IT WAS ALREADY IN MY HAND!!

We sat down and looked at the task in front of us. It seemed HUGE! So huge, in fact, that we didn’t want to crunch the numbers and see how much it was going to actually cost. But then God took me once again to that scripture that says… “Write the vision…” (Hab 2:2) and reminded me that in order for me to see it clearly, I needed to write it out. So I did. As I started writing out what needed to be done, God dropped another scripture in my heart. I was reminded of when God asked Moses, “What is that in your hand?” (Ex 4:2) Moses had a rod already in his hand. God chose to use Moses’ rod to work the miracles that brought about the Israelites’ deliverance from Egypt. I didn’t even know what I already had in my hand.

I looked deeply and noticed that I had a practically completed project already – one that wouldn’t take away from Bigger Than I Imagined. You see, on the night of the live recording we included some concert remixes of songs that were recorded on Worship Of A Redeemed Man. I also had a couple of tracks that were recorded but we had decided not to include on Bigger Than I Imagined. On top of that, I had another song that I recorded in demo form that made a huge impact on everyone who heard it. When I rubbed my eyes and looked at it all again I realized that I had a full project that I could release right now. I had already mixed it. We had already done background vocal overdubs. It was already tight and only needed a few tweaks. While it hadn’t gone through all the commercial fixes (band overdubs, mixing by my guru – Rob Ulsh, etc.), it was definitely something I could release and be proud of. And it would have a very low overhead.

So, I pulled the team together and we considered where we are, where we needed to go, and what it was going to cost. I shared with them the vision that God had given me for our “Capital Campaign.” Everyone jumped on board and Worship Unplugged was born.

So, on October 3rd, we will officially release Worship Unplugged. The CD Release Listening Party will be held at 7:30PM at Gethsemane Community Fellowship Baptist Church. This project is all about worship. It is designed to take you right to the face of God. This is the kind of CD that you can play when you are in your personal prayer time. It is the kind of CD that can change your life. What amazes me is that I didn’t even know that I had it in my hand.

God is so AWESOME!!!

What An Amazing Weekend!!

This weekend was fantastic! On Saturday evening I had the honor of singing at Dominion Ministries, International in Hampton. God showed us His glory in that place. It was the first time I'd ever shared my testimony about being sexually assaulted when I was a teenager. Wow! I'm growing.

Then on Sunday morning our praise team sang my new song, "Hope Thou In God" for praise & worship at my home church. They NAILED it! It was so amazing seeing the congregation really grab on to the song.

And then Sunday evening my wife gave a powerful word at our ministers training class. She addressed the class on the need for us to have a servant's heart just like Christ. It was a compelling and convicting message. I am so PROUD of her!!

So... yeah... I had a great weekend. How was yours?

Lessons From The Show

Recently I had the opportunity to enjoy a concert here in Hampton Roads. The event featured three of Gospel Music’s finest performers. Now, since I am an upcoming artist, I’m always observing what others are doing… especially those who are on the national stage… to see what I should (and shouldn’t) be doing.

Here are a few things I learned from this recent concert:

• When people ask you to do a concert, don’t preach – SING! I did notice a couple of the artists eating away the clock by preaching – or rather talking about what we need to do. You know, everybody has a sermon about what church folks need to do. You don’t need a text or topic for that one. But it became obvious that these artists had more time than they needed. So, rather than singing their full time, they spent about 1/3 or more of their time “preaching.” It wouldn’t been different if the “sermonettes” had something to do with the songs they were singing… but… nah.

• Be prepared for the unexpected. Travel can be tricky. Delays happen. But if you know that you are arriving at the venue very late and you need to be on stage in a matter of a few short minutes, be prepared. You may need to start changing your clothes during the ride on the way to the venue. Sometimes what you wore while you were traveling won’t be the best thing to wear on stage. Don’t let your attire kill your whole show.

• Remain humble. Enjoy the ride while you’re on it – but don’t be fooled to think that the ride is real life. Fame and fortune are all temporary. You can be the cream of the crop today – filling arenas and coliseums all by yourself. But that is temporary. You can be back at calling around trying to get someone to let you sing at their church on tomorrow. Don’t let the fame go to your head. Today’s headliners can often be tomorrow’s opening acts.

