THE DUMBING DOWN of SOCIETY

America has been dumbing down for at least a decade now.

According to the December issue of "Philadelphia" Magazine, technology has made kids dumber and not smarter. The same goes for adults. I noticed this zombi-ization as a featured Starbucks performer back in 1994. Children skipped happily into the cafe while their parents strode in with glazed stares.

Now musicians can't take it personally that they aren't responded to as parents and students are busy checking their emails or studying for tests. But I've noticed that even during stirring or provocative banter between songs, many would not even lift up their heads to listen.

Responding to a thread on my favorite Christian musician forum, I thought about the great changes taking place spiritually, socially and artistically here in America. Our CEO, Keith Mohr remarked to my statement on the thread. He said, "The dumbing down of society has been happening for years"

How true and how sad to reckon the indifference towards such Renaissance visionaries work, such as Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. How has today;s technology influenced the way we create and produce art?

Renaissance visionary's works profoundly affected Europe. So too, today are we powerfully impacted by the speed and accessibility of technology via digitized books, music and art.

I see a dramatic difference between the works and influence of the Renaissance period and the works of today's artists. As a college student in the nineties, I remember having taking watercolor and graphic design classes. Then, it was up to us, to use our brains, coordinating and transferring our ideas onto a pallet or sketch pad. I remember the joy and satisfaction of watching liquid colors flow and ebb from my paintbrush onto a rough paper surface. The skill was in the hands and fingers.

Today, creating a visual representation of a new work is now digitally instant.

The savoring and soul-stirring-ness, ( visual, sensorary and aural stimuli) of art, music and literature started its demise in the late nineties. I don't see this trend being resurrected anytime soon. The mainstream have lost interest in going to a museums, traveling to Italy or Paris to see the truly great art of yesteryear. How many young people today are awe- stricken gazing upon a Michelangelo work?

It still takes my breath away to study and scrutinize all the intricate nuances of the great jazz artists, painters, conductors, photographers, like the late Ansel Adams. Old or old school. It doesn't matter, we have lost something very priceless & precious in exchange for microwave.

There's no comparison, creating and eating a scratch-made quiche made from organic and freshly chopped veggies, eggs, cheese & spices) with a frozen, processed one filled with chemicals and artificial flavors. Can anyone tell the difference anymore? And people wonder why they get cancer and are brain-dead!

The public has bought a cheap and nasty lie, false food, fast/free music & clothes that fall apart after one wash. Fine art, music and even chivalry has been lost and forgotten. The mainstream mindset has collapsed into a collapsible culture of zombies who walk around with glazed stares! Just walk into any Starbucks.

But there are still us dinosaurs roaming alertly and passionately about and we will not keep silent. I for one still design hand-made greeting cards however limited my time. I still design exquisite vintage stage wear for my performing gigs, (carefully choosing fabrics, trimmings and patterns for a one of a kind look) and I still cook from scratch.

Oh, the glory of old-fashioned creation...the slow, thoughtful and precise way. Long live watercolor painting and hand calligraphy!

WORKING the WORD

Journal Entry, Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 2010

I have been given a great gift and so acknowledge it this precious Thanksgiving Day!,

I relish the joy of last night’s Thanksgiving concert performance at my church. I shared the stage with our worship team and my two best friends, lead guitarist Chris Durante and drummer Phil Long. Friends and family came out to experience. Three weeks of hard work culminated to this special night. Weeks before, monkey wrenches threatened to interfere with the forward momentum, but God enabled me to get Phil’s commitment for the concert.

An hour and a half before the concert, everyone was in their place rehearsing with Phil during the sound check. As he’d promised, he was prepared and excited. God had heard and answered our prayers for a beautiful sounding concert presentation! I worked my faith all week Weeks before the concert, I was straddled with a myriad of concert-related tasks: PR work, do, printing and copying lyric sheets, burning CDs for the band members, designing flyers, programs brochures, making calls to the local newspaper and working out rehearsal times convenient for everyone. It took much focus and energy to groom and arrange the repertoire into a well-presented concert. The harried flow of my schedule was further punctuated by sudden crisis with two dear women fiends. I assessed the situations and prayed God’s intervention.

One of the women, Danae, (*name changed for privacy), a beautiful, singer, long-time friend and single mom has been surrendering to God. Over the years, I’ve been heartbroken and helpless on how to help her address her relentless health struggles, oppressive opposition, spousal abuse/neglect and financial crisis. Another precious woman friend was dealt a very bad hand and I wonder how these two have survived such overwhelming circumstances.

