Quick note here. Need your help!
My friend Austin Adams has released a Christmas EP that has two songs that we wrote together on it. One of them, "The Holidays Are Here Again." has drawn some attention from the FISH FM. They have it on their website right now for "pre-spin." They measure the popularity of the song by how many "points" are merited from it.
If a song get enough points on the site, they will start spinning it on the radio! So this is where you come in!
1. Go to www.94fmthefish.net and click on "fish family rewards" (its the big blue box on the right side)
2. Sign up for "fish family rewards" or login with your Facebook Account!
3. Once you've signed up, click on or mouse over on "Get Points" and look for the section "Music and More"
4. Then click on the song and listen to a clip of "The Holidays Are Here Again"---Rate it (high, preferably)---- Then click:"Submit"
I hate to sign up for things, so I get it, trust me! But it really would help us out if you could!
Friday, December 2, 2011
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Ferris Wheel
Hello,
For the curious and esteemed... I wanted to give you a description, however brief, of what I intended for this album. My last (and first) EP, Sunday Afternoon, was my first real effort at putting some of my music out into the world. I enjoyed making that record, and am still proud of how it turned out. However, as I think is a necessary part of growth as an artist, I tried to re-assess my approach on that album as I prepared to make this one and what I thought was the best approach and the best way to convey my songwriting.
So, I decided to make a trio record (with a few exceptions). There is one acoustic guitar part in one bridge of this record. The rest of the album is bass, drums, piano and other keys instruments. It's not an "acoustic" album per se, just an album where I wanted the melodies and the stories in the songs to shine, as opposed to being overwhelmed by layers and layers of sound. I love that approach as well, don't get me wrong. I can dig a track with 15 guitar parts just as much as a track that has 1. I just felt like I wanted the songwriting to shine, and the piano parts as well. So... that was my intention with it. It may not follow the lead of some of the pop stars of our current age, but I like the live, roomy feel in this album. It's warm to me, yet also melancholy. It's reflective. These are real stories inspired by things that have affected me in the past couple of years. More importantly, I hope you find something in them that speaks to you. I am glad that it is being released near the dawn of winter, it has a wintry feel to me at times, if that makes sense. It seems seasonally appropriate.
So, enough now... Thanks family, friends, colleagues for all your support in this. This is a cool, cool moment for me and I am deeply grateful for your part in it.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Invent a religion!
... It is the best way to make a million bucks, so I have heard.
I was reading a passage out of Deuteronomy this morning and began to think about the truth of God's word. Every religion, other than Christianity, has been started more or less by a person who claims they had some vision, some enlightenment, where they feel they have connected... had nirvana, etc.. with some supreme being or beings. I compared that notion to Moses and his writings.
Deuteronomy is essentially a recap of the exodus from Egypt and Israel's time spent wandering through the wilderness. As I read about the ten commandments and Moses' interaction with God, I began to think, "is it odd that a man writes his own story like this?" "why is he the author?" "what sets him apart?" Then I realized that nothing really does. His story ends with him dying... yes. dead. Moses dies at the end of this book (though I am not there yet), and never enters the land promised him and his descendants. Only Joshua and Caleb enter the promised land, due to their consistent faith in God, when others fell short.
How is this significant? Well, I zoomed out a bit and thought about the characters of the old testament. I am fairly familiar with it, certainly all the key stories. Up to this point in the Torah, we see again and again stories of men who failed. Godly men who still fall short at times. Men who make mistakes, men who deceive, men who are afraid to do God's will... So, not only are the stories about a collection of men, rather than one man's idea of religion, but the stories generally reflect poorly on the protagonist. All the way back to Adam. Love ya buddy but ya blew it. All the stories and adventures point to one thing, faith and reliance on God! We are sinners. These men were acting just like you and I do today. Messed up, screwed up, and yet God intervenes in their lives and the lives of Israel because He is completing a story that points to Christ, our savior. That's what strikes me and really gives me peace about my faith. No one is flattering themselves in this sacred book. They are telling a story, as best as they can, about their interaction with a holy God. A God who foreknew the path to redemption with his creation. Jacob deceives his father to receive a blessing. David commits adultery and has the husband killed. Rahab is a whore who's offspring, ultimately, is JESUS! To me that is exciting! Forget your flaws, forget your depravity, fall down at the cross of Jesus and know that his grace and mercy are everlasting. No author in the bible, new testament or old, claims to have it all together. They all express full awareness that they are completely reliant on God, even through their moments of being out of fellowship with Him. In every other religion, it's about self-centered striving to achieve some sense of holy living. The product of those religions is not necessarily morally corrupt, often times they, in some sense, are good to the world and the people in it. But every single one falls short by centering around people reaching up to God, to try to connect with him by personal achievement, which since we are all sinners, is an impossibility. We are all going to fall short. We are born selfish and prideful.... Only the one true God reaches down to us to have a relationship with him through his son Jesus. I don't need to invent a religion; I know my savior.
