Wow! What an exciting summer it's' been! Between
concerts, auditions for various opportunities, even composing the music for a
Christian TV series that's presently still in the making, it's been another
amazing journey. I am especially looking forward to an invite that I received
from Faith and Friends internet radio to sing at this year's Chocolate Festival
in Dayton, Ohio. This year's theme has a cute Christmas sort of spin: The 12
Years of Chocolate.
As for the Christian TV series, the first episode just happens to be about
religious freedom, and we just happened to be in the middle of filming when the
unconstitutional decision that changed the course of America's history about
marriage being between one man and one woman was handed down from the Supreme
Court. I can't say a whole lot about this particular Christian TV program as of
yet, but its name is "The Revelation Zone." Here is a trailer for
the first episode, "Symon".
I composed, and recorded the music. We
are working toward filming an entire season that will address various topics. Not
sure what additional adventures autumn will hold as of yet, but I am able to
say that I look forward to experiencing its unfolding.
Showing posts with label Christian interest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christian interest. Show all posts
Monday, September 14, 2015
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
A Day to Celebrate
There’s
always something special about the “official” national release date of your CD
when it’s all your own music. Especially if you have been through a lot to get
to that point. But today is certainly a bright spot in the midst of my journey
as a music artist and freelance writer.
It’s been interesting to watch things unfold among the various radio stations that are taking an interest in music from this newest album, Draw Me Into Your Presence, and there have also been some fun surprises along the way. Perhaps the one that’s the most fun for me personally has been that several Southern Gospel radio stations have taken a liking to the song “Hear His Call.” Totally unexpected as far as I was concerned. With all my “Broadway style” vocal training, never in a million years did I expect that my music would be played on Southern Gospel stations, but I have no complaints about that, of course. The modern-day parable set to music paints a word picture in the minds of listeners that apparently resonates with them. I see it as another blessing among many that have come my way.
The last several months have been a time of running hard toward the presence of the Lord and trying to determine where He was leading. I found myself recalling a concept I read in a Rick Joyner book called Overcoming Evil in the Last Days some years ago. Rick was a flight instructor before going into the ministry. He always taught his students that when they were flying in situations with restricted visibility (confusion), that they needed to trust their instruments and not the way that the plane felt to them. They needed to hold their position according to what the instruments said. He compared the instruments to the Bible.
Another way to look at it is that during times of turmoil, we need to trust the Lord and not lean on our own understanding (or feelings). When we acknowledge Him, He’ll direct our path. I found that as I continued to do what I was sure the Lord had been directing me to do before the massive storm hit my life and I also stayed in line with the Word, that slowly, the storm clouds lost their seemingly overwhelming power. In some ways, it felt like I was running on yesterday’s vision. Yet God was and is still moving in amazing ways in my life, giving me some needed clarity and the boldness to follow through. Sometimes there’s even some joy as I consider that He still has a future planned for me – it just looks different than what I had initially anticipated.
It’s been interesting to watch things unfold among the various radio stations that are taking an interest in music from this newest album, Draw Me Into Your Presence, and there have also been some fun surprises along the way. Perhaps the one that’s the most fun for me personally has been that several Southern Gospel radio stations have taken a liking to the song “Hear His Call.” Totally unexpected as far as I was concerned. With all my “Broadway style” vocal training, never in a million years did I expect that my music would be played on Southern Gospel stations, but I have no complaints about that, of course. The modern-day parable set to music paints a word picture in the minds of listeners that apparently resonates with them. I see it as another blessing among many that have come my way.
The last several months have been a time of running hard toward the presence of the Lord and trying to determine where He was leading. I found myself recalling a concept I read in a Rick Joyner book called Overcoming Evil in the Last Days some years ago. Rick was a flight instructor before going into the ministry. He always taught his students that when they were flying in situations with restricted visibility (confusion), that they needed to trust their instruments and not the way that the plane felt to them. They needed to hold their position according to what the instruments said. He compared the instruments to the Bible.
Another way to look at it is that during times of turmoil, we need to trust the Lord and not lean on our own understanding (or feelings). When we acknowledge Him, He’ll direct our path. I found that as I continued to do what I was sure the Lord had been directing me to do before the massive storm hit my life and I also stayed in line with the Word, that slowly, the storm clouds lost their seemingly overwhelming power. In some ways, it felt like I was running on yesterday’s vision. Yet God was and is still moving in amazing ways in my life, giving me some needed clarity and the boldness to follow through. Sometimes there’s even some joy as I consider that He still has a future planned for me – it just looks different than what I had initially anticipated.
Friday, September 12, 2014
‘Carry on, we walk by faith and not by sight.’
The
month of August was an extraordinarily difficult month for me. I lost my sweet
husband of 18 years to an unexpected and sudden death. The pain that comes with
losing someone so close cuts far deeper than words can really express, but
without getting overly intense, I will say it really does feel like half of you
has been ripped away.
As this new season of my life begins, I am learning a deeper level of drawing near to God, and He will draw near to you. Seems somewhat ironic that a new CD I had been planning to record is called Draw Me Into Your Presence. Truly I feel that I am walking this thing out.
At the encouragement of several people, including Gary’s parents and my own son, I have followed through with recording Draw Me Into Your Presence. Having something positive on which to focus has been emnsily helpful for avoiding getting “stuck” in the grieving process. I believe the Lord will work through the music and lyrics to bring blessing to those who hear it.
A few days after Gary passed, I found his journal, and within its pages, an inspiring theme that seemed to be something of a message from him directly to me from where he is now abiding with Jesus: “Carry on. We walk by faith and not by sight.”
This meant a great deal to me for several reasons. Back when he was 29, he had been diagnosed with testicular cancer. It was this illness that caused him to realize his need for Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior, and it was the beginning of their relationship and journey together. After multiple surgeries and chemo, he was healed. I say healed and not “in remission” because when he met me a few short years after that and told me his story, he said that he asked the Lord to “heal” him, and that after going through everything that he totally believed for himself that he was healed. I believed it too.
There is a song that was recorded by Sandi Patty called “Carry On.” Gary introduced that song to me shortly after we met. It helped him to find hope and strength as he went through the difficulties associated with cancer, surgeries and the chemo, and when he later got an opportunity to testify about his healing to his home church, he asked me to sing it before he shared his story. I was very honored to do so.
When God gave Gary back his life, he made a point of honoring the Lord by learning about and living out a healthy lifestyle that would allow him to remain as healthy as possible, even teaching me a great deal about healthy living. Though we weren’t supposed to be able to have children due to the cancer, the Lord had other plans and defied what the doctors said.
Many years later, after getting laid off from one job and offered another that required a physical before he could begin working, it was discovered that he had diabetes. Once again, God arranged for him to overcome what could have been an early death, and once again, Gary researched and learned even more about living a healthy lifestyle to honor God with yet another gift of life.
When he finally went on to be with the Lord, neither of these issues were the cause. He was given the gift of not having to suffer or slowly decline in his quality of life. His departure was probably as instant and painless as it could possibly be for a human being.
So the theme that I have found within the pages of his journal, “Carry on. We walk by faith and not by sight,” is something I have now been working to apply to my own life, even as I continue to embrace opportunities to continue singing, writing music, playing music and recording it.
It is my hope and prayer that as I continue my journey, that what I have walked through and continue to face will somehow inspire others to, “Carry on. We walk by faith and not by sight.”
As this new season of my life begins, I am learning a deeper level of drawing near to God, and He will draw near to you. Seems somewhat ironic that a new CD I had been planning to record is called Draw Me Into Your Presence. Truly I feel that I am walking this thing out.
At the encouragement of several people, including Gary’s parents and my own son, I have followed through with recording Draw Me Into Your Presence. Having something positive on which to focus has been emnsily helpful for avoiding getting “stuck” in the grieving process. I believe the Lord will work through the music and lyrics to bring blessing to those who hear it.
A few days after Gary passed, I found his journal, and within its pages, an inspiring theme that seemed to be something of a message from him directly to me from where he is now abiding with Jesus: “Carry on. We walk by faith and not by sight.”
This meant a great deal to me for several reasons. Back when he was 29, he had been diagnosed with testicular cancer. It was this illness that caused him to realize his need for Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior, and it was the beginning of their relationship and journey together. After multiple surgeries and chemo, he was healed. I say healed and not “in remission” because when he met me a few short years after that and told me his story, he said that he asked the Lord to “heal” him, and that after going through everything that he totally believed for himself that he was healed. I believed it too.
There is a song that was recorded by Sandi Patty called “Carry On.” Gary introduced that song to me shortly after we met. It helped him to find hope and strength as he went through the difficulties associated with cancer, surgeries and the chemo, and when he later got an opportunity to testify about his healing to his home church, he asked me to sing it before he shared his story. I was very honored to do so.
When God gave Gary back his life, he made a point of honoring the Lord by learning about and living out a healthy lifestyle that would allow him to remain as healthy as possible, even teaching me a great deal about healthy living. Though we weren’t supposed to be able to have children due to the cancer, the Lord had other plans and defied what the doctors said.
Many years later, after getting laid off from one job and offered another that required a physical before he could begin working, it was discovered that he had diabetes. Once again, God arranged for him to overcome what could have been an early death, and once again, Gary researched and learned even more about living a healthy lifestyle to honor God with yet another gift of life.
When he finally went on to be with the Lord, neither of these issues were the cause. He was given the gift of not having to suffer or slowly decline in his quality of life. His departure was probably as instant and painless as it could possibly be for a human being.
So the theme that I have found within the pages of his journal, “Carry on. We walk by faith and not by sight,” is something I have now been working to apply to my own life, even as I continue to embrace opportunities to continue singing, writing music, playing music and recording it.