• One song can change your life. You never know what song is going to move the nations. Who knew what “Our God Is An Awesome God” would do? Who knew what “Shout To The Lord” would do? Who knew what “How Great Is Our God” would do? Who knew what “Friend Of God” would do? And, who knew what “Never Would Have Made It” would do? One song can change your life.

Challenged!

That’s the only way I know how to describe how I feel right now in one word. I am challenged.

Tonight, a friend called me and told me about a service taking place tonight where a group was going to be ministering that he thought I’d want to hear. I was lying on the couch watching a movie, recuperating from a very long and busy weekend. I told him that it sounded interesting but gave him very little reason to believe that I wanted to leave my house.

Shortly thereafter, I got a text from him stating that the group was made up of about 25 young people all delivered from addictions, crime, homosexuality, etc., and their praise was on fire. I replied and asked if they were on stage already? He replied that they weren’t up yet but they were worshipping from their seats and on their knees, praising hard and being radical. That stirred me a little.

Shortly thereafter, he sent me another message to say that the group was just getting up. Okay, I was sold now. Since the venue was less than 10 minutes from my house, there was little reason for me to miss it. Besides, I was feeling that tug in my spirit that says that the Lord wanted me to see something.

What I experienced tonight was revolutionary. I saw these kids, from teenagers to early 20s, who were walking in the kind of deliverance that I grew up around. These young people sang under an intense anointing! Their music was amazing. The band was off the chain. The vocals were tight. But, the WORSHIP!!! The worship was so infectious. The songs were incredibly powerful. They spoke of the delivering power of God and the freedom that He brings.

The group was led by Eddie James. I felt pretty stupid that I hadn’t heard of him before tonight. This worship experience included a 9-piece band, more than 7 vocalists, dancers – male dancers who didn’t dance in any way that looked gay. These people brought it! The night went from amazing song to amazing song. We danced, we bowed, we wept, we shouted, we lifted our hands, we leaped, we danced some more.

Then there was a moment when Eddie let about nine of the young people who were with him share their testimonies. Each of them briefly told us what God had delivered them from. As I stood there listening, I thought about how powerful these testimonies were for the people in the audience. It made the people on the stage much more tangible. It made them human. It gave their radical worship even more credibility. But I also thought about how important it was for the young people on the stage. When you share your testimony publicly, you make a declaration that you have no intention of returning to the old lifestyle. It reaffirms your commitment to the freedom you’ve now found in Christ. Furthermore, it puts you on blast. It makes you feel obligated all over again to live the life that you are now declaring. And, finally, it backs the devil up in a corner. It reminds him and you of the fact that you have been set free by the power of Christ. Yes… the bible declares that the devil is overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.

So, the testimony time was followed by the most incredible altar call I’ve ever seen at a concert. Many people came to the altar for salvation. The singers and some of the band members came down and worked at the altar, praying with those who came up for salvation as well as those who came up for deliverance. This took me back to my days in revivals with my mother in South Carolina. This was an altar call with fervency and power. People did more than recite the sinner’s prayer. They prayed with these people until yokes were destroyed, deliverance came and people were set free.

To top it all off, the most amazing thing happened. The pastor of the church had some of their ministers and altar workers go up and prepare the baptism pool. And many people who gave their lives to Jesus went up to be immediately baptized. I am still amazed.

But the reason I was challenged is because I saw someone effectively using the tool of music to bring people beyond the veil, and not letting them leave with just a feeling or a touch. He was pulling people to the cross and compelling them to let the Savior change them. And people responded. Eddie was provoking change and deliverance. He wasn’t just being an artist. He was totally focused on worshipping until the power came and then using the power to bring change to the lives of people who needed a change.

As an artist, I can easily be drawn into the music and the art and overlook the need to be focused on the deliverance that needs to take place. My pastor preached a message a week ago that described how so many people today are demon possessed, displaying the same characteristics that demon possessed people in the bible displayed. But we can be so shallow in our spirituality that we overlook their condition and never use the power of Christ to cast those spirits out.

What am I doing? This is my challenge. Am I just making music so that people will join me in worshipping Jesus? Is that all that God wants from me? Doesn’t he want to use me to bring deliverance to his people? Jesus didn’t just provoke worship. He provoked change. Should I aspire to be like the wonderful worship leaders I see or should I aspire to be like Christ? Should we stop at the worship and the presence or should we press in until we see change?

