Ez37

Top Ten Reasons to Believe in God

2010-01-24T17:32:00.000-08:00

1. Because He is real...
If there were no God, there would be no Atheists. - GK Chesterton
2. People will think you have a connection to a higher power
You talk to God, you're religious. God talks to you, you're psychotic - Doris Egan, House M.D.
3. It's good for your country.
I tremble for my country when I realize that God's justice cannot be stayed indefinitely - Thomas Jefferson
4. It's good for your stress level
Numbers 6:24-26
5. It goes against what everybody else says.
If God lived on Earth, people would break His windows.- Jewish Proverb
6. Life is easier to face.
Courage is fear that has said it's prayers - Dorothy Bernard
7. It proves you are an intelligent human being.
What can you say about a society that says "God is dead" and "Elvis is alive"? - Irv Kupcinet
8. You won't have to decide who lives or dies.
Many that live deserve death. Some that die deserve life. Would you give it to them? Even the wise cannot see all ends. JRR Tolkien
9. God has the answers... if you are strong enough to ask the questions.
As soon as questions of will, Or decision, or reason, or choice of action arise, human science is at a loss - Noam Chomskey

AND THE TOP TEN REASON TO BELIEVE IN GOD IS........

10. It would give me the chance to do "The Reason" by Hoobastank in worship.
I'm sorry that I hurt You. It's something that I live with everyday....and all the pain I put You thru, I wish that I could take it all away, and be the one who catches all your tears. That's why I need You to hear...
I've found a reason for me, to change who I used to be. A reason to start over new... and the reason is You.

.... sounds like a desperate plea for forgiveness to me. It's where we all belong... on our knees..

Bored Into My Mind

2010-01-23T09:01:00.000-08:00

What did I do before twitter? Before facebook, TV, books? I used to play. Why don't we play anymore? Well, to be accurate I do still play, people just think that I am slightly off, like when I go play in the rain, I also like to go for walks in the rain. Books also occupy my time, although I have a tendency to read several books at once.
Anyway, I posted this question to twitter, and Facebook and here are some of your responses :

@dotcomlarry (twitter) plays video games (I used to be addicted dude)
Jim Hardin (fb) finds something to laugh about (I like the intentionality in that Jim)
Joe Bates (fb) reads... "Sparkling Gems from the Greek" by Rick Renner. I agree Joe, English does not do scripture complete justice.
@jasonlack (twitter) a very good friend, as real as rain, said this "I used to use porn to cure my boredom, now I use Jesus and my family" - thanks for your transparency dude.
@Kay4NJ (twitter) never gets bored. Never??

I started to wonder if, in our age of instant gratification, boredom has become commonplace, because the act of discovery, the act of finding in a slow and unfolding way, has become lost in the world of the WWW.
I have found that when I am bored, I focus best on the act of discovery, it cures my boredom, and the things I learn, process, retain and enjoy have been...well, bored into my mind, and I find I am no longer bored out of my mind.
Thanks for sharing...peace in (as opposed to out).

Tearing down a wall

2010-01-20T12:53:00.000-08:00

Last night I took an opportunity to go tear up something. Our church (Cornerstone Community Church) is in the process of starting a new campus, "RiverFork Church" in Bamberg SC.
I got to tear down a wall. With a sledgehammer. It felt good to tear down that wall. There were several other (MANY SEVERAL) volunteers there to help and we made short work of that wall. Torn down and swept up in around 45 minutes or so.
All this got me thinking about what this church, RiverFork is going to do in that community. We are a multi-ethnic church that breaks down cultural barriers, and we, as a body, help people find and follow God.
The many volunteers made it seem as if we were capable of destroying any wall in front of us, and then God spoke to me and said "This is what this church was made for". There are lots of barriers we all face in our growth in Christ, and barriers our churches face in their growth in Christ. Let it be known, as evidenced by all of those willing hearts and hands tearing down the walls last night, that we are trusting in the strong arm of the Lord of Hosts, and we will NOT be stopped by something as insignificant as a wall....be it a cultural or a literal one.
Just wanted to scream that out, but I also thought that I should post it in my blog. Now I have to go explain to the PoPo why I was shouting about tearing down our neighbors wall.

Book Review - The Gospel According To Lost

2010-01-14T05:44:00.000-08:00

   The Gospel According to Lost by Chris Seay was for me a pretty good read. The story line of "Lost" and the spiritual references in the series are discussed in a way that helps us draw parallels in our own lives. If you are not a big fan of the "Lost" series, you may not enjoy reading about the various characters referenced in this book, but there are other aspects of the book I found interesting. As each of the series characters are explored, each of us can find in ourselves the same flaws, strengths, attitudes and attributes found in the characters being discussed, and that will get the gears turning in your own mind, eventually leading to the asking of some difficult questions, ranging all the way from what we allow into our minds in the form of media, to why we as Christians find it so easy (or hard) to live the lives of faith that we do.
   If you don't mind introspection (this book will make you think), and you enjoy discovering how spiritual principles tie in to popular culture I would suggest reading it. I enjoyed it.
  3-1/2 stars out of 5
  This book was provided by Thomas Nelson http://booksneeze.com/blogger free of charge for review by Ez37 music (Chris Johnson)

