For those of you who didn’t know I am one half of a Christian experimental electronica project called “Digital Prayers” We’ve recently started doing shows and we have just been in the studio recording our newest track titled “New Church” This track is a prophetic call to the church as a whole to be more sensitive to the flow of the Holy Spirit within the church. I could go into more detail but the lyrics really do speak for themselves.

UPDATE ::: After some feedback we have made some adjustments to the track to smooth out a few things .. this is now version 2.. enjoy.

On Monday a loyal and trusted friend passed away after years of on and off health complications. I had only just chatted with him a few weeks back and he was telling me how he wasn’t doing so well and that the doctors couldn’t figure out what was going on this time. I tried to reassure him and told him he would be ok because I had seen him pull through health issues like this in the past. So I never thought for a second this would be the last time I would ever get to talk to him.

I’m glad I spent that afternoon with you last year when I was back in Canada. We always could hang out after years apart and it would be like we never missed a day. You still never let me live down that “little green men” episode in your basement so many years ago. You even brought it up in our last chat. Your passing made me take stock of whats important. With all the stressing I’ve been doing lately .. with all the “stuff” going on in my life right now I’d really started to lose sight of that simple art of hanging out with good friends.

I’m sitting here in a cafe reading the goodbye messages on your facebook page .. not at all surprised at the amount of people that love you and will miss you dearly. Your passing has taught me an invaluable lesson .. I’m no longer going to let life’s stuff or distance get in the way of what really matters.. friends. We had some awesome times back in the Parkwood youth group days and even beyond.

I remember when I used to work the night shift in security and we would talk all night on the phone. Sometimes about serious things and sometimes just to keep each other company. We were just teenagers when we met. You were skinny little kid with purple fingertips and purple lips because you hadn’t had your first heart transplant yet. What I loved about you straight away was that you never let your health issues get in the way of a good time. You were always cracking jokes .. sometimes even at your own expense. You made everyone smile.

Your funeral was only a few hours ago and for the most selfish of reasons I did not come. I know that I could not have handled being there. I just still cannot believe your gone bro .. I’m not ashamed to say I’ve shed many tears over your passing and I will likely shed even more. I know in the end you got yourself right with God and knowing that your up there with Him now only makes it a little bit easier. Of course I’d still rather you we’re down here with us. I will never forget you Scott .. I love you bro!

My prayers are with Craig and the rest of Scott’s family .. may God extend his grace to all of you.

You can share your memories of Scott on his facebook memorial page found here ..

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Friends-of-Scott-Janisse-Memorial/186897778056891?sk=wall

If you want to keep up to date with whats happening regarding the floods in Brisbane the following websites are great sources of news updates and further video footage.

http://www.couriermail.com.au

http://www.news.com.au

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au

Here are a few pics I took as well ..

“Discrimination is a hellhound that gnaws at Negroes in every waking moment of their lives to remind them that the lie of their inferiority is accepted as truth in the society dominating them.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

I’ve lost a few people in my life and I’ve seen a lot of death working in hospitals when I was younger. When I walked into that hospital room and realized that my dad was gone my life suddenly changed.

What I can tell you is that life is short .. to short to waste. If your passionate about something, go for it.

Which leads me to the new experimental electronica band I’m in called Digital Prayers. When I was asked into this project in Febuary I had no idea what I was getting into. Fast forward a few months and we are now writing and recording new tracks on a weekly basis and the writing process in this project is like nothing I have ever experienced before. I wont get into to much detail now but be sure to check out our official blog at dgtlprayers.com as I will be posting a blog about my experiences in the writing process so far. To make a long story short, being involved in Digital Prayers is what has kept me sain since my dads death. All I can say is God is awesome!

The more I begin to understand who I am in Christ, the more I find myself doing things and saying things that I would have never imagined. Now, I’ve always been the kind of Christian who would rather be a casual witness then one who preaches on the street corner. My mission field of choice is the local espresso bar and to those of you know me that comes as no surprise all. Talking is a natural gift of mine.. my wife says I love the sound of my own voice .. I don’t know .. maybe I do or maybe its just the evangelist in me. Either way my gift of the gab seems to pay off when it comes to chatting to complete strangers about God. My point to all of this is that when you begin to understand who you are in Christ your faith begins to grow and your confidence grows alongside it. God gave his Authority to Jesus and since Jesus is in us we are also given that authority. But for the skeptics here’s a few key verses ..

Matthew 11:27 “My Father has given me authority over everything. No one really knows the Son except the Father, and no one really knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

Psalm 8:6 “You put us in charge of everything you made, giving us authority over all things”

Zechariah 10:12 “I will make my people strong in my power, and they will go wherever they wish by my authority. I, the LORD, have spoken!”

Colossians 2:10 “and you are complete through your union with Christ. He is the Lord over every ruler and authority in the universe.”

.. And here’s my favorite ..

