Hey guys, I'm moving my blog to VOX!!! so go there!!!
http://www.switchfootprincess.vox.com
with this you can actually subscribe I think, so yeah. It's better over there!
I won't be coming here anymore. :) Love to all!
Monday, November 5, 2007
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Fighters
This morning while I was doing my devotions I came across a very interesting verse.
Luke 16:9
"I want you to be smart in the same way - but for what is right - using every adversity to stimulate creative survival, to concentrate your attention on the bare essentials, so you'll live really live, and not complacently just get on by good behavior."
I love how The Message phrases this verse. The way I interpret is that Jesus wants us to put what we know into action. But not just good behavior but to take it to heart, to really live for Christ. If we focus on Him, He will teach us very important things. Then when we go through adversity He will help us use it and practice it. But it takes effort and we need to fight for it. Fight through our adversities with the help of the HS. I think that is just amazing. And it inspires me to fight, and work hard at being the best person I can be through my adversities. Not just mull over how bad my life is going, but to take it and learn something from it. Being active. :D
Luke 16:9
"I want you to be smart in the same way - but for what is right - using every adversity to stimulate creative survival, to concentrate your attention on the bare essentials, so you'll live really live, and not complacently just get on by good behavior."
I love how The Message phrases this verse. The way I interpret is that Jesus wants us to put what we know into action. But not just good behavior but to take it to heart, to really live for Christ. If we focus on Him, He will teach us very important things. Then when we go through adversity He will help us use it and practice it. But it takes effort and we need to fight for it. Fight through our adversities with the help of the HS. I think that is just amazing. And it inspires me to fight, and work hard at being the best person I can be through my adversities. Not just mull over how bad my life is going, but to take it and learn something from it. Being active. :D
Friday, September 28, 2007
Switchfoot on Brio Magazine Cover
(From switchfeed.com and Briomagazine.com)
Brio magazine's cover this month is Switchfoot! I love this interview! It is amazing the way that Tim and Jon explain things. It once again brings some kind comfort for those Christians who are still not comfortable with them stepping away from the Christian labels. In the past I have to come to have permanent comfort and trust in these guys and God seethes througn their songs! People just dont see it! I have italicized the stuff that stood out to me the most (except for the movies) and bolded and italicized the the stuff that REALLY stood out to me. So enjoy!
Identifying a band as “Christian” can be complex. After all, what makes a Christian band? Is it their lyrics, the overall message, the people singing the lyrics or something else?
In 1996, Jon and Tim Foreman and Chad Butler started a group called Chin Up. They were just three young guys (all pastors’ kids) doing what they loved—playing and writing music. Eventually, the band’s demo landed in the hands of Charlie Peacock, a popular producer in gospel music. He then called the guys and signed them to re:think Records under the new name Switchfoot.
In 2003, mainstream label Columbia Records bought Switchfoot’s contract. Their fourth record, The Beautiful Letdown, sold 2.5 million copies and produced two Top 10 pop and modern rock singles. But the label exchange didn’t change Switchfoot. Jon continues to write songs about his struggles and desire for more than this life has to offer. And the band continues to play at Christian and mainstream venues.
We caught up with the band before a concert at University of Texas in Arlington. Come on over and listen in as some of the guys discuss, “Who is Switchfoot?”
Brio: Some say Switchfoot started as a Christian band and then crossed over. Others say you weren’t ever a Christian band. Who’s right?
Jon: Well, what do you mean by a “Christian band”?
Brio: Did you sign with re:think Records with a sense of, “We’re going to be part of the contemporary Christian music thing” or was it, “We’re doing our own thing, and Charlie Peacock just happens to be CCM”?
Jon: We had a naive understanding, as any songwriter or young band does. When you first start playing music as a band, you’re just playing because you love it.
With Charlie, we were all believers at the time, but being from San Diego, we had no idea of the behemoth that is the industry of Christian culture. I was just thinking, Yeah, we play in bars. We play in churches. We play everywhere. Wow—here are some believers who make music just like us! You dive in, and suddenly you realize there are Christian radio stations and this whole industry.
Chad: We saw Charlie as a mentor and looked up to him for his musical talent and ability to communicate and talk about the things we were exploring, like faith and music. We had a genuine desire to be involved with him as a person. It wasn’t about the company we were signing to. We thought, He’s great. We want to be part of what he’s doing. It seemed like a natural thing.
Brio: Growing up, did you listen to Christian radio?
Tim: We didn’t have Christian radio, but we were definitely exposed to Christian artists. People like Keith Green were part of my musical childhood.
We’re pastors’ kids, and it was a nurturing environment where there wasn’t this hard-cut line of sacred versus secular. I feel that if the God we serve were truly great and wonderful, why wouldn’t [Christian bands] want His beauty and truth fingerprints all over culture, not just making music for the church?
Jon: It’s healthy to remember as a church that the industry that is Christendom isn’t equated one to one with the body of Christ. These are the same issues that have plagued the church from the beginning. That type of conversation of what is a Christian band could go in so many different ways, but at the same time, as believers we’ve always been honored to be affiliated with the name of Christ. That’s a true honor and isn’t something to be taken lightly. In fact, our hesitancy to jump into the Christian label has more to do with the amount of respect I have for the name of Christ, and I’m not sure I’m willing to sanctify every single thing I’ve ever done in a band and say, “That’s a Christlike action.”
Brio: What do you say to people who criticize Switchfoot for not using Jesus’ name in your lyrics or correlating your music to a certain verse?
Jon: So many of our lyrics come directly from Scripture; that’s nothing new. But the thing I take solace in is that the most creative, outside-the-box thinker I’ve ever read about was Christ himself. Here’s someone who, if anything, was accused of being overly nebulous. “No one understands what you’re saying. Talk to us plain. You talk in these parables.”
I think the means and the ends of the kingdom of God need to be pursued with equal focus. The way He did His ministry is just as important as what He was saying. To be accused of being nebulous, for me, isn’t that bad of an accusation. I’ve come to the realization, too, that not everyone is going to understand us. And that has to be OK. We aren’t trying to be everybody’s favorite band. We’re trying to pursue an audience of one, essentially.
Brio: What do you mean by an audience of one?
Tim: The longer we’ve been a band, the more we’re not in it just to make other people give us their stamp of approval. There has to be a greater purpose than just making people applaud for what we’re doing, and as long as we’re convinced we’re exactly where God has us at the moment, that has to be the ultimate goal.
Brio: As musicians, even though you know better, there’s still some seductiveness in success, right?
Jon: We had no context for selling 2.5 million records. For example, Tim and I were in a band when we were in high school. We made CDs before CD burners were commonplace, so if your band had a CD, you were big time. I figured, “I’m going to save all my busboy money and make a CD.” The break-even point on those CDs was if we sold 300. And we did it! That was success. We thought, 300 CDs is success.
It’s good to keep that in mind. Success is such an elusive term. Who’s to say we’re successful since we sold a lot of units? I think it’s an American concept. But at the same time, it’s where art and commerce meet. To put food on your table, you have to be at least selling a few CDs, more than 300 perhaps.
Brio: Do you feel like you’ve met your “American Dream”?
Jon: To say you’ve achieved your dream is a dangerous thing because there are so many more things I’d like to see happen in my lifetime. I have a list of 100 songs on my laptop that I’m trying to figure out how to get out there and how to do them. We as a band have been talking about ways to impact the world, tour better, ways to love our families better. I certainly think it’s a process.
Brio: It seems that materialism and critiquing that aspect of American culture is a major theme on Oh! Gravity. What inspired you to focus on that?
Tim: Living in America and living in Southern California, I think our culture is becoming increasingly materialistic. If there’s any finger pointing, it’s at us. That’s where all our songs start.
Sometimes we use our songs to guard our own hearts. It’s one thing to discuss something; to sing about it every night on stage is a whole other thing. To sing, “This ain’t my American dream” really hits you. You’re accountable.
Jon: I find that certainly true. I’m singing, “This is your life. Are you who you want to be?” But then there’s 2,000 people singing that at me. It keeps your head in the right place.
Brio: What advice do you have for teens making career decisions?
Jon: There’s a quote from A.W. Tozer that says essentially it’s not necessarily what you’re doing or where you’re doing it that determines whether it’s sacred or secular but why you’re doing it. I found that to be true in my life with all sorts of people. Certain people have a ton of money, but they couldn’t care less about money. They’re all about people. Then certain people in charge of some charitable organization couldn’t care less about people.
I remember something Charlie [Peacock] said that inspired some kind of motto for me: “People over projects.” He said at the end you won’t look back and say, “Oh, I wish I would have won more Grammy Awards. I wish I would have produced more records.” The one thing you’ll have is the people, those relationships. Where you put your treasure, that’s where your heart will be. So be careful what you invest in, where you invest your time.
BONUS Questions
Brio: Do you approach concerts differently, whether it’s a Christian festival or a mainstream venue?
Jon: Totally. Every relationship you have you’re going to approach differently. If you’re talking with somebody who’s sitting next to you at the barber, a baseball game or church, you’re approaching every relationship in context.
I think it’s absurd to think we’d say the exact same thing and play the exact same songs every night. We switch our set list every night, not only for the people coming but also for us to keep it fresh. That’s something I had to learn to understand, the nuances of relationship.
Brio: What will it look for you to “burn out bright” at the end of your life?
Jon: I’ve burned out very dull a few times already.
Tim: Our society teaches us that burning out bright is going out with a lot of toys, a lot of cash, a lot of recognition, at the peak of stardom—whatever that looks like. The kingdom of heaven is completely the opposite. The person who couldn’t care less about what she’s wearing is devoted to serving the people around her—that’s a star right there. The idea of burning out bright looks a lot closer to that than the guy who’s all talk and has it all.
Jon: In the kingdom of heaven, the last are first, and the first are last. The people on stage in front of thousands of people who are catered to and driven around in buses are probably tying shoes in the kingdom of heaven. The people tying shoes down here, maybe that’s what burning out bright really looks like.
Brio: In your music, you aren’t afraid to talk about doubt and struggle. What would you say to teens who want to persevere in their relationship with Christ, but they doubt it?
Tim: You’re in good company. Throughout Scripture, heroes like David and mighty men of God are completely comfortable with not only doubting but also shouting their doubts to the almighty God of the universe. It’s a pretty heady concept to think we’ve been given this privilege to groan to the God of the universe about our struggles.
Jon: For me, maturity has meant to see [doubt] for what it is and to put it all in context. Most of the Old Testament is, “Remember, remember, remember,” and I think that’s a great response to doubt. Remember what has gone on already. Remember that you’re part of a bigger picture.
Brio: In your community with the band, do you help each other “remember”?
Jon: Love is always going to be the most mature response to any situation. To love one person well is many times to do something the exact opposite of what you’re going to do for someone else. All of our needs are dramatically different. Some person might need to be smacked across the face and hear, “You’re blowing it.” And another person needs an arm around the shoulder. If we’re to be the hands and feet of the omnipotent God, then that’s a high calling indeed.
Brio: Now for a fun question: How many times have you seen A Walk to Remember since some of your songs were included in the soundtrack?
Jon: I saw it once in the theaters.
Tim: At the premiere.
Brio:Are you still friends with Mandy Moore?
Jon: We hang out all the time and go out for coffee and stuff. No, actually we’re still in contact with her, but we’re not the best of friends.
Brio: If you could be in any movie soundtrack, which would you choose?
Jon: Citizen Kane or Gone with the Wind.
Chad: Life is Beautiful or Star Wars.
Brio: What’s your favorite song to play live?
Tim: Last night “American Dream” was pretty memorable because Jon started the song maybe 100 yards away from the stage in the middle of the crowd, and the crowd carried him back to the stage. He made it back by the first chorus. You never know what’s going to happen.
Jon: The reason we all love music is because of the unexpected, the X factor. The structure of the song never changes, but somehow it’s more than just notes. Sometimes that happens a couple times during a set. Other times it doesn’t happen. It’s just another day playing rock and roll.
Brio: What does the song “Dirty Second Hands” mean?
Jon: I think songs are like clouds, and they float by. It’s the same cloud, but it can resemble many different shapes. The cloud stays constant, but as it starts to cross, it changes a little bit.
That song for me has layers you can get into. When I sing it, I think about time and the idea the secondhand store is the end of us all. Proverbs says to look at the end of things is wisdom. To remember that the secondhand store is the end of all things is a good place to begin.