Intentional Horizons

2010-01-02T14:50:00.000-08:00

   This is a picture of me and my son Caleb. I have also had some people ask me about the picture of the lady holding the little boy in the Revolutions pictures setting above this post. "Who is she? Who is he? Are they church members?" Lots more questions about them.
The lady is my Wendy. She is the only woman on earth that God had in mind for me. See this link for more on her. http://ez37s.blogspot.com/2009/01/news-to-world.html
   Now, on to Caleb, the little boy in the picture. He is my son. He is a gift of God. We did not set out to adopt a child that would create in us a multi-ethnic family , but God saw fit to bless us beyond our expectations, as usually happens. Well, as always happens. We had prayed about adopting a little boy, and God brought Caleb into our lives... it was VERY MUCH a God thing. I had some initial reservations about it because of ... well, because of how I thought society would view him, and us. It was only as I prayed to God, desperately, that I understood. God is not a respecter of persons. He sees no color, no creed, no opinion. I understood what God was telling me. Caleb (we named him) is a child that will only understand that I am his daddy, and he is my son. Period. Kind of like my relationship with God. Caleb's adoption taught us that God's love and the love of God can overcome any obstacle.
   All of this happened 5 years before my placement as worship director at Cornerstone. God knew that I needed some growing, and he used our compassion, and passion, to do it.
   Our church is on a mission, a visionary mission, to bring about social and cultural change. Check out this link for more on that. http://pray2k.com/ We will be "intentionally diverse" in bringing about this change.
Some might think this impossible, but we only laugh. Because with God, NOTHING is impossible, and this vision is so huge, we know beyond a shadow that this is from God.
   Challenge? Yes. But guess what? We never grow unless we are challenged to grow out of what we have become. I for one look forward to the challenges of this new year. I read an interesting quote today..."Where there is the power of conviction, there is no such thing as sacrifice."
   One last thing...never say that you will fight in the shadow if the enemy darkens the sky with his arrows... unless you absolutely mean it.
As for me...I MEAN IT.

Sell your Harley Davidson.

2009-12-12T13:44:00.000-08:00

I was reading some today. Luke 12:33. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.
I give to the poor God. I help those less fortunate than me. And I'm not rich...and...and...and....
And I also argue with God sometimes. Well, I argue, He doesn't. I read a line in a book once "The truth only smiles". I translate that to "The TRUTH only smiles". God knows the deal, He doesn't have to argue, He smiles in His knowledge that we will work it out...or not.
I was looking thru some pictures posted by our senior pastor, Artie Davis, on his trip to Liberia.
My wife has been to Liberia. I have not. Some of Artie's pictures are of people less fortunate than me. Mywife said of these same people (she went to the very same area) "they have nothing, and are twice as happy as us". I know that the decision to give when it hurts is up to the individual, and that decision is reliant on what God is doing in a person's life. I also know that I have a Harley Davidson Softail sitting in my garage...Could that be a target? A way to give?
I am not saying "sell your house and go live in a cardboard box", although I have read of one man in particular that did that.
Anyway, why am I writing this? Just to stir a little thinking down in your own soul. Remember...the Truth only smiles.
...but I really like my bike God....

The world I know...

2009-11-07T07:50:00.000-08:00

Have you ever seen the beauty of a rainbow in the sky while you were staring into the mud at your feet?

What is the world that I know? The world I know is full of war, and famine and death... politics, underachievers, systematic decline. People hurting people just because they can. People taking advantage of others, for financial gain. What can we understand about the health of human society based on the facts... based on the signs we see all around us? Is "the human condition" so bad that all hope is lost? Well, that depends on your point of view.

As a person that sees the good in things (at least that's what I look for... sometimes I don't find what I'm looking for), I understand that it is all too easy to become overwhelmed by what the world would have me focus on. The trick for me is not to focus on the world, and the temporary, but on the things that have lasting value, the things that belong to the kingdom of God. I don't dismiss the fact that there are things in this world that are negative. I am not always successful in focusing on the positive. I do however understand this thing... that if I look for the negative, the negative is what I will find. That is the reason I choose to be "perpetually juvenile" in my search for the positive...because I want to see the good, I want to see the things of God revealed here on earth. Make no mistake my friends, the negative will always scream in your ear, while the positive whispers from your shoulder. Will you see the improvement in ethnic relations if you continue to focus on the hate crimes of 30, 40, 100 years ago?...of one day ago? No. will you see freedom found in God, the freedom from the chains that bind an addict, or an alcoholic, if you choose to focus on the addiction, and not on the freedom? No. Will you see the acceptance of thousands and thousands into God's kingdom if you focus on the mistakes made after salvation, rather than on the salvation? NO.

Have you ever seen the beauty of a rainbow in the sky while you were staring into the mud at your feet? ...no.

God is getting ready to do a thing. He is getting ready to once again bring into His kingdom a powerful concept; one that will free thousands of people from the chains that bind them. What is it?...

