Renewal

After a few months of things in my life being really crazy, I finally feel like I'm getting a hold of everything. It all seems a lot more manageable with a few things off my back. Oh man, and my time management has gotten so much better. I'm not awesome at it yet, but I'm getting there. No more "up till 4am every night playing Halo".. Okay, well most nights I don't. Gotta live a little.

Sometimes work feels so much like, well... work. I've been trying to find ways to enjoy "work" and I'm actually having a lot of success. I work full time as a house painter, and it's really not the most glorious job of all time, but I'm trying to look forward from what i'm doing now, and reminding myself what it's all for. That could be small things, like buying the next guitar, or big things, like starting a family one day. It's a new perspective I guess, and it's a better view than just staring down at the billionth wall I have to paint. 

My Ipod!

This is what I've been listening to lately! Enjoy :)

Guitar gear

For those of you who don't know, I play in some worship bands! I have a passion for worship, and when I say that, I'm not just saying "I really dig hillsong united", or "I like going to crazy worship conferences". I love being a part of bringing people towards Christ through surrender, vulnerability, and a desire to encounter the Lord through music that glorifies him. I also love music in general, and I love to serve. I like being able to play for people and have them enjoy it, and I love to learn. I'm blessed that I get to have all of those things with the churches that I serve with.

This is a look into the gear that I use when I lead worship. Feel free to ask questions, tell me my choice of guitars and pedals sucks, etc.

Gibson Les Paul, as shown in the picture below

94 Japanese Telecaster

My pedals, as shown above

From left to right
Boss DD6
TC Hall of Fame
Boss TR2
Ibanez Super Tube
Ibanez TS9
MXR Custom Badass Overdrive
Korg Pitchblack
Boss Rc3
Ernie Ball Volume

For my electric, I use a Vox AC15 (All-tube amp, not to be confused with the similar solid state VoxAC line) Great amp, very warm, very clean. It doesn't have a lot of tone options coming from the board built into this, but I just build my tone starting with an almost clean setting, the Top boost at about 40%, and stack overdrive pedals to get whatever sound I want.

For Acoustic and Vocals, I use a VoxAGA30. I don't know much about it yet, just bought a few weeks ago. So far I've just been using a loop station with Acoustic and vocals through it, and I like it. A little quieter than I might like, but for the price (Under 300) and the size, it's loud, and it doesn't distort (much) at high volumes.

That's my electric rig. I might go into my acoustics and other gear in a different post. Ciao!

Proverbs 3:1-2

"My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you."

Okay, I want to start this off on a very practical note. I have trouble with making time for things I need to make time for. I often catch myself saying "I don't have time", yet I just spent 4 hours on my Xbox.

Now listen, I'm not saying this is a complete solution for my time management problem, because it runs deeper than all this; it's about priorities. But for the last month or so, I schedule EVERYTHING. My iPhone calendar is such a blessing. Everything from when I know I need to set time aside to practice songs for church, to commitments like hanging out with friends. Somehow, when I look at it all in front of me, day to day, I find it much harder to avoid things and make excuses. It's almost like when it gets to the next day, and I look back and see all of the things I didn't do that I told others (and myself) that I would do, I really see, not to sound mystic or anything, the passing of time, and how I let that pass by. I'm more aware of my failing in that moment, because when I open my calendar at the beginning of every day, I have to look at it.

This isn't just to make myself feel guilty, I realize I'm far from perfect. This is about being intentional.

I highly recommend it. Schedule. Use a calendar. You'll thank me later.

I feel busy lately, but really I'm not all that busy; I've just been letting things pile up. In all that confusion and discomfort, I let my relationship with God slip. I've actually stopped paying attention to the sin in my life and stopped looking to God to help me remove it. Above anything else, I need to make time for Him. I think if I honor God with an intimate and personal relationship, he'll make sure I have time for the things I need to be doing. I want to be teachable, and I want to be willing to drop everything like James and John. Christ called them, and they left everything they knew, in faith that Christ would look after them. I mean seriously, they left families and jobs, commitments and comfort, for Jesus. I want to be able to drop all of my "plans" to follow when he calls.

   Kyle Jenkins

"My son, do not forget my teaching..."