From NaCl, Ed's Devos.

Moved

2009-10-13T21:14:00.001-07:00

Moved to kaptivatedinthelimelight.blogspot.com.

Amen

2009-10-12T21:24:00.000-07:00

Like many of you, it's not actually the next day for me until I fall asleep.

So, before tomorrow comes, I'm going to take my time here and pray. Not an excessively long prayer, and not just reading off of prayer lists. I'm going to pray for things that I actually care about, not things that I'm told to pray about. I'm going to pray for things that I've promised I would pray for. I'm going to pray here because I've begun to lose my genuine heart for what I'm praying for after so much time of prayer every day.

Father,

I pray that the people who read this won't get the wrong idea. I pray that they'll be understanding of what I need to do to get closer to you.

I know I shouldn't think of prayer as a burden, but, frankly, that's exactly what it's become. While I'd rather just go upstairs, change, and jump right into my familiarly comfortable bedsheets, I often find myself facing the heavy weight of the 'duty' to pray every day. Instead of going straight to sleep, I'm stuck staying up. You know this, and I'm praying for myself. I'm praying that You'll plant this huge, everlasting, and, most importantly, genuine passion in the deepest level of my heart.

I also pray, Lord, that I'll be able to focus on You more throughout the day. I pray that You'll plant a strong faith in me, a faith that would change my life, the way I act, and completely shape and define my personality. I ask that You mold me into an image of Your son, a child of God. I pray that I wouldn't be overindulgent in any sin.

I pray that I would be able to forgive anyone that I have strife with. I pray that if anyone that I am not thinking about that I haven't been able to forgive, or that I completely block out that they don't even come to mind when I try to think of who I need to come to terms with.

I pray that I would be able to forgive those who have done me wrong, and I pray that You would forgive them. I pray that You would forgive me, as I forgive my debtors. Give me the strength to carry on through this life full of struggles. I pray that You would help me understand that You will provide for me, and that You wouldn't put anything on my path that I couldn't handle.

Lord, I pray for Jin, who is a new Christian. I pray that You would guide him in his walk with You, and I pray that you would always remind him that You are by his side. I pray that, as he grows, he would stay strong in his faith, and You would continue to act as his one and only God.

I pray for any parents who are struggling in their relationship as a married couple. I pray that they would find You as their foundation, and build their relationship based on Your Word. I pray You would mend their relationship and heal any damage done to them in any way.

I pray that You would provide while I'm working on these songs for You, Lord. Remind me who I'm doing them for, and remind me why I'm doing it. Remind me what You've given me, and remind me what I should do with this gift.

I pray for all my friends who once used to be faithful servants. I pray that You would touch their hearts once again, and this time more so than ever. I pray that they would realize that You are the only thing they need, and You should be the only one they worship and serve.

I praise You for everything You've given me, and I pray that, if it's Your will, the next day would be a great day. I pray it would be another uplifting experience, for each day is a gift from You. I praise You for being there for me, and I thank You for everything You give me even though I'm so undeserving.

I thank You and I pray once again that no one would get the wrong idea from reading this post.

In Jesus's Name,

Amen.

The Worth of Sacrifice

2009-10-12T16:22:00.000-07:00

Where is the Love?

2009-10-10T18:21:00.000-07:00

He Showed Me

2009-10-05T15:39:00.000-07:00

I posted this song on my myspace early last month. -- myspace.com/kaptivatedtruth

Tell me what you think.

Title: [He Showed Me]

[Chorus]

He showed me what to do, what to do with this life / He showed me, he showed me the truth is Christ / if you're new to this fight / you know what's skewed from right? / are you pursuing the light? / I hope you're doing it right / He showed me

[Verse 1]

He showed me how to get from nothing to something / I tried to live it right, but I kept running from His loving / I kept hunting and wondering for something I could trust / but I kept stumbling and tumbling and I was hiding from / the righteous one / He was right in front / of me, but I couldn't notice / so many possessions and ideas of the world I was holding / the Lord is golden / but how could I know this? / didn't ever pay attention in church, no, I never focused / I kept putting Him aside / I kept running for the lies / after many long and often nights I was lonely / started hearing Him talk and calling and that was when He showed me

[Chorus]

[Verse 2]

He showed me what to do / and now I'm passing it to you / but I can't teach you / it's God that leads you / to see truth / and be who / He wants you to be / so you can keep to / what He do / eternally / I know times are hard / and you blame 'em on God / but keep on persevering / and let God do the steering / if you trust in Him / He'll lift you up within / if it seems dim / being / you don't see Him / keep it / going / knowing / that He's by your side/ He's like your light / He'll be your might just trust in Christ / can't see Him now, but the night is darkest before the dawn / keep on / believing / yeah, it won't be long / He'll show you

[Chorus]

[Bridge]

He'll show you / engulf you / in all that you're supposed to / go through / and know to / set you on the road to / be close to / the Lord who / you He has atoned for / don't you / need total / grace? yeah, He'll show you.

[Chorus]

Dream Big

2009-08-15T21:01:00.000-07:00

Hold on and dream big,

you don't wanna leave this,

make sure you see it through,

be it skewed, what it means to you

don't know what it'll lead you to

don't ever let it go

or it's like you never had a goal.

You can be

anything

in this world, if you focus.

Know this.

What I'm saying is golden.

Let go of dreams, do not

if they they're the only thing you got;

they keep a spirit alive

you ain't hearing a lie.

Even if you feel you have lost it all

no money, no nothing, this don't stop it, naw,

hold on tight to these

all of these big dreams

believe and all the things in your dreams you'll achieve.

Don't Waste Your Life

2009-08-08T09:08:00.000-07:00

I know a lot of people out there scared they gonna die

couple of em thinking they'll be living in the sky

but while Im here livin man I gotta ask why?

what am here for I gotta figure out

waste my life? NO I gotta make it count

if Christ is real then what am I gone do about

all of the things in Luke 12:15 down to 21 you really oughta go and check it out

Paul said "if Christ aint resurrect then we wasted our lives"

well that implies that our life's built around Jesus being alive

everyday I'm living tryin show the world

why Christ is more than everything you'll ever try

better than pretty women and sinning and living

to get a minute of any women and men that you admire aint no lie

We're created for Him

outta the dust He made us for Him

Elects us and He saves us for Him

Jesus comes and raises for Him

Magnify the Father why bother with something lesser

He made us so we could bless Him

and to the world we confess Him

resurrects him! so I know I got life

matter fact, better man, I know I got Christ

if you don't' see His ways in my days and nights

you can hit my brakes you can stop my lights

man I lost my rights, I lost my life

forget the money cars and toss that ice

the cost is Christ

and they could never offer me anything on the planet that'll cost that price!

Deliver Me

2009-06-13T19:23:00.000-07:00

We are living in a warzone today, ladies and gentlemen

babies and relatives

age is irrelevant

'cause guns kill, and guts spill

but we don't dismantle nothing

'cause when we don't see it it's cool so we push the channel button

click

jessica simpson said what? yo what a dummy

go to mtv, I wanna see celebrities throw away money

it's kinda funny 'cause refugees that are running

from gunning soldiers whose orders are to shoot and not to miss kids.

I guess they're busy, with living and dealing with killing and hiding in buildings

but it just sucks: they will miss cribs.

I feel you get my gist, some people might get pissed,

they come to listen but instead get sent on guilty trips.

I'm not the villian kids,

I'm just revealing kids

getting shot in the back of the head because of where they live.

these are my brothers man, these are your sisters girls

pray that they die in their sleep, so they could kiss this world

goodbye, fly, to a place, to a face, an embrace

for the first time breathe 'cause they're not being chased.

this is the real life, it's not the media.

blood is being spilled even when you turn your tv off.

Deliver me...out of my sadness...

She Wished He Would Pay Attention to Her

2009-05-20T14:35:00.000-07:00

She wished he would pay attention to her.

But every single day, she's torn apart piece by piece, bit by bit, until her heart turns into a pile of shreds. She can't stand to watch him look at that girl. What about her is better than me? She thought and yet, she couldn't stop watching because of her unconditional love for him. If only he knew; if only he could comprehend the love I have for him, she thought to herself over and over again. She watched him as he continued to talk to, laugh with, spend time with, and show interest in that girl.

