My new classical single is now available on itunes
Click on the link:
Sunday, June 13, 2010
New Classical Single: May He Bide With You now on itunes!
My new classical single is now available on itunes
Music making that goes against popular demand
Check out this article about a group I have been following for a few months now. You can listen to the audio or just read the article on this link below:
This should give musicians alot to think about in regards to making your own music and trying to make a living at it.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Christ in HD!
High definition enhances the clarity and the focus of a picture and enhances the quality of what one is seeing. When I think of the idea of Christ in HD I think about him being more defined or highly defined in my life. How can I make Christ in HD in my life? What more can I do to make the evidence of Christ in my life more clearer, more relevant, more powerful that what others are currently seeing in my life?
Seeing that relationship with the father is what ultimately enhances Christ's presence in my life, I need to spend more time praying and enjoying quality time with the Father. Not just in morning prayer, but while riding in my car to work, while taking a lunch break, while shopping, etc. My life should be a clear example of the integrity and character of Christ.
Lord please show me what is stopping the process of upgrading and accessing your power in my life to impact others.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Your Dream Is Your Duty!
I wrote this about a year ago and I felt like I needed to post it again now. Be encouraged to go for it, whatever it may be!
“So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we
have only done our duty.” Luke 17:10
As Christians, we are all meant to be servants of God. I believe that it is our duty to be all that Christ intends us to be and follow our dreams. We should desire to succeed in whatever Godly passion is in our hearts because that is a clear inclination that it is a job that God wants us to do for his glory. Whether you are a preacher, musician, painter, doctor, or teacher, you should strive to accept your duty and be the best in whatever career path you are led to. My mother-in-law said that her parents would tell her, “if you are going to be a street-sweeper, then be the best street-sweeper there is!”
That kind of mentality is what Christ expects us to strive for at all times. Of course, we are not born with this way of thinking. We have to fight for it. The bible says to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We have to constantly challenge our old way of thinking (that gets us nowhere), and replace it with new innovative ways to be progressive in our lives. This way of thinking is crucial to realizing any given dream you may have.
So many people are waiting for angels of God to knock on the door and say, “here is the blessing God has for you.” We feel that we don’t have to do anything but sit around and wait for things to fall in our lap. God never wanted us to be idle. Yes, God has things he promised he would give us, but he also gave us legs and arms to get up and work out our faith. It’s one thing to sit around believing, and another to put actions with that belief. The bible says we hope for what we cannot see. I have never seen Jesus Christ, but I hope and believe that he has forgiven me for my sins because I repented. If I believe in a Jesus that I have never tangibly seen, then why won’t I have hope in a life that I want but cannot tangibly see? Why do we only believe as far as we can see? For example, a man may see nothing but custodial jobs available around him and believe that he will only be a custodian because that is all he can see. Although he may hope to be more, he applies for one of the custodial positions and gets it. Eventually the hope for more dies within him and he retires after 30 years of work when he could have taken a risk towards his hopes and dreams.
There are many of us like the custodian who walk by sight and not by faith. I want to challenge you to close your eyes and be water walkers. Step into something that you want to do but fear it because of possible failure. If you fail, the worst that could happen is that you will end up where you started. If you succeed, the best that could happen is that you realize your dream!
When we realize our dream we now understand our duty. Our duty is then to represent Christ in whatever career we have so that the world can see Christ in our lives. Jesus' dream was to give humanity a hope and a future. It is also to get as much of us as he can to believe in him before we die and are judged. He came so that we could be saved from hell and realize the glory of a true heaven. He activated his dream. We now have the freedom to live for Christ and have the hope of eternal life. Jesus worked hard and is still working on his dream. He is still working on that dream through us! That is why it is important to be nothing but the best.
We must remember that Christ is not an average Lord. He is supreme and powerful! He is an over-achiever! He works hard at everything he does and gives his very best to us! He lives right inside of us! So what does that make us? It makes us nothing but the best as our careers should reflect the character of Christ who is in us. We ultimately serve God by being the very best in whatever he has called us to. As our work is recognized, so is Christ lifted up from the earth for all men to see and glorify!
