So, wow Right!! As I leave 2012 and enter 2013, I will take time to reflect on where God has taken me this year and to give thanks for the journey so far. I began this year prayerful and under an enormous amount of stress. My job had become a burden. All be it a burden that paid the bills, but a burden nonetheless. I woke up everyday dreading going to work. I felt unappreciated, disrespected, and like I lacked value. But I pressed on and tried each day to make it better than the day before. So I did what I always do when there is a disturbance in my spirit, I prayed some more... and asked God for "better"... ( Better everything=job, family, home, peace of mind, health,etc)...That's when the rug came out from under me. You see when you seek elevation in Him.... be prepared to be tested. You can't get higher, if you're not willing to climb. I lost my job and it shook me to my core until I realized that while the job was a tool to pay the bills, God has always been and will always be my provider.
Along the way, I had made a choice to record a song with my friend Bob Davenport who had been asking me to come record with him for some years (6, I think). I figured that since everything else was in such turmoil, focusing on a piece of music would give me some peace and comfort. It was awesome. We recorded Judgment Day. I loved that song. The story behind it is so moving and it resonated with what I believe. I talked to him and Matt Schmidt about doing a new album project. It was a way to find some meaning in what I was going through at the time. The songs pretty much wrote themselves and the musicians were such pros that most were done within a few takes. I worked with Steve Hornyak, Michael Fisher, Charles Thaxton, and Chris Stoll, (who engineered, mixed and mastered) at Audio Flare studio on the CD. During that time, I was blessed to record my first official music video for the song Judgment Day, shot and directed by Andre Savage ( A Sav) and aired on Game Savvy Latenight for the debut.
As I worked on the CD through the Summer, I hit some very depressing times, with family, finances, and other issues that pop up to test our resolve from day to day. It made me dig deep to determine if I was really committed to the road ahead of me. It would be much easier to turn tail and run back to something more comfortable than to pursue a dream... ( at my age? in this economy? what the devil are you thinking? * is what the negative voices would say* dressed up in the phrase, "are you sure this is what you want?') I worked sparingly with the cover band Tantric Soul (bookings in town are tough to come by when everybody is trying to play the same places). Through personnel changes, and personality conflicts, we stuck together and kept pressing on. We have been tested, but still standing as great entertainers and a solid cover band. I finished the CD in the Fall and called it Skin & Bones. The title is based on the song of the same name that basically tells of testing and triumph and not giving up in the face of adversity. ( sound familiar? LOL) I spent the last of my savings to press and publish the music and I am currently in the process of self marketing. By the grace of God, people around the world are responding favorably to the new direction of my sound and where my music is going.
2012 Has been a testimony of faith. I have absolutely no idea what's ahead, but I am positive that the future will be bright. I am climbing that mountain to get to the right elevation that is at a height designed just for me. I stand with those who have stood by me. I have seen loss of loved ones, an increase of violence in my city, troubled times around the country, venomous politics, and people losing hope....but I know that God is still in control and if He can make a miracle out of my situation and give me something to strive toward and believe in, He can do it for anyone. I am thankful for the friends who encourage me. I am grateful to God for the ability. I am prayerful for whatever comes next.
With 2012 ending, I just want to encourage anyone who is praying for "better", be prepared for the worst..... Only when you pass through the fire, can you come out refined like gold!
To 2013, I say this: Bring it!!! I am locked and loaded, Lord I'm Ready!!!