I was reading a passage out of Deuteronomy this morning and began to think about the truth of God's word. Every religion, other than Christianity, has been started more or less by a person who claims they had some vision, some enlightenment, where they feel they have connected... had nirvana, etc.. with some supreme being or beings. I compared that notion to Moses and his writings.
Deuteronomy is essentially a recap of the exodus from Egypt and Israel's time spent wandering through the wilderness. As I read about the ten commandments and Moses' interaction with God, I began to think, "is it odd that a man writes his own story like this?" "why is he the author?" "what sets him apart?" Then I realized that nothing really does. His story ends with him dying... yes. dead. Moses dies at the end of this book (though I am not there yet), and never enters the land promised him and his descendants. Only Joshua and Caleb enter the promised land, due to their consistent faith in God, when others fell short.
How is this significant? Well, I zoomed out a bit and thought about the characters of the old testament. I am fairly familiar with it, certainly all the key stories. Up to this point in the Torah, we see again and again stories of men who failed. Godly men who still fall short at times. Men who make mistakes, men who deceive, men who are afraid to do God's will... So, not only are the stories about a collection of men, rather than one man's idea of religion, but the stories generally reflect poorly on the protagonist. All the way back to Adam. Love ya buddy but ya blew it. All the stories and adventures point to one thing, faith and reliance on God! We are sinners. These men were acting just like you and I do today. Messed up, screwed up, and yet God intervenes in their lives and the lives of Israel because He is completing a story that points to Christ, our savior. That's what strikes me and really gives me peace about my faith. No one is flattering themselves in this sacred book. They are telling a story, as best as they can, about their interaction with a holy God. A God who foreknew the path to redemption with his creation. Jacob deceives his father to receive a blessing. David commits adultery and has the husband killed. Rahab is a whore who's offspring, ultimately, is JESUS! To me that is exciting! Forget your flaws, forget your depravity, fall down at the cross of Jesus and know that his grace and mercy are everlasting. No author in the bible, new testament or old, claims to have it all together. They all express full awareness that they are completely reliant on God, even through their moments of being out of fellowship with Him. In every other religion, it's about self-centered striving to achieve some sense of holy living. The product of those religions is not necessarily morally corrupt, often times they, in some sense, are good to the world and the people in it. But every single one falls short by centering around people reaching up to God, to try to connect with him by personal achievement, which since we are all sinners, is an impossibility. We are all going to fall short. We are born selfish and prideful.... Only the one true God reaches down to us to have a relationship with him through his son Jesus. I don't need to invent a religion; I know my savior.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Freebies
I keep coming back to this passage at the end of John Chapter 1 where Nathaniel believes in Jesus simply because Jesus says he saw Nathaniel under the fig tree, when just moments before Nathaniel says to Philip, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" As if to say, who is this joker? Complete doubt to utter surrender in a matter of seconds.
Jesus' response is what sticks with me. I kind of get the feeling He enjoys Nathaniel's simplicity, seeing how little it took to convince him that Jesus was, in fact, divine. He's not mocking Nathaniel, Jesus is simply stating the insignificance of his statement about the fig tree when it is compared to the majesty of God. He speaks about the heavens opening up, and angels ascending and descending upon the son of the Father. Now, I have never seen an angel coming or going to heaven, but I have felt their presence, and certainly that of the Holy Spirit. To me, this little fig tree example is a freebie. It's a handout from God. It's a sampler tray of chicken tenders from McDonald's before getting a $80 filet from a top-10 steakhouse. Jesus is saying, "oh boy, Nathaniel, that's all it took? really, that's it??... just you wait..." I hope that I can continue to both seek and hopefully know the full glory of the things that God has to reveal. The things that give me a glimpse into His expansive mystery. I don't want to get caught up on the freebies, the little handouts.