I am challenged to stop stopping when we enter the presence. I am challenged to now press in until I hear the popping and clinking of yokes being destroyed and falling off. I am challenged to compel people to not just gaze at the cross but to grab hold of it until there is a difference. I am challenged to stop being shallow in my thinking, stop being shallow in my prayer, stop being shallow in my pursuit of God. I am challenged to reach for something fresh, something new, something different. There are enough worship leaders… I need to be exactly the thing God created me to be.

And I will know for sure that I have arrived when I get there.

It's A Long Walk From The Street - A journey with a guy named "Joe" - Part 7:

Tuesday:

With renewed vigor and determination, I met Joe at the church that next morning. I had been praying for wisdom and direction. The challenges became clearer to me. But my goal was ever before me. By the time I was done, Joe wasn’t going to be living in the bushes. He’d be staying at some shelter somewhere, some housing facility, some safe place… but not the bushes.

Our first stop for the day was Hardee’s. Like the previous day, I wanted to feed Joe. I wanted to restore within him the value of starting the day with a hot breakfast. He liked the sausage biscuit with egg & cheese. He liked it with coffee – I like it with orange juice. It was a good time to talk about our lives and for me to get more acquainted with Joe. The day before, after leaving the Department of Human Services where we met with Bill, Joe and I went to Alice Mae’s Restaurant for a late lunch. While we ate (Joe couldn’t believe how much I was eating. I actually surprised myself too. I was hungry!) Joe told me about his childhood. He explained the effect epilepsy and osteoporosis had on his life. He called and spoke with his daughter and his brother. So, sitting at a meal was our time of bonding. This Tuesday morning would be no different.

After breakfast, we went to the City Hall building and waited for our escort to take us up to The Office to End Homelessness. The receptionist received us and began to gather Joe’s information. During our interaction I sensed that she was a person of faith and later discovered that she was a minister of the Gospel. Once she gathered all the information that she needed, she escorted Joe and me back to the first floor to an office where Joe was able to get a City of Norfolk ID Card.

As Joe took his ID photo, I saw the weight of hopelessness lifting from his shoulders. When the City agent handed Joe his card, it was like a wonderful Christmas gift. I saw a smile on his face that I hadn’t seen before. I was fighting back the tears. You see, without certified ID, you can’t really prove who you are. You don’t exist in the system. It’s easy to become homeless without ID. But with an ID card, Joe could get off the street. He could get in a shelter. As a matter of fact, we didn’t need an escort to go back upstairs in the City Hall building. As we walked out of the City ID office headed back up to the Office To End Homelessness, Joe kept saying “Thank You. You really came through.” I just assured him that I was doing what Jesus would want me to do.

It's A Long Walk From The Street
A journey with a guy named "Joe" - part 6

We went back to Bill’s office. We had about an hour before he would be able to see us. So we sat and waited… and waited… and waited. We read books, watched TV, talked… and waited. We talked about Joe’s family, my family, Joe’s childhood, my hometown, the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday… any and everything we could think of so that Joe wouldn’t get frustrated and say, “I give up.”

During that conversation, I discovered that Joe has a stepmother that lives right across the street from the bushes where he was sleeping. He also has a brother that lives about 15 minutes away. Joe even has a daughter who is married and lives in the neighboring city. Joe became a father at age 14. He never was able to maintain employment because he was epileptic and subject to seizures. He has a bone condition – Osteoporosis – which has led to two broken hips and a knee fracture. As a result, Joe has rods in both hips and a pin in his knee. Joe walks with a limp and doesn’t have good balance. Seeing him walk, one would easily assume that he is intoxicated.

Finally, we were called in to Bill’s office. Now, I was expecting that great and mighty things would happen. I thought that this was the place that held the keys to everything Joe needed. Bill would help Joe get into a shelter, get clothing, get food, get food stamps, get medical assistance. I was dreaming.

