.Photographic.Memory.

I would like to take some time to reflect on something I love.

Photography.

There is something about a photo that grabs me, tugs at the very strings of my heart. A blissful memory stamped on a clean white canvas. Each finely detailed line tells a story of how the photograph came to be.

So much beauty contained in such a simple thing.

That's where we stand as humans. We are images, finely detailed and tuned to please the eye, when really, behind each photo there is an ugly story of some sort.

We are photographs shot by the best photographer there is:

God.

We are images of the Almighty Lord.

Yet, we each have our own intricate story that no living human can explain. A story that only the photographer behind the camera knows and understands. Any good photographer cares and feels for their subject.

And just imagine, our Creator is the greatest photographer there is, and therefore cares for us beyond all measure.

It's quite comforting.

In the process of developing the photograph, a photographer will encounter blemishes and imperfections in the initial prints. The Lord knows that we are all in development, and therefore possess blemishes and imperfections. The best part is, we, the images of the Almighty, may communicate with Him and ask for guidance.

What photograph ever has the ability to physically talk to a photographer?

This presents us with a very encouraging thought.

We are photographs with blemishes that God will never stop working on. He wants us to be perfect, though in all reality, we all fall short.

Still, our Father, our Creator, our Lord will NEVER give up on us.

...He just loves us that much...

.Life Moving.Life Standing Still.

So this past week I have mulled over the various intricacies of being a secondary school teacher. Is it a worthwhile profession? Is God truly calling upon me, Cory Stocks, to mentor and educate high school aged kids?

Is this clumsy, stuttering, nonsensical 21 year old man really fit to teach?

Or is it all a false hope?

To answer these questions, I need to do something I am not very good at....

Open up the floor for God to do his work. Because He relies on the weak. He cherishes the lame, the blind, the crippled. Among these are his gems, his prized possessions. He calls those who are incapable of speaking effectively to...well quite frankly...speak. Why is it that God chooses us who have a hard time verbally expressing ourselves...to teach?

Is it because He likes to challenge us, test us beyond our abilities?

Is it because He wants us to be mocked, cursed, laughed at?

Or is it because our loving Creator wants to take our breath away and breathe into us a new mentality? A mentality that requires us to lose ourselves, to say:

"I Submit."

I prefer to assume that the latter is the case.

Every day, I go to work to some of the most amazing people in the world...children, and these children are not highly educated, they aren't politically aware of society's standards of living...

And no, they do not know what it is like to have a loving family waiting for them when they get home. No tender kiss on the forehead before they walk out the door to go to school. No adult figure that they can pour their hearts out to when the tears just won't stop coming...

Remember the clumsy, stuttering 21 year old man?

This is where he comes in.

It is upon me to come in and completely lose myself with these kids. To clothe myself in love and serve these kids to the best of my abilities. And it truly is all about them. Not me, not the rest of the staff...them. It is because of the gracious gift of Joy the Lord has bestowed upon me that I am able to serve these children.

I am so thankful that I am able to be a constant in the kids' lives. God's awesome grace has thrown me in the midst of something beautiful. Something I am good at. I believe the Lord has called me to teach, to mentor, to serve selflessly and wholeheartedly in whatever way is deemed necessary.

And to the Lord, I say:

"I'll try my best, Daddy."

Led to Victory Update Part Three!

Hey everyone! It's been a while since I have written, but I think I would like to give a little info about the progress of the music! Here goes!

We are done recording! Super awesome, sounds great, we have album art now, so that's really sweet. We will be releasing the track listing soon! I for one cannot wait to get it up on the net and into the hands of people! We love doing what we do, cause we get to make music for people and show them we care through our words!

We are playing a show in October with A Loss for Words, which is a huge deal to us, because we all love A Loss for Words. I cannot wait! So all in all, we are super stoked for all that is happening and we are ready to take our music out there and show it to people! I will be posting some album artwork for the music. The album will be titled "Going Through the Motions". Release date is TBA still. Stay tuned....there may be some exclusive tracks up soon!

Led to Victory Update Numero Dos

Time for another Led to Victory update!

