DOUBT: The Faith Fuel

I can't begin to tell you how often I've battled with doubt.  It's a constant struggle for me and sometimes I think it's going to drive me completely bonkers!  All around me I'm hearing "just have faith", or "trust in the Lord your God", which is all sound advice.  But is it advice that's really thought through?  Or is it an easy "cop-out" answer for Christian leaders who want to simply hand out the candy instead of the floss?
Here's how I see it...
Doubt can be negative, but it can also be fuel.  Doubt is gasoline poured on your fire and can actually crank up the heat of your faith!  Did you know doubt can actually be a sign of devotion?! WHAT!?  I know!!!  Now let me be clear here and say that doubt without action leads to nothing, but doubt that fuels action can lead to much deeper levels of faith and understanding.

I dug in to an awesome article on this this morning, brought to you by Relevant Magazine. You should check it out and tell me what you think!

Via Relevant:

Thomas has received a lot of criticism for this throughout history, and his nickname stuck: Doubting Thomas. But can we really blame him?
Thomas may have assumed that the disciples were hallucinating, or they may have seen a ghost, or just someone who looked like Jesus. If they hallucinated or saw a ghost, it would mean that Jesus had not truly, physically risen, so Thomas demanded not only to see Jesus with his eyes, but to touch Jesus’ wounds with his hands...

Read more...

It's an Acapella Morning

If I don't start my mornings in a specific way my entire day can be thrown off.  I am one of those strange freaks of nature that actually really likes getting up in the morning.  The morning is quiet.  It gives me the chance to breathe and jump start my brain.  But more than that, it's a chance to start my heart.

I start every morning either reading God's word, or simply sitting back and soaking to some worship music.  There are times when I just need a few moments to sit and enjoy his presence.  This morning was one of those, and I decided to tune in to one of my favorite YouTube-er's, Sam Robson.  The guy is an acapella BEAST.

Here is the song that I've literally had on repeat for like the past 45 minutes.  It's been a total drink of water for me today and I hope it will be for you as well!





Whats your routine?  How do you get the juices flowing?  Coffee or tea?

The Northwests Harmony Sweepstakes Champs: Straighter Road

Being a student of Jazz and voice, I am intensely in love with great vocal ensemble music.  I'm admittedly pretty picky when it comes to listening to ensembles.  There are some truly great acapella groups out there right now, and I guess it's pretty cool that they can imitate exactly what today's top 40 pop and dance songs are doing.  But I don't really want to listen to a vocal copy of those songs.  My pallet craves new flavors of those tunes.  The Sing Off is a fantastic show that has showcased some great examples of vocal ensembles taking those songs and actually doing something creative with them.

Ok, all I'm really trying to say is that I know a good vocal group when I hear one.  So, right now, before you do anything else, you NEED to stop EVERYTHING and go listen to Straighter Road.  These guys are this years Harmony Sweepstakes Acapella Festival winners and will be traveling to San Fransisco in May to compete in the national competition.  Straighter Road, has a genuine, buttery sound that's infused with a passion to worship God.  Their songs and arrangements are truly creative and have never failed to make me stop and listen.

I'm honored, and elated, to let you all know that my mom sings in this group!  She's been one of, if not the biggest, influences in my life.  She's introduced me to countless styles of music and always encouraged me to pursue my dreams.  I am SO proud of you madre!

The groups founder, Kevin Kunz, also happens to be a good friend of mine and produced my single, What You Do To My Heart.  The guy's ability to write, arrange, and produce is just ridiculous!  Beyond his skill as a musician Kevin is a man that carries himself with humility and a heart that's hungry for the things of God.  He's said from the beginning that Straighter Road is for God, bent on praising Him, and loving people through the gifts they've all been given.

 

Via the Harmony Sweepstakes Website: Singing is one of the purest art forms. Nothing man made between the artist and the audience. Straighter Road was formed as a Gospel vocal group first, with a band back-up, and recently has ventured down the Acapella Road. The challenge of acapella sing is without edges and joined with the charge of spreading the Good News of the Gospel, keeps Straighter Road striving for excellence.

Beyond the Christian Side: Worship Isn’t Just Music

I once read a comment, I think it was on Youtube, of someone scolding Brooke Frasier for leaving behind her Christian roots as an artist.  For those of you who dont know of Brooke Frasier you are seriously missing out.  As far as my knowledge serves me, she got her start as one of the worship leaders connected with Hillsong.  She eventually branched out and recorded some truly fantastic solo stuff, stepping in to the secular music industry for her more recent releases.  How is writing and recording secular music "stepping away from her Christian roots"?