See Matthew 22:36-40. 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'This is the first and greatest commandment.And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.

How do I know this? Am I a prophet? Am I a messenger? Am I a man so in tune with God that I know His thoughts? Well...look at scripture and see what God's word says if you happen to think I am any of those things. In my own mind, I am simply a man in love with God, and that because He loved me first. This is also the world I know... and it's a world I am understanding more and more.

Simply put I am a man looking at the rainbow, and not at the mud.

And that statement brings about the next question...what are you looking at?

Job title : Revolutionary

2009-10-09T08:08:00.000-07:00

Approximately a year ago, our lead pastor, whom I have come to love like a brother, came to me and said that the church was looking for a worship leader full time, and that he had prayed over this, and that I was to be the one. At that time the economy was tanking and... well, the sacrifices we have all made are obvious. The church could not bring me on until everything evened out, all in God's good and perfect timing. A little over a month ago, Pastor Artie called me to the side one Sunday morning and told me to pack my bags, the time is right, let's give it one month...come on, let's go. After giving my employer the notice (4 weeks, cause I love those guys too), I officially became the worship leader at Cornerstone Community Church in Orangeburg, SC.
Now, we have another worship leader in my very good friend Tracy D...love her too. There are also other vocalists that "lead" worship on individual songs...Faye, Judy, there are more... we are a family that praises together you might say. I tell you this so that I would not be given any undue credit...except for the fact that God has anointed me to do a particular thing. That thing is worship Him. After reading and learning and talking and learning, and praying and learning it all comes around to this one thing...for me, it's all about God, and His mercy and grace, afforded to me when I was still an enemy of God. Whatever life has in store for me... come what storms, or joy, I WILL WORSHIP HIM.I could talk about the guitar, my experiences that God has allowed me to go thru without getting myself shot, but it isn't about any of those things. It is about a God that loved me, enough to shed His son's blood on a cross. It is about the Son's desperate, passionate gladness to do His Father's bidding, and by doing so, showing His love for a lost and lonely world, of which in my eyes I was once among the worst of His detractors. I cannot help but become emotional, as I think of His great love for me. And so I worship. My Father, creator, redeemer, lover of my soul, my banner, my strength, my shield, my reward. My protector... I can't speak for anyone but me and my house. So I will.... we will serve the Lord God. I will serve Him.
As for a title... I don't know, I don't really care, "worship leader", "lead worshiper", "band director" whatever... my job is to worship God...and so is yours.
...and IF a title is required...let it be "revolutionary" because I want to worship God in a new, and revolutionary way....that's one of the reasons our praise team is called "Revolutions".... Peace out, and love the Lord ya'll, love the Lord.

A God like no other

2009-08-02T11:12:00.000-07:00

Who is it that is mighty to save? If there is another god, let him come forward...all of the voices that would have us believe that there is another can only fall silent, muted, blind and deaf. Only the God of Abraham, of Isaac, only the father of Jesus Christ, the Savior of all nations is worthy of man's praise. All other gods are man's creation. Our God is the very Word and Breathe of Love, and of Creation. All other god's place a conditional love on the value of a man's soul, his existence even. Our God loved us enough to place His Son on a cross, loved us enough to have His only son become sin, so that we would be saved from ourselves, and freed from the sin that would condemn us all. Only Christ loved enough to accept the punishment that was due me...US. That He would carry the pain and burden of the whip, be beaten beyond recognition, be judged by those He came to save; all for Love's sake, He would die a death like that to save those that would spit in His face.

That's me. Before Christ's mercy and His salvation washed me, and started to teach me what it means to live. What it means to grow in the mercy and challenge that is at the core of being a Christ follower. I once was lost. I once was blind. I once was an enemy of the cross.

Then Jesus knocked on the door of my heart, and it was all I could do... open the door, be found, be saved... from myself. Today I was reminded, yet again, that I am no longer a slave, but a son; cherished, united, living and breathing and free. Today I saw the hand of God at work, today I saw Christ' spirit move, and in the seeing, became changed forever beyond what I was.

I am no longer mine, but His, and in Him I find I don't want to be what I was...I want to be what I will become...and I know that I will never be the same as I was yesterday, or this morning.

He is a God like no other, able to transform even the most hardened enemy into a trusted soldier.

I know, I was there, and the glory of God - the Chicina Glory has changed me into a man like no other, all thru the will of a God like no other.

The Challenge

2009-07-09T09:59:00.000-07:00

What is a challenge? What is it about a comment or suggestion that turns our thoughts inward, and asks us to make a decision? What is a decision?.... In the words of an old adage "If you choose not to decide, then your decision has been made".

Last night I was faced with a decision...I am still praying that God would open my eyes, open my heart, to the correct choice... Challenge. The very word provokes a response from our inner core. We can bristle at the word. We can soften at the word. We can feel the churning of the question within us... Yes or No? Challenge. God has been speaking to my heart about my private contribution to the world of missions. Am I on mission? I should be....Yes, God I am, and You know that. Do I contribute? Yes. Then comes the challenge.
Straight from the heart of God to mine... Do I give enough?

