I play guitar. recently a friend of mine saw me setting up for chapel band and looked at my gear, wondering what it all did. he asked me and i proceeded to explain everything on my pedal board to him. he just looked at me and said "man, guitar's really your passion, huh?" like, not just a hobby or a past time, but a Passion. i said yes.
i have always said Guitar is not just my way of leading worship, or of expressing myself, but rather one of the ways i talk to God. i offer my heart to God through song, yes, but more so through my guitar. i had a friend say she saw a few of the people at the Stirring (my church in redding) and when she looked at the electric guitarists God showed the Holy Spirit flowing into and out of their hearts, in beat to the electric guitars, but shinning mostly upward. she said with me it was starting from my heart and coming out through my arms through my guitar and escaping. at first i felt like she was saying that i only was playing whereas the other guys' hearts were involved, but she said it was more like the Holy spirit was blessing their hearts and using their hearts to lead people, but with me he was using my heart and my guitar as separate entities working together. that was amazing.
that was two years ago.
Brit, my girlfriend, and i have prayed together every night for around three months now. lately i have been praying that God would have me pray for someone, or prophesy over them or call them out on some issue randomly in a way that stretched me. i wanted him to give me something i could tangibly look back on and say "there's no way that wasn't God"
it didn't happen. i haven't been pulled to pray for anyone, or randomly started speaking in tongues, or prophecying. i haven't prayed for anyone to be healed, or performed any signs or miracles (by my own power or God's) nothing. i keep praying and wait patiently on God. i am not distraught about it, i just would sort of like the reminder.
two sundays ago, so i guess thats the 31st, we were playing music at the stirring, for the night services, and we came to the end of a song. i knew God had been working amazing things in the hearts of the people that were there, and i just felt happy and filled with the spirit. In the analogy of the sponge being filled so that water drips out of it, i was the sponge full of water waiting to drip on someone. and the song had almost ended, and i suddenly heard an electric guitar riff. i wasn't playing. i look around and only jenna was playing anything, and it was Chords.
i always say i talk to God with my guitar, and on halloween, he played back.
i beleive that when we worship we are just joining the heavenly worship;p session that will never end, and that attitude is crucial to approaching music in corporate worship. if you asked me for a highlight of my last two weeks i would say it was this: God adjusted my monitor and added a little of the heavenly guitar riff sound to my mix.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
love.
you are loved. thats right. when was he last time you were told that. when was the last time you were told by a person that you were loved, and they were 100% sure of it? the last itme they told you that you were undoubtedly loved? now when was the last time that the person said the love didn't come from them, but still said it with the same conviction and absolution? cause God loves you. we forget that. i have a shirt made by a friend named barrack. he was in the "i wear no pants" commercial for dockers that played during the Superbowl. he has/had a shirt company called "we are loved" his philosophy was that people of the world need to be told that they are loved. when you think about it, Christ,the Son of God, came to earth and gave his life to say this one thing "I LOVE you." the only thing we are told in the bible that trumps all of the spiritual gifts is love. we write songs about it. we claim to be in love with inanimate objects like our cars or our guitars (guilty of the second one myself) and assign it too easily to boyfriends and girlfriends in high school who would leave us if the cuter girl or more muscular guy becomes single. then why but God came to earth to tell us that the only thing we need to know is we are loved. and really i think its the only thing worth saying.
you are loved. i say that with all of my heart. i know it to be true. God loves you. he really does. even if no one else does, and if they claim he doesn't, he does. i can telly you in all honesty that he loves you.
when i wear the shirt barrack gave me, i make it a point to tell someone they are loved. a random person, via text usually to avoid the awkward conversations that can follow, but still. i send it. i forgot last time i woe it. it was under a long sleeve shirt all day, and i just put it in the hamper today ad realized i fell behind. so this is to make up for it.
in my life group we're learning to preach. we've talked about having a phrase that is repeated so much people remember it. so here we go again. you are loved. the almighty holds you close in his arms and protects you. the All-might-y. the one of all the might. he holds you. he loves you. you are loved. remember that, okay?