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” Col 3:23
“So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we
have only done our duty.” Luke 17:10
As Christians, we are all meant to be servants of God. I believe that it is our duty to be all that Christ intends us to be and follow our dreams. We should desire to succeed in whatever Godly passion is in our hearts because that is a clear inclination that it is a job that God wants us to do for his glory. Whether you are a preacher, musician, painter, doctor, or teacher, you should strive to accept your duty and be the best in whatever career path you are led to. My mother-in-law said that her parents would tell her, “if you are going to be a street-sweeper, then be the best street-sweeper there is!”
That kind of mentality is what Christ expects us to strive for at all times. Of course, we are not born with this way of thinking. We have to fight for it. The bible says to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We have to constantly challenge our old way of thinking (that gets us nowhere), and replace it with new innovative ways to be progressive in our lives. This way of thinking is crucial to realizing any given dream you may have.
So many people are waiting for angels of God to knock on the door and say, “here is the blessing God has for you.” We feel that we don’t have to do anything but sit around and wait for things to fall in our lap. God never wanted us to be idle. Yes, God has things he promised he would give us, but he also gave us legs and arms to get up and work out our faith. It’s one thing to sit around believing, and another to put actions with that belief. The bible says we hope for what we cannot see. I have never seen Jesus Christ, but I hope and believe that he has forgiven me for my sins because I repented. If I believe in a Jesus that I have never tangibly seen, then why won’t I have hope in a life that I want but cannot tangibly see? Why do we only believe as far as we can see? For example, a man may see nothing but custodial jobs available around him and believe that he will only be a custodian because that is all he can see. Although he may hope to be more, he applies for one of the custodial positions and gets it. Eventually the hope for more dies within him and he retires after 30 years of work when he could have taken a risk towards his hopes and dreams.
There are many of us like the custodian who walk by sight and not by faith. I want to challenge you to close your eyes and be water walkers. Step into something that you want to do but fear it because of possible failure. If you fail, the worst that could happen is that you will end up where you started. If you succeed, the best that could happen is that you realize your dream!
When we realize our dream we now understand our duty. Our duty is then to represent Christ in whatever career we have so that the world can see Christ in our lives. Jesus' dream was to give humanity a hope and a future. It is also to get as much of us as he can to believe in him before we die and are judged. He came so that we could be saved from hell and realize the glory of a true heaven. He activated his dream. We now have the freedom to live for Christ and have the hope of eternal life. Jesus worked hard and is still working on his dream. He is still working on that dream through us! That is why it is important to be nothing but the best.
We must remember that Christ is not an average Lord. He is supreme and powerful! He is an over-achiever! He works hard at everything he does and gives his very best to us! He lives right inside of us! So what does that make us? It makes us nothing but the best as our careers should reflect the character of Christ who is in us. We ultimately serve God by being the very best in whatever he has called us to. As our work is recognized, so is Christ lifted up from the earth for all men to see and glorify!
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” Col 3:23
What If?
About a month ago, I was really thinking about how I think so much that I don't do. Here are my thoughts:
What if I was known as a Christian on my job? What if people knew they could come to me for prayer? What if they felt comfortable coming to me for Christian advice? What if when I went over people’s house I didn’t have to act Christian? What if it was okay with me if others made fun of me because I was a Christian?
What if I went shopping with my family and people could see that I was different in a good way? What if when I talked people always stopped and listened? What if when I prayed it didn’t take me an hour before I actually felt like God was hearing me? What if when I prayed over people I had enough faith for them to be delivered, healed and set free from whatever? What if when I encouraged people I actually listened to the Holy Spirit and just told them what God wanted me to tell them? What if I had a spiritual gift? What if I had the ability to help someone come to Christ?
What if I lived consistent enough in my character so that others just automatically saw the Christ in me? What if everywhere I went I was just subconsciously focused on living right, talking right, and really living the life I always talk about having?
What if I didn’t give people my opinion of the bible and just conveyed what the bible actually says? What if I actually became a doer of the word and not only a listener like I usually am? What if I actually understood that talk was cheap and that I really had to walk this Christian thing out to really make an impact and a difference?