Here's the status guys:

We just finished editing guitars and getting a rough idea for levels as we prepare to do vocals. The music is sounding great already, and we are extremely excited to put forward something that we have all worked extremely hard on! Album title will be announced as soon as we all get the go ahead to announce it. The album art will be released soon, like I keep saying, we have people hard at work on that. I really want to thank Nate for all the awesome work he has done for us, he has been really amazing. We are all ready to get this stuff out there and into the ipods and cd players (if anyone uses those anymore) so we can spread an awesome message to people, because that is what is important, expressing yourself through the medium of music. We love playing what we play, no matter what, and we are dear friends, so it makes writing music that much easier for all of us. Hopefully, the product of all our hard work can be enjoyed by people! Shows will be scheduled once we get done in the studio, so stay tuned for that as well.

Lastly, there may be some sort of contest on the wind for the release of the album. It will be an artwork contest, and it will tie into our whole art concept, so get your pens and paper ready, we will be announcing what that is all about as well.

Overall, what I can say for sure is that we are having a lot of fun together growing and creating, and we feel that that is the most important thing to us in this band as brothers. We all love one another and have an ultimate goal to grow together as individuals, and in this case, musicians. So remember, be excited and know that we are going through the motions to get this thing done! Thank you all who actually read this...haha.

On Relationship

So I have decided to post somewhat of a self evaluation. I want to be able to express where my heart is right now through writing, cause it's a lot easier for me. I sometimes have trouble communicating things with speech.

What's up with my heart?

Well, to begin with: I am definitely in love with God, whether or not I notice it all the time (a lot of things distract you from what's important, such as stress and such.). I believe He is always attempting to teach me something through people. However, I feel like a lot of times, I overlook the lesson at hand. My biggest problem right now is admitting that I am struggling in some aspects of my life to God. Lord knows I talk to other people enough about my problems. I do not talk to God enough though, the One I truly should be opened up to.

Prayer. It's a powerful thing.

Speaking to God has always been an extremely interesting thing to me. There are times where i wish there was an answer right back to what I ask. But that's where faith and open eyes come in. Throughout the week, I have noticed extremely awesome teachings from Vision, Bold, and Sunday church. I am extremely thankful that there are mighty people of God who are so profoundly teaching the word of God. If it weren't for them, my relationship with the Lord wouldn't be moving in the manner it is.

I do have heartache though.

Not because I'm depressed, or I lost someone, or I am angry or anything, but because I feel like I could be doing so much more to pursue a fulfilling life in God's eyes. I feel like I'm in need of a boost off the ground to get going. To get the flame burning super strong again, instead of fading in the ashes.

But, there is one absolute that I must confess....

our God is irresistible.

May God bless you all in some awesome way this week, like He's so awesome at!

Led To Victory Update

So, considering our 7 track EP is on its way, I decided to post a little bit of an update on the band.

We are all super excited to be in the studio with an awesome man who has an awesome passion for music. This whole project would not be possible without him (thank you Nate). We are all in agreement of our whole reason for doing this.....to display the gift of music that we have been graciously given, to create together, to grow together as brothers. Not only that but more importantly to learn from one another. We all consider one another to be brothers.

before the music.

before the band.

we are brothers.

Now to give a little bit of an update to those who read this thing.

Currently, we are finished with the guitar, bass, and drum tracks. We are working on editing and roughly mixing the music, in order to ready it for vocals. The outcome so far has been beyond what I had imagined. Working with Nate has been super sweet. He and his awesome wife have put up with all the editing we have to do in his living room. I can't thank them enough. They rock!

We are getting our myspace up and going, but all of the work is on us. We do not plan on forking out 500 bucks to get a myspace layout put up, so we are learning to piece together a layout ourselves. Alex is the one heading that department. He's been doing such an awesome job. He's learning it all super efficiently and putting it all to great use. Come on guys, he isn't just a guitarist!

Currently, we are looking for a bassist, but are in no rush (we want to find someone who meshes with us just right).

We are a little past the half way point of finishing the EP. We will be releasing the title just as soon as we get the myspace up, as well as album art and other cool stuff.

Overall, we love doing what we do and enjoying each others' company, and for no other reason are we in this. We want to make sure that we are supporting each other and from that hoping that people will enjoy the music we put forth. Stay tuned for more updates......if you like to read these things....if not, it's chill.

Intonation Celebration

Today has been an interesting day. I say interesting because I feel very strange.

I'm extremely weary, have a headache, but lying down only makes it worse. I do not understand, it is far beyond my comprehension. I have been kinda lax in reading the Bible lately, so I gotta get down to it for sure. I become so caught up in other things that I forget about where my time should be spent (writing, reading, producing, praying, being effective for the Kingdom). The Bible is full of so much truth that I forget is sooooo vitally important to my spiritual walk. My relationship with God needs to fill my time so much more, it's scary sometimes.

