HeartSounds

Since I started this blog, there is one thing I've endeavored to do, share what I call my heartsounds. At some point I realized, though I shared honestly, I may have held back a bit. No, I held back a lot. It's a frightening thing to lay your heart bare. I've admired those brave enough to do this, envied them even, but when it was my turn courage failed.

By nature, I am private. Couple that with a creative's apprehension at rolling out a new canvas of any kind, whether musically, by written word, a first sketch - well, you get the picture. It's not a pretty picture. I am shaking my head as I type, because fear has gripped. That's hard to admit, but it's the truth.

I, however, made a decision that 2018 is the year where I will finally do many things I've wanted to, things that are part of my destiny. It requires a massive push at the mountain of fear that rises every time I purpose to share without reservation. This entry is the first push, and it is major. I commit to write without holding back. Okay, I've put it out there, now I have to follow through.

What I choose to write about will be thoughtfully selected with you in mind. Expect more firsts from me this year. I look forward to the journey of shifting into greater in 2018. Limiting mindsets have been kicked aside, and I am ready. Are you? Let's do this together.

Come Alive

When a goal is set and reached, it is the end of a process which often signals the beginning of another. Something motivates us to keep moving, learning, growing, seeking new challenges and outcomes.

I recently read a blog by Joya Martin (award-winning business leader and experienced accounting professional) titled, What Dreams Will Die With You? She mentions a quote attributed to Dr. Howard Thurman, "Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who come alive."  

Are you living your dream? Has fear paralyzed you? What do you need to take the next step? What's stopping you from moving toward a goal?

The caption on my high school yearbook photo reads, "Author/Singer," and though I graduated a lifetime ago (it seems) the dream of writing a book is only now being realized. One will soon be published, and I have already started writing another. It is exciting, exhilarating, terrifying, phenomenal, awe inspiring, just crazy cool and unreal.

It is never too late to live on purpose. Don't let your dreams die with you. Now is the time to watch the painting on your life's canvas become a masterpiece. Come alive. 

That's Nonsense!

You are a singer/songwriter. Now you tell me you are writing a book, but I don't hear any new music - that's nonsense. I don't understand what you are doing.

Why don't you focus on one thing? You run the risk of not doing well at either because neither has your full attention. That's nonsense. You will fail. 

What have you achieved musically? You have some songs out there but you are not charting. You have not achieved success in that area, so what on earth could you be writing about. I - don't - get - you!

I chuckle as I write this, because you are absolutely right. It is non-sense. If I only marched to the beat of my drum, the tale may be different.

Have you ever been driven by something - a dream, a goal, a desire. It is there every waking minute, compelling you to act. It remains unsatisfied until you do something. There is an unshakable urge. It is not just in your thoughts, but your entire being carries it - or rather, it carries your entire being. You cannot get away from it. It multiplies exponentially when the act is driven by purpose and fueled by the Holy Spirit. There is no way of escaping (I don't want to).

The truth of the matter is, they are directly related; my singing and the book. The subject matter I have written about came from burning questions about one thing. Each time I am at an event singing/ministering -there are questions about the Anointing.  Another truth? The revelations in this book are transforming me. They are preparing me for the next phase of ministry, and that includes my music.

In a few weeks the final editing process will be completed, and the manuscript shopped. I realize that God-sized assignments are not given unless He has a grand plan. It will all come together and the outcome will be non-sense - not based on what I can see, touch, feel or hear. It will be based solely on what God is saying and doing. When He does it, it may not always make sense to us, but it is always right. So, until he says otherwise, non-sense it is ... and I am happy to indulge. #pourtheoil

Work Of Art

Color your world. Make it beautiful with long strokes and bold splashes. Adorn the landscape of your dreams. You can make it happen, just believe. When you believe, you are convicted to transform what you see into what it should become.  Passion drives you. Actualization, realization, whatever word you wish to use - the shaping of your vision is a thing of beauty.

Dreams come to life at the whisper of your thoughts, the sound of your words. Create a whirlwind of movement and dance into the realm of possibility, step by step. Vibrant colors need both light and dark. The mix develops hues that grace the stark white canvas that is you. Don’t be afraid of the dark. Walk through until you step into the light. You will find the dark is not a scary place. In those moments, absence of light awakens other senses, and you create in ways you never could in illuminated spaces.

A potter spins the wheel just so, slight pressure here, a bit firmer there. Each stage is an unfolding.  Let pressure grace the vessel with its nuances – creating character that would not otherwise be found. Nobody ever said it would always be easy. Everything may not be wonderful, but it will be good – in the end, it will be good.

Hear, see, understand – allow. Eliminate, ruminate – appreciate. Mix your colors, dare to see beyond mundane. Hear the sounds you missed while focusing on fears of never being seen, or heard, or understood. No matter what you do, you’ll leave a legacy; so make it good. Watch your colors seep into lives, as their canvas, too, becomes a work of art.