It is my hope and prayer that as I continue my journey, that what I have walked through and continue to face will somehow inspire others to, “Carry on. We walk by faith and not by sight.”
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Drawn Into God’s Presence More Through the Journey of Hope Beyond Hope while Following His Leading
It’s
been interesting to me how the freelance writing and music opportunities seem
to counter one another. When I get slammed with the freelance writing, the
music opportunities slow down. When the music opportunities flood in, the
freelance writing slows down. I have reason to believe that the Lord has a hand
in that because it happens too consistently for me to think otherwise. That
being said, I was pretty well slammed with freelance writing work toward the
beginning of the year. And when I get slammed there, it’s certainly a good
thing because work coming in means money becomes available for new adventures.
I also spent some time trying to push the song “Hope Beyond Hope” out during the early part of the year. I did have a handful of positive results here and there with a few independent stations that decided to use it in conjunction with the National Day of Prayer.
I also became busy with preparing for my third Christian CD, which will be called Draw Me Into Your Presence. That kept me pretty busy during the spring – right about the time that my freelance writing work began to slow. I’ll actually head out to Oklahoma in early August to record it.
Draw Me Into Your Presence is going to have some fun, catchy praise tunes on it, as well as some ballads that are heavily rooted in God’s Word. I’m even doing a bit of experimenting with two or three songs to give them a modern country feel and see how they will be received by some of the independent southern Gospel stations. I’m looking forward to that little adventure in particular.
But before I get busy with recording, I have a few other music opportunities, and interestingly, acting opportunities planned for the summer. One has already happened. The week of June 17 through the 22 was something of a whirlwind week for me. I received an unexpected opportunity to be in a Christian movie called Sinking Sand. I had been given a bit part in a courtroom scene as a “featured gallery member and jury member”. Hopefully, that credit will eventually show up in the IMDb in connection to the movie. Bit parts don’t always get noted.
Since I had never done this type of film performance before, it was a rather interesting experience from multiple angles. Since the filming was happening in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, I got to do some traveling. Road trip time! I love that. And once I got there, not only was the Sinking Sand movie an opportunity to learn, but I also got to do some networking and plant a few seeds that I hope will lead to some future film opportunities.
This particular experience with the movie Sinking Sand reminded me a great deal of tech week in the theater. Even so, the cast was just a joy to be around and even a refreshing difference from the norm in the entertainment industry in that they would pray before beginning each day’s shoot and also at mealtime. People encouraged one another, were supportive of one another, gracious, and even prayed with one another when the situation called for it. I really hope I get invited to do more with this particular Christian film group.
I also have an audition coming up in Branson, Missouri for a Christian theatrical production, and am super excited about this. Don’t want to say too much about that as of yet since I don’t have a part at this time. And I’m waiting to hear about a second opportunity in that area, about which I am equally excited.
When I recorded Hope Beyond Hope back in 2012, I did a stopover on the way to Oklahoma and really fell in love with Branson when I was there. There is an entire district of live entertainment that is either positive-values and family friendly, or flat out Christian in nature. But besides that, I just really felt that uncanny peace of God that passes understanding everywhere I went. It was like the place had a dome of His peace that covered it or something. So as I return this summer, I am looking forward to being Drawn Into God’s Presence more through the journey of Hope Beyond Hope while Following His Leading.
I also spent some time trying to push the song “Hope Beyond Hope” out during the early part of the year. I did have a handful of positive results here and there with a few independent stations that decided to use it in conjunction with the National Day of Prayer.
I also became busy with preparing for my third Christian CD, which will be called Draw Me Into Your Presence. That kept me pretty busy during the spring – right about the time that my freelance writing work began to slow. I’ll actually head out to Oklahoma in early August to record it.
Draw Me Into Your Presence is going to have some fun, catchy praise tunes on it, as well as some ballads that are heavily rooted in God’s Word. I’m even doing a bit of experimenting with two or three songs to give them a modern country feel and see how they will be received by some of the independent southern Gospel stations. I’m looking forward to that little adventure in particular.
But before I get busy with recording, I have a few other music opportunities, and interestingly, acting opportunities planned for the summer. One has already happened. The week of June 17 through the 22 was something of a whirlwind week for me. I received an unexpected opportunity to be in a Christian movie called Sinking Sand. I had been given a bit part in a courtroom scene as a “featured gallery member and jury member”. Hopefully, that credit will eventually show up in the IMDb in connection to the movie. Bit parts don’t always get noted.
Since I had never done this type of film performance before, it was a rather interesting experience from multiple angles. Since the filming was happening in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, I got to do some traveling. Road trip time! I love that. And once I got there, not only was the Sinking Sand movie an opportunity to learn, but I also got to do some networking and plant a few seeds that I hope will lead to some future film opportunities.
This particular experience with the movie Sinking Sand reminded me a great deal of tech week in the theater. Even so, the cast was just a joy to be around and even a refreshing difference from the norm in the entertainment industry in that they would pray before beginning each day’s shoot and also at mealtime. People encouraged one another, were supportive of one another, gracious, and even prayed with one another when the situation called for it. I really hope I get invited to do more with this particular Christian film group.
I also have an audition coming up in Branson, Missouri for a Christian theatrical production, and am super excited about this. Don’t want to say too much about that as of yet since I don’t have a part at this time. And I’m waiting to hear about a second opportunity in that area, about which I am equally excited.
When I recorded Hope Beyond Hope back in 2012, I did a stopover on the way to Oklahoma and really fell in love with Branson when I was there. There is an entire district of live entertainment that is either positive-values and family friendly, or flat out Christian in nature. But besides that, I just really felt that uncanny peace of God that passes understanding everywhere I went. It was like the place had a dome of His peace that covered it or something. So as I return this summer, I am looking forward to being Drawn Into God’s Presence more through the journey of Hope Beyond Hope while Following His Leading.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Miracles Along the Journey of Hope Beyond Hope, part 2
As I mentioned in my previous post, it recently
occurred to me that I have been entirely too quiet regarding testifying about
the miracles that I experienced along the journey of recording Hope Beyond
Hope. When we testify about what God has done for us, it causes the faith of
others to increase. Sometimes just hearing or reading the real life stories of
what God has done for someone else, especially if it’s someone else that we
know personally, can give us the faith to believe for what we need or would
like to see happen in our own life.
As I write this, it’s as though I relive it -- sometimes right down to the very emotions. So perhaps the one doing the testifying also somehow gets strengthened in their own walk. Nevertheless, I believe that the reason that it occurred to me that I’ve been entirely too quiet is because the Holy Spirit is prompting me to testify about these things. That being said, if you haven’t read part one yet, I highly encourage you to start there and then come back to part two so that you can receive the full blessing of what God has for you.
It seemed that everyone around me was sick in one way or another – mostly upper respiratory issues. Unfortunately, I was having my own struggle with a persistent sinus issue that wouldn’t seem to go away. I didn’t worry too much at first. The convention was still a few months away at the time that the issue started. But when it got to be about three weeks away and over the counter meds weren’t working, I started to get nervous. A sinus issue for a singer is like a sprain for someone in sports. You just aren’t going to do as well because your body won’t let you.
I’ve always been radically healthy all of my life, and so I tend to be very stubborn about going to the doctor. In fact, I prefer to seek the Lord first and go to the doctor as a last resort. So I asked my prayer warrior friends to pray over me that God would heal me. No one even hesitated. We all believe that the Lord can heal through prayer. While my healing wasn’t immediate, about a week later, the sinus issue was gone and I remained radically healthy up to and all the way through the convention. In fact, the problem never returned.
So when the morning to leave for Florida arrived, I was grateful that I had no worries and everything seemed to be going reasonably smoothly. I was running a bit behind regarding finishing up my packing and picking up the rental car, but that was easily resolved with a phone call. Little did I know that running behind is part of what God used for yet another miracle that He would do for me along the journey of recording Hope Beyond Hope.
Snow flurries floated through the sky and smacked against my windshield. I smiled. Thank you Lord that I will be driving out of this and am going somewhere warm!
By the time I got things squared away at the car rental place and had transferred my luggage form one car to the other, the snowfall had gotten pretty heavy. And as I drove along the interstate, it seemed to be getting worse. Nevertheless, I was reasonably kicked back as I enjoyed one of the several audio books that I had brought with me for the journey.
I had been driving for maybe a couple of hours when I began to notice that the road was starting to get slippery even though the snow seemed to be tapering off. I began to get nervous and slowed down a bit, asking the Lord for protection and thanking Him with a renewed gratitude for the prayer warriors that I knew were praying. I saw red tail lights up ahead and began to gently apply the brakes. Then I started to slide.
Unable to remember if I had anti-lock brakes or not, I began to pump the brakes. It seemed to get worse. My palms broke into a cold sweat. The car up ahead was getting uncomfortably close. “Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!” I called out continuously, now mashing the breaks as hard as I could. I still wasn’t stopping. People slammed into one another in front of me. Metal banged and crunched together to my right and left. I suddenly halted. Then I glanced in the rear view mirror just in time to see someone slam into the person behind me. I closed my eyes and cried out to Jesus some more, anticipating impact. Everything suddenly stopped. I opened my eyes. I was completely untouched yet everyone around me had plowed into someone else.
“Oh my God! This is Psalm 91 in action if ever I saw it!” I exclaimed in tears.
I sat and cried for a minute both in an emotional response to the terror of the moment and out of gratitude to God for His divine protection.
Slowly, those whose cars weren’t completely incapacitated moved them off to the side of the road. Once I calmed down a little, I moved out of the way of others. Though I was still pretty badly shaken from the experience, I was determined to keep going. I weaved around those who couldn’t move their cars. Sirens wailed in the distance. I couldn’t believe the number of people who were involved, and called my husband, Gary, to tell him what God had just saved me from.