"He's said himself that he enjoys my company and wished that he could spend more time with me," she explained to her best friend, "but why does he still continue to hang out with that girl? She's a corrupted girl that only makes his life worse! He's told me he wants to be with me countless times. Why can't he stay true to his word? Is it that hard?" He even acts like he can't see me.

..Why..?

Then she hears a voice. "You tell me why. That is my question to you, my beloved."

"Who's there?!"

"It's me, your Father. Have you forgotten?"

"...God?"

"Why do you act the way you do, ignoring me, paying attention to the things of the world? Every single day, I'm torn apart piece by piece, bit by bit, until my heart turns into a pile of shreds."

"What? I don't understand!

"I can't stand to watch you look at the things of the world. What about them is better than me?"

The voice paused, giving the girl time to think...

"And yet, I can't stop watching because of my unconditional love for you. If only you knew; if only you could comprehend the love I have for you. I watch you as you continue to talk to, laugh with, spend time with, and show interest in those things."

She slowly begins to realize...

"Ive heard it from your lips; you've said yourself that you enjoy my company and wish to spend more time with me. But why do you still continue to be lost in these worldly things? You even act like you can't see me."

Tears.

"I wish you would pay attention to me."

A Whole New World

2009-05-10T10:36:00.001-07:00

The studio. What is the studio? To me, the studio is a place apart from the rest of the world; it's a place where I can delve into something I'm passionate about...alone, or with a producer that shares the same love for the art of music. It's a place that I really love, a place I wish I could visit every single day of the week, for the rest of my life. The studio is excluded from society..an outcast, explicitly telling the world that it's working on its own piece of work. No matter what mood I'm in, angry or calm, happy or sad..the studio accepts me with open arms, and always cheers me up. It's a place I can turn to whenever I'm down. The studio in itself is perfect in every way. The headphones work perfectly, delivering the bass and the melody the way they were intended to be delivered. The microphone records vocals the exact way it was created to, flawlessly. The walls are completely soundproof, the instrumental soothing. The pop filter delivers crisp sounds, the recording software delivers top-notch results. The studio is perfect. The artist. What is the artist? The artist is what causes the studio to appear imperfect. The artist possesses his/her own opinions and feeling concerning the various parts of the studio..the bass may be too loud in the headphones. The microphone might distort his/her voice. The soundproof walls may play tricks on the inexperienced artist's ears. The instrumental may not please the artist. The pop filter may not work 'well enough' to block out unwanted noises the artist himself/herself had created. The recording software may malfunction because of the carelessness of the artist. The artist is imperfect. What is the artist? The artist changes, the artist creates varying emotions in himself/herself, turning to the studio in times of sadness and anger. The studio's burden is the artist's emotions. The microphone can much more easily distort the artist's voice if he/she is angry. If the artist is in a state of sorrow, the studio isn't perfect anymore. Nothing may function correctly with such a burden in the heard of the studio. The artist is the studio's burden. But the studio was created by the artist. The studio was shaped to perfection based on the thoughts of the artist. The studio wouldn't be anything without the artist, and the artist would be nothing without the studio. The studio. What is the studio by itself? The studio is nothing by itself. No perfection exists without an artist. The headphones don't deliver any music, the microphone cannot record without vocals. Nobody can be sure the walls are soundproof without sound, the pop filter is waiting there, unable to operate without someone in control. The recording software is incapable of starting up, no driver is at the wheel. The studio? Nothing. Nothing without the artist, despite his/her flaws. But with the artist? We enter a whole new world.

Scarred

2009-05-02T11:32:00.000-07:00

I’ve been scarred in my mind for real every time I try to look away, I remember the killed every time I look away, I start feeling the chills lying to myself, what I saw wasn’t real I don’t want to rap about this topic anymore many of you think I’m using this because I’m bored many of you think I’m using them just to appeal I’m just asking you, if I don’t speak for them, who will? time is such a scary thing, I’ve become so calloused spent a night with them, I realize my home’s a palace spent a day with them, I realized I have it good even though I know this, I don’t live the way I should I was bitten by a bug, living in that area… later on i found out I’m carrying malaria no I didn’t curse Him, but thanked Him for my role cuz now I got their suffering just tatted on my soul till the day I die, I will understand their pain depending on my God, like a farmer is with rain relying on my Lord, my one and only team… the hardest thing to give up is my one and only dream living in a world where evil is now good things I couldn’t do, I realize that I now could at times I find myself just screaming at His face, if I’m not allowed, why tease me with this taste? and every single time I just feel like letting go I remember all the people who believe me at my shows think about the power in the decisions I choose power to confuse or to introduce them You I’ve been scarred in my mind for real every time I try to look away, I remember the killed every time I look away, I start feeling the chills lying to myself, what I saw wasn’t real I don’t want to rap about this topic anymore many of you think I’m using this because I’m bored many of you think I’m using them just to appeal I’m just asking you, if I don’t speak for them, who will? understand I never asked for this position sword is getting heavy and it seems like no one listens cuts my own flesh but you see I give it more my soul is in a state of a moral civil war and as I keep on growing so does the army of hate who wait for every slip and reason to call me fake to the panel of judges: I admit I can’t handle you I just hope with every fall, I just become more tangible I’m another boy, another son, another man I failed yesterday and will fail today again I repeat this, to all of those you don’t get it if I’m not Lyricks then why give me the credit? I don’t want your props or your daps for my flows I just hope my raps will just act as sign posts I know i’m not as flashy or as attractive but at the end of the day, it’s what my tracks did did I show you life or rap about death? just to be in light did I sacrifice breath? for the riches of the world, did i compromise love? for the beauty of her face, what did I give up? of course there are times I just wish that I was free just to live in today’s definition of free want to be rebellious, reppin' up the fist life would be so easy believing you don’t exist I’ve been scarred in my mind for real every time I try to look away, I remember You’re real every time I look away, I start feeling the chills lying to myself, what I feel isn’t real I don’t want to rap about You anymore many of them think I’m using You because I’m bored many of them think I’m using You just to appeal I’m just asking you, if I don’t remind them, who will?

Lead Me To The Cross

2009-04-30T15:09:00.000-07:00

Savior, I come, Quiet my soul...remember... Redemption's hill Where Your blood was spilled, For my ransom... Everything I once held dear I count it all as lost Lead me to the cross Where Your love poured out Bring me to my knees Lord I lay me down Rid me of myself I belong to You Lead me, lead me to the cross You were as I: Tempted and tried, Human... The word became flesh Bore my sin and death Now you're risen... Everything I once held dear I count it all as lost Lead me to the cross Where Your love poured out Bring me to my knees Lord I lay me down Rid me of myself I belong to You Lead me, lead me to the cross To your heart To your heart Lead me to your heart Lead me to your heart

Geoffrey Freeverse [Blog 11]

2009-04-27T09:05:00.000-07:00

Like a brightly shining sun, his face is yellow. Like a skillful musician, he plays his cello, Like a raging warrior, he handles swords it is no wonder he's won awards. Unlike a villian thief, he's modest, true that. to match his freshness I'd, have to wear two hats! Like a model Korean, he rips the dance floor. When he's out there dancing, the crowd asks for more! If you think I'm making this up, you're mistaken. Because Geoffrey Noh will never be forsaken. So you better continue reading this merrily. Geoffrey Noh, will you marry me? Just kidding, I'm no homo. I'm not kk, I'm not loco. Just respect me for my rap, That I can do it if I'm not black. Edward Sun