Bill was a kind gentleman. He gathered Joe’s information. As Bill went through his computer archives he found that Joe was already in the system. They had qualified him for food stamps before. They even had a copy of his old ID card, food stamps card and birth certificate on record. Oh, I was about to jump out of my seat and do a dance! Bill ordered a new copy of Joe’s birth certificate to be sent to Joe’s stepmother’s home. Then he told us about the City ID card – which he said would be a lot better than the temporary ID card that we were told about earlier from Julie. Bill made some calls and put a package together so that we could go the next morning and get the ID card made.

Then came the surprise. This was all that Bill was going to be able to do from his office. We would have to the several other offices to get the other things that were needed. While Bill had gotten the ball rolling, would have to run behind it to make the journey successful.

As we left his office, I started thinking about something. How could a person who doesn’t have a car do all the things that it takes to no longer be homeless?

When Joe came and met me that morning, he had his “Cadillac” with him – his shopping cart that he pushes around all the time, collecting bottles and cans – especially any bottle that had any left over alcohol in it. He also used it to collect any discarded food items so that he could eat it when he got hungry. We parked the cart behind the church when we left that Monday morning. It broke my heart that I had to bring him back to that cart on Monday evening and watch him stroll back down the street to the bushes and sleep one more night under that tent.

It's A Long Walk From The Street
A journey with a guy named "Joe" - pt 2

This older gentleman unwrapped himself from the bedding and came toward me, clothed in his hat and coat. I told him that my wife and I wanted to bless him with some food. Yes, I admit, I probably didn’t deserve any credit whatsoever. By this time, I heard the dinging of the car. Looking over my shoulder, I saw my wife coming into the clearing where this gentleman and me were standing. I introduced myself and my wife to him. He told us that his name was “Joe”. We told him that we were from the church on the corner. He said that he’d been there several times and knew our pastor. Joe gave us big hugs, showing obvious gratitude for the food we had given him. We invited him to church and he agreed to come.

The following Sunday, sure enough, he was there – sitting in the back. My wife and I got to speak with him after service. He seemed surprised that we remembered his name. I was certainly surprised that he remembered ours.

Ever since then, we couldn’t pass that spot without looking for Joe.

Not long after, I found myself reminiscing on a recent self-evaluation where I cited that I needed to become better at caring for people not only in the immediate moment but carrying their plight to completion – helping them get to that point that things actually get better. I remembered the revelation of how easy it is for me to pray for someone in the immediate moment – then forget about their pain the next day. I wanted God to work on my heart and help me to care enough to carry people in my heart.

Every few weeks I’d see Joe at service. We stayed acquainted. I made sure he didn’t forget me and my wife’s names. I prayed for him often – that God would protect him and provide for him. Several times I wondered what his story was… what brought him to this stage of life. Yeah, this guy was actually on my heart.

To be continued…

The Starving Church Musician

It’s challenging for professional musicians. Very few of us are able to make a decent living in Gospel music. Very few churches are willing to pay the kind of salary that allows you to be focused on that one ministry. As a result, you have to take on multiple responsibilities – often you end up playing for more than one church as well as in the band for a few groups, choirs or artists. This way, you can make the ends meet.

It is always interesting how many people say, “you should just give your gift to God as an offering – and not do it for the money.” My response is this… the next time your automobile needs repair, take it to a Christian auto mechanic that attends your church and ask him/her to repair your car with his/her tools and not do it for the money… just use their gift to bless you. What do you think they’d say?

Does everyone that picks up an instrument to play at church need to be paid? I don’t believe that they do. But the people that do more than come to a rehearsal and play in one or two services on the weekend… the people that put lots of time and effort in planning the music for the services… the people that develop the music ministry… the people that train and mentor the younger musicians in the church and cultivate their gifts and talents… the musicians that invest 2-3 hours per week in preparation, 6-10 hours per week in rehearsals, and 5-8 hours per week playing in church services… those kind of musicians should be compensated. That’s what I believe. Those are more hours than most of the other volunteers who serve in ministry at the church. These persons who take their gifts and use them to bless the people that congregate at a church for worship shouldn’t be ignored.

Besides… doesn’t scripture teach that you shouldn’t muzzle the ox that treads the corn? Trust me when I say… the music ministry does a lot of treading – every Sunday.

Enough for now… more to come next week.