“I just read about that on the internet. You were in that?” His stunned voice asked.
“By God’s grace, no! I was saved from it!”
“That was a 41 car pile-up! The snow storm system is a huge one that goes through about three states. It’s so bad in so many places that the police are telling people just to exchange information.”
It would have been nice if that was all there was to that portion of the adventure, but it wasn’t. Traffic crawled along the interstate for hours. What should have been a 15 hour drive, was expanded to a 24 hour one. I actually ended up missing check-in and orientation, but there wasn’t anything going on until the evening after that. Even so, the sunny sky and spring-like weather that greeted me when I got there was certainly a welcome change to what I had just finished traveling through.
To check out the Hope Beyond Hope album and sample some of the music, please visit:
http://elizabethdelaney.tmgartist.com/
As I write this, it’s as though I relive it -- sometimes right down to the very emotions. So perhaps the one doing the testifying also somehow gets strengthened in their own walk. Nevertheless, I believe that the reason that it occurred to me that I’ve been entirely too quiet is because the Holy Spirit is prompting me to testify about these things. That being said, if you haven’t read part one yet, I highly encourage you to start there and then come back to part two so that you can receive the full blessing of what God has for you.
It seemed that everyone around me was sick in one way or another – mostly upper respiratory issues. Unfortunately, I was having my own struggle with a persistent sinus issue that wouldn’t seem to go away. I didn’t worry too much at first. The convention was still a few months away at the time that the issue started. But when it got to be about three weeks away and over the counter meds weren’t working, I started to get nervous. A sinus issue for a singer is like a sprain for someone in sports. You just aren’t going to do as well because your body won’t let you.
I’ve always been radically healthy all of my life, and so I tend to be very stubborn about going to the doctor. In fact, I prefer to seek the Lord first and go to the doctor as a last resort. So I asked my prayer warrior friends to pray over me that God would heal me. No one even hesitated. We all believe that the Lord can heal through prayer. While my healing wasn’t immediate, about a week later, the sinus issue was gone and I remained radically healthy up to and all the way through the convention. In fact, the problem never returned.
So when the morning to leave for Florida arrived, I was grateful that I had no worries and everything seemed to be going reasonably smoothly. I was running a bit behind regarding finishing up my packing and picking up the rental car, but that was easily resolved with a phone call. Little did I know that running behind is part of what God used for yet another miracle that He would do for me along the journey of recording Hope Beyond Hope.
Snow flurries floated through the sky and smacked against my windshield. I smiled. Thank you Lord that I will be driving out of this and am going somewhere warm!
By the time I got things squared away at the car rental place and had transferred my luggage form one car to the other, the snowfall had gotten pretty heavy. And as I drove along the interstate, it seemed to be getting worse. Nevertheless, I was reasonably kicked back as I enjoyed one of the several audio books that I had brought with me for the journey.
I had been driving for maybe a couple of hours when I began to notice that the road was starting to get slippery even though the snow seemed to be tapering off. I began to get nervous and slowed down a bit, asking the Lord for protection and thanking Him with a renewed gratitude for the prayer warriors that I knew were praying. I saw red tail lights up ahead and began to gently apply the brakes. Then I started to slide.
Unable to remember if I had anti-lock brakes or not, I began to pump the brakes. It seemed to get worse. My palms broke into a cold sweat. The car up ahead was getting uncomfortably close. “Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!” I called out continuously, now mashing the breaks as hard as I could. I still wasn’t stopping. People slammed into one another in front of me. Metal banged and crunched together to my right and left. I suddenly halted. Then I glanced in the rear view mirror just in time to see someone slam into the person behind me. I closed my eyes and cried out to Jesus some more, anticipating impact. Everything suddenly stopped. I opened my eyes. I was completely untouched yet everyone around me had plowed into someone else.
“Oh my God! This is Psalm 91 in action if ever I saw it!” I exclaimed in tears.
I sat and cried for a minute both in an emotional response to the terror of the moment and out of gratitude to God for His divine protection.
Slowly, those whose cars weren’t completely incapacitated moved them off to the side of the road. Once I calmed down a little, I moved out of the way of others. Though I was still pretty badly shaken from the experience, I was determined to keep going. I weaved around those who couldn’t move their cars. Sirens wailed in the distance. I couldn’t believe the number of people who were involved, and called my husband, Gary, to tell him what God had just saved me from.
“I just read about that on the internet. You were in that?” His stunned voice asked.
“By God’s grace, no! I was saved from it!”
“That was a 41 car pile-up! The snow storm system is a huge one that goes through about three states. It’s so bad in so many places that the police are telling people just to exchange information.”
It would have been nice if that was all there was to that portion of the adventure, but it wasn’t. Traffic crawled along the interstate for hours. What should have been a 15 hour drive, was expanded to a 24 hour one. I actually ended up missing check-in and orientation, but there wasn’t anything going on until the evening after that. Even so, the sunny sky and spring-like weather that greeted me when I got there was certainly a welcome change to what I had just finished traveling through.
To check out the Hope Beyond Hope album and sample some of the music, please visit:
http://elizabethdelaney.tmgartist.com/
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Miracles Along the Journey of Hope Beyond Hope, part 1
I have no idea how many parts this will end up having,
because there are quite a few miracles about which I could write. It recently occurred
to me that I have been entirely too quiet regarding testifying about the
miracles that I experienced along the journey of recording Hope Beyond Hope. And
when I read about an accident in Texas today along an interstate in which there was a 140 car pileup, that pretty much primed the pump for me. My heart goes
out to those who were in the middle of that horrible accident. It was less than
a year ago that God saved me from a 41 car pileup along an interstate on which
I was traveling -- the very interstate that was a large part of my journey
toward recording Hope Beyond Hope. More on that miracle later. That being said,
Thanksgiving Day is a good day to express thanks to God for all the miracles He
does for us, many of which we really don’t think about during the rest of the
year because they aren’t necessarily as dramatic as being saved from a
multi-car pileup.
I’ve been so focused on walking out the experience of recording Hope Beyond Hope that I really hadn’t had the opportunity to process the multitude of miracles that came with it. Now that the production process is pretty much over and I’m paused as I wait for the next fluffy of activity, the realization of those miracles is beginning to take a hold of me.
There have been miracles surrounding being in the right place at the right time, financial miracles, miracles related to my car, travel miracles, divine appointments, divine protection, and probably even more than that. As I mine my memory and consider all these, it’s overwhelming to me and I’m the one who walked through it all! I will also say that I had and have an amazing little group of intercessors who have been very generous and faithful regarding keeping me covered. God doesn’t need “many” to get His work done – just a few who are dedicated.
There are two main reasons that I even ended up considering recording Hope Beyond Hope. And I hope no one minds if I get real about this: one is because of a crummy economy that had cut into my opportunities as a freelance writer. The other reason was because of the persistent encouragement of a Christian friend of mine, Mia, who is also a music mentor to me.
I ended up finding out about my label, Tate Music Group (TMG), through a Christian organization called Actors Models and Talent for Christ (AMTC). I heard a commercial about them on the radio, and after asking lots of questions and putting the matter before the Lord in prayer, felt led to participate in seminars that led up to a convention where actors, models, singers, singer-songwriters, dancers and others who want to pursue the arts as a vocation get to have a week-long opportunity to connect with entertainment industry professionals.
I’d say my first miracle in connection to all of this happened before I even went to my first seminar. Seminars require money. Money was something I didn’t have. So I began to pray that if the Lord wanted me to do this, that He’d deliver the cash into my hands. The way that He chose to respond to that was to provide me with a temporary job outside of my freelance writing. Though I wasn’t crazy about the type of work it involved, the purpose that He had set before me fueled my determination to endure a kind of race that I knew He had set before me.
Carrying that thought out a bit further, training to compete in your favorite sport can be grueling. So can practicing to master your primary instrument. So I tried to look at this as a part of my preparation for where He was leading. And honestly, there were some days when I did better with that than others.
Another drawback to this temporary job was that it wasn’t the best paying position in the world. This meant that sacrifice was required on my part to get where God was taking me. Between covering the bills and payments for the seminars, there was little if anything left at the end of my paycheck. Things like car repairs would sometimes get neglected.
I had an issue with my car axel crop up only days before I needed to leave town for one of the seminars and the drive was about a two hour drive one way. I was probably on the edge of testing the Lord, but I opted to make the drive anyway in spite of the warnings of a couple of auto technicians.
I couldn’t see any other means to get to the seminar, so I prayed and asked God to step in and help me and also asked every friend I had who was an intercessor to pray for me for travel mercies. There was also a lot that I didn’t reveal…until I got home. I am walking proof that God protects fools and little children. Incidentally, when I finally got the axel fixed, it was certainly a testimony to an entire building of auto technicians – and I really didn’t even have to say anything.
Switching gears a bit, something that God used to help prepare me for the convention was a karaoke competition. I found out about it through a friend of mine. A restaurant that had just opened near me was apparently doing it as a part of building up their base of patrons.
This was a rather unusual competition in that the owner of the establishment picked the songs for you and if you wore a costume, you would get extra points with the judges. Since there were three rounds to every evening of competition, there was usually just enough time to change costumes in between each song. I was put in a position whereby I had to break out of the genres that I was used to singing, and sometimes even think outside the box if I was going to stand for what I believe and keep things focused toward positive values and still be entertaining. This was a positive growth experience for me, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that there were several fellow Christians who were a part of it too. We were often the catalysts that God used for keeping things truly positive values and still entertaining.
