding, don't, it would be a waste of your time. anyways. there are a lot of big things happening for me right now and i'm stoked to see how it all unfolds. God is my rock and my fortress and i know that He is going to see me through all of this.

until next time...
-ar-

in days past...

2008-08-08T11:45:00.002-04:00

...it was much simpler for artists, such as myself, to do this whole music career thing. yes, it's much more available to get music out to the public these days, but that also means that EVERYONE can. if you've got a computer, a guitar, and a little bit of will-power, you can make what will resemble an album, slap it on myspace, and call yourself a professional musician. am i grateful for myspace? truth is, yes, i am grateful. however, it does disturb me a little that people take it for granted.

ok, enough of the venting. i have had a great past couple of days. the time that i spent in Arizona was really, really good. i met some great people. i played some of my new tunes for those great people, and those great people liked said new tunes! not sure what exactly will happen, but i'm definitely excited to see where God is going to take all of this. thanks so much to those of you who have been praying for me. God is making my dreams come true one day at a time and all that i have been praying for is finally coming to fruition. stay tuned for more exciting news to come!

also... this saturday night you can come and see me and the guys playing at Due West UMC for their annual Jesus Jam. it's going to be a lot of fun and later that night, High Flight Society will be playing too! i think that tickets are $10 and you can go to www.duewest.org to get more information. sorry it's such late notice, but i wanted to at least let you all know! so, come and hang if you want... it's gonna rock!

that's it for me now... until next time...
-ar-

pardon the delay...

2008-08-05T08:40:00.002-04:00

hello there. again, sorry for the extreme delay in posting. as you may or may not know, it's been a busy past couple of days. i flew in from guatemala sunday night and got in around midnight, and now i'm writing this post while waiting for another plane that will take me to phoenix, az for a fairly big meeting for me...more details to follow.

the rest of my time in guatemala was really great. unfortunately, i got pretty sick a couple of days, and it is just no fun being in a foreign place when you're sick. but, i digress... we had so much fun working with al the children of san pablo and we know that God definitely used us in big ways to impact some of thier lives. one of the greatest stories i heard was from a girl on the trip named lindsey who said that on the last day, as all the children were coloring their last pictures, one of the little boys stopped, looked up at her and said, "thank you." she said that she somehow knew and felt in her heart that the boy didn't mean thank you just for the pictures, or the crafts they made, but he meant thank you for just being here and loving us. thank you for just caring. very cool!

we learned from monica, our project leader, that sometimes these children grow up in families that will have upwards of 9 children, so it's really hard for the parents to show a lot of love to all of them. us just being there, loving them, showing them attention meant the world for these children. i want to thank you all for the prayers you offered for us and want to let you know that we definitely felt them! God had us in just the right place, at just the right time for so many people. it's amazing how He orchestrates and puts the pieces together in just the right way to bring glory to Himself and to provide hope for His people.

so, now i'm at the airport, again, waiting for a plane, again. i'm flying to phoenix to meet with some folks at vsr music. they're a really cool organization and i will be able to update you more when i have more details.

until next time...
-ar-

wow...

2008-07-28T15:36:00.003-04:00

...that's all that i can say! this has been such an incredible experience for me that i don't know where to begin...but i'll do my best to keep my thoughts coherent and brief.

the team arrived Saturday afternoon around 3pm. they were all weary and tired from the plane and the crazy trip on the way from Guatemala City to San Pedro. we had a brief orientation and basically just hung out Saturday night.

Sunday we woke around 7 am, went to the pastors family's house to eat breakfast (which we'll do every morning) and then came back down the hill to do our concert of prayer (which we'll also do every morning). we spent the morning doing more orientation and getting prepared for what the week has in store. around 1:30pm we were lucky enough to travel into San Pablo (the town where the pastor's church is located) and play futbol with the children...SO MUCH FUN!!! later we went to the church service and we were all blown away! there were so many people there ready to praise God! the service lasted about 2 hours and it was amazing to see how the children all behaved so well! pastor Antonio plays the keyboard and sings and his son Pedro plays the drums (oh, he's 10 years old and he's awesome!). they sang some songs that i recognized and was able to join in the singing and they sang some songs that i just sat there and listened to their beautiful voices praising God. the church building is just 4 concrete walls, a concrete ceiling, and no door. the brilliant part is that God is praised so loudly in that church! His name is on their lips from the time they enter and as they are leaving. i felt so blessed to be able to sit and just worship God with them... even though i no clue what they were saying...haha.

today [monday] we started our ministry! around 9am we headed into San Pablo where we set up shop in the church. two teams did door-to-door ministry, one team did sports ministry, and the other did prayer walking. each day the teams will have the opportunity to do a different form of ministry than the day before. the cool part is, they all revlolve around loving the people of San Pablo the way Jesus does...without exception. when the teams arrived back at the church, we ate lunch and after that the VBS (vacation bible school) time started. there had to have been 125 children in there! it was so cool! the teams have prepared lessons to teach the children about who Jesus is and how they can have a relationship with Him. the prayer is that the children will take what they've learned to their homes, share with their families, and bring their parents to church as well.

it's hard to believe that i'm on my 5th day here already! time is flying by and before i know it, it will be time to get back on the plane to come home. i will add pictures later tonight if i have time... i forgot to bring the cable i need to upload the pictures on my computer... whoops!

thanks so much to everyone who wished me happy birthday. it's definitely been one to remember! until next time...

-ar-

pictures!

2008-07-26T11:16:00.006-04:00

i don't have much time to post, but i didn't want to leave you guys hanging any longer. i'm finally able to upload some pictures...i found a sweet place where a really nice guy is letting me use my laptop instead of having to use one of theirs! anywho...here we go with some pictures...

the drive from the Guatemala City airport to the town where we're staying is a wicked 3 hour drive...and we hit some serious traffic getting out of the city... we were all on the edge of our seats...

this is our awesome driver, Paco. he freakin' ruled! he didn't understand a dang word i said the whole time, but i just kept telling him, "you're the man, Paco!" he loved it!

we had to stop for dinner, and the little place where we ate was unbelievable! my first purchase in Guatemala was of course, a cappuccino... mmmmm!!!!! it was so good!

the next day, Samantha and I went walking around the town. by the time we made it down the huge hill from where the pastor's house was to the edge of the lake, we were absolutely stunned by the breathtaking beauty of this place. i don't need to say much more, the picture speaks for itself...

here's the view from the porch of the pastor's house...

yep...it's that beautiful!

Samantha told me i needed to be in a picture...so, ya, here i am...

and this is Samantha...

San Pedro Volcano
and here is our amazing hotel! how awesomely glorious is this!?!
------------------------------

ok...well, it's about time for me to be signing off. the rest of the team arrives today, and i'm really stoked about that...

until next time...
-ar-

yes!

2008-07-25T11:41:00.002-04:00

i am sitting in a little internet cafe right off the coast of the huge lake where our little town is located. all my apprehensions are gone and now i sitting and taking in the beauty of this amazing place! i have taken tons of pictures and will upload them as soon as possible...but i´m not on my computer right now so that´s kind of hard to do!

when we got into town, Antonio (the pastor of the church we´re working with) and one of his friends picked us up from the airport. we rode in a 12 passenger van for what seemed like 5 hours! haha...it was such an amazing ride though. the people, the scenery, and just the overall feeling of knowing that i´m going to be out of my comfort zone for 11 days and not even caring were all that i could think about.

everyone here is amazingly nice. but it´s kind of odd...this morning i was walking down the street with my new friend Samantha and in the same breath, this guy says, ´´ola, como estas? wanna buy some weed?´ haha...how hilarious! needless to say, we were floored! anyways, now we´re down here in this awesome little cafe paying $1 per hour to use the internet! it´s amazingly glorious.

i will post pictures soon. until next time...
-ar-

away we go...