Without A Heart For God

2009-04-26T18:27:00.000-07:00

We were created to lift up praise to God. Millions of Churches worldwide claim to lift up praises to God and serve Him with all their hearts, with strong passions. Millions of "believers" worldwide claim to Love the Lord with all their hearts, their minds, their souls, and their might. Millions of leaders across the globe appear to be extremely passionate for the Lord, they just must be, judging from that intense look on their face, and the way they talk about God. Too many people to count lift up their arms and sing at the top of their lungs when worshiping our Prince of Peace, which is undoubtedly an honest sign of passion and Love for God, isn't it? We all wish we could have such a burning passion for the King of Kings, the God of Gods, our Messiah, the Great I Am, the beautiful Savior, don't we? Don't worry, I'm getting to my point. And those prayer warriors, their strong words in their prayers that they lift. What about those pastors, who preach about stepping out of our comfort zone with such energy and joy? And we can't forget about those Christian music artists that continuously create brand new albums to glorify The Lord, with such great tours around the world. Don't skip over the next few lines. But then those Churches. Why do they keep trying to force offerings out of the congregation? Why do they have advertisements at the end of what seemed to be such a life-changing altar call? And these "believers." Why do they turn back to their horribly sinful ways after leaving their church, putting their "innocent and spiritual" personality in the closet until next Sunday? And they seemed to be such great role models. What about the leaders that appear so passionate and Loving? Why do they beg the elders for promotions, why do they secretly steal money from a church? Just when they seemed like the perfect people to talk to and the most reliable beings when in troubled times! And what of those passionate worshipers that only lift their hands because they want to show the others around them that they're spiritually mature? How come they can sing at the top of their lungs for something they really aren't focusing on? How about those firm prayer leaders. What about those words they say that seem to come straight from the heart? They say such strong words about God, appearing so passionate and so firm in faith, for "believers" that are really thinking of worldly items while saying their words of prayer? Those Christian music artists, too, that say such strong words! But why do they have no Love for their fans after tours? Why don't they spread God's love anywhere besides in the albums? Why are dozens of record labels telling these artists what to sing about? Why are they ordering these artists that originally had a genuine passion to fix up their appearance so fans can idolize them? These once pure record labels had been firm believers of the Word! What is a Church without a heart for God? What is a "believer" without a heart for God? What is a leader, what is a ROLE MODEL without a passion and heart for the LORD? WHAT, tell me WHAT is a worshiper that APPEARS to be SO passionate while praising..without a heart for god? What is a PRAYER WARRIOR, a WARRIOR for God! What are those ENERGETIC, PASSIONATE, and SPIRITUALLY RICH prayer leaders without a heart for GOD?? What's a Christian Music artist without a HEART FOR GOD? GOD VOMITS AT PRAISE THAT ISN'T DONE FROM THE HEART. He DESPISES it! but then WHY, WHY do we continue to do these things, knowing we're so SINFUL. Knowing all this from all the "passionate" words we, OURSELVES say! Still, we do NOTHING about it. Millions worldwide don't even consider PRAYING about their problem! So tell me, what is anything. Anything. Without a heart for God?

Go Crazy [Blog 10]

2009-04-23T14:02:00.001-07:00

** This song is posted up on my myspace, recorded and mixed: myspace.com/representingourking This time I'm back with a rather new song that I've spent a good amount of time and effort into creating. It took roughly a week to record it, and I've gotten enough good feedback from all the listeners so far that I posted onto my myspace. Please listen? The song is titled "Go Crazy" and it's about why we go crazy for Jesus Christ, "and Him alone." This time, it's a generic beat that a friend, James Xia, produced. Please let me know what you think. Title: [Go Crazy] [Chorus] x2 For Jesus Christ / that's right / we go crazy / for Jesus Christ / no lie / we go crazy / we gon' lift Christ up / there's no doubt He's righteous / we won't be silent / so for Christ we go crazy [Verse 1] For Jesus, just for Jesus, yeah, that's right, we go crazy / He's done so much for us, so now we'll always be praising / we're on the Great Commission, there's no time we can be wasting / I'm doing this for Christ 'cause He came in my life and saved me / we're doing thigs for God that no one thought we woul do / there's no doubt so come on, shout, proclaim Jesus be the truth / so go crazy, yeah, more people we should be preaching to / reaching to / teaching too / not hard with God leading you / let's do this for Christ / let's do this 'cause it's right / let's do it for our God above, let's do it for His light / we've got no problems, man Satan isn't a factor / God is by our side, the devil's power He has shattered / He's showering / His power in / all of us with Godrenaline / so again I'll say the same thing / He's done lots, so go crazy [Chorus] x2 [Verse 2] Listen up / the spirit of God is in us / so lift Him up / He's commissioned us / on the mission of / spreading His wisdom, yup / have you heard of His love? / we should be working a ton / serve Him, the one / worship the one / for eternity / the passion for a worthy king / burns in me / yeah, certainly / I'm furnishing / this firmly planted word in me / so come on, join me / we can only be rejoicing / even if some hardships throw themself on the path / if we get prosecuted, we will only be glad / let's be some visionary / missionaries / nothing less than legendary / there are so many people / in this world that are see-through / they haven't seen His steeple / so we got a lot to reach to / let's go crazy to reach great lengths / to make saints / create faze / to make way / for the great day / come with me now, wont you? / yeah, for Jesus, what we gon' do? [Chorus] x2 [Verse 3] Jesus Christ is our foundation / follow God without fazin' / He's the founder of creation / so come on, just go crazy / just like getting crunk / man, we can't get enough / get your hands up people, let me see your energy / stand up people, our crazy for Him will never cease / go crazy for Jesus / yeah, we need Him / He is our Messiah / so we gotta lift Him higher / no we'll never tire / man, He is our only sire / go crazy / so they actin' all suprised / go crazy / you never seen a fellowship this size? / go crazy / so they know that God is great / go crazy / so they know who we praise / [go crazy / they askin' who we doin' this for? / let's just shout in one voice, we do this for the Lord] x2 [Chorus] x2

Godrenaline [Blog 9]

2009-04-22T14:44:00.000-07:00

Alright, I'm back again with another song..I'm kind of in a rush to get as many songs posted as I can for Blogging Workshop in school, but at the same time, I'm sort of enjoying it. This song is titled "Godrenaline," which is a term a friend coined a couple retreats ago. I really like the concept of Godrenaline, so I wanted to write a song. However, as time passed, this song has gotten a little behind skill-wise, so I'm planning on rewriting this later. For now, though, I'm posting the original. "Godrenaline" is going to be recorded to the Instrumental of 2Pac's "Changes" (for now). Also, there's no chorus at the moment. Title: [Godrenaline] [Verse 1] It was just last year when I returned from the mission / I woke up the next day, and was like, "Man, I miss Him." / then I went outside and realized how He changed me / I acted so different, it was like He saved me / and I actually served, I was no more lazy / I started loving people that really hate me / I had Christ in my life, He powered me / in His everlasting love He showered me / at that point, I couldn't stop serving / He was by my side, I didn't have to worry / He would lead me always in my lifelong journey / when I was tired, He gave me strength / He would always provide so I could reach great lengths / I would always follow the path He clearly makes / that's why just to Him I give my thanks / God provided me with His energy / and it no doubt made my life better, see / when God puts all His energy in all men / so they can serve, that's what we call Godrenaline [Verse 2] It seems like you always change when powered by Godrenaline / 'cause when you're crazy for God, you almost never sin / and after a retreat, you get the feeling / you're living your life wrong, you need some healing / and you really wanna go around and spread the Gospel / with Godrenaline, your faith will never topple / if by any chance you feel that you will fall still / and you need someone to help, man, God will / from this point on, it's pretty self-explanatory / if you don't serve, brother, it's mandatory / if you need help, just pray to God / He'll give you those answers, more than a lot / also god on a mission, yeah those help / your relaitonship with God they develop / and, like me, when you return, you will find it / you'll witness Godrenaline and you will like it / to all my words you better listen / 'cause if you don't, I garuntee you will miss Him / if you get that Godrenaline / it'll feel like it never ends [Verse 3] And I know some people who experienced it / they told Him they would serve, but they barely meant it / so much time on God? they rarely spent it / man, our God is great, He needs to be represented / you gotta use it if you get this spiritual high / or else before you know it, man, it'll go by / just having this feeling, God gave you a sign / it's rare to get this feeling, don't leave it behind / and if you still can't tell waht it feels like / let me put it this way so you can understand right / you'll reach uot to everyone in your sight / and inside of you you'll feel this growing might / that's our King / yeah He's doing His thing / it's a lot better than it may seem / Godrenaline is what compells me to sing / you gotta try it out, it'll feel great / it's God's power, don't underestimate / He will lend you some of His strength / then you'll realize you got more faith / when God powers all men / that's Godrenaline

The Gift [Blog 8]