In other respects, the EP progress is awesome. Nate showed me a bit of the tracks with the bass and it sounds sooo good. I'm super excited to get it out there. I love playing music with my bandmates, they are so awesome. I have a lot of fun growing with each other, not staying stagnant. Learning from each other. There is far more than music writing that goes on in the band, we share a tight knit friendship, and we understand each other. I can't wait to see the end result of the hard work we've put into this.

As the title indicates, Nate and I did indeed have an intonation celebration. We go some new strings on the beasts (Cort, Epiphone, Hagstrom....the Fernandez is all good to go). Fresh new D'Adarrios, 11 Gauge for a chunkier feel. We're pretty excited to lay down those tracks Saturday.

Liz and I are doing great. As of this very moment, I feel like the moment we went on our first date, when I was super giddy and flirty and all. I love her so much. If you don't know her, you should. She has one of the most amazing hearts I know. I love the way she smiles, the way she laughs, it's all so sincere. She shows me what true love is. Not only for our relationship, but for people. Where I would give up trying to help someone, she endures all the crap and seriously cares for people. I'm super inspired by her heart. I really think she will do awesome things for the Kingdom in her time here. On top of all this, she's my girlfriend, and I am so fortunate to say so. God does take away, but He gives such beautiful things. Liz is one of those people in my life that God has blessed me with. Among many others. I love everyone I know. At least, I try. Maybe I mess up sometimes.....a lot of times, but still, I try my best. If it weren't for any of the people I know, I wouldn't be here right now, and it all leads back to one Being.....God, my Father, my Lord, my SAVIOR. Without Him, we are empty. But shells without an occupant. I want to thank all of my friends, because I love them with every ounce of who I am, and to my enemies (those I have, even if I don't know it) I'm so sorry for whatever I did to make you an enemy, and I love you, too. Sincerely. I'm done with the anger. I'm done with the other way, God's way is awesome. I hope you think so too.

I love you all, really.

Fireworks

Unfortunately, I am up extremely late. What a day!

It's been a long one, at that...

But today was a very eventful day at my house. My parents made some awesome barbecue (it truly rocked, cause they truly rock!), went swimming with my good buddy, and spent some time blowing stuff up. I think the color in fireworks is what gets me the most. I am always attracted to bright colors. They really catch my fancy. I got to spend some time with my very great ladyfriend. She really knows how to make my day brighter, always. I love her like no other. So needless to say, spending time with her was awesome. My uncle is very sick in the hospital, and I've been praying about that. He's really an amazing individual. Very heartwarming. God willing is the only comment I have to make for the situation. He loves us all.

Period.

Tomorrow will be yet another fun filled day, complete with church and practice (hasn't happened for about 2 weeks now....due to recording the new EP!!) I am super excited. Especially because I am doing some first hand engineering work on it. I'm learning so much from a guy who is so awesomely amazing at producing a good sound. The tracks sound super natural, not super robotic and compressed. I really think that this cd will be super awesome in its finished product. I cannot wait to hear it all done!!! We are going into the studio next weekend for guitars, which Alex and I will be doing. Then, vocals. Vocals are my most anticipated piece of this project. I cannot wait to see what we can do vocally over the music. I am confident that Micah will do a great job, so I'm really excited. After finishing the EP, we will be pressing 100 copies of it. Hopefully we sell them all. There will be 7 tracks on it, and it will be priced at $6. After cd pressing, we are hoping to get some shows booked. I'm very very antsy to get another show in line. I love to hang out with people and play music, it's such an awesome connection to have with people. In all this however, I say one thing.....God willing. Whatever may come of recording or anything, God comes first. People second. Us last.

Fire

I was up until 5 o'clock this morning.

Why?

Because I was spending a very awesome time with the people I love very much.

My brothers and sisters in Christ.