There are also the filthy second hands we all have. None of our hands are clean. There’s a certain amount of wanting to dismantle the pretense as well that somehow our hands could be clean. There’s a little bit of pulling off the façade of America. I think the last spoken word stands to sum it all up, the idea of fatality and that many times we’re the ones who put the handcuffs on ourselves.
Brio: Besides playing guitar, what else do you enjoy doing on tour?
Jon: I go to a lot of pawnshops and thrift stores. I love the used elements of our Western culture. I would much rather buy something that has been used. It’s a better value. It’s already had some life breathed into it. But we also love surfing and skateboarding. Skateboarding is the closest you can get to surfing on the sidewalk.
I also love writing songs, which I know is the occupation, but it’s also my favorite thing to do. When I haven’t written a song in a long time, my wife will say, “You need to write a song” because I get antsy and ornery. She also says when I haven’t surfed in a long time that I need to get baptized. There’s something about staring infinity in the face and being reminded of a bigger picture.
Brio magazine's cover this month is Switchfoot! I love this interview! It is amazing the way that Tim and Jon explain things. It once again brings some kind comfort for those Christians who are still not comfortable with them stepping away from the Christian labels. In the past I have to come to have permanent comfort and trust in these guys and God seethes througn their songs! People just dont see it! I have italicized the stuff that stood out to me the most (except for the movies) and bolded and italicized the the stuff that REALLY stood out to me. So enjoy!
Identifying a band as “Christian” can be complex. After all, what makes a Christian band? Is it their lyrics, the overall message, the people singing the lyrics or something else?
In 1996, Jon and Tim Foreman and Chad Butler started a group called Chin Up. They were just three young guys (all pastors’ kids) doing what they loved—playing and writing music. Eventually, the band’s demo landed in the hands of Charlie Peacock, a popular producer in gospel music. He then called the guys and signed them to re:think Records under the new name Switchfoot.
In 2003, mainstream label Columbia Records bought Switchfoot’s contract. Their fourth record, The Beautiful Letdown, sold 2.5 million copies and produced two Top 10 pop and modern rock singles. But the label exchange didn’t change Switchfoot. Jon continues to write songs about his struggles and desire for more than this life has to offer. And the band continues to play at Christian and mainstream venues.
We caught up with the band before a concert at University of Texas in Arlington. Come on over and listen in as some of the guys discuss, “Who is Switchfoot?”
Brio: Some say Switchfoot started as a Christian band and then crossed over. Others say you weren’t ever a Christian band. Who’s right?
Jon: Well, what do you mean by a “Christian band”?
Brio: Did you sign with re:think Records with a sense of, “We’re going to be part of the contemporary Christian music thing” or was it, “We’re doing our own thing, and Charlie Peacock just happens to be CCM”?
Jon: We had a naive understanding, as any songwriter or young band does. When you first start playing music as a band, you’re just playing because you love it.
With Charlie, we were all believers at the time, but being from San Diego, we had no idea of the behemoth that is the industry of Christian culture. I was just thinking, Yeah, we play in bars. We play in churches. We play everywhere. Wow—here are some believers who make music just like us! You dive in, and suddenly you realize there are Christian radio stations and this whole industry.
Chad: We saw Charlie as a mentor and looked up to him for his musical talent and ability to communicate and talk about the things we were exploring, like faith and music. We had a genuine desire to be involved with him as a person. It wasn’t about the company we were signing to. We thought, He’s great. We want to be part of what he’s doing. It seemed like a natural thing.
Brio: Growing up, did you listen to Christian radio?
Tim: We didn’t have Christian radio, but we were definitely exposed to Christian artists. People like Keith Green were part of my musical childhood.
We’re pastors’ kids, and it was a nurturing environment where there wasn’t this hard-cut line of sacred versus secular. I feel that if the God we serve were truly great and wonderful, why wouldn’t [Christian bands] want His beauty and truth fingerprints all over culture, not just making music for the church?
Jon: It’s healthy to remember as a church that the industry that is Christendom isn’t equated one to one with the body of Christ. These are the same issues that have plagued the church from the beginning. That type of conversation of what is a Christian band could go in so many different ways, but at the same time, as believers we’ve always been honored to be affiliated with the name of Christ. That’s a true honor and isn’t something to be taken lightly. In fact, our hesitancy to jump into the Christian label has more to do with the amount of respect I have for the name of Christ, and I’m not sure I’m willing to sanctify every single thing I’ve ever done in a band and say, “That’s a Christlike action.”
Brio: What do you say to people who criticize Switchfoot for not using Jesus’ name in your lyrics or correlating your music to a certain verse?
Jon: So many of our lyrics come directly from Scripture; that’s nothing new. But the thing I take solace in is that the most creative, outside-the-box thinker I’ve ever read about was Christ himself. Here’s someone who, if anything, was accused of being overly nebulous. “No one understands what you’re saying. Talk to us plain. You talk in these parables.”
I think the means and the ends of the kingdom of God need to be pursued with equal focus. The way He did His ministry is just as important as what He was saying. To be accused of being nebulous, for me, isn’t that bad of an accusation. I’ve come to the realization, too, that not everyone is going to understand us. And that has to be OK. We aren’t trying to be everybody’s favorite band. We’re trying to pursue an audience of one, essentially.
Brio: What do you mean by an audience of one?
Tim: The longer we’ve been a band, the more we’re not in it just to make other people give us their stamp of approval. There has to be a greater purpose than just making people applaud for what we’re doing, and as long as we’re convinced we’re exactly where God has us at the moment, that has to be the ultimate goal.
Brio: As musicians, even though you know better, there’s still some seductiveness in success, right?
Jon: We had no context for selling 2.5 million records. For example, Tim and I were in a band when we were in high school. We made CDs before CD burners were commonplace, so if your band had a CD, you were big time. I figured, “I’m going to save all my busboy money and make a CD.” The break-even point on those CDs was if we sold 300. And we did it! That was success. We thought, 300 CDs is success.
It’s good to keep that in mind. Success is such an elusive term. Who’s to say we’re successful since we sold a lot of units? I think it’s an American concept. But at the same time, it’s where art and commerce meet. To put food on your table, you have to be at least selling a few CDs, more than 300 perhaps.
Brio: Do you feel like you’ve met your “American Dream”?
Jon: To say you’ve achieved your dream is a dangerous thing because there are so many more things I’d like to see happen in my lifetime. I have a list of 100 songs on my laptop that I’m trying to figure out how to get out there and how to do them. We as a band have been talking about ways to impact the world, tour better, ways to love our families better. I certainly think it’s a process.
Brio: It seems that materialism and critiquing that aspect of American culture is a major theme on Oh! Gravity. What inspired you to focus on that?
Tim: Living in America and living in Southern California, I think our culture is becoming increasingly materialistic. If there’s any finger pointing, it’s at us. That’s where all our songs start.
Sometimes we use our songs to guard our own hearts. It’s one thing to discuss something; to sing about it every night on stage is a whole other thing. To sing, “This ain’t my American dream” really hits you. You’re accountable.
Jon: I find that certainly true. I’m singing, “This is your life. Are you who you want to be?” But then there’s 2,000 people singing that at me. It keeps your head in the right place.
Brio: What advice do you have for teens making career decisions?
Jon: There’s a quote from A.W. Tozer that says essentially it’s not necessarily what you’re doing or where you’re doing it that determines whether it’s sacred or secular but why you’re doing it. I found that to be true in my life with all sorts of people. Certain people have a ton of money, but they couldn’t care less about money. They’re all about people. Then certain people in charge of some charitable organization couldn’t care less about people.
I remember something Charlie [Peacock] said that inspired some kind of motto for me: “People over projects.” He said at the end you won’t look back and say, “Oh, I wish I would have won more Grammy Awards. I wish I would have produced more records.” The one thing you’ll have is the people, those relationships. Where you put your treasure, that’s where your heart will be. So be careful what you invest in, where you invest your time.
BONUS Questions
Brio: Do you approach concerts differently, whether it’s a Christian festival or a mainstream venue?
Jon: Totally. Every relationship you have you’re going to approach differently. If you’re talking with somebody who’s sitting next to you at the barber, a baseball game or church, you’re approaching every relationship in context.
I think it’s absurd to think we’d say the exact same thing and play the exact same songs every night. We switch our set list every night, not only for the people coming but also for us to keep it fresh. That’s something I had to learn to understand, the nuances of relationship.
Brio: What will it look for you to “burn out bright” at the end of your life?
Jon: I’ve burned out very dull a few times already.
Tim: Our society teaches us that burning out bright is going out with a lot of toys, a lot of cash, a lot of recognition, at the peak of stardom—whatever that looks like. The kingdom of heaven is completely the opposite. The person who couldn’t care less about what she’s wearing is devoted to serving the people around her—that’s a star right there. The idea of burning out bright looks a lot closer to that than the guy who’s all talk and has it all.
Jon: In the kingdom of heaven, the last are first, and the first are last. The people on stage in front of thousands of people who are catered to and driven around in buses are probably tying shoes in the kingdom of heaven. The people tying shoes down here, maybe that’s what burning out bright really looks like.
Brio: In your music, you aren’t afraid to talk about doubt and struggle. What would you say to teens who want to persevere in their relationship with Christ, but they doubt it?
Tim: You’re in good company. Throughout Scripture, heroes like David and mighty men of God are completely comfortable with not only doubting but also shouting their doubts to the almighty God of the universe. It’s a pretty heady concept to think we’ve been given this privilege to groan to the God of the universe about our struggles.
Jon: For me, maturity has meant to see [doubt] for what it is and to put it all in context. Most of the Old Testament is, “Remember, remember, remember,” and I think that’s a great response to doubt. Remember what has gone on already. Remember that you’re part of a bigger picture.
Brio: In your community with the band, do you help each other “remember”?
Jon: Love is always going to be the most mature response to any situation. To love one person well is many times to do something the exact opposite of what you’re going to do for someone else. All of our needs are dramatically different. Some person might need to be smacked across the face and hear, “You’re blowing it.” And another person needs an arm around the shoulder. If we’re to be the hands and feet of the omnipotent God, then that’s a high calling indeed.
Brio: Now for a fun question: How many times have you seen A Walk to Remember since some of your songs were included in the soundtrack?
Jon: I saw it once in the theaters.
Tim: At the premiere.
Brio:Are you still friends with Mandy Moore?
Jon: We hang out all the time and go out for coffee and stuff. No, actually we’re still in contact with her, but we’re not the best of friends.
Brio: If you could be in any movie soundtrack, which would you choose?
Jon: Citizen Kane or Gone with the Wind.
Chad: Life is Beautiful or Star Wars.
Brio: What’s your favorite song to play live?
Tim: Last night “American Dream” was pretty memorable because Jon started the song maybe 100 yards away from the stage in the middle of the crowd, and the crowd carried him back to the stage. He made it back by the first chorus. You never know what’s going to happen.
Jon: The reason we all love music is because of the unexpected, the X factor. The structure of the song never changes, but somehow it’s more than just notes. Sometimes that happens a couple times during a set. Other times it doesn’t happen. It’s just another day playing rock and roll.
Brio: What does the song “Dirty Second Hands” mean?
Jon: I think songs are like clouds, and they float by. It’s the same cloud, but it can resemble many different shapes. The cloud stays constant, but as it starts to cross, it changes a little bit.
That song for me has layers you can get into. When I sing it, I think about time and the idea the secondhand store is the end of us all. Proverbs says to look at the end of things is wisdom. To remember that the secondhand store is the end of all things is a good place to begin.
There are also the filthy second hands we all have. None of our hands are clean. There’s a certain amount of wanting to dismantle the pretense as well that somehow our hands could be clean. There’s a little bit of pulling off the façade of America. I think the last spoken word stands to sum it all up, the idea of fatality and that many times we’re the ones who put the handcuffs on ourselves.
Brio: Besides playing guitar, what else do you enjoy doing on tour?
Jon: I go to a lot of pawnshops and thrift stores. I love the used elements of our Western culture. I would much rather buy something that has been used. It’s a better value. It’s already had some life breathed into it. But we also love surfing and skateboarding. Skateboarding is the closest you can get to surfing on the sidewalk.
I also love writing songs, which I know is the occupation, but it’s also my favorite thing to do. When I haven’t written a song in a long time, my wife will say, “You need to write a song” because I get antsy and ornery. She also says when I haven’t surfed in a long time that I need to get baptized. There’s something about staring infinity in the face and being reminded of a bigger picture.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
A Life With Christ
A lot has happened in my life in the past year. There have been bad moments as well as good moments. But through each and every moment I can say that God proved Himself amazing in my life.