I see this as a miracle from several angles: the way that this particular competition was designed was not too far off of the pattern that was used for the convention; I was given the opportunity to apply what I was learning through AMTC and through each seminar before I ever went to the convention; I was challenged to prepare on a weekly basis. In some ways, the competition was more rigorous than the convention, so I felt very prepared not only because of the seminars, but also because of the karaoke competition. Not only was it a miracle of right timing in terms of the opportunity to participate, but also of preparation for where I was being led by God’s Holy Spirit.
The convention was being held in Florida, and since I love long road trips and hate what’s going on with the airline industry, I planned to get a rental car and drive. God miraculously provided the travel expenses that I needed, and the fact that I was driving to Florida in January seemed like a plus. No snow for me! Visions of enjoying the hotel hot tub in between seminars that would be provided at the convention and opportunities to showcase my music were dancing in my head. Nevertheless, I had never driven that far before, and since I was anticipating a 15 hour drive one way, I wanted the covering of my faithful prayer warrior friends. I have no doubt that such a move is why I experienced the miracle that I did in the midst of a 41 car pileup on the way to the convention – an amazing miracle that will be detailed in my next post.
I’ve been so focused on walking out the experience of recording Hope Beyond Hope that I really hadn’t had the opportunity to process the multitude of miracles that came with it. Now that the production process is pretty much over and I’m paused as I wait for the next fluffy of activity, the realization of those miracles is beginning to take a hold of me.
There have been miracles surrounding being in the right place at the right time, financial miracles, miracles related to my car, travel miracles, divine appointments, divine protection, and probably even more than that. As I mine my memory and consider all these, it’s overwhelming to me and I’m the one who walked through it all! I will also say that I had and have an amazing little group of intercessors who have been very generous and faithful regarding keeping me covered. God doesn’t need “many” to get His work done – just a few who are dedicated.
There are two main reasons that I even ended up considering recording Hope Beyond Hope. And I hope no one minds if I get real about this: one is because of a crummy economy that had cut into my opportunities as a freelance writer. The other reason was because of the persistent encouragement of a Christian friend of mine, Mia, who is also a music mentor to me.
I ended up finding out about my label, Tate Music Group (TMG), through a Christian organization called Actors Models and Talent for Christ (AMTC). I heard a commercial about them on the radio, and after asking lots of questions and putting the matter before the Lord in prayer, felt led to participate in seminars that led up to a convention where actors, models, singers, singer-songwriters, dancers and others who want to pursue the arts as a vocation get to have a week-long opportunity to connect with entertainment industry professionals.
I’d say my first miracle in connection to all of this happened before I even went to my first seminar. Seminars require money. Money was something I didn’t have. So I began to pray that if the Lord wanted me to do this, that He’d deliver the cash into my hands. The way that He chose to respond to that was to provide me with a temporary job outside of my freelance writing. Though I wasn’t crazy about the type of work it involved, the purpose that He had set before me fueled my determination to endure a kind of race that I knew He had set before me.
Carrying that thought out a bit further, training to compete in your favorite sport can be grueling. So can practicing to master your primary instrument. So I tried to look at this as a part of my preparation for where He was leading. And honestly, there were some days when I did better with that than others.
Another drawback to this temporary job was that it wasn’t the best paying position in the world. This meant that sacrifice was required on my part to get where God was taking me. Between covering the bills and payments for the seminars, there was little if anything left at the end of my paycheck. Things like car repairs would sometimes get neglected.
I had an issue with my car axel crop up only days before I needed to leave town for one of the seminars and the drive was about a two hour drive one way. I was probably on the edge of testing the Lord, but I opted to make the drive anyway in spite of the warnings of a couple of auto technicians.
I couldn’t see any other means to get to the seminar, so I prayed and asked God to step in and help me and also asked every friend I had who was an intercessor to pray for me for travel mercies. There was also a lot that I didn’t reveal…until I got home. I am walking proof that God protects fools and little children. Incidentally, when I finally got the axel fixed, it was certainly a testimony to an entire building of auto technicians – and I really didn’t even have to say anything.
Switching gears a bit, something that God used to help prepare me for the convention was a karaoke competition. I found out about it through a friend of mine. A restaurant that had just opened near me was apparently doing it as a part of building up their base of patrons.
This was a rather unusual competition in that the owner of the establishment picked the songs for you and if you wore a costume, you would get extra points with the judges. Since there were three rounds to every evening of competition, there was usually just enough time to change costumes in between each song. I was put in a position whereby I had to break out of the genres that I was used to singing, and sometimes even think outside the box if I was going to stand for what I believe and keep things focused toward positive values and still be entertaining. This was a positive growth experience for me, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that there were several fellow Christians who were a part of it too. We were often the catalysts that God used for keeping things truly positive values and still entertaining.
I see this as a miracle from several angles: the way that this particular competition was designed was not too far off of the pattern that was used for the convention; I was given the opportunity to apply what I was learning through AMTC and through each seminar before I ever went to the convention; I was challenged to prepare on a weekly basis. In some ways, the competition was more rigorous than the convention, so I felt very prepared not only because of the seminars, but also because of the karaoke competition. Not only was it a miracle of right timing in terms of the opportunity to participate, but also of preparation for where I was being led by God’s Holy Spirit.
The convention was being held in Florida, and since I love long road trips and hate what’s going on with the airline industry, I planned to get a rental car and drive. God miraculously provided the travel expenses that I needed, and the fact that I was driving to Florida in January seemed like a plus. No snow for me! Visions of enjoying the hotel hot tub in between seminars that would be provided at the convention and opportunities to showcase my music were dancing in my head. Nevertheless, I had never driven that far before, and since I was anticipating a 15 hour drive one way, I wanted the covering of my faithful prayer warrior friends. I have no doubt that such a move is why I experienced the miracle that I did in the midst of a 41 car pileup on the way to the convention – an amazing miracle that will be detailed in my next post.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Driving Toward the Dream of Hope Beyond Hope, part 5
By
the time I got to my final day of recording, it seemed like I’d just
experienced the quickest week in my entire history of living! It was something
of a shock that this aspect of my CD project, Hope Beyond Hope, was “suddenly” done. The final song for which I
laid out the vocals was Great Deliverance. It went well and so that meant that it wasn’t
necessary for Joshua to spend a great deal of time on getting good takes. Then
I was whisked over to the production area where I added piano tracks to Great Deliverance and Behold I Stand.
I had no concept of how easy Joshua would make this, and if I had, I probably would have done my own piano part on a few more songs. Three days didn’t sound like very much time to me to put things together, and as long as it takes me to do stuff on my home recorder, I wasn’t convinced there was really enough time to lay out very many piano tracks in addition to my vocals. Obviously, a home recorder is nothing compared to working with professionals. But I figured it was better that I overestimated how much time I thought I would need to lay out piano tracks than underestimate it. I resolved that this would be good to remember for any CD project that I might do in the future.
We actually finished ahead of schedule, which meant that I would have some nice down time to relax and reflect before hitting the road. I resisted the urge to leave on Friday because I thought getting a good night’s sleep would be the better way to handle things. The only drawback was that wildfires had broken out some 20 miles away from the studio, so I felt the need to keep one eye on the news in case I needed to make a quick escape. I had my guitar with me and planned to lock it in the trunk after the sun went down for the same reason. Then I laughed at myself as I compared my mindset to my photographer’s who photographed a dangerous spider before killing it. Get the guitar…let the clothes burn. Thought pattern of a true musician.
After some brief souvenir shopping and dinner in the hotel cafeteria, I decided I needed an evening swim. I was tired, but it was a good kind of tired. It wasn’t very often in my life that I got to enjoy just living in the moment, and I felt like I’d been doing that all week long. The farthest ahead I ever looked was making sure I was well rested and prepared to sing well the next day. It was a moment I thoroughly enjoyed being in – especially since it lasted for an entire week.
The slight disappoint that my week was coming to an end gave way to enthusiasm regarding going back home because I realized that the journey wasn’t really over. The notion of getting my music out there and what the future just might be holding was a positive one – especially since I’m one to dream big anyway. But then maybe every artist dreams big. It’s certainly dreams that keep you going when life throws difficult circumstances your way. Dreams that aren’t just some insincere fantasy are like wind in that they are felt and intensify long before the result is actually seen. As we seek the Lord about our dreams, that wind fans the passionate wildfires of the hope. As we follow His directives, our Hope beyond hope eagerly blesses us with His peace, His hope and the future He has for any who will receive Him.
I had no concept of how easy Joshua would make this, and if I had, I probably would have done my own piano part on a few more songs. Three days didn’t sound like very much time to me to put things together, and as long as it takes me to do stuff on my home recorder, I wasn’t convinced there was really enough time to lay out very many piano tracks in addition to my vocals. Obviously, a home recorder is nothing compared to working with professionals. But I figured it was better that I overestimated how much time I thought I would need to lay out piano tracks than underestimate it. I resolved that this would be good to remember for any CD project that I might do in the future.
We actually finished ahead of schedule, which meant that I would have some nice down time to relax and reflect before hitting the road. I resisted the urge to leave on Friday because I thought getting a good night’s sleep would be the better way to handle things. The only drawback was that wildfires had broken out some 20 miles away from the studio, so I felt the need to keep one eye on the news in case I needed to make a quick escape. I had my guitar with me and planned to lock it in the trunk after the sun went down for the same reason. Then I laughed at myself as I compared my mindset to my photographer’s who photographed a dangerous spider before killing it. Get the guitar…let the clothes burn. Thought pattern of a true musician.
