LINZ PICKS 11/8/2011

Hey everyone. I think I am going to start sharing the music that I'm liking and listening to with my friends.

I'm calling it Linz Picks!

This week's Linz Picks are:

WILLIAM MCDOWELL'S "ARISE"

It's a potent CD that many Gospel and Worship music fans will use as an anthem for Kingdom declarations, breakthrough atmosphere creation and encouragement. I really love William's heart for God and His church. This is reflected in the project and if you buy it you'll get more than your money's worth! You'll also hear William singing and preaching like most have never heard on his Cd's. WARNING: If you are spiritually sensitive, don't worship and drive!

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/arise-the-live-worship-experience/id470661549

BRIAN COURTNEY WILSON'S "SO PROUD"

When I first heard this song, it was a demo. I immediately thought "He got it right. This song is gonna work." Brian later sat down at my house and sang it from the piano and I knew we had a hit on our hands. When we started the production process I wanted to keep it simple and leave space for the melody to shine. So, with Brian being a native Chicagoan, I wanted to make sure his hometown was able to "Chicago Step" to it. Great lyrical content, and the lead vocal performance is award material.
The background vocals by Houston's Gene Moore and Tiffany Brown are perfectly layered between Brian and the track.
I hope people help support this song. It's a refreshing addition to the industry.

Check it out on You Tube for now:
http://youtu.be/UHqvQNPwhJE

Justin Bieber "Fa La La" feat. Boyz II Men:

First off, let me say I'm no Justin Bieber fan. I respect his music and I think he's super talented, but I'm almost 40! Enough said.
BUT - I went to itunes and saw his Christmas CD on the wall so I checked it out. I immediately noticed that his voice had changed quite a bit. His tone was the same but his range was lower. He still has his dexterity and pop vocal abilities but he sounds like a young man, not a little kid. This was nice to hear.
The second thing I noticed was the features...Busta Rhymes, Usher, Boys II Men.
Then I noticed the level of production...AWESOME. As soon as I pressed play, my house got happy. When all my little Beliebers calmed down I went to the Boyz II Men song (plus the a Capella version) and that became my fav. You'll love it! Its worth the money.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/under-mistletoe-deluxe-edition/id474930087

More Notable Miracles before 2011 Ends

Last night we had some friends over for fun and costuming and (as is possible whenever kids are running around), Blake was accidentally hurt. I encourage my kids to show emotion and not be afraid to cry, but I also ask them are they crying because it hurts or because they are scared. If its fear, I let them to cry for a few but also encourage them to suck it up.
But this was far more serious. I could see it was out of place and He couldn't move it but more importantly no one could touch his arm without him screaming out.
We rushed him to the ER and the doctor examined him and said "its broken". I sat in the room for a few minutes and was preparing myself for a long 6 weeks with a cast.
But earlier that day I met a great speaker that I have enjoyed listening to named Joseph Prince. He shared his personal testimony about how he received the love of God in his heart and it released a grace for healing for his daughter. I accepted that testimony into my spirit and acted on it:
First The Dr came in and said "his arm is brokDen".
They left to set up X-rays and I took that testimony to heart.
I purposefully and calmly laid hands on my son and said "God, I receive your love for Blake. Heal his arm now, take the pain away and let him be healed even before they put a cast on him." We walked into the X-ray room and by the time he left the ROOM, he was lifting his arm and moving it all around. He said it doesn't hurt. The Dr said "Wow I didn't expect this! X-rays are normal."
He was totally healed with absolutely no pain and was back to normal. I asked him "Who fixed your arm Blake?" and he replied "Jesus did!"

We were home in thirty minutes and put on some "shouting music" that I keep on my phone for certain praise breaks! We danced and laughed and watched as Blake went right back to being his old rambunctious self.

God Loves Us So.

Andy Griffith and Dad

I remember sitting with my father when I was a little boy watching The Andy Griffith Show at 6pm. Dad got off work at 5pm from Ohio Edison Company and he pulled up in the driveway like clockwork at 5:20. Why do I remember that? Because that's when us kids had to have our "act together" so he could walk into a peaceful house.
My dad loved the Andy Griffith Show and I enjoyed watching him laugh. I didn't understand why Barney Fife made my dad yell out in laughter, or why Andy's "country dumb" wisdom was so appealing. But I loved sitting there trying to figure out what made dad so happy.  

