I'm Different

A funny thing happened to me a few days ago. I was speaking with someone and explaining to them how everything I saw myself doing was to help people. Not so much in the sense of giving something, or physically changing their status; but more about helping by way of giving people some place to be. Some place people that believe in God or want to worship God can be free to gather and worship Him freely. Let me define that so it’s not just an empty statement. Worshiping him freely doesn’t mean you’re shackled anywhere else. That’s not what I mean. Freely as in, once you step into my “church”; my church being wherever God allows me to set down my two feet, the relationship is just about what’s between you and God.  

You see as I was explaining that I wanted to put on “gospel concerts” in different cities with a mixture of ministers, musicians, and artists totally free to the public; I was adamant about everything being totally free. I vowed to raise money through fundraising, donations, or sponsors to pay for the venue, entertainment, and all associated costs. If I raised enough money to feed everyone, food would be available, but if not, there would be none for sale. I’m not looking to make any money, only looking to do God’s work. If I can’t do it for free, I don’t want to do it. And I uttered the words, “I guess I’m different”. She agreed with me and said, maybe that should be my slogan. That exchange sat on me for a few days and as I thought about it, I realized some things about myself.

I do dare to be different, because I refuse to be the same. God took his time creating each and every one of us in his own image but unique still. If he wanted us to be the same, we would all look alike, sound alike, even smell alike. But that’s not the way we were created. Different! You see sometimes “us church folk” make it hard for people to become “church folk”. Suddenly everyone that was able to be so diverse in the world must now become monotone. There is but one way to dress if you are going to church or a church event. The way you praise or worship God is placed under a microscope, wherein if you were in a club atmosphere, you were free to enjoy the music and “dance as if no one is watching”. Remember when you could enjoy a live band playing and appreciate ALL the different instruments playing together or featured in a solo. Of course, the drums, the keyboards, the lead guitar and bass; but also, the trumpets or the smooth sounds of the saxophone. Well, once you give your life to God, apparently, you give your delight for sight and sound also. You can’t appreciate good musical sound anymore. The sound of an organ would seem the only instrument meant to enjoy. Well, there is a snippet of a verse in the Bible that says “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord…” I don’t suppose it broke down what instruments must make that sound. Be it a washboard, the sound of my voice, or a violin echoing “How great Thou Art” You see, here is where I believe I start creating my own path. Right here, is where I begin to understand the purpose God has bubbling over in me. I am different because my eyes are open to see what’s right there in front of me. In God, we are to celebrate our differences. I have seen too many people act differently to the same situations to think we would all act the same with God. There’s no way we Thank him the same for doing something we thought would never be done, unless we are just imitating what we have seen. There’s no way we dance or react the same way when God gives us some good news, unless we saw someone else do it the same way. There’s no way we all now have the same taste in music… So, the bigger question is, are you pretending, so you can fit in? Are you getting what you should be getting from your experience of worshiping God?

I ask these questions to be sincere. It is very hard for me to be comfortable in just any church setting anymore. I pray and I take God with me. I can’t go anywhere if I can’t be myself or feel uncomfortable. Well, I can, but I’d rather stay at home. As I stated in the beginning, I really want to help people. I want to help people navigate this world, find a pathway to God, and be able to worship him as freely as they would want to. That leads to what I’ve started and hope to continue. I have created a space where you can listen to my messages anytime through these podcasts or read the transcript as a blog. I have also made myself accessible for communication follow up. I have an online presence for my Charity both to raise funds and keep you updated on the latest news. But the biggest thing that I have started, and I believe awakens the purpose inside of me is my concert series. I have decided to pick up my church and take it as far and as wide as God desires me to take it. At my church, you don’t have to worry about what you wear. Come comfortable. You don’t have to worry about how you dance. I’ll make sure you have a floor to express yourself. You don’t have to worry about how you praise him or when. There are no rules when you enter my church. I hope you like good music, because when you enter my church, there may be different styles or genres of songs sang with different sounds or instruments being played. I want to cater to the different ways that God created us. The unique qualities he instilled in us. I’ll pack up some of my trusted groups of artists, musicians, ministers; partner with some local artists and we will have church at whatever address God plants my two feet for that duration of time. I will continue to raise the money through fundraising mostly, donations, or any sponsorship to pay for artists and musicians, travel, venue, and other expenses incurred. My goal is to always make this event 100% free to the public. 

