My To-Do List

Hello Friends,

The big day is approaching. Tanya and I leave for Dallas, Tx in 4 days! We are almost done packing. Tanya has a lot of junk... I mean wonderful memories:) I think I have thrown away more than I have packed. It is kind of fun to go through all of my old stuff and then get rid of it. It is very freeing. 

We are currently in Simi Valley. We said goodbye to my mom last night. Tonight we are having dinner with some dear family friends in Thousand Oaks then head back to Irvine to finish packing. Honestly, I am getting a bit tired of saying goodbye. It makes me sad because I realize how many amazing people are in my life. It makes me kind of sad because it makes me realize how busy life gets and how relationships tend to be the first things to get left behind in the craziness of life. I hope that as I move to Texas I will continue to learn how important it is to make relationships a priority. Not work, or music but people. I want to invest in people more. If we are to truly spread the kingdom of God, the most effective way to do that is by investing in the people God puts in our lives. The programs are great, the jobs have to get done, the bills have to get paid but I pray that we learn that those are all secondary to the primary. That primary is people's souls. 

That has made me realize that the main person I forget about is Jesus. When the day gets crazy and the to-do list is longer than the minutes in the day I must confess that Jesus is the first one to go. I probably look at him more as a to-do list item than a life giving necessity. Everything flows from Him. Even when I take time to read his Word I feel like it is just another item I am checking off my list. A sermon I heard this week gave me a challenge. The teacher challenged us to simply read one of the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John this week Read it for the sake of getting to know the man and God we have in Jesus. Don't examine it, don't study it, just simply read it. I now pass that challenge on to you friends. I challenge all of us to invest more in people rather than programs and to-do lists. First, lets start with Jesus. He will give us the strength AND desire to accomplish this through the power of his Holy Spirit. This is not anything we can do on our own. We need his power and strength. 

On other news...

I just finished recording three new songs with the band. They are getting sent to New York to get mixed this week. We also had the awesome opportunity to record a sweet music video this past weekend. It is for the song "Common Ground." We are not sure what we are going to do with it all yet. We will probably build a site where you can download the songs and video in the next month or two. We are very proud of the three songs and cannot wait to share them with everyone. So, keep on the look out for that.

Again, I thank you all for the prayers as the faith in journey continues. 

In His Grip,

A