Just came back from the 2019 DIY Musician Conference put on by CD Baby this year... all I can say is wow! There were so many amazing speakers, breakouts, and musicians! As an independent musician, I can't recommend this conference enough—there is not much else out there geared toward gathering and empowering independent musicians. And there is legitimate value in this event. As the event progressed, I found myself becoming more interested in...
Full disclosure: I am a big fan of figurative, symbolic, and hidden meanings. I find them life-giving and full of adventure. I feel like they deepen my appreciation and enjoyment of life. It should then come as no surprise that I feel overlooked and misunderstood by anyone who insists that figures and symbols are somehow less "real" than literal material things. It can sometimes feel like a full on assault on my worldview. The invisible realm...
Today I want to share with you my vision. Often I blog about life lessons and realizations that fascinate me. Earlier today, however, I was listening to a sermon by Kris Valloton on dreaming. It hit me so deeply. So many of my worries in life have been related to my future, and so many times I have side-stepped the real issue by telling myself that I needed to stop worrying and start trusting God. This is true, to an extent. For me, the issue...
It all began with a fortune, you know, from a fortune cookie: These things are usually meant to be pretty generic, but it's always amusing (and sometimes I think God-ordained) when they line up with actual events about to happen in your life. In this case, I knew that what I had planned for my weekend was going to be different than normal. What was it you ask? This: I accompanied a poem reading on violin for an art expo at a local church. There...
I stand at my window with dread welling up in me. It's a mild, sunny day, yet I can't help but feel the weight of my opposition. I've heard it said that when you taste defeat, Almighty God weeps with you. I've heard it said that God restores the years that the locusts have eaten; He brings beauty out of ashes. I've heard it said that what the devil means for harm, God uses for good. I have heard it said that there are powerful lessons to be...
Today has been a respite, a respose from the inanity of semester's end. After a late breakfast, I decided to go outside and enjoy the glory-fall. I walked out past the parking lot and sat on a big rock and gazed across the field in front of the school. It was a beautiful moment—gazing and reflecting and praying. I couldn't help but take it all in, and I was so thankful that my eyes are truly open. When your eyes are really open, you never...
"The following post is written by my friend Karsten—an unashamed man of God whose perspectives on faith and praxis have radically challenged and shaped my own. I pray you are blessed by his words. :)"
—David Andrew Prayer. Such an overused word. We have “prayer meetings” and “prayer groups” and “prayer chains,” we say “I’ll pray for you” to our suffering Christian friends (then we usually don’t remember to). So what is...
Lately, I have felt God pressing on my heart to stop asking Him for stuff. It all falls in line with my last two posts actually. I've been feeling challenged to pray only in thankfulness and adoration of Who God is and of His qualities as revealed in Scripture and my daily life. For the course of this next school year, when I go to pray, I will only thank God for Who He is and proclaim His character over my circumstances. At the very least, this...
You're driving down the road and in the distance, you see a signal that has just turned green. As you get closer to the signal, you realize that it has been green for quite a while now and you think to yourself that it will probably change soon. Much to your surprise, the signal stays green and you pass through without even taking your foot off the gas! Ever had a moment like that? I just did recently and I was pleasantly surprised. I even felt...
So here I am, sitting outside, enjoying the sunlight and the breeze and realizing that I don't feel guilty at all for doing so. I may have nothing to do today, but I'm not wasting time. In fact, I filled out another job application today, and now, with the time remaining to me in my day, I am meditating on Scripture and relinquishing my worry to God's care. It's rather wonderful actually. Here's an odd observation: it's during times of...