may the lord show you His beauty, power, and steadfastness. may he pour it out on you so quickly and deeply that you fall to your knees. then may he pick you up in his arms and hold you close to His chest so you can feel his heart beat. that your heart may beat for the things that his beats for. that your heart may break for the things that break his. may he hold you to his lips, kiss you on the forehead and whisper in your ear "you are loved. I love you." and after that, may he help you to your feet. may you go out in confidence through the knowledge of who sent you. confidence in how powerful he is and how much love he has for you.
you are love. now go love.
you are loved. i say that with all of my heart. i know it to be true. God loves you. he really does. even if no one else does, and if they claim he doesn't, he does. i can telly you in all honesty that he loves you.
when i wear the shirt barrack gave me, i make it a point to tell someone they are loved. a random person, via text usually to avoid the awkward conversations that can follow, but still. i send it. i forgot last time i woe it. it was under a long sleeve shirt all day, and i just put it in the hamper today ad realized i fell behind. so this is to make up for it.
in my life group we're learning to preach. we've talked about having a phrase that is repeated so much people remember it. so here we go again. you are loved. the almighty holds you close in his arms and protects you. the All-might-y. the one of all the might. he holds you. he loves you. you are loved. remember that, okay?
may the lord show you His beauty, power, and steadfastness. may he pour it out on you so quickly and deeply that you fall to your knees. then may he pick you up in his arms and hold you close to His chest so you can feel his heart beat. that your heart may beat for the things that his beats for. that your heart may break for the things that break his. may he hold you to his lips, kiss you on the forehead and whisper in your ear "you are loved. I love you." and after that, may he help you to your feet. may you go out in confidence through the knowledge of who sent you. confidence in how powerful he is and how much love he has for you.
you are love. now go love.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
february.
i haven't written a blog this month. here's whats going on in my life. i am part of a life group. finally. i am part of nates life group. which is amazing. why? i'm glad you asked. its a sermon lifegroup. well, it s a trainging group. and we each prepare a sermon everyweek. fifteen minutes each. on a given verse. we're speaking through luke. its amazing. my sermon today was going to be on identity in christ. in knowing our God for who he is. psalm 91 says god will save us because we know his name. Psalm 91:14-16. check it out. awesome. i was going to talk about how we know people by their names, and how in knowing their names we can know tings about them. if i buy a sticker that says "hello my name is" and then write "andrew" in the large space, you know i am andrew. if i wrote, instead "ron stoppable" in the blank space, some people would be confused, but the wise people would know i was refering to the character from Kim Possible, the Disney channel show. they would get the reference. they might even realize i said that because i can be awkward a lot of the time, but am loyal and pull through for you when you need me. i was going to open with something like that. its way cooler, but this one works and doens't give away the point of my sermon to those who may still get to hear it. anyways, life group is amazing.
also, i made ith through my second valentines day in a row without a valentine. i made it from february fifth 2009 until now without dating anyone. i'm pretty proud of that. not THAT much of a feat, but it was good for me. now i'm looking for a certain type of woman, and if i cannot find her, i am content to wait as long as it takes. i have been saying that all along, but now i feel it.
since i got over the last crush, God has laid a long list of people on my heart. theres still one i have to talk to, and one i want to talk to still from last fall, but i'll get to those two in the appropriate time.
at church a few sundays ago i learned more about spiritual gifts. here's what i think i have:
Special Knowledge. God lets you know things you shouldn't know. God tells you to walk up to someone and say "you're addicted to hardcore narcotics"
Encouragement. god tells me to encourage people for him. sometimes its just i am told to go be encouraging, sometimes its specific words.
Wisdom. God tells me advice to give people.
Helps. i help people. theres a reason this one is lower. it used to be major in my life, but less in recent years.
oh, and prophecy. specifically prophetic visions. one of those needs to be told to some people face to face before it can get into the blogosphere. but a times lately God has given me a vision of people doing things. of one of the guys on the band at church stopping in the middle of the street to sing praises to God. of two of the guys at life group being a perfect pair of lifelong friends and entering into a time of building one another up and mutual mentorship. some other more crazy things but i don't want to go into detail.
anyways, all this is to say my semester is going extremely well, and it startles me sometimes. oh, and i still need to talk to someone about something God showed me for them on Sunday at church. okay. time to send a text. okay. things are in motion. goodnight.
