The Blessing of a Timely Message

Welcome!  You came to the right place, if you have a need ... 

If you are here because you are / were bullied or just hurting in any way and looking for hope, then this message is for you.  My only purpose here is to share something real with you, in order to give you the confidence that there is hope and that you are NOT alone.


If for some reason you are here because you are considering hurting yourself OR others, please consider calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255) right away.  It is the National Crisis AND Suicide Prevention Lifeline, available 24x7.  You will NOT have to give your name.  Comment at the end of this message if you can't reach someone at that 1-800 number. We will try to quickly help you find a qualified alternative.

To start, I felt it important, as an initial post on this site (seeded by our video about hope ... "His Hope Is Everlasting"), that I give you the background as to how this came about. It is just an example of how true hope can make itself known through what seems to be only a subtle whisper.  Yet, it can resonate ever so clearly and start to bring about amazing changes in your life ... from the inside out.

It was a Friday, and I was walking out of the grocery store with a friend. We had just completed our major grocery shopping for the week, and I frankly was tired and ready to just go home and rest. As we exited, I was stopped in my tracks by very specific music that began to play clearly in my head. I whipped out my phone to start video capturing my attempt to sound out the melody, bass, and basic rhythm. You can probably imagine, it was probably quite comical to those who witnessed it. No matter, I was captivated by what I was hearing in my heart. 

I'm an old amateur song writer who knows the difference between an inspiration and an idea. Also, as someone who is wired to think a certain way, I have found music to be a channel through which I am more likely to comprehend something. There are many songs that I have written over the years, to which I apply the statement ... "God knows I'm not smart enough to understand the normal way, so he uses music to get through to me."

Before I continue with this story, I need to briefly give you some relative background about my life, only for the purpose of clarifying what I mean to say that I'm "wired to think a certain way."

I was born totally blind. I learned to crawl, walk, and run without sight. I was about a year old when, through a broadly witnessed miracle during a Church anointing, I was given vision, even though limited and still considered "legally blind" (at least it was enough in that day to dodge missing out on public school, even with limited accommodation). I've reflected over the years on my childhood experience, as a time in which I was conditioned or "wired" in a few special ways ...

The first ... I'm particularly keen to sound. Faces, I don't retain. Voices, they stick. I have considered this to be the result of how I developed the first year of life, as someone who learned to live with total blindness.

The second ... It has to do with the experience of being put through the normal process (ie. pubilc school) and other normal experiences of childhood, often without accommodation. The struggles were intense at times, to a degree that would be too much to explain here. Many friends, even closest to me during that period, really did not know exactly what I was working through in the background. A friend of mine from the neighborhood, he spent a great deal of time doing normal things with me.  We played basketball, baseball, etc. He treated me like everyone else, just normal boys that competed and challenged each other. He cleaned my clock so many times in sports, but it was friendly (for the most part) and part of what wired me to be a resourceful person.  I reflect fondly on that childhood friendship.  However, not all of the challenges put forth by others in my life were as "healthy" and "friendly" (trust, I know all about being bullied). The struggles, so often intense, further wired me into who I am today. I have never driven a car, but I have always supported myself and my family. It hasn't been easy, and I declare that it would not have been possible without God's intervention along the way.  Even when I was not as mature in my faith, God was merciful and leveled the playing field for me ... more than I can recall. 

The "wiring" that came about from the heavy struggles of growing up, while it has given me the ability to do what I need to do in order to survive, it also serves as a distraction in my relationship with God. The wiring is that of a "fixer". Such a person is constantly working on solving his own problem, a noisy process that makes it hard to hear God's guidance. It has been an uphill battle in my faith to overcome this wiring, reconditioning myself very slowly over the years to start relying on God sooner (before I figure something out on my own). I've gotten much better at it, and I credit this to how God used music to connect and deliver timely messages directly to my spiritual sweet spot.  I'm not perfect at it, by any means.  I do stumble.  However, I do not fall.

Back to my story ... It was the next morning when I announced to everyone that I could still hear the music in my heart, evermore clearly.  However, more than the music, I had an impression from within that it was a message about hope, trying to come out. When I stated this to my friend, I asked if we could do a devotional on "hope."

That evening, out of all of the scriptures that my friend brought to the table on the subject, it was Isaiah 40:28-31 that cried out for my full attention. I had already tapped out the basic music on the piano with the melody, and we were amazed to find how those verses just fell into place ... almost perfectly. However, what was even more amazing came the next morning.  I spend the rest of the evening, consumed with processing Isaiah 40:28-31 like never before. Through the music, God's Word stood up on the page for me.

As I went to bed that evening, the "fixer" within me got back to the business of becoming a distraction.  I was worrying about what was happening in my life at the time. I dreaded waking up the next day to all of that worry; about things over which I had no control. The most I was able to do with that sense of dread was ask God to take it from me. I closed my eyes to sleep, dreading how my first thoughts might play out in the morning.

When I woke up the next morning, I was truly amazed to find my first thoughts to be consumed with this new song. The words were ringing clearly in my mind: "The Lord He is the everlasting .....", "He has power for the weak", "He has strength for the weary", and so on. I found such strength and assurances in the sound of those words, and going forward even to this day ... I find that the power of God's Word expressed in this manner is occupying my mind fully, leaving hardly any room for the "fixer" to have its way.

The rest of the story is very simple, going from a song to this video. I'm an audio guy. I didn't do videos, and I had limited experience. Yet, something compelled me out of a literal sense of obedience to make my household all about bringing the message to life through a vision that you now see in the video. I ultimately stood up and declared ... "It is a far better thing that I follow through with this than anything else ... like worry over things that I cannot control." Others showed up in my life in order to lend a hand at that point.  When I brought the team together to do a devotional before we started, I declared that this would be a sacrifice of time and energy out of obedience, to show God that I / we heard Him loud and clear. I think back to Psalm 34:14 (another chapter that previously impacted me the same way through music), where it says ... "Turn from evil, do good, seek peace, and pursue it." This came to mind on the day that the team met. To obey the command to "turn from evil" and "do good" ... I was just so happy to be at this stage two months later, when I was able to declare to you that I found true refuge in hope that comes from the Lord.

This timely message of hope through music has been a blessing. I know my personal situation still exists. The unknown is still out there. However, I have been strengthened within. If you watch the video and observe, you might notice and question why the little girl didn't throw away her cane and glasses. I've had others suggest that she be healed in the video to give the full effect. Just like real life, though, our suffering may continue. What God does within us to help us through our suffering and ordeals, this is the essential blessing to recognize.  How would we grow inside if God did not let us face our challenges?  Recognize and embrace every blessing (even suffering).  Believe that they are ALL part of a much greater blessing to come.  God has a plan.

Ironically, I was approached and given an opportunity to speak on a very relative topic as part of the service at my Church on November 13th, 2011.  It is a joy to be able to publicly express how I feel about God and all of his blessings, no matter how big or small.  Here is the audio for that interview (click here).

Before you leave, please don't hesitate to leave a comment below or join us, just so that those that support and encourage me to keep this out here will continue.

On behalf of all of us, thanks for stopping by. Blessings!