Help this Kid...

Hey friends,

So I've decided to go ahead and try to record a single. If you'd like to support this project, click here and you'll be taken to my GoFundMe page.

I'm looking to raise money to record a worship song I wrote entitled, For You So Loved. Money raised will go toward...
- studio recording, mixing and mastering,
- distribution via CD Baby, iTunes, Google Play and other digital outlets,
- website development, and
- promotion of song via website and social media.

Hoping to raise enough funds by the end of March 2016.

A little bit about this project...and myself. To be honest, I've been back and forth about doing something like this for a while. Basically, what it boils down to is the excitement of creating and producing something of my very own, versus the fear of complete and total failure.  The latter has won most days. Recently, a few friends have asked me about some of my songs and it got me thinking, that although trying to do something like this could end up being a huge fail...what if it doesn't?

If we can make this happen, it will be incredible. Any amount of donation is appreciated. If you can't donate to the project, a share on FB, Twitter, or any social media platform is just as good. If you can do both, that would be amazing!

If the response to this project is good, I hope to record more songs in the future.

Thanks again for stopping by.

Also, that is me pictured above...way way way back in the day.
(Picture credit: My mom)

"Good" Worship

For those of you who go to church, you most likely know what the term worship is referring to.

It's the part where we sing the songs before the message/sermon.

As a worship leader at my church for the last 6 (almost 7 years...or is it 7, almost 8? I can't remember!) there have been a few times where people have come up to me and told me that they were blessed by my worship...by the songs that I had sung.  I understand what they mean.  I hear it as I did a good job singing the songs and being the lead singer for the band.  I really appreciate that. I do.  My confidence isn't that strong, so when people come up to me and share kind words like that, I am blessed. So thank you.

But from my vantage point, here's what good worship is to me.

When all of our hearts come together and give glory to our God; Our Savior who rescued us from hell. And by His mercy, grace, and love forgiven us, when we put all our hope and trust in His Son Jesus who laid down His life as the payment for our sins...past. present. future.  When our hearts respond to the revelation to that truth...that is "good" worship.  It's not so much about how well we sound or which songs we sing, but more about if we mean what we sing...what we say...what we pray.

There have been times at the H.I.M. conference with the main room filled to capacity and David Crowder Band leading the church where God's people sang out with all their hearts because of what He had done or what He is doing in their lives.  You could just sense something more than singing was happening in that time.

But there were times just as amazing but far less extravagant.  It was one of my first times to Fiji and a few of us went to a Fijian prison to minister to the inmates there.  As we entered the facility, we were lead to a room.  The walls were some kind of stone and there were bars on the windows.  The chairs were cold and metal.  As the inmates were brought into the room, they sat down and watched us perform and heard us share our stories of how God made a difference in our lives.  At some point after we shared, they shared a song with us...and I remember being in awe.  The passion that they sang with blew me away.  The power in their voices seemed to make the walls shake.  I remember thinking to myself, "Wow. Look at these men. They only have a limited amount of free time out of their cell and they choose to come here, to church.  Not only that but when they come, they worship and praise the Lord with such passion. They who have so little (compared to myself), they who seemingly have much less to praise the Lord for, worship the Lord as if they have been given everything."

So what is good worship? It's not when we sing the newest song.  It's not when have the biggest band.  It's not when we sound like professionals.  It's when we can truly say that in whatever we do, we do it with all of our heart in honor of our Lord and King.

But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.  God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. John 4:23-24 ESV

These are just some thoughts that I've had. 
What is "good" worship to you?

Song Time - Tell The World

Here is the latest...not necessarily the greatest...song from yours truly. 

Possibly the most upbeat song I've written.  Song is about telling people of our Savior.  The main part of this song (for me) is the pre-chorus based on Matthew 5:14.  That we would let God shine His light, his love through us.  Then the second half of that comes out of Matthew 28:19 where Jesus is says to go and make disciples.  Most of the songs I write are just prayers.  I hope that even without music, if you just read the words, they would make sense and would be something you could imagine yourself saying to God.  Anyways, if you have any questions about the songs or whatevers, just comment below.  Thanks for stopping by and for listening.

And with out further ado...




Tell the World
You are the truth, the life, the way
Our hope is found in You
We will declare
We will proclaim
Our hope is found in You

    Make us shine like a city on a hill
    Let Your light shine
    God let Your light shine
    Send us out so the world may hear
    For God You so loved the world
    That you came for us

    You came to seek and save what was lost
    You came to save the day
    Rescue us from the grave into life everlasting
    Joy, You are the hope of the world
    Lover of our soul
    We will tell the world
    We will tell the world

You are the light shining in the darkness
Our hope is found in You
You are the peace that comforts in the storm
Our hope is found in You

When we were lost and far away
You came for us
When we were broken and in pain
You came for us

Now we will testify of Your love in our lives
Of all You've done and all that You are
God be lifted high

Song Time - Be Lifted High

This song came together in about 4 days.