What if I really loved my wife as Christ loved me? What if I wasn’t so selfish how easier my relationship with other people would be?
What if I just did whatever Christ told me to do by just listening to his still small voice inside of me?
We are all wanting to be something special...something huge in our lives. We all want to make a big impact for ourselves. What if we just did the things that we knew to do according to God’s word? How much more would God take us to the things he has for us because we stopped saying ...what if?
What if I was known as a Christian on my job? What if people knew they could come to me for prayer? What if they felt comfortable coming to me for Christian advice? What if when I went over people’s house I didn’t have to act Christian? What if it was okay with me if others made fun of me because I was a Christian?
What if I went shopping with my family and people could see that I was different in a good way? What if when I talked people always stopped and listened? What if when I prayed it didn’t take me an hour before I actually felt like God was hearing me? What if when I prayed over people I had enough faith for them to be delivered, healed and set free from whatever? What if when I encouraged people I actually listened to the Holy Spirit and just told them what God wanted me to tell them? What if I had a spiritual gift? What if I had the ability to help someone come to Christ?
What if I lived consistent enough in my character so that others just automatically saw the Christ in me? What if everywhere I went I was just subconsciously focused on living right, talking right, and really living the life I always talk about having?
What if I didn’t give people my opinion of the bible and just conveyed what the bible actually says? What if I actually became a doer of the word and not only a listener like I usually am? What if I actually understood that talk was cheap and that I really had to walk this Christian thing out to really make an impact and a difference?
What if I really loved my wife as Christ loved me? What if I wasn’t so selfish how easier my relationship with other people would be?
What if I just did whatever Christ told me to do by just listening to his still small voice inside of me?
We are all wanting to be something special...something huge in our lives. We all want to make a big impact for ourselves. What if we just did the things that we knew to do according to God’s word? How much more would God take us to the things he has for us because we stopped saying ...what if?
What Is Life?
We all are here experimenting, trying things out, wanting to attain things that we hope will make us happy or at least entertain us for a while. There are some things that make us feel like we can cope with life and we rely on these things to get us through the hard times. When one thing gets old we try something new and continue to explore other opportunities until they fail us. It's easy to be a nomad in the mind..going from thought to thought, desire to desire, belief to belief, as long as we approve and it is based on a standard that we can accept. A standard or belief that we create is what makes us happy until that theory fails us and we embrace another untested hypothesis hoping that it will work.
Our lives are mere experiences. We have the experiences of birth, of birthdays, school days, college days, relationships, jobs, careers, marriage, automobiles, houses, and the list goes on and on. There are also bad life experiences that can ruin or hinder a number of the experiences mentioned earlier. The power of the bad experiences over our good experiences already attained lies within us. we have the power to drag our past to the present or to leave it behind. The choice is ours...
When we have tried almost everything we have so desperately desired to experience and finally see the bottom of the glass.... it evidently brings a deep sense of loss. In our minds we think,
"is this it? I mean not that everything I experienced wasn't fun, but is this really all there is to life? You mean to tell me that after I worked hard to get married, buy a house, a car, had some kids, bought a boat, traveled the world, lived the dreams in my head, and etc, etc..that I still feel a sense that there is more? What will fulfill this need to obtain? What will quench this thirst that I have? I don't know what else to buy? I don't know what else to do!"
It's so easy to live a life without religious beliefs. It's easy to have beliefs and have them be beliefs that are rituals that do nothing more than obtaining things does. People say they believe in this God and that God but yet there is no sense of a thirst being quenched or a desire filled and yet they want others to be convinced that their God is the right God? In every religion there are people who back that religion and swear by it, yet don't convince other's that there just might be something to that belief by the fulfillment they see in us. I'm not talking about career fulfillment...i'm talking about a fulfilled soul that is complete because it has reconnected to it's creator, a soul that understands it's makeup. That kind of fulfillment cannot be attained by inventions that the creator allowed other souls to bring into fruition. What truly fulfills us is not something that was created by us or some kind of technology invented by us. What truly fulfills is understanding what life is all about.