After some brief souvenir shopping and dinner in the hotel cafeteria, I decided I needed an evening swim. I was tired, but it was a good kind of tired. It wasn’t very often in my life that I got to enjoy just living in the moment, and I felt like I’d been doing that all week long. The farthest ahead I ever looked was making sure I was well rested and prepared to sing well the next day. It was a moment I thoroughly enjoyed being in – especially since it lasted for an entire week.
The slight disappoint that my week was coming to an end gave way to enthusiasm regarding going back home because I realized that the journey wasn’t really over. The notion of getting my music out there and what the future just might be holding was a positive one – especially since I’m one to dream big anyway. But then maybe every artist dreams big. It’s certainly dreams that keep you going when life throws difficult circumstances your way. Dreams that aren’t just some insincere fantasy are like wind in that they are felt and intensify long before the result is actually seen. As we seek the Lord about our dreams, that wind fans the passionate wildfires of the hope. As we follow His directives, our Hope beyond hope eagerly blesses us with His peace, His hope and the future He has for any who will receive Him.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Driving Toward the Dream of Hope Beyond Hope, Part 4
My second day of recording was an awesome one! I started
with He is My Victory and the power of God fell in such a major way as I was
singing. Once Joshua got all the takes
that he needed for that song he made a point of saying, “Wow! I could really
feel the power of God pretty strong over here as you were singing that. Nice
work.”
“Thanks! I can feel it so strong I’m actually trembling. Apparently the prayer warriors back home are really on the ball today,” I grinned.
That was followed by four more songs that went very well, and later that evening as I was relaxing, I caught a fresh revelation about the power of prayer. I came to realize that God has given His people an amazing gift with the gift of prayer. Unfortunately, we often don’t see prayer as a gift, but rather, as a task. When we realize the gift we have been given, we also begin to understand that we have the authority to partner with God to change our circumstances or the circumstances of others, the authority to protect people, the authority to empower people for God’s Kingdom work, and that’s just for starters. We don’t “have to” pray, we “get to.” That being said, He’s given us this gift, this spiritual tool, whereby we get to participate in what God is up to. It could be building up, it could be tearing down a stronghold, it could be overthrowing the enemy, it could be pulling down darkness, it could be restoring or repairing. It’s multifaceted in nature. And really, it’s quite the honor.
One more day of recording to go and one song left to sing. Then there are a couple of songs to which I wanted to add piano, so my final day would be busy…and probably a bit emotional as the dream of Hope Beyond Hope moves into the next level of God’s plan.
“Thanks! I can feel it so strong I’m actually trembling. Apparently the prayer warriors back home are really on the ball today,” I grinned.
That was followed by four more songs that went very well, and later that evening as I was relaxing, I caught a fresh revelation about the power of prayer. I came to realize that God has given His people an amazing gift with the gift of prayer. Unfortunately, we often don’t see prayer as a gift, but rather, as a task. When we realize the gift we have been given, we also begin to understand that we have the authority to partner with God to change our circumstances or the circumstances of others, the authority to protect people, the authority to empower people for God’s Kingdom work, and that’s just for starters. We don’t “have to” pray, we “get to.” That being said, He’s given us this gift, this spiritual tool, whereby we get to participate in what God is up to. It could be building up, it could be tearing down a stronghold, it could be overthrowing the enemy, it could be pulling down darkness, it could be restoring or repairing. It’s multifaceted in nature. And really, it’s quite the honor.
One more day of recording to go and one song left to sing. Then there are a couple of songs to which I wanted to add piano, so my final day would be busy…and probably a bit emotional as the dream of Hope Beyond Hope moves into the next level of God’s plan.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Driving Toward the Dream of Hope Beyond Hope, Part 3
My
first day in Oklahoma was hot, but the sky was actually a clear blue in spite
of the wildfires miles away. I had been scheduled for a photo shoot in the
morning and then would have my first recording session of the week in the
afternoon. My photographer’s name was Bo, and I had requested a natural setting
for the photo shoot. One of my favorite places to be is just about anywhere that
there is good hiking. I enjoy exploring the beauty of God’s creation and often
times just naturally end up in prayer or worship or both because of how
strongly I often sense His presence in such a setting. In fact, it was in such
a setting that I had ended up asking Jesus to be my personal Lord and Savior
many years ago. So it seemed just as natural that I would have this type of
setting for photos that would be used in conjunction with my CD project, Hope Beyond Hope.
Even 9:00 in the morning was starting out warm at roughly 70 degrees. But the park that Bo and I went to had plenty of cooler places to shoot in the shade. It’s amazing how much cooler the woods can be even on a hot day. We had a great time chit chatting in between locations in the park, and since photography is something of a hobby for me, we also had a few stories to share about our experiences and adventures. I think my favorite was one that he told about a Black Widow that had made its way into his home. He stopped and took the time to photograph it before killing it. I laughed and said, “That must be the mark of a true photographer. You stop to photograph a dangerous spider before actually killing it.”
As the morning progressed, even the woods got hotter, and I was really interested to try to cool down with a shower before my recording session in the afternoon. I cut things pretty close between that and getting a quick bite to eat, but it all worked out okay. The vocal recording area was interesting. There is a large room with three soundproof booths attached to one of the walls. The booths are about the size of a walk-in closet, and that’s where it all began from the stand point of laying out the vocals. The staff affectionately and with tongue in cheek refers to them as “home” for the person doing the singing. “Home” also had a tendency to get hot after singing in there for a while. I kicked off my shoes for the sake of comfort and told them I was, “making myself at home in my new home.” This became something of a running joke when they saw it. It got to the point where when they’d ask me if I was ready and I’d say, “I’ve got my shoes off and I’m ready to sing.”
I got through three songs the first day, which was less than I had hoped for, but resolved to make sure that I got plenty of rest, relaxation and sleep for a more productive day the following day. It helped that my music producer, Joshua, stated that he wasn’t worried, and that he felt that things went well for our first day’s work. He encouraged my plan for the remainder of the day. In terms of the quality of what we’d accomplished, I was in total agreement that it was a good first day’s work.
Even 9:00 in the morning was starting out warm at roughly 70 degrees. But the park that Bo and I went to had plenty of cooler places to shoot in the shade. It’s amazing how much cooler the woods can be even on a hot day. We had a great time chit chatting in between locations in the park, and since photography is something of a hobby for me, we also had a few stories to share about our experiences and adventures. I think my favorite was one that he told about a Black Widow that had made its way into his home. He stopped and took the time to photograph it before killing it. I laughed and said, “That must be the mark of a true photographer. You stop to photograph a dangerous spider before actually killing it.”
As the morning progressed, even the woods got hotter, and I was really interested to try to cool down with a shower before my recording session in the afternoon. I cut things pretty close between that and getting a quick bite to eat, but it all worked out okay. The vocal recording area was interesting. There is a large room with three soundproof booths attached to one of the walls. The booths are about the size of a walk-in closet, and that’s where it all began from the stand point of laying out the vocals. The staff affectionately and with tongue in cheek refers to them as “home” for the person doing the singing. “Home” also had a tendency to get hot after singing in there for a while. I kicked off my shoes for the sake of comfort and told them I was, “making myself at home in my new home.” This became something of a running joke when they saw it. It got to the point where when they’d ask me if I was ready and I’d say, “I’ve got my shoes off and I’m ready to sing.”
I got through three songs the first day, which was less than I had hoped for, but resolved to make sure that I got plenty of rest, relaxation and sleep for a more productive day the following day. It helped that my music producer, Joshua, stated that he wasn’t worried, and that he felt that things went well for our first day’s work. He encouraged my plan for the remainder of the day. In terms of the quality of what we’d accomplished, I was in total agreement that it was a good first day’s work.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Driving Toward the Dream of Hope Beyond Hope, Part 2
As I got closer to Oklahoma City, I began to see
patches of scorched earth all around. It was surreal to see the blackened earth
and charred trees that the wildfires from only a few days before had left
behind. I had to stop and get gas. When I got out of the car, the pungent smell
of the wildfire’s destruction hung heavy in the heat of the day that was
somewhere around 100 degrees or a bit higher. I thanked God for the
intercessors back home. A verse from Isaiah floated through my head: “If you
walk amid the burning flames, you will not be harmed” It’s not like there was
really any danger. If that were the case, the highway would still be shut down.
It was just sobering to see the impact of what I had read about only days
before.
My map quest directions took me through the city on the way to my hotel. The wind shifted and smoke from the wildfires that were still burning miles away poured into the city. At the same time, a bit of rain was falling. I tried not to let the smoke concern me as I continued to the hotel. By the time I got there, the wind had shifted again and it had started to pour. The rain was good news, even though its timing was inconvenient for me. Though it took me longer than what I would have liked to get through the disorganized registration process at the hotel and get settled, when I finally crawled into bed I actually slept very well.
My map quest directions took me through the city on the way to my hotel. The wind shifted and smoke from the wildfires that were still burning miles away poured into the city. At the same time, a bit of rain was falling. I tried not to let the smoke concern me as I continued to the hotel. By the time I got there, the wind had shifted again and it had started to pour. The rain was good news, even though its timing was inconvenient for me. Though it took me longer than what I would have liked to get through the disorganized registration process at the hotel and get settled, when I finally crawled into bed I actually slept very well.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Driving Toward The Dream of Hope Beyond Hope, Part 1
The emotional anticipation that came as August
approached made it somewhat difficult to focus on “normal life.” I love long road trips, and so I had decided
early on that I would drive to Oklahoma to lay out the vocals for my CD, Hope
Beyond Hope, rather than fly. Besides, all the horror stories I had been hearing
and reading about how TSA treated airline customers seemed like flying would
take all the fun out of my journey.