Well, tonight for the first time ever, I sat on my sofa with Lil Aaron and Blake and they watched me laugh out loud at Deputy Barney Fife, and marvel at Sheriff Andy's simple wisdom.  It hit me that I was now the dad and they were watching me.  So, I called my poppa and told him the story....he finally explained why he loved the show. "Son" he said " They always solved their problems in 30 minutes before the show went off.  That made me feel good."

Funny how the tables of life turn and you find yourself walking in shoes that at one point were much too big.

Great Night.

Just Shift It Out 6 Feet.

Anyone that has been to my house knows that I love to entertain guests. I love having parties, dinners, football gatherings, and WWE night with my sons. However when the people are gone, my favorite thing to do at home is be outside on my patio with some music playing and the wind blowing thru my trees with the fire pit roaring.

My perfect day is waking up at 7am, walking outside, putting on some soft music and doing my devotional time with the Lord in nature. The crisp cool air and the absence of a phone ringing or text messages chiming is so divinely peaceful. Followed by a nice pancake and eggs breakfast outside, with a steamy cup of JAVA (no cream with 2 turbinado). Then I'd go inside to dress my kids and send them off to school, walking into my home project studio and writing/tracking music. Finally ending my day (after family time and other duties) with an evening outside watching the sunset. That would be my ideal day.....that rarely happens!!!!

However a few days ago my wife and I had the notion to scoot our furniture further out toward the trees a small distance, not even ten feet. This made for a few interesting observations.
1. I was further away from the house which made me feel more out into nature.
2. It sounded different because the echo of the ambiance was not there from the walls and ceiling of the patio.
3. The breeze was more pronounced because there were no walls blocking it.
4. The sun was more direct in the day because there was no covering.
5. The Ceiling fan no longer provided a manufactured breeze.

Each of these things (if you are a preacher) are some serious points that could be exhausted and catalyzed until people start running up and down the aisle. Those are good points but, none stack up to this one:

6. Every morning, these seats are covered in dew.
These same chairs that never saw moisture are daily covered in dew. While my zip code is in a drought and there is threat of wildfires, there is now dew on every single seat. We haven't had rain for months but my seats, which were never wet, are soaking wet every morning.
No water hose, no sprinkler spray, no mischief.

Dew.

I wonder how many areas of my personal life would find the necessary moisture if I had the boldness to shift it 6 feet (figuratively) toward the God of Nature. His desire for me is to trust him in the midst of recession, failure, trials and crisis, but often I am so comfortable by the house, away from the heat of the Sun, with manufactured breezes and frankly satisfied with the echo that I won't move into position to experience the refreshing of the dew.

What areas of our lives can we shift closer to God, so he can shed light on them, speak to them, blow on them, and then refresh?

Decisions - Decisions

I am up early this morning, flying home from a great week of fellowship, learning and working. It was a great trip, and I hope the thrust is just what I need to get my momentum going.

I finally fell asleep at 1am, after packing, watching HLN, CNN and any other show that would catch my attention as I surfed the television of my room at the Westin. I knew I had to be up at 5am....but.....SURF ON!

I finally got the message from my brain to "kill the beast", so I pushed the red power button and that was that. All of a sudden I have this urge to google lobster cooking. Before I put my iPhone down, I jump over to YouTube to see if there is an example of how to cook a lobster. There are hundreds of clips on how to cook a lobster....and I begin to watch them one by one. "Maine Lobster, Boston Lobster, Huge Lobster, Lobster fighting, Dog playing with a Lobster, 20 pound lobster" Aaron GO TO SLEEP!

Finally I'm off to sleep. Four hours later, ALARM BLARING! Now I'm frustrated because I didn't sleep enough. I watched lobster videos for 30 minutes. I watched mindless TV for an hour. I tweeted for an hour prior!

Decisions Decisions...bad ones.

Each of us are a product of our decisions. What you choose determines what you do, where you go, what you say, and who you are.

Finally I'm at the airport, barely alive. I arrive at the TSA "Elite Check-In" line because I'm a frequent flyer. I finally found a break in the line and got to the table. After I took out my electronics, and liquids, belt, shoes, emptied my pockets and put the fake smile on, I saw something cool. There was a TSA agent that actually let a lady cut in line because (I perceived) she was running late. It had been years since I had seen a voluntary act of kindness from the TSA. This act of kindness impressed me to the point that I wanted to say thank you to the agent. Just as I was about to thank her for being so conscientious to the late passenger, she looked at me really mean and said in the most stereotypical Atlanta TSA way..."Don't leave yo stuff til it go thew!" Yes, the lady with the US seal on her shoulder said the word THEW!