How do I answer that one God? You know my thoughts and my heart...YOU tell me!

And He did.

Ahhhh, I wish that I could tell you that my heart is pure...that my faith is such that I would give more than my fair share of depleted resources (thanks to the economy), but when I hold my heart up to the One that died for me, and give an honest comparison, I have to tell you, I am a poor imitation. I do understand that Jesus did not die so that I could wallow in condemnation, or self pity, or live my life half full. Read it for yourself in Romans chapter 8. He came to give me LIFE...ABUNDANT life. I do understand the He is my both my provider, and my provision. He is my shield, and my very great reward, and I worship him because of His grace and mercy, extended to me when I was what I used to be, and when I used to think differently.
How I used to think...USED TO THINK.

Here we are...NOW we get to it...MY strength is sufficient for you...MY will is to be done, not yours. Because I AM WHO I AM, you have been saved from the grave, from the pit, and if you have faith as small as the grains of sand in your eyes, you could see that I WILL PROVIDE the gift...not you Johnson. You will be MY hands and feet. You will be MY voice to the nations, and you will produce fruit in accordance with MY favor and blessing.

As I sit here God, I realize that I am harder on myself than I should be.. and I thank you for speaking to me in a way that only you could, to get your point across. I also thank you for the tears of worship and repentance that fall from my eyes now, they have cleared the grains of sand...
and I love YOU and trust YOU as never before....

Complete in You

2009-05-25T15:23:00.000-07:00

For some reason I seem to be in a "new" mode. I want to find some "new" music. I want to write some "new" music. I want to do somethin' "new". I decided to sit down today and do some writing...music, that is. I had been sent some lyrics by a lady I call my sister, Viv. We are not really brother & sister but we are in Christ. He brought us together in our worship ministry at Cornerstone and we have a great friendship. Well anywho, she sent over some lyrics and today I sat down to flesh them out with some music. Little did I know that God had a plan for that song. I still don't know the full range of His plan, but I do know that when we do that song in worship, it is gonna touch the heart of God and in doing so His spirit is gonna move in that body.
Part of it speaks to the heart of who we are in Christ, and who we were not before His grace and mercy closed over us like the water of a river, completely and utterly touching every part of our mind, body and soul.

Yet you take me in to your arms and invite me in to your tenderness
Where I find hope and I find rest.
It's there with you - I see who I can be
And it is all because of You I stand amazed by how complete I am in You
@ez37 music 2009

As I sat working on chord structure and all that stuff, I started to think about the words. How God has touched my life, and again, as it usually does happen, I started to worship him in this unfinished song.
I stand amazed yet again, that when in worship, I am complete, and it's all thru the grace He lavished on me when I was an enemy of the cross. The grace that saved me when He saw that His Love would not be wasted on me, that if nothing else, I would worship Him... even if it is on a rainy afternoon, at my computer, working on an unfinished song, that's no longer unfinished.
I stand amazed as I realize who God is, and this even though I only see through the glass darkly.
When I see clearly, when I am by His side, how complete... how complete.

When words fail, music speaks

2009-05-03T14:11:00.000-07:00

This weekend has been an experience for me. After thinking about that sentence I can say with the utmost authority - that is the biggest understatement yet.
Saturday, May 2 : Our worship team, Revolutions is scheduled to play at the Rose Festival in Orangeburg SC. It looks like rain. Secretly, I am glad. My wife is going to our friends' wedding, and I want to go with her. I even pray for rain. Then in the midst of all of my doubt, God speaks quietly to my heart and says "Go. Obey. Be still and know that I am God. Watch, wait".
I go to the church to meet our other worship leader, whom I have the utmost respect for, only to learn that she already has everything ready to roll. I load up, then make the short drive, we get rained on, twice, we play, and God seeks out the heart of Roderick... the last dude standing when we quit playing. He walks up with his lady on his arm, asks for prayer, and we sit in the gardens at the Rose Festival, praying hand in hand for a man with a yearning in his soul. One of the team members remarks later "If we were meant to be here for no other reason, it was for that man". And I am struck suddenly...Lord forgive me, for an unwillingness to hear your voice speak to the lost...the lonely, the hurting.
Sunday May 3 : Church services. I wake up with a glad heart, still awestruck by how God spoke to me the previous day. I think "this is tha day You have made, and I am glad in it. I'm gonna worship today, and not worry about leading so much as worshipping. We did a song called "Here in Your Presence" by Ross Parsley, and had baptisms following that song. I was struck again... this time almost violently so. As I watched 35+ people be baptised, I realized the wording of the song..."Here in Your presence, we are undone. Here in your presence, Heaven and Earth become one. Here in your presence, all things are new. Here in your presence, humbly we bow before You". And I started to feel God there, and I cried like a baby. Those close friends (that saw me) wondered if I was OK, and I am grateful to them for the hugs, the tears, and the shared "God moment". I literally had to go outside and sit while God poured his Love on me...and I could do nothing but cry.