I came to realize this when I read one of Jon Foreman's (Switchfoot's frontman) blogs. He mentioned Romans 8 on the blog. I probably had already read that chapter sometime in my life but I decided to take a look at it again. As I read it, I started to realize that all I had experienced with God in the past year was all true. And it has been true for a long time, and Paul confirmed it.
In the past year my beliefs changed and I started asking a lot of questions. I started to think outside the box. I realized that Christianity today lacks Christian spirituality. That a lot of Christians spend their time telling people what they shouldn't do, and focus on their good works. It makes me wonder, if we have such an awesome God, then why not get and experience as much of Him as possible? Why do people that have grown up in a Christian home come to a point in their life where they see that it is all a routine? Why do so many Christians give up? I went throuhg a similar phase where I thought going to church was boring, that praying was boring and my spiritual life was just dead. I scared myself and asked God to revive me. Little did I know what He had in store for me.
I started asking questions and took these matters into account and I asked God for His help. I wanted Him to help me figure out the answer to these questions without any outside influence. Just me and Him. It was quite a journey. A series of unfortunate events occurred in my life and God used each and every one of those events to bring me closer to Him. As I drew closer I experience His love, I experienced the real sensation of what it feels like to walk with God. In the silence of my room late at night, I could feel God there, sitting beside my bed. As I cry and cry about the situation He comforts me. Instead of sending His angels to guard me, He Himself came down and comforted me and called me His child.
This didn't stop there. Surprisingly I started feeling Him everywhere. As if He were standing there right in front of me. I desired more of Him, and my love for Him grew and grew. There were times that I drew away from Him but He would still be waiting there for me. He would tell me things that nobody else could know, just our little secrets and we shared a lovely relationship.
The love that I did not get from my father, the lessons that my mom didn't have time to teach me, all of these things God did for me. I started to see the world in a new light. Everything carried beauty inside. Even pain. Even the pain that I was going through, trying to fight suicidal thoughts. I saw beauty in it because I let go of the control that I was trying to put into my life and surrendered to him. It was hard because I couldn't see past the darkness, I felt wobbly and unsure. But God always took care of me. Sometimes I thought to myself wether I was making it up, and I doubted sometimes. But He was always there.
When I read Romans 8, I just cried. I have to admit that my devotional times do not comprise of mostly Bible reading. I spend most of my time either praying or writing in my journal. I pray because I'm talking to God and I tell him about my day. I write in my journal so I can sort out my feelings and be able to balance my emotions that are originally unbalanced and a confused mess. Through the journal I am able to analyze how I really feel (I'm not able to do that with clarity instantly due to some emotional problems) and I talk to God about how I feel. But the shortest time is spent reading the Bible. I don't know if that is bad or not but it works well for me. So I haven't really done much extensive Bible reading on my devotions except for the fact that I'm reading some OT books and read some psalms of praise every now and then. That is why I was so amazed at Romans 8. I experienced it, then it was confirmed. All my doubts of "could this be true" vanished. It really was God. I'll share some of my favorite parts of the chapter. The version is The Message so I'm not going to put the verses.
The law ended up being used as a Band-Aid on sin instead of a deep healing of it.
This is kind of like the questions I asked. Why do so many Christians end up focusing on what should be done and forget about the intimacy that we can share with God?
Those who trust God's action in them find that God's Spirit is in them - living and breathing God.
When I let go of the control that I had in my life (not trying to do good works to impress my mom or the pastor, trying to decided my fate of wether I should die right now or not) I let God take action. And when I did that, He showed Himself and I felt His presence everywhere.
Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end: attention to God leads us out into the open into a spacious free life.
When we hold on to the control in our lives we are really thinking about ourselves. About what makes US feel comfortable. We want to know that we are exactly in the right path with God an we obsess with it in such a way that we end up forgetting to just rest and let God transform us. We can't do good works forever without a transformation of our hearts. Because sooner or later we tire and end up leaving God because we get bored. But if we continually renew our minds and let God change us and do the work through us then we find ourselves feeling free! At first it is a very queasy and different feeling. It actually feels the opposite of freedom. This happens because we WANT control but we know its not good for us so we hand it over to God, but then again we want it so bad but refrain from taking over because we know its not good. So its a constant inner battle, but after the beginning stages we experience God's love and a feeling of peace and freedom.
you yourself experience life in God's terms.
not in our own terms.
This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave tending life. It's adventurously expectant, greeting God witha child like "What's next, Papa?" God's Spirit touches, our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is and we know who we are. Father and children.
Soon enough we experience a great desire to do whatever God wants us to do. We don't have to force ourselves to think so or to want so, we naturally desire God's love and God's will in our lives. It comes with the transformation. And then we truly truly feel like God's chidlren. We feel like God's children, God's friend, God's comrad, God's princess. It depens on how our lives have been and how we view God, but the important thing is that we feel like we matter to Him. We don't just know it in our heads, we feel it.
If we go through hard times with him, then we're certainly going to go through the good times with him!
While I was going through my hard times God always promised me a bright future. He always promised me joy. This confirms it! If we go through the hard times with God there will be good times! And we can go through those good times with Him.
But sometimes the wait for those good times is tough:
Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordles sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good!
Through those hard moments God is always there beside us. And sometimes we don't know what to pray for. During the times that I had no words to express how much pain I was going throuhg or during the times where I didn't even know what I wanted, what would make me happy, or what would get me out of this, I would just sit back and sink into His presence and let my heart speak for itself. God knows me better than I know myself. And He uses that information to help me. That is what I call a true friend. So everything that happens in our life is for a good purpose.
Finally, I know I can ask God for anything because He is a loving Father and I don't have to worry about my needs because he is always there ready to fullfill my needs.
Is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us?
None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I'm absolutely convinced that nothing - nothing living or dead, or angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable - absolute nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.
This makes it even better! It doesn't have to end. I keep wondering to myself, "I feel like I've gotten so so so close to God that I can't see any other way to get any closer!" I know that nothing can separate me from God's love. No matter how many mistakes I make, no matter how many times I try to take control of my life once again, I know God is always there to love me. He always gives me a second chance. It's so overwhelming!
The good thing is that I'm not saying these things to preach. I'm sharing this because it's what I have experienced. So many have said the same as I have but haven't experieneced it. What is Christianity without spirituality? What is Christianity without a deep and intimate relationship with the Creator the Universe?
I came to realize this when I read one of Jon Foreman's (Switchfoot's frontman) blogs. He mentioned Romans 8 on the blog. I probably had already read that chapter sometime in my life but I decided to take a look at it again. As I read it, I started to realize that all I had experienced with God in the past year was all true. And it has been true for a long time, and Paul confirmed it.
In the past year my beliefs changed and I started asking a lot of questions. I started to think outside the box. I realized that Christianity today lacks Christian spirituality. That a lot of Christians spend their time telling people what they shouldn't do, and focus on their good works. It makes me wonder, if we have such an awesome God, then why not get and experience as much of Him as possible? Why do people that have grown up in a Christian home come to a point in their life where they see that it is all a routine? Why do so many Christians give up? I went throuhg a similar phase where I thought going to church was boring, that praying was boring and my spiritual life was just dead. I scared myself and asked God to revive me. Little did I know what He had in store for me.
I started asking questions and took these matters into account and I asked God for His help. I wanted Him to help me figure out the answer to these questions without any outside influence. Just me and Him. It was quite a journey. A series of unfortunate events occurred in my life and God used each and every one of those events to bring me closer to Him. As I drew closer I experience His love, I experienced the real sensation of what it feels like to walk with God. In the silence of my room late at night, I could feel God there, sitting beside my bed. As I cry and cry about the situation He comforts me. Instead of sending His angels to guard me, He Himself came down and comforted me and called me His child.
This didn't stop there. Surprisingly I started feeling Him everywhere. As if He were standing there right in front of me. I desired more of Him, and my love for Him grew and grew. There were times that I drew away from Him but He would still be waiting there for me. He would tell me things that nobody else could know, just our little secrets and we shared a lovely relationship.
The love that I did not get from my father, the lessons that my mom didn't have time to teach me, all of these things God did for me. I started to see the world in a new light. Everything carried beauty inside. Even pain. Even the pain that I was going through, trying to fight suicidal thoughts. I saw beauty in it because I let go of the control that I was trying to put into my life and surrendered to him. It was hard because I couldn't see past the darkness, I felt wobbly and unsure. But God always took care of me. Sometimes I thought to myself wether I was making it up, and I doubted sometimes. But He was always there.
When I read Romans 8, I just cried. I have to admit that my devotional times do not comprise of mostly Bible reading. I spend most of my time either praying or writing in my journal. I pray because I'm talking to God and I tell him about my day. I write in my journal so I can sort out my feelings and be able to balance my emotions that are originally unbalanced and a confused mess. Through the journal I am able to analyze how I really feel (I'm not able to do that with clarity instantly due to some emotional problems) and I talk to God about how I feel. But the shortest time is spent reading the Bible. I don't know if that is bad or not but it works well for me. So I haven't really done much extensive Bible reading on my devotions except for the fact that I'm reading some OT books and read some psalms of praise every now and then. That is why I was so amazed at Romans 8. I experienced it, then it was confirmed. All my doubts of "could this be true" vanished. It really was God. I'll share some of my favorite parts of the chapter. The version is The Message so I'm not going to put the verses.
The law ended up being used as a Band-Aid on sin instead of a deep healing of it.
This is kind of like the questions I asked. Why do so many Christians end up focusing on what should be done and forget about the intimacy that we can share with God?
Those who trust God's action in them find that God's Spirit is in them - living and breathing God.
When I let go of the control that I had in my life (not trying to do good works to impress my mom or the pastor, trying to decided my fate of wether I should die right now or not) I let God take action. And when I did that, He showed Himself and I felt His presence everywhere.
Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end: attention to God leads us out into the open into a spacious free life.
When we hold on to the control in our lives we are really thinking about ourselves. About what makes US feel comfortable. We want to know that we are exactly in the right path with God an we obsess with it in such a way that we end up forgetting to just rest and let God transform us. We can't do good works forever without a transformation of our hearts. Because sooner or later we tire and end up leaving God because we get bored. But if we continually renew our minds and let God change us and do the work through us then we find ourselves feeling free! At first it is a very queasy and different feeling. It actually feels the opposite of freedom. This happens because we WANT control but we know its not good for us so we hand it over to God, but then again we want it so bad but refrain from taking over because we know its not good. So its a constant inner battle, but after the beginning stages we experience God's love and a feeling of peace and freedom.
you yourself experience life in God's terms.
not in our own terms.
This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave tending life. It's adventurously expectant, greeting God witha child like "What's next, Papa?" God's Spirit touches, our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is and we know who we are. Father and children.
Soon enough we experience a great desire to do whatever God wants us to do. We don't have to force ourselves to think so or to want so, we naturally desire God's love and God's will in our lives. It comes with the transformation. And then we truly truly feel like God's chidlren. We feel like God's children, God's friend, God's comrad, God's princess. It depens on how our lives have been and how we view God, but the important thing is that we feel like we matter to Him. We don't just know it in our heads, we feel it.
If we go through hard times with him, then we're certainly going to go through the good times with him!
While I was going through my hard times God always promised me a bright future. He always promised me joy. This confirms it! If we go through the hard times with God there will be good times! And we can go through those good times with Him.
But sometimes the wait for those good times is tough:
Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordles sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good!
Through those hard moments God is always there beside us. And sometimes we don't know what to pray for. During the times that I had no words to express how much pain I was going throuhg or during the times where I didn't even know what I wanted, what would make me happy, or what would get me out of this, I would just sit back and sink into His presence and let my heart speak for itself. God knows me better than I know myself. And He uses that information to help me. That is what I call a true friend. So everything that happens in our life is for a good purpose.
Finally, I know I can ask God for anything because He is a loving Father and I don't have to worry about my needs because he is always there ready to fullfill my needs.
Is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us?
None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I'm absolutely convinced that nothing - nothing living or dead, or angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable - absolute nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.
This makes it even better! It doesn't have to end. I keep wondering to myself, "I feel like I've gotten so so so close to God that I can't see any other way to get any closer!" I know that nothing can separate me from God's love. No matter how many mistakes I make, no matter how many times I try to take control of my life once again, I know God is always there to love me. He always gives me a second chance. It's so overwhelming!
