***UPDATE***
Thanks to all that voted. And congratulations to all the winners;

• POPULAR CATEGORY WINNER: “BROKEN ANGEL” by JIM GOLDEN
• CONTESTANT’S CHOICE WINNER: “DESTINY” by J.J. “THE GATOR” FALKANGER
• SONIC REALITY’S CHOICE WINNER: “REMEMBER SUMMER” by BILL & JOY YOUNG

Read the winners interviews.

***UPDATE 2 (5/1/2007)***

Jim Golden won the Popularity Contest with his song Broken Angel. He told Sonoma to give part of his winnings to someone else. And that someone else happened to be me. I wish to congratulate Jim on his winning and thank him for his generosity. I also thank Michelle Wright from Sonoma that picked me and my song to receive the prizes.

Here is the email that I received from her;

Hey bluesyDude,

Jim Golden won the RRVII popular vote and he would like for me to give some of his prizes to someone I think is “deserving”

Your song had the 4th most popular vote after Jim’s, GatorJJ’s and WedgeBill’s (who already won these prizes). And you got 2 out of the 26 votes we received for Contestant’s Choice vote. Plus I really like your song!

You get these prizes from Jim:

• Disc Makers coupon for $200 off CD replication services (not valid for any other product; expires in one year), and a package of 100 blank CD-Rs – their best, Ultra 16x inkjet printable discs (worth $242).

• CDBaby.com set up worth $35. CD Baby can get your music selling worldwide on cdbaby.com, Apple iTunes, Tower Records, Yahoo Music, Best Buy, Rhapsody, Napster, MSN Music and more (worth $35).

• Recording Magazine one year subscription for US resident winners only. International winners will receive 3 months of recent back- issues (worth $19.95).

What address shall I have your prizes sent to?

Congrats!

Thanks, Michelle

I wish for a Line 6 Variax 700 guitar.

The gold one.

God owns everything and provides for me and entrusts me with all that he provides. God expects me to give back 10 percent (the tithe) and above that I should use other things he gives me to further His kingdom on earth; my house, my car, my talents.

I take the money I get and put it in the bank where I entrust them to keep that money safe for me until I decide to use it and then they pay the people with that money to whom I write checks.

So what if the bank ( the stewards of my money) decided they wanted to use my money for something they thought was a better cause or just for their own selfish interest? Would I be hurt, upset, angry, incensed and take my business elsewhere? Or, would I be gracious and forgiving and entrust the bank more of my money?

I just ask.

A special thanks to Michelle and the entire crew at Sonoma for putting on such a cool event.

Cheers to all of you.

Meaning “On Fire” in Spanish, this one-day event is a rally at which students from every denomination and background come together for the purpose of worship and seeing Jesus Christ change lives. Each consecutive year the praise and worship has been spectacular and a clear Gospel message has been presented. An outdoor event, the rally has a very intense, yet intimate, camp-like feel and some have referred to it as “the Christian Woodstock of your generation.”

It is a free event. Check the website for more information and be sure to check the FAQ.

If you can’t attend, say a prayer that God will use this event to reach the lost and embolden believers.

A dear precious friend of mine, we will call her Karon, was recently diagnosed with cancer for the third time. I can’t stand the thought of it. As I was speaking with her Sunday morning at church, I was so saddened, that I got choked up to the point of tears in my eyes and I could no longer talk. She very calmly comforted and assured me, with the Love of Christ, that everything would be alright. She opened her Bible and ministered to me. It was the Voice of Truth speaking through her. She is an amazing woman of God. And I want her and her sweet family to know, that many are praying for them and that I love them. God has given me life more abundantly by allowing me know you and serve Him along side you.

God bless you.

Here are some contemporary examples of worship. Click on each link for the story. After reading this, I ask myself is having a “praise band” really that bad? We could embrace many other forms of contemporary worship. I did not write this to bash any particular denomination. I didn’t even have to search for these, they were just kinda in my face.

Presbyterians OK leeway for gays, lesbians

Churches that Embrace Homosexuality Deny Scripture

Episcopal Church is in turmoil over gay rights This is the transcript from a Larry King Live show that aired on CNN June 15, 2006 – 21:00 ET. Excerpt from the transcript; “We have a major panel to discuss this. In Columbus is Bishop Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church. Here in Los Angeles, Reverend Jo Hudson. Joe is pastor of the Cathedral of Hope in Dallas, Texas, one of the Texas’s largest predominantly gay churches in the United States. She’s an ordained member in the United Church of Christ in Washington is Andrew Sullivan, “Time” magazine columnist, openly gay Catholic. His blog site by the way is andrewsullivan.com. In Columbus, Ohio is Reverend Canon David Anderson, president and CEO of the Anglican American Council who opposes gay clergy in the church, in Los Angeles, Father Michael Manning, Roman Catholic priest, host of the Word and the World, and in Roanoke, Virginia, Reverend Al Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.”

Election of Episcopal Presiding Bishop Could Split Anglicans

Open Letter to Benedict XVI from a Gay Priest

And it is not all about gay issues. Check this article out about “gender-inclusive language for the Trinity“.

I can hear it now, “I baptize you in the name of the Fire that Consumes, the Sword that Divides and the Storm that Melts Mountains”

God help us!

One reason I can watch an attack on Pearl Harbor is it happened before I was born. So I am not sure how real it is to me. I have been to Pearl Harbor and I have seen the indentations still in the buildings at Hickam Air Force Base from the being shot up by Japanese pilots. I experienced all of that in about a 4 hour period and then it was over. Another reason is the attack was directed at the U.S. military.

But, I was totally immersed in the WTC and Pentagon coverage non-stop for longer than I care to remember. Also, the attack on 9/11 was directed at innocent civilians, some U.S. citizens some not. It still doesn’t make any sense to me.

If you see the movie, let me know about it. I’m really not interested in how good the fx are, just the substance of the movie itself. How did you feel after the viewing?

If you make an intentional decision not to see it, let me know why.

God didn’t give man a $500,000 house, two SUV’s, a 52″ Plasma Screen HDTV and a recliner. God gives us people! God gave man another person, a woman. God gives us people in many different forms – parents, spouse, children, siblings, friends, bosses, co-workers, doctors, neighbors, pastors and even people we don’t know at all. God gives us people!

I get caught up in the consumer based mentality that permeates our society. I can’t deny it. You know it is easier to throw away that broken (fill in the blank) than it is to take the effort to fix it. Does this attitude flow over to our personal relationships? People are worth fixing. Lately God has been opening my eyes more to the needs of others and less on my needs. Maybe it is just me, but it seems like there is always something going in my life that demands my time and pulls me away from others.

It is time for some “life spring cleaning”. I must get rid of some of the mental clutter and focus on the people that God gives me.

I have to let you in on this. As I am writing this, I get an email from my niece entitled, “People come into your life for a reason.” If that isn’t God working in my life, I don’t know what is. Thank you Rhonda, for letting God use you. Thank you God, for using Rhonda.

What do you think?