also, i made ith through my second valentines day in a row without a valentine. i made it from february fifth 2009 until now without dating anyone. i'm pretty proud of that. not THAT much of a feat, but it was good for me. now i'm looking for a certain type of woman, and if i cannot find her, i am content to wait as long as it takes. i have been saying that all along, but now i feel it.
since i got over the last crush, God has laid a long list of people on my heart. theres still one i have to talk to, and one i want to talk to still from last fall, but i'll get to those two in the appropriate time.
at church a few sundays ago i learned more about spiritual gifts. here's what i think i have:
Special Knowledge. God lets you know things you shouldn't know. God tells you to walk up to someone and say "you're addicted to hardcore narcotics"
Encouragement. god tells me to encourage people for him. sometimes its just i am told to go be encouraging, sometimes its specific words.
Wisdom. God tells me advice to give people.
Helps. i help people. theres a reason this one is lower. it used to be major in my life, but less in recent years.
oh, and prophecy. specifically prophetic visions. one of those needs to be told to some people face to face before it can get into the blogosphere. but a times lately God has given me a vision of people doing things. of one of the guys on the band at church stopping in the middle of the street to sing praises to God. of two of the guys at life group being a perfect pair of lifelong friends and entering into a time of building one another up and mutual mentorship. some other more crazy things but i don't want to go into detail.
anyways, all this is to say my semester is going extremely well, and it startles me sometimes. oh, and i still need to talk to someone about something God showed me for them on Sunday at church. okay. time to send a text. okay. things are in motion. goodnight.
Friday, January 8, 2010
new years blog
its the first blog i've written this year! i will break it inot three sections as follows: 1. intersting facts. 2 updates 3. resolutions. here it goes.
1. intersting facts:
-as of this year i have been alive in four decades
-my brother predicted a change in the new years glasses sporting the numerical value of the new year across your face. he said they would shift the left eye to the 0, but not have anything to do for 2011. and i predicted they would merely make the one a bubble letter, thus keeping the letters evenly across your face. we both were right. usually when i put up something my brother and i disagreed on, its to point out i was right and he wrong. not this time.
2. my new years resolution (note the singularity of the word resolution. this is to properly reflect my number of resolutions. only one)for the year is as follows my resolution is to remember that "a lot" has a space in the middle. set your goals easy, its easier to succeed.
2. updates.
-i got some really awesome clothes for Christmas, and a new guitar pedal. most of you don't care. the rest probably are annoyed that I'm bragging about my Christmas. whatevs.
-today is only the second time i have had to write 2010 in anything. i haven't been to the bank, or written any papers yet. its weird.
-i have spent the entirety of 2010 crush free. i'm really proud of that. its a personal record for me. i haven't gone this long withoug really liking someone since, um, 6th grade? watch. now tomorrow I'll fall flat on my face for someone and get a black eye in the process...
-i haven't hung out with people enough, once again, in true andrew fashion, i spent a break as a hermit.
-i am beginning to realize that in fact my sections one and three of this blog could be consolidated into one. oh well.
okay. here's the main point of my blog. if you read all of this, and you don't read the next part, you've missed the whole point.
-i think that the whole colors thing on facebook is a cool idea but falls short on many many levels. girls post the color of the bra they are wearing on facebook as their status. its a breast cancer awareness campaign, but it is secretive (so that the guys don't catch on) so it does not raise awareness. and it makes all your friends think of boobs. which guys do not need any help doing. we do that enough on our own. most importantly, its also a figurative slap in the face to those who have had breast cancer. i read this blog and it made me cry. stop reading my useless crap and click on this link. everything else i have said is meaningless. this is the part that has real worth.
"in the name of awareness"
no seriously. if you skipped it, go back and click the link. read the blog. don't skim it. don't look at the link and hope I'll summarize it,because i won't. read it.
if you want to raise awareness, do it in a way that actually shows respect to the struggles of those who are all too aware of breast cancer, in a way that shows hope, not a way that reminds them of the pain and the loss.
the other day i had a headache. God reminded me we live in a broken world full of pain and loss. of suffering and of horrible diseases. we have beauty in his creation, but we also have brokenness. and we have a lot of horrible brokenness. its there to remind us of how amazing the beauty is. we look around and see how horrible our world is, and yet God still loves us. and so we see the beauty in brokenness. without the evil, the sin, the cancer, the death, grief pain suffering, and the weeping and gnashing of teeth, there would be no need for a healer. and no NEED for a one who brings hope and renewal. without the fall, there is no getting back up, and without getting back up, there is no hand reaching down to help us get up.