Worship is so much more than just music.  It's more than "church music".  To be totally honest with you, I find most Christian music to be a complete and total snooze fest so when I find great music outside the realm of the "Christian" genre, I latch on to it very quickly.  But does writing and performing secular music mean your stepping outside of Gods annointing on your life?  I actually think it means the opposite.

Who was it that Jesus spent time with?  Did he only connect with the "church folk"?  I'll just let that question stew and leave you with this...

As a follower and lover of Jesus, wouldn't it be selfish to box in the creativity God designed in you?

Here is a fantastic article from Relevant Magazine surrounding worship leader, and songwriter, Misty Edwards.

Misty Edwards knows how to write a worship song. She has written a decade’s worth of them in her role as a worship leader at the International House of Prayer. But with seven traditional worship albums behind her, Edwards is exploring a different side with her new release, Little Bird.

Read more...

 

 

  

The Daily Tune: Kurt Carr - Worship Medley

The human voice is a truly amazing thing.  When it's blended together with tight vocal harmony and paired with songs written by the great Kurt Carr it becomes something entirely different and special.

Sam Robson has become one of my all time favorite Youtube artists.  This is a man who has taken his talent and sharpened it into a true skill.  This guy is a true gem!  Your ears will NOT be left wanting.

Breath You In

Sometimes the best ideas for a song come from just singing, worshiping God, letting whatever comes out come out.  I'm not saying that this song is the ultimate achievement of my life, but it is intimate and genuine, and I happen to like some of the lyrics.  It's good when you like your own lyrics.
I will likely do some refining, but the songs message will stay the same.  God's presence is substance.  It's tangible.  Something to bask in, or breath in.  And the best part is that He wants to be near us just as we want to be near Him.
The chorus of this song simply says "Oh".  I believe that we sometimes just don't have words to express all that's on our hearts.  I didn't in that moment so I just let my heart groan.

With all of that said, I hope you are refreshed by "Breath You In".

I Want to Worship With YOU!

So here’s the deal kids.

I want to connect with you and your church because experiencing worship, sharing that with Gods people is amazing!  This is what I truly love to do and I’d love the chance to come worship with you and your church.

So I’m asking for YOUR help!  If you’d like to see me come worship with you at your church I need you to help share my music with your church family!  Spread it around!

I wholeheartedly believe that Worship is truly meant to be experienced.  It was never designed to be 3 fast songs, and 1 or 2 slow songs.  It was never designed to be just a once a week, 25 minute occurrence.  It was designed to be a daily action.  I know that daily actions can get tiring sometimes, so let’s come together to recharge and refresh!

You can reach me for more information and booking details at: ztrandum@gmail.com

I genuinely love and appreciate each and every one of you and hope to see you soon!

Always For Me

A budget can sometimes make you feel limited with what capabilities you have, like recording, but don't let that stop your creativity!  God built the desire to create and craft inside you so use what you have now and watch as God expands it from there!
I recorded this song on my bed, in my room, with a wiener dog barking in the background (debuted at the end of the track). My hope is that you still enjoy the tune even with its flaws.  This one will be re-released in the future so stay tuned!

On this great morn!  As the son surely rises! I make a declaration!!!  
THIS COFFEE HAS NEVER TASTED SO GLORIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ok seriously now, I just love coffee and felt the need to vent that 155 degree passion on to you.  But I wouldn’t do that if it was like a Mcdonalds cup of coffee.  That stuff is like radioactive acid brewed in satans french press.  Anyone who has ever spilled even a drop on your tan slacks knows that any region it touches is forever void of hair and nerves.  I theorize that my future kids may have been burnt by that stuff.
“Zach, why the heck would you start out your next post in such an obscure and odd manner?”
Well old chap, I have a bit of encouragement and plea for those in leadership (I’ll explain more about what I mean by “leadership” a little later in the post).
Now before I get deep in to this, I’m seriously preaching to myself here as well, so I’m not picking on you, I’m picking on myself…And you.  But just a little (unless you just spilled your Mcdonalds coffee on your crotch this morning.  Then irony commands that I giggle a bit).
We were created to be in relationship first, with God, and second, with each other!  We are meant to, as brothers and sisters in Christ, lift each other up, and then as individuals move “out” of our Christian bubbles to build relationships with people who need Jesus.  Heres where some of you may raise an eyebrow.  I don’t think we should start hanging out with someone or meeting with someone with the purpose of “converting them”.  The conversion is a heart change that only God can accomplish, so our role is to simply love on people!  SIMPLY LOOOOOOOOVE!!!!
Gay, lesbian, bi, drug addict, porn addict, angry, enraged, broken married people, whole married people, same sex married people, people who hate you because you are a Christian Etc.
WE ARE NOT CALLED TO JUDGE!!!  
As I’m typing this I really feel like a broken record because that statement has been said so many times by so many people.  But I’ll say it again, hoping that this VERY simple concept breaks through to some hearts.  When we leave out the judginess, everything simplifies!!!  WHAT A STINKIN CONCEPT!!!  SIMPLICITY!!!
SO!  As a leader in the kingdom (and that means if you have Jesus, you are destined to lead in some way)… JUST LOVE.
Talk with people, get to know them, support them, build relationships and just LOVE!  Let God work on their hearts through your willingness to simply love them!  