The good thing is that I'm not saying these things to preach. I'm sharing this because it's what I have experienced. So many have said the same as I have but haven't experieneced it. What is Christianity without spirituality? What is Christianity without a deep and intimate relationship with the Creator the Universe?
Saturday, June 16, 2007
In Over My Head
Lately, a lot of things have been confusing for me. I am at a place where I am trying to find myself and find where I really am, what I want to do, what my beliefs and values are, where I stand in society amongst other things. It gets tough sometimes because you think you know something and then find out its a lie or something happens to contradict it. It's in those times when I think of God. He is the only one that I can really hold on to. A few days ago I purchased (well, my mom did anyway) one of Reubens Morgan's solo albums called World Through Your Eyes. It is an amazing album with great songs that help me worship God. Reuben Morgan has written a lot of the finest worship songs like "My Redeemer Lives" and "I Give You My Heart." But there is one song that he wrote called "In Over My Head" which is a new song (relatively) and it describes my situation perfectly.
In Over My Head
by Reuben Morgan
The world is all changing
I can't believe my own eyes
The moment I think
I've figured it out
I am flawed
I'm not so sure
Of myself this time
I'm in over my head
And all I have is you now
I'm in over my ehad
And all I am is holding on to you
I can't see the way now
But this one thing I know
When everything's changing
You're still closer than a friend
And so I will bow
And my heart will trust
I'm in over my head
And all I have is you now
I'm in over my head
And all I am is holding on to you
I'll never let you go
I'm in over my head
And all I am is you now
I'm in over my head
And all I have, all I have
Is holding on to you
peace out for now!
In Over My Head
by Reuben Morgan
The world is all changing
I can't believe my own eyes
The moment I think
I've figured it out
I am flawed
I'm not so sure
Of myself this time
I'm in over my head
And all I have is you now
I'm in over my ehad
And all I am is holding on to you
I can't see the way now
But this one thing I know
When everything's changing
You're still closer than a friend
And so I will bow
And my heart will trust
I'm in over my head
And all I have is you now
I'm in over my head
And all I am is holding on to you
I'll never let you go
I'm in over my head
And all I am is you now
I'm in over my head
And all I have, all I have
Is holding on to you
peace out for now!
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
The King Of The Universe
Today for devotions I prayed in a different way. I wrote a letter to God.
Dear God,
I haven't talked to you like this in a long time. But let's give it a try. How are you? I'm sure you are feeling a bunch of of emotions at the same time because you deal with everyone in the world at the same time. 7 billion emotions?! Wow! I would never take that. I would explode like Peter Petrelli (Heroes)! But you are God so that doesn't matter. You have been really good to me lately. Giving me music to cheer me up (yesterday I bought some new cds), sitting by my bedside every night rocking me to sleep, sending your angels, and now YOU, Yourself sit down while I'm sleeping and guard me. God Himself. Wow. I feel very special when I'm around you. I feel loved. I feel like its just you and me. And average human being with the King Of the Universe. I feel like a princess when I'm around you. Yes, you are my Father and my Friend. When my dad forsaked me, you never did. When my mom stopped listening to me, you never did. I can't even explain how happy that makes me. Even when I thought you were gone, you would yell, "Hey! I'm here! I never left, and I never will." I want to thank you for being with me. I want to thank you for not letting me go. And for putting up with my silly fits. You never cease to amaze me. And I know that whatever comes my way, I can trust my Daddy. The Kind of The Universe.
It sounds like a child wrote this. Well, in my heart I am still a child. Despite my problems I am glad that I can write something like this. I feel free and I have felt free this past year. How? Well, God is amazing. I even made a Meez .
This is how free I am :
This reminds me of the times when I was a kid and I would always go on the tire swing at school. That was the last time I remember feeling really free. And thankfully, despite everything that's going on right now, I feel exactly like I felt then.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Listen
Listen is a song that I love. It is featured on the movie Dream Girls (with Beyoncé Knowles, Eddie Murphy, Jamie Foxx, Anika Nina Rose, and Jennifer Hudson) and it absolutely describes the situation I am in. I feel like I am not being heard. That my thoughts and opinions don't matter. I feel that I have to do whatever I am told to, to live well, and that my dreams and values are just going to be stripped away. I wish people would just listen. Listen to what I have to say. The song is performed by the beautiful Beyoncé. Here are the lyrics:
Listen
To the song here in my heart
A melody I start but can't complete
Listen
To the sound from deep within
It's only beginning to find release
Oh the time has come for my dreams to be heard
They will not be pushed aside and turned I
nto your own all 'cause you won't listen
Listen
I am alone at a crossroads
I'm not at home in my own home
And I've tried and tried to say what's on my mind
You should have known - Oh
Now I'm done believing you
You don't know what I'm feeling
I'm more than what you made of me
I followed the voice you gave to me
But now I've gotta find my own
You should have listened
There is someone here inside
Someone I thought had died so long ago
Oh, I'm screaming out and my dreams will be heard
They will not be pushed aside or worse**
Into your own all 'cause you won't listen
Listen I am alone at a crossroads
I'm not at home in my own home
And I've tried and tried to say what's on my mind
You should have know
Oh, now I'm done believing you
You don't know what I'm feeling
I'm more than what you made of me
I followed the voice you gave to me
But now I've gotta find my own
I don't know where I belong
But I'll be moving on
If you don't, if you won't
Listen
To the song here in my heart
A melody I start
But I will complete - Oh
Now I'm done believing you
You dont know what I'm feeling
I'm more than what you made of me
I followed the voice you think you gave to me
But now I gotta find my own
My own
Here is the video.
I would also like to share with you another video by a band that I recently discovered (today actually). Jamie posted this video on myspace but I didn't pay too much attention to it. But I watched it today. It's by a band called Between The Trees and this song is about cutting and hurt and pain and depression. They are huge supporters of TWLOHA and I think they have an awesome sound and they are just AMAZING! :D Hopefully I'll be able to get some more of their music and know more about them.
that's it for today folks! :D
Monday, May 21, 2007
You're Special! and some secrets...
Last Friday at our chapel (hosted by our 7th and 8th graders....I'm so proud of you!!!) they talked about being special. Lately I haven't been feeling so special and have been sinking into some sort of depression. I really need to talk to someone but I don't know who to talk to. Meanwhile, God is my refuge and He is my counsellor for now but He said He would find someone for me. I don't know who but I'll be patient and God will help me find someone to talk to. Our administrator handed us some flyers about being special. I see this as from God's point of view but you can always pass these words to a friend from you.
You mean a lot to me.
I want to understand you.
You were created on purpose.
You were created for a purpose.
I believe in you and your future.
You're smart in many ways.
You're quite a thinker.
You're responsible.
I'm proud of you.
I'll listen to you.
You're talented.
You're a miracle.
You're precious.
You're valuable.
You're unique.
I respect you.
I enjoy you.
I trust you.
You Are Special.
At the time it wasn't such a big deal for me but now that I re-read it, I see that God really does find me to be someone special and I feel glad and happy that He thinks of me like that! In my own eyes I think of myself as a horrible person who doesn't deserve anything good but through God's eyes I find myself to be, everything that He thinks I am. He made me into who I am and He doesn't make mistakes. I find my self-confidence and my self-love in Him. I'll get through this. With His help I can do anything. Jamie from TWLOHA has been a great inspiration for me these past few days as I re-read the emails and myspace blogs that he posts. He's a very cool guy and admits that he himself has had problems with depression in the past years and that he is talking to someone. I am surrounded with depressive situations and it's hard on me. I'm not up to the point of being suicidal, but the pain of feeling alone and worthless is great. I feel like dark forces surround me, haunting me with degrading thoughts about myself. At night I am in constant battle. But I always look to Jesus and look to the cross. In times like those I pray to Him and I know that He sits at the corner of my bed and that He sends his archangels to guard me. Ok. I gotta make a pause. When I came here to do my regular posting I never thought that I would end up saying this much so I might as well continue. It feels good to let these things out. I know that there aren't millions of people reading this blog, just a few that I can trust with my secrets which aren't really secrets. So, anyways, as I was saying....God is there to guard me constantly and I completely trust Him.
At the beginning of this year, on New Year's God told me that this would be a very hard year for me and that I would go through a lot of troubles but it would only be used to strengthen me. I kind of forgot of what He said and haven't remembered until now. It was a horrible New Year's and this year hasn't been the best. But a few months later He promised me this:
So you'll go out in joy, you'll be led into a whole and complete life. The mountains and hills will lead the parade, bursting with song. All the trees of the forest will join the procession, exuberant with applause.
Isaiah 55:12 [The Message]
I always keep this verse in my head, especially the part about me going out in joy. Of course it might not mean happiness but joy is fine too. I truly believe things are going to get better. The road to recovery, from whatever kind of problems that we face, is not an easy one. I can garantuee that it is not an easy one. It's hard and there are a lot of tears, rage, bitterness, guilt, and other feelings that I could go on and on with. But I always have faith and have hope and believe that God will help me through this.
How else am I going to heal from the wounds that were punctured in my heart with a knife when we had to leave my dad's home when I was 6? How can I recover from the times that I didnt not have a dad to wish "Happy Father's Day" to? It hits hard and it hurts but I will come out of this with strength and perseverance.
When there are times when I get afraid that the thoughts in my head will turn suicidal or that I'll lose what I most value in life, or when I get scared of the problems that lie ahead and ponder wether I really will make it through, I think of this verse that follows:
Your fears are for nothing. I'm on your side.
Jeremiah 42:11b
I also think of my favorite Bible character Jeremiah. If you really look into the book of Jeremiah (my favorite book) and look into Jeremiah's personality you see that he was a little bit like me. Insecure, no ability to lead, depressed man, shunned, hated, afraid and yet he did what God told Him to do and God used Him in so many ways! This man is a great inspiration to me because he was afraid like I am and he was down and under like I am, gosh, he even wrote and entire set of poems of lamentations (Lamentations of Jeremiah)! But he persevered and is great example today!
So these were a few of the verses and promises that God is using in my life and that He can use in yours too! Don't despair! He will send His angels to guard you and to keep you, actually He himself will come down and sit next to you and give you a big hug! Maybe a pat on the back for a great job that you did and He will shower you with His love and with His words of wisdom. He is my best friend and I grow closer to Him everyday. Maybe that's why I'm going through this, to get closer to Him. Then I thank Him, not for my problems or the things that I'm going through but for the outcome of it. For my reaction, that I was able to turn to Him instead of against Him.
I'd like to share with you some of the stuff that Jamie (TWLOHA) wrote (I "bolded" some of the stuff that I can relate to or feel is important for this issue):
I want to thank you for the encouraging response to the previous blog. It was certainly the most vulnerable writing I've done since TWLOHA began, and I really wasn't sure how people would respond. Thank you for allowing me to be honest, and thank you always for your encouragement.
On so many levels, the Anberlin tour was an absolute success. Seven weeks of sold-out shows all over the country. We met so many people, had so many great conversations. It was more than a privilege to speak before Anberlin's set each night, to talk about pain and hope in such a unique setting, and to introduce my talented friends.
But I also want to be honest in saying that for me personally, the last month has been a painful one, maybe the hardest of my life. My Easter morning felt more like dying than redemption. I came home to something like a death. And letting go has never come easy for me.
My dad said to me today at lunch, that for some people, letting go comes easy. But, he said, we are the holders on. It is true. Hope has always come easy for me.
And dreaming. Mine is the hopeful heart. Letting go is the difficult thing. Change. These days I'm in, this is something like a surgery.
I spent last week in Puerto Rico on vacation. I have been a surfer since I could stand but I lost that somewhere in the busyness of recent years. My heart grew busy, and busyness is so dangerous in the way it quietly steals. We end up cutting the most important corners. We take for granted the ones we're supposed to love the most. I went to Puerto Rico to begin again. I surfed more last week than I surfed all of last year. And I wrote 12,000 words, which is more than I've written in the last year as well. It is important to remember who we are. It is important to come back to what is true. And it is important to talk to people.
Yesterday was a significant day for me. Yesterday, for the first time in my life, I sat across from a counselor and I talked about my life. There is a certain irony in the fact that I have spent much of the last year saying "It's important to talk about these things. It's important to get help" - I have said that on stages and in interviews - and yet, yesterday was the first time I've ever done that in my own life.