We all spent some time hanging out at one of our good friends' house and ate some awesome food. Some friends and I sat around a fire and began talking about how awesome God is in all that He does. Finally, a very beautiful person decided that we should talk about each other in an edifying manner. So we sat around in this circle, the four of us, and began telling each other how awesome each of us were in our own ways. Keep in mind, there were far more than just four people at the house, there were very many, pretty much all of Vision that night. So we kept telling each other what we loved about one another. Soon, more people began to trickle out and join the awesome friend circle, until, around 3, we had everyone who was present in the circle. It truly brought tears of joy to my eyes to see so many awesome young people so eager to talk about God and edify one another. The sweetest part about it was that the message from earlier that night was about building one another up and not putting each other down. So we spent the entire night doing that. In any case, though I am exhausted today, I thank God that I was able to spend time with the most beautiful people in the entire world, people who are spiritually attractive, people who care, who love, who want a relationship, not a religion. People who believe in Jesus Christ among us. We love You, and we will continue to serve you, Lord, and edify one another in your name. Amen.

What Work Must be Done?

For the past couple of days, I have been striving hard at fighting something I usually give in to.....

My sin.

The message on Sunday was all about sin. Super convicting, yet completely refreshing. I loved being able to bring my sin before the Lord and say, "Lord, I can't fight this without you."

Because I can't.

I realize that all this time I have been trying to fight this junk all by myself, when the Creator of the universe is right there beside me to help when I'm falling. He always wants that relationship with us. He always wants to intervene and help wash the sin out. But a lot of times, we are convinced that we are strong enough to fight these urges on our own. It's a thought that provokes us all to shut off our souls to what the Lord truly wants for our lives. I think we are all on the same level in most respects, we just go about things in very different ways. Sue may sin "in an entirely different way" than Jack. We all hold our conviction on different levels, and that's where things can get dangerous. We start to think one sin is worse than another, which is not true, I believe. All sin is evil, therefore don't commit evil.

That's that.

It is a simple concept, yet a devastatingly challenging practice. All this week I have been making my best attempts at firing back against these issues, and I'm truly starting to realize just how true it is that the Lord has his hand in mine to guide me.

On the home front, we are almost done editing the drums for our cd. We have a title, which I will tell everyone once we figure out if it's permanent. I think the music will sound great, and I feel good because my very good friend and I are producing it together. I love that. I love being able to share in a production like this with an awesome person. I'm learning so much from him. It goes way beyond music. Nonetheless, we are keeping busy, trying to always be productive, and I think it's super fun and exciting to see what we can do with the gifts the Lord has bestowed upon us. The gift of laughter. Hands, feet, legs, arms.....and everything else we never notice. Overall, this week is going well. I'm headed back to work next week, which I am super excited for! I love my job. It's so awesome, and I am so thankful I was given the opportunity to be there. Anyway, this is all for now.

P.S. If you haven't heard of the band I posted the album art for, you should check them out, they rock!

Partnership

Today was a beautiful day.

It all started with God's word. Today's message was aimed at the idea of partnership. When choosing people to be in partnership with, you have to consider a few things. One of these few things is dependability. Having a dependable person in your life is key to keeping in touch with them at all times, no matter what. I have many friends that I am not always thankful enough for who seriously are dependable. They are there no matter what. I love each and every one of them for that. Dependability was the asset in partnership that caught my attention the most. I don't feel like I am always 100% dependable, and I wish I could be there, but God knows I need a lot of work.

After hearing the word, I went to pick up Alex and go to practice. We stopped at Taco Bell (of course) on the way. Order as follows: Two nacho cheese chalupas (chicken, no lettuce or tomato), crunchy taco (no lettuce, instead of beef, add chicken) and a Diet Pepsi. Great meal. After this smorgasbord, we headed to the music room, and dished out some awesome tunes. But seriously, everything sounded a lot more tight today, with very little timing issues. Our music came together really solid today, and I was really feeling it. After practice, Alex, Andrew and I had some awesome burgers my dad made.

Funny story.

My dad had only made 2 extra burgers, so I had to make my own. Basically, I threw the burger on the grill and let it sit. I flipped it a couple times, to get it fully cooked. Then, suddenly, it came to my mind to start slapping the burger, no apparent reason for this. After slapping it repeatedly, the patty completely fell apart, leaving me thwarted and grumpily heading to the freezer to grab another patty. Enough tomfoolery, it was time for me to take on the real man's job......the perfect meat. So I again set to work cooking my burger. This time, the tide flowed in my favor, and the burger came out just right. Alex, Andrew and I enjoyed our burgers whilst talking gleefully about the day's outings and what we would do that night.