2009-04-21T16:27:00.000-07:00

I got inspiration for this song from the song titled "Gift" by Manifest, featuring Lyricks and J Smalls. The meaning from that song I delivered even more in this song that I wrote. It's a rather long song, so I was only able to finish the first verse and the chorus. The song, titled "The Gift" is going to be recorded to the Instrumental of T.I.'s "Dead and Gone." Title: [The Gift] [Verse 1] God's put this in me, so I use it / to glorify Him, bring praise through my music / but by myself, without His help, I can't do it / if I can't use it for good, I might as well lose it / and usually / with God, I can tune it / boost it / without any problems I can just get through it / 'cause all I wanna do it worship my God / all I wanna do is serve Him, the rock / if you find me at all not worshiping God / that'll worsen the walk / but I'm learning a lot / I'm working a lot / to try serving my God / God's given me this gift, and / motives have shifted / all I wanna do is lift Him / higher than He is / it's dire isn't it? / He's given us talents / tell me how, then / will we not use them for Him / how is that balanced? / He's given me this skill / and because it's His will / I'll give it back to Him 'cause I wanna fulfill / His will / until / I build / enough believers on the earth / that see His endless worth / until that day I will never stop work / until I reach out to everyone in a search / of a perfect love / I'll never give up / so surely enough / I'll be working a ton / 'cause my King planted in me something great, He / saved me / made me / changed me / with a gift / so I'll never be lazy / raising / praising / waiting / crazy / just for Him / listen / give me the strength 'till I get there /so let me stand, not just sit there / He gave me the gift, now I gotta give it back to the best of the best of the best, so heck yeah [Chorus] You gave me a gift my king / You are the one for who I sing / You've given me / this ability / now because of that/ there's a will in me / to keep returning it until I leave / You gave me this gift / so I gotta / wanna / lift You up with it / and stand not sit / You up I will always lift

Shocco [Blog 7]

2009-04-21T14:57:00.000-07:00

Last summer, as most of y'all know, I went to a retreat we know as "Shocco" along with many other youth from my church, ACCCN. There, I went through a life-changing experience that really made me understand God's Love more. I wrote this song about the experience that changed my life, but I do plan to rewrite this song later, not only focusing on the retreat. For now, I'll just share with you the original (that was actually rewritten a couple times as well). The song's titled "Shocco" and is going to be recorded to the Instrumental of Eminem's "When I'm Gone." Title: [Shocco] [Verse 1] It wasn't too long ago / I showed up at Shocco / at that time I did not yet know / what it meant to want the Lord / I thought He was my rock though / last retreat greatly changed me, made me, saved me / but lately / I was losing track / turned my back / on the one I was supposed to serve / I fell away, and for days I didn't want the Word / the last Shocco retreat I had a life-changing experience / and I really wasn't aware of my spiritual weariness / so I didn't go for God / my purpose, that, man, I forgot / I thought it all was fine / I wanted all time as mine / diddn't have God in mind / sometime down the line / I know my God was crying / I told Him I was trying / but really? I was lying / I was blind / God knew this so He showed me His light / on the last night / 'cause I was dying / He showed me this sign / that wouldn't just change my mind / but with His might / it would change my whole life [Chorus] Shocco was where this all went down / it was where God really showed me how / how to live a life that's completely for Him / He showed me what was truly important [Verse 2] Last night of the retreat / pastor said, "Let us spend / some time not listening to me preach / but instead I beseech / of y'all if anyone of y'all don't think you'll make it in Heaven, make His land / raise your hand / then either a counselor or I will take you and / we can / after you die, garuntee you'll see Him / meet Him / in His Kingdom / as long as you're believin'" / at that point the lights dimmed / and it got so quiet then / we bowed our heads to ask God if we should raise our arms / that was what mae me alarmed / took me too long / to see what I was doing wrong / so I raised my arm / my pastor came up to me / I stood up and He / took me in His small group / and this whole time / in my mind / I talked to God too / I said, "God I sought You / want to / be with You, I got to / yeah, this night just truly helped me, my senses I were brought to / I couldn't miss this man / lose this chance I could not do [Chorus] [Verse 3] In my pastor's group, on the floor, we were sitting down / me and other youth, bout my age when I looked around / then pastor came, he knelt down on his knees / he said, "Would all of y'all come right now with me? / I'mma ask you guys some questions / it's somewhat like a confession / just answer truthfully / and then you will be / with Jesus in the sky / no lie / for eternity / so he turned to the girl next to him, questions he started asking / "Do you believe God's everlasting / with a strong passion? / do you believe Jesus was crucified for our sins? /died for all men? / that because of Him / all our sins / have been / completely forgotten?" / then the girl responded, she said, "Yes, I believe He did / I believe in Him / all the things God said, I believe in them" / then pastor said when she dies, she will be with Him / he continued doing this to everyone in the group / when he got to me / it seemed / like God's presence was true / he asked me / "All these people said they believe but do you?" / because I truly did, I said, "Yes I do" / but that's not it man, it came with a message, too / I had tears in my eyes / 'cause I had realized / He died for me two thousand years ago / I should've noticed before / but I didn't truly hear it, bro / it hurts me to know / He was pushed around, beaten, wore the crown of thorns / He was bleeding everywhere and His clothes were torn / He went through so much agony / His teeth no doubt were gnashing / He went through hours of pain so I could accept Him / so I could enter His Kingdom in a matter of seconds [Chorus]

God I Appreciate [Blog 6]

2009-04-20T14:28:00.000-07:00

There's not really a huge story behind this song, but it's still a fairly important song to me. I wrote it while I was in slightly troubled times, and it helped me remind myself of why I believe in God and why He's great. I've only written two verses, and I don't plan on writing a third one, so it's not necessarily unfinished. The song, titled "God I Appreciate" will be recorded to the Instrumental of 2Pac's "Dear Mama." [Verse 1] Away from my worries, away from pain / when the world would hurt me, You gave me faith / even though I'm learning, You laid the way / that's why You're worthy, You save the day / though I sway in faith / You gave me grace / I can say to date / Your way is great / Your arm / picks me up when I fall / and You always answer every time I call / I've waited so long for a love this strong / God, I will praise You 'till the end of time / would you always teach me? I'm the lesser mind / You always lead me to a better life / to be like Christ I will forever climb / when I believe in God, I will never die / even in my struggles, somethin' messin' me up / through all my troubles, You have lifted me up / You're my rock / always there for me / You're my God / the right way You show me / You love the world so much, You gave Your only son / You I can't get enough, You are my holy one / though I disobey You again and again / everyday I'm caught up so grim in sin / even though you know I'm a sinful man / you still love and take me as I am [Chorus] Even when times are hard / You'll never see me hate / 'cause You're a great God / I appreciate / You'll always guide me when I'm in the darkness / and You'll always help me through all my hardships / even when times are hard / you'll never see me hate / 'cause You're a great God / I appreciate [Verse 2] I used to always wonder / times ago when I was younger / how my brother and my mother / something they couldn't see / would single-handedly / change their lives / I was like / impossible, can it be? / and I see now / how / God is amazing / unchanging / fascinating / and as something this great, He / used His time to save me / that's the reason He's astonishing / honestly / joy He has brought in me / and that's definitely what I wanted, see / in my life / my time / I liked / to find / this happiness / of mine / in my friends' lies / then God made me wise / opened my eyes / and I began to find / God gives you might / God gives you sight / God makes you right / I saw Christ is true / and my lifes was renewed / now I write to you / using / this will / this skill / God's put in me / it seems / to me / God, He / over everything / is always there / even with my smallest issues, 'cause He cares / as something so great, for me, His time He spared / His works are always for my good, though they don't seem fair / so let's worship the King in the heavens / let's lift up praise to Him twenty-four seven / yeah He's our sire / let's be lifting Him higher / He always works to keep us safe, my Lord He never tires / because of You / and everything You do / I can say I'm blessed / and you're better than the rest / You can guide me 'cause You know what's next / above all, I only praise my creator / He's my Father, King, Master, Teacher, and my Savior [Chorus]

Angels [Blog 5]