So… here’s what’s been going on

I haven’t said much lately… no blogs… no newsletters… no engagements… not much of anything. There’s a reason. I needed to, as a former bishop of mine would say, “walk softly before the Lord” so that I could hear His voice clearly. Now, I can let you in on what’s been happening.

After my recording session in April, I took some time away from production on my new project. During that time, I made contact with an independent record label in New Jersey that was interested in re-releasing my first project and investing in the completion of my second project. After a few conversations with the label owner, I developed a budget for the completion of the project to help them make their decision. We planned for the label owner and his family to come and visit with me and worship one Sunday at my home church. Things were looking pretty good. So, I decided not to do anything until I saw how things were going to pan out.

Well, last week I spoke with the label owner. He informed me that he had taken a beating in the stock market and, as a result, wouldn’t be investing in my project. As disappointing as this could be, for me it brought peace. My prayer had always been that only the will of God would be done. When the door closed, it made the answer very clear.

One of biggest blessings in it all for me is the fact that my band and singers are so tremendously supportive. They all have said that they are ready to work and complete the project, whether I have the dollars I want to pay them or not. They are committed to helping me. I feel so blessed and humbled that singers and musicians of this caliber are willing to work with me. This is the favor of God. I also believe that another contributing factor is that I always try to compensate them when they minister with me. I respect each of them as singers and musicians. I respect that they have lives, and bills, and amazing talent. I respect the fact that they do not have to share their gifts and talents with me. When we do work together, I respect their time as well as their other commitments.

And I understand the challenge of professional musicians in the Gospel music arena. I’ll talk more about that later this week.

August 17, 2008 Testimony Time!

Okay… I feel like taking it way back for a moment. Go with me to a little old church down a dirt road in a country town in the summer time in the state of South Carolina. This is how my very true testimony would sound…

Praise the Lord, everybody! I said praise the Lord, everybody! Giving honor to God who truly is the head of my life. I give honor to my pastor, my first lady, to all the ministers on the rostrum, to all the saints and friends. You know, saints, God really is good! You know, he may not come when you want Him but – Hallelujah! – He’s always right on time!

You know, saints, my wife and I had been getting along with one car for the last several years. And God’s been good. Our car has been very reliable. And it was a blessing – we didn’t have to pay a dime for it. But you know, saints, as my wife and I started getting busier in ministry work, it started getting harder and harder to get along with one car. Then lately we’ve taken on an additional family responsibility that made it very tough. So, we talked about getting another car – but knew that we weren’t in the position to make the purchase right now. So, we prayed about it and left it in God’s hands. And, saints – Hallelujah! – we got a call that a family member was giving us a car. Yes, God blessed us with another car – and we didn’t have to pay a dime! Glory!!

But, that ain’t all, saints! Oh – God is so good to us.

When we had our first car inspected a few months ago, they told me about some repair work that needed to be done soon. This weekend, the part that I was told about – the lower ball joint – gave out on the car. Saints, if you’ve never seen a car with a broken lower ball joint – let me tell you, it’s a scary sight. But, thank God for AAA. We had the car towed to the shop. The next morning, the mechanic called to tell me what the total cost would be. About the same minute I told the mechanic to go forward with fixing the car, my business phone began to ring. It was a call to come and sing for a gospel cruise on the Spirit of Norfolk that very day. The pay check for singing on the cruise plus the CD sales essentially paid for the repairs of the car.

Tell me God ain’t good! He’ll come through for you right on time. Hallelujah!!

Y’all pray much for my strength in the Lord!

Then, the BIG question…

I remember my visions of grandeur. We were working on Worship Of A Redeemed Man, my first album. I thought that some major record label would hear my project and just leap for joy, then come running to me with a contract. I could just see myself traveling all around the globe, singing on the big stage with the big names, leading countless thousands in worship through song. I could see it so clearly. Boy, was I wrong.

I remember my days of realization. After researching the trends in the recording industry… seeing that as many or more artists were being dropped from major labels than artists were being signed… seeing that many Gospel music labels were folding or being sold off as commodity… seeing how much more stability independent artists had… and after attending GMA Academy in Brentwood, Tennessee… I decided that it was better for me to remain independent and just rough it on my own.