Looking back to my own life and seeing God’s gracious hand in all my crisis, I think about the endless succession of health battles, financial struggles, depression and marriage/relationship struggles. I was prone to acquiescing to defeat and thus spoke it out loud. I’m now emancipated from my prison because of the recent teachers on Christian television who teach on working the word and decreeing it out loud!

I’ve spent most of my Christian life ignorant of God’s power and the necessity of knowing and decreeing His word for warfare, victory and success. Many of God’s children daily decree death and lack through their own tongues unaware that the enemy uses their very words against them! Teacher Andrew Wommack speaks of working God’s word to claim healing, favor and provision. I’ve come to the conclusion that being a Child of God is hard work, dedication and boldness. How often in my Christen life, I’ve despaired of my circumstance, rather than give him praise that He has already given me the victory over my situation, spiritual discernment to make a wise doeskin and the boldness to bring success into existence! Doors of help, favor and provision are opening and He gives me supernatural knowledge or understanding about a matter or situation, because I asked appropriately. God doesn’t answer prayers laden with doubt, unforgiveness or fear. The Bible says to put on the mind of Christ and He has NOT given us a spirit of fear, (timidity) but of power and might and a sound mind! 2 Tim 1:7

Today, many of God’s people are angry and miserable that they are suffering greatly! 1 Pet 4:12 We must remember that Christianity is all about massive spiritual warfare. Our most deadly foe, Satan’s MO is to kill, steal and destroy and accusing us daily before our Heavenly Father. Will we faint under the demonic assaults or do we oppose with our spiritual armor, the Word of God? I most certainly am sick and tired of moaning and circling my same spiritual mountain a hundred times for most of my Christian life! Rest assured that I have gagged on my spoiled, bad fruits of uttering death decrees on my life.

“Oh....I can’t take it anymore. This poverty is killing me. I’m getting the flue, I’m so tired. I’m too old. I’ll be a spinster forever. I have cancer.”.The death decrees go on and on...But what does God’s word say I am?

I am the righteousness of Christ. My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches and glory. I am healed by Jesus stripes. I am the head and not the tail. I am the beloved of the Lord! There are hundreds of promises that we need to speak daily over our lives without doubting. He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek HIM with all their heart! Heb 11:6 We must understand the implication of diligence, faithfulness and trust. Abraham’s faith was rewarded by God after he waited many decades for his promised son! Do we have that kind of trust..to expect God’s promises even when the waiting seems like an eternity?

Are we willing to open our hearts, to forgive those who’ve wounded us, wait on His timing, (which, by the way...is never early, but always in His timetable) and be thankful in all things? Extreme suffering, hardship or even being born into misery does not negate God’s supreme power, ability or us fulfilling our destiny. In fact, some who have the most trial, challenges and suffering are so humbled by their circumstances that God is more able to use them as a magnificent vessel and testimony of His greatness. Now, that makes me feel so much better!

Joseph, St Paul, old testament prophets, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and especially Job are examples of “working” the word faithfully and consistently Modern examples of faith heroes are Nick Vujicic, (http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org) the armless, legless young evangelist and Joni Erickson-Tada, ( http://www.joniandfriends.org paraplegic who have both astounded the world with their amazing accomplishments, testimonies and witness for Christ!

God despises cowards and lazy people, (read your Bible and read about what happens to the doubting and fearful yourself) He tells Joshua to be not afraid and be a of a good courage. The fearful, doubting and unforgiving will not receive anything from the Lord. He is a unstable man in all his ways. James 1:8

The secret of victory and spiritual promotion is learning to saturate your mind with God’s word and promises, putting on the mind of Chris.... daily. This is called working the WORD. The reality of faith and excellence in Christ is that we have some hard work ahead. We can’t expect God to magically drop provision, favor, answered prayers like candy in a gum machine. Like a starving coyote waiting for the mother hen to bear her offspring so he can immediately devour the newborn chick, so is satan laying wait for our mouths to speak death so he can use our very words to snare us and keep us bound and defeated!

Work the word, daily, (and for some of us, hourly) hourly people. You shall reap if you faint not! Gal 6:9 Those who believe and trust God with all their hearts and address Him in faith by the words of their mouth will receive. It may take many failed attempts to see results from speaking His word over your situation, but if you are persistent...God will see that you mean business. He loves it when we address Him in faith using His very word! He is faithful!

Two choices. Survive in misery or live in hope. Work the WORD and it will work for you!!

5 YEAR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

My BORDER"S BOOKS concert, this Friday, October 30th, marked the five years married to my soul mate and best friend, Mark.

I look back to our first meeting at my Thanksgiving dinner at my Bradley Beach artists loft with a smile. Seeing him walk up the stairs with his best friend Claude, he was easy on my eyes. I later found him to be such a gentleman that he didn't even try to