One day earlier...I had prayed to get out of an opportunity to use this gift he has given me. He has already laid his claim on me and I will be His worship leader, or lead worshipper, or lead musician or whatever for the rest of my life. Only He knows why...He sees something in me deeper than what I see in myself. I would not have chosen me...if I had been Him. Wait...hold up. If I had been Him I would have seen the thing that I can't see, so maybe I am a good choice, maybe the only choice to do what I do, or what He does thru me. Confused? Don't worry, you'll get over it.
My point... God has lifted me over a wall I hadn't even realized was there, taken me to a new place. proven to me beyond the shadow that He speaks thru me, thru the music, thru the emotion, thru that one thing...LOVE.
Forgive me Lord. Know that my heart is true. Thanks for keeping me there.

The State of God

2009-04-08T14:54:00.000-07:00

I read an article today that has stirred me up a little bit. It was about the steady decline of "religion" in America. It seems that more people in America have decided to disassociate themselves with "religion", but here's the rub... more than ever people are looking to fill a hole in their lives; just look at the internet, there are all kinds of technologies available to help people do this. Blogging (which I do), Twitter (yeah, that too), online games (nope), online anything...then look at all of the events that we create in order to fill the time of our assorted lives. Recreational activities are limited only by the pocketbook, and not by the imagination anymore. Some use business as a way to fill the time, the hole, use it as a way to create what they perceive as mass where there really is a void. Some simply shut the world out and call things good, there are all sorts of THINGS out there to fill our time and our lives with what we think is entertainment, or bliss, or "a higher consciousness". Has the church failed? Have we ignored the commission given to us by Jesus found in Matthew? Have we really watered down the gospel, used entertainment with live bands and called it "church"? Have we failed to reach a lost and lonely world with the only news that could save it?

I SAY NO.

Who can say that the church has failed? Would one that doesn't have a relationship with God say so? The spiritual things of God are nonsense to them... how would they know? Who has ears, would they be ever listening but never hearing? Those that have eyes, ever seeing but not understanding?
I have been to a church that has seen, and heard, listened, and understands. I belong to one such church. I have seen people bound by chains that the world seduced them with be set free. I have seen true worship, in spirit and in truth. I have seen true salvation, given by God alone to men, I have seen grown men, and women, cry out to God with all that is in their hearts, and receive Him. I have seen families, father, mother, and children, publicly proclaim that God is their savior, and be baptised.... together. I have seen things that are nonsense to the world, and these things have reaffirmed to me that God is alive. As for news articles claiming that the USA is in a steep decline of spirituality, I wonder if anyone has taken a moment to consider this - Is it possible that any or all of those born after "baby boomers" just happen to claim God as their heavenly Father, but choose not to claim their forefathers "religions"? I just happen to know some that do... but that does not negate the fact that they do believe, and hold salvation in their hearts. After all, "religion" is just a set of ritualistic rules and regulations used to worship. My God desires more than ritual, He desires the heart.

Remember, the truth only smiles, and continues to remain the truth.

The Quite Time

2009-03-15T12:22:00.000-07:00

After a week of business, and a week of busy-ness, I had the opportunity to go to a small one day conference in the quiet town of Anderson SC, at Newspring church. Great church with a great heart for saving the lost. Thoroughly enjoyed myself and was refreshed and rejuvenated. Glad to see them doing God's work in the way they do it. Afterward I got home and realized that I was a tech junky (to a lesser extent than many in my circles), and I felt an urge to turn it all off. I did.
It was quiet - even maybe a little uncomfortable at first. But in the time where my thoughts raced here and there I noticed that between "here" and "there", in the opportunity quietness afforded a door had opened that the busy-ness had shut. Everyone always quotes the scripture
"Be quiet and know that I am God", and that's a great scripture, no doubt - but another great one is found in Job...chapter 6. Verse 24...."Teach me, and I will be quiet; show me where I have been wrong." Lord reveal in me anything unlike you, so it can be removed. I want to live a life that pleases You. I want to follow You. In the quiet spaces I will learn from You, if there aren't many of those spaces I will make some from now on. You are my God... I am Your child. Help me to seek out those times of quiet, for worship, for reflection, for meditation. There is none like You Lord, You are my Rock, my King, my quiet Revelation, and my Revolution. in You I find my peace. Love You Lord... be my vision.

God Loves You...

2009-02-02T15:56:00.000-08:00

but I'm his favorite.
My daughter & I were on the way home tonight, and we were talkin' about cars. She is 15 and in the early stages of temporarily losing her mind. She told me that she wants a Camaro, wouldn't even consider another car... not a Jag, not a Viper, not a Corvette, she is done, stick a fork in her, her mind is made up. Not even a Jag? Nope, she wants what she wants. Not even a VIPER? No, not even one. She would sell the Viper, buy a house, then buy a Camaro, and be happy. She loves a Camaro... it's her favorite. She likes the other cars for sure... but they aren't her favorite. I have a favorite brand of guitar - Paul Reed Smith. I fell in love with the sound, looks, the performance of these guitars back when I was a working musician. Well, I got paid for it but it certainly wasn't work, more like, i dunno, a getting paid to party & generally living a ruinous lifestyle while I got money for playing kind of thing. I have played many brands over the short years of my life, and I always come back to PRS. Gibsons? love 'em. Strats? yeah, great. Schechter Guitar Research? absolutely bee-a-youtiful instruments. I love 'em all. But PRS is my favorite. I told all my kids that it was OK to love yourself, be glad, rejoice in who you are, and what you are, because God rejoiced in us and loved us FIRST...