Liz called and we all decided to head to Starbuck's. Yes! Got to see my love. So we headed down to Starbuck's, where every resident of Garden Grove seemed to be hanging out. We sat for a short time, then drove down to the Block, where we finally realized it was Sunday, and everything was closed for the night. Feeling defeated, it was time for Liz to go home, so we took her home, then drove over to my house. As it got later, we all felt a bit weary, so we drove Alex home, and arrived back at our own homes. I am now sitting here, ready to finish up this entry. I want to thank God for teaching me amazing things every day about how I need to improve and become a better person. I also want to thank Him for all of the beautiful partnerships He's rooted in my life. Without my friends, I wouldn't know what I needed to do to become a better person. I love them all very much, and can't wait to meet more along the way. Ultimately, my friends are amazing, each and every one of them.

Blue, Pinstripes and Science

So as of right now, I am reading through the book of Job, and I came across something super awesome. When Elihu is trying to speak some sense into Job about his discourse, he explains how God's work is very apparent in nature, since He controls all of the goings on in nature. He goes on about how "He says to the snow, 'fall on the Earth,' and to the rain shower, 'be a mighty downpour' (Job 37:6)." Elihu also says that "The breath of God produces ice, and the broad waters become frozen" (Job 37:10). The reason this is so awesome to me, is because I always seem to be faced with the question, "does science disprove God?" I will have to argue not. I believe that science is the most attainable knowledge to man. I do not think man can comprehend beyond science. And if man cannot comprehend beyond science, how much less can he comprehend God? Furthermore, I believe God has used science to relate to us on a level.

Right?

So anyway, God gives us these awesome examples of his powers, such as freezing the waters, or telling the rain to be a heavy downpour in order that we may see an inkling of what He truly is. Science is the only true way we can even begin to understand God's power. We can't possibly completely comprehend the beauty, the wrath, the justice, the mercy, the compassion, that God holds. I love that about our Lord. He is above all else, above all comprehension. I have always found a great peace in that.

Praise the Lord for all the great work He does in all our lives. I know I am forever indebted to Him.

Sea Salt Ice Cream

So I am pretty excited for a few reasons. Number one, I found out that I am now permanent at the BGC site I am currently working at. I love it there. The people are amazing, the kids are the best, and everyone just seems to get along so well. I thank the Lord for putting so many awesome people in my life each and every day. I feel like this is an opportunity to seriously serve people and not think about myself at all. Cause it's all about the kids. I am very joyful for this opportunity.

Secondly, Led to Victory (our band), has begun the recording process and has finished all drum tracking. All that's left to do with drums is editing, which is saying a lot. Then, we're going in to do the guitars and bass, and last, but not least, vocals. I am super excited to see where this music is going to go, cause I love all the guys in the band. They are my brothers. I will be posting more about the band business in the weeks to come, and we should have some shows pretty soon.

Lastly, I had a great dinner with a very good friend of mine. Her boyfriend is a member of a fairly established band, and he really gave me insight to what the music community should look like. He inspired me with how humble and down to earth he was. He gave me some faith in the music industry, that not everybody in a band has to act high and mighty. I am so happy for my friend, she's super excited to be with him. She has grown so much stronger over the years, and I really admire her for that. I truly look up to her in that respect. They seem so perfect for one another! I cannot wait to see and hear what the future holds for them.

Other than all these awesome things, I know God is at work always, and I have to stop straying from Him all the time, cause He loves me.....just like He loves us all!

On Parties and Such

So last night Andrew held an awesome party that he also called my party. It was so awesome to see people show up and fellowship with each other. 

No alcohol needed.

I love that about our friends. We can have a great time learning about each other and teaching each other things that are valuable to our lives in Christ. In my eyes, a party should be about serving the people you are around, not yourself, even if it is your birthday. I think life would be so empty if we didn't serve one another. One of my favorite rewards for doing something is seeing someone smile. 

The world needs more of that.

I think God totally created us to smile, to fellowship, to love one another with no reservations. I for one, fail at this a lot. I learn so much from those who are awesome at loving others (i.e. all of my brothers and sisters in Christ). Last night was full of laughter and smiles. That makes me happy. I hope I get better at it someday. Writing these thoughts here really helps me to reflect on what I need to work on. 

Yes. It takes actually writing it down to keep my attention. I guess it kinda sucks, but i feel at peace when I write. 

What I want to do overall here, right now, is thank all of the beautiful people who have had an impact on my life.....

You truly spark a desire in me to follow Christ even further.