I talked and I listened and I cried, and all of it felt important. And I will be back next week, and the following week... I want to understand. I want to fight for change. I want to learn to let go. I want to be who I was created to be.
I say all of this to say that if there are broken things in your life, you are not alone. And I want to encourage you, now from my own experience, to talk to a counselor. To get the help you need. It is such a liberating thing to sit across from someone who understands, and to be honest.
You don't have to go it alone. That is the great lie, pain asking always for silence. The truth is that there are people all over the world that have devoted themselves to understanding problems of pain, and to meeting such needs. All across America, in the city you live, or somewhere closeby.
The difficult thing is to take those first steps, to be willing to find that door to knock on, and then to be willing to knock. Ask someone to go with you, to help you begin that journey. Or be such a person, one who walks with people in need.
That's all for now. Thank you, for reading this, for being a people interested in honesty. Thank you for caring.
Oh, one last thing, my sister Emily is watching the movie Brick as I type this. Brick is one of my favorite movies. In some ways, it is my favorite. The lead character's name is Brendan and he is not big or strong, but his heart is good, and Brendan refuses fear. The entire movie is Brendan running after love and justice – they do belong together - and even when there is nothing in it for him, you see Brendan so committed to these things, that it is as if he forgets to be afraid. It is something beautiful to see.
Peace to you.
jamie
PS: Pieces of two songs that I find comfort in:
(Dreamlife by Sleeping at Last)
You mean a lot to me.
I want to understand you.
You were created on purpose.
You were created for a purpose.
I believe in you and your future.
You're smart in many ways.
You're quite a thinker.
You're responsible.
I'm proud of you.
I'll listen to you.
You're talented.
You're a miracle.
You're precious.
You're valuable.
You're unique.
I respect you.
I enjoy you.
I trust you.
You Are Special.
At the time it wasn't such a big deal for me but now that I re-read it, I see that God really does find me to be someone special and I feel glad and happy that He thinks of me like that! In my own eyes I think of myself as a horrible person who doesn't deserve anything good but through God's eyes I find myself to be, everything that He thinks I am. He made me into who I am and He doesn't make mistakes. I find my self-confidence and my self-love in Him. I'll get through this. With His help I can do anything. Jamie from TWLOHA has been a great inspiration for me these past few days as I re-read the emails and myspace blogs that he posts. He's a very cool guy and admits that he himself has had problems with depression in the past years and that he is talking to someone. I am surrounded with depressive situations and it's hard on me. I'm not up to the point of being suicidal, but the pain of feeling alone and worthless is great. I feel like dark forces surround me, haunting me with degrading thoughts about myself. At night I am in constant battle. But I always look to Jesus and look to the cross. In times like those I pray to Him and I know that He sits at the corner of my bed and that He sends his archangels to guard me. Ok. I gotta make a pause. When I came here to do my regular posting I never thought that I would end up saying this much so I might as well continue. It feels good to let these things out. I know that there aren't millions of people reading this blog, just a few that I can trust with my secrets which aren't really secrets. So, anyways, as I was saying....God is there to guard me constantly and I completely trust Him.
At the beginning of this year, on New Year's God told me that this would be a very hard year for me and that I would go through a lot of troubles but it would only be used to strengthen me. I kind of forgot of what He said and haven't remembered until now. It was a horrible New Year's and this year hasn't been the best. But a few months later He promised me this:
So you'll go out in joy, you'll be led into a whole and complete life. The mountains and hills will lead the parade, bursting with song. All the trees of the forest will join the procession, exuberant with applause.
Isaiah 55:12 [The Message]
I always keep this verse in my head, especially the part about me going out in joy. Of course it might not mean happiness but joy is fine too. I truly believe things are going to get better. The road to recovery, from whatever kind of problems that we face, is not an easy one. I can garantuee that it is not an easy one. It's hard and there are a lot of tears, rage, bitterness, guilt, and other feelings that I could go on and on with. But I always have faith and have hope and believe that God will help me through this.
How else am I going to heal from the wounds that were punctured in my heart with a knife when we had to leave my dad's home when I was 6? How can I recover from the times that I didnt not have a dad to wish "Happy Father's Day" to? It hits hard and it hurts but I will come out of this with strength and perseverance.
When there are times when I get afraid that the thoughts in my head will turn suicidal or that I'll lose what I most value in life, or when I get scared of the problems that lie ahead and ponder wether I really will make it through, I think of this verse that follows:
Your fears are for nothing. I'm on your side.
Jeremiah 42:11b
I also think of my favorite Bible character Jeremiah. If you really look into the book of Jeremiah (my favorite book) and look into Jeremiah's personality you see that he was a little bit like me. Insecure, no ability to lead, depressed man, shunned, hated, afraid and yet he did what God told Him to do and God used Him in so many ways! This man is a great inspiration to me because he was afraid like I am and he was down and under like I am, gosh, he even wrote and entire set of poems of lamentations (Lamentations of Jeremiah)! But he persevered and is great example today!
So these were a few of the verses and promises that God is using in my life and that He can use in yours too! Don't despair! He will send His angels to guard you and to keep you, actually He himself will come down and sit next to you and give you a big hug! Maybe a pat on the back for a great job that you did and He will shower you with His love and with His words of wisdom. He is my best friend and I grow closer to Him everyday. Maybe that's why I'm going through this, to get closer to Him. Then I thank Him, not for my problems or the things that I'm going through but for the outcome of it. For my reaction, that I was able to turn to Him instead of against Him.
I'd like to share with you some of the stuff that Jamie (TWLOHA) wrote (I "bolded" some of the stuff that I can relate to or feel is important for this issue):
I want to thank you for the encouraging response to the previous blog. It was certainly the most vulnerable writing I've done since TWLOHA began, and I really wasn't sure how people would respond. Thank you for allowing me to be honest, and thank you always for your encouragement.
On so many levels, the Anberlin tour was an absolute success. Seven weeks of sold-out shows all over the country. We met so many people, had so many great conversations. It was more than a privilege to speak before Anberlin's set each night, to talk about pain and hope in such a unique setting, and to introduce my talented friends.
But I also want to be honest in saying that for me personally, the last month has been a painful one, maybe the hardest of my life. My Easter morning felt more like dying than redemption. I came home to something like a death. And letting go has never come easy for me.
My dad said to me today at lunch, that for some people, letting go comes easy. But, he said, we are the holders on. It is true. Hope has always come easy for me.
And dreaming. Mine is the hopeful heart. Letting go is the difficult thing. Change. These days I'm in, this is something like a surgery.
I spent last week in Puerto Rico on vacation. I have been a surfer since I could stand but I lost that somewhere in the busyness of recent years. My heart grew busy, and busyness is so dangerous in the way it quietly steals. We end up cutting the most important corners. We take for granted the ones we're supposed to love the most. I went to Puerto Rico to begin again. I surfed more last week than I surfed all of last year. And I wrote 12,000 words, which is more than I've written in the last year as well. It is important to remember who we are. It is important to come back to what is true. And it is important to talk to people.
Yesterday was a significant day for me. Yesterday, for the first time in my life, I sat across from a counselor and I talked about my life. There is a certain irony in the fact that I have spent much of the last year saying "It's important to talk about these things. It's important to get help" - I have said that on stages and in interviews - and yet, yesterday was the first time I've ever done that in my own life.
I talked and I listened and I cried, and all of it felt important. And I will be back next week, and the following week... I want to understand. I want to fight for change. I want to learn to let go. I want to be who I was created to be.
I say all of this to say that if there are broken things in your life, you are not alone. And I want to encourage you, now from my own experience, to talk to a counselor. To get the help you need. It is such a liberating thing to sit across from someone who understands, and to be honest.
You don't have to go it alone. That is the great lie, pain asking always for silence. The truth is that there are people all over the world that have devoted themselves to understanding problems of pain, and to meeting such needs. All across America, in the city you live, or somewhere closeby.
The difficult thing is to take those first steps, to be willing to find that door to knock on, and then to be willing to knock. Ask someone to go with you, to help you begin that journey. Or be such a person, one who walks with people in need.
That's all for now. Thank you, for reading this, for being a people interested in honesty. Thank you for caring.
Oh, one last thing, my sister Emily is watching the movie Brick as I type this. Brick is one of my favorite movies. In some ways, it is my favorite. The lead character's name is Brendan and he is not big or strong, but his heart is good, and Brendan refuses fear. The entire movie is Brendan running after love and justice – they do belong together - and even when there is nothing in it for him, you see Brendan so committed to these things, that it is as if he forgets to be afraid. It is something beautiful to see.
Peace to you.
jamie
PS: Pieces of two songs that I find comfort in:
(Dreamlife by Sleeping at Last)
Crooked mouth, quiet down
Let your fists come undone Miscarried love will be reborn
When we sleep,
The devil's arms are tied
The war that we're fighting Has already been won…
(Everything Starts Where it Ends by Lovedrug)
Wake up, you're alive
We're on your side
Wake up, you're alive
We're on your side
Wake up, you're alive
We're on your side
Wake up,
you're alive
That was from the email that was sent awhile back. Now for the lastest myspace post:
I've shared over the last couple weeks that this is a difficult season for me personally. That is still very much the case. I just want to share a little bit of what I am learning in this journey. First, I want to mention faith. I have not written much about faith over the last year. I wrestle with it (writing about it), as I believe that the language of the things I believe has, in many ways, been abused - the word "christian" means many different things to many different people. Something that I have considered over the last year is the idea of learning a new language, presenting hope and truth in a way that is inviting, in a way that does not feel like an alternative universe/club/industry with separate music, separate stores, separate festivals (This alternative universe does exist, and it is mostly strange to me...)
I have felt since the beginning that TWLOHA would attempt to walk a unique road. TWLOHA's goal has been, and is, to meet people where they are, without judgement, without religion. We are a project for broken people, led by broken people. We have aimed to create something safe, something hopeful, something comfortable. We have aimed to present hope, to encourage, to educate, and to see needs met - to see people step into the help they need, and to inspire others to walk alongside them.
All of that said, I have been reminded recently, in my own journey, that I cannot imagine my life - I cannot imagine walking through the pain of these moments - without my faith in God. Beyond faith, it is a relationship, with Jesus. There is a sense lately that He is with me, that I am not alone in these moments, that He is there in the mornings when the storms come through, and He is there in the night when I cannot sleep. He is there in the day when my eyes fill with tears.
A beautiful way that all of this comes to life is through community. It is not simply me alone with God, but I am finding love and support, hours of encouragement and conversation, in a community of people who see the world through this same lens that I do, this idea of a bigger picture, a redemption story being written since the dawn of time.
We were not meant to be alone. We were meant to live in community. We were meant to walk with people, to be known, to be challenged, to be held accountable, to be loved and encouraged. We see God's love expressed in all of this.
I have been deeply encouraged and impacted over the last week by a series of talks from Mars Hill (church) in Grand Rapids. My favorite teacher is a guy there named Rob Bell. (Rob's brother Jon has become a dear friend to me, but I can't really say that I know Rob, although Rob did give me a hug when I was there this weekend, and that made me smile.) Anyway... I want to encourage you to travel to the land of iTunes... Podcast.... Mars Hill Bible Church.... it's the one in Grand Rapids, MI (there is another good one in Seattle, but that's not the one I'm writing about at the moment)....the talks I'm writing about are the ones between March 4 and April 9, April 9 being Easter.
I was encouraged by the Easter talk about a week ago but the one I want to focus on right now is the talk from March 11. It's called "Leaving Control for Faith". I listened to this talk just before lunch, after a difficult morning. (In seasons such as this one, mornings have always been the hardest for me.) Anyway, I want to share with you the notes that I took from the talk... And remember, I don't deserve much credit - all I did was take notes. Credit goes to Rob (and God). (And remember, you should download this one!)
"Leaving Control for Faith" Talk by Rob Bell. 3/11/07 - Mars Hill
"Leaving Control for Faith" Talk by Rob Bell. 3/11/07 - Mars Hill
Life is not predictable. We do not have control. We try to put people in boxes. We try to fit people into our plans, the way we think things should look. We want guarantees.
God only gives us enough for today.
There is much we can't control. There are some things we can control.
A guy named Moses is asked by God to do a huge thing. Moses responds by basically saying "
"You've got the wrong guy. Please send someone else." Moses accepts the calling and spends the next 40 years leading God's people out of Egypt. He suffers greatly. His dream is to lead them to the Promised Land.