So now we get to the answer to the question, what is life?
Life is about experiencing God in every second of every minute of every day. This doesn't mean to be super-spiritual or to feel like you gotta pray all day and sit in a religious building, but to see God in the world around us and within us. Our human body was not meant to last, but we are meant to last and designed to exist forever with the father. The problem is that many people don't experience God and reject their design and therefore they reject their potential. You see, everyone has the potential to get to heaven. There are those who say, if God is so loving then why does he send people to hell? Has the thought ever crossed your mind that people send themselves to hell? You see there has to be an alternative to rejecting God otherwise what is free will? I can go on and on with this argument to intrigue the antagonist but I think I have made my point.
Jhn14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
- Solomon Cross
Our lives are mere experiences. We have the experiences of birth, of birthdays, school days, college days, relationships, jobs, careers, marriage, automobiles, houses, and the list goes on and on. There are also bad life experiences that can ruin or hinder a number of the experiences mentioned earlier. The power of the bad experiences over our good experiences already attained lies within us. we have the power to drag our past to the present or to leave it behind. The choice is ours...
When we have tried almost everything we have so desperately desired to experience and finally see the bottom of the glass.... it evidently brings a deep sense of loss. In our minds we think,
"is this it? I mean not that everything I experienced wasn't fun, but is this really all there is to life? You mean to tell me that after I worked hard to get married, buy a house, a car, had some kids, bought a boat, traveled the world, lived the dreams in my head, and etc, etc..that I still feel a sense that there is more? What will fulfill this need to obtain? What will quench this thirst that I have? I don't know what else to buy? I don't know what else to do!"
It's so easy to live a life without religious beliefs. It's easy to have beliefs and have them be beliefs that are rituals that do nothing more than obtaining things does. People say they believe in this God and that God but yet there is no sense of a thirst being quenched or a desire filled and yet they want others to be convinced that their God is the right God? In every religion there are people who back that religion and swear by it, yet don't convince other's that there just might be something to that belief by the fulfillment they see in us. I'm not talking about career fulfillment...i'm talking about a fulfilled soul that is complete because it has reconnected to it's creator, a soul that understands it's makeup. That kind of fulfillment cannot be attained by inventions that the creator allowed other souls to bring into fruition. What truly fulfills us is not something that was created by us or some kind of technology invented by us. What truly fulfills is understanding what life is all about.
So now we get to the answer to the question, what is life?
Life is about experiencing God in every second of every minute of every day. This doesn't mean to be super-spiritual or to feel like you gotta pray all day and sit in a religious building, but to see God in the world around us and within us. Our human body was not meant to last, but we are meant to last and designed to exist forever with the father. The problem is that many people don't experience God and reject their design and therefore they reject their potential. You see, everyone has the potential to get to heaven. There are those who say, if God is so loving then why does he send people to hell? Has the thought ever crossed your mind that people send themselves to hell? You see there has to be an alternative to rejecting God otherwise what is free will? I can go on and on with this argument to intrigue the antagonist but I think I have made my point.
Jhn14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
- Solomon Cross
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Life With The Father
As my heart is beating I can feel the sense of touch in my hand as I lay cuddled on the couch with my dear wife.
God allows me to see and to feel and to hear and to live. A being that can experience so many things. It’s funny how I think how He must see me, a person trying to make everything but Him matter more than the ultimate idea.
God is present. Always in our midst He exist in every part of my life. The very fact that I exist is the proof that He exist.
Science can’t explain Him. I mean He created science.
So, as I sit here and ponder this existence of mine, how I try and make my job matter and plan out the next 30 years of my life, how I try and plan to buy a home and to have kids, how I try to understand my wife and those close to my sphere of influence, I am starting to get it. If I embrace more the idea of Him there is no end of me. There is no end, only a new beginning. A new experience that is closer and more relational, a matter of the heart that is full of pure expressions and totally not about what matters to me, but what matters to Him. In this new beginning the idea of relationship becomes more supreme all in itself and everything else is sub par.