And the Day Ends With....

Today was a nice day. It began with learning God's words....which is always awesome. After we got out of church, my good buddies Andrew and Kevin went over to Quiznos to grab some food. Then, we drove over to the game store, where we stood around and did nothing pretty much. Liz and I spent some time together before meeting up with Burnell. We went to Mae's cafe, where I ordered the most bomb french toast on the planet. Andrew's B-day is tomorrow, so that's really awesome. It's always a blessing to know God has created such awesome people, and seeing them every day is even more awesome. I'm very glad to say that Andrew is indeed my best friend, no matter what. 21! whew. Anyway, I'm excited to see what the day holds tomorrow, and I am off to bed.

A Simple Resting Point

So I am exhausted after a long day of work, but I feel extremely rewarded. I work with kids, and I love working with kids in general.....It's the reason I'm getting my BA in education. They had a family night tonight, and it was awesome. All of our staff put in so much time and effort, they rock. Each of our classes did a little skit for their parents. They were so excited! It brought great joy to my heart to see them working so hard at something. Believe me.....they worked very hard. You know what......I'm super proud of them. So all in all, a great day, and I thank our great Lord for the air we breathe. 

Wash Away the Dirt

So today I will be washing my extremely dirty car. It will be a task to remember. Other than that, I will go to work, then to Youth Group. I love Youth Group, the kids are so rad. It's a place I can go and be completely immersed in the fellowship and love of God with these kids. I'm very thankful to share in the group with all of the awesome, God-driven people. All of this is significant, because like a dirty car, I'm still fighting to wash away all of the "dirtier" parts of my life. That "dirt" being my sin. I really feel that God has been pushing me to become a more structured person, with more guidelines as to what I do with my money, my time, my friendships, and any other aspect I am working with. Anyway, gotta go get that car washed, I will write later.

The Revealing of a Day

7:30. I am at home about to get up and drag myself to the liquor store, where I will be purchasing a tasty beverage......you guessed it.....a Diet Coke.

Funny.

How used to drinking such a strange tasting thing I have become. 

8:00. I will resume playing Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, part of a series of Anime-esque games that I absolutely love. 

Funny.

The game always makes me want to go to disneyland, because it is based around disney characters. I'm such a dork. 

So this is what tonight looks like:

go to the liquor store, buy a nice cold diet coke.

go to my room and relax while playing Kingdom Hearts. 

Sound good? 

Awesome.

All the while remembering that the only reason I can sit here in my room and drink my coke and play my videogame is because God hand picked me to live. He hand picked all of us to live.

EVEN YOU. 

And He loves you no matter where you're at. Take His word for it.

It's the only word that matters.

On Heroes

I have realized that a lot of the people I consider heroes are all from one place...

the Bible.

Paul is my best example. He was what I want to be, and always fail to replicate. He began as a 

sinner,

and ended as an outright lover of Christ. This is what I wish to be at some point. I wish that I could say that I speak about God every second to every person I meet, but on a worldly agenda, 

this will never happen. So right now, right here, I want to say something very important. I am thankful to our Lord for giving me the ability to love and cherish people. I am thankful for my beautiful girlfriend, who is my partner in Christ. I am thankful for the beautiful parents he has put in my life. I am thankful for my brother. I am thankful for all of my brothers and sisters in Christ because to me, they are in my immediate family. I'm thankful for the really hot summer days where one will sit in the shade of a tree and listen to the sounds of the birds and the trees whispering. I am thankful for the abilities I have been given; to hear music in a completely different way than some others. I am thankful for my guitar playing abilities. I am thankful for the very little artistic inclination that I have. Most of all, I am thankful for You God, my Father. Without You, nothing is possible, but with You, anything is possible. Without You, the birds of the air wouldn't sing and the trees wouldn't whisper in the wind. Without You, we are broken, lost, lonesome children without a dwelling place. You gave this beating heart to me, You gave this mind to me, and I love You so much for that. You are my everything, my soul redeemer, my reason for breathing every day. Now that I have said all of this, I will make what feeble attempt I may to honor You in all of this Lord. 