2009-04-18T10:52:00.000-07:00

Angels.Manifest. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59DG-sMjqTY&fmt=18 An angel will disguise itself as a human being for the time being the pair of wings, you will not see em instead of heavenly robes they'll just be wearing them clothes with the same folds both you and I know but hold on They can even be the one you chill with a person that you're real with, yes, embodied in the flesh and the mission is clear if he's an angel then his purpose is to guide you to listen while he walking right beside you I don't lie There are really angels in the outfield they are out there without fear, but doubt fills our mental don't it? designed as messengers providing at the perfect moment nothing bogus here cuz G.O.D. Himself wrote it Only motive of an angel is to make you worship the living God, not itself ever or another person pay close attention to the halos don't lay low when an angel reaches out its hand and questions you by askin'... Will you worship? Will you worship? Who, do you worship? You find yourself driftin yeah, you know them days the waves they carry you far instead of fighting back from where you are foundations are just shaking but you choose to stay choose to go astray from the only one that saves You know, In the path of self destruction start to question any faith when you notice someone's by your side Indeed an angel, man, it's gotta be so well-groomed, with wisdom in his eyes you cry as he tells you not to be afraid "it's okay" so you start to share with him the pain, saying you ain't ready to change yet you wait, but the angel just embraces you Tells you it's okay to take your time and not to rush "hush child, don't you know God is good?" "hush child, don't you know God is good?" feeling comfortable in knowing that he understands, you put your trust in him, the angel, as he takes you by the hand, you feel the will to tell him that you're stronger now that it won't be much longer 'till you're coming back around He smiles, then replies "yo it's time for me to go" and in one swift motion he is ghost and you're left alone the very next minute a kid calls you on your celly "dawg we got the good-ish there's a party down at Kelly's!" *click* you hang up you try to pray for strength but you give up You tell yourself the angel even said it was cool to take your time Fine, you call him back say your on your way driving down the same road in your mind thinkin, Will you worship? Will you worship? You can hear the party bumpin as you park your ride you thinking twice but your flesh cries "it's on tonight!" "God forgive me for my sinful ways, but I ain't ready yet, Amen" you pray quickly as you make your way in The same friends that you know to be your downfall surrounding as you enter in they welcome you with love saying, "let him in!" 20 minutes in and it's your normal routine intoxicated mind thinking no one will see As you cough away, another shot of henny someone pats you on the back as he pours another gently "Thank You" you look up to recognize the one who's sitting at your side now you're looking eye to eye with the very angel. But why's he looking kinda odd? the same angel? what's he doing sitting here in this chair and you notice that he's raggity, choking on a blunt and he looks at me weird asking me if I want a hit. "No, son, yo, what's going on for real?" and you ask him who he is "your angel" he replies, "put your trust in me my friend" he grins and tells me not to worry but I should, cuz all he says next is "hush, God is good." starts laughing, so I pull away, "Get away from me!" standing up I look around at all his friends and it's strange all their faces look the same and they smiling my mind says pray so I start but then I get the call, "Hello?" and it's the kid who invited me earlier sayin, "stop avoiding me, relax, stop worring" I look up and see the dirty angel on the phone staring at my eyes he says, "you are not alone, I want your worship. Will you worship me? I want your worship. Who do you worship?"

Nashville 09 - Day 4 Journaling

2009-04-16T20:26:00.000-07:00

[I'm writing what I wrote in my journal on Nashville as if it were the week of Spring Break] Thursday, 4.9.09 Today I was expecting the brokenness of everyone, because it was going to be our last day in Nashville. We had devos at 8 and left at 8:45, on our way to Feed the Children. We helped out at Feed the Children until lunchtime, when my group stopped at the housing site, rested for a little while, and then we had 4 dollars each in a 4-person group. We took the bus downtown and had to feed ourselves with just 4 dollars each, with money for a bus ride back. Afterwards, we went back home at around dinner time for our free day. We went to Mellow Mushroom for dinner, and we came back for the debrief. This day really somewhat disappointed me because I wasn't broken, touched, or changed. I really desired for the trip to open the eyes of the newcomers and set the "veterans" back on track. However, I still see the same person in all of the newcomers; they haven't taken this trip seriously. I have a hard time believing that the words these newcomers speak truly come from the heart, and that they aren't just being created so they can be accepted. I also still see the same "veterans" on their stray paths, unchanged, moved, or affected. We didn't experience brokenness or realization, even though I prayed for it every day. The trip isn't over, and I hope to see one of those things happen before it ends. Even though so many things went "wrong" (in a sense) I still god something out of the trip. I got even more understanding of the homeless population, and I feel His presence (that's after the trip) more now. Lord I pray that the team would be broken, and the team would be realizing of what's happening. In Jesus' name, Amen.

The Cliff [Blog 4]

2009-04-15T19:08:00.000-07:00

please read this. this is a picture i get when thinking of all brothers and my sisters: now everybody close your eyes, until the picture hits us. and with our eyes closed tight imagine what a cliff is. Now He's is asking us to jump, scared, legs stiffness. nobody is around, nobody as a witness, image is nothing right now, it's not a moment of business, it's all or nothing, He's saying trust him, that he will catch us, but we can't see him, he's not a being, so doubt stretches. we're on the edges, not satisfied so we're asking questions. hungry for more, but the more that we get, the more the quenches, the clenches of skepticism isn't letting us leap. now look behind us: land we're standing on, becoming weak. fire and smoke is in the distance and we see it sweep, so many natural disasters happen as we speak. He is saying the cliff will kill us, that we just need belief. and belief is just hoping for something that we could not see...

Nashville 09 - Day 3 Journaling

2009-04-15T14:13:00.000-07:00

[I'm writing what I wrote in my journal on Nashville as if it were the week of Spring Break] Wednesday, 4.8.09 Today, I woke up and told myself that this day was going to be that day that we're broken and changed, as the urban exposure was coming up. I continued to pray for unity and brokenness for the team throughout the day, but it seems as if God is taking His time on this one. The majority of the team is doing fine with unity, but if one part of the body isn't working well with the rest of it, then the whole body can fall apart. But that's another story. My group, Christine and Aryn, met a couple of new people during urban exposure. The first called himself "Rebel," the most emphasized out of the numerous names he called himself by, but he was kind of inappropriate. He was quite talkative and liked our company, and he mentioned some things about God here and there. We shared lunch with him, but eventually, him being inappropriate pushed us away. We left with a good note with him, heading towards the library. After some time of sorting out directions, we eventually found the library. We stopped for a bathroom break and crossed the street to a park where we met a homeless man. I can't quite recall his name because we only conversed for a minute or 2 before he left to get lunch at a nearby Subway. Still in the park and not giving up, we went to the other side of the park and met a homeless with whom we had a pretty good conversation. His name was Paul. Paul was a war veteran, he fought in the Vietnam War and was a Prisoner of War for 9 months. He talked about how the government of Nashville wasn't doing good, and he discussed the unfair treatment of the homeless that he experienced. He also expressed how he fought for the country, yet he was bring treated as lowly as possible, being asked to leave places that attract tourists. We asked him if there was anything we could pray for him about, and all that he asked for was anything we could pray for him about, and all that he asked for was for us to bless him and pray for his blessing. So we got up, held hands, and started to pray. He was truly grateful, and we had to leave because the end of urban exposure (2 pm) was coming up. After Urban Exposure, we went to Family Affair ministries again, and it was pretty amusing as usual. We went through our usual routines, cleaned up, and headed for dinner. After dinner, we headed back and now we're here, journaling. I continue to pray for the extreme unity and closeness of the team, and I pray for brokenness before the end of the trip. Lord, please answer my prayer. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Lord, Please

2009-04-14T16:06:00.000-07:00

Everyday when I wake up, I tell myself I'll go to sleep early today. I'm always so tired when I wake up that I fall right back asleep when my mom wakes me up, so I always vow to myself that I'll try to get more sleep. But it never happens; I always stay up later than expected, and I get carried away digging myself deeper and deeper into the addiction of things of the world. Then I'm led to tell myself before I go to sleep that I won't waste my time tomorrow and I'll try to spend some time with God instead of on the computer. But still, it never happens; I throw everything I tell myself to do over to the back of my head, where I'll only think about it again after nothing "important" is on my mind anymore. I really hate it when I feel like I have something I have to do, but I know I'm too lazy to get at it at the moment. I know I have to get more sleep, but I don't. I know I have to spend more time with God, but I don't. I know I have to spend more time on schoolwork, but I don't. I know I have to write more songs, but I don't. I know I have to do this and that, but I don't... I wish I could have more time to do what I wanted. I wish I could completely destroy the poison of laziness I have in my personality. I wish I didn't have any of these problems I have such a hard time resolving. I wish procrastination didn't exist. I wish I was always happy. But then again, wishing and knowing won't do anything; I have to actually do something. That's what's told to me everytime I'm seen "slacking off" or "being lazy." It's harder than it sounds...even now, I'm procrastinating. I should be doing homework or studying, but instead, I'm blogging what's on my mind. So I take this time, while I can, to ask God to make me hardworking and take away my laziness. Lord, please take away this laziness and replace it with a hardworking character. Replace my stress with ease. Lord, please.