However, the wildfires in the area became a potential hazard that did bring about some sobriety. I heard about them on the radio two days before I was supposed to leave. So then I decided to do a search on-line about it and discovered that the dry conditions had the wildfires moving so fast that some people would leave for work in the morning and come home to discover that their home and most everything in it was gone. How ironic that I would be singing about Hope Beyond Hope in an area where many had lost nearly all or all. In addition, the main highway that I was planning to take into Oklahoma had been shut down the night before I heard the news report. I contacted the studio to see if we needed to reschedule, and they assured me that all was under control and that I had nothing to worry about. The fires were on the opposite side of the county from the studio. Nevertheless, I sounded the proverbial trumpet for all the prayer warriors that I knew to pray, especially for rain. The day before I left, a bit of rain started to fall in some of the threatened areas. It wasn’t a lot, but it helped some.
Armed with multiple map quest print outs (I planned an alternate route just in case), a road atlas, my cell phone, multiple books on cd and tape, music, and of course my luggage, I enthusiastically began my journey just after dawn on a Monday morning. Of course, a caffeinated beverage made said enthusiasm possible at such an obnoxious hour. (Perhaps if I start doing more long-distance traveling in the future because the CD takes off, I’ll quit being cheep and will actually spring for a GPS.) I was also planning a little side trip to Branson, Missouri to see who I could connect with for future opportunities to share the songs from Hope Beyond Hope. Since my music is inspirational in nature and Branson has gained the reputation for being a family-friendly venue with lots of great music acts, this seemed like a great plan. Especially since it was only an about hour off of the main highway into Oklahoma for me.
Branson is an amazing place. I saw a show at the Pierce Arrow Theater and it was phenomenal! The Pierce Arrow quartet is made up of four male singers whose harmonies are so tight it will make even your eardrums stand and applaud. Singer Kim Boyce not only has a beautiful musical theater type voice, but her boldness for her love of Jesus shines through all of her songs. It was also inspiring to hear 15 year-old Desta, an up and coming star, belt out some modern country tunes. That is certainly someplace I’d like to sing someday. And I made a point of connecting, so it will be interesting to see if anything comes of that.
God’s hand is truly on the city of Branson. There is this uncanny sense of peace that passes understanding that I experienced when I was there. I had also read a news article about a week prior that stated that the Mayor of Branson is a Christian and she recognizes that God’s blessings are on that city because of how the community honors God, family and the Word. It’s one thing to read about a city that honors God. It’s another thing to be there and experience how that affects the entire atmosphere. You really just have to experience it to get a hold of that.
It was disappointing that I could only be in Branson overnight, but at the same time, what a wonderful experience! And moving forward with what God has for me was really why I had even gotten to enjoy such an amazing place. It took close to nine hours to get from home to Branson. The remainder of my journey to Oklahoma would be about another five hours.
However, the wildfires in the area became a potential hazard that did bring about some sobriety. I heard about them on the radio two days before I was supposed to leave. So then I decided to do a search on-line about it and discovered that the dry conditions had the wildfires moving so fast that some people would leave for work in the morning and come home to discover that their home and most everything in it was gone. How ironic that I would be singing about Hope Beyond Hope in an area where many had lost nearly all or all. In addition, the main highway that I was planning to take into Oklahoma had been shut down the night before I heard the news report. I contacted the studio to see if we needed to reschedule, and they assured me that all was under control and that I had nothing to worry about. The fires were on the opposite side of the county from the studio. Nevertheless, I sounded the proverbial trumpet for all the prayer warriors that I knew to pray, especially for rain. The day before I left, a bit of rain started to fall in some of the threatened areas. It wasn’t a lot, but it helped some.
Armed with multiple map quest print outs (I planned an alternate route just in case), a road atlas, my cell phone, multiple books on cd and tape, music, and of course my luggage, I enthusiastically began my journey just after dawn on a Monday morning. Of course, a caffeinated beverage made said enthusiasm possible at such an obnoxious hour. (Perhaps if I start doing more long-distance traveling in the future because the CD takes off, I’ll quit being cheep and will actually spring for a GPS.) I was also planning a little side trip to Branson, Missouri to see who I could connect with for future opportunities to share the songs from Hope Beyond Hope. Since my music is inspirational in nature and Branson has gained the reputation for being a family-friendly venue with lots of great music acts, this seemed like a great plan. Especially since it was only an about hour off of the main highway into Oklahoma for me.
Branson is an amazing place. I saw a show at the Pierce Arrow Theater and it was phenomenal! The Pierce Arrow quartet is made up of four male singers whose harmonies are so tight it will make even your eardrums stand and applaud. Singer Kim Boyce not only has a beautiful musical theater type voice, but her boldness for her love of Jesus shines through all of her songs. It was also inspiring to hear 15 year-old Desta, an up and coming star, belt out some modern country tunes. That is certainly someplace I’d like to sing someday. And I made a point of connecting, so it will be interesting to see if anything comes of that.
God’s hand is truly on the city of Branson. There is this uncanny sense of peace that passes understanding that I experienced when I was there. I had also read a news article about a week prior that stated that the Mayor of Branson is a Christian and she recognizes that God’s blessings are on that city because of how the community honors God, family and the Word. It’s one thing to read about a city that honors God. It’s another thing to be there and experience how that affects the entire atmosphere. You really just have to experience it to get a hold of that.
It was disappointing that I could only be in Branson overnight, but at the same time, what a wonderful experience! And moving forward with what God has for me was really why I had even gotten to enjoy such an amazing place. It took close to nine hours to get from home to Branson. The remainder of my journey to Oklahoma would be about another five hours.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Restoring passionate worship
The death of pop star Whitney Houston has increased the
wildfire surrounding the shady functioning of the music and movie industries,
as well as what some might call their blatant disregard for human souls. Houston
was not the first to fall to the music industry’s subculture of drugs that so
often gets the attention of the mainstream media, but she is one of the most
recent as of this writing. Many have spoken up on her behalf saying that she
was not a person who wanted to be living an immoral lifestyle, but that she was
a Christian woman desiring to know God on a deeper level who was trying to get
delivered from the grip of drug addiction.
R&B superstar Chaka Khan had a close friendship with Huston, and according to CBN, accused the music industry of being downright “demonic” shortly after the news about Houston’s death went public.
Gospel music singer Helen Baylor is also boldly speaking out about the darkness of the music industry, and she isn’t stopping with the secular music industry. Baylor has been willing to be rather vulnerable about her own struggles in relation to the influence of the music industry and drug addiction in her life, even as she admonishes that the Gospel music industry isn’t very far behind the secular in terms of where it’s headed. She claims that the focus has become misdirected over the years in the sense that Gospel music has become a form of entertainment rather than a means of ministering to people. The mindset of using Christian music as a tool to help people focus on drawing closer to God through passionate worship music has given way to a market-driven mentality of appealing to the approval of the masses.
Even back in the 1990s, Christian music that was played on many radio stations was more rooted in the Word than much of what is being played today. This also gave people a chance to be more familiar with what the Word actually said and have more of a moral compass to guide them in their daily living. But as praise and worship music became more commercialized for the masses, the concept of Word-based lyrics became less of a focus. That being said, it seems that much of today’s church struggles with understanding why praise and worship is important, and there is a growing sentiment that it’s only people who are musicians and singers who really experience the presence of God through that venue anyway.
However, if that were truly the case, there wouldn’t be passages like 2 Chronicles chapter 5 verses 13-14 in which the praise and worship music was so rich with the presence of God that the priests couldn’t continue ministering because the glory of the Lord was so powerful in the temple. There was a visible cloud representing the presence of the Lord that filled that place, and it wasn’t just the singers and musicians who saw it. Everyone saw it.
When David wrote all the Psalms that he wrote, it wasn’t all about him and it wasn’t to provide entertainment for the Israelites. He wrote those with the intent that they would be used in passionate worship to the God of Israel by the Israelites when they gathered to worship God on the Sabbath.
The church needs to realize that we are being called to return to a focus of using praise and worship as a means to worship God, and to do so in Spirit and in truth. In the Gospel of John chapter 4 verses 21-24, Jesus states that the Father is “seeking” out people who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. When the word seeking is taken back to its original Greek meaning (the New Testament was originally written in Greek) it could also be translated as to go hard after because of being strongly desired. Talk about a life that’s blessed! God chases after, or pursues us when we worship Him in Spirit and in truth! And there’s nothing there about such a wonderful blessing being reserved for only musicians and singers. It’s directed at anyone who is willing to worship Him in Spirit and in truth, that is, spontaneously from a passionate heart for who He is.
R&B superstar Chaka Khan had a close friendship with Huston, and according to CBN, accused the music industry of being downright “demonic” shortly after the news about Houston’s death went public.
Gospel music singer Helen Baylor is also boldly speaking out about the darkness of the music industry, and she isn’t stopping with the secular music industry. Baylor has been willing to be rather vulnerable about her own struggles in relation to the influence of the music industry and drug addiction in her life, even as she admonishes that the Gospel music industry isn’t very far behind the secular in terms of where it’s headed. She claims that the focus has become misdirected over the years in the sense that Gospel music has become a form of entertainment rather than a means of ministering to people. The mindset of using Christian music as a tool to help people focus on drawing closer to God through passionate worship music has given way to a market-driven mentality of appealing to the approval of the masses.
Even back in the 1990s, Christian music that was played on many radio stations was more rooted in the Word than much of what is being played today. This also gave people a chance to be more familiar with what the Word actually said and have more of a moral compass to guide them in their daily living. But as praise and worship music became more commercialized for the masses, the concept of Word-based lyrics became less of a focus. That being said, it seems that much of today’s church struggles with understanding why praise and worship is important, and there is a growing sentiment that it’s only people who are musicians and singers who really experience the presence of God through that venue anyway.