God in His eternal wisdom died on the cross for me. ME. I was writing to a partner of mine today and told him that Christ took the beatings for us. For ME. I am not conceited enough to believe that God loves me and only me, but I do know that he is especially fond of me. His only son's blood was shed on a rough cross, a tree, so that in Him I would be washed clean, and be able to live. TO LIVE. I wonder if 95% of the worlds' population knows what it's like to LIVE. To borrow the saying...We ALL will die, but how many of us truly live? An ex rocker that still rocks, (I rock for God now, and I am not ashamed of His gift in me) - an ex partier that still gets high, on God and on life, - an ex sinner that has become a saint that sins (God is still workin'... He will be done with that when I am done here on earth). An ex intellectually challenged ( I know, I know... me...challenged?) that reads everyday, and learns.. you know...things. I am an ex now. But better than that, I am a present child of God, an heir with all the rights and heretofores that accompany that title. My Daddy can whip anybodies daddy, and I don't think God would be mad with me if I called Him "Daddy".
.... God loves YOU, and you must never ever forget that infallible truth, but I'm his favorite, and you need to feel that way too.

News to the world

2009-01-22T07:16:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody, whas up? I just happened to be having a little personal worship time here, listening to some Lee Mcderment, just talkin to God a little, and alluva sudden my wife pops into my head...again. For those who don't know, my wife (I call her Wendy Lady) is the very gift that God gave me to keep me occupado and under control while I live here on the blue/green marble, the EARTH. This may sound corny & all that, but she really completes me, she is everything good on earth to me. She is Compassionate. Patient. She loves the unlovely (me included). She enjoys life. She will definitely let you know what's on her mind. She is Kind. Giving. Nurturing. She is ALL that I consider to be worthy and valuable on earth. She is the thing I needed in my life... then, and now. And God knew that I would need her. She would probably say the same things about me, but I gotta tell ya, when I married her, I done good. She mighta messed up, but I did good. Anyway, this whole little post is just to let you, the world, know that I Love My Wife, and She Loves Me. I don't know why I capitalized that, maybe for emphasis.
She is all that is great in my life, and she would say the same about me. She is God's gift to me, and I thank God for her everyday of my life.

Blinded by Faith

2009-01-03T15:38:00.000-08:00

Faith transcends my rational thought, and I feel like I'm lost in this space,
feels like I've turned a corner now, but still can't see past my hands..
And in the time it takes to count the cost, will I ever claim the gain,
or do I take that step of faith, and leave the gain to claim itself?

And in the faith of the blind, be led by Your hand
in the wisdom of the young, be glad in your grace?
Yours is the Light, Yours is the Truth, Yours is the Son.

Yours is the time tested stone, the cornerstone, my foundation.
Would you bring the rain, would I be dismayed?
My shelter, from the storms, would I stand?

copyright ez37 music,2009

As this new year is here, I feel like I have rounded a corner. God's grace is evident everywhere I look. Why is it that I still can't see past my hands in my own life? Which way is God carrying me, what's His time frame? Why is it that even though my wife and I have continued to bless those that are less fortunate than us (and believe me, we ain't rich), we receive even greater blessings yet? I'll tell you why.. because "Faith transcends rational thought". We have received God's blessings... in more than one way. "Receive" means "to take into one's possession", and also "to take into the mind; apprehend mentally", here's the catch, it requires an action on my part. I have to TAKE it, ACCEPT it, physically and mentally.
God knows the heart, my heart, and yours. Faith is the demonstration on our part of our faithfulness to Him. Notice that to demonstrate, you have to do something, it requires action, not passivity. Hmmmm... interesting. Now, Why do I feel blind?
Easy question, easy answer. I choose to walk in faith... some would say blindly, know what I say? I walk in God, and He sees what I can't. Puts a new twist on what the world would call "blind faith" doesn't it? It's not easy, but it is worth it... walking "Blinded by Faith".... With God's grace, and a little time, I'm gonna start running.