Inititially, we see Moses respond with complete indifference towards the people he's asked to lead. But by the end he is saying "I would give my life for these people."
Moses works for 40 years, gives his life to leading these people, and God takes him to the top of a mountain, where for the first time, he sees the Promised Land. Moses can literally see his dream. And it's here that God tells Moses, "This is as close as you're going to get. You're going to die now."
You can't control what breaks, but you can control the kind of person you're becoming. Hard hearts that transform into hearts that beat for the things that God's heart beats for.
We control our response.
We control our response.
It is easy to say, "Life could have been so much easier... Life could have been so much better." We look back and see a straighter path, but the truth is that we are shaped in the places where our path twists and turns. We are shaped in the long journey. There are no guarantees from God, except that He will go with us.
Who have you been trying to control? It is time to surrender that person.
Do you live with untold anxiety? Are you waiting for the 6-month plan?
All we get is today. God is with us on this journey. Always.
Let go.
Rob Bell closed with these words:"Jesus says 'Follow me' and He doesn't say much more.
May you be okay with the journey. May you identify, with the spirit of God leading you, what you can control and what you can't. May you surrender what you cannot control to the God of the universe.
May you be okay with the journey. May you identify, with the spirit of God leading you, what you can control and what you can't. May you surrender what you cannot control to the God of the universe.
May you ask yourself: 'What is it that I can control?' 'Who is the person that God is inviting me to become?"
End of Notes.
(back to jamie writing)
I am being asked to let go of a dream, the thing that I would trade everything for. It is an awful surgery, and I can't honestly say that I've even begun to let go. The truth is that all I can do is work on becoming the best man that I can be, the man that I was created to be. Counseling on mondays, deconstructing and reconstructing my life. Making room in my heart for things to grow and bloom and breathe, and then fighting to protect it. Choosing a life of community, where I am loving and loved, knowing and known. Fighting for change... If there is breath in my lungs, then I am asked to love God and love people. And all that I can know for sure is that I do not go alone, that God is with me, that He loves me, and that He is in control.
Peace to you.jamie
PS: Below are lyrics to a wonderful song called "Show the Way", by a guy named David Wilcox.
You say you see no hope, you say you see no reason we should dream
That the world would ever change
You're saying love is foolish to believe
'Cause there'll always be some crazy with an army or a knife
To wake you from your day dream, put the fear back in your life...
Look, if someone wrote a play just to glorify
What's stronger than hate, would they not arrange the stage
To look as if the hero came too late he's almost in defeat
It's looking like the Evil side will win, so on the Edge
Of every seat, from the moment that the whole thing begins
It is...Love who makes the mortar
And it's love who stacked these stones
And it's love who made the stage here
Although it looks like we're alone
In this scene set in shadows
Like the night is here to stay
There is evil cast around us
But it's love that wrote the play...
For in this darkness love can show the way
So now the stage is set.
Feel you own heart beatingIn your chest.
This life's not over yet.
so we get up on our feet and do our best.
We play against the fear.
We play against the reasons not to try.
We're playing for the tears burning in the happy angel's eyes
For it's...Love who makes the mortar
And it's love who stacked these stones
And it's love who made the stage here
Although it looks like we're alone
In this scene set in shadows
Like the night is here to stay
There is evil cast around us
But it's love that wrote the play...
For in this darkness, love can show the way
Yet another inspirational post by Jamie. I love this guy. He's amazing. I was going to buy myself some TWLOHA t-shirts but my wallet was stolen along with my money so I'll have to wait for another time.
But anyways, my point is: We have to learn to let go of everything and start over with a new beginning and a fresh start. It's important to do this with some kind of faith in something. Wether you believe in God or not. But there is a way out and there is hope.
So awhile back I finished a book called Secrets about Guys [that shouldn't be sectret]" by Grace Dove. So I'll be posting a "secret" every once in awhile and the guys that read this can confirm it or whatever.....so here is Secret #1:
I guess this is more directed towards Christian guys...?
Guys Appreciate Modesty.
Sure, it's hard to believe that guys prefer modesty. Every day we're bombarded with messages that scream just the opposite.
If physical attraction is your sole bait for luring a guy, you'll only feel secure with him as long sa you look provocative.
Though guys are easily attracted by your appearance, they are majorly attracted by your personality.
A guy's first impression of a girl comes from the way she's dressed.
Eighty-six percent commented that girls wear tops that are too revealing!
(the comments....)
"God has blessed girls with beauty inside and out. It's not necessary for them to reveal their body-or portions of it-to entice."
"Put some clothes!"
"It's not all about what you wear that we like-it's your heart and personality."
"I wish girls knew what dressing immodestly is really a stumbling block for guys."
"Please dress modestly. Some girls wear extremely tight clothes and it actually turns guys off. We want girls to be women of God, not lust magnest.!"
"I wish women would try to attract men with their godly character, integrity and class, not just with their looks."
going back to what she was saying:
Sometimes, you are showing details you may not intend!
She writes a bunch of more stuff but I'm tired of typing already. Obviously not all guys are like she lists them but this book was intended for Christian girls and I assume that Christian girls would want to date Christian guys.
Anyways, that's all for today peeps. It was a big post but whatevah....I write a lot. :D
Monday, April 23, 2007
In the hard times....
In the hard times I remember this:
I'll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen. When you come looking for me, you'll find me. Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I'll make sure you won't be disappointed. I'll turn things around for you. I'll bring you back from all the countries into which I drove you. You can count on it.
Though I may be going through some hard times right now, I trust that God will take care of me and my family and He won't let us down. Whatever He chooses to do will be for our good.
Despite all of this God, I still love you.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
So many things happened this past week!!!!!
Monday was my birthday! I'm 15 now!!! :D
I got the new Hillsong United album and I loved it! It's their best yet I think. :D
and tons of other things....but just wanted to drop a short note and keep this blog going....
take care everyone!
(hehe, like people even read this blog...:D)
I got the new Hillsong United album and I loved it! It's their best yet I think. :D
and tons of other things....but just wanted to drop a short note and keep this blog going....
take care everyone!
(hehe, like people even read this blog...:D)
Saturday, April 14, 2007
My Switchfoot "Conversion" Story.
I would like to share with you the story that practically started a huge change in my life.I was born in Angola and moved to Portugal when I was 3. Growing up in an Angolan household is something that I cherish. The kind of music that I listened to would be african music. Mostly the good 'ol "kizomba" or "kuduru." It was fun. Along with that I would listen to african influenced music like hip hop and R&B. I hated rock. It wasn't really my style of music.
After 5 years of attending an American school in Cascais, I moved to a new American school. The people there had a very different taste of music. A lot of them listened to a lot of 'heavy ' stuff, not too heavy, more like the mild heavy metal. But they also listened to a lot of alternative rock. Something that I hadn't been introduced to, since I listened (out of peer pressure) to things like Linkin Park or Evanescence. The only thing closer to that was Hillsong, which I love ever since I was 9. So I started paying attention to the bands that my friends mentioned.
Because this school didnt have their own transportation, my sister and I took rides with my friend's dad everyday. My friend's dad would always listen to 80's rock, something I didnt like at the time but learned to over the course of the years. Due to the fact that I didnt like it at the time, I would always take my Discman (I know, it sounds so old and it was only 2 years ago!) to the car and listened to my own cd's.
After 5 years of attending an American school in Cascais, I moved to a new American school. The people there had a very different taste of music. A lot of them listened to a lot of 'heavy ' stuff, not too heavy, more like the mild heavy metal. But they also listened to a lot of alternative rock. Something that I hadn't been introduced to, since I listened (out of peer pressure) to things like Linkin Park or Evanescence. The only thing closer to that was Hillsong, which I love ever since I was 9. So I started paying attention to the bands that my friends mentioned.
Because this school didnt have their own transportation, my sister and I took rides with my friend's dad everyday. My friend's dad would always listen to 80's rock, something I didnt like at the time but learned to over the course of the years. Due to the fact that I didnt like it at the time, I would always take my Discman (I know, it sounds so old and it was only 2 years ago!) to the car and listened to my own cd's.
One day, I was listening to a song by Mary Mary. When the song ended, obviously, there was a break between the ending and the beginning of the next song. During that break I heard a man's voice powerfully singing:
I dare you to move!
I dare you to move!
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor!
I dare you to move!
I dare you to move!
I dare you to move!
I dare you to move!
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor!
I dare you to move!
I dare you to move!
Like today...never happened!
Today...never happened, before.
Today...never happened, before.
I immediately turned my Discman off and listened carefully to the rest of the song. I was captivated by this man and I remember thinking, "I need to know who they are!" Back then I was an extremely shy girl, so I didn't bother to ask who the band was.
The following week the record played everyday for a week. In the 30 minute period of going to school I listened to the first 8 songs of the record and rarely to the last 3.
I was so determined to find out who the band was but I was way too shy! So one day when my ride arrived at school to pick us up, I made sure that I was the first one in the car before anyone else! When I got there, I sat on the front seat and opened the glove compartment (risky! I know!). I looked for a cd that would sound like the songs I heard. Then I saw a cd that read: The Beautiful Letdwon. I knew it was that one because I had heard the song various times. I looked at the name of the band : Switchfoot. I quickly wrote it down and stuck it in my bagpack. Then we headed home.
I went online and googled them. I was really excited and passionate about this new band and I wanted to know a lot about them. That week seemed to be God-driven or something because I encoutered Switchfoot in the most random places! When we were at our youth meeting at my old youth pastor's home, he played the Switchfoot: Live In San Diego. I was amazed at how good they were live!!! (and they are even better today!). Again, I didn't want to ask him if I could borrow it because I had asked him if I could borrow some other dvds and I felt bad.
But that same week my friend lent me their third album Learning To Breathe. I asked my youth pastor if he could burn it for me and that Sunday, not only did he burn Learning to Breathe but he burned The Beautiful Letdown for me! (since there wasnt enough room in the cd, he didnt put the last three songs of the album: "On Fire", "Adding To The Noise", and "Twenty-Four". Those were the songs that I hadnt listened to enough yet, I had listened to them maybe twice. Instead he put "Monday Comes Around" an extra song.)
The following week, I left for the choir trip. I had a hard time at the choir trip because I was feeling kind of lonely and my crush was starting to hook up with this girl which later became his girlfriend. It was a hard time but everytime I was sad I would always pray to God and after that listen to some Switchfoot. Switchfoot really helped me through those tough moments. The reason why I connected with their music so much was because I at the same time connected with God. And it was a different feeling because it wasnt just random worship music, it wasn't explicit about Jesus, but yet I could see the spirituality in it and felt closer to God.
After the trip, it was going to be my birthday. My youth pastor burned the Switchfoot Live In San Diego for me. It was my favorite birthday present!!! :D I had my birthday party on the 25 of April (my birthday is on the 16th). I was turning 13 and really excited about it!
I had fun with my friends and after the party I listened to Switchfoot, of course.
I had fun with my friends and after the party I listened to Switchfoot, of course.
The next night (April 26th, BIG DAY!) while I was googling switchfoot (I was practically obsessed with them), I decided that maybe I should become a fan. So I got a see-through plastic box, printed switchfoot pictures and taped them onto the box. Then I printed out some words that said, "I hereby declare myself a Switchfoot fan..." something like that, that I can't remember. It was a pretty cool moment for me because Switchfoot's music had affected me so much and through them I have met amazing people and gone through experiences that have changed my life.
For example, about two or three days after my "moment", I decided to google each Switchfoot member one by one. I had already googled Jon Foreman so I decided to google Tim Foreman. One of the things that came up was this discussion about Tim's green jacket. I clicked on it, and up came the messageboards! I didn't even know what a messageboard was but I checked it out. The next day I kept on reading some of the posts there and decided to join. I joined on April 29, 2005. At first I just randomly posted but I saw that I didnt get much attention from that. So I made a thread introducing myself. I still remember the first few posts and the people who first welcomed me to the messageboards.
I only started to be an active member of the boards on around October. All of that because I wasn't able to get internet for the summer. I've been "hooked" ever since. The benefits of being part of the messageboards are that:
- You get to meet amazing people with great stories and different backgrounds.
- You get to know about inside information on Switchfoot
- You meet new cultures and new customs
and lots more!!!!!!!
