I DON'T NEED NO MUSIC

I usually don't type blogs without some kind of music playing in my ears, but I'm going to try with this one.

In other countries, people walk for miles to get to a church service. I don't know this personally, but I've heard from gospel artists that have been to other countries. I bring this up because where I live it's getting cold now. Not as cold as other places in America, but cold enough. I'm already hearing excuses about not going to church or coming out to the building where we fellowship because it's too cold. How spoiled are we in this country? They're people all around that wishes the only thing keeping them from going to church was the weather outside. Let the weather drop a little bit that will require you to wear a coat and actually turn on the heat in your car, and you don't want to leave because it's too cold. SMH...all caps so you know it's real. What if God treated us the same way? What if Grace and Mercy did not exist? What if God didn't love us? We sing the song, "We being the sacrifice of Praise, into the house of the Lord." Yet we don't sacrifice praise. I'm not saying I'm perfect, but what I'm am saying is enough with excuses because God has plenty of excuses to not deal with us.

Hebrews 4:13 in the Good News Translation says, "There is nothing that can be hid from God; everything in all creation is exposed and lies open before his eyes. And it is to him that we must all give an account of ourselves." I bring this up because I hear young people blocking they're parents or any other authority figure from their personal social media pages. You can do all the blocking and private pages you want to but you can't block God from anything. God sees all and knows all. Plus the Bible says in Luke 8:17 also in the GNT, "There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed. There is nothing kept secret that will not come to light." So your parents don't see what you're doing on Facebook or Twitter. You can fool parents easily. I do mean easily. Especially the new millennium parents, that's another blog for another day. Now my mom is connected with me through social media. She follows me on Twitter and is friends with me on Facebook. When I post stuff out of line, she doesn't call me out in front of God and everybody. She messages me and tells me her thoughts and most of the time I change the way I say stuff out of respect. I got nothing to hide. I'm friends with my pastor on Facebook. I used to be friends with all the ministers from church but...let's leave that alone. Back to the point I got nothing to hide. Who I am on Facebook is who you will meet in person...or at least I try to be. So keep denying your parents friend request. Keep blocking other authority figures that try to help you. Now I do think that parents shouldn't try to get connected with the kids to spy on them. Got to let kids be kids. When I teach Sunday School or just teach the youth at church in general, it's more of a rap session than anything else. Most of the kids get preached at already by the Pastor and their parents. I like talking to the youth. The little I know about what's going on in the "secular" world I talk to them about. With that being said, I'm the last person in the world from being relevant with what's going on that's "hip."

Like I said I talk to youth I don't judge them or chastise them for their actions. That's not my job. If they befriend me on Facebook, and I see them post filth and foul and filth, etc, I'm not going to rat them out to their parents. That's not how I roll. I prefer giving them the message and let them make the decision to get right. Most of the youth do know better. They just don't do better. Does it have to do with the living environment? I'm willing to say some of it does. At the same time though, they are old enough to know right from wrong, and old enough to decide what to believe in. What I try to do is lead by example. Do I like to laugh? You bet. I like to have fun believe it or not.  I just don't do everything by the doctrine or tradition. By that standpoint, I guess you can call me a rebel. Any other rebels out there? Holla at your boy.

Stay Saved,

Daniel Richerson
Facebook.com/bigdusty
Twitter.com/Big_Dusty

WHAT CLOTHES YOU WEARING?

Cue He’ll Welcome Me by John P. Kee. Old School…one of the kings of the gospel music industry. And I move on—

So I was watching TBN Praise The Lord, also trying to work on a story that I’m working on. This point of the story the character is starting to feel guilty of all the stuff that’s happening in current situation. So then I started thinking about, this is how random my mind is, started thinking why is it so hard to get people into praise into Praise and Worship. Is it the clothes I’m wearing or not wearing? Is it the fact that I’m not hitting the right notes or I’m not singing the song correctly? I think it’ all comes down to people come in Sunday after Sunday expecting a show. Expecting for us as Praise and Worship leaders to kill ourselves for their enjoyment. A favorite line we as Praise and Worship leaders use is, “I’m not here to pump or prime you…” which is a line that hardly ever works by the way. Pump or primed? Why should we kill ourselves to get you to do what you were created to do anyway? Now if I could dance like a B. Slade or the late Michael Jackson or Sammy Davis, Jr. maybe I could garner a better reaction. But it irks me to no end when a praise and worship leader goes up on the stage and the congregation sits down and crosses arms and legs as if we’re supposed to impress them? Coming to church to be experienced not to experience the God in the church. Stay home with your attitude. Spirits transfer, people. Rather you believe or not. You acting or high and mighty is not only hindering the spirit, but it’s hindering the aints that walk in, also.

