After Mt Carmel...

I meant to post this last year in September and it never posted. Well I thought it might be helpful...

Hello People,

I've been in a cave for like a month. Well a month and a half. After my Label Launch event (that was extremely successful and anointed) I kinda have been hidden for a little bit. I was planning to go to Connecticut to sing, but did not pray about it and because of a number of complications, never made it there. One reason being that it was prophesied that the enemy (the devil himself) was seeking to take my life through a car accident had I went to CT. He was trying to thwart my destiny and the furthering of the music God has given me. Another reason, was that I for a brief moment lost touch in hearing the Inspiration (God) for my music and thought it was about me. Just a moment. But many of us know it only takes a moment for us to receive the wiles of pride as we begin to ascend to the pedestals of our mind. Only to find we are fallible or "Fall"-able.

So for the past month, being scared out my wits, I retreated and put the ministry on hold. Does this sound familiar?

I wonder how many of us, after we have had a high anointed experience, begin to retreat to depths of entrenched depression and away from the Christ and the Power that saved us, emboldened us to stand fiercely and was well able to keep us if we only continued to trust Him? Much like Elijah after the Mt Carmel experience (1Kings 19), we run away at the instance the enemy has threatened our lives. But aren't we supposed to be able to stand in difficult times, or when the enemy threatens us? I was really upset at the thought that I was not able to go, but even more upset that I didn't stand. I believe Elijah was an example for us to learn from not necessarily follow. We don't have to run from the enemy and waste precious time that the Lord could be using to help us minister His word across nations. We must make a conscious decision to let God rule and reign in our life. And if we do that effectively, then there's no room for fear. Perfect LOVE casts out fear. 1John 4:18

Much Love Fam,
RR

A New Take on "Planking"

It's so funny how the silliest things can take wind in the world and people just jump on it so quickly. I know you all have heard of this new phenomenon called "planking". Planking or "The lying down game" is a fad which consists of people lying face down in an unusual or incongruous location. Then someone takes a picture and post it online for all to see. Believe it or not, some people have gotten seriously hurt or killed from this. Probably not something I would consider myself doing anytime soon.

The reason why I thought about this fad is that recently, I've had to experience my own form of planking. Let me explain. The other day I was in the Word and the Lord led me to Matthew 7. The first verse of the chapter was very clear: "Judge not, that ye be not judged..."v.1 I continued reading in the chapter that read:

For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. and why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to you brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye', and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. Matt 7:2-5

Then I read the definition of plank and planking and found that another form of planking is gathering a bunch of planks and laying them aside in a group. And then it hit me: How often do we judge people for any reason really, and we have the same problem or the same issue? I think it's time we start removing some planks.

How does this relate to us as artists?

Many times we look at people and for whatever reason (they look better in the dress you wanted, they have your job, their not doing their job right, they can sing better or can't sing at all, they have an anointing on their life, etc. etc, etc.) we judge them, not realizing that we TOO struggle with the same issue, maybe in a different area or way. I've been to many concerts and midnight musicals where people are dressed to the nines and they only come for the purpose to see what other people are wearing, singing, sounding, dancing. The purpose of the gospel is lost when we #1-take our focus off of God and the reason we are there in the first place; and #2- focus on others and ourselves in comparing ourselves to what others have or do.

Another plank that can we can easily move is that we also judge the validity of someone's else ministry in music because it does not minister to us. Now this is a sticky one, because while there are clear signs that a song is not about God at all and even doesn't uplift Jesus, we are not in a position to judge whether it is effective or not. I'm not talking about songs that cause people to focus on themselves persay, moreso, those songs where it is clear what the message is and because it has a different sound, new beat, and we're not used to it, we say it is not anointed. Even for those who are more inspirational in nature, we cannot judge who it will reach and how. We cannot unrighteously judge the artists who make it. And we should embrace anyone who has taken up the cross to follow Christ, denied themselves, and answered the call to minister through song, despite how different the sound.

I think of some people, some of whom I have sung beside like Tye Tribbett, Jai, and Mali Music and how different their ministry is but very effective and anointed. I imagine they must have had a rough start getting people to even receive their music let alone listen to it and buy it. and now they are ministering to nations. I, too will one day joins the ranks of unashamed and unabashed artists whose main purpose is to preach the message of Christ in song to the nations.

But first, I have some planking to do...

Much Love Family,

RR