am I choosing to get lost in Jesus?
am I choosing sin and flesh over righteousness and life?
am I complaining because the things that I want in life don't go exactly how I want?
am I loving certain things AND people because I want it/them or because God wants me to want these things?
am I being bold about Christ?
do I not care about people enough to share with them the truth of eternal life that they could have?
I'm glad I have a savior because most days, the truth is, I do things that I hate. Sin.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
you.
I used to like posting lyrics of songs everywhere; on my blog, facebook status', text messages, etc. I've come to think that it is pretty cheesy to do that! But, for the last few days I have had a song stuck in my head that is almost %100 what I have been feeling, which is why I think it is stuck in my head. The coolest part about the song is that it has become a prayer of mine and I would love to share it with you. It is a beautiful song.
Stop the press, everything's a mess,
You can look alive, but you are not at rest.
And i-ideas are flowing through your head,
A million miles an hour while lying in your bed.
A lucid life you never thought you'd lead.
Are you working everyday?
Are you working just to bleed?
I know.
You're staring at the names of the famed that are dipped in gold
The feeling you deserve what you've heard
But it doesn't go away.
Oh, the tongues of men and angels
I speak but lack love.
Oh, love, will I stab you in the back?
Working everyday,
I'm afraid I forgot to show what's most important: love.
Here I am, dear Lord, tasting hints of fame
And I don't want it anymore
If it's not you that I gain
Wanna fall at your feet
Don't wanna fall from your peace
Have you ever been the man that just ran
When you knew that God was talking?
Have you ever heard his voice through the noise
But just let it go away?
Oh, the tongues of men and angels
I speak but lack love.
Oh, love, will I stab you in the back?
Working everyday,
I'm afraid I forgot to show what's most important: love.
Here I am, dear Lord, tasting hints of fame
And I don't want it anymore
If it's not you that I gain
Wanna fall at your feet
Don't wanna fall from your peace
A heart at rest is harder now
Don't let it go away
A hard earned pay, a hard earned pain
Right now they're just the same
What's the use, why work so hard
When it's not what you crave
When what you need is: love.
Here I am, dear Lord, tasting hints of fame
And I don't want it anymore
If it's not you that I gain
Wanna fall at your feet
Don't wanna fall from your peace
Of Men and Angels, The Rocket Summer
Stop the press, everything's a mess,
You can look alive, but you are not at rest.
And i-ideas are flowing through your head,
A million miles an hour while lying in your bed.
A lucid life you never thought you'd lead.
Are you working everyday?
Are you working just to bleed?
I know.
You're staring at the names of the famed that are dipped in gold
The feeling you deserve what you've heard
But it doesn't go away.
Oh, the tongues of men and angels
I speak but lack love.
Oh, love, will I stab you in the back?
Working everyday,
I'm afraid I forgot to show what's most important: love.
Here I am, dear Lord, tasting hints of fame
And I don't want it anymore
If it's not you that I gain
Wanna fall at your feet
Don't wanna fall from your peace
Have you ever been the man that just ran
When you knew that God was talking?
Have you ever heard his voice through the noise
But just let it go away?
Oh, the tongues of men and angels
I speak but lack love.
Oh, love, will I stab you in the back?
Working everyday,
I'm afraid I forgot to show what's most important: love.
Here I am, dear Lord, tasting hints of fame
And I don't want it anymore
If it's not you that I gain
Wanna fall at your feet
Don't wanna fall from your peace
A heart at rest is harder now
Don't let it go away
A hard earned pay, a hard earned pain
Right now they're just the same
What's the use, why work so hard
When it's not what you crave
When what you need is: love.
Here I am, dear Lord, tasting hints of fame
And I don't want it anymore
If it's not you that I gain
Wanna fall at your feet
Don't wanna fall from your peace
Of Men and Angels, The Rocket Summer
Monday, March 1, 2010
that's today...
...March 1.
Goals for this month..
* See if God wants me to stay at Starbucks; and if I don't stay, create a resume in order to get a job at a different coffee shop.
* Get on track financially; resort back to the budget that I was once on, so that like in the month of February if I have to spend 300 dollars on something like my car, it won't hurt.
* Figure out how to focus my mind. In the month of February I could not handle it most days. Mind has been ready to explode.
* Continue praying for those that I have been and more that come to mind.
* Above all else.. continue pursuing God; allowing Him to mold me.
-brett
Goals for this month..
* See if God wants me to stay at Starbucks; and if I don't stay, create a resume in order to get a job at a different coffee shop.
