And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, "I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.
But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;
Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,
To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me."
-Acts 26:15-18
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
-John 8:32
To My Friends...
"Love seeks a prize; friendship is as God:
Who gives, and asks no payment.."
-R. Hovey
But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
And of some have compassion, making a difference:
And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire;
-Jude 1:20-23"
BEING A BRAVEHEART SAINT
Living for God requires fortitude; believing God's Word as written in the Bible. Fortitude is the springboard for Faith; which is a gift from God, and from faith comes courage. The absence of courage is cowardness, and in the excess of self it is recklessness, which neither has a place in the life of a Braveheart Saint. In honoring all my friendships, this requires a humble estimation of myself, which is this: I am a child of God. My life is all about getting into action; God's Holy Word gives wisdom about what I should do, as a result, I have to use this judgment in everything I do.
My only willpower begins and ends right here. So therefore, choice is at the heart of me living my promise and keeping my word.
Should I choose to reach up to God, could I bring him down? Or be fueled by self will and brute force, and lift grace from chaos? I choose...to surrender to God. This is my only responsibility, to give him my life, and all the things in it to his care, and my will to his guidance. Because being a man of God requires only one thing I got: a little faith, and a few friends.
There are times when I can't see God or feel God. Being around my friends helps relieve me of my burden, and allows me to get back in touch with God. God gives me strength, which comes from living every moment in a conscious contact with God. Being with the Saints, and the other fellowships who share this enlightenment, is a great source of hope for me.
Unhappy is the soul enslaved by the love of
anything that is mortal.
-Saint Augustine.
WHY AM I DIFFERENT?
Serving God dosen't have to involve a moral dilemma: the necessity to choose between competing desires in circumstances that prevent you from doing both. Putting my life in God's hands brings the thing that I should do first, right to me. Being the better: as a Husband, Father, Employee, and Friend. But there is one thing more to it than just that; Faith is at the heart of my actions.
"But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?"-James 2:20. Knowing God's Word and an understanding of what is right and wrong, dosen't mean anything unless it is coupled to action. Step by step each piece of the foundation of my life is laid; day by day from God, His Divine Word, & through people and experiences, I learn and grow.
Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
-Joshua 24:14-15
A DAILY COMMITMENT
A sincere determination and dedication to be honest, to myself & everyone I meet, is essential. It is a discipline for me, and my own personal vow. So, what is the ingredient that enables me to fulfill this vow? Having Godly pride? A sense of duty? Fortitude? No, it is this:
A God given strength, which comes from a conscious contact with God.
God enables me to overcome my difficulties, removes from me selfishness, dishonesty, and feelings of self pity. This daily commitment: giving my life to God, and humbly seeking God's will, is the value that has established me as the man that my family respects, follows, and depends on.
With A Thousand Words To Say But One
And to reflect is to regret throwing it all away,
And apathy my one way street, it took so much from me.
Separated by this divide I created, through my fears, and in your tears,
You tried to show blind eyes and tell deaf ears.
If we can make it through the landslide standing,
We'll Lift each other up to see the bliss on the horizon.
Been looking in from the outside lately,
I've seen who I used to be and it's not me.
And we can keep healing,
And we can keep holding on.
I just want to take you where our time won't be waste anymore,
Through the mountains on the water, we'll stay engulfed in one another.
And when I can wake up to see the sunrise in your eyes, and we'll finally be free.
I'll know I've made it home, so lets go out west, and bask in the overcast,
And walking through the rain, we'll see the beauty in life again.
A Brief History of Hardcore....
First Breakdown (Children of the Grave 1971), First +140 BPM (Into the Void 1971)
First Headbang (Ace of Spades 1980)
Henry Rolling Throws first change-picker to windmill combo, circa summer 1983
Keith Morris sports first scene shirt and haircut, Circle Jerks, late 1983.
Delt the last XXX Blow in 1985, and set the tone for the next 10 years.
Some guys from Sacto who remembered life before blow-dried hair & tight pants.
Some guys from H.B. who also remembered life before blow-dried hair & tight pants.
First keyboards in hardcore & broke the metalcore cherry w/vox like this guy from:
Oh no, Oh no, Oh Yes! Then everybody ran across the wall of deathcore:
No matter what core your into, as long as your into it, do it:
XXX
To Those That Want:
Start Right Now...
Just Pray.
"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
James 5:15-16
"Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk."
Acts 3:6
"And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."
Matthew21:22
Wondering About God?
Thou awakest us to delight in Thy praise; for Thou madest us for Thyself, and our heart is restless, until it repose in Thee.
Grant me, Lord, to know and understand which is first, to call on Thee or to praise Thee?
And, again, to know Thee or to call on Thee?
For who can call on Thee, not knowing Thee?
For he that knoweth Thee not, may call
on Thee as other than Thou art.
Or, is it rather, that we call on Thee
that we may know Thee?
But how shall they call on Him in whom they have
not believed?
Or how shall they believe without a preacher?
And they that seek the Lord shall praise Him: for they that seek shall find Him,
and they that find shall praise Him.
I will seek Thee, Lord, by calling
on Thee; and will call on Thee, believing in Thee; for to us hast Thou been preached.
My faith, Lord, shall call on Thee, which Thou hast
given me, wherewith Thou hast inspired me, through the Incarnation of Thy Son, through the ministry of the Preacher.
-St. Agustine
My son Kicks azz!
July 25th,