Nashville 09 - Day 2 Journaling

2009-04-14T14:18:00.000-07:00

[I'm writing what I wrote in my journal on Nashville as if it were the week of Spring Break] Tuesday, 4.7.09 Today we dove a bit deeper into the lives of the homeless and hit on more serious subjects. We went to a soup kitchen for the morning into lunchtime, and then we visited Familiy Affair ministries again. Fam was an uplifting experience as usual, but the soup kitchen was what really touched on the border of brokenness. Me and another youth on our team, Aryn, talked to 3 people total: Burd, Evan, and a man we don't remember the name of. Burd (or Byrd, we can't remember the exact spelling) was a rather smart man that enjoyed surfing, music, and had a pretty good faith in God. He kept stressing the facts that God was always with us, He'll fix our problems, and God will answer prayers, even if it takes time. He was a smarter homeless that realized his past mistakes and was really trying hard to get out of his negative position in life. The second mand we talked to we can't remember the name of, but he enjoyed reading (and lacked any other hobbies at all). He was also trying to do better than he already was, since he was kicked out of his wife and daughter's home since they couldn't pay to support him. We got to know him better through conversations, even though he was pretty shy. We talked until he had to leave for a career training class. Then we met Evan. Evan was pretty good for a homeless man as well; he liked to read and he was going to get a place to stay very soon. He really enjoyed writing poems, songs, and novels. He also loved to read; when I mentioned one book I read, Evan really started talking. I think he didn't usually receive much attentino, so he kept talking fofr a long time. This night during the prayer tour, I was on the verge of bring slightly broken (does that make sense?), but the chatter of the youth in the back of the van kept me from focusing, so I prayed hard for God to show them the seriousness of this trip. It seemed as if He answered my prayers when Sunny just now told the group to be more serious. Lord, continue to bless this trip please...In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Nashville 09 - Day 1 Journaling

2009-04-13T17:14:00.001-07:00

[I'm writing what I wrote in my journal on Nashville as if it were the week of Spring Break] Monday, 4.6.09 The first day. We all woke up at 7:30, rushed to shower, get ready, pack lunches, and stuff what we could in our mouths in time for morning devotionals. We (Sunny's group) left a little later than we expected, on our way to an adult daycare center. After some pretty awkward conversations with the seniors and me migrating from tables of adult daycare residents to my own comfortable little zones, I finally began to have regular conversations with the old people. After some somewhat bonding time, (and lunch) we left for the Family Affairs ministry site. Family Affairs hadn't changed at all; I recognized the entrance, the people there, and even some of the kids there. The ministry site had used to be a run-down apartment complex that was so corrupted that pizza couldn't be delivered there (and it still can't be to this date). The ministers there have tried and succeeded in positively changing the environment. Afterwards, we went to have a delicious and filling dinner at an Indian restaurant. We left soon after I finished and both groups met back up at the Nashville CSM Headquarters. Now we're here, all journaling together. This day hadn't been exactly what I was expecting of the first day. We didn't do too much ministry that could help spiritually mature the team, but it might've been easier for some of the first-time missionaries. At the same time, these newcomers could have a wrong perspective regarding mission trips, this one in particular (of course). I pray that God would change them, let them grow spiritually, and realize what the meaning and reason of going on mission trips is. I also pray that the team will stay united, safe, and strong in spirit. Lord, please open the eyes and break the hearts of the team. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Ashamed

2009-04-04T18:58:00.001-07:00

Woke up today at 11, and I took a shower. Then, I got dressed and brushed my teeth. After that, I dried my hair, fixed it, and I went downstairs. Because it was so late, I didn't eat breakfast and waited for lunch to be ready while I chatted away on my computer. After a filling lunch, I went back on the computer, blogged, chatted, and surfed for a while. When the horrible feeling of knowing I had work to do got to me, I did my homework. All this time, I was wondering where my mother was; she was supposed to wash my clothes for the Nashville Trip tomorrow... With everything that I could possibly do on the computer done, I decided to start recording music with my $100 microphone and $40 headphones on my $500 laptop. That's $640, but I recorded away without even thinking about how fortunate I am. My mom then arrived at home and took us out to dinner..but I complained and didn't want to go along. After so much pointless dialogue of me whining and my family convincing me, I had to tag along, and I had yet another filling meal, but I wasn't grateful. How much was the meal? It was $50, but I was too occupied with thinking about why I didn't want to go out for dinner. Then I started packing for Nashville, and now I'm here. Yet there's not one hint of regret, guilt, or sadness present in my heart. I went through the day thinking everything was so great, so normal, and not a big deal. I had nothing in my mind concerning the feelings of others, what's going on in other parts of the world, and why I'm able to do what I do everyday. I did countless things that I don't deserve to do. I woke up at 11.... I took a shower... I got dressed... I brushed my teeth... I dried my hair.... I fixed my hair.... I went on the computer... I waited for lunch to be done for me... I ate a filling lunch... I passed the day in my house... I wasted time on the computer... I did homework... I recorded... I refused to go out to eat... I didn't enjoy dinner... I had a filling dinner... ..how many people can't do these things?.. ....and still, I have nothing to say that wouldn't be hypocritical, because I know that I'll keep doing the same things even after discussing this topic. Even if I was offered a thousand dollars to live one day without doing anything I did above, I would probably still stick with doing what I did today. On Nashville, I'll be out of my comfort zone, working with the homeless. Pray for even the slightest enlightenment of the homeless' lives. Even the smallest wisdom can change my life. Take all of me, Lord. I'm ashamed.

Turn To Christ [Blog 3]

2009-04-04T13:56:00.000-07:00

How's it going? Alright, so I'm back on the blog again with another post, but this time, it's not a song, just something I really want some people to read. It's sorta like a freestyle or a freeverse, I'm not really going to record this (I just might, if it's good enough); I'm coming up with it on the spot to tell how I feel. You got some struggles? You got some troubles? man, you always wondering why they keep comin' back to you man, you gettin' sick of this and you don't know what to do it's wearing you out, you feel like you're through well listen to this, just some spiritual food it keeps coming back cuz you're losing track, you're losing focus and you kinda know this but you don't do anything about it you just try to live your life around it but God's CALLING you! He can fix your feuds HE is the difference between you and me can't you see? you're the only one that runs into these things I got Christ on my side, He's keeping me joyful get Christ on your side, and just stay loyal it might be cliche, but it's the easiest way. He'll fix you up like He's doin me listen to me, stop this truancy. Turn to Christ.

Get Crunk For The Lord [Blog 2]

2009-04-02T17:14:00.000-07:00

While listening to Eminem's "You Don't Know," and idea came to mind. Because of the sound and style of the beat, I thought it would fit to make a "crunk" song for Christian Hip Hop. Since it's an enjoyable Instrumental to write to, I decided to feature my brother on this song. His lyrics aren't posted, but they're featured in the final track. This song, "Get Crunk For The Lord" is performed to the Instrumental of Eminem's "You Don't Know." [Chorus] Get Crunk for the Lord because He came to our rescue / Get Crunk for the Lord because He'll never forget you / Get Crunk for the Lord because He gave His only son / Get Crunk for Him, our King, Messiah, and Holy One [Verse 1] Stand up people, let us dance, let us sing / Get your hands up people, lift up praise to our King / we in a land of people who all day wanna sing / there's a handful of people know there's one way to the King / Jesus / see us / believe us / because He'll never leave us / we need this / leave demons / yeah we'll always worship Jesus / Christ our God / there's none like our God / his light is not flawed / only for Christ we go hard / I don't know if or not / this has hit you, but / when something mess you up / God will lift you up / now isn't that a great reason to start praising our God / so stop waiting you got / to start raising your heart / He did a lot for us while we were covered up in sin / He brought love to us so we should give some back to Him / get caught in His love and you'll rejoice, that's definite / so for God keep raising those praises from deep within [Chorus] x 2 [Verse 2] Let's forever worship Him that we will never forget / Let's do better, servin' Him that we will never regret / He is everlasting and the one we ever respect / He has bled for us and stayed by all our sides He never left / yeah, so don't be shy come shout it loud to the sky / don't think that it's a lie, no doubt He downed and, for us, died / we get crunk, that's for sure / can't get enough of our Lord / because He came to our rescue / 'cause He'll never forget you / 'cause He gave His only son / He is our holy one / this love we don't deserve / so His love we should preserve / for us He has reserved it / even though we never earned it / even if for the Lord you're workin' / learnin' / and yearnin' / as long as you heard Him / serve Him / and surely your passion is burnin' / brotheren / come worship our sturdy rock / perfect God / 'cause it's certainly worth it / and surely / heads be turning / when they learning / that our God is worthy [Chorus] [Verse 3] - Performed by my brother. [Chorus]

Looking for...