So then I come to Ephesians 6:11, “Put on all the armour that God gives you, so that you will be able to stand up against the Devil's evil tricks.” Some of us worry about what we’re going to wear day by day, but what about clothes that important? The armor of God. The Devil is going to steal, kill, and destroy. That’s what he does and that’s what he’s going to do. The problem is we don’t have the right clothes on to stand against his tactics. Which is why we can’t break habits. It’s sad when you come to a church service unarmed. Ephesians 6:12, “For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age.” So what the person you usually sit beside talked bad about you or gave you a dirty look. Put on the right clothes.

Recently, I had about a couple of months worth of being the praise and worship leader at church. It was ok. But due to the reaction I got from the people in attendance, I thought I sucked every Sunday. I go up on the pulpit, and you could hear a pin drop. And the eyes looked like they were burning a hole through my soul. That’s how it felt. Trust me, I learned that you don’t do Praise and Worship for the reaction, but a good pat on the back some time is not a bad thing, right? I admit, more than a couple of Sundays, I was off my game, if you will. I was uncomfortable. Why? One, I didn’t do my part. My clothing attire was not correct, and by that I mean spiritual armor. Two, the atmosphere was not right. Sprit of heaviness in the atmosphere makes it tough for the flow of the service. Go to verse 13, ”So put on God's armour now! Then when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist the enemy's attacks; and after fighting to the end, you will still hold your ground.” Just sayin…

So as of this blog I now have no job. I got fired 1/28/2013. I didn’t have an emotional reaction to it. As a matter of fact my manager took it harder than I did. But that’s beside the point. So now comes job hunting again. Been down this road before. Expecting bigger and better things. Hopefully better money this time around. Definitely asking for prayers in that regard. Basically all I’m saying for this blog, is put on the right clothes. Stop putting all the pressure on the Praise and Worship leader or the Pastor for you to get your praise on. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with Praise. We do our part, God will do His.

Stay Saved,

Daniel Richerson aka Big Dusty
@Big_Dusty on Twitter and Instagram
Facebook.com/bigdusty

WALKING IN THE NEWNESS

Cue Leaderless and Enlisted by Norma Jean. And cue blog!

"I've been delivered. I've been delivered. The hold the devil had on me, he ain't got no more. I've been delivered. I've been delivered. I've been delivered by the hands of the Lord!"

Not only did that song save me from a spanking when I was little, true story, it's also the story of my life. It's one thing to say that I've been delivered, but to know that you're delivered it's something to be joyful about. About a month ago I wrote a blog titled, Time To Know That You're Free.  I wrote that blog still bound. I'm not going to lie. I guess I was just trying to motivate myself to get better, but I didn't want to let go. Let me say this, I wasn't in a struggle. It's not a struggle when you want to do it. You're not struggling with smoking when you're buying cigarettes. You're not struggling with drinking when you're still buying the drinks. You're not struggling with sex--need I go on?

So what's next? For one, I cannot go back. I can't go back to the way I did it before. Which means if I can't watch the same things I used to watch? If I can't stay subscribed to the same YouTube channels? If I can't stay friends with the same people on FaceBook? If I can't follow the same people on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr? The Bible says, "Anyone who is joined to Christ is a new being; the old is gone, the new has come." (2 Corinthians 5:17, GNT) So, why can't I go back? Because God has something new for me. Can't expect new in old situations. New way of thinking. Can't think the same way. The Bible says, paraphrasing, that we should not conform to this world's thinking but we got to be transformmed by the renewing of our mind. In other words, we got to change our thinking. "Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God--what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect." (Romans 12:2, GNT)

We got to get past lip service and put some action into it. We keep saying we got to let go and let God. How long is it going to take for us to actually do it? God is waiting. I'm telling you that when you actually let go and let God, that's when deliverence truly comes. That's when freedom actually comes. But it's not going to come until you change your way of thinking. It's not going to come unless you open your heart and let God in to clean you up. When you really learn to praise God outside of the four walls, that's when true deliverence comes in. When you get to the point where you can literally say I don't need an organ, piano, or praise team to get my praise on, I'm telling you, it'll change you.

I'm ready for the new. The old life was not really fun. It was not really satisfying. Can't wait to give back to those who's help mold me to where I'm at right now. Can't wait to travel and meet new people. Can't wait to get out of the oridinary. Can't wait to get my career started. Can't wait to really walk in my calling. Can't wait to connect with that one woman that is just for me. It's a new season for yours truly Big Dusty, D-Rich, Big d...call me what you will. "So I run straight toward the goal in order to win the prize, which is God's call through Christ Jesus to the life above." (Phillippians 3:14, GNT)

Stay Saved,

Daniel Richerson
@Big_Dusty
Facebook.com/bigdusty