Post No. 47

Michigan summers are so incredible. I realize now how great they really are. So here I am, staying at my aunts house past midnight typing out the occurrences of the past few days. It took about a little over 22 hours to make the long journey from Texas, to Michigan. When arriving we made our way over to Grass Lake MI, for PK Retreat 2010, and I must say that it was a awesome experience. The main reason for being there was that my brothers and I would be playing worship for the event but it was also great hanging out with all the other PK's(pastors kids) too. The entire weekend was full of new friends and great times with old ones. All in all it was a pleasant Memorial Day weekend.
Returning back to Battle Creek, the place where I spent a great portion of my life and made so many good friends and memories, felt like stepping back into an old book. A book I set down aside months ago and now I'm here catching up to a new chapters. I see old familiar places and say to myself "I remember when".
Hopefully the days won't go by too fast. I'm wanting to finish a few great chapters here.

Post No. 46

Well that was a totally fun knockout night I just had. It is hard to look past mistakes though. Breaking strings, strumming a wrong chord, speeding up, forgetting a word, adding a word, make up some of the things that I see. But then there's the flip side. I see what comes out in the end when the song is over; when people finish clapping their hands and leave to go home. You can see it in their faces, the sign of impact. I think that's the main reason why I enjoy it so much. I don't do at all for myself, cause really I don't I'm that good at all. I'm just a guy who strums a few chords and carries a decent tune. Still, I wonder how far it'll go.

Post No. 45

Saturday Morning is here with the morning cartoons and all. Another two words that go well with the word Saturday; sleep in. Yes I did that and felt good enough for a morning run, followed by a nice bowl of sugarless corn flakes...sort of. I added just a bit of sugar to make it more tasty.
So far I've been playing a a lot more. Here and there at different events and small performances. Whether it be for a church or a outdoor gig it's all great to be able to do what I enjoy. Tonight I get to do it again at a event called Shout In The Night. It's going to target youth around the city. Very excited to see what's going to happen later on this evening. Hopefully I put some pictures next on the next post. We shall see.

Post No. 44

I think it's safe to say that my life here is going the way it should be. Though at times it's not by my liking or even by my say so. Never the less I'm truly thankful to survive into the next day whether the morning is bright or not. I could go on and on about what goes wrong and what seems to drag me down in everyday, but I'm sure that wouldn't benefit either of us.
There's this person I've gotten to know recently; a good friend with a giving heart. He decided to follow Christ and strive for a more righteous life and I commend him for that. But he still remembers his old self. Every now and then he would say "I remember when..." followed by "but not anymore".
Without a doubt you cannot erase what is the past. Somehow the past lingers inside the back of our mind reminding of what was. Many are great memories of wonderful times. Others, not so good. For me, I have a vast collection of both. In fact the very first memory ever of my life was a haunting one. So what to do if you can't forget the junk from the day before, or the scars from years long gone? I think a part of that answer lies in tomorrow. Many analogies could be said but I'll say a verse instead
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone the new has come!" Corinthians 5:16-18
Love from the Savior is the true remedy for healing a broken spirit, a quiet pain. Strength from only myself is not enough. My failures and weaknesses keep me grounded and remind me that I'm real not perfect, but I can't be blinded by them, and I'm only fighting me, everyday. But I continue to believe that God is greater, God is stronger and God is higher than any other. And so because of that I know what has been cannot be greater than what is to come.

Post No. 43

I am now really tan from all of the sun I've been getting. Weird how it hasn't started to hurt yet though. My first time ever at a pool since I've been here was last Saturday, and it was completely amazing, refreshing and cool. Hope to do it again soon.
Something I haven't yet written about yet are the storms. Wow, they can get really ruff and strong. There was a really heavy one that came in last night. As I lay there on top of the car looking up at the dark heavy clouds, I noticed a whole. It seemed to stop right above me, with thunder and flashes of lightning happening all around. It felt mysterious and powerful. Then I went inside to not get wet. It's true, the calm comes before the storm. Even more true that there is a brighter day.