However, if that were truly the case, there wouldn’t be passages like 2 Chronicles chapter 5 verses 13-14 in which the praise and worship music was so rich with the presence of God that the priests couldn’t continue ministering because the glory of the Lord was so powerful in the temple. There was a visible cloud representing the presence of the Lord that filled that place, and it wasn’t just the singers and musicians who saw it. Everyone saw it.
When David wrote all the Psalms that he wrote, it wasn’t all about him and it wasn’t to provide entertainment for the Israelites. He wrote those with the intent that they would be used in passionate worship to the God of Israel by the Israelites when they gathered to worship God on the Sabbath.
The church needs to realize that we are being called to return to a focus of using praise and worship as a means to worship God, and to do so in Spirit and in truth. In the Gospel of John chapter 4 verses 21-24, Jesus states that the Father is “seeking” out people who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. When the word seeking is taken back to its original Greek meaning (the New Testament was originally written in Greek) it could also be translated as to go hard after because of being strongly desired. Talk about a life that’s blessed! God chases after, or pursues us when we worship Him in Spirit and in truth! And there’s nothing there about such a wonderful blessing being reserved for only musicians and singers. It’s directed at anyone who is willing to worship Him in Spirit and in truth, that is, spontaneously from a passionate heart for who He is.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Breaking into the Music and Publishing Industries
The arts may be one of the most competitive industries
in which to find paying opportunities. For whatever reason, writers and
songwriter-musicians seem to be far more plentiful than the opportunities that
actually pay. Maybe that’s because there are far more people in the arts who
seem willing to work for next to nothing or even free than there are people in
business. While I could make quite the hobbyhorse out of the for this post,
I’ll exercise the self-control necessary to avoid that temptation.
That being said, as difficult as it is to find a decent job that pays a reasonable wage in corporate America right now, it’s still far more difficult to break into the writing and music industries. In fact, it’s even more difficult now than it was eight years ago when I began working as a freelance writer. It seems that people who can’t find work in corporate America are reassessing their career desires, and the writing and music industries are getting hit with many new people who never would have considered such highly competitive careers before because, quite frankly, some of them feel that they don’t really have anything left to lose. I would encourage any aspiring writer or songwriter-musician to keep this in mind. It’s not just you. It really is difficult. And for those who have been here a while, I would encourage you to keep in mind that, no, you haven’t lost your touch. It really has gotten more difficult because of the present economy.
While connections for breaking into the industry were important before the economic crash, they are even more important now. In fact, I personally have found a new value to attending seminars that I never experienced before. Writing and music seminars can be some of the very best ways to not only tweak your craft, but also to get noticed by the industry professionals who can help you to get your book or music out to the public. Not only do attendees get the opportunity to connect with individuals at various phases of development, but there is the added benefit of being affirmed through being around like-minded, like-gifted people if you are willing to reach out to them and simply strike up a conversation.
I think my most positive experience with an industry seminar occurred this past January through an organization called Actors Models and Talent for Christ (AMTC). Not only did I learn a great deal from all the seminars over the course of this one week event, but I (and all the attendees) were given the opportunity to showcase our talent to industry professionals in the music and movie industry, as well as the modeling industry.
In my particular case, I even had some opportunities to pitch my writing talent because there are a few music labels that also have a book publishing division. This was an added bonus that I didn’t realize until I got there. I even had the opportunity to meet a few fellow writers, one of whom was a scriptwriter. However, the focus of AMTC at this time is really on those who are gifted for music, acting and / or modeling. One of the highpoints for me personally was when Tate MusicGroup, a Christian label, offered me a recording contract. We’re presently in the process of creating the CD
project
Though AMTC is a Christian organization, those who are interested in getting involved are not required to be a Christian. And not all of the industry people who are there are necessarily looking for exclusively Christian material.
Another industry conference that seems to have potential for songwriter-musicians is the Song Discovery Creative Conference. Though I have not experienced this one myself, there seem to be a lot of great networking opportunities and learning opportunities.
One writer’s conference whose recognition seems to be snowballing is the Writing for the Soul Conference. This particular conference is aimed more at Christian writers and offers opportunities for a one-on-one mentoring session with various writing industry pros.
One of my best sources for getting my writings published has been The Best of the Magazine Markets for Writers. Not only have I gotten many non-fiction articles published in magazines through this source, but I have also been able to get a few non-fiction short stories published. I get mine through www.writersbookstore.com. You should be able to see and click on the green icon at the top of the page to get more information on that.
Writer's Digest is another good source for both information and writing resources. I subscribed to their e-mail blasts and make the time to check out what editors and agents have to say about the industry whenever I have a bit of time available to do so.
While there are some places on-line to bid on writing projects, I’m finding that they aren’t paying as well as they used to. In fact, I have backed off of that for now because of some of the ridiculous wages being posted with the projects. When someone doesn’t even want to pay minimum wage for their project, they aren’t really interested in having a professional writer take it on. Hopefully, that will change if the economy should improve in the near future.
In the meantime, staying connected with fellow writers and / or musicians through blogging and social networking will be nuggets of activity that can bring positive future results. Those who are willing to share their experiences can be some of the best sources for being able to move just a little bit further along toward whatever goal we are working to reach.
That being said, as difficult as it is to find a decent job that pays a reasonable wage in corporate America right now, it’s still far more difficult to break into the writing and music industries. In fact, it’s even more difficult now than it was eight years ago when I began working as a freelance writer. It seems that people who can’t find work in corporate America are reassessing their career desires, and the writing and music industries are getting hit with many new people who never would have considered such highly competitive careers before because, quite frankly, some of them feel that they don’t really have anything left to lose. I would encourage any aspiring writer or songwriter-musician to keep this in mind. It’s not just you. It really is difficult. And for those who have been here a while, I would encourage you to keep in mind that, no, you haven’t lost your touch. It really has gotten more difficult because of the present economy.
While connections for breaking into the industry were important before the economic crash, they are even more important now. In fact, I personally have found a new value to attending seminars that I never experienced before. Writing and music seminars can be some of the very best ways to not only tweak your craft, but also to get noticed by the industry professionals who can help you to get your book or music out to the public. Not only do attendees get the opportunity to connect with individuals at various phases of development, but there is the added benefit of being affirmed through being around like-minded, like-gifted people if you are willing to reach out to them and simply strike up a conversation.
I think my most positive experience with an industry seminar occurred this past January through an organization called Actors Models and Talent for Christ (AMTC). Not only did I learn a great deal from all the seminars over the course of this one week event, but I (and all the attendees) were given the opportunity to showcase our talent to industry professionals in the music and movie industry, as well as the modeling industry.
In my particular case, I even had some opportunities to pitch my writing talent because there are a few music labels that also have a book publishing division. This was an added bonus that I didn’t realize until I got there. I even had the opportunity to meet a few fellow writers, one of whom was a scriptwriter. However, the focus of AMTC at this time is really on those who are gifted for music, acting and / or modeling. One of the highpoints for me personally was when Tate MusicGroup, a Christian label, offered me a recording contract. We’re presently in the process of creating the CD
project
Though AMTC is a Christian organization, those who are interested in getting involved are not required to be a Christian. And not all of the industry people who are there are necessarily looking for exclusively Christian material.
Another industry conference that seems to have potential for songwriter-musicians is the Song Discovery Creative Conference. Though I have not experienced this one myself, there seem to be a lot of great networking opportunities and learning opportunities.
One writer’s conference whose recognition seems to be snowballing is the Writing for the Soul Conference. This particular conference is aimed more at Christian writers and offers opportunities for a one-on-one mentoring session with various writing industry pros.
One of my best sources for getting my writings published has been The Best of the Magazine Markets for Writers. Not only have I gotten many non-fiction articles published in magazines through this source, but I have also been able to get a few non-fiction short stories published. I get mine through www.writersbookstore.com. You should be able to see and click on the green icon at the top of the page to get more information on that.
Writer's Digest is another good source for both information and writing resources. I subscribed to their e-mail blasts and make the time to check out what editors and agents have to say about the industry whenever I have a bit of time available to do so.
While there are some places on-line to bid on writing projects, I’m finding that they aren’t paying as well as they used to. In fact, I have backed off of that for now because of some of the ridiculous wages being posted with the projects. When someone doesn’t even want to pay minimum wage for their project, they aren’t really interested in having a professional writer take it on. Hopefully, that will change if the economy should improve in the near future.
In the meantime, staying connected with fellow writers and / or musicians through blogging and social networking will be nuggets of activity that can bring positive future results. Those who are willing to share their experiences can be some of the best sources for being able to move just a little bit further along toward whatever goal we are working to reach.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Persistent Faith in the Arts
Back in the 30s and 40s when the movie industry was
one of the hottest new technologies that was becoming available to people,
Christians were heavily involved in what made it into the theaters and what
didn’t. Not only were Americans in that generation, and especially small
business owners, more concerned about living a moral life, but they were also
deeply concerned with running their business in accordance with Christian
principles. And much of the movie
industry was no exception.
In his book How to Succeed in Hollywood Without Losing Your Soul, Ted Baehr notes that Christian groups had gotten together and created a motion picture code that Hollywood applied to their movies so that those movies would not negatively affect the culture. Then in 1966, the Christian groups pulled out, and today we have instances of the moral values of individual actors and actresses being violated to the point that some have chosen to refuse a role or lose their job rather than compromise.
Actor Neal McDonough is one case in point. According to Movie Guide, he boldly refused to do a sex scene in the ABC series “Scoundrels”. So they fired him.