2008-07-24T07:42:00.004-04:00

i'm writing this post to you while sitting at gate D-8A waiting for continental airlines flight 521 to take me off to Houston where i will meet up with Monica (my project leader) and we'll get on a plane bound for Guatemala City! my gate is conveniently located right across from a starbucks...hooray for that! i have to admit something to you...i'm just a bit nervous for some reason. i'm not really sure why. maybe it's not nervousness but just butterflies in anticipation of what God is going to do for the next 11 days.

my prayers for myself are focused around two things: first, that i would be flexible and willing to adapt to circumstances and situations; and second that I would listen to God more than try and say stuff to Him. i know that He is going to reveal some major things to me during my time in Guatemala and i really want to be open and responsive to whatever He says.

my prayers for others are about the same but with a few changes. i know that the kids from the youth group that are coming are possibly going to experience some things they never thought possible and so i'm praying that God would prepare them physically, emotionally, and spiritually. please join with me in praying for this trip in general. it's always hard to do short term missions projects like these because relationships and attachments are made and by the end of the trip, it's really hard to leave. so please just pray that we would allow God to be exactly who He desires to be for us. He wants to do some big things and i really hope that we, as a group, are willing to open up and receive what He has in store for us.

here's a picture of where we're going:

well, the line at starbucks has decreased a bit, so i'm going to try and brave it. hopefully i'll be able to post updates during the week, but i make no promises.

until next time...
-ar-

first and foremost...

2008-07-20T13:07:00.002-04:00

...allow me to apologize for not posting for over a week! it has been an amazing week though, so there's a lot to write and share about.

i took some guys, (Brock, Drew, Walker, and Phil) down to Douglas, Ga to lead worship for a week-long discipleship-now. if you don't know where Douglas is, it's ok. it's not a very big town, but i absolutely fell in love with the people! for reference, Douglas is about an hour north of Valdosta and about an hour and a half south-east of Macon. ok, now that that's out of the way, onto some amazing stories!

when we first arrived, the crew was still setting up all the sound/lighting/staging and such. so we went to grab a bite to eat and then to find the house where we were going to be staying. while we were eating, it began to rain, profusely! it literally was a monsoon. so, the directions to the house were, "go to the elementary school, take a right, then find the dirt road that forks off to the right." well, we found a dirt road, but by this point, it had turned into a mud-slide! luckily, we were heading down hill on this thing. so, i'm simply guiding a 7-ton 15-passenger van down a mud slide that was probably a good 6 inches thick. drew and walker were laughing histerically in the back while brock and i were doing our best not to let this van turn over in the 5 foot ditch (which seemed like a ravine to me) to the left! we drove around for a good 45 minutes and finally got so frustrated that we just went back to the church and decided to wait for someone to just show us how to get to the house. (when we finally got to the house, it was totally worth it. it was a pond house that was absolutely glorious!)

so the first night was fairly off because we'd had such a stressful day, and i just know that my heart was not totally into it. however, the next morning, i woke up with a renewed sense of purpose and God really spoke to me and told me that it was going to be a good week! so that night was a bit better and i really felt the Spirit tugging at all of us and wanting desperately to be embraced by us.

the next morning (wednesday), drew and i were talking and he really encouraged me. we were talking about healing and about how God really does want to capture all of our hearts and wants to show us who He really is, and we were the ones who were going to facilitate that...so we needed to just own it! that night during our second set of songs, God just started flowing words through me. words of healing for the broken. words of love to the heart that is tormented and feeling so alone. it's not that God didn't show up the first two nights, i just know that we all had a true love encounter with Him that night! later, we went to this random skate park and just had a blast! one of our guys, mitchell, had just begun a new relationship with Jesus so we were able to pray for him and really encourage him. we were also able to pray for a guy named Corey. he's one of the nicest dudes i've ever met and when i heard his story, i was so heart broken. he and his mom had fallen on some really hard times and were iving out of his truck. even though his circumstance was so bad, he never gave up hope that God has everything in control. he knows without a doubt that God is going to take care of he and his mother. what faith! oh that i would have that kind of faith on a daily basis!!!

the next two days were also just amazing! after our experiences on wednesday, it wasn't hard for all of us to be drawn into the presence of God. i'm so stoked at how God really worked and moved in all of us! friday was really hard because we had to say goodbye to everyone. but i guess that's just the way the cookie crumbles. i'm so thankful for email and facebook/myspace that i can keep in touch with all of them. i'm looking forward to the next time we can go down there and hang with them!

as for now, i'm getting things ready to go to Guatemala on thursday. i know that it's going to be an incredible experience! i'm praying that God would prepare my heart for what i'm going to encounter. i have this strong feeling that He is going to reveal some amazing truth's to me and i cannot wait!

sorry this was such a long post, i just had a lot to say!
until next time...
-ar-

i don't know why...

2008-07-08T17:31:00.003-04:00

...but today is one of those kind of days where i just feel so discontent with my situation. i know that i'm supposed to "give thanks in all things..." but today it's really hard to do that. my explanation feels more like complaining, and i'm sorry but i just need to vent.

there are some things that i've been really hoping for that just haven't panned out. a trip that i thought i was going to be making this week that, for some reason, isn't happening. and a phone call that i've been expecting for almost a week now that hasn't come yet. why? why is it that something that seems like it should be so easy is proving to discourage me more than encourage me. why? why is it that these things are dissapointing me so?

as i'm typing this, two things are happening.

1.) God is speaking heavily into my heart the truths that come from His word that tell me that i need to find my hope in Him alone; not the things of this world. truths that i've heard over and over but still cannot seem to wrap my entire heart around.

2.) the song "i want a broken heart" by derek webb just came on and the first line of that song is "i've got faith in the bank and money in my heart." that really does sum up how i feel right now. i put my faith, hope and importance in the money that may be in the bank or in the phone call that could lead to a potential job (or whatever else it may be) instead of finding my acceptance, value, and assurance in the fact that God alone holds the keys to my future. i can do my best to plan and prepare, but God is shaping and molding me consistently.

Proverbs 20: 24 says, "A man's steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand his own way?"

how can i even think that i know what tomorrow will bring? it's mere foolishness for me to get all upset and down on myself when days like this arise. i need to put my faith in the God who has gotten me this far and take my focus off the things that this world offers now, but will soon fade. i never thought that blogging this kind of stuff would be so theraputic, but it really is...haha.

until next time
-AR-

been a minute...

2008-07-02T15:11:00.000-04:00

ok, so i'm really sorry for not posting in a few days, but i've been crazy busy. hopefully you'll forgive me. we finished up with the mission project on Thursday last week and it was really sad to say goodbye to everyone. my new friend Tamara stayed at my parents house thursday and friday night and i took her to the airport on saturday afternoon. i'm going to be posting the videos on here very soon from the week...i think you'll all enjoy.

anyways... i had a really good weekend. i played Sunday morning at Watermarke Church. that, of course was amazing. i'm a huge fan of everyone at that church. then, i drove down to Dublin, Ga again and led worship for them down there. Brock was playing with me so he and Katie drove down separately and they went from there to Orlando for vacation...i'm jealous! the most ridiculous part about all of this was that i drove my mom's car (better gas mileage) and i blew a tire just as i was getting off the exit in Dublin! haha...craziness! it was all so providential because i could have easily blown that tire 100 miles in the other direction and would have basically been stranded. also... my mom probably would have blown that tire the next day! praise God that He works things out the way He does... oh...and Katie was able to drive the car to the closest wal-mart and get the tire changed for me while Brock and I were leading worship...amazing!

and then today, i just made a purchase. i've been praying about and looking to get a good second guitar to have. mainly, i wanted something that i could take to Guatemala with me instead of taking the Baruke...my baby. so, i've been looking for the past few months and finally decided on what it was going to be. an Epiphone AJ-500M. not the most glamorous of guitars; not the most expensive. but it's just what i was looking for. great tone, great playability...and a great price! all in all, i'm really happy with the purchase...

well that's it for me. until next time...

-AR-

...day 3...