Carpooling is an awesome thing, especially when you are a one car family. One person drives, and the other helps out with gas, both are generally pretty happy. I love this concept because it gives me time to talk one on one with some of my favorite people! But it also gets me to work pretty early because I start 30 minutes after my carpool buddy. Since we try to get there about 10-15 minutes before he starts, that puts me at about 45 minutes before my shift. What a great chance to dig in to some podcasts!!! So I French press some coffee (cuz that’s how it should be done…Seattle has ruined me), and slap on the headphones.

This morning I started digging in to an amazing podcast about preparing for breakthrough. Without going in to all the details, it basically covers the different phases we need to go through as we begin fasting for breakthrough. I think there are WAY too many of us who start a fast and end up skipping meals without actively pursuing the breakthrough we need, so we miss out on what God truly has for us during those times. Well I tell you what, I’m not ok with simply being hungry. I want to see my breakthrough!!! Just the little bit I got through this morning has started messin’ me up! So here are a few little bits for you to soak in…

The first phase of breakthrough preparation is to hear (check out 2 Cor 5). We need to get ourselves to a place where we can hear the voice of the Lord, and then ask these types of questions.

What is it I’m breaking through to?

What is it I’m trying to break through from?

What do you want to see manifested on the other side of the breakthrough?

If we don’t know what we don’t know what breakthrough we are moving towards, we will miss it!

The second phase is to perceive (check out John Esther 4:1). We need to understand that there are things that we cannot co-exist with on the other side of breakthrough. So those things need to be ripped off of us! We need to perceive those things in advance!

Well, since I have not been through the remainder of the podcast, we will stop there for now. But there will be more to come! If you would like to check out some more amazing podcasts from the amazing leadership at Overcomer Covenant Church, please head on over to Overcomercc.org!

God, you spoke the word "acceleration" to me not too long ago.  for a while I took my time, expecting acceleration to be something that I could simply float in to... I believe I was wrong so right now I step in to the acceleration you have spoken over me.  I receive what you have spoken over my life!!!

Well kids,
I'm kinda just ready to sprint!  All out, pedal to the metal, foot to the floor, 0 to 60, and get stuff done!!!  I dont want to miss what god has for me!!!  I've stayed so active in my daily life that I think I've let some things fall by the wayside, even those things that I've dreamt about for so long. 

One of those being my health.  I dont have any health issues right now, but I could down the road if changes arent made.  So the wife and I joined a gym and are working hard to get in shape and change our life habits. 
I've also committed my Saturdays for the most part, to my craft, songwriting. 
Most of the time Sarah works in the morning, so I can take that time to dig in and get my creativity flowing as well as finish other musical projects that have yet to get done.
There are some amazing things I have started and have yet to finish, but when we finally get through them they are sure to effect the lives of people around the world!  At least thats the goal.

So keep an eye and an ear open as some new tunes, and eventually an entirely new album is thrown your way!!!  I am planing to release what I am lovingly dubbing "Worship In Low-Fi", sometime in the next few weeks.  this is a simple, home grown project that i have been tinkering with here and there.  it will contain some new and original worship songs for you to simply kick back and enjoy.  I've tried to gear some of them toward the "church friendly" side of things in case anyone felt lead to use the material.

Anyway,
I'm going to go do something productive now.  Yall come back now... Cuz if you dont, I will haz a sad.

Thoughts today

Lord, Of all the places for you to wreck me, you do it at work… I am so amazed by You! I am STILL caught off guard by the peace and refreshing you bring by simply being in the room! And then when you reach out and begin touching each person… Oh man, I cant get enough! Lord pour out on this team!!!! There have been several people attacked in different ways and I know that this is not your desire for us! Pour out Your strength and completely cover our weakness!!! Pour out your peace and cover our anxiety, Pour out your clarity to bring vision to jumbled thoughts.

I feel like today was a marker of some kind. I’m not sure how yet, but there was a flag placed in the ground here, an altar built to remember this moment. Father what ever wall just fell, thank you so much. Even though I fancy myself a wordsmith of sorts, I still cant truly find the words to express to you how much I love you.