Revelation 2:26 “”To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, I will give authority over all the nations.

With any position of authority comes great responsibility. The Authority we have as Christians in the name of Jesus is not to be taken lightly. If I try to claim authority over a place or situation that is outside of the will of God things are going to go wrong. 2 Corinthians 10:13 is pretty clear on this .. “But we will not boast of authority we do not have. Our goal is to stay within the boundaries of God’s plan for us, and this plan includes our working there with you.” In other words you can’t go out to the clubs and have a few beers and expect to be covered under the Authority of God. His hand of protection may be on you but unless God has clearly spoken to you then its highly likely God doesn’t want you hanging out in clubs drinking. When we step outside of the will of God we open ourselves up to a wide variety of drama in our lives. As for me I’m all about having as little drama in my life as possible and I think overall a little bit of common sense applies here as well. In other words if you go to a club and get punched in the face don’t go blaming God for it, there’s a good chance he didn’t want you there in the first place.

To unlock the freedom found in understanding who we are in Christ Jesus is what leads us to the understanding of true freedom. Freedom is irrelevant if it is found in temporary situations. The only true freedom is the eternal freedom that can only be found in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, Everything else is temporary. The banks, the automotive industry, the oil industry, the economic recession. It is all a pathetic spec of nothingness in comparison to the grace of my God. My whole life God has been teaching me a never ending lesson on trust. And so far what I’ve learned is that the more I trust in Him, the more I put my faith in Him, the more I understand the Authority I have in Christ. Ten years ago I knelt on the floor of my bedroom in total despair and confusion. I got on my knees with the determination that I was not going to get up until I was healed of the pain I was going through. I was healed that night and after I got up I made a deal with God to always put my trust in Him. That next morning a phone call changed my life and since then I’ve been to places I never would’ve imagined, and I am without a doubt a very blessed man, and its all because I trusted in the Authority of the name of Jesus.

So you basically have two options. You can go about doing things your way and trusting in your own ideas, or you can take a risk, let go and let God. Put your trust completely and utterly in Him and everything else .. and I do mean everything else will work out. Maybe not the way you thought it would, but I can tell you from experience that Gods way is the best way.

I don’t know what disturbs me more, the state of the world or the state of Christian music. Why do we have to water down the message of Christ? Why do we have to water down the songs we write so that we don’t pigeon hole ourselves as “Christian artists” If you’re reading this and thinking that this is all starting to sound like a rant well you’d probably be correct. If you don’t want to be challenged spiritually then this is right about the time where you can go and update your facebook status because I am about to get brutally honest about an issue that’s been on my heart for a few years now. This issue resurfaced for me a few weeks ago when I decided to start putting pen to paper for a long overdue solo hip hop project I’ve been talking about doing for ages. More and more I find myself only listening to music that really challenges me in my faith walk. I’ve simply had enough of watered down Christianity.

Two years ago I was in my local Christian music store searching for something new and fresh and I found the cd of a new rapper from Tennessee named Lecrae. I listened to the cd in the store and was blown away by the boldness of his lyrics. I was blown away by his passion for Jesus and even more by the fact that he made sure his music was all about Jesus and not about him. When I got home I jumped online and checked out his label and to my amazement I found even more rappers that were just as good and just as bold for Christ. I discovered the “116 movement”. It’s based on the scripture Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.” What an awesome example to set for a generation of youth that are being torn in so many different directions. There’s never been a better time than now to bring a clear and concise message of hope, a hope that can only be found in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. That really is the bottom line here, so why is it that we can represent Jesus at Church on Sunday but when we hit the stage the next night were more concerned about selling records then speaking the truth and speaking it clearly. We are too concerned that we might offend someone with the message of Christ. Have we become so politically correct that we’ve forgotten who our God is? Have we forgotten His promise that if we stay focused on Him everything else we be taken care of?

I’ve seen the “what is Christian music” argument battled out on Christian forums for years and for me there is no excuse for luke warm Christianity. If you’re a believer and Gods given you musical gifts I believe you should be using those gifts to glorify God. Right now there are more than a few Christian bands on the secular scene that have thousands of fans that aren’t even aware that the band members are Christians. They spout watered down “positive” lyrics so they can “appeal to a wider audience” And then the bands that are speaking the bold truth get trashed by fellow believers for playing at secular venues? Would you prefer they only present the gospel in church? That doesn’t even make sense! Newsflash! The unsaved don’t go to church.

I hate ranting all the way through a blog without offering a solution. So if your into hip hop and you want to be seriously challenged in your faith then check out a few of these artist links.

Lecrae: Http://myspace.com/lecrae

Trip Lee: http://www.myspace.com/triplee116
The Ambassador: http://www.myspace.com/ambassador215

Shobaraka: http://www.myspace.com/shobaraka

Flame: http://www.myspace.com/flame314

Step bold or don’t step at all.

Peter Graham.