2008-06-25T10:46:00.000-04:00

it was a LATE night last night so I'm having to get you up-to-date this morning. sorry. anywho, it was an incredible day 3 yesterday! we split up into two teams; one team went to woodruff park, the other to centennial park. each team took with them 3 coolers of ice cold bottled water with about 20 bottles in each. the idea was that the kids would take water bottles with them and just give them out to people for free and try and spark some kind of conversation with the person. pretty cool idea!

i heard all kinds of cool stories about some of the amazing folks the kids met. one of our guy leaders, Nate, has an awesome story! he met this guy named Prentice (sp?) and was basically able to meet almost every need the guy had! he took him to taco bell to get some food then drove him up to Marietta to a shelter. Prentice had to check in to the shelter by 5 pm so he was pretty pressed for time. later, Nate was telling us that God really hit him hard with the reality that he just doesn't go out of his way enough to help people who really are in need. and i think that's true of just about all of us. we don't go out of our way nearly enough just to make sure someone gets to where they need to be so they don't have to sleep on the street again.

and here's the coolest part about the story. the shelter is also a rehab/get back on your feet type of place. immediately, like within the first 48 hours, each person takes a class on how to manage money and keep a job. then, they get placed in a 6 week program and halfway house to get them a job and be somewhat self sufficient. after that, i suppose they take a look at how far you've come and what progress you've made and make the decision if you're ready to get out on your own or not. incredible! it gives me goosebumps just thinking about places that not only give you shelter, but really do meet needs of those who truly want to get back on their feet. as my dad calls it, "they give you a hand up, not a hand out." very cool.

then, later that night we had an amazing time of worship. God has really shown up big time for us in our times of corporate worship. i'm so thankful that He continues to give me the strength to be able to lead and not grow weary. He amazes me more and more! i love it.

well that's it for now... i'll be back later. until next time...

-AR-

...day 2...

2008-06-23T18:26:00.000-04:00

well, i promised you folks that i would do my best to give you an update on here at least once a day, so, here's my update for today!

it's day two and we're having a blast. today was the first "official" day of the VBS camp the kids are helping out with. so far everything seems to be going very well! i've heard stories of little boys and girls who were just so happy to be loved and paid attention to by the students. they played soccer and football and apparently just acted completely silly... which wasn't too much of a stretch for some of the students! overall, i think day one of VBS went amazingly.

then this afternoon we did what is called "the urban plunge." it's a very cool idea and is designed to really break you out of your shell. basically, we split up into 4 teams and got on the MARTA at five points station and each team went their own way. one north, one south, one east, and one west. once on the train, the idea is that conversations would spring up and eventually a presentation of the love of God would be shown. i can't wait to hear the stories each of the teams have! my team and i made a little video that i will be adding onto the video blog that i'm gonna post at the end of the week once it's edited.

i've got to log off now because i need to go and prepare for tonight's worship. i know that God will show up and i'm excited to experience Him again! He's been so faithful to us!

until next time....

-AR-

awesome-ness... chyea!!!

2008-06-22T22:17:00.000-04:00

ok, so i just had to write and let you know of the awesomeness that is happening right now. i'm sitting outside the place i'm staying down here in the ATL listening to some of the kids going straight for the heart of God! they're worshipping so amazingly right now. i mean, there are cop cars driving by, and other cars backfiring and they're not stopping!

it's so amazing to see how God really moves people. these kids are from all over the country and they've gathered here, in my home town, to serve and be Jesus to people. they just want to love. they just want to let people know that there are others out there who really do care! they don't have an agenda, they don't have other motives, they simply want to love. it's the purest thing i've seen in a long time! i'm so thankful to God that He is allowing me to experience this!

i cannot wait to see how the rest of the week plays out! thanks for stopping by. it would mean the world to me if you could just continue to pray for us as we're serving and loving people the way that Jesus would want us to. nothing more, nothing less.

thanks for all your support! and you can count on me being back very soon with more updates! i'm logging off now to go and worship some more! this is so awesome! until next time...

-AR-

today...

2008-06-19T10:15:00.000-04:00

...is going to be a good day. i'm stoked because i'm going to meet a guy named Bill Britton who will be the project leader of the mission project i'm leading worship for this coming week with Adventures in Missions (www.adventures.org). anyways, i'm really excited to see what the LORD has in store for me and the folks who will also be serving on this project. i really want to ask for all of your prayers this week. i have a feeling that while i know we will experience many victories this week, there will also be times when we will truly need to rely on prayer to get through potentially hard times. God has continually opened doors for this organization and i don't expect Him to stop now...haha. i know that there will be many lives changed because of the work that will be done this coming week.

and just a few more updates. my summer is coming along very nicely! God has really come through and helped me stay busy through June and July and hopefully the same will happen in August and there after. i've had some amazing conversations with some people who could really help me get where i want to be (and where i feel God wants me to be) as far as my career goes. i'm just praying that God would fling wide those doors of opportunity for me and that He would prepare me for whatever lies ahead.

thanks so much for your prayers. it means more than you know!

until next time...

-AR-

Father's Day 2008 GLORY!!!

2008-06-16T10:53:00.000-04:00

as we all know, yesterday was Father's Day. our family had a blast! my sister called from South Africa and we got to talk to her a bit, so that was GREAT! and my granddad and brother both came over and we had a great time cookin' some chicken on the grill and enjoying the beautiful weather. i've uploaded some pictures for your viewing pleasure. since there's not a whole lot more to say, i'll just get right to those...

it was quite a feast! i'm so thankful for my family. without them i wouldn't be the person i am today. they're all amazing people. i hope that you all had a great holiday weekend! until next time...

check this out...

2008-06-11T11:14:00.000-04:00

ok, so yesterday i was hanging out with my good buddy phil and we were talking, like we always do, about new gear/guitars/cool stuff like that. we got on the subject of cases for guitars and such and he told me about this brand new company who is specializing in making hybrid, flight ready, waterproof cases! in disbelief i had to take a look. the rumors are true! these are the coolest cases i've ever seen! they combine the convenience of a gig-bag and the durability and safety of a flight case.

so here's the coolest part about it. i sent them an email last night from their automated email form on their website and got a response first thing this morning! it totally amazed me that someone would actually contact me that quickly and it really made me respect the company that much more. i've posted a link on the right side of the blog for any of you who are interested to go and check these guys out. and i'm also going to put one of their banners right below this post for easy access. i hope that you're all having a great day! until next time...

this weekend

2008-06-09T12:05:00.000-04:00

well what's happenin' my friends! as i'm writing this blog i'm sitting in one of my favorite starbucks enjoying my favorite brew of their coffee, Pike Place...mmmmmmmm.... anywho, it was an incredible weekend! God showed up in big ways and i'm excited to share it with you right meow. haha...

so, let's start with Saturday. i arrived at Enterprise Rent-a-car (normally, i don't push names of companies other than the usual for the sole reason that i don't advertise, but i had to mention Enterprise because they really gave me a great deal on a van!) at 9:15 am to pick up the mini-van i had reserved for our trip down to Dublin, GA. when i say our, i'm referring to myself and three of the coolest guys i know Brock Evans, Low Kung, and Phil Rogers. we ventured the amazing 2.5 hours down past Macon and into the little town of Dublin to play at Access Community Church. let me just tell ya, these were some of the coolest people i've ever encountered at this church. they were all so welcoming and treated us so nicely. i'm definitely looking forward to getting back down there again! in the van, we did some video-blogging and i'll be editing that and posting it soon for your viewing pleasure. all in all it was an amazing trip and Phil showed us the glory of the coolest program you can download to transpose ANYTHING! so cool... i was so blessed to have such an amazing band come with me. these guys always do such a great job no matter what!

now on to Sunday morning. i played at Crown Pointe Community Church out in Kennesaw. i was lucky enough to be able to bring Phil Rogers with me to this gig as well and i got to get my good buddy Clark Dumas to play drums. i've never hired Clark to play drums for me, and i'm definitely glad i did! he rocked it and brought some serious funk! phil of course killed it and we were able to lead those people to the throne of God. it was amazing! afterwards i was able to have some amazing conversations with some of the folks from the church and was also able to sell a few albums. God never ceases to amaze me with how He always gives me the energy and strength to make it through all that i do.

i hope that you all had a great weekend and somehow stayed cool in the 97 degree heat! sheeeeesh! until next time...

i love it...