* Get on track financially; resort back to the budget that I was once on, so that like in the month of February if I have to spend 300 dollars on something like my car, it won't hurt.
* Figure out how to focus my mind. In the month of February I could not handle it most days. Mind has been ready to explode.
* Continue praying for those that I have been and more that come to mind.
* Above all else.. continue pursuing God; allowing Him to mold me.
-brett
Saturday, February 27, 2010
call and response.
Psalm 25:11 "For your name's sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great."
1 John 2:12 "...your sins are forgiven for his name's sake."
1 John 2:12 "...your sins are forgiven for his name's sake."
Thursday, February 25, 2010
i want to KNOW.
Some of you know that for the past 6 months I have been pursuing playing drums. It has been an incredible time for the most part, I have been able to grow so much as a drummer and I feel blessed when I sit down to think about it, because honestly I had no idea a year ago that it would go this far. I don't bring it up on the blog often because I never know what to say about it. I have a lot on my mind with it and I was listening to a new Rocket Summer song and it made me think about one of the more upsetting sides of playing.
I often find it hard to let go and worship when I am playing (by the way, I play for churches as a drummer). It is something that has been frustrating. I often find myself just playing to prove my "skills" to the people I am playing with. This really gets in the way of worshipping God. The music scene, in and outside of the church, has a lot of pressure of who you know and how good you "kill it" on your instrument.
I understand that you need to be able to play your instrument well, but why is there so much judgement if someone is not great at their instrument. Don't we all start somewhere? If I play with someone who is not so great at an instrument I have to remind myself that we all grow as musicians and not everyone is on the same level. If you consistently are playing you consistently will be getting better. There will always be someone who is better at what they play than you or them. Often, the best musicians are the best because they have years of experience.
Years of experience. Which means to me, that playing music is not a race. It's not about how fast you can get better than the next person. I am learning to enjoy the pace of gaining experience. It's fun, and when I stumble on my face while playing, I learn what not to do next time.
I'm not saying that it is not important to get better at your instrument. That is very important. I also believe it is important to practice, practice and then practice more. I think that at any level of a musician that practice is still important. Music is so amazing because you can never stop learning. It's beautiful because it is more than just knowing how to play an instrument. It also includes how to transition from song to song, where to play and not play within a song, if you play with a click track you learn how to play within the timing that is before you, you learn how to work with the other musicians on stage and being able to create energy that feeds off to the crowd you are before is a HUGE thing.
I want to take it at a good pace and allow God to work in me what his will is. I will let God be the promoter. A good friend once told me, "God is the God of promotion."
And, when I am tempted to meet people just so that I have a good list of "who I know" I will do my best to remember the lyric I stumbled across in the Rocket Summer song... "cause it's all about who you know, and not about if you really KNOW anyone."
I want to KNOW the people that I know, not just "know" people.
-brett
I often find it hard to let go and worship when I am playing (by the way, I play for churches as a drummer). It is something that has been frustrating. I often find myself just playing to prove my "skills" to the people I am playing with. This really gets in the way of worshipping God. The music scene, in and outside of the church, has a lot of pressure of who you know and how good you "kill it" on your instrument.
I understand that you need to be able to play your instrument well, but why is there so much judgement if someone is not great at their instrument. Don't we all start somewhere? If I play with someone who is not so great at an instrument I have to remind myself that we all grow as musicians and not everyone is on the same level. If you consistently are playing you consistently will be getting better. There will always be someone who is better at what they play than you or them. Often, the best musicians are the best because they have years of experience.
Years of experience. Which means to me, that playing music is not a race. It's not about how fast you can get better than the next person. I am learning to enjoy the pace of gaining experience. It's fun, and when I stumble on my face while playing, I learn what not to do next time.
I'm not saying that it is not important to get better at your instrument. That is very important. I also believe it is important to practice, practice and then practice more. I think that at any level of a musician that practice is still important. Music is so amazing because you can never stop learning. It's beautiful because it is more than just knowing how to play an instrument. It also includes how to transition from song to song, where to play and not play within a song, if you play with a click track you learn how to play within the timing that is before you, you learn how to work with the other musicians on stage and being able to create energy that feeds off to the crowd you are before is a HUGE thing.
I want to take it at a good pace and allow God to work in me what his will is. I will let God be the promoter. A good friend once told me, "God is the God of promotion."
And, when I am tempted to meet people just so that I have a good list of "who I know" I will do my best to remember the lyric I stumbled across in the Rocket Summer song... "cause it's all about who you know, and not about if you really KNOW anyone."
I want to KNOW the people that I know, not just "know" people.
-brett