Post No. 42

News, news, news! Went to record some new songs at a friends house last Friday. Everything came out well. Even had a chance to take a break and do some exploring down by the river that's close by his house. Thanks a ton Robbie.
Saturday was the day I went into a sea world. Water park, roller coasters , concerts and of course the great Shamu, make up what is, SeaWorld in San Antonio.
Saw a few great bands perform there in the park too. The main one was a band called Jars of Clay, who I also had chance to say hello to and shake their hands backstage. Very great group of talented musicians.
I love listening and seeing other people play music. A new friend of mine who plays, sings and writes songs played a few for me. It's so great hearing a song sung in a different view. For me, that's why I enjoy listening so much, and not just in music. You can learn so much apart from your own voice. Having a voice is essential but even more I would like to have receptive hearing.

Post No. 41

Over the hill now. 41, I mean. The amount of posts that have been typed out from here, my computer and going out to the world wide web. So over the past couple days I've had time to record a few songs. Not in a studio or anything but on my computer. I do enjoy recording as much as I love writing the songs. Recording in a way is like creating a song a second time. It's very very fun if I say so myself.
Also I've been having enjoying great time with new friends. Still remembering the faraway ones though. I don't think I'll ever forget em'.
Tonight, bible study group at Bethesda. They have a really great group of people who want to go deeper into the word of God. I greatly enjoy that aspect of that.
So I'm still learning everyday new things. And so, the road continues on.

Big 40

"P" stands for practicing, painting, pictures, playing, and physicality. All of which were what I part took in today. Band practice for the event soon coming. Painting furniture for my grandmother, looking pictures from the weeks gone by, physically jogging and getting sweaty and last, playing my guitar outside under the dark cool sky. Came in just a few moments ago. Kinda had to since I couldn't fight off those mosquitoes while strumming at the same time. Now off to much needed sleep. Buenos noches.

Post No. 39

For the most part my posts have been centered around me and what I've been thinking at certain times of the week. Being a narrow minded thinker has never been an aspect I would care to attain. But at the same time I'll always see what's set before me in the vision of my own two eyes. In two ways that can be either a great high meaning or a downhill idea. What's more important I would suggest is not how we see, but what it is we're looking at. Not surprisingly, there are many gravitation's toward meaningless things that steel vision throughout our days.

I think the hindsight of failing the attempt to break beyond the common self ambition is to realize that fighting under our own strength is not going to get us through. Instead, the paramount plan would be to use the things that stand true above what falls quickly. Faith, hope and love. But the greater of these is love.

I wish to find a way to never stop thinking about the power of God's love for us. But the pull of worldly strings tug in the continue attempt to drag me down.

See there is still hope for that desire. I know I do. Think about it. I hope to think about love so deeply that I fall in.

For these reasons, I think I enjoy writing songs and such. The sound of truth has a theme goes deep. I'm wanting to know more.

Post No. 38

Saturday here and the weekend is already looking very cool. The breeze and shady clouds do help out with that a bit too.
Last night went out to see a wrestling performance, lucha style. OK, I do realize that it's not real. The big tuff guys in masks and shinny boots aren't really trying to beat each other to death. It's actually just a show of performing stunts and plots between characters. Much like a movie or a tv show. I do like the imagination of the whole idea, the heel vrs the babyface which is another term of saying "bad guy vrs. good guy". If somehow you end up in a position with a person who likes to swing a chair who's only a few feet in front of you, watch out. Looking the other way might not be such a good idea.
Wedding days are very important. In a way I'm here alive because of a certain one wedding that took place long ago. And because of the very special importance I'm humbly going to be playing a song for a relative of mine who is going to be married this very day. In a few short moments I'll be slicking my hair and pulling my tie to look snazzy. Off to the show, the show of affection.

