So Alive Inside!

Issue 1

1) Thoughts on living life So Alive Inside!
2) Recent happenings

I’m so excited to welcome all of you to the October issue of So Alive Inside!

First of all, I’d like to thank each and every one of you for choosing to be a part of the So Alive Inside community! Just knowing you chose to be a part of the dream God has given me is humbling. Please know that I do appreciate your support very much.

The title of this newsletter really conveys the personal quest I have undertaken in life to live life fully alive. Really, this should be the quest of every man. John 10:10 says “I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance, to the full, till it overflows.” I can’t tell you how many times I read that verse and each time thought “Wow! What a great verse!” but never lived it.

Many people today are alive, but dead. Naturalist, philosopher Henry David Thoreau said that “most men lead lives of quiet desperation.” On the outside, they appear “alive” but inside, they feel trapped by forces beyond their control. Their “real” selves have been squished underneath what society has dictated and stamped on their soul as “normal.”

Dead. That's what I was for many years. I was doing what I was instructed to do by the world but something was seriously missing. Growing up with a low sense of self worth made me subject to accepting what others thought was best for me pretty easily. It was no big deal to put the “real” me on the backburner even if it meant living with an inner sense of death. I was willing to do anything to avoid risking failure at being who I truly was.

Many people today have a passion inside them that is being suffocated by the confines of what others think is “normal” for them. Society is big on uniformity and quick to reprimand anyone that violates its standards. But being totally alive inside is way too big to fit into the confines of similarity.

Being alive inside means being the best YOU that you can be! It often means being different and sticking your head above the crowd. And guess what? When you stick your head above the crowd you can expect to get a few tomatoes.

One of the best examples of being totally alive inside for me is Jesus. On the outside he was a regular guy. But inside, he was on fire with a passion to be all God created him to be. He was a living example of John 10:10 and every ounce of the abundance and fullness promised in this verse oozed out of him.

What I love most about the kind of joy, fullness and abundance Jesus had, was that for him, it wasn’t about some kind of crazy off the wall outward stuff and he didn’t display it in material things. For Jesus, fullness of life was inside.

Fireworks, bright colors, balloons, happy music resonated in him 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. He was full of life. He dared to stick his head above the crowd because his love for God was more important to him than the tomatoes he’d get because of it. Jesus was truly himself, truly alive!

That's the kind of life I aspire to! I want to find, as Dr. Suess so perfectly said, "..the bright places where Boom Bands are playing!" Why not? John 10:10 promises this kind of inner joy, so why not claim it!

Recent happenings

Since I made a decision to separate myself from the counterfeit existence I had created and seclude myself to nothing but me, God, my pencil, eraser and a piece of lined paper, life has been better than it ever was. There is nothing more awesome than doing what God created you to do!

When I first moved to Vancouver Island I spent a lot of time honing my craft. Currently, my time is being spent on the phone building relationships with churches and organizations for future events. There are lots of pots on the stove right now which is very exciting!

I recently performed as a guest at St. Augustine’s church in Vancouver. Peter Allen, a very talented friend and musical director at the church, did a fantastic job writing parts for the choir and mini orchestra for the songs we were to perform.

One of the most touching songs I sang lead for was El Shaddai recorded by Amy Grant years ago. The 500 or so congregation was lulled by this beautiful song and the stunning arrangement Peter organized for the choir and strings.

The power that music has at affecting people in a positive way always amazes me. Whether I’m performing a song like El Shaddai or my own melodies, it’s always humbling to hear the wonderful comments people share after the performance.

It was a privilege and honor to share many of my songs with the congregation at Radiant Life Community Church in Campbell River as well. We started out with a couple of fully arranged old black gospel tunes that the people seemed to enjoy and followed that with many of my own songs performed with the simplicity and honesty that only acoustic piano and vocals can bring.

I think one of the best things for me so far has been seeing people of various denominations unified by music. There is a oneness that comes with the innocence of words and melodies that I believe gets to the goodness in every human heart. It’s a joy to glorify God in this way!

Please pray for me as I journey and I will pray for you! May your desire (and mine!) to live life truly alive never diminish but be constantly replenished in Christ.

‘Til next time, blessings.