1. intersting facts:
-as of this year i have been alive in four decades
-my brother predicted a change in the new years glasses sporting the numerical value of the new year across your face. he said they would shift the left eye to the 0, but not have anything to do for 2011. and i predicted they would merely make the one a bubble letter, thus keeping the letters evenly across your face. we both were right. usually when i put up something my brother and i disagreed on, its to point out i was right and he wrong. not this time.
2. my new years resolution (note the singularity of the word resolution. this is to properly reflect my number of resolutions. only one)for the year is as follows my resolution is to remember that "a lot" has a space in the middle. set your goals easy, its easier to succeed.
2. updates.
-i got some really awesome clothes for Christmas, and a new guitar pedal. most of you don't care. the rest probably are annoyed that I'm bragging about my Christmas. whatevs.
-today is only the second time i have had to write 2010 in anything. i haven't been to the bank, or written any papers yet. its weird.
-i have spent the entirety of 2010 crush free. i'm really proud of that. its a personal record for me. i haven't gone this long withoug really liking someone since, um, 6th grade? watch. now tomorrow I'll fall flat on my face for someone and get a black eye in the process...
-i haven't hung out with people enough, once again, in true andrew fashion, i spent a break as a hermit.
-i am beginning to realize that in fact my sections one and three of this blog could be consolidated into one. oh well.
okay. here's the main point of my blog. if you read all of this, and you don't read the next part, you've missed the whole point.
-i think that the whole colors thing on facebook is a cool idea but falls short on many many levels. girls post the color of the bra they are wearing on facebook as their status. its a breast cancer awareness campaign, but it is secretive (so that the guys don't catch on) so it does not raise awareness. and it makes all your friends think of boobs. which guys do not need any help doing. we do that enough on our own. most importantly, its also a figurative slap in the face to those who have had breast cancer. i read this blog and it made me cry. stop reading my useless crap and click on this link. everything else i have said is meaningless. this is the part that has real worth.
"in the name of awareness"
no seriously. if you skipped it, go back and click the link. read the blog. don't skim it. don't look at the link and hope I'll summarize it,because i won't. read it.
if you want to raise awareness, do it in a way that actually shows respect to the struggles of those who are all too aware of breast cancer, in a way that shows hope, not a way that reminds them of the pain and the loss.
the other day i had a headache. God reminded me we live in a broken world full of pain and loss. of suffering and of horrible diseases. we have beauty in his creation, but we also have brokenness. and we have a lot of horrible brokenness. its there to remind us of how amazing the beauty is. we look around and see how horrible our world is, and yet God still loves us. and so we see the beauty in brokenness. without the evil, the sin, the cancer, the death, grief pain suffering, and the weeping and gnashing of teeth, there would be no need for a healer. and no NEED for a one who brings hope and renewal. without the fall, there is no getting back up, and without getting back up, there is no hand reaching down to help us get up.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
lately.
in the past month, God has showm me lots. one thing he showed me i said i would write a blog about, but its not time for that one yet.
right now God is telling me to ask him to show me people how he sees them. so i have been. i have been praying i see everyone around me through his eyes. with some friends i have come to see not only who they are and how God sees that part, but how God sees who they will be. i have almost cried seeing friends and who they are going to become.