2008-06-03T15:54:00.000-04:00

last friday i took my friend Shannon to the airport as she had to catch a plane to Raleigh, NC for a wedding. she and i were grabbing a quick bite to eat and sitting at a table in the main atrium area of the airport where all the restaurants are. all of a sudden we heard a loud commotion and just about everyone around us was standing up clapping and cheering. next we saw a line of about 100-150 troops passing through to go through security and get on their plane. now, i've been in the airport when this has happened before and it was cool, but this time was different. i could really feel an emotion of gratitude and support from everyone who was applauding the young men and women.

i'm pretty sure we can all agree that war is a terrible and unfortunate thing. i'm sure that we would all agree that as a whole we would all choose peace over war. however, when it comes down to it, whether i support the war or not, i'm going to support the men and women who fight, serve, and die for the flag of these United States. that's all i have to say on this. but i do want to show you a couple of pictures i took of what i witnessed in the airport.

crazy...

2008-05-30T11:23:00.000-04:00

well my friends, it's been quite a crazy past couple of days and i'm excited to update you on what's happenin' in my life....

for starters, i found out a few days ago that my step-grandmother past away. she had suffered many years from dementia and the disease finally became too much. my Papa (my dad's father) past away in the winter of '96 and about a year later i guess, my aunt moved my step-grandmother up to Nashville to live there. we never made it up to Nashville to visit much and the memories I have of Gammy (that's what we called her...) are all good ones, thankfully. memories of sitting in their living room in front of the huge fireplace they had. i can still remember what their house smelled like and how i was always allergic to their cat. it's good to know that she is no longer suffering from this awful disease.

ok, enough of that! yesterday i picked up all of the finished videos for the DVD! it has been an amazing process making this thing and i'm glad that it's finally time to start making copies and printing labels and all that goodness. i'm going to post a low-res version of the music video for "my king" that is in 1080i HD on the DVD. hopefully you'll like it!

and last but not least, i got a very exciting phone call yesterday! i'm going to be leading worship for a couple of Adventures in Missions trips this summer. i've been praying that God would provide me with some fun and challenging trips that i could take this summer and He came through big time. i'm continually amazed at His goodness and faithfulness to me. more updates to come about each of those trips.

here's the video i promised to post:

2008-05-22T23:07:00.000-04:00

it's been quite a long past couple of days. i've been working pretty much non-stop on this promotional dvd that i'm working on with my boy Chad Turner. he's pretty much the bomb.com at making crazy awesome vids. so he and i have been hard at work and i spent pretty much all day today out in kennesaw with him trying to get this dern thing edited. then, i spent about 3 hours at starbucks working on the cover design and all that jazz.

anyways, last night brock, katie and i went to see the midnight showing of the new indiana jones flick. definitely kept in line with the others but this one had just a little more sci-fi-ness than the others. if you go see it, which you should, you'll know what i mean. quite a bit more suspenseful than i remember about the others, which i think is good because i'm a big fan of suspense. all in all it was a great fourth installment of the adventures of indy.

oh yeah, and i'm STOKED that david cook won idol. i'm a pretty big fan of david archuleta, but really think that cook deserved it a little more. i'm sure we'll see some really good albums from both of those guys. it will be interesting to see what genre archuleta goes with. i see him becoming the next frank sinatra or michael buble.

no really...

2008-05-20T10:33:00.000-04:00

this morning i was continuing my study of the book of Mark in chapter 6. it's amazing how God can really add something new and fresh to verses i've read possibly 100 times...haha. i love how creatively His word can speak to us and put new twists and challenges in our daily lives. so anyways, the study this morning was on Mark 6:7-13. for a little background, Jesus has just left His hometown where He wasn't really welcome. all the while He was preaching, the people were amazed at how great of a teacher He was, but then in the next breath were cutting Him down saying, "wait, you're just mary's son, the carpenter. who do you think you are?!?" so Jesus left and went to other villages and towns to teach. we pick up in verse 8 where He is giving instructions to the twelve as He is sending them out 2 by 2.

"take nothing for the journey except a staff--no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. wear sandals but not an extra tunic. whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. and if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them. They went out and preached that people should repent. they drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them."

as i was reading this, i began to think about the lives of each of the disciples before they met Jesus in contrast to what their lives looked like after they encountered Him. these were just mere fishermen, young and uneducated. they made their living with their hands and that was all they knew. but Jesus saw something different. He saw a group of men who would change the world! not by anything they did, but by the Spirit of God who gave them the power to do so!

when Jesus sent them out, He gave them authority over evil spirits and the ability to heal. Matthew Henry put it this way, "Though the apostles were conscious to themselves of great weakness, and expected no wordly advantage, yet, in obedience to their Master, and in dependence upon his strength, they went out. They did not amuse people with curious matters, but told them they must repent of their sins, and turn to God. The servants of Christ may hope to turn many from darkness unto God, and to heal souls by the power of the Holy Ghost."

that's it! we have nothing to offer to anyone but Christ Himself! the fact that we are weak and poor merely increases the affect we can have on the world for the cause of Christ for He is that one who gives us power; He is our authentication. in our weakness, we are strong in Him. we must remain obedient. we must make ourselves into servants and submit to the will and testament of our Creator. then will we find what He has for us. then will we find TRUE LIFE!

three cheers ... for the weekend!

2008-05-17T15:06:00.000-04:00

well, it's a beautiful saturday afternoon and i have spent the day so far getting some much needed chores done around the house here. it's always good to wake up to a cool breeze on saturday with the sun peeking through the blinds in your room. later today we have some friends of ours coming over and we're going to cook some hot dogs and burgers on the grill. my kind of day.

i hope that you too are having a splendid saturday enjoying this amazing weather! hopefully soon i'll have news about the job that i applied and interviewed for at the church in kennesaw. my prayers are focused on truly knowing that God will put whom He wants in this position and i'm comfortable trusting in His will. as long as i'm living in His will, i know that all will work out.

until next time my friends. stay thirsty.

friends

2008-05-13T18:20:00.000-04:00

tomorrow is a pretty big day for me. i am interviewing for the job that i wrote about a few days ago. if you remember to, please pray for me sometime tomorrow. i'm really hoping that this will be a good fit and that i can help this church with their missions and goals. i'm so thankful to have friends whom i know will pray for me and you all know who you are! i'll most definitely keep you guys updated.

until next time...

ok...so

2008-05-06T16:33:00.001-04:00

since i last wrote, i mean really wrote on my blog, a lot has happened in my life. i'll do my best to give updates and let you you folks know all that God is doing in my life.

for starters, i was sitting at starbucks about a week ago and struck up a conversation with a very cool girl. we've become great friends and i have spent some good quality time with her. if you're on facebook, you can find her on there. we have a lot in common and we never have those awkward moments during our conversations. all in all, she's a really great person and i'm thankful to have met her.

also, i have applied for a job at a church in Kennesaw. as most of you know, i've been praying for God to really point me in the right direction and lead me down the correct path as far as my career goes. for about a month now He has really been instilling a desire within me to be a part of a local church body and to let Him use me in that kind of atmosphere. there is something to be said about familiarity. i'm not sure where i stand with the church at this point except that i know i've had some great conversations with the minister of music and we really get a long well. i have my formal interview on May 14 so if you think about it, please pray for me, and for the church, that i would be a good fit for them and vice versa.

last, but not least, i have been able to spend some AMAZING time with my sister who is home from Johannesburg, RSA. in my conversations with her and just having her around, it makes me really miss her alot! so, i've decided that i'm going to begin this month saving up to be able to take a trip down there sometime very soon. she leaves to go back to Johannesburg this coming Sunday but God is so amazing that He has actually made the time go by quite slowly this week...or at least it seems that way to me.

well, that's it for now. hope you're all enjoying this beautiful weather here in good ole ATL. love you all!

hooray...hooray for this!

2008-05-02T16:15:00.000-04:00

so, my sister, Beth flew into town today and is here for a week! i'm so excited to get to spend some good quality time with her. for those of you who may not know, Beth lives in Johannesburg, RSA serving with Campus Outreach, a ministry that serves to "glorify God by building laborers on the campus for the lost world" (taken from the COJ website). the idea is that through these relationships and friendships, these college students may experience the grace and mercy found in Jesus and grow to have a relationship with Him. i can't begin to say how proud i am of her and the work that God is doing through her.

if you want more info about what she's doing, or if you'd like to help support campus outreach in any way, you can go to the COJ (Campus Outreach Johannesburg) website at http://www.cojohannesburg.org and read all about it.

until the next time, stay thirsty my friends.

old school...