2009-03-31T15:19:00.000-07:00

Wattup?? Alright, so I'm back with another post..two days in a row. What a treat..anyways, I'm here to talk about some people that I'm looking for. As most of you know, I'm getting pretty deep into this Christian Hip Hop business, and every rapper needs what I'm looking for. Here's a short list of people that I need: - Someone that can make really nice Hip Hop beats for me. - Someone that can widely distribute my music. - Someone that can advertise my music and my myspace. - An awesome singer. - An awesome rapper. - Someone that knows lots of people in the Hip Hop business. - An awesome photographer. - A spiritually mature person. - Someone who's really good with creating new layouts with pictures of me. (Myspace, Blogger layouts) If you think you qualify for any of these, leave a comment, email me at lightningsaphira94@gmail.com, facebook message me, or message/comment on my myspace at myspace.com/representingourking. Thanks and God Bless.

I'm Back [Blog 1]

2009-03-30T09:22:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! I'm starting this blog back up again; I'm mainly gonna post lots of old stuff like before, but I'll add onto that with the songs I complete. This is the first song, "I Praise Him." This was written a while back, and it explains why I Praise God. It's also on my myspace, myspace.com/representingourking. It's to be performed to the instrumental of Young Jeezy's "I Luv It." Title: [I Praise Him] [Intro] Serve 'till I die / God'll make it alright / so I praise Him / so I praise Him [Chorus]Ever since He came and changed my life / through the ups and downs He's stayed by my side / so I'll praise Him / and I'll praise Him / The Lord won't lie He'll never leave / He'll be your light as long as you believe / so let's praise Him / and we'll praise Him [Verse 1] The Lord will change your life if you let Him / He will lift you up, you won't be regrettin' / My life was horrible, I'll never forget when / He did what I needed; He altered my existence / from what I heard, He had a good system / and so I trusted, I didn't resist Him / and He lifted me up / He gave me enough / enough of His grace / enough to put some smiles on this face / and that felt great / nothing in my life was misplaced / from that point on, I was amazed / His love left me in a daze / that's why I praise / ever since then up to today / with Him I will stay / I will praise Him for eternity / my God is pure, His fire burns in me [Chorus] [Verse 2]Let's praise Him forever / when will we stop? That's never / even if times are hard, it don't matter / The Lord will suffice / 'cause His love is more than enough, right? / the Lord our God will always be with you / He loves you so much He'll never dismiss you / even in your life, if you take a couple of hits, you / want to go to His arms, 'cause those are what lift you / the people will troubles are who I sing to / even in your darkest times, He's the one you lean to / our God is amazing/ and His love is unchanging [Chorus] [Verse 3] In the darkness He will be your light / and when you're down, He'll make you feel alright / when you feel weak, He'll give you His might / when you can't see, He'll give you sight, see / He's lifted me up when Satan would spite me / He never left me no, not even slightly / to all those people getting it hard I'm writing / when the going gets tough, keep trying / there's nothing you can't handle in your life, and/ as long as you believe God's in thy land / He'll find you and lead you with His divine hand / so those praises / just keep on raisin' [Chorus] [Outro] Serve 'till I die / God'll make it alright / so I'll praise Him / so let's praise Him

Shocco 2008

2008-10-02T17:25:00.000-07:00

How's it going? Tomorrow, a paper is due in Literature. The assignment was a "memory snapshot." Basically, we write a personal narrative about 30 or less seconds that changed our life. I wrote about Shocco. Here's the paper I'm gonna turn in tomorrow:

“All of you are here because you aren’t absolutely sure that you’re going to enter Heaven when you time arrives. By the end of tonight, you will have guaranteed entrance to His Kingdom when you leave this world. All it takes is a few questions,” explained Pastor 7, with a calm and joyful expression on his face. The enormous room was dark, and it was full of quiet and emotional youth softly carrying on life-changing conversation with their counselors as a satisfying scent of the dinner yet to be consumed flowed into the room. We were at Shocco Springs during the summer of 2008, a large region in Alabama that hosts church summer retreats. “When he gave His life for us,” started Pastor 7, “we were all saved; we just need to confess, believe, and receive.” He faced the youth nearest to him and asked, “Do you truly believe that Jesus is our savior?”

“Yes,” answered the young girl, showing mixed signs of joy and sadness, “I do believe.”

“Then do you receive Him as well?”

“Yes,” replied the girl almost immediately after the question was asked.

“Congratulations, you are going to be with Him for eternity,” said Pastor 7.

Pastor 7 then kissed the girl on the forehead, declaring, “Jesus loves you.” He continued this exact same process with every youth in the small group we had formed. This whole time, I was amazed at how easy the process was and how calm Pastor 7 was when carrying out this task. When he reached me, he asked me the same questions I heard earlier, and I answered from my heart with the same response that the girl had previously provided.

“Congratulations, you are going to be with Him for eternity,” confirmed Pastor 7. Upon hearing these words, my life was changed forever. I realized a truth that was supposed to unveil itself to me years ago, and I realized the extremity of the unfailing love that continuously covered me. From that point on, I lived my life differently than I had before the Shocco retreat; I was more active in church, and I lived a life more focused around my religion. This event only lasted for a couple of sentences, but those seconds were enough to change my life.

Drime News + The Cross and I

2008-09-29T17:14:00.000-07:00

It's that time of week again! Well, technically, it was yesterday, but I'll do it today because I couldn't find the time to (forgot) update you guys on the sermon. The Cross and I - Elder Ken's Message [Philippians 2:5-8, Galatians 2:20, Romans 6:6, Matthew 16:24] *Jesus NEVER once left God on his 33 years of life on Earth. But during the crucifying, God gave Jesus up for the sins of the world. Jesus was mourning in spiritual pain. 2 Lessons: 1. To be crucified with Christ 2. Take up the Cross *Our old selves were crucified with Him. Old Self --> Perspective, Philosophy, Habits, Preferences, Direction, Goals, Speech, Action --> New Self. *If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Hatred, Jealousness, and Envy are very common works of the flesh (bad). Our love is half-hearted. Our joy is shallow. Our patience is not full to end. Our kindness and goodness is only to our good friends. Our faithfulness is inconsistent. Our gentleness and self-control is superficial. *The Son of Man didn't come to be served, but to be served. By the way, we performed our Burden Drime, and, considering the time we had to prepare, we did fairly well. I think we could have improved a lot more if we had more time, though. It's fine; we touched lots of people!

Burden Drime

2008-09-23T16:43:00.000-07:00

How's everyone doing? I'm here again today with some information about a Drime that ACCCN will be performing. We've created our own Drime called the Burden Drime. In the beginning of the Drime, Jesus is praising God, and then He starts creating a human. He controls her for a while, until two demons begin pulling her away from Him. Then, the human, which is a girl, goes through pain and suffering while Jesus is being hurt at the same time she is. After she crumbles and dies, Jesus is crucified by the demons, but he raises again, destroys the demons, and ressurects the girl. That's basically a summary of the entire Drime; keep in mind that it's only 3 minutes and 27 seconds long. We're performing to Headlock by Imogen Heap. For more information on Drimes, visit www.drime.com. Here's a picture of the official Drime association performing a drime:

Thank God for Life Transformed

2008-09-22T17:48:00.000-07:00

Dear all, I'm sorry for not updating the blog as much; I've been pretty busy. Because I promised to post up notes from sermons every week, I'll do that today. Pastor Jeff forgot his PowerPoint yesterday, so I didn't get as much notes as I would have. Thank God for Life Transformed - Paster Jeff's Sermon [1 Thesselonians 1:1-10] Paul, Silas, and Timothy were a MINISTRY TEAM! - A church is a group of people that have a relationship with the Lord through Faith. Paul thanked God for them because the Thesselonians loved God so much that even though they went through so much hardships, they continued to trust in Jesus. They believed Jesus would save them. *Would others tell you that you are a really loving person and have confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ? -This can happen in our young and growing church. If Thesselonia could do it, then we can. *even when we feel like God's not with us, we can look at what he's doing in other places.