God also showed me who other friends were supposed to be. and i did actually cry. becasue he was showing me who they were supposed to be when he created them. who they weren't becoming.
he showed me even more about a few friends and had me speak to them. had me tell them the things they need to hear to progress towards who he has shown me they will be.
and today in chapel, i realized something. i see al these christians around me and i pray for God to have me see them the way he sees them. beautiful children searching for his will. he takes delight in seeing them search for him. and thus i take delight in seeing them search for him. two weeks from now i will be at home again. i will be out of the simpson bubble. i will see people who are not striving after his will, but running from it. i am scared, and yet extremely hopeful that he will show me them the way he sees them too. that he will break my heart for the thingst hat break his heart.
okay. john's done working out, i can go to sleep/ update recessed. we will adjourn at a later date. at an earlier time.
right now God is telling me to ask him to show me people how he sees them. so i have been. i have been praying i see everyone around me through his eyes. with some friends i have come to see not only who they are and how God sees that part, but how God sees who they will be. i have almost cried seeing friends and who they are going to become.
God also showed me who other friends were supposed to be. and i did actually cry. becasue he was showing me who they were supposed to be when he created them. who they weren't becoming.
he showed me even more about a few friends and had me speak to them. had me tell them the things they need to hear to progress towards who he has shown me they will be.
and today in chapel, i realized something. i see al these christians around me and i pray for God to have me see them the way he sees them. beautiful children searching for his will. he takes delight in seeing them search for him. and thus i take delight in seeing them search for him. two weeks from now i will be at home again. i will be out of the simpson bubble. i will see people who are not striving after his will, but running from it. i am scared, and yet extremely hopeful that he will show me them the way he sees them too. that he will break my heart for the thingst hat break his heart.
okay. john's done working out, i can go to sleep/ update recessed. we will adjourn at a later date. at an earlier time.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
OH MY GOODNESS! new 25 random tidbits-blog!
its been a few months since the last list of 25 ramblings.
1. i love my family.
2. i'm saddened that my little cousin has cried for an hour in her bathtub because she was too lonely, and wanted a sibling
3. i want another Dog.
4. i'm stoked beyond stoked that i get to play guitar at my home church tomorrow
5. i miss someone. okay, mabye more than one person.
6. my grandma is friends with becky weber. they sat on the mount of olives late one night this summer and prayed and talked about me and my siblings.
7. i'm scared i will run out of things to say.
8. i am going to wear migh hightop sneakers tomorrow at church and i kinda hope someone says something about them.
9. i think nolan burns and katie tam are the cutest couple i have seen at simpson. sorry to the rest of you.
10. i think whoever i end up with and i will be cuter than katie and nolan.
11. i'm wearing an alliance redwoods staff shirt for the third day in a row. (its my "at home laundry")
12. i have had turkey for five meals since thanksgiving dinner. (including the t-giving dinner)
13. i just realized all my friends from highschool robably hate seeing my status updates that are super spiritual on facebook.
14. i don't really care...
15. OOH! God showed me some really cool stuff about a few friends and their friend and about me and my former friends last weekend. i want to share, but thats for another time.
16. i'm really super excited about when i do share that number 15 with people.
17. I got a really cool idea last night, but that one is between me and the people involved, when it happens.
18. i want to start a lectio divina group soon. next semester?
19. i need to find something to put my new stirring.org sticker on.
20. i need money.
21. i need food water shelter and love more than i need money
22. i think brian reagan is hilarious
23. i still love puns. even more so than last time i wrote one of these.
24. i have a friend who i call wife, another who i call love of my life. i do not like either of them in a romantic way.
25. when looking up words rhyming with died, i found only four syllable words online, and thought up a five syllable one myself. (unidentified)thats right, smarter than the internet.
1. i love my family.
2. i'm saddened that my little cousin has cried for an hour in her bathtub because she was too lonely, and wanted a sibling
3. i want another Dog.
4. i'm stoked beyond stoked that i get to play guitar at my home church tomorrow
5. i miss someone. okay, mabye more than one person.
6. my grandma is friends with becky weber. they sat on the mount of olives late one night this summer and prayed and talked about me and my siblings.
7. i'm scared i will run out of things to say.
8. i am going to wear migh hightop sneakers tomorrow at church and i kinda hope someone says something about them.
9. i think nolan burns and katie tam are the cutest couple i have seen at simpson. sorry to the rest of you.
10. i think whoever i end up with and i will be cuter than katie and nolan.
11. i'm wearing an alliance redwoods staff shirt for the third day in a row. (its my "at home laundry")
12. i have had turkey for five meals since thanksgiving dinner. (including the t-giving dinner)
13. i just realized all my friends from highschool robably hate seeing my status updates that are super spiritual on facebook.