Boldly taking a stand for what one believes is not necessarily an easy thing to do. Especially when a person doesn’t have a great deal of experience yet and credits are needed to build a resume for future opportunities. While these types of decisions are personal ones for each artist, it also seems appropriate to point out that God does reward those who take a stand for what’s right. And sometimes that even manifests in this life.
What He is doing through the cast of Courageous would be a case in point. Not only has it had a positive influence on individual lives and families, but it has done well at the box office.
Another positive influence in the arts is Leonardo Defilippis, founder of St Luke’s Productions. According to the website, God placed a vision in his heart to present the Gospel of Luke, “in a new dramatic form.” That was three decades ago. Since that time, the production company has grown to produce several inspirational films and original music soundtracks. Not only does Defilippis have a desire to be used of the Lord for evangelism, but also to restore the dignity of film, drama and television.
Rich Christiano, founder of ChristianMovies.com is another influence in the industry that God is moving through in mighty ways. According to his website, He has been creating Christian movies with his brother Dave since 1982, and distributing them since 1985.
The above are just a few examples of some of God’s people in the industry. Since today’s Christian influences in the arts are often either ignored by mainstream media or made to look extremist when we do take a stand, living what we believe can sometimes be a challenge when those values are confronted. Knowing that others have been through what we may encounter and that God has chosen us for His purposes in the arts can sometimes make all the difference.
In his book How to Succeed in Hollywood Without Losing Your Soul, Ted Baehr notes that Christian groups had gotten together and created a motion picture code that Hollywood applied to their movies so that those movies would not negatively affect the culture. Then in 1966, the Christian groups pulled out, and today we have instances of the moral values of individual actors and actresses being violated to the point that some have chosen to refuse a role or lose their job rather than compromise.
Actor Neal McDonough is one case in point. According to Movie Guide, he boldly refused to do a sex scene in the ABC series “Scoundrels”. So they fired him.
Boldly taking a stand for what one believes is not necessarily an easy thing to do. Especially when a person doesn’t have a great deal of experience yet and credits are needed to build a resume for future opportunities. While these types of decisions are personal ones for each artist, it also seems appropriate to point out that God does reward those who take a stand for what’s right. And sometimes that even manifests in this life.
What He is doing through the cast of Courageous would be a case in point. Not only has it had a positive influence on individual lives and families, but it has done well at the box office.
Another positive influence in the arts is Leonardo Defilippis, founder of St Luke’s Productions. According to the website, God placed a vision in his heart to present the Gospel of Luke, “in a new dramatic form.” That was three decades ago. Since that time, the production company has grown to produce several inspirational films and original music soundtracks. Not only does Defilippis have a desire to be used of the Lord for evangelism, but also to restore the dignity of film, drama and television.
Rich Christiano, founder of ChristianMovies.com is another influence in the industry that God is moving through in mighty ways. According to his website, He has been creating Christian movies with his brother Dave since 1982, and distributing them since 1985.
The above are just a few examples of some of God’s people in the industry. Since today’s Christian influences in the arts are often either ignored by mainstream media or made to look extremist when we do take a stand, living what we believe can sometimes be a challenge when those values are confronted. Knowing that others have been through what we may encounter and that God has chosen us for His purposes in the arts can sometimes make all the difference.
Friday, March 16, 2012
God leads Christian Recording Artist to Kenya mission field
Worship leader Brandon Smith thought that the opportunity to
lead worship at a conference for pastors in Africa would be similar to other
ministry outreaches in which he had participated. But God had other plans. According
to the Christian Newswire, when Smith reached out to these leaders, God
reached into Smith’s heart and gave him a new ministry vision.
Instead of the hotels and / or missionary housing often provided for conference leaders, Smith stayed with a local pastor's family in Kenya, and the less-than-ideal conditions of the poor community were eye-opening. Smith, a father of four, decided to partner with Kenya's Manna Ministries to help develop a feeding program in the slum schools of Nairobi. The No Hungry Children initiative program will directly affect and potentially save the lives of thousands of poverty-stricken children each year.
Instead of the hotels and / or missionary housing often provided for conference leaders, Smith stayed with a local pastor's family in Kenya, and the less-than-ideal conditions of the poor community were eye-opening. Smith, a father of four, decided to partner with Kenya's Manna Ministries to help develop a feeding program in the slum schools of Nairobi. The No Hungry Children initiative program will directly affect and potentially save the lives of thousands of poverty-stricken children each year.
“After seeing the children in the slums of Nairobi
first-hand, there was no way I could come back to my comfortable life in
Atlanta and do nothing to help these children. My life was forever changed.”
Smith has launched a new initiative to raise $120,000
annually, so that an additional 2,000 children can eat each year, since it only
costs $60 to feed a child for a full year.
On May 19th, No Hungry Children will hold a benefit festival
at Bergfeld Park in Tyler, TX. The all-day event, sponsored by Coca-Cola,
Chick-fil-a, Jason's Deli and State Farm Insurance, will include a variety of
events for the whole family, including food, silent auction and musical
performances.
Smith is also donating 100% of the sales of his latest
album, See the Glory, to the No
Hungry Children initiative. The first single, "Can't Get Enough," is
currently being serviced to Christian radio stations nationwide.
"With 100% of the donated funds going directly to
purchase the food, it only takes $1 to feed 1 child for 1 week. I still can't
believe how little it takes to make such a huge
difference. I won't rest until we're feeding them all."
For more information,
please visit www.nohungrychildren.org
and www.brandonscottsmith.net.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Persistent determination pays off
As someone who has an interest in both the writing and music industries, I have noticed over the years that there are many similarities. Perhaps one of the strongest is the importance of persistent determination. As competitive as both industries are, discouragement can take its toll on both aspiring writers and aspiring singer-musician-songwriters. For that matter, it can take its toll on those who have been blessed of God to break into the industries – for a whole myriad of reasons. That’s where being connected to a supportive group of like-minded (and perhaps equally or slightly more crazed) artists than yourself can be of great benefit. Being surrounded with people who will weep with you through the bad times and rejoice with you through the good just somehow bolsters a person’s persistent determination and fans the flames of inspiration.
Another thing that I personally find inspiring is reading about others who have managed to gain some success. Any of them who are honest will vouch for the fact that there is no such thing as an overnight success. There’s a lot of time, sweat, tears, training and of course money involved in what’s really comparable to a journey – as opposed to, say, a microwave dinner. Jenn Gotzon is a recent example of persist determination paying off. According to Movie Guide, Gotzon had been on her journey of being an actress for 15 years when she received her major breakthrough in the industry. I especially find it inspiring that part of Gotzon’s vision for her career is to “inspire and impact” the audience.
Founder and editor of Movie Guide Ted Baehr has written a fantastic book called How to Succeed in Hollywood Without Losing Your Soul that is an amazing tool for those desiring to use their gifts make a difference in the fields of the arts and entertainment. Not only does he offer great insights, but he has written it in such as way that it can help the reader to develop their own vision and definition of what success means to them – as opposed to what everyone else says it ought to be.
Another author who points out the importance of defining what success means on a personal level is Kristi Holl. In her book Writer’s First Aid, she reveals that when a person allows others to define what success is for them, that they’ll find that they are mysteriously unable to truly enjoy it. This could also easily be applied to someone who is a singer-songwriter-musician, and / or who has an interest in acting. Holl goes on to challenge the reader to consider the personal importance of the following: prestige of a byline or first sale (or cd label or movie contract); the passion of doing something meaningful to you; the career goal of making enough money to support your family; and further points out that personal success can change over time. So it’s important to reassess what success truly is on a personal level at strategic times in your life, such as when a goal is met or a person gets married or has a child or whatever. More on her book can be found here.
Because it can take years to really gain momentum in the arts industries, a person’s belief system will also have a strong impact on their ability to maintain persistent determination. Though the journey may be long, if we are looking to Him to lead us we can expect that He will open doors and even cause divine appointments.
Another thing that I personally find inspiring is reading about others who have managed to gain some success. Any of them who are honest will vouch for the fact that there is no such thing as an overnight success. There’s a lot of time, sweat, tears, training and of course money involved in what’s really comparable to a journey – as opposed to, say, a microwave dinner. Jenn Gotzon is a recent example of persist determination paying off. According to Movie Guide, Gotzon had been on her journey of being an actress for 15 years when she received her major breakthrough in the industry. I especially find it inspiring that part of Gotzon’s vision for her career is to “inspire and impact” the audience.
Founder and editor of Movie Guide Ted Baehr has written a fantastic book called How to Succeed in Hollywood Without Losing Your Soul that is an amazing tool for those desiring to use their gifts make a difference in the fields of the arts and entertainment. Not only does he offer great insights, but he has written it in such as way that it can help the reader to develop their own vision and definition of what success means to them – as opposed to what everyone else says it ought to be.
Another author who points out the importance of defining what success means on a personal level is Kristi Holl. In her book Writer’s First Aid, she reveals that when a person allows others to define what success is for them, that they’ll find that they are mysteriously unable to truly enjoy it. This could also easily be applied to someone who is a singer-songwriter-musician, and / or who has an interest in acting. Holl goes on to challenge the reader to consider the personal importance of the following: prestige of a byline or first sale (or cd label or movie contract); the passion of doing something meaningful to you; the career goal of making enough money to support your family; and further points out that personal success can change over time. So it’s important to reassess what success truly is on a personal level at strategic times in your life, such as when a goal is met or a person gets married or has a child or whatever. More on her book can be found here.
Because it can take years to really gain momentum in the arts industries, a person’s belief system will also have a strong impact on their ability to maintain persistent determination. Though the journey may be long, if we are looking to Him to lead us we can expect that He will open doors and even cause divine appointments.
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