The Word of God and The Church of God

2008-09-14T12:45:00.000-07:00

Whats up? Today we had a guest speaker, and it was a special occasion; 10 people were baptized today! Marco Chui, Philip Lan, Sarah Lau, Amanda Liew, Rachel Meng, Victoria Phandora, Abby Tan, Teresa Tzou, and Ling Yang were all baptized and admitted their faith to Jesus in public. Here are notes from today's Sermon: The Word of God and The Church of God. Guest Speaker: Samuel Lin Absolute Truths -> things that are true no matter where you are, like the 10 Commandments. *If someone recorded this sermmon and played it somewhere else, then the preacher and his words are separated. However, God's Word is God speaking. His Words are never separated from Himself. -Jesus is the center of the Bible. The Old Testament prepares for Jesus, and the New Testament is all about Jesus. - Like you study a textbook, you need to study the Bible. The words in the Bible are motivated by God. The Bible has no mistakes at all.

All Day

2008-09-11T18:19:00.001-07:00

This is me playing All Day by Hillsong United. I made a few mistakes here and there, but, overall, I think I did really good.

Serving God with Sincerity

2008-09-11T16:06:00.000-07:00

What's up, everyone? I'm here again today, and I've been doing a pretty good job with coming back with something meaningful everyday. Today, I wanted to talk about serving God with all of your heart. God vomits at worship and praise that isn't for him. Something that I'm having a lot of trouble with is that I can't play guitar or sing praise to the Lord with all my heart, and when I do, it's great, but I have trouble doing it. I manage to focus on Him for 30 seconds or so, and then I get too lost into the music to stay focused on the Lord and glorifying Him. The last thing that I want to do is anger the Lord and do the opposite of glorify him. Especially now that I'm playing guitar for the Worship Team, it's even more difficult to play to glorify Him. When singing, I can focus on the words and lift them up to God, when participating in Drimes, I can focus on what the drime means, but when playing guitar, I focus on the music and making it sound good more than glorifying the Lord. Please help me with this; I'll add it to the prayer list. Also, please continue to pray for my brother and his schoolwork. Thanks a lot!

What the World Will Never Take

2008-09-10T17:22:00.001-07:00

This is a video of me playing What the World Will Never Take by Hillsong. I made a mistake, but I think it's still pretty good. Tell me what you think!

New Prayer and News

2008-09-10T15:46:00.001-07:00

Sup everyone? I'm back with an extremely important prayer! This time, it doesn't focus on me, but it centers around my bigger brother. He's in college, and he hasn't been doing too well. This year is his last chance to do good, so please, PLEASE pray that God will be him throughout the year and that God will give him the strength to carry on and do good in every one of his classes. I've added this to the prayer list, and it doesn't matter if you don't pray about anything else on the list, just make sure you pray for my brother! So my mom has allowed me to record myself guitaring after i finish everything. I'll be posting up What the World Will Never Take soon, hopefully today. Watch out for that! Remember, if you need any guitar help, you can ask me; I have my full attention on you. =]

Devo Information

2008-09-09T16:42:00.000-07:00

Hello all, I'm back again today, but not yet with spiritual reflections (sadly), but with some information on the source of everything that I'll be bringing to everyone on this blog. Every night before I go to sleep, I read a devozine (devotional magazine) called Sena. There's a picture to the right of this paragraph. It's a Korean devozine, but it comes in English too, and I think it's pretty useful, so I use it. Basically, what it does is that it goes through a book every month or two and talks about how it applies to your life and analyzes the scripture. Even though this might not be considered "Devotionals," I'll use that word for the lack of a more fitting one. I do pray every night, and sometimes something amazing is revealed to me if I really pay attention. These past 2 days, nothing too amazing has occurred to me, so I haven't posted anything that you could reflect on. I'll try my best to at least post something interesting every week. Please pray for me that I'll be able to start journaling consistently; it has helped me, but I just can't find the heart to do so. I'll add that to the prayer list!

Introduction to my blog!

2008-09-08T15:59:00.000-07:00

Hello people, I've recently started this blog as many of you know, so I'll just start things off with an introduction. My name is Edward, but people call me Ed. I'm Chinese, and I attend ACCCN (Atlanta Chinese Christian Church North). The North is there because we've split into 3 different locations, ACCC (Atlanta Chinese Christian Church), ACCCN (Atlanta Chinese Christian Church North), and ACCCNW (Atlanta Chinese Christian Church Northwest). As you can see, I live in Atlanta, Georgia. I can play some guitar; I'm still learning. I'll periodically post videos up here and there of me playing some songs on the guitar. If you need any help with anything on guitar, I could help you; my email's lightningsaphira94@gmail.com, and my AIM screenname is chineselikeme94. Just keep in mind that I'm not the best source to get guitar help from, even if I am the one that responds the most. Also, I have created a Prayer List and Praise List; please support me thruogh prayer, I would greatly appreciate it. Also! Please tell lots of people about my blog! :D On this blog, I'll basically be posting up things about my life and a whole lot of things about my Spiritual health/walk. Please share what you think about my posts through comments, and I'll take a look at your blog as well. That's it for the introduction! I'll be back everyday if the homework level doesn't grow too high.

Solution

2008-09-07T18:36:00.001-07:00

This is a video of me playing Solution by Hillsong United. I made a few mistakes here and there, but I think it's pretty good for a first song :D

Encouragement of a young and growing Church

2008-09-07T13:14:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody, I'll be here every Sunday talking about the day's sermon. I took some notes today, so I'll post them up for you guys to see. Pastor Jeff's Sermon: Encouragement of a young and growing church! [1 Thessalonians] *Our church is like the church of Thesselonica; it's young and growing. Who were the Thesselonians? - They were the inhabitants of Thessilonica, but the letter was written to the Christian residents of Thesselonica. Nowadays, we read the Bible in bits and pieces, chapters and verses. What we do with the Bible's letters doesn't make sense. We all must read the letters from beginning to end in one setting. Just like when we read letters we receive in the mail. Outline of 1 Thessalonians: 1. Opening greeting 2. Paul's Thanksgiving for the Thesselonians 3. Paul's Remembrance of the Thesselonians 4. Paul's Concern for the Thesselonians 5. Paul's Instruction for the Thesselonians 6. Closing Greeting This is the first of a series of sermons, which will continue through a couple of weeks/months. Every time we read a letter written in the Bible, we have to read it from the beginning to the end, not skipping back and forth between two books or chapters, or even verses.

Important memory from Shocco 'o8

2008-09-06T10:25:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I'm here again to talk about something that struck me hard during Shocco 'o8, a summer church retreat. We sleep over in a place called Shocco Springs for 4 days and 3 nights, and it's definitely a life-changing experience. So much so that I would probably not be here writing this if i hadn't been to a shocco. Last year, at shocco, I was broken during the altar call on the last night; it brought me so much closer to God, so much that I can't even find words to explain it fully. This year, Shocco 'o8, I was changed in a totally different way. However, it was also during an altar call on the last night, when something that I kept hearing over and over again just hit me. Our speaker was Pastor 7, a man that used to be a convict and lived a terribly sinful life, but was brought to the Lord through multiple miracles. He called everyone who wanted to be accepted into heaven to him, and, with only a couple of words and questions, he informed us that we were accepted into the Lord's Kingdom. What really struck me was that it only took about 30 seconds for me to get accepted, but it took hours and hours until Jesus's death to let that happen. He went through harsh torture and pain, all so that I could be granted eternal life in a matter of seconds! That's all I wanted to share; please reflect on it.

New Blog!

2008-09-05T20:55:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, I'm not really sure if I should really be saying "guys," since this is an extremely new blog that was just created less than an hour ago. Anyways, this is a blog where I'm going to be sharing my thoughts and do my devos, so it'll be a Christian blog. I'll share anything I find amazing or out of the ordinary, and I'm pretty sure you guys will share my feelings. My name's Ed, and I'm from a youthgroup in Georgia called "NaCl" which stands for Now Aflame in Christian Life. It's also the chemical abbreviation for table salt, which was also intended; Paul or Jesus (I can't remember) said that we are to be the salt of the earth. I'll be sharing a lot of stuff, but I'm not allowed on the site whenever I have school, so I'll be back on whenever possible on the weekdays. Ed