I am not saying that they are not important. Sometimes the little movements in our hearts and the little tugs from spirit are life-changing. In a way, they really contribute to the other, more impressive feats of God. They are the little shocks along the way that keep our faith alive in a dying culture. The point I am really trying to make is that I want those AND more. I don't just want to live on those little moments, though I know I will continue to have them. I want to seek and find some of the deeper glories that my heavenly father has to bestow upon us. I want to taste the steak, not the tenders. I want to be bewildered.
Jesus' response is what sticks with me. I kind of get the feeling He enjoys Nathaniel's simplicity, seeing how little it took to convince him that Jesus was, in fact, divine. He's not mocking Nathaniel, Jesus is simply stating the insignificance of his statement about the fig tree when it is compared to the majesty of God. He speaks about the heavens opening up, and angels ascending and descending upon the son of the Father. Now, I have never seen an angel coming or going to heaven, but I have felt their presence, and certainly that of the Holy Spirit. To me, this little fig tree example is a freebie. It's a handout from God. It's a sampler tray of chicken tenders from McDonald's before getting a $80 filet from a top-10 steakhouse. Jesus is saying, "oh boy, Nathaniel, that's all it took? really, that's it??... just you wait..." I hope that I can continue to both seek and hopefully know the full glory of the things that God has to reveal. The things that give me a glimpse into His expansive mystery. I don't want to get caught up on the freebies, the little handouts.
I am not saying that they are not important. Sometimes the little movements in our hearts and the little tugs from spirit are life-changing. In a way, they really contribute to the other, more impressive feats of God. They are the little shocks along the way that keep our faith alive in a dying culture. The point I am really trying to make is that I want those AND more. I don't just want to live on those little moments, though I know I will continue to have them. I want to seek and find some of the deeper glories that my heavenly father has to bestow upon us. I want to taste the steak, not the tenders. I want to be bewildered.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
The Martyr
My dad said to me that he's learned finally to not place your trust in any person, any human... because ultimately they are likely to let you down. Seems pessimistic, huh? Well, let me dissect that statement, because really it offers true, unaffected hope.
Humans are worthless, depraved people. Let's face it. We are selfish and constantly concerned with our reputations. I am none the wiser or stronger than anyone else in this matter. I seek approval, I seek acceptance... and that is God-given. The catch: I search for it, too often, not in God but in other people, things, ideas. I trust in those things. I place faith and belief in those things. To what avail?
I've been in an unbelievable tailspin this summer. My faith has been shattered. At times, I have felt irreconcilable. Lots of frustration, lots of questions, lots of heartache, and this was all spurned from me placing that trust in a person, an idol. Under the guise of a spiritual leader, I attempted, as best as I knew how, to help, and at times drag, another person along. The emotional and spiritual tax of doing this proved to be immeasurable when the whole relationship was pulled out from under me like a rug. It provided some clarity, by default. I was forced to see some of the holes in scheme, the kinks in the chain... but I truly felt like a martyr. And therein, miraculously, lies my comfort, my peace. I spent so much of myself on this, that when it ended, there was no growth left for me. I took 7 or 8 steps backwards. However, the peace I have found is knowing that my efforts were not in vain because they caused growth in that other person. They encouraged change in another life, and though mine was shambled, there was a benefit to all of it, and that's kind of point, isn't it?
So, going back to the trust thing and my father's brief but potent statement, I pray you can see now that the hope I see in it is that our trust, placed in our heavenly Father's hands, is in every way the right location for it to be. That realization is what drove my dad's thoughts. Who cares if others let you down? There is always a God who is seeking an active relationship with you, and challenging you, and by the way, He is perfect, so don't worry about mistakes on His end, only you will make them, and He will forgive you from them every time. Without fail or ceasing.
Mark it. It's time to stop asking questions that don't matter. I am so content to feel like I am finally coming out of the valley...
Humans are worthless, depraved people. Let's face it. We are selfish and constantly concerned with our reputations. I am none the wiser or stronger than anyone else in this matter. I seek approval, I seek acceptance... and that is God-given. The catch: I search for it, too often, not in God but in other people, things, ideas. I trust in those things. I place faith and belief in those things. To what avail?