Good News for Those Who Enjoy It

So I was recently informed of some rather pleasing news. The Led to Victory show (my band), will be free as opposed to the recently mentioned $3 ticket fee. This is exciting because people won't have to pay to come see us for the first time! I would love to see all of my friends out there, because they truly mean so much to me, I love them all. I am so thankful to God to be where I am, under the people that I love, hopefully serving to my best effort. Shows are extremely exciting. I have played many shows in the past, and they have almost always been a lot of fun. I should only hope for the same at this one! I'm super excited to kick start a great venture with my great friends and band mates. Hope to see you June 13th, I'll post more details about directions here soon!

Sick Sickly

So I'm still a little bit sick. I really dislike colds, they are no fun. I have to go to work in less than an hour, and already I feel the day wearing on me. But it's good to keep a positive attitude so I will just be quiet and do it! I woke up today and read a bit of Purpose Driven Youth Ministry, and it really opened my eyes to a couple of things. First off, I need to rely way more on God than I do now. Secondly, I need to take a breather, speak to God on where I am at, and ask for His grace to power me, because I'm nothing without it. I am not perfect, and the moment I truly realize this, things will change, and God will have room to work. If I am ignorant of the fact that I have flaws that can move mountains, how will I ever get to the point where I can move mountains with my faith? God is our only answer to so many questions, yet we refuse to take the time to acknowledge that. God is great. God is the answer. God is love.

Read Me!

Yesterday was a good day; it went super smoothly. God really put a peace on my heart I haven't felt in a while. After work, I went to buy some meat for the kids' cinco de mayo celebration ( I work at Boys and Girls club as an instructor). Then Burnel and I went to Dustin's house and watched 3:10 to Yuma. It's such an awesome movie, not to mention super heartfelt. Our band is signed on to a show in June, so if you are reading this, please come out. I will post more details soon. We will be playing with a band called Envera. The cost will be $3. I'm feeling pretty sick right now. I've been relaxing all morning, so we'll see where that goes. I'm super excited for the last day of recording Boombox Tragedy. Nate and I will be doing guitars and bass for their last few songs, then, it's done! Anyway, I will write later. Good day!

A Nice Day for Sun Rays

Pretty simple day. Woke up, went to church to hear some awesome words. Then band practice. Finished and perfected our 6th song and are working on our 7th song. Pretty awesome if you ask me. Later, we went to dinner with some awesome people. I had probably the most amazing pasta ever. Cheesecake Factory, Four Cheese Pasta, that's where it's at. Now, I'm sitting in my room. It's really peaceful in here. I can hear the wind chimes again. Liz is great. She stuns me with her beauty every time I see her. I'm so happy to say that she is a huge part of my life. I am pretty sleepy however, so I think I will hit the hay. GN.

A Safe Haven

I want to fall asleep to your voice,

to hear your soft spoken words,

to breath your eternal air,

because that is what keeps me alive.

I am not my own,

I am an image of what you are,

O God,

my Love,

my Savior,

my Reason,

my Keeper,

my Redeemer,

O Great Redeemer.

I feel as if I'm in a safe haven when you hold me,

you never let go,

I believe because you have created me to believe,

I breath because you, Lord, have placed oxygen in my lungs,

to praise you.

my Lord, 

my God,

my Safe Haven.

2 o'clock, and I'm sleepy, but I can't sleep. Strange, but I feel at peace. I spent some time with a couple of my best friends and my beautiful girlfriend. I'm very content right now, which is unusual because I can usually find a reason to be selfish and complain. I'm again going to attempt to fall asleep, after reading some of God's awesome word. Good night. 

What a Day

An interesting day today. I woke up at about 8, then fell back asleep until about 11:30, was too lazy to get up and take a shower, so I lied in bed for a while. When I finally got up, I took my shower, got dressed, and went to the bank to go pay my credit card bill. After that, I went to Albertson's to pick up some stuff,  then went to lunch with my better half (the beautiful Liz). Then work. I'm still very into the Devil album, and I know I will continue to enjoy it. I need to start getting on top of my spanish homework, cause I am waaay behind on it. My dog and I are sitting in my room (he's a Basset hound, and he's cute, and his name is Rocket). I like my room, by the way; it's very peaceful in the evenings. If you lay quietly, you can hear the wind whispering, and the birds in the trees singing, and my favorite, the wind chimes. I become overwhelmed sometimes. It feels so peaceful, and I can really appreciate God's presence in those times, which i sometimes take for granted cause duh, I'm totally not perfect. I can really focus on my imperfections and what God wants to happen to my heart. My parents come in every now and then to talk to me, and that's super awesome. My mom's voice is super soothing to me, always has been. My dad has to be one of the most charismatic people I have ever met, he always puts a smile on my face, even when I'm bummed out. So as I was saying, my room is super awesome when it's quiet. I don't really deserve all that my parents have done for me. I used to be the most ungrateful child ever. I still to this day feel horrible for the way i treated them and talked to them. I love them so much. I thank God for them so much, cause without Him, they wouldn't exist. On another note, Alex and I will be writing new material for Led to Victory tonight, which will be awesome. We are almost completely done with our set, which is encouraging. We will have around 8 songs for live shows. The plan is to play a couple free shows (which I will definitely post on here), and then release our debut EP/CD. As soon as we get artwork on it, I will post it on here for everyone to see, and I will add an "exclusive" track once we get one recorded, just for all out there who want to hear us, if that's anyone, haha. Anyway, gotta go, Alex and In-n-Out await. 