Wait a minute...flag on the play! Black on Black Crime! Hold it sistah... and in a flash, my mind went through about 4 or 5 responses that came before I knew it. I'll spare you the first 3 because they would not be good for my reputation, but the last two went something like this: "I can understand why you have such a bad attitude. If I had that face I'd be mad too", followed immediately by "Ma'am I'm traveling First Class, and I'm a frequent flyer. Do I look like I need a TSA lesson from you? I'm in the airport more than you are, and you work here" BUT....Would I choose door #1 - "Get her" because she was giving me an attitude? Or would I choose door #2 - Continue on with my compliment and take the risk of her slapping my other cheek?

Decisions Decisions-

I chose door #2.

I held my tongue and watched my things go "thew". With the same mean tone she "randomly" chose me to go through the new 'hi tech' body imaging thing that I HATE! (*SLAP)

I stuck to my decision and before I went into the machine I said "Ma'am, I want to thank you for being nice to the little lady that was running late", to which she looked at me and said "She wasn't late" (*SLAP). So I said, "Well it was still a treat to know that there are some nice TSA agents out here, and I'm thanking you for the act of kindness, even if she didn't need it".

She looked at me and smiled and said in a voice that sounded like a high pitched cheerleader "I'm nice! We can be nice!"

What?...She caved? Smiles, kindness and friendly posture?

I won! She looked at the scanner and said, "Never mind, you can go 'thew' the other one, have a nice day". What happened?

I made a decision and stuck with it in spite of the opposition, and found favor. Sure it was a small thing, but it was huge to me at 5AM! Sometimes we decide to retaliate in an effort to vindicate ourselves or receive justice. It takes too much effort and negative energy to do so, and it never releases favor. Even if we win, it took our own efforts to win.

Conversely, if we decide to do justly, love mercy and walk humbly in spite of the opposition, then and only then is our victory God's responsibility. And He always wins! I've never seen a righteous man forsaken...and I never will.

Decisions, decisions. Today I made the right one.

Prayerfully as time goes on, my wins will outweigh my losses.

As for today, I win!

2009 and BEYOND

2009 CAN BE WHATEVER WE DECIDE IT WILL BE.  

We have life and death under control with our tongue.  This concept can be one of great confusion and abuse.  The "nameitandclaimitness" of my generation has hardened the hearts of the generation rising.  So many of this generation come to church and have a spiritual experience or an emotional encounter.  These are incredibly useful tools for attracting their attention or providing an entry into the presence of God.  However if these encounters, or experiences don't at some juncture translate into an engagement, are they fruitful?  An engagement is a promise of commitment.  

But why would someone engage?  Why did we engage?  At 14 years old I engaged because that's all I knew, and I was scared to go to hell, lol.   The spiritual foundation for me personally was firmly based on  "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord".  Translation - "As long as you live under my roof, eat my food, and wear my clothes, you will go to church"HAHA!   

Am I EXTREMELY GRATEFUL AND GLAD FOR THAT,  YESSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!   I am in the family of God through the blood of Jesus today because my parents trained up the child in the way he should go......but...

Today's parents are different.  The world is different.  Even "old school" christian leaders are facing the reality that the type of Church experience that converted my generation ("X" 28 - 48 years old) is not working for the subsequent generations ("Y" 6 -27 years old and "Z" 5 and under).  It's not enough for them to just take our word for it, or do as we say not as we do.  These information hungry, intelligent and research driven generations are searching for truth and it will require more and more evidence to confirm and convert.  

The evidence they are seeking is "street cred", "proven", "tried and true" with some swagger (confidence)!

"Oh, so God is Love?  How come so many Church people are hating on sinners? Why did God take my (insert the appropriate person)?  Why does the church hate gays?  Why does the church frown on people who believe differently than I do?"  

These are some the dominant questions/issues that the Church has to INTELLIGENTLY AND PLAINLY answer today.  Let's face it, "Sovereignty" is a concept that is absolutely foreign to most, considering America has been a democracy run by the people since 1789 for goodness sake.  Anyway....I feel that we need to make the gospel as PLAIN as scripture.  Sure, self - help is good, overcoming is part, prosperity is God's desire, and Love never fails.  "BUT...when I pray and believe and do all the right things and pay my tithe, and obey God, and forsake not the assembly of the saints...and things still go terribly wrong...what up then?"  

Songs, powerpoint displays, million dollar sound systems, prominent staff members, and big ticket musical guests will only get them so far.  Commitment is the key.