Post No. 37

Everyday is so new now. The newness of my days give me a great excitement of what lies ahead. I think this photo best describes what I've been dwelling on lately. This small paper heart I found on the ground while on a walk is in fact small, but it's what I needed to see. Despite it's size it shows a piece of inspiration as if it were a kind word of knowledge.

Hoping for a not so sunburn hot weekend. Maybe I'll let the kite come out again.

Post No. 36

Listened to the sound of bricks being stacked on each other for a good portion of my day. From the morning till the early evening we worked at my great uncles house to put up a few small brick towers around roof supports. You know the type of easy to understand work but extremely tedious to actually perform, well it was a little like that. I give credit to my older brother David, who helped out tremendously along my side. With our powers combined!...we got the job done.
Yet another good portion of the day was spent with music. Band practice with a praise team to be more exact. I think its stretching me more to become a more vocal person and not so much just a guy behind a microphone. But at the same time to be the same person on and off stage is very imperative in the sense of being true and not possessing a fake appearance. I pray I'll never lose sight of that. I always find the middle day of the week to be the most interesting one.

Post No. 35

I just arrived home from spending time with some good people at one of the many locations of the International House of Pancakes. I've never been to one before. I noticed it felt almost like a Denny's restaurant. And of course' it had the anytime of the day or night breakfast menu. Coffee with a packet of sugar, was what I had; decaf I might add. It's been more than amazing getting to know the people around me. By now I think it's safe to say that a abundant friendship base has been established.
During the heat of the day I made my way down to the now familiar playground park, where I flew my brand new kite. It was in fact a Spider-man kite. Getting it high up in the air was definitely a challenge but seeing the kite fly with the help of a string and my hand was well worth all the running and pulling. Fight against the wind or let it help you fly. Hash winds of unexpected occurrences always seem to gush into the view of my eyes. Yet to spiral downward is to let every tug and pull die in vain. The flight should still continue. I look in my hands and see more string. More chances to fly even higher. Let the wind help you fly.

Post No. 34

Wasted time should be considered a decent crime. Even though it has no patience to wait for us, I do believe that time spent wisely reaps a lasting affect of peace. Not in the sense of perfect harmony of life. But one that would far outweigh the time stealer's the world has to offer. Very few can truly mean the saying "I've got time on my hands". What that saying translates into is, time and I work together. Why would we battle what we have very little of? Shorter are the days then what was just yesterday.
I see the classic story of The Tortoise and the Hare, as two amazing different views of running in the race of life. Live the fast pace life of the hare and miss the meaning of why we run. Join the humble steady beat of the Tortoise, and reach the reward behind the finish line. I've find it true that there is a meaning to why we run. First we've got two feet. Second, our hearts race to be filled with substantial joy and peace. What can truly fill that large gap? Everyone says what they know, sing what they believe and and acts what they think. How far will that take us if what we hold on to is etched with a expiration date? Look to love and faith that stirs mountains. It lasts so much longer that anything I've come to see, and through it all I hear this verse echo in my life:

Psalm 103 15-17
As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD's love is with those who fear him.

I'm the grass. I will pass soon...over the finish line

Post No. 33

Got up this morning late! Yeah, thank you Saturday for coming in with a great welcome. Pretty much just your average normal Saturday. I did walk to the park today. My green mountain bike is still broken and I don't know when I'll be able to ride it again. As I was there I did some writing. Under the shade of the tree out of the heat felt so great to be. Someone not to far away was playing basketball. I was very close to go up and ask if I could join, but he left before I got the chance to. Maybe he was a solo type of guy. Or maybe he just had somewhere important to be
There are so many malls here. Like a gazillion. Minis a few million. Well, I went to one earlier today and found to many stores and out of reach prices. But in the end I came out with a great CD from F.Y.E. so I felt accomplished.
The week went by alright and was very full. Looking forward to the next one.
Quote of the week:
"God uses us, in spite of us" -Jon Foreman