Christ and His effectiveness in my life can be more than it is today if I just understand His goal of relationship with me. Why I think He is more concerned with what I want in this life, I don’t know. Death ensures me that I will leave this arena on earth and go somewhere else. Death proves God’s point that I don’t need to work so hard to prove to this place anything, or to see this place as the finish line. I have found that this is a place that God created for me to practice relationship with Him. That’s ultimately it. He allows all this other stuff that bombards our lives to allow us to practice relationship with Him during the good and bad times. As we naturally always focus on those times He is always there to say, “Hey Solomon, look up I am right here. I am with you. These experiences will come and go. I will bring a new experience tomorrow and the next day and the next day. Just continue to work on communicating with me.
How much we pray shows how much we value relationship.
My last breath here will just be another experience that the father walks me through before I graduate to being closer to Him in relationship
Communication with God is all we have and it is the best thing that we have. It’s time to embrace all that comes with connecting with Him.
As we connect with this idea of relationship (which is all that matters) then we start to live where we are at. we look at life like a vacation where anything can happen but we are cool with it because whatever happens we know who we are with. And if we finally get over our insecurity and let go of the thinking that we all have, that He could leave us, then we will fall into a trust that is the strength that takes us through anything. That is why jesus said death where is your sting, and grave where is your victory. Jesus trusted in the relationship with His father and although he had some pretty horrible life experiences he had the strength to go through all of them and still exist because he trusted in relationship.
Right now take the idea of God and the relationship with Him and stack it on top of everything that matters to you right now and leave it there. Make that idea your most sincere concern forever. As you do this you will live life to your fullest potential and have no regrets because now every step is relational with the father and that is the purpose of your existence.
-Solomon Cross
God allows me to see and to feel and to hear and to live. A being that can experience so many things. It’s funny how I think how He must see me, a person trying to make everything but Him matter more than the ultimate idea.
God is present. Always in our midst He exist in every part of my life. The very fact that I exist is the proof that He exist.
Science can’t explain Him. I mean He created science.
So, as I sit here and ponder this existence of mine, how I try and make my job matter and plan out the next 30 years of my life, how I try and plan to buy a home and to have kids, how I try to understand my wife and those close to my sphere of influence, I am starting to get it. If I embrace more the idea of Him there is no end of me. There is no end, only a new beginning. A new experience that is closer and more relational, a matter of the heart that is full of pure expressions and totally not about what matters to me, but what matters to Him. In this new beginning the idea of relationship becomes more supreme all in itself and everything else is sub par.
Christ and His effectiveness in my life can be more than it is today if I just understand His goal of relationship with me. Why I think He is more concerned with what I want in this life, I don’t know. Death ensures me that I will leave this arena on earth and go somewhere else. Death proves God’s point that I don’t need to work so hard to prove to this place anything, or to see this place as the finish line. I have found that this is a place that God created for me to practice relationship with Him. That’s ultimately it. He allows all this other stuff that bombards our lives to allow us to practice relationship with Him during the good and bad times. As we naturally always focus on those times He is always there to say, “Hey Solomon, look up I am right here. I am with you. These experiences will come and go. I will bring a new experience tomorrow and the next day and the next day. Just continue to work on communicating with me.
How much we pray shows how much we value relationship.
My last breath here will just be another experience that the father walks me through before I graduate to being closer to Him in relationship
Communication with God is all we have and it is the best thing that we have. It’s time to embrace all that comes with connecting with Him.
As we connect with this idea of relationship (which is all that matters) then we start to live where we are at. we look at life like a vacation where anything can happen but we are cool with it because whatever happens we know who we are with. And if we finally get over our insecurity and let go of the thinking that we all have, that He could leave us, then we will fall into a trust that is the strength that takes us through anything. That is why jesus said death where is your sting, and grave where is your victory. Jesus trusted in the relationship with His father and although he had some pretty horrible life experiences he had the strength to go through all of them and still exist because he trusted in relationship.
Right now take the idea of God and the relationship with Him and stack it on top of everything that matters to you right now and leave it there. Make that idea your most sincere concern forever. As you do this you will live life to your fullest potential and have no regrets because now every step is relational with the father and that is the purpose of your existence.
-Solomon Cross
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