I hope that 2009 will be the year where we allow the experiences and encounters to lead us into a loyal engagement with God Almighty.  God has used encounters and experiences throughout history to reveal Himself to His people, however these have been intended for the purpose of a commitment.  Not only us committing to God, but by the confession of our sin and repentance, we would gain access to the commitment God promised throughout scripture.  

For example -

God commits to Job in his book.

In Ps. 89:3-4 God commits to David

In 2 Chronicles God commits to Judah

In Isaiah 49:14-15 God commits to Zion (Israel)

The New Testament shows God's commitment to the greatest level.  

John 3:16 God committed his only Son for crimes we committed.  

How's that for a comparison of commitment? 

Our commitment - SIN, LUST, and PRIDE

God's commitment - GIVE, LOVE, and LIFE

What shall we say then, shall we continue in sin that grace may much more abound?  Is grace a spare tire?  Is God's love our get out of jail free card?  Are we pimping God's love for personal gain?  Do we knowingly and boldly sin, and then use the love of God as a life-line? Is God a booty call?  I know I'm getting really raw here, but trust me...the only ones offended are us "gen X ers".  

This generation has been awakened, and unfortunately it has not been the power of God only that has awakened them.   Every morning they are tempted, and nudged by evil communications (provocative music or conversations), witchcraft (rebellion), illicit images (internet, magazines etc), and a HOST of other things. For example, in my home I have full digital TV's (none in my or the kids bedrooms), a home movie theater, 4 ipods (all with video), 4 iphones (2 are the old 1st generation), 5 apple computers (3 laptops, mac mini, G5 tower) and an appletv!   It's in my home too, not intentionally but it's there.  

I'm not saying let's throw away technology and roll out the candles and communicate via morse code, but we all have to reckon with the spirit of the age and fight it.

Generation Y and Z are the golden prize!  History's greatest achievements are being done by generation Y and Z!  The most athletic, strongest, smartest, most beautiful, fastest, and brightest are among these.   While the Presidential victory of Barack Obama is an incredible achievement because he is the first, it's simply that, the first.   Most of us know who Jesse Owens is, right?  You probably think he was the first black Olympic athlete like I did....wrong!  The first was a man by the name of George Poage and most of us don't even know what he did.  Generation Y and Z most likely can't even recall Carl Lewis, Michael Johnson, Flo Jo, or Jackie Joyner (Other great and record holding African - American Olympic athletes).

Golf...Tiger Woods...yes?  First...no...The first was Bill Spiller in 1948, the first to win a PGA tour event was Pete Brown at the Waco open in 1964.  The achievement is much larger than the color.  The achievement proves that the nation has grown past a "dead mentality" or old prejudice in some regard.  This is the blessing.  There will be many more African American presidents, Latino American presidents, Female Presidents, and every other race to come out of these generations.  We must protect them and respect them enough to give them the God of Scripture and not disrespect their intelligence by offering only an experience and not the engagement!  Let's reaffirm our commitment to the Lord Jesus and show the evidence that people are seeking.  Let's commit to our relationships with others.  Let's commit to cover, respect, and love our neighbors as ourselves.  Let's guard our families, and love our enemies.  

Let's make 2009 the year of COMMITMENT!  

Speak that over yourself this year  "Lord I commit myself to You and I believe that You will honor Your commitment to me.  I engage Your presence, not just encounter it.  I give You my heart, mind, body and soul.  Help me keep my commitment to You.  In Jesus' name amen".

7 days until christmas

7 days til Ole Saint Nick and a brother has bought NOTHING YET!

I know, I know....it's trifling.  I am going to start Friday morning.  I know it's gonna be crazy out there, but my kids are really young and they don't have expensive palates just yet.

Last Wednesday it was snowing....In HOUSTON.  Two inches of beautiful soft powder graced the flat and moist terrain.  As the residents of my new neighborhood all emerged from their homes to enjoy the rare yet welcomed anomaly, each looked to the Texas sky.  The song was adjusted even if for a moment..."The flakes at night are big and bright (clap clap clap clap) deep in the heart of Texas" and oh how big and bright.  My children actually made snow angels.  We caught snow in our mouths.  We threw snow...excuse me ice balls!  It was that moist, heavy, packable snow.  The kind you hope for when you have a "sitting duck" target that you seriously owe a payback!

Anyway....it was SO COOL.  I was missing my hometown in Ohio and the winter feel.  It was nearly 70 degrees a few days after but that evening was magical.  

I hope all the good stuff isn't gone by the time I get to the store.  Pray my strength!