Last Chance

2008-12-30T17:54:00.000-08:00

What up world? This is the last chance I'll have to blog this year, as I intend to do very little on new years eve. I have started to do some things in my life that have been leading me closer to God ...closer than ever before. I expect God to show up in my walks & talks with Him now... maybe before I was just whistlin' in the wind, hoping that He would hear me, no.. that's not right, He has always had His hand on me, I just KNOW now that He has my back. Maybe the difference is that I know that I know now. I have asked God to show me His mystery, I want to experience that which the world will never understand. I want to be a part of His Warrior Elite, and the enemy now holds no sway in my outlook, or attitude, even though the attacks get through the chinks in my armor sometimes. Now I have scars, never open wounds. Way I look at it, my trust in God is only built up the by the attacks that would normally tear me down. I know how King David must have felt, if I stay, dwell in God's mighty will, seeking His heart..., what do I have to fear? Fear itself (Do any of you realize how absurd that sounds)? I have started feeling secure in the roles He has me in. I do not fear. I AM ALIVE
This is the last chance...for me to blog... for you? Is it Your last chance...? For something...? Don't wait. Seize the day, do it. And do it as if you are on the feild of battle, with the cries of the armies fading into silence, the sounds of penants and flags flapping in the wind, as the giant in your life steps to the forefront to mock you.... pick up your trust, and your weapon, and slay it.
Do it. Be free. As the movie line goes... "breathe the free air". But don't do it as if your are watching a movie. Do it as if you are on the feild... 'cause guess what?

YOU ARE

The Amazing Part

2008-11-16T12:15:00.000-08:00

I could not wait to get home today. Well, I kinda could, but I could not wait to post this... Today at church I saw something that the disciples must have seen, and it really blew me away. for many years I attended smaller churches and saw baptisms done in the way of our traditions, in the way of our forefathers. Nothing wrong with that... I just mention it because the baptisms totalled, say, 25-30 or so in the several years I attended and ministered in those bodies. Now, I know that God can work in smaller churches, that's not what I'm writing about. HERE is what I wanted to say..... Today in church we had a spontaneous altar call in 1st and 2nd services, "anyone that wants to be baptised, now is the time - what will YOU do with this choice God has placed in front of you?"... We had 59 baptisms today alone. We had 16 people scheduled for baptism and at the response to God's word, 43 more came to be baptised. Acts 5:14 says "more and more men and women believed in the Lord, and were added to their number." To be in a place where God is working, and to be a part of it amazes me. I think that today we throw that word around a good bit (did you see that amazing Florida game last night?), without utilizing the full understanding of the word. One of the definitions of "amazed" is this - astounded; suddenly filled with wonder. that's what happened to me today. I was filled with wonder as I saw the God of everything that has been created have compassion and mercy as He called those to the altar, and gave new life to those that surrendered.

Praise Adonai, Master, Creator, Father, for you are faithful to those that call on your name. Let your praises ring through the hearts of men, for you are willing and able to change us into your image. Love You Lord, ELOHIM, our redeemer.

Regretting what was lost

2008-11-09T11:51:00.000-08:00

As our worship team was working thru the songs we used @ church this past week and today, I was struck by one line in one song that is having an impact on me, or rather, God is using that line with other situations to impact my life. That line is from a song by Jars of Clay...."I won't regret to let Love do what Love will let...". At first I thought it was just because of the odd arrangement of words, but after today, I think it's because the Holy Spirit has put this line in my life, for me to sample, to meditate, to savor. I have in my past been called many things, some of which have not been true, some of which have been true. In our sermon today, our Pastor led us thru the dangers of not watching our tongue, what we say. He also had some interesting words of wisdom about how to watch our self, and as a body, ourselves. My thought is this, that by using words as a weapon, by using words to tear down instead of build up, will we regret anything that Love has tried to do thru us? Even passive words that don't build the Kingdom of Heaven are dangerous. If my God had wanted me to encourage a youthful, exuberant, guitarist, and yet, I had put him off by telling him that I had no time to speak just yet, (busyness) could I have possibly put myself in-between God and His will for said guitarist?
Yes, possible... although anyone that knows me knows that I'll talk music anytime, anyplace, this is just an example. But think of it... are we so "righteous, slain in the spirit, holy, BUSY", that God cannot act in a way that would lead us to to rejoice in His actions, or will we regret... regret that we were too busy to uplift another, even with a smile, a hug, a kind word. Would we regret to let Love do what Love would let? Please understand, I am not trying to condemn anyone reading this, only to let the Holy Spirit of the Living God say to you what He would lay on my heart. Would the words that come from your mouth, from my mouth, be escaping (to hurt, damage) or be set free by Love to build up and justify?
Questions, questions... all good but all useless unless we come to grips with the answers, and that is done by putting the knowledge and wisdom God has given us to good use. As I stated earlier, I have been called many things, but I hope that God Himself would help me to never be too BUSY, too involved, or too self righteous to speak the words that need no form, the actions that Love would perform thru me. To those I know that I have not been what I should, I apologize, I am sorry. Check out 2nd Corinthians 7...v10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. v11 See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. As for me, I intend to see to it from now on, that Love will do what Love will let.

Now... no regrets... Time to move forward,...time to gain ground.

The Grace That Still Amazes

2008-09-28T12:46:00.000-07:00

My faithful Father, enduring friend, your tender mercy is like a river without end.
It overwhelms me, covers my sin, each time I come into your presence, I stand in wonder once again...
Your grace still amazes me, your love is still a mystery. Each day I fall on my knees, because your grace still amazes me.
Oh, patient savior, you make me whole, you are the author and the healer of my soul. What can I give you... what can I say? I know there's no way to repay you... only to offer you my praise. It's deeper, and wider and stronger, and higher than anything my eyes have ever seen. Your grace and love still amaze me, and I am on my knees in the light of your mercy.