A Day of Many Exploits

So today's adventures consisted of me being at work until around 7 p.m., then driving somewhere out in Cypress to do some recording with the band. We recorded an acoustic song for a final recording project for a student at Cal State Fullerton. After finishing said recording process, we decided to venture to obtain some victuals for our empty bellies. Of course, Taco Bell was the first and only choice... well, besides In-n-Out. So Taco Bell it was. Since I am currently not eating red meat, my order was as follows: Bean Burrito no onions, seven layer nachos (mmm mmm!), and a medium Diet Pepsi. For the record, Diet Coke is way better than Diet Pepsi, except for at Taco Bell, for some random reason. The inside of the restaurant was closed, so we went through the drive thru and ordered to go. We took it into the parking lot and sat in Micah's van to enjoy our tantalizing feast. Needless to say, the food was great. We spent the next two entire hours talking in the parking lot. Then, it was time to part ways, so we took off. Today, I thought a lot about Liz, and how much she is a blessing in my life. She makes me a lot better than i could be. I love that she completes me, kinda like the missing puzzle piece, except she's cooler than cardboard. As for music, I am totally all for The Devil Wears Prada's new album, "With Roots Above and Branches Below". It's such an awesome album, and goes so deep lyrically. I love that the lyrics are so God-centered. There's a line in one of their new songs that goes, "beyond this world, is what is always breathing, beyond this world, is worth dying for." I love that line, cause it's so true, what's beyond this world is so much better than what's here. I missed Vision, which I'm bummed about. I love all of the people there so much, they are my brothers and sisters in Christ, and I'd pretty much do anything for them. Well, I am up way too late, I think I'd better hit the hay. Gooooood Night!

In the Beginning

Hello all. I am very new to this "Blogspot" business, and somehow, I find it intriguing. I will post the "interesting" things that go on throughout my week. As of right now, I am marveling at how good the media is at striking fear in the hearts of people. What with the recent cases of the swine flu going around, people are super tense and in fear of a global pandemic. I hope that in light of all this, we aren't blinded from God's awesome glory. I hope that those suffering from the impact of the flu are put at peace in their hearts, that they know that God's still got their back, no matter what. Whatever this may escalate into, I hope that we all stay strong and not let the fear extinguish the fire burning in our hearts for God. Moving on from such a downer of a subject, I am very pleased to say that Liz and I are still going strong, after 3 whole years together. She really means a lot to me and has shown me a great deal about myself that I didn't even know about. She pretty much rocks my socks! Church and youth group are great, and Vision (college group), is amazing. We have been working on going through the New Testament in 5 weeks and we are almost done. I have taken so much from it, it's so amazing. The things that Jesus did become more and more tangible to me every chapter. The reading has really put a joy in my heart that is inexpressible. It's amazing what God's word can do to our hearts. Aside from the Bible reading, I am also going through Moby Dick with one of my great friends. I never quite understood what was so good about a book written about a whale, but it's so much more than that. It is a story of deep spirituality, and ever present social issues. I very much enjoy going through such a beautiful peace of literature. In terms of music, the band is going great, we have 6 songs on our roster, and will soon be working on our 7th. Our first show is somewhere on the horizon, and we will be going into the studio come June. I am super excited because these people that I play music with are my brothers. I love them all very much. I am super excited to share in an awesome art form with them. School is okay; I met with my counselor today to discuss where I am going BA and credential wise, and everything seems to be on course! I should be a full fledged teacher in a couple years! So, now that all of that is out of the way, my blogs will more than likely be shorter than this first one.