2019 DIY Conference

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 the quality of people I was meeting. The DIY conference is literally a goldmine of talent and everybody there has a unique and inspiring story. And everyone has music online… which is practically begging for someone to make a playlist… which I did! You bet I’m gonna include it at the end of this post. There’s a pretty wide variety here which is amazing!

Community is everything for musicians, yet it seems to be a big challenge for nearly all of us. There is a kind of internal pressure to promote yourself and make opportunities happen, but there’s a beautiful unforced momentum that develops from championing others first. If you happen to have been at the DIY conference and also met some amazing musicians that need to be heard, this is a collaborative playlist so add them in! Or make your own playlist with them in it! Why not help each other create streaming momentum? Our art can only get better with more support to back it.

Concerts in the Park

So it’s been a while since I’ve shared any updates. Sometimes, life gets really busy and you suddenly find out what your priorities are, #amirite?

Anyhow, I have a gig coming up! I’ll be joining Heather Evans’ band on violin for Concerts in the Park in Sacramento! It’s gonna be lit! All the details are online here: https://www.godowntownsac.com/events/signature-events/concerts-in-the-park/

This is a free event so you have no excuse to stay home! Okay so maybe I’m exaggerating a bit, but seriously would love to see you come on through!

30 Days of Inventory, Week 2

So at the start of this month, I began doing 30 Days of Inventory on my vlog. I forgot to make a post for the first video, but I’m just gonna pick up posting here with my video for week 2!

The idea for this came from one of my ramblings during my weekly “Behind The Wheel” series (in case you’re wondering, this “30 Days of Inventory” series is taking the place of my BTW videos).

It’s really just a way to focus on what I have instead of all the things I don’t have or all the ways I don’t measure up to where I think I should be. It’s an exercise in gratitude.

Having said that, I invite you to watch my vlog here for week 2 and then share your thoughts with me: what are some of the resources and blessings you have in your life that make you unique and empowered?

The Beauty of Salvation

Psalm 149 tells us God makes affliction beautiful by saving you out of it. Here are my thoughts on salvation this Christmas Eve…

So what do you think? Let me know in the comments!

Jingle Bells!

Hey everybody! My friend and amazing musician Heather Evans recorded her own version of Jingle Bells and I got to play violin for her!

Check out the music video we did for it!
(Also, shout-out to Myra and Gabe of Stereo RV for shooting and editing!)

How kind is too kind?

Or is there even such a thing? Does it come in degrees? Is it all or nothing? Join me as I explore this topic a bit in the video below and let’s talk about it in the comments!

Video Series Launch

Well it’s been a minute since I last posted but I’m still here!

The purpose of this post is to officially announce that I am starting a video series on YouTube! I am dubbing this series, “Behind The Wheel” as its content will be me sharing thoughts and reflections about life and spirituality as I drive places (don’t worry, the camera is safely mounted and operated hands-free; however, I make no apologies for camera-shake… seems an unavoidable by-product of being mounted on the dashboard).

I started doing this on IGTV at first and will probably continue to post episodes there also. However, I am taking this as an opportunity to begin regularly posting content to YouTube as well.

So without further ado, I present Behind The Wheel, Ep. 4.

The Shaking’s Just Begun

As silly as this might sound, God gave me a prophetic word through watching a movie recently. I didn’t have any massive revelation while watching the movie, but Friday/Saturday night at about 1 AM, I felt God whispering to me about things to come. This is a word intended for the church primarily. Please understand that this word is not about doom and gloom, but about the revelation of true identity. This revelation will be a massive wake-up call for some and a spring of joy for others.

I really don’t like to mention specific dates or timeframes when I share a prophetic word, but I strongly believe that this specific word has a maturation date. I feel like God told me “six months.” I interpret this to mean there is a growing period of six months before this word starts to unfold. That puts us in May 2018. I don’t really know though since all I heard was “six months.” As you read this, ask the Holy Spirit to bear witness in your spirit about these things and ask Him this: “Teach me to number my days so that I may apply my heart unto wisdom.”

Cliffnotes version:

  • The Church is not a building, but a body, a called-out assembly
  • Anything that the “church” has done in the past apart from God’s strength will be consumed by fire
  • Believers are finally waking up to their identity as the Church
  • Leaders are continuing to transition
  • We are going to witness a manifestation of fierce love against the tide of anger and revenge
  • Deep generational reconciliation is about to take place
  • Jacob will not steal his brother’s blessing
  • The two sons of the Good Father (the prodigal son and the one who stayed home) will be reconciled as co-heirs
  • The seers will be united
  • The prophetic gift will be supercharged

The Church Is Not a Building

The Church is not a building, but a body, a called-out assembly of people. Unfortunately, many people are still caught up in the programs and traditions of man. Everything about the church as an institution that has been done in human strength apart from God and then swept under the rug to avoid confrontation is about to come back from the place it’s been suppressed, and it will utterly decimate the facade erected by those who have gone before. The skeletons in the basement are about to be uncovered. Anything rotten in the institutional church’s foundation is about to be revealed, and there will be no recourse but to hand it over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh.

