Wow!! It’s been too long since I put an entry into this blog. I feel so ashamed. But it means that I’ve been extremely busy and – trust me – that’s a wonderful thing!! Then, when I finally got a chance to make the entry, I couldn't remember my password. I've been bugging the wonderful people of Blogger for the past week and a half trying to get my user ID and password reset. However, today I stumbled accross it in the place where all of my passwords are documented. DUH!! I guess I should have looked there first.
Let me try to bring you up to speed. Since my last entry we have had some wonderful concerts!! I’ve had the opportunity to minister at a small church for their youth conference. When I say a small church I mean small – like the building holds less then 100 people. But the leader of the youth department wanted to do something great for their youth and I really wanted to be a part of that. The Lord has given me a soft spot for young people and I believe that the church should do all that we can to reach them and anchor them in the word of God. Well… it happened so that the day we had to minister was extremely hot. The circuit breaker for the air conditioning at the church tripped earlier that day so the a/c wasn’t on and the building was like a sauna. When we all arrived they immediately turned on the a/c but they couldn’t cool the building. So we had a sweat fest. It was cool though. We were leaping and dancing before the Lord with sweat pouring off all of us. It was a blessed night nonetheless. The young people really enjoyed it.
We have implemented a new marketing item. We have a T-shirt with the front imprinted “I Worship Because I Am Redeemed.” People love the shirts. They sell very well at concerts. We will soon be selling them on the website.
Another award nomination has come. The Virginia Gospel Announcers Guild of the GMWA has nominated me for “Male Artist Of The Year”. What an honor! I feel truly blessed to be a nominee. If you vote for me, maybe I’ll win. ;-)
A record label wants to put “Join In This Praise” on their Gospel Skate Jams CD. This will be a compilation CD featuring several national and independent artists. From what I was told, there may be a couple of previously unreleased songs by TONEX on the CD. Now that is major… having my music on a CD with music from Tonex. The record label will do major distribution which would escalate the popularity of Worship Of A Redeemed Man which should positively impact CD sales.
Oasis Manufacturing – the company that pressed my CD – included “Fight For Me” on their Inspirational Sampler CD. The sampler is a compilation CD of several Christian, Gospel and Inspirational independent artists that have had their music manufactured by Oasis. The company sent the sampler to their “secret” list of industry insiders and radio stations. We have already received an email from a radio station in Oregon that wanted the full project for consideration in their rotation. The Music Director had great things to say about the song. WOW!!
So, as you can see, things are happening. And believe me when I say that I’m not even telling you the biggest things yet. I’ll have to wait until the dust settles and we can clearly see all the Lord is doing. It’s a little clouded right now but we feel something great coming to birth. God is moving… and I’m moving right along with Him.
2 comments:
Hi Minister Smith, I must say you were truly a blessing to me at Mt. Sinai church and you are so talented. I saw your name mentioned in my nephews book Bishop Barry Randall. I am no longer a member of Mt. Sinai for wanting to get higher in the Lord but since then I to have found my place. Thank you and your wife for being in my dash. :)
kblunt1@cox.net
I've read quite a bit of your personal post and as my name reads, I'm curious. How do you manage to draw the line between ministry and entertainment? How do you remain humble always keeping in the forefront that your gift is from God and for His purpose alone? How do you manage keeping your marriage pure, because even in the church women will pursue? I'm asking rhetorical questions here. Not asking you to answer to me. I'm not God. But, I know that this has to be a challenge. I have your CD and the think the worship is exceptional. But, behind the scenes, do you live the life you sing about in the public? Is God first? How do you treat your wife? Are you walking in holiness or compromise?
I notice that you wrote passionately about wanting/needing "solid" teaching. How about a deep love relationship with God? No amount of teaching can compare. You see, the world says that "knowledge is power". But many know and do not walk in what they know ... behind closed doors when the people aren't looking.
Mr. Smith, please don't get the tone of my comment wrong. The music God creates through you ministers ... it really does. But, it is soooooooooo disappointing to see even those who profess to be Christians move into the music industry and loose sight of "real" ministry. It becomes about money and image and God takes a back seat. My prayer for you is that you don't go that way. Whatever God has given you, it's ALL about Him. You are a worshipper. God says that those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. I believe that this means that we are to worship Him with all of our hearts in what we think, how we live, and what we say. In truth means according to who He really is ... not some false image of who we want God to be. If we are singing about Him, but living a different life behind the scenes, what we do in the forefront isn't worship, it's entertainment. It's fake. It's the anointing that destroys yokes and bondage. Entertainment produces emotional responses. Once the emotional high is gone, people go back their normal life of carnality because there hasn't been an inward change.
So, I pray that you are the real deal. It would be such a waste to see another Godly man loose his footing through show business. "Intimate relationship" with God is the key. Otherwise, knowing the Word will only make you Biblically smart but still spiritually immature.
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