I remember my days of frustration as I determined that I really couldn’t do all of this by myself. I sent out a mass text message to people I knew, asking if anyone had recommendations for a booking agent. I needed some help getting engagements. As an artist, you have to keep working if you are going to make any kind of a living. Independent artists don’t try to get rich – well the smart ones don’t – because we know that it’s an illusion. Most signed artists on major labels aren’t rich. The videos and wardrobe create the illusion. But the reality is that these artists are struggling – just like the indie artists. No… independent artists just try to keep the lights on and the bills paid. And the bills get paid a lot faster when you are working. So I started looking for a booking agent.

Then one day I get a contact from an independent record label. They are interested in releasing my second project. I’ve spoken with the owner. He seems to be a wonderful Christian family man. So, we talked about a way to make this thing work. It sounds really good. I’d been praying about how I would be able to afford the post-production work on this new project. Perhaps this is God’s plan – a partnership with an independent label that will allow me to maintain ownership of my project and control of my career… a partnership with someone that will handle much of the business that I’m trying to maintain so that I can spend more time being creative and writing the music that God is placing on my heart… a partnership with a company that will be able to help me reach the kind of audience that I believe I’m destined to reach.

But these moments are so tricky and prompt lots of questions: Is this God’s plan? Is this a test? Is it a distraction? Is it a diversion? Is it God’s answer to my prayer? Is this my destiny? Then, the BIG question… Should I SIGN?

So many questions!

I’ve been praying about it. I believe that partnering with this label is the will of the Lord. I feel peace about connecting with this company. We’ve started talking figures and logistics. I’ll be meeting with the owner in person next month. My prayer is that God will confirm His will to me by then so that when we meet I will know whether or not to proceed.

Please pray with me.

I’m headed back to the studio! Today I’m mixing a few tracks that I produced for a new artist names Irreka. Her project will be coming out early 2008. Working with her has been a wonderful learning experience for me. When I produced my first solo project, Worship Of A Redeemed Man, it was my first time producing a full project. Using God’s wisdom, I surrounded myself with people that understood the process and who would keep me on course. With their counsel, things came out pretty well.

Advice for independent artists… We are not all gifted to produce music. Many of us can create the music, but our music would be better prepared if we had someone else produce us who has the experience and the gift for production. Don’t let your music suffer because of your inexperience or your pride. Even if you feel you do have the gift to produce yourself, surround yourself with people that have even more experience and expertise that yourself; people that won’t mind telling you the truth about your production; people that won’t feel obligated to appease your ego. Those are the people that I surrounded myself with and they guided me to a successful product.

So, I am getting ready for Italy. This is very exciting. The promoter wants a piano, acoustic tour so I can’t take my band. I can, however, bring 5 singers. So, I’m taking my four background singers and my drummer – who happens to be a great singer as well. The blend is wonderful! Next week I’ll be finalizing the set list and the arrangements. We fly out on the 15^th. Our scheduled return is December 31^st. I’m hoping we get back in time for New Years Eve service.

Look out for blogs much more often. You will be hearing from me a lot more. If you ever want to communicate with me, feel free to email me at hayahsounds@cox.net. I’d love to hear from you. If you have any Italy stories or production stories to share, please email me. I’d love to hear what you have to say.

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday. It’s time to get ready for Christmas. Happy Birthday, Jesus!!

Well, I’m still in Charlotte!!!

So far this today, I’ve been going through my music… listening to my tracks and planning out the rest of my performances. Oops, I may have said too much already. Let me go to another subject.

My niece is a hair stylist with her own salon in Charlotte – D’Paul’s. My wife is there to get her hair styled – or as we like to say it, "to get her hair did." Jinel’s been styling hair for many years and is quite good at it.

I’ve met some wonderful people at the CATS competition. I met a young lady from North Pole, Alaska who is a wonderful singer and songwriter. You will love her when you see the show. By the way, the show won’t air until January 2008. Sorry! But you will definitely appreciate the artists. I met another young lady from Florida who is so much the Christian version of Christina Aguilera. And she is a sweetheart with a great testimony. I’ve met some wonderful worship leaders who really love God. It is great being around so many people who share the passion that I have.

Thank God for my prayer posse!! There are so many people praying for me through this competition. It’s wonderful having so many great friends "texting" me to let me know that they’re praying for me. Keep praying. I’m still here.