It's a simple song that aims to exalt the Lord.  Hope you love it.



Be lifted high, God almighty
Be lifted high, Savior of the world
Be lifted high, God almighty
Be lifted high, Savior of the world
Be lifted high

No eye has ever seen
No ear has ever heard
No mind can concieve
All the wonders of Your love

Glory to the Lord almighty
To the one who was and is and yet to come
Joining with all of the heavens
and all of creation
"Holy is the Lord"

Here's some song notes that hopefully help deciphering what I've written here:
- The middle section references 1 Corinthians 2:9-10.  In it I'm trying to communicate the greatness of God's love.  That however great or incredible we have seen, heard, or understand God's love to be, it cannot compare to what God's love really is.

- A lot of times I sing songs that I have no idea what it means.  I just sing it cause it sounds nice.  So the part "to the One who was and is and yet to come"...yeah.  I didn't really understand that.  So I did a little researching and God is known as the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.  He was there when the world began, he came to us as Jesus, and will come again for us one day.  It's kinda funny that I need to research the meaning to my own songs. Anyway, just being real with you.

- I did have an issue with the "all of the heavenS" line.  I thought about changing it to angels or something like that, but Psalm 19 says "The heavenS declare the glory of God..." So if it's in the bible, it can be in my song.  In that line though, I just wanted to encompass all things we think of as heavenly: angels, heroes of the faith (like Moses, David, Noah, etc), all of those who have past on...that we join with them in our praise.

Bethel Church - The Loft Sessions

In my quest for music and also not having to pay too much money for it, I have most recently come across this album:  Bethel Church - The Loft Sessions

It came out on iTunes, January of this year.  But I just picked up the CD/DVD combo at Logos Bookstore for $11.99 plus tax! (Cheaper & better than iTunes! My kind of deal.)  Logos Bookstore can be found right here.  Check them out if you can and support your local businesses.

Here is a great song off of that album called "Come to Me" featuring Jenn Johnson.



Also, here's a little trailer for the album.  These are always fun to watch.  Kind of a "behind the scenes" thing! (More videos can be found on their YouTube Page)



For chord sheets and other cool stuff check out the Bethel website, here!

Hope you pick up the album and hope you love it.

Something about worship & anointing

This past Sunday we went to church at SRM Kona. If you're in Kona on a Sunday, go check them out for sure.  But it was a good day.  God showed me stuff about worship and I guess wanted me to see/understand/experience something about anointing.

Now for me, anointing is a funny word.  I understand/understood it to be when God's blessing or God's hand is on someone for a certain task.  But it kinda always meant: skillful.  I though that was the church word for skillful:  Anointed.

Oh, that person was an anointed speaker...means that person gave a great message.

Just fill in the blank for ministry...worship leader, guitar player, singer, children's worker, etc.

But last Sunday during worship at SRM, there was an anointing I believe.  Not necessarily on the whole team, I would say...but at least one, for sure.  My father-in-law.  It was weird because I have been to this church so many times before and have experienced their worship and church and only once have I ever felt something similar.  The one time before was when Jimmy Bohol lead a song.  Kind of a husky bigger guy, broad shoulders, dark skin, hair slicked back, huge smile.  Didn't really have the best voice but he had a nice voice.  The thing about it was he had cancer.  He was dying.  Yet he lead on stage with passion and praised the Lord with all that he had.  You would never know he had cancer or that he would die soon by watching him praise the LORD.

I thought to myself, "Wow, that is worship."

...I cried a little that day because I saw a man who loved the Lord so much and I saw myself who needs to love so much more.

So this past Sunday, nearly the same thing.

My father in law was just doing his thing...playing bass.  But every time I turned my eyes to him, something between my heart and throat started to well up. So I would turn away...and it would go away.  Till finally, I just locked in on him...and just like that, tears started to flow.  It wasn't that I was blown away with his musicianship (which I was cause he's really really good), it wasn't that I was suddenly convicted of some major sin in my life (which I probably should have been), the song that they were playing has been played many times before, but it was more that he was just "in his own world", giving glory to God.

That is what my eyes saw.  That is what my heart felt.

Anointing, I don't believe is just so we can say, "Wow, that person is really great or anointed at what they do," or "Look how God anointed them!"

It's has to be about, that person really loves God. Then somehow when God infuses them with his spirit for that time or season...something happens...something affects us...deep in our soul and somehow we are closer to God.

To God be the glory.

What does anointed mean to you?