I've been in an unbelievable tailspin this summer. My faith has been shattered. At times, I have felt irreconcilable. Lots of frustration, lots of questions, lots of heartache, and this was all spurned from me placing that trust in a person, an idol. Under the guise of a spiritual leader, I attempted, as best as I knew how, to help, and at times drag, another person along. The emotional and spiritual tax of doing this proved to be immeasurable when the whole relationship was pulled out from under me like a rug. It provided some clarity, by default. I was forced to see some of the holes in scheme, the kinks in the chain... but I truly felt like a martyr. And therein, miraculously, lies my comfort, my peace. I spent so much of myself on this, that when it ended, there was no growth left for me. I took 7 or 8 steps backwards. However, the peace I have found is knowing that my efforts were not in vain because they caused growth in that other person. They encouraged change in another life, and though mine was shambled, there was a benefit to all of it, and that's kind of point, isn't it?
So, going back to the trust thing and my father's brief but potent statement, I pray you can see now that the hope I see in it is that our trust, placed in our heavenly Father's hands, is in every way the right location for it to be. That realization is what drove my dad's thoughts. Who cares if others let you down? There is always a God who is seeking an active relationship with you, and challenging you, and by the way, He is perfect, so don't worry about mistakes on His end, only you will make them, and He will forgive you from them every time. Without fail or ceasing.
Mark it. It's time to stop asking questions that don't matter. I am so content to feel like I am finally coming out of the valley...
Monday, July 12, 2010
Dark Spots
Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
This verse in Matthew 12 has been sticking out to me. The context of which is quite impacting as well. The verse before (33) says quite plainly, if a tree is good make it's fruit good, and if it is bad the fruit will be bad. That's our meter. That is what measures us. Our fruit.
I have been feeling a strong conviction for my words. What am I saying? Is it encouraging? sarcastic? cynical? hopeless? hopeful? loving? hateful? And what are the things that I stand for in my words and do my actions support that. Where is the fruit in my life? I claim Christ sure. Many people do. Many people claim Him but do not KNOW Him. Please understand I say these things in the context of my own desire to know Him better, and not in a judging manner. My desire is that all who claim Christ would seek Him, I know I fail at this.
I guess at the center of this musing is the concept that the things that we say are evidence of the condition of our heart. Saying that it is just a personality trait to be sarcastic or cynical is a cop out. To me, if those things exist in a malicious way, it means there is some black spot on our heart that is yet to be eradicated. I am not saying you can't tease someone in good faith or be honest about a negative situation. There is a difference between the two.
If we are actively pursuing God, it seems our hearts should follow suit. Any inconsistency in that indicates that we are not diligent in His pursuit. It doesn't mean we will not make mistakes, it does not mean that we will not take steps backwards, because we surely will. It's a long process of sanctification. Still for myself, I desire to be uncomfortable with the condition of my heart, that I would guard it above all else, as Proverbs 4 says. That I would be in constant repair of the wounds and in active battle against the darkness inside of it. I would be a bold liar to say I didn't have some blotches. I think we all would be to some extent. I hope we take those dark spots in our hearts and turn them bright red.
This verse in Matthew 12 has been sticking out to me. The context of which is quite impacting as well. The verse before (33) says quite plainly, if a tree is good make it's fruit good, and if it is bad the fruit will be bad. That's our meter. That is what measures us. Our fruit.
I have been feeling a strong conviction for my words. What am I saying? Is it encouraging? sarcastic? cynical? hopeless? hopeful? loving? hateful? And what are the things that I stand for in my words and do my actions support that. Where is the fruit in my life? I claim Christ sure. Many people do. Many people claim Him but do not KNOW Him. Please understand I say these things in the context of my own desire to know Him better, and not in a judging manner. My desire is that all who claim Christ would seek Him, I know I fail at this.
I guess at the center of this musing is the concept that the things that we say are evidence of the condition of our heart. Saying that it is just a personality trait to be sarcastic or cynical is a cop out. To me, if those things exist in a malicious way, it means there is some black spot on our heart that is yet to be eradicated. I am not saying you can't tease someone in good faith or be honest about a negative situation. There is a difference between the two.