One of my favorite things is to discuss some things on the What Do You Believe Forum, that's where I learned to be more opened minded about other people's belief and I really got a chance to meet people from their religions and to hear them out. A lot of Christians don't really listen to what these people have to say . They immediately treat them as outcasts and instantly throw a bunch of verses into their faces. I say its important to hear them out, to understand their views, to interact with them on a level that Jesus would. If everyone did that, maybe people wouldnt have such a bad image about Christians.
Anyways, through Switchfoot I came closer to God, met great people, grew intelectually and opened my eyes to great things.
I have yet to go to my first Switchfoot concert and I dream about that and wait for it with anticipation. Until then I keep supporting them.
On April 26 of this year I will be 2 years old as a Switchfoot fan and on the 29th of April I will be 2 years old as a Boardie. I'm really excited to be part of this Switchfoot family.
They will always be a part of my life.
THANK YOU SWITCHFOOT!!
banner by ScreamingWithoutLungs
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
New Switchfoot Music Video "Awakening"
Switchfoot finally came out with a new music video! I feel very good about it, and I love it to the fullest. My personal opinion on the video is that even though it doesnt really go along with the message in the song it is perfect for the time that the guys are going through. This new album Oh!Gravity is a new experiment with songs that are completely new and different from anything that they have ever done. I think that the video goes right along with it. It's funny, its different, and it exceeds everyone's expectations. I recommend it. If you can please vote for them on TRL.
So here it is:
You can also visit:
switchfoot.com
myspace.com/switchfoot
switchfoot.com/awakening
Please help us out!!! :D
So here it is:
You can also visit:
switchfoot.com
myspace.com/switchfoot
switchfoot.com/awakening
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Thursday, April 5, 2007
To Write Love On Her Arms
So I haven't posted in a long while!
But now that I am posting I would like to talk about an amazing, amazing, amazing organization called To Write Love On Her Arms.
Please support them by buying one of their t-shirts. I still have to figure out a way to get one since its kind of hard to order stuff when they dont ship to your country (Portugal). Well this video explains everything. If you would like to go to their website, click on the link below the video. The flyer about TWLOHA is just below the link! Please support them! Here is their myspace.
..
But now that I am posting I would like to talk about an amazing, amazing, amazing organization called To Write Love On Her Arms.
Please support them by buying one of their t-shirts. I still have to figure out a way to get one since its kind of hard to order stuff when they dont ship to your country (Portugal). Well this video explains everything. If you would like to go to their website, click on the link below the video. The flyer about TWLOHA is just below the link! Please support them! Here is their myspace.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Made For Another World
In Mere Christianity C. S. Lewis says,
If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.
As I was reading the chapter on Hope, I found this quote to be very interesting and captivating.
We have many desires. We desire food, success, money, friends, and most of all love. So we ask ourselves, "Certainly there must be something out there that can fully satisfy these desires." So we search. As C.S. Lewis accounts in his book there are three types of people that act differently in this search to quench our desires.
There is the Fool. The one who has all this money and goes out and tries all these experiences wether it is, skydiving, traveling around the world, looking for some kind of zen state in their classes of yoga, buying all this jewelry and clothes, big houses, and just spending a lot of money. Now, in themselves these things are not necessarily wrong but the Fool finds that in the end nothing was worth it. It only gives us temporary happiness.
Then there is the "Disillusioned 'Sensible Man'. Someone who decides that success and all that mumbo jumbo is not worth pursuing, that he should just sit back and relax. Enjoy life as it is, these desires are so far from being satisfied that we might as well not even try to satisfy them. There is no way that we can reach the "rainbow's end". C.S. Lewis agrees that this man would be less of a pain to society and a happier man than the previous one but what if there is an end to the rainbow? What if there is real hope out there? Wouldn't it be worth to find it?
Then there is the "Christian Way". Most Christians would say that, "'Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists'". So what does this mean? This probably means that there is a satisfaction for those desires and that we were made for a purpose. We were created to find this satisfaction. But how do we know where to start looking? How do we find it? Our first reaction would be, "Let's search the world!" But we quickly find that the "satisfaction" that the world gives is merely temporary. It might not be entirely bad but that satisfaction runs out. C.S. Lewis' conclusion was "the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."
We were made for something more. Something completely outside of this world. Something supernatural. It might not be a physical world but a completely different state of being. A state where there is a Source to which we can renew our strength and get enough energy to get through the day. Just like we have water in the physical world in the "other" world we have this Source available 24/7! When we drink from this Source for the first time we lose all the need to look somewhere else. It's there! It's evident that we have finally reached the end of the rainbow.
Again quoting C.S. Lewis, we were totally made for another world.
We have many desires. We desire food, success, money, friends, and most of all love. So we ask ourselves, "Certainly there must be something out there that can fully satisfy these desires." So we search. As C.S. Lewis accounts in his book there are three types of people that act differently in this search to quench our desires.
There is the Fool. The one who has all this money and goes out and tries all these experiences wether it is, skydiving, traveling around the world, looking for some kind of zen state in their classes of yoga, buying all this jewelry and clothes, big houses, and just spending a lot of money. Now, in themselves these things are not necessarily wrong but the Fool finds that in the end nothing was worth it. It only gives us temporary happiness.
Then there is the "Disillusioned 'Sensible Man'. Someone who decides that success and all that mumbo jumbo is not worth pursuing, that he should just sit back and relax. Enjoy life as it is, these desires are so far from being satisfied that we might as well not even try to satisfy them. There is no way that we can reach the "rainbow's end". C.S. Lewis agrees that this man would be less of a pain to society and a happier man than the previous one but what if there is an end to the rainbow? What if there is real hope out there? Wouldn't it be worth to find it?
Then there is the "Christian Way". Most Christians would say that, "'Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists'". So what does this mean? This probably means that there is a satisfaction for those desires and that we were made for a purpose. We were created to find this satisfaction. But how do we know where to start looking? How do we find it? Our first reaction would be, "Let's search the world!" But we quickly find that the "satisfaction" that the world gives is merely temporary. It might not be entirely bad but that satisfaction runs out. C.S. Lewis' conclusion was "the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."
We were made for something more. Something completely outside of this world. Something supernatural. It might not be a physical world but a completely different state of being. A state where there is a Source to which we can renew our strength and get enough energy to get through the day. Just like we have water in the physical world in the "other" world we have this Source available 24/7! When we drink from this Source for the first time we lose all the need to look somewhere else. It's there! It's evident that we have finally reached the end of the rainbow.
Again quoting C.S. Lewis, we were totally made for another world.
That was another deep moment from me.....in other news, MuteMath has officially release their new music video for the song Typical of their self-title album! I personally think it is amazing and it characterizes what MuteMath is. Its genius. I have taken the liberty to post it here for your likeness! :D
Saturday, February 24, 2007
It's OK
Down on my knees down on my face
You just say it's ok
So many days I've thrown away
You just say it's ok
I dont think I could ever repay
Your perfect grace, but it's ok
It's ok, It's ok
It's ok, It's ok
You've become my embrace
Just tell me it's ok
Your precious words intoxicate
A heart that aches; it's ok
You don't recall my past mistakes
You just say it's ok
And this human mind can't calculate
Your perfect grace, but it's ok
Even though youve seen a thousand times
I've let you down
You're always there if I should call your name
You're unashamed,oh unashamed
song performed by Mute Math
You just say it's ok
So many days I've thrown away
You just say it's ok
I dont think I could ever repay
Your perfect grace, but it's ok
It's ok, It's ok
It's ok, It's ok
You've become my embrace
Just tell me it's ok
Your precious words intoxicate
A heart that aches; it's ok
You don't recall my past mistakes
You just say it's ok
And this human mind can't calculate
Your perfect grace, but it's ok
Even though youve seen a thousand times
I've let you down
You're always there if I should call your name
You're unashamed,oh unashamed
song performed by Mute Math
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Switchfoot On Portuguese Television
So as all of us know, Switchfoot was on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. This show airs here in Portugal one month late on Sic Mulher (Sic Women...television for women.) When I heard that Switchfoot was going on the Tonight Show I was excited to see them on television! but I had to wait a month. And I did!!! This morning the reruns were going on and Switchfoot played!!!!!! I gotta say that I was so happy! This is more publicity for the portuguese people who dont even know who Switchfoot is!!! I went to get my camera and took some pictures (look below)! There is one thing seeing a Switchfoot video online, which I see them all the time, but seeing them on television for the second time is big time cool! So...be happy for me, for switchfoot, and pray that the portuguese will understand the wonder of Switchfoot!!!!
Pictures!
Go Switchfoot!
Pictures!
Go Switchfoot!
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Happy Valentine's Day!
I love this "holiday!"
It is my favorite because you spread the cheer of love. Love is something that is so important in my life and is so vital to our everyday lives!
That is why Valentine´s Day is my favorite day of the year! People are always surprised as to why my favorite holiday isnt Christmas or Easter or New Year´s , well I like being different and original.
So here I am. The only person who probably celebrates Valentine's Day to the fullest.
Happy Day of Love!
Guimel
It is my favorite because you spread the cheer of love. Love is something that is so important in my life and is so vital to our everyday lives!
That is why Valentine´s Day is my favorite day of the year! People are always surprised as to why my favorite holiday isnt Christmas or Easter or New Year´s , well I like being different and original.
So here I am. The only person who probably celebrates Valentine's Day to the fullest.
Happy Day of Love!
Guimel
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
My Switchfoot Experience (in a dream)
I was at my aunt's house here in Portugal and my mom came to pick me up with a cab. We got on the cab and traveled to the Baixa (Downtown Lisbon.) As we were passing through the main streets, I glanced and saw Jon coming out of the Hard Rock Café Lisbon with Andy Barron and Tod Copper. I suddenly yelled, "Stop the car!" So I got out of the cab and yelled, "Jon!" Jon gave me a big smile and said, "Hey, what's up?" I started yelling about how much I loved Switchfoot. Then Jon said, "Shh, you're yelling." Then I said, "Oh, OK sorry."
So then Jon grabbed my arm and said, "Come, I'll introduce you to the guys." So we walked to the Praça do Comercio (a 5 minute walk from the Hard Rock Café) We found the guys and they treated me as if they'd known me for years! Tim was the most outgoing of them all. We sat there and we talked for awhile. They told me that they were passing through Portugal and were leaving for London, England the next day. Then Jon said, "For your sake, we'll play a few songs for you." A stage magically showed up and thousands of people appeared out of nowhere. I pushed through the crowd and got to the front, ready to rock. But instead of playing their songs, this 500 people choir got on stage and started singing Hillsong music. I felt my heart sinking. I love Hillsong, but I wanted to see Switchfoot. I felt a tap on my back. It was my mom! She said we had to go back home. I cried, "Mom, I cant! I need to see them! I don't know when I'll ever see them live again!" I then turned around and saw that they were playing and people were jumping but I couldn't hear anything! I was deaf! I cried and cried and my mom kept insisting for us to go home. I then heard the introduction to Stars. I jumped and begged my mom to stay. My mom let me and I rocked for the rest of the 5 song concert. After the performance I went up to the guys to thank them but they mysteriously vanished. Satisfied I went back to my aunt's house and babysitted my little cousins. Then my mom took my sister and I home. As we were driving in the night I thought to myself, "That was the best experience in my life." Then I woke up and realized it was all just a dream.
Switchfoot, I can't wait for the opportunity to see you guys live here in Portugal or somewhere else. Love you.
So then Jon grabbed my arm and said, "Come, I'll introduce you to the guys." So we walked to the Praça do Comercio (a 5 minute walk from the Hard Rock Café) We found the guys and they treated me as if they'd known me for years! Tim was the most outgoing of them all. We sat there and we talked for awhile. They told me that they were passing through Portugal and were leaving for London, England the next day. Then Jon said, "For your sake, we'll play a few songs for you." A stage magically showed up and thousands of people appeared out of nowhere. I pushed through the crowd and got to the front, ready to rock. But instead of playing their songs, this 500 people choir got on stage and started singing Hillsong music. I felt my heart sinking. I love Hillsong, but I wanted to see Switchfoot. I felt a tap on my back. It was my mom! She said we had to go back home. I cried, "Mom, I cant! I need to see them! I don't know when I'll ever see them live again!" I then turned around and saw that they were playing and people were jumping but I couldn't hear anything! I was deaf! I cried and cried and my mom kept insisting for us to go home. I then heard the introduction to Stars. I jumped and begged my mom to stay. My mom let me and I rocked for the rest of the 5 song concert. After the performance I went up to the guys to thank them but they mysteriously vanished. Satisfied I went back to my aunt's house and babysitted my little cousins. Then my mom took my sister and I home. As we were driving in the night I thought to myself, "That was the best experience in my life." Then I woke up and realized it was all just a dream.