2008-04-21T16:28:00.001-04:00

wow. that's really all i can say. i ran into an old friend just now and i really didn't know what to say. you have to understand something though, this wasn't just any friend. this is someone who really helped me understand what love is; what it really means to love with all of who you are and to leave nothing behind. i'm not talking about romantic love; i'm talking about just loving people because you can, because that's just what you do. for when all is said and done, you've got nothing to show for your life except the way you loved and cared for other people. i honestly believe that. and she helped me discover what that looks like. she helped me believe in myself and played a huge role in showing me how to chase my dreams. when i knew her, she simply made me want to be a better person...and i think she has that effect on everyone she knows.

many years have past since i've even spoken to her. she's married now and i couldn't be happier for her. she's got a great husband who truly cares for and loves her the way she deserves and i know they'll enjoy many, many years together. i truly do wish the best for them.

2008-04-21T12:40:00.000-04:00

i realize now that when i'm most frustrated with the situation of my life, it's not because God is not with me, it's because i'm not trusting that God knows and has what's best for me. it's not about what God is or isn't doing, because i know that He is always faithful, always trustworthy. in my own weakness and insecurity i, ironically, begin to rely on myself to try and understand why i'm in the state i am in. how stupid can i be? i'm weak, insecure, and often ignorant to things that are happening, yet i try to solve the issues i'm dealing with by myself.

this morning God revealed to me, again, something that i too often forget (which is why He has to continually remind me of it). He basically said to me, "andy, i created the universe. you hear that bird outside your window chirping? yep, i created that too. oh, and the sunshine you feel on your skin, that was me as well." i know it's so cliche to say that if God causes the sun to rise then He can handle our problems. but how many times do we (i) forget that? again, i have to be reminded constantly!

so, how do i move from this state of frustration and anguish to a state of peace and well-being? i must first remember that God told us to "seek first His kingdom and righteousness and the rest will be given to us." this is the first thing i must do. secondly, i must daily remind myself that i can do NOTHING without God and all my efforts are in vain if done for the sake of my own glory and satisfaction. God alone is my satisfaction. He will provide for me and will allow the dreams of my heart to come true if i simply allow Him to. and third, i must quit worrying about what tomorrow will bring. Jesus himself said that tomorrow will take care of itself. all we need do is live today for the glory of God and do what we can to point others towards Him.

hopefully this all made sense. thanks for reading and if you have any thoughts, please shoot me an email or leave a comment on here. love you all!

VISION!

2008-04-16T16:02:00.000-04:00

these past few days, i have been learning a LOT about what it really means to hear from God. the other day i was in a meeting with a new friend and he and i were just throwing around some ideas about some stuff that we were both thinking about as far as events and such go. well, out of no where, i just began telling him about this event that we could do and the only way to really explain it is to say that it truly was a vision given to me by God. it would be great for me to sit here and say that i came up with the whole idea on my own, but i didn't. there's no way i could have! i don't think that big or on that large of a spectrum.

i will definitely go into more detail later and will fill you in on all the stuff that God is doing. but for now, i must simply ask that you pray that God will open the doors necessary and that He would continue to provide the vision and resources to make this event possible.

"If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still." Ecclesiastes 5:8

can you hear me now?

2008-04-14T17:03:00.000-04:00

here's my question: do people who speak extra-loud know that they are doing so, or do they have some kind of inner-ear thing that makes them speak louder than what is ideal in a public setting?

the only reason i ask is because there was this guy today who was on his phone for a good 15 minutes and i would have thought he was mad at the person he was talking to due to the intense level of volume coming from his mouth if it hadn't been for the fact that he was carrying on what seemed to be a normal conversation.

now, i totally understand that there are circumstances in which you MUST speak a little bit louder than you normally would. for example, if whomever he was talking to was caught in a hurricane or something. but, in that case, i would think said person would have the intelligence to get off the phone and try to find a safe place to hide and not get blown away.

anyways, the loud talker guy just made things incredibly uncomfortable to everyone who could hear him (and i'm pretty sure that includes the folks across the street). can you imagine having a face-to-face conversation with the guy? well, i suppose he's probably a really nice guy and maybe he does have an inner-ear problem. and if that's the case, i'm truly sorry mister loud talker guy.

in other news, it's pretty dang chilly today!

today...

2008-04-06T19:32:00.001-04:00

...was a very weird day for me. it was the first sunday in a while that i didn't lead worship anywhere. i'm not sure why i didn't have anywhere to play, it just kind of worked out that way. but, as the day progressed, God kept revealing Himself to me more and more. this morning i got up and went to the church where i pretty much grew up; Mt. Pisgah UMC. i must say, the way they do the music is not my cup of tea, but i really got a lot from the message the pastor gave.

he taught about how we are more than servants for the gospel of Jesus. we are called sons and daughters of God, the Creator of the universe! yes, we are servants, that is of course true, but we are MORE than that. we are heirs to the Kingdom of God and as such we need to really own the message that we live and preach. we don't just speak of a place that we think may be real, but of a place that is promised to us. we are promised a KINGDOM where there will no longer be pain or suffering or any hurting. we will be complete in our Redeemer King!

later in the day, i was able to chat with my sister for a bit. she lives in south africa and works with campus outreach there in johannesburg. it was great to be able to hear her voice and i'm so pumped that she's coming home for a week in may! she was telling us really great stories of what God is doing in and through them there. she had just returned from a camp and so she was really tired, but it was amazing to at least get to chat with her for a bit.

and tonight i was able to go to buckhead church for the 6 o'clock service. it was, of course, amazing. the coolest part about that was that i got to connect for a little bit with my good friend jason hoard. he was playing guitar and so after the service i got to speak to him for a little while. i love reconnecting with people i haven't seen for a long time!

overall, God really made this a great day of rest for me. He revealed Himself to me in ways that perhaps wouldn't have been possible had i been scheduled to play anywhere. basically, God just keeps proving His faithfulness to me in the strangest ways and i'm stoked to see what He has in store next.

FINALLY!

2008-04-02T11:17:00.001-04:00

i got about 3 weeks of work done yesterday! it feels so good to get that off my back! pretty meaningless to most of you, but if you've ever had that much work on your plate, to finally get it done is a HUGE relief and you know what i'm talking about!

and for the sake of having a good blog to write, i was introduced to a new artist the other day. well, not technically introduced, but someone played me a couple of songs by this artist and i instantly was hooked.

the artist i'm talking about is a guy named lee mcderment. you can find his music on iTunes and i highly recommend that you do. he's the worship leader at a church in South Carolina called New Spring i believe. anyways, his album "a matchlight in the dark" which released March of this year, has some amazing tunes with even better lyrics. so ya, go check him out! i think you'll really dig his stuff.

thank you to andy jones for being the one who showed me the music from lee mcderment. just had to give that shout out!

to be raised up:::ALIVE!

2008-03-22T15:13:00.001-04:00

the title of my blog is "welcome to LIFE." this you all know. and, tomorrow we are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. i felt it only fitting that we take a look at what being welcomed to life really is all about. you see, there are those who may think that the existence we are presently experiencing is life. we wake up, eat breakfast, leave to go do whatever it is we do during the day, come home, eat dinner, and do it all the same way the next day. is this really life? is this really all we have to look forward to? this can't be what Jesus was referring to when he said that he alone offered true, abundant life, can it?

NO! yet we all get duped into thinking that this is all we have to look forward to; foolishness! here is what i think REAL LIFE looks like: "1On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' " (Luke 24).

this is what REAL life looks life! going to the grave where your teacher, your Savior, had been buried only to find that he's not there. that he has risen! YES! everything he said was actually true! can you imagine what must have been going through their heads? i know that all the disbelief and the agony and the sorrow were all of a sudden washed away in the overwhelming fact that the unbelievable had actually taken place! Jesus Christ, the Son of God who brought healing to so many people has been risen from the grave by the power of the Holy Spirit of GOD!

