Whatsup everyone, I want to tell you about this amazing TRUE STORY that happened to me a few weeks ago. A lot of people have been asking me 'Why did you delete all your Cacaman songs and videos off myspace and youtube? My music videos had over 2 million views on youtube and I was getting around 900 plays on myspace daily; I had a fanbase growing bigger everday. This story explains why I gave it all up. This story ACTUALLY happened to me; it is my testimony and I ask you to please take the time out of your day to sit down and read it. Feel free to forward it to whoever you want too. You never know who it might save. Here goes:
I went up to Orlando with my family to see my brother, a few weeks ago. (the weekend of April 4th - 6th, 2008). That night that I got there, me and my 2 brothers decided to play a little drinking game, while my parents were asleep upstairs. We were playing Mario Kart 64, and the rule was that the loser who came in 3rd place had to take a shot. I ended up taking about 16 shots of rum that night, (I remember doing 12 shots but my brother later told me it was 16) and the next day was seriously one of the worst days of my life, and one of my lowest points ever. We were supposed to go to a theme park that day (to Islands of Adventure) but I told my mom I didn't feel well and couldn't go. Not only did I have a TERRIBLE hangover but i was puking the whole day (literally from morning to night). I felt absolutely horrible, and stayed home the whole day, throwing up. Later that day, as I was coming out of my brother's bathroom, I noticed a book on his dresser and picked it up. The book was 'The Imitation of Christ,' a book written by a catholic monk in the 1400's. I opened it, and what I read in that book, man, can only be described as having a conversation with God Himself. It was like The Lord was speaking to me directly. He made me see that I was chasing after vain things in life; I was living life for ME, MY career, MY goals, MY wealth, MY success, everything was centered around ME, and all these things I was chasing after were temporary worldly things, things that would pass away when I died. Worst of all, I had ignored God for most of my life.
When you die, you don't take your money with you, or your success and accolades. The only part of you that is eternal is your spirit, your soul. And that is the part I had never really thought about. Another thing that hit me hard reading the book is where it said that the talents The Lord has given you are not actually yours at all, they still belong to the Lord, and He can take them away if He wishes. I realized I had been using my musical talents for my own personal gain, ignoring the One who had given me the gifts.
My whole life I had made other things more important than Jesus Christ, like myself and my music career. I was raised Catholic and had gone to church every week, but in reality I was a 'lukewarm' Christian, and I was not saved. I had always understood in my mind what Jesus did for us, but I had never truly accepted Jesus Christ into my heart as My Lord and Savior. Plus, I had broken His Commandments. The most important commandment in the Bible that Jesus gave was "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength." I was definitely guilty of having broken this commandment my whole life. I loved myself and my music more than anything else. I realized that if I were to die that day, I wouldn't go to heaven. My mom came in the room and I told her this and I just started crying. I knew I was a sinner; I knew I was destined for hell. It was then that I realized that I had to change my life around and make Jesus Christ the "center of my life", as the monk had written. I read in the book where Jesus said, ''whoever wants to follow Me must deny himself, carry his cross, and follow me". I decided right then and there to surrender my heart and life to Jesus Christ and to follow Him. And my whole life has changed since then.
A few miracles even happened. For about a year now, I have been suffering from a really serious bladder and digestive problem. I have been going to the bathroom multiple times during the day and especially at night, basically having problems fully emptying my bladder. This is kind of embarrassing but I also had serious constipation problems. I had even prayed for healing from this problem. But the day that I gave my heart and life over to Jesus, I was healed completely of this problem. I have been going to the bathroom normal since that day.
The story goes even further. A few days later, this girl that I've never met, sends me a message on myspace telling me that I was in her dream last night. She is my friend's girlfriend but I thought it was strange that she dreamed about me because we have never even met. I messaged her back, asking her what the dream was about. She told me that in her dream, I was selling my house, and the walls were covered with picture frames of Jesus. I was totally SHOCKED beyond words at what I read. When I read the message I felt a SURGE of the Holy Spirit rushing throughout my body (this experience was like nothing I had ever felt before, it was awesome). I started crying like never before. I knew exactly what the dream meant. The girl asked me in the message 'tell me if this makes sense?' I replied to her that the dream made perfect sense, because a few days ago I had given my life to Jesus Christ.
The Lord's timing was perfect because that following Monday, I found out my Church was offering a 'Life in the Spirit' seminar, and the very next week I found out they were offering a 3-day retreat called 'Emmaus'. These seminars and retreats are only offered like once or twice a year, but the fact that they came right after my conversion was the Lord's perfect timing. So I enrolled in those and it was just what I needed to feed me spiritually as I was beginning my walk with The Lord. I have been getting closer to Jesus Christ since then.
That's my story. My whole life has changed completely and I now the see the world through a whole different perspective. One of the biggest changes I have experienced is that I now have this INCREDIBLE inner peace dwelling within me that I never even knew existed. It is incomparable to anything this world has to offer. My whole life I was always frustrated, always impatient, always getting mad, and honestly, i had a lot of hate in my heart. I never had true peace or true joy, only temporary (and false) joy and peace that the world would offer. Now that i've found Jesus i've been freed from all that junk, and I now have God's peace and Love in my heart.
I even threw away all my rap cd's and deleted all my mp3s. (all that music does is glorify SIN, even the seemingly harmless secular music is a dangerous tool of Satan). I got rid of a few books that I know don't please The Lord (48 Laws of Power, and a seemingly innocuous self-help book). I even tore to shreds one of my 'most prized possessions' - a drawing that I had made in high school of biggie smalls that had won 'best in show' in the art contest. It was a picture of biggie from his album 'ready to die', an album where, besides glorifying sin, he actually raps verses that are satanic. I used to 'idolize' these rap stars. I have since renounced all that garbage and the only God I worship is the one true God.
And I renounced my music career as 'The Cacaman'. I took down my songs and videos from myspace, soundclick, and youtube. I took my album down from Itunes. I realized that not only was my music a sin because it uses profanity, but also it influences kids in a bad way. Really, ANY MUSIC that doesn't glorify God is a tool that strays people away from God. If it ain't glorifying God, then who is it glorifying? Plus I was making that music for my own personal gain. I have since turned away from the things that this world has to offer, and decided to pursue the treasures in heaven.
The music that I do from now on will be for the Glory of Jesus Christ. I am living for Him now. I have been born again.
PRAISE THE LORD.
Alvaro Vega, formerly known as 'The Cacaman'