Switchfoot, I can't wait for the opportunity to see you guys live here in Portugal or somewhere else. Love you.
Saturday, February 3, 2007
Abortion In Portugal (Referendo Ao Aborto)
Portugal is going through an important stage right now. On February 11, 2007 the Portuguese will decide whether abortion should be legal or not.
I stand for life and for the lives of all those babies that will be killed if we let this monster called abortion to become legal in Portugal. There is a campaign called Não Obrigada that stands for life.
Here are the reasons that abortion should stay illegal in Portugal.
The law in Portugal states that women who have been raped or women who's lives will be in danger if they don't abort can abort but only up to 10 months.
If Portugal voted "yes" for abortion, the new law would be that any woman can abort, no matter what circumstances she is in.
Those women who don't have safe sex and get pregnant but don't desire the baby shouldn't have had unsafe sex to begin with! There are many other alternatives! They could have the baby then give it up for adoption, or choose to keep the baby as well as other alternatives.
Studies show that most women who abort usually go through very hard psychological times. They either become depressed or have strong feelings of regret.
Studies also show that if the birthrate of Portugal doesn't surpass the death rate in the next 50 years, then Portugal as we know it will cease to exist.
The law states that the exceptions (show above) can only abort up to 10 weeks just as the new law (if voted "yes") will state as well. But look at these pictures and see the life that exists in the the uterus of a pregnant woman.
3 weeks
I stand for life and for the lives of all those babies that will be killed if we let this monster called abortion to become legal in Portugal. There is a campaign called Não Obrigada that stands for life.
Here are the reasons that abortion should stay illegal in Portugal.
The law in Portugal states that women who have been raped or women who's lives will be in danger if they don't abort can abort but only up to 10 months.
If Portugal voted "yes" for abortion, the new law would be that any woman can abort, no matter what circumstances she is in.
Those women who don't have safe sex and get pregnant but don't desire the baby shouldn't have had unsafe sex to begin with! There are many other alternatives! They could have the baby then give it up for adoption, or choose to keep the baby as well as other alternatives.
Studies show that most women who abort usually go through very hard psychological times. They either become depressed or have strong feelings of regret.
Studies also show that if the birthrate of Portugal doesn't surpass the death rate in the next 50 years, then Portugal as we know it will cease to exist.
The law states that the exceptions (show above) can only abort up to 10 weeks just as the new law (if voted "yes") will state as well. But look at these pictures and see the life that exists in the the uterus of a pregnant woman.
3 weeks
11 weeks
12 weeks
13 weeks
15 weeks
32 weeks
AT 10 weeks, the heart of a baby is already beating.
Vote yes to kill a living being inside of me? NO THANK YOU!
Vote yes to cause my own pain in the next few years? NO THANK YOU
NÃO AO ABORTO! (NO TO ABORTION!)
I pray that Portugal will hear our cry and that abortion will stay illegal so that the lives of the portuguese babies may be spared in the near future.
Pray with me!
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Searching For The Truth
Sometimes I feel like everything that I have been taught in life about God is not enough. Like there is something more to God than just what I hear at Sunday school or at church. It's in times like these that God visits me and tells me things that other people would not understand. They wouldn't understand because each experience with God is unique and only God and that person will understand how it is really like.Today I searched for the truth and wisdom. I'll keep searching until the end of my days. Sure, I have certain things figured out, but knowing something is very different than believing in it. Have I really experienced the wonderful effects that God's love can bring? Or am I just living my life so that everyone around me can think that I'm a "good Christian?" Am I living for God or for people?Thoughts like these came to mind and I started wondering whether this was true. In certain areas of my life I saw that I did live for God but in other areas I wasn't doing such a good job at that. So I asked God for some advice. I asked God to guide me and show me the real truth. Show me how to live for Him and not always rely on people to tell me what to believe in. Sure, people can help me with their greater knowledge of God, but it is also important for me to see things for myself with God's help.So God showed this verse this morning:
Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:
Psalm 37:4-5
I knew that if I delighted myself in the Lord, that he would give me discernment and wisdom to live my life for Him and for Him only. He told me to trust in Him. He told me to trust that He was going to help me follow Him and Him only.
By all that He has done for me so far, trusting in him will be a very easy task. But the process won't be so easy. But He is above all things and He will help me through.
I love Jesus. His love is enough for me.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Bands That Shun The Label: "Christian Band"
In our society there are various individuals with various talents. Whether they are specialized in arts, music, or media, they each have their own views and their own values. Because of this difference in values, many times these talents are each separated into different categories. Music is not an exception. The two biggest music scenes are mainstream and Christian. Those who prefer mainstream music as a better tool for their everyday lives, usually do not listen to Christian music. Let us start by defining “Christian music”. Christian music is "music created by Christians and adapted for the Christian church." The definition is very self-explanatory. Artists, who wish to get signed by a Christian record label or are debuting in the Christian music scene, are to expect that they are only going to be performing in Christian events and churches. They would know that their albums would be released in Christian bookstores. However, those artists who are in the Christian music scene in order to evangelize aren’t going to expect many non-believers in their concerts. Simply because when it comes to Christian music, most non-believers cringe at the thought of it. Our society is quickly boycotting Christian artists, Christian music, or simply everything that has the word “Christian” in it. And some Christians have a sacrilegious attitude towards mainstream music. So we ask ourselves, “What about those artists who are Christians but wish to have nothing to do with the Christian music scene?” We find that today Christian artists are drawing away from the “Christian label” because of this reason. However, this is more frequent in rock bands. So what rock bands have been either shunning this title or have had problems with the Christian music scene?
One of the bands is Switchfoot. Founded in 1996 as “Chin Up”, this alternative rock band was enjoying their times of making music and surfing every morning at the beach. In 1997 they were contacted by Charlie Peacock, the founder of Re:think Records which is now a division of the famous Christian record label Sparrow Records. The guys were, as required, marketed in Christian realms only. However they never appreciated the term “Christian band.” Wanting to expand in audience, Switchfoot decided to sign with Columbia Records. With their debut mainstream album, The Beautiful Letdown, they reached a bigger and broader mainstream audience. This disappointed the Christian fans who thought that Switchfoot was no longer “singing for the Lord.” Switchfoot defended, “For us, it [Christianity] is a faith not a genre. We’ve always been very open and honest about where the songs are coming from. For us, these songs are for everyone. Calling us ‘Christian rock’ tends to be a box that closes some people out and excludes them. And that’s not what we’re trying to do. Music has always opened my mind and that’s what we want.” This issue went on for awhile and caused a big commotion. Currently, the fans seem to understand this view but there are still a few who continue to judge Switchfoot about this issue. However Switchfoot does not prohibit Sparrow Records from marketing their albums in Christian bookstores.
Secondly, we have P.O.D. This San Diego rock band started as a jamming session between long life friends Marcos Curiel and Wuv Bernardo in the early 90’s. Sonny Sandoval was added to the band after his conversion to Christianity because of his mother’s death. His mother was a devout Christian. Traa and Daniels joined the band in 1994. Thus P.O.D was formed. P.O.D stands for Payable On Death, which the guys state is an acronym representing the crucifixion of Jesus. They were signed to a Christian record label called Rescue Records. They, after several changes in Christian record labels, became one of the most popular rock bands in the Christian music industry. After awhile they decided to go mainstream and had many incidents that left a sense of doubt for their Christian fans. Their Christians fans started to doubt their “Christianity” and consequently accused them of being devil worshippers. P.O.D defends that they approach the theme of Evangelism in their music and that just because they are Christians does not mean that they have to be obvious about Christianity in their music, thus shunning the label “Christian band.”
Another example is the band from New Orleans, MuteMath. The band was founded in 2003 and started as an exchange of demos and ideas between Paul Meany (vocalist) and Darren King (drummer). These two guys kept exchanging ideas and talked about a possible project which we know to be MuteMath. Later, guitarist Greg Hill and bassist Roy Mitchell-Cárdenas were added to the band. They headed to the studio and started creating the new wave electro “indie” sound that is MuteMath. Paul then showed some of their demos to long time friend and producer, Tedd T. Tedd immediately fell in love with this new sound and together with Paul founded the independent record label Telemprompt Records. Telemprompt then made a contract with Warner Brothers. Warner Bros. however did not appreciate their sound and the way they did things and subsequently refused to market their albums. Thus, MuteMath was forced to sell their albums in concerts. After this issue was over, Warner Bros. agreed to start marketing their albums. However, they violated their contract and started marketing MuteMath as a “Christian band.” MuteMath, outraged, sued the company for “negligent misrepresentation for marketing music to the Christian market.” Although MuteMath does not deny their faith in Jesus, they did not want their music marketed in the Christian market yet. They claimed that they wanted mainstream recognition first.
With so much changing in the music scene, will Christian music become extinct?
(FINALLY I HAD THE PATIENCE TO EDIT IT! hehe...)
One of the bands is Switchfoot. Founded in 1996 as “Chin Up”, this alternative rock band was enjoying their times of making music and surfing every morning at the beach. In 1997 they were contacted by Charlie Peacock, the founder of Re:think Records which is now a division of the famous Christian record label Sparrow Records. The guys were, as required, marketed in Christian realms only. However they never appreciated the term “Christian band.” Wanting to expand in audience, Switchfoot decided to sign with Columbia Records. With their debut mainstream album, The Beautiful Letdown, they reached a bigger and broader mainstream audience. This disappointed the Christian fans who thought that Switchfoot was no longer “singing for the Lord.” Switchfoot defended, “For us, it [Christianity] is a faith not a genre. We’ve always been very open and honest about where the songs are coming from. For us, these songs are for everyone. Calling us ‘Christian rock’ tends to be a box that closes some people out and excludes them. And that’s not what we’re trying to do. Music has always opened my mind and that’s what we want.” This issue went on for awhile and caused a big commotion. Currently, the fans seem to understand this view but there are still a few who continue to judge Switchfoot about this issue. However Switchfoot does not prohibit Sparrow Records from marketing their albums in Christian bookstores.
Secondly, we have P.O.D. This San Diego rock band started as a jamming session between long life friends Marcos Curiel and Wuv Bernardo in the early 90’s. Sonny Sandoval was added to the band after his conversion to Christianity because of his mother’s death. His mother was a devout Christian. Traa and Daniels joined the band in 1994. Thus P.O.D was formed. P.O.D stands for Payable On Death, which the guys state is an acronym representing the crucifixion of Jesus. They were signed to a Christian record label called Rescue Records. They, after several changes in Christian record labels, became one of the most popular rock bands in the Christian music industry. After awhile they decided to go mainstream and had many incidents that left a sense of doubt for their Christian fans. Their Christians fans started to doubt their “Christianity” and consequently accused them of being devil worshippers. P.O.D defends that they approach the theme of Evangelism in their music and that just because they are Christians does not mean that they have to be obvious about Christianity in their music, thus shunning the label “Christian band.”
Another example is the band from New Orleans, MuteMath. The band was founded in 2003 and started as an exchange of demos and ideas between Paul Meany (vocalist) and Darren King (drummer). These two guys kept exchanging ideas and talked about a possible project which we know to be MuteMath. Later, guitarist Greg Hill and bassist Roy Mitchell-Cárdenas were added to the band. They headed to the studio and started creating the new wave electro “indie” sound that is MuteMath. Paul then showed some of their demos to long time friend and producer, Tedd T. Tedd immediately fell in love with this new sound and together with Paul founded the independent record label Telemprompt Records. Telemprompt then made a contract with Warner Brothers. Warner Bros. however did not appreciate their sound and the way they did things and subsequently refused to market their albums. Thus, MuteMath was forced to sell their albums in concerts. After this issue was over, Warner Bros. agreed to start marketing their albums. However, they violated their contract and started marketing MuteMath as a “Christian band.” MuteMath, outraged, sued the company for “negligent misrepresentation for marketing music to the Christian market.” Although MuteMath does not deny their faith in Jesus, they did not want their music marketed in the Christian market yet. They claimed that they wanted mainstream recognition first.
With so much changing in the music scene, will Christian music become extinct?
(FINALLY I HAD THE PATIENCE TO EDIT IT! hehe...)
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