Jesus followed all of this up by giving them one last word of encouragement and teaching. he told them that it was to their benefit that he was no longer with them because now they are going to receive a counselor who can be with them always. this counselor will help them to do things not possible for man alone to do. THIS IS REAL LIFE!!! living with the power of GOD and believing that no matter what happens to us here, we will be raised up the same way Jesus was into a life of eternity with our heavenly GOD.

just watch...

2008-03-18T11:46:00.000-04:00

this is probably the shortest blog i've ever done. if you haven't yet, you need to check out an evangelist/author/bringer of the WORD named john piper. he has played a huge role in how i view the gospel according to scripture as opposed to how the world would have me see it. so just watch this video...

if looks could kill...

2008-03-15T13:23:00.000-04:00

...i'd probably be dead right now. here's the story. i got really bored just sitting at the house so i decided i'd go somewhere i felt at home; peaceful; a small coffee shop called starbucks, you may have heard of it. so i ran an errand and then arrived at local watering, or coffee-ing, hole.

anywho, when i walked it i was greeted with a stare, perhaps glare is probably a better word, from a dear woman who apparently didn't appreciate my presence. i simply smiled at her, put my stuff down, and went to order my drink. if only that was the end of the story! as i was standing in line waiting for my coffee, i got that feeling that you get when you feel like you're being watched (you know the feeling. it's the one that all those kids from that show "the hills" must get because they really are being watched all the time...but i digress) and i couldn't help but think to myself, "wow, it really feels like someone is staring at me." so i turned, and sure enough, that same lady was still glaring at me! i don't get intimidated easily or that often, but i must admit, i was intimidated by this lady. so as i sat down, her husband returned from his rendezvous in the bathroom and they got up and left. as the couple made their way towards the door, i looked up, and she was STILL staring at me! i really wanted to say something but it was crowded and i didn't want to make a scene, so i just kept my mouth shut. they got in their mercedes and drove away.

but here i sit, perplexed at the course of events that just took place. maybe those of you who are reading this could give me some insight on this. a couple of thoughts i had are that perhaps she recognized me and couldn't put her finger on where she knew me from. another thought was that perhaps she's just one of those people, and you know who you are if you're one of them, who just stares off blankly into space with no regard to whom you may be staring at all the while making someone very uncomfortable. and my last thought is that she just thinks that i look funny. and that's cool and all, because i personally thought that she looked funny, but i didn't stare at her like she was a circus animal or something waiting to be entertained.

oh well, i just thought this was interesting and thought that you guys might like to read it. if not, no worries. love you all!

Uh, yeah!

2008-03-11T12:42:00.000-04:00

I told you there would be more updates about the Colorado trip, and here is the first one. On Sunday, after we led worship at one of the coolest churches in town, we all went to the most beautiful place I've ever been; Estes Park in the Rocky Mountain National Forest. I was absolutely speechless most of the time as I just took in the beauty that was in front of me...all around me! We had some good laughs. Most of all, we had some good conversation. Nothing like some beautiful creation to make a group of guys open up and talk about their feelings...hahah! Anywho, here are some photos I thought you'd all enjoy.

This is the hotel where "Dumb and Dumber" was filmed. Apparently, the folks in Aspen were a bunch of Ass-pens and wouldn't let them film in their town, so they used the next best thing, The Stanley Hotel at Estes Park.

Here are just a few of the thousands of elk that we saw.

Tasted much better that night when I had a delicious Elk burger.

We could only drive so far and we're actually standing on about 4 feet of snow covering the road. It was pretty cool...

These pictures were taken while we were standing on Bear Lake...yeah, it was frozen. I've never walked on a frozen lake before...maybe you have, but I haven't.

Nothing special about this, except that it's just beautiful. I felt like I was in a Bob Ross painting. Rest in peace Bob, rest in peace...

All in all, the trip was absolutely amazing and just what I needed. God really re-affirmed His calling on my life to be a worship leader and I can't wait to see what He has in store. Hope you enjoyed the pictures! There will most likely be more pictures to see...

YES!

2008-03-06T08:31:00.000-05:00

well, i'm sitting here in the glorious atlanta airport at gate d-9 waiting to board air tran flight 303 non-stop to denver. i'm flying with my good buddy bryan bowser who is going to be playing the drums and rockin' the funky beats for me at the Navigator's Conference this weekend. I know that God has some big things in store for this conference for those attending and also for us as a band. I would love it if those of you who read this would join with me and all those involved in prayer for what God is gonna do. More updates to come soon!

broken:::poor:::redeemed

2008-02-29T13:14:00.000-05:00

today was my second full day living back with my parents and i must say, it's quite a blessing knowing that no matter what, my parents are there for me. i'm trying my best to respect their space and not leave my crap just laying around while i get situated and all, but it's hard when i'm still in this transition mode.

anyways, i went into the old Starbucks that i used to frequent before i moved down to dun-vegas. it was so cool to see some old faces and have them remember who i am and we talked for a bit about life and did the typical small talk to catch up. but i was extremely broken when i saw one of the girls who works there. it was clear that she is struggling hard with anorexia. i stood there talking with her all the while knowing that she had to know that i knew of her illness and struggle. as i walked away and sat down it was all that i could do to keep myself from losing it. i was filled with so many emotions: sadness, rage, anger, contempt, hurt, but most of all, brokenness. what had gone wrong? who had told this beautiful girl that she didn't look the right way or that something was wrong with her? if only ... someone could have stepped in and spoken truth to her and told her what God thought of her and how beautiful she is! if only ... someone could have kept their mouth shut and not expressed an opinion that possibly opened doors of shame and disgust with herself.

there are so many "if only's" that to list them all would take a lot more time than you or i have to write or read. the main point we need to understand is that we live in a world that tells us that we need to look a certain way, wear the right kind of clothes, and have all the right things in order for people to like us and accept us. and the majority of us, including myself, have bought into this lie. we have been duped. we must everyday literally fight for our lives and keep these lies and attempts at deceit as far from us as possible. we must cling as tightly as we possibly can to the truths found in the Word of God.

i love this truth from Isaiah 31 and how Peterson wrote it in The Message: "This is the way God put it: 'They found grace out in the desert, these people who survived the killing. Israel, out looking for a place to rest, met God out looking for them!" God told them, "I've never quit loving you and never will. Expect love, love, and more love! And so now I'll start over with you and build you up again, dear virgin Israel. You'll resume your singing, grabbing tambourines and joining the dance. You'll go back to your old work of planting vineyards on the Samaritan hillsides, and sit back and enjoy the fruit— oh, how you'll enjoy those harvests! The time's coming when watchmen will call out from the hilltops of Ephraim: 'On your feet! Let's go to Zion, go to meet our God!'"

there is no mistaking God's love for His people. He relentlessly pursues us with affection and to deny it is to deny the only thing that makes us feel alive...really, really alive. my final thoughts to anyone who may struggle with eating disorders is that God loves you. He made you who you are and for you to try and change it is like telling an artist that his most prized masterpiece is a piece of junk. God sees us as His finest work of art above all of His other creations. i could go on and on about this, but i believe i've said enough.

Grace's Amazing Hands..

2008-02-27T14:56:00.000-05:00

so, yesterday morning at 6:44 am, i was awoken abruptly by a 120 ft tall pine tree falling through my house; specifically through my room. the tree essentially split our house down the middle like a knife cutting through butter. i had about 60 lbs of debris fall on me consisting of attic flooring, drywall from the ceiling, and what seemed like an endless sea of blown-in fiberglass insulation. i instantly starting calling for someone to help me because i had insulaion in my eyes and mouth and couldn't even move. finally i heard Andrew's voice and was able to push all the crap off of me and make my way out into the living room...in only my underwear...that was amazing... the most ridiculous part about the whole thing is how the tree fell. it fell in exactly the right spot as to not take the rest of the house with it. it fell through my bedroom window which gave it enough room to fall safely and not injure anyone. also, a limb that broke off and weighed around 80 lbs fell about 18 inches from my face...that would not have been pleasant.

anyways, i know without a doubt that God truly had His hand in all of this! He spared my life (and i'm not trying to be dramatic). my best friend Paul put it the best way when he said, "i'm getting a mental image of God's hand reaching down and holding the tree where it fell to keep it from hitting you." what a great thing to think about! that's exactly what happened... God, in His infinite mercy and goodness reached down and kept that tree from falling on me and possibly killing me. i know that my eternity is secure but i had no clue that i would have a tree fall on top of me.

then God revealed even more to me about how awesome He is. whenever people started hearing about what happened, we had so many people come by and offer their assistance helping us move and do whatever we needed of them. so thank you to all of you, and you know who you are! so enough with the writing, it's time to actually show you what the heck happened.... here are some pictures taken from my iphone...