Many believers will raise the alarm that the church is under attack… and they will be correct in their assessment, but not necessarily correct in identifying the enemy. What they may not realize, is that the devil is only a pawn in God’s tactical plan. The institutional church, by its lust for power and human achievement, will have given a foothold to the devil and invited him in. The lust for power, control, and reputation is what has really been attacking the church. The destruction coming is not out of wrath or anger, but a deep desire for what’s real and eternal. It is to burn away the wood/hay/stubble so that the gold/silver/precious stones may remain. You may think you know what “shaking” looks like now, but the real shaking has barely begun. Everything that can be shaken will be.

The purpose of all of this is so that the ekklesia would wake up to their reality that the Church is not a building or a program, but a people who carry the Name, the Presence, and Power.

More Leaders Transition

Leaders of the older generation that have held the keys of power and authority will transition out of their role in the spotlight before the destroyer comes. This could look like physical death or merely handing the torch on to new rising leaders.

Those in the church who have fulfilled a comforting and nurturing role will be the first to pass the baton. I heard God saying that the comforters of the older generation will be the first to transition because they are about to manifest their legacy. They are about to give themselves as living sacrifices, moved by fierce love, against the onslaught of anger and the spirit of revenge at work in the world today. This will set the stage for what’s next.

The remaining Christian leaders who have been traditionally looked to for strength and direction will be bound by grief at the quarrels and fighting they see in the church but they will transition in peace as they begin to see reconciliation happen with those who are taking their place.

Heavy Dose of Identity

Forerunners of all kinds are about to step into a deeper place of understanding about who they are. These are people who may already be walking in a measure of their identity… but there is more, much much more. Church leaders who GOD has called to inherit leadership in this season (regardless of their age) are about to WAKE UP.

More than just leaders, anyone who has been tangled up in bitterness and hopelessness in the church is about to drink straight, undiluted identity. They will discover they are not merely strong—they are valiant and unashamed—and they will rise to answer the renewed call of destiny over their lives.

Jacob Will Not Steal His Brother’s Blessing

I feel that God has told me that there has been fighting between the generations, mixed with deception and trickery. Like the two sons of Issac, there has been an attempt of one son to steal the blessing from the other. However, that is where the similarities end. I feel like God is saying that as our true Father, His eyes are not dim and His first blessing is not His only blessing. Instead, He has endeavored to bless all of His children. Anyone in the rising generation who has been oppressed or labeled “deceivers” and “outsiders” will soon realize that they are not of the household of Jacob (a deceiver), but they are grafted-in sons of the King of Kings and also heirs in the LIFE to come.

The current and rising generations in the church today are like the two sons in the parable of the Good Father. One son was a prodigal and wasted his inheritance while the other son maintained his service in his Father’s household. When the Father received back His prodigal son with joy and feasting, the other son harbored bitterness and contempt. The heirs who have served God faithfully are about to be reconciled with the heirs who have been far from their Father.

The Seers Will Be United

Jesus said that if your eye is single, your whole body will be full of light. In the same way, the seers and prophetic voices in the Church that function like eyes to the Body will be united in heart, mind, and purpose during this time bringing the light of revelation to the whole Church. Their gifting is unique in that it is timeless. There won’t be as much of a transition among the leaders here because their gift is to shelter the body during trouble and lead them through the times of testing. Their many insights will have a compounding effect leading to a multi-dimensional view of God’s activity in the world.

In addition to this, the seer gift is about to take on a new dimension of not only sharing what God reveals but also of an unprecedented and NEW role to bring opposite perspectives into HARMONY. We are about to see the prophetic gift SUPERCHARGED in a way that will enable seers and prophets to impart God’s point of view in such tangible ways that others will experience God’s point of view from a first-person perspective. No longer will the prophetic be merely about describing how God sees things, but it will be about imparting the experience of how God sees things such that you won’t be able to go back to how you used to see them. Your old paradigms will be incomprehensible and unable to be recalled because the MIND OF CHRIST will overshadow and overcome the flesh.

Silence

Silence can feel like rejection and abandonment. This, however, is a lie. This observation is fueled by thoughts that have no intention for your good. It stems from a mindset that says your self-worth is based on constant outward affirmation of a very specific kind. But what if silence itself is an affirmation?

What if silence is actually a space of reverence and awe about who you are? What if silence is an opportunity to refresh yourself in the Presence of the Lord? What if silence is actually a potent weapon against shame?

What if silence is the soil of personal growth? What if silence is the fresh air after a storm? What if silence is the best, most hopeful experience you’ve ever had?

What if silence is the very whisper of God saying, “I love you”? Anything can happen in a space of silence. You can tell yourself any story you wish. You can make some of the most important and influential decisions while engaging in silence, whether or not you sought out that silence. Sometimes you crave it, sometimes you are force-fed it, but you can always benefit from it.

The key is to sanctify the silence. Use it to set yourself apart from the commotion of other moments and rededicate yourself to your mission, your purpose, your identity. Make it your manifesto of self-directed grace. Make it your statement of trust in the Hand of Providence.

When used in this way, when viewed from this position, any sense of shame is subverted because no longer is the experience a result of what you are not, but a gift in honor of what you are and what you will be. Silence is the breath of life—make sure you remember to come up for air every now and again.