If we are actively pursuing God, it seems our hearts should follow suit. Any inconsistency in that indicates that we are not diligent in His pursuit. It doesn't mean we will not make mistakes, it does not mean that we will not take steps backwards, because we surely will. It's a long process of sanctification. Still for myself, I desire to be uncomfortable with the condition of my heart, that I would guard it above all else, as Proverbs 4 says. That I would be in constant repair of the wounds and in active battle against the darkness inside of it. I would be a bold liar to say I didn't have some blotches. I think we all would be to some extent. I hope we take those dark spots in our hearts and turn them bright red.
Friday, April 16, 2010
They are many
"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him from them all. He keeps all his bones, not one is broken."
-Psalm 34:18-20
As I lay in my bunk the other night en route from Vegas to Albaquerque, I opened up my bible app (hah) on my phone and that was the first passage I saw. Again, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him from them all." I don't know how things progress in your walk, but for me, it helps to be reminded, actually, that I will face many afflictions, because I most certainly do. The big battles, the small battles, they are all intertwined in my pursuit of my savior. That was the key verse for me. Verse 19. That no matter what, we have the promise of deliverance from those trials through the saving graces of our heavenly father. Now for David, the author of this particular Psalm, it was written in leaving one dangerous situation and arriving at another. In 1 Samuel 21, it speaks of how he was fleeing from Saul in fear of his life, and fled towards the Philistines. Upon arriving there, the Philistines said, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?" At this point, David has got to be thinking... crap. I ran from one man and my reputation here precedes me, this men want to kill me. The key here is that David, in recognition of his futile attempts of evasion, finally let go of trying to do it himself and prays to his God, to our God. Thus, God delivers him from the Philistines. And, thus, the source of his praise in Psalm 34.
God is near to you, to me, when our spirits are crushed. If you think this life is a cakewalk, especially the christian one, you are drastically incorrect. But God promises deliverance, and he is aware that your afflictions are many. Also, think of the perfection of our savior, not one bone is broken, he keeps them all. Think of that. That prophecy is fulfilled, Christ walked this earth and never broke a bone, and there is a strong significance to me in that. It speaks to the purity of Christ, and the impurity of us. The depravity we are born into. Don't misinterpret me. I am not bashing humanity and saying we are worthless. I am simply recognizing the fact that due to the nature of this earth and due to our own nature, affliction, sin, despair... is an inevitability. And as David had to, you and I must be reminded to see that God delivers us FROM THEM ALL. Not one, not many, but all. What a reassurance!
-Psalm 34:18-20
As I lay in my bunk the other night en route from Vegas to Albaquerque, I opened up my bible app (hah) on my phone and that was the first passage I saw. Again, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him from them all." I don't know how things progress in your walk, but for me, it helps to be reminded, actually, that I will face many afflictions, because I most certainly do. The big battles, the small battles, they are all intertwined in my pursuit of my savior. That was the key verse for me. Verse 19. That no matter what, we have the promise of deliverance from those trials through the saving graces of our heavenly father. Now for David, the author of this particular Psalm, it was written in leaving one dangerous situation and arriving at another. In 1 Samuel 21, it speaks of how he was fleeing from Saul in fear of his life, and fled towards the Philistines. Upon arriving there, the Philistines said, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?" At this point, David has got to be thinking... crap. I ran from one man and my reputation here precedes me, this men want to kill me. The key here is that David, in recognition of his futile attempts of evasion, finally let go of trying to do it himself and prays to his God, to our God. Thus, God delivers him from the Philistines. And, thus, the source of his praise in Psalm 34.
God is near to you, to me, when our spirits are crushed. If you think this life is a cakewalk, especially the christian one, you are drastically incorrect. But God promises deliverance, and he is aware that your afflictions are many. Also, think of the perfection of our savior, not one bone is broken, he keeps them all. Think of that. That prophecy is fulfilled, Christ walked this earth and never broke a bone, and there is a strong significance to me in that. It speaks to the purity of Christ, and the impurity of us. The depravity we are born into. Don't misinterpret me. I am not bashing humanity and saying we are worthless. I am simply recognizing the fact that due to the nature of this earth and due to our own nature, affliction, sin, despair... is an inevitability. And as David had to, you and I must be reminded to see that God delivers us FROM THEM ALL. Not one, not many, but all. What a reassurance!
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