This is the view of the front of our house from the driveway

This is the view from the backyard

This is the view from the doorway looking into my room

yep, that's my bed...and all that stuff was on top of me...

and that's the eighty pound limb that could have hurt my face...

what do you do?

2008-02-19T10:33:00.000-05:00

sometimes life just needs to be put on hold, you know? this morning i had an appointment scheduled at 11 am to meet with a youth director from kennesaw to discuss plans for some stuff he wants to use our band for. i was all set and ready to go when he calls me and his tone of voice from the start of the conversation let me know something was definitely up. he proceeded to tell me about a man who he had met with not more than a week ago who's wife had been struggling with cancer, but was coming out of remission...which is awesome! things were looking up for them and it seemed God was bringing them into a time of healing and restoration. then suddenly, on saturday night, she was killed in a car accident. what do you do? if you're the husband, what emotions do you have other than to feel completely robbed and devastated?

i cannot begin to even try to put myself in his shoes; i have never experienced such a loss. i'm not sure there are words that can describe the kind of pain and emptiness that comes from such a devastating blow. it sounds almost trite to tell him that, "it will all be okay because God still loves you and has a plan for your life..." i mean, seriously, would you want to hear that? i don't think any of us would want to hear anything, from anybody, at that point! but this is exactly where faith comes in the picture and reminds us that we MUST trust God in both the good times and the bad. who knows what purpose God has in mind for this situation and tragedy, but our hope is not found in the things that are seen... "now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (hebrews 11).

obviously, from the outside looking in this is a lot easier said than done; but that's why it's faith. if we place our hope in a person or a circumstance, we are most certainly going to be devastated at some point in our lives because those things fade like blades of grass. but God promises us only one thing...hope for a brighter day to come! he doesn't promise that this life will get any easier or that we will stop hurting (he actually promises that if we place our hope in him, our hardships will become more frequent and tribulent). his promise is that we will spend eternity in glory with him. there's really no better promise than that.

and as i was writing those last few sentences, i began to feel God just whispering to me that i need to read these words and believe them for i am as guilty as anyone else is of not placing my hope in God and trying to rely on my own strength for things that i need. so my prayer must be, "God, give me the wisdom and strength to trust you in situations and circumstances when it seems like the world is out to get me. help me to place my hope in you and know that if you are for me, then it doesn't matter who is against me. you promise me the hope of a brighter day...the hope of eternity with you. that's what i place my hope and my trust in."

HE LOVES US!!!

2008-02-13T23:42:00.000-05:00

ahhhh, valentine's day... or if you're like me and some other people i know you like to call it singles' awareness day. the day that the world points it's big ugly finger at all the single folks and laughs out loud... or so it seems... but i have decided not to be bitter. yet, i have decided to be quite content with the lover of my life.

you see, we have a lover, whether we know it or not, who loves us with a love so strong that it couldn't be written on a cheesy hallmark card or sent with a box of candy and a cute little bear. this love took thousands of years to unfold. in fact, this love is so strong that it "did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness" (Philipians 2). yes, i am of course talking about Jesus, the author and fulfillment of the greatest love story ever written. the only love story, in fact, that you will ever find a completely unselfish and sacrificing love. let's be serious, it's a pretty big deal when the creator of the universe gives up His throne to become a man. it's an even bigger deal that this man, who was also fully God, lived a perfect life; spotless; without sin. but this is where the true love story begins to get really juicy... "and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross!" for the longest time i thought that the sins of mankind were what sent Jesus to die on the cross... i believed that the only reason Jesus died on the cross was because He knew that by ourselves we could never prove to save ourselves... and both of these are true... but the ONE truth that rings louder than any other truth is that it was God's LOVE for His creation that drove Him to send His Son to die on the cross.

we are fallen, broken people who have nothing if we have not the love of our God. we are nothing if we are not found in our Creator. the apostle paul even wrote, "... and if i have a faith that can move mountains, but have not LOVE, i am nothing. if i give all i possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, i gain nothing" (1 Corinthians 13). Without love, what do we have but an empty void that that paralyzes us. The greatest commandment is "... love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. And the second one is like it: love your neighbor as yourself"(Matthew 22).

it's amazing how i am constantly drawn to my knees in desperation for God to show me how to love like He does. i think i mostly want people to know that i do love them. for my friends to know that i am praying for them and thinking about them even when we haven't talked in a few weeks.

anyways, i'm going to leave you with this...it's a video of a band singing a song called "how he loves" written by a guy named John Mark McMillan. do with it what you like... honestly, i cried like a baby the first time i saw it. the lyrics are written below the video...

How He Loves
he is jealous for meloves like a hurricane i am a treebending beneath the weight of his wind and mercywhen all of a sudden i am unawareof these afflictions eclipsed by gloryand i realize just how beautiful you areand how great your affection is for me
oh, how he loves us sooh how he loves ushow he loves us so
yeah he loves us!oh how he loves us!oh how he loves us!oh how he loves!
we are his portion and he is our prizedrawn to redemption by the grace in his eyesif grace is an ocean we're all sinkingso heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kissand my heart turns violently inside of my chesti don't have time to maintain theses regrets when i think about the way...
he loves us!oh how he loves us!oh how he loves us!oh how he loves!

holdin' on...to what?

2008-02-08T12:38:00.000-05:00

"Do you ever get the feeling like all that we're living for is just a waste of time? The feeling that everything you've ever worked for and the career you invested so much time in to get that huge retirement so you could buy that condo on the beach and spend the rest of your days there happily ever after was all a hoax? There must be more!" I wonder how many business men and women have asked this question in their hearts, or aloud even, only to be left with no real answer and thus spinning more and more out of control?

The reason I'm pondering this is because I'm sitting at a Starbucks in the heart of Buckhead just watching all of these successful people get out of their $80K cars, ordering a soy latte, and just going about their days. Now, don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with any of those things, currently I'm sipping a soy latte and it's delicious! But, I can't help but think that maybe, just maybe one of these wealthy socialites is looking for something more... and I know they are.

So, I went to my trusty bible search-engine website and did a keyword search on hope. I was overwhelmed at all of the scriptures I found that spoke of hope. One in particular that I landed on was Micah 7:7, it says:

"But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD,

I wait for God my Savior;

my God will hear me."

As I read this verse in the context of it's chapter, I began to realize that this is more than just a statement, it's a declaration! Micah is saying that in every step of life, someone is going to let you down. Your best friends will let you down, your wife or husband will let you down, even your own parents will let you down. But there is one who is stable and steadfast in His unfailing love: our Savior King. He will never leave us or forsake us... He will never let us down. So Micah says that in all things, he is going to watch in hope for God his Savior.

Please don't hear me wrong, there is nothing wrong with wealth and success. There is nothing wrong with having $80K cars. But there is something wrong when those things become the reason for doing what we do and when we expect them to satisfy us. At the end of the day, those things will fade and die, but the hope we have in our God is everlasting!

