Normal.dotm 0 0 1 621 3542 Whittier Christian High School 29 7 4349 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false   From time to time people ask me what I listen to, in other words what's on my ipod (a more modern way of saying “what's in your Cd player”). Lately, one of the songs that have been played more often then others is a song by Israel Houghton titled "Say So.” This caught my attention and really spoke to me with the following words: “We could show the world heaven. Show what it means to be His. To be formed in his likeness. Show them they have a purpose. To be salt and light in the world, in the world.” This song was obviously inspired by the words of Jesus found in Matthew 5:13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men." Strong words by Jesus wouldn't you say? Why such strong words? What's wrong with "unsalted" salt? What's wrong if we lose our "flavor" as Christian, isn't God going to do His work anyway, regardless of our "flavorless and unsalted life"? Surely others will pick up the slack, right? Some might say they are just going through a rough season of life or that they are just not the kind of Christian who goes out there and shares his/her faith with everybody and bothers people with the truth and reality of God. Maybe other may say they are going to be nice and being nice should win people to Jesus, no need to do or say anything…just live and let die. Or is it so? For the sake of a point, I’ll point out to you that I have met some very “nice” people in the 20+ years I have been a Christian, who actually, at first glance, appeared way nicer then some Christians I know, including myself! People who not only do not believe in Jesus and the word of God the way I do, but that are completely opposed to the foundational beliefs of the Christian faith such as the Virgin birth the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus (atonement of our sins by the shed blood of Jesus), the reality of heaven and Hell, etc… Some very “nice” members of various cults (such as Mormons and Jehovah witnesses) have sat next to me on airplanes. I have spoken with some very “nice” atheists and had very civil and friendly conversations with Buddhists and Muslims. Just being nice solely for the sake of being nice does not count when it comes to being salt and light in a dull and dark world. We do it with purpose and that purpose being that it brings glory and honor to the name of ...

  Reach You Where You Are      I wrote this song just days after the Virginia tech. Tragedy. Like all of us, I was so shocked and sadden by yet another school shooting which would take the life of so many in such a random and senseless act of violence.  My heart went out to the family and friends of the loved ones lost in the tragedy and I only wish I could have reached some of the people grieving and given them hope.  My intention was to write this song, put it on a CD, and fly to Virginia Tech to give the song away to as many as possible, in an attempt to bring some comfort and peace to the mourners. I never made it out there but, the song was written and eventually recorded and I still believe that it will reach the ones it was intended for in the first place and that it will, in addition to that,  reach those going through their own personal trials and tragedies. Help Me Stand   Alexander Hamilton said: “Those Who Stand For Nothing, Fall For Anything". So true and especially when it comes to our Christian walk. The cool thing about standing as believers is that we don’t stand for “something” but for “someone” and that someone is God Himself. We can’t pride ourselves in the fact that we stand up for God because truly He is the one who allows us to stand for Him. The bible says in 1 Corinthians 10:12 “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” You see, we are all prone to fall and left to ourselves, it is only a matter of time before we do fall. We desperately need God’s help. The longer we walk with Jesus, the easier it is to see that we cannot stand on our own. The song “Help me stand” is a plea for God to help me stand in a world where everyone seems to fall. For those who desire to stand, here are a couple of really good verses:   Jude 24 “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy”. Rom. 14:4 “Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand”.

The cost of glory. The tragedy isn’t so much that MJ died, although death can sometime seem unfair, premature and in some cases avoidable but the truth is, it is unavoidable as the bible tells us in Hebrews 9:27 “it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment ”. The real tragedy would be for MJ to have died without Jesus. By that I mean that he would have died without acknowledging Jesus as Lord and Savior, asking Him to forgive him of his sin and recognize that Jesus is the only way to salvation, the only way to heaven, to God the Father, for Jesus said in John 14:6   “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”. I found myself reading article after article regarding Michael and the circumstances surrounding his death. I found myself listening to videos and newscast about Michael Jackson, in an attempt to gather as much information as I possibly could on this Pop icon, his life story and what would ultimately bring him down, the prescription drugs he would take to try and ease the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual pain.   Michael died of an overdose of glory. Let me explain; I know that technically he died of a cardiac arrest most likely caused by the prescription drugs he was taken and/or administered but, somehow, I believe that Michael died of an overdose of glory. You see, no man or woman is wired to receive glory and praise the way Michael did. No one can be worshipped and adored the way Michael was. The only one worthy to receive glory is God himself. When Michael reached both the top of the charts and the pop music world and was declared some time later, the “King Of Pop”, it was all too much for him. No one can receive such adulation and survive. As a musician and as an artist, I have often seen myself striving to maintain the very little in comparison to MJ’s fame and notoriety I had achieved in the mid 90s as a Christian artist. I can only imagine what it would feel like for someone like Michael. Basically, what I am trying to say is this: with all that Michael had accomplished, the 750 Million record sold which was the most sold CD in the history of music, with well over 105 million of his “thriller” album sold alone, all these accomplishments and fame still felt like it was not enough. He said when asked if he was a happy man in an interview many years ago, that he was not happy and that inside, he was rather quite sad. An amazing revelation coming from one of the most famous and successful man of our era. What was missing? What went wrong, you might ask? He is no different than Solomon, who lived thousands of years ago and penned the following words. You will find them very fitting in this particular situation. Read them carefully and allow the words to challenge your own desire and pursuit for greatness and success, no matter ...