Are You an Island?

That may seem like a really simple but weird question. Are you an island? You might say, "Of course I'm not an Island! I'm a human!" But that's not what I'm asking.

Do you take your sadness, weakness, anger, and keep that locked away inside? Do you put on a shell, and pretend everything's alright?

What if I told you, you don't need to put that shell up anymore?

When God created us in his image, he made us to be in relationships with others, not hiding away and pretending our troubles don't exist.

I've been listening to the song "No Man Is An Island" by Tenth Avenue North, and it says those exact things.

No man is an island, we can be found,

No man is an island, let your guard down!

You don't have to fight me, I am for you!

We're not meant to live this life alone.

 I take this in two meanings. It's a friend, asking to be let in and help with your struggle, and it's God asking to do the same. 

So don't be an island. Let God in. Let friends in. 

Be at peace.

The song-

I Don't Want To Be Famous.

I don't want to be famous.

Fame is the main goal of our generation today. We aspire to be the next great rock band, or try to be the best at video games, or even attempt to be the next best actor out there. This is why you see so many videos of people on YouTube trying to reach the world with their talents.

In the case of music, it has become increasingly easier for people to record music with the use of programs such as GarageBand. It's also easier to market your music, with the tools on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. People can post their music on Noistrade for free download, and they post covers of popular songs on YouTube. All of this sounds like a great thing, right?

Wrong.

Often times, this leads to people doing all of this for the wrong reasons. They post a bunch of absolute junk all over the internet, in an attempt to be discovered and become famous. When they do this, it makes it increasingly difficult for actual talent to be discovered.

For this reason, it's discouraging for some of us musicians. We feel like we will never be able to show our music to the world. We give up, and move on.

Don't get me wrong, there are talented musicians out there. Not all of the videos posted on YouTube are junk. It's just so hard to be discovered for your talents anymore.

And what happens when you are famous?

Say goodbye to privacy of any kind.

I was on Facebook this morning, and I saw that pictures were "leaked"of Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher's baby from their Christmas card. The article made it sound like we deserve to see their baby. What if that was personal and they wanted to keep the baby out of the public life?

Other famous people post on a social media account, and the comments are 45% genuine comments about the post, the other 55% are people begging for attention or criticizing the person. Some people waste their days away trying to get noticed by celebrities, when it doesn't even matter at all. If they do indeed reply to your tweet, or follow you, then what? It's not like they will remember you forever after that. It's all a waste of time.

Another reason I don't want to be famous, is some of the people out there. Out of almost all the famous people I see, most are terrible role models. I don't want to be lumped with those people, and expected to act like them. I have morals that I stand by, and I won't give those up just to be in the limelight.

I'm a musician. I enjoy playing the guitar, singing, and writing songs. I don't want to be famous. I'm perfectly content with making music for people who want to hear it. I couldn't care less if I never make a Top 40 in my life. What matters most to me is I'm making music that people enjoy.

I don't want to be famous.

The Like Complex.

Doesn't it feel good to get likes on social media? It does for me. I take a cool picture, and upload it to Instagram. I post a super funny one liner to Twitter and Facebook, and sit back to wait for the likes to swarm in.

But sometimes that doesn't happen, and when it doesn't, it kinda becomes a downer of a day.

This is what I like to call the Like Complex. When you get a bunch of likes on a certain post, you're on top of the world. Then you post another update, and it doesn't get as many likes or comments, it drags you down. Social media gives us, at one point or another, a complex. The more likes we get, the more popular we are. The less likes we get, we think that people don't care.

The fact of the matter is, that isn't true at all.

In Romans 8:5-8, it says this:

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Likes are nothing but an ego-booster, and they mean absolutely nothing in the long run. If we get to absorbed in the things of this earth, we will lose out on what truly matters.

Jesus Christ.

So don't post stuff just for the sake of a pick-me-up, don't post just for the sake of attention. 

I know this is something that every one of us needs to work on. 

Even me.

Wait.

I decided to try my hand at writing poetry last night. I've been trying to figure how to pen down my feelings of depression. Songs have been written, I started on a book, but I couldn't continue it. Finally, sitting up at 12:42 last night, I opened up my notes app on my iPod, and wrote this poem.

Wait

What you see,

It's the disease.

Killing me slowly,

Draining me quietly.

It's there every hour,

Taking my power.

I wake up, and it's there.

It feels like no one cares.

It disrupts my slumber,

To tear my heart asunder.

There isn't a day that goes by,

Where I don't think about giving up to die.

It's there before I go to sleep,

Crowding out the counting sheep.

There seems to be no escape.

But wait.

What is that I see?

Light spilling in front of me?

It opens up my heart,

Breaks my blindness apart!

I can finally see,

The love meant to be,

The caring hearts around,

My heart leaps abound!

I see now why I have life,

Amidst all my pain and strife,

I'm meant to show love,

Following the One above.

It's so great to be able to open up my heart and share it with all of you. 

What do you think about it?

Caught Up in the Numbers.

Having been working at Eagle Brook Church as a student volunteer for about 6 years, sometimes it gets really easy to be caught up in the numbers.

I work in the elementary program, called Elevate, at the Lino Lakes campus. Over an average weekend, we see a few hundred kids go in and out of those doors. Every few months, we will have a what we call a "Yes Message," where we present a gospel opportunity for the kiddos, and they have the chance to accept Jesus into their heart and life. 

When those weekends roll around, it feels like just another weekend for me. I'll sit in the tech booth, running the presentation slides and lights. It feels very similar to every other service that I help run.

But then the time comes for the prayer.

The teacher says that if they want to accept Jesus into their hearts, to bow their heads and repeat after him in prayer. I lower the lights to reflect the mood.

I hear all these little voices, asking Jesus to be the leader of their life.

Then it hits me, bringing tears to my eyes.

These kids are all changing their lives forever. They are going to be joining me in heaven for all eternity! 

And I get to witness this.

It's so easy to get caught up in the numbers, but the truth is, They mean nothing.

Every single decision made that day is incredible. 

This realization brings me so much joy.

I Want to Love Like That.

Recently, the song "Without You" by For King and Country has been on repeat for me. In the song, the singer is telling about a time shortly after he was married. He became very ill, and the doctors weren't sure if he would survive it. He expresses the feeling of sadness in that time. In the Chorus his wife sings, "I'm not ready to live without you."

Wow.

In this world of constant hookups, breakups, and divorces, it's so hard to find someone that shows that kind of love. In Hebrews 13:4-5, it says this:

Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.  Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."


This is what love should be. Not a one-night stand, not married few years, and then calling it quits. I want to find someone who honors God, and stands by the true definition of marriage. I want to find someone who I can't live without.

I want someone who can't live without me.

Someone who rings true with "until death do us part."

Who is that someone for you?

The song:

Here's My Heart.

Sometimes, I just feel like I need to speak my heart out. Whether it's on a social issue of today, or a captivating piece of Scripture, or even just a personal experience, I want to get it off my chest. This is where I'll do that. I'll often post pictures with my posts, as photography is a hobby of mine.

Welcome to my heart.