From Within

2008-02-07T11:04:00.000-05:00

"my heart and my soul

i give you control

consume me from the inside out, lord

let justice and praise

become my embrace

to love you from the inside out"

ironically, this song was playing on my computer this morning as i was reading psalm 33. this psalm is an anthem for my life. for so many years i tried to live without sinning and pretend that the things i did wrong weren't there. i put on a mask that made everyone around me believe that i was doing just fine, but really i wasn't. i was struggling with issues that had haunted me for years. sins that had crept their way into my heart and were hanging on to everything they could so that i couldn't let go and move on. we are so easily ensnared by the lies that the enemy tells to our hearts because we are so insecure about our struggles. we think that no one will ever understand and that they will think we're not fit to even be in the same room with them. i believed all of these lies until someone showed me what it's like to truly experience freedom from our chains of sin.

we sat one afternoon in a little cafe just outside the u-district in seattle known for it's amazing coffee and even more amazing baristas. he explained to me how he had lived for so many years with the addictions and life-altering sins that were weighing him down and causing him to feel suicidal. he felt that he'd reached the end of it all and it was just time to take his own life because he couldn't see any light in the dark tunnel he was in.

then a friend came to him one day, just as he did to me, and explained to him the freedom found in exposing our sins and allowing light to shine on them. it took quite some time, but my friend eventually found the light that he was looking for and then grasped as tightly as he could to psalm 33; a psalm of hope and salvation... restoration! specifically verses 18-22 which say,

"But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,

on those who hope in his unfailing love,

to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.

We wait in hope for the LORD,

he is our help and shield.

In him our hearts rejoice,

for we trust in his holy name.

May your unfailing love rest upon us, oh LORD,

even as we put our hope in you."

as my friend spoke these words of truth over me, and as i began sharing my sins and struggles with him, i felt an extreme weight being lifted off of me and for the first time in a long time, i lived with no guilt or remorse. i too grasped onto this psalm and have made it my anthem.

only recently it has begun meaning something more to me. lately, my heart has been very heavy with those who are less fortunate; those who are born in to a crappy situation and who can't help themselves get out of it. those who have to sell themselves for sex just so that they can get a piece of bread or possibly some fruit to make it to the next day when they have to the same thing all over again. this breaks my heart... it breaks GOD's heart!

"the word of the LORD is right and true;

he is faithful in all that he does;

the LORD loves righteousness and justice,

the earth is full of his unfailing love."

it's not often that i will sit and write what i think God likes and what he hates, but i truly think that God hates injustice. i truly believe, with all my heart, that God hates to see his children having to sell themselves for food; and that is injustice. we must be people who love what God loves and hates what he hates. we must allow him to change us from within... it's a heart issue. we cannot expect anything to happen if we're just tricking people to believe something. we must pray for the hearts of people to be changed.

there are so many organizations out there doing amazing things for the cause of bringing justice where there is much injustice. i have listed a few that i know about and believe strongly in. let's join the revolution of heart-change. the revolution of the revolutionary Jesus Christ.

"everlasting, your light will shine when all else fades

never-ending, your glory goes beyond all fame

and the cry of my heart is to bring you praise

from the inside out, my soul cries out!"

still processing...

2008-02-05T23:01:00.000-05:00

so, 7|22 tonite really rocked me. jarrett hit us hard with some really tough questions and i'm so glad that he did. the topic of discussion was relationships and he took a totally different approach than most people do. he approached it from a perspective that looks selfish but when uncovered proved to be quite selfless.

the main question he asked of us was, "if you were removed from your circle of friendships and acquaintances, would anyone really know that you're gone?" essentially, "have you made enough of an impact in people's lives for the cause of jesus that it would leave a void in their lives for you not to be there?" he prefaced this question with the account from mark chapter 2 that tells of four men who cared so much about their paralytic friend that they carried him to the house where jesus was, climbed on the roof, dug a hole in said roof, and proceeded to lower their friend down in the middle of the crowd that had gathered to hear what jesus was teaching about. (v. 5)"When Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic, 'son, your sins are forgiven.'" these men didn't stop until their friend had an encounter with the Son of God.

the question was then posed to us in light of this. "Do I really do everything possible to help my friends and acquaintances encounter the Son of God?" my honest answer to myself was that i feel as though i spend more time, since i am a worship leader, helping others encounter God more than i do my friends. it's so easy for me to just allow my friendships to just be my friendships and nothing more... but God hit me hard in the face tonight. if i'm not striving everyday of my life to lead my friends to Jesus, then i'm doing everyone a disservice. these are the most important people in my life; i should be constantly praying for and helping them know our Creator more.

so the conclusion must bring us to our knees. we must begin today praying for and leading our friends as close to the Son of God as possible so that they may encounter Him and be changed by Him. because history has proven over and over again that if anyone comes within proximity of Jesus, they are never the same afterwards. we must believe with the same faith as that of the bleeding woman (Mark 5:25) who knew that if she could only touch the edge of Jesus' cloak, that her bleeding would stop for the first time in 12 years...and it DID! there is power simply in the proximity of Jesus and when we get that close, chances are we're going to be touched by Him and our lives will certainly change.

...this is your life...

2008-02-04T19:16:00.000-05:00

Driving down the road jamming out to Switchfoot's "Beautiful Letdown" album (one of my favorite albums ever) the song "This Is Your Life" came on. I was reminded of the scripture where Jesus tells us that we need to daily deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow Him (Luke 9:23). At first glance it is easy for me to pass this by and just move on to the next issue the way I've always done. I hear these words in sermon after sermon after sermon, but when do I really take this to heart? I mean really? I live in one of the greatest nations in the existence of the world. A nation where everything I need is within my reach. I have grown accustomed to the norm being not just fast food, but fast everything. How many times have I been challenged to choose Christ or die? The answer: zero times. Is it faith if it's never tested?

Suddenly, I'm broken. My thoughts race and I can't help but feel bad for the fact that I have it so easy here while there are so many folks around the world who live day by day wondering if this will be the day that they get arrested or murdered for being unashamedly and fearlessly sold out for the cause of Christ. I think about my sister who lives in Johannesburg and is working every day of her life training up young women who can go back to their native tribes and share with them the saving power that is found in the name of the Son of God. Her house has been robbed, and her cars have been stolen, yet she keeps on going. Nothing is going to keep her from fulfilling the work that God has for her there.

Then I'm brought back into focus and my mind calms and I am reminded of this: "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it" (Mark 8:35). It's not about where you live or what you do, it's how you do it and why. No matter what our occupation or station in life, we must simply remember that we cannot hold tightly to this world. Nothing here can or ever will satisfy us. Deny myself. It's not about me! It never will be about me. It's about everyone else. It's about daily surrendering myself to the work that God has for me and simply loving people to the point that they don't understand why but don't care because they've never been loved that way before.

What happened yesterday is in the past. Sins and screw-ups that may have dragged us down yesterday have no hold on us because of God's promise that His grace rises anew with the sun each day. Learn from mistakes but don't live with regrets. Love to the point that you feel like you can't love anymore and then just keep loving. Now is your time to give all we have for the cause of the one who has rescued us.

"this is your life, are you who you wanna be?"

My First Blog

2008-02-03T23:46:00.000-05:00

Well, I've spent so many hours reading my friends blogs that I decided to make one of my own. So, here goes. It's about 11:48 p.m. right now and I'm tired so this will be a short one.

As I lay here in my bed, my thoughts drift to the week that lies ahead of me. Things that need to be done, phone calls that need to be made, meetings that need to be had. However, in the midst of all of this, I can't help but think about how amazing my day was. I was, simply put, happy all day! It seems that there is always SOMETHING that happens that causes me to get angry or upset, but I can honestly say that I was in a good mood all day... and it's quite refreshing.

It seems so easy to love people when you're in a good mood and nothing is happening that is causing you to want to retreat back into your room and hide from the world. It is easy to want the best for people when things are going right for you the way you see it and would want them to go. But when hard times befall us, why is it that we always perceive things in a completely different light? We always look at life through a lens that makes us believe that everyone is out to get us and that nothing good will ever come our way. I am guilty of this more often than I am innocent. I admit it, I'm a selfish person. But there is HOPE.

Here is our challenge: in good circumstances and bad, we love. in hard times and easy times, we love. when it seems as though the world is caving in around us, we love. A man named Jesus Christ loved so hard that it drove Him to die on a cross. In good and bad, think and thin, easy and hard, He LOVED. Hanging on the cross, dying the most gruesome death imaginable His love for us never failed or faltered. That's what causes me to wake in the morning. That's why I have a reason to sing. I will love because I was first loved. I will seek out the broken and downcast because I was first sought out when I had no where else to go.

Those are my thoughts. Perhaps in the future they'll make more sense, but right now I'm tired and my pillow is calling my name. Good night.