14. i don't really care...
15. OOH! God showed me some really cool stuff about a few friends and their friend and about me and my former friends last weekend. i want to share, but thats for another time.
16. i'm really super excited about when i do share that number 15 with people.
17. I got a really cool idea last night, but that one is between me and the people involved, when it happens.
18. i want to start a lectio divina group soon. next semester?
19. i need to find something to put my new stirring.org sticker on.
20. i need money.
21. i need food water shelter and love more than i need money
22. i think brian reagan is hilarious
23. i still love puns. even more so than last time i wrote one of these.
24. i have a friend who i call wife, another who i call love of my life. i do not like either of them in a romantic way.
25. when looking up words rhyming with died, i found only four syllable words online, and thought up a five syllable one myself. (unidentified)thats right, smarter than the internet.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
okay, so twice in one day, both inspired by the same message.
tonight travis spoke again, and after the message, nate had everyone who felt stressed about the relational status they are not in hold out their hands. (if you're single, and stressed about marriage, or married and stressed about singleness. the second one made less sense to me) and everyone around me raised their hands. and i felt God telling me to wait. then nate said "and for some of you its not the stress, but realizing that God may be asking you to be single for a while, be it a year or ten. to commit to him that if he wants you to, you'll stay unattached so you can get up and go where he sends you." and God said to me "you're up."
the one thing i want the most in life is not to be a pastor. its not to be rich, or to be famous, or to be amazing at guitar. its not even a wife. its to have kids with my wife, and raise them to be God loving men and women. and tonight God asked me to give up my desire to be married. ever. i cfried. i clutched my chest. i didn't know how to take it. i just knew he told me to. so i told him "okay. its yours." and my hand that was clucthing my chest felt like it was holding my heart. not the thing we see on valenines day. but the muscle. just a pure blob of flesh squirting blood. and i held it out, slowly opened my hand, and told him, it was his. he looked down on me and said "okay, i'll hold it for you. then he wrapped my heart in his love. then he did somehting that shocked me. he put it back. myheart is wrapped in his love. it almost seemed that part of him became like a peice of foil around a baked potato that was my heart. and he told me, i need this, but i need it to be in you. and when i want to, i will let you have a wife and kids, but now you need to be okay with the fact you might not ever marry. i wanted to drop to the floor and sob.
but my heart was wrapped in him.
_______________________
i got back to school tonight and as i walked down the stairs to my room he told me i will marry and have kids. eventually, but before i do, he is going to do something. and i'm not sure what it is yet. and i don't get to know yet. i think it will be something that shapes me into a someone who can actually support a family, and be responsible for them. but i'm not sure if that will take a year or ten years or fifteen years. but i'm okay with that. scared, but okay.
the one thing i want the most in life is not to be a pastor. its not to be rich, or to be famous, or to be amazing at guitar. its not even a wife. its to have kids with my wife, and raise them to be God loving men and women. and tonight God asked me to give up my desire to be married. ever. i cfried. i clutched my chest. i didn't know how to take it. i just knew he told me to. so i told him "okay. its yours." and my hand that was clucthing my chest felt like it was holding my heart. not the thing we see on valenines day. but the muscle. just a pure blob of flesh squirting blood. and i held it out, slowly opened my hand, and told him, it was his. he looked down on me and said "okay, i'll hold it for you. then he wrapped my heart in his love. then he did somehting that shocked me. he put it back. myheart is wrapped in his love. it almost seemed that part of him became like a peice of foil around a baked potato that was my heart. and he told me, i need this, but i need it to be in you. and when i want to, i will let you have a wife and kids, but now you need to be okay with the fact you might not ever marry. i wanted to drop to the floor and sob.
but my heart was wrapped in him.
_______________________
i got back to school tonight and as i walked down the stairs to my room he told me i will marry and have kids. eventually, but before i do, he is going to do something. and i'm not sure what it is yet. and i don't get to know yet. i think it will be something that shapes me into a someone who can actually support a family, and be responsible for them. but i'm not sure if that will take a year or ten years or fifteen years. but i'm okay with that. scared, but okay.
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