Why? Because worshiping God should be easy. I grew up with the old school mind set that the road to heaven is straight and narrow, and almost impossible to travel. I humbly disagree. I imagine that straight and narrow as for those of you that’s done this, driving your car over 100+ miles per hour and that road gets really skinny. There's no room for mistakes. Tunnel Vision… But that’s not the road to heaven. I believe if I lined you up next to me and drew out our path to heaven, it would be anything but parallel. We are not the same. The road you travel WILL be different from mine. Even if you loved rollercoasters, you wouldn’t enjoy my ride! But God, God allows for mistakes. He sent his son so that our sins can be forgiven. We serve a forgiving God. The problem is we fellowship with unforgiving people. We worship with people that judge the way we worship. We sit next to, stand next to people that tell us we can only like our music a certain way, our singing a certain way. The prayer must be a certain way. The word must be delivered a certain way. But I’m here to tell you, we are all molded lumps of clay in our own way. Where you may have a crack, I may be smooth. Where I may have a nick, you may have healed. God didn’t take his time growing and shaping us, healing and molding us, chipping away our jagged edges, all for us to turn around and be just alike. Yes, worshiping God should be easy. Because you should be free to do whatever comes to mind to express how grateful you are. My worship should be different from your worship. My praise should be different from your praise, because what I’m praising and thanking him for is going to be different from what you are. So you can’t possibly thank him the same! 

So, when you come to my “church”, come prepared as if no one is in the building with you. It’s just you and God. If you have to look around to see if someone else is clapping before you clap, you probably won’t understand the experience.. If you have to look around to see if someone is waving their hands before you wave yours, you cheat yourself out of that genuine feeling of opening up to Him. If you have to glance around to see who stands up, before you propel to your feet, you miss the thing that made you want to stand in the first place. Ever wonder why you look at shows or videos and artists perform “old school medleys” or “old school church”? But when they do perform them, the whole church or building, stadium, arena, is having a great time! Makes you question why it’s old school…I’ll say again, worshiping God should be easy. You show up,  you praise Him, you worship Him, you sing to Him, you clap for Him however you see fit. One of the things I admired about my mother the most, was that she was unapologetically in worship mode 24/7. There was no place on earth that could escape her praise and worship. True statement! But it wakes me up and should you too, that in the place designated for you to WORSHIP God, you should be as bold as David when he put the rock in the sling, cocked it back, locked and loaded.

 I come to help you build a stronger relationship with God, and if you don’t have one, I’m here to help you establish one too. I believe the more I help you draw close to Him, the closer I will draw to Him also. A purpose fulfilled. 

Remember, I’m different. I’m not repeating myself so you remember the title. I’m telling you to look at yourself in the mirror and realize you’re different too. 

See because when my spirit is happy, I imagine a band where the rock guitar lays down something funky that grabs your attention. Stop. Then the drums come in to let you know it’s a great feeling type of mood. That bass comes in and lays down the line. Now here come the keyboard. I feel it right now as I talk about it. Now let the lead guitar back in. But I want you know this feeling is different from just a regular happy. How do I express that beyond a smile? Give me the trumpets! Let my heart pour out! Now while I have you’re undivided attention, the volume is up, I must be ecstatic. Give me the saxophone, so I can tell you why. It would come in playing to the uptempo beat “Somehow I made it, somehow I made it, Through it all God brought me through” then after a few repeat verses, slow it down real slow, gentle, everything silent but the sax, and it gives its runs, and plays the chorus again. Then walks on stage, a violin. It starts playing more than gentle, almost in a loud whisper, “Somehow I made it, Somehow I made it, Through it all God brought me through”. 

And that’s just when my spirit is happy.