Written by Connie Harrington and Shawn Craig

How is it that a song can so deeply touch the heart when many times words and gestures cannot? How is it that God has placed in all of us a different and unique "doorway" that He can use to touch us, when nothing else will? What do words like "grace", "love"... "mercy" really mean to a world that cares little for the teachings of Jesus?

Those words mean as much now as they did when Jesus Christ walked in dusty sandals the lands around Jerusalem, when the world cared little for His teachings. He is still faithful, and enduring, and merciful, and He still loves those in this world that are lost and lonely, dying, hurting. He still loves those that would curse Him to His face, still merciful to the point that He died, willingly giving up His body, that if anyone would come to Him and say "OK, yeah, I need you, and I believe in YOU, not the Hollywood you, not the you that the world doesn't know, but the REAL YOU. The You that has been pulling on my heart, the You that has changed other people's lives, the You that is still mysterious, and perfect, and upright, and able to give peace that the world can't , won't ever understand. Lord I give you my heart, I give you my all, change me forever."
God's grace still amazes me...and His perfect mercy and love drive me to my knees every time.
Have you been amazed today?
May the Lord make His face to shine upon you... and give you peace.

Commitment

2008-09-14T11:43:00.000-07:00

Commitment comes in several different forms. A commitment to be there when it's convenient, commitment when it's a show, sometimes there's a commitment to be non-committal. There's a song that goes "Even though you've made a choice not to decide, you've still decided".
Then there's the kind of commitment that mirrors Christ and his dedication to us.
Christ died on the cross, willfully for you and me; people that were enemies of the cross, He died for people that are still enemies of the cross. Commitment to the body, and a love of Christ led someone I know to serve the body today, even though her father passed away on Friday, the 12th. That's the kind of commitment I'm talkin' about. Not just serving when it's convenient, but even serving Christ when it hurts, and there is a sacrifice involved.

Galatians 2:20 -
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

To that person... you know who you are.... and I won't try to rob you of the treasure that you have just stored in heaven at the feet of God himself, Thank You for a lesson that is touching, sweet, and as strong as God's Call. I love you and thank you for teaching, even when you didn't mean to. May He make His face to shine upon you, and may the Peace of God, which transcends all that the world understands, fill you and your family.

The Hand of God

2008-08-15T19:31:00.000-07:00

Lots of times I think I know what's up with my God. I think I know His time frames, His deadlines, His initiatives, only to find out that He knows way more than I do. Not that I think I know more than God, I just, IDK, think I have a good "bead" on things. But guess what... His timetable is different than mine, Hello!!!. God speaks when we think He is quiet, He works when we think He is biding time, He moves when we think we are sitting still. God is so awesome, full of mystery, so much, much, much more than anything we can imagine. This week I was reading & praying about a situation that has come up in my life, something that I had been praying about for a long time (in my opinion anyway), and God spoke thru His Word, His Scripture, and said this..... "Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them." ..... Daniel, chapter 10, verse 12.
If you happen to have been praying, for a long time, even a very long time, and you think that God may not be answering... be still for a minute.... cry out to God, with the desperate, pleading cry from your heart, and then watch... watch what happens. God is Here, & He is ALIVE, and He is in control. Don't doubt it... not for a nano-second. I'm living proof.
Love you Lord, may your voice touch the nations....

New Life

2008-08-09T13:19:00.000-07:00

I Really like that verse 14, "New Life".... it doesn't mean we won't have to face the temptations that so easily entangle, but we will be able to overcome them. We can live in the strength that God himself brings, and I can't think of anything stronger or wiser or more patient than our God. A New Life is sometimes a scary thing, full of questions, change, new responsibilities, new obligations. How about this... instead of concentrating on the new life, concentrate on the giver of that life. God will make things much easier if we focus on him. I had a friend say a couple of days ago, "We don't need to be afraid of the shadows, when the bible said ' yea though I walk thru the shadow of the valley of death, I will not be afraid' the only fear we should have is when we allow something come between us and the Giver of Life, creating shadows in our lives." TRUE 'DAT!!! Don't fear the shadow, the shadow is just the absence of light, and if you have been saved by grace, you can fix that, If you haven't felt God's grace, then you can fix that too.... Open the door to God, let His light in, and don't fear the shadow...

Whats in a name?

2008-07-29T17:24:00.000-07:00

Ez37 refers to Ezekiel, Chapter 37 in the bible. "New Life into old bones", check it out.
It is also the name of a christian rock band, formed to breathe new life into tired souls, but only Christ can do this... and he does it in many ways; one way is through music.

While we were still enemies of the cross, God allowed, SENT Jesus to die on the cross for you, me, any person that would believe and accept the free gift. But the story doesn't end there. Salvation brings redemption, freedom, revelations of mysteries like nothing the world can understand. "Taste and see that God is good", if you don't believe, check it out for yourself, but give it an honest look, you'll know in your heart if you do...
If God is calling you, don't worry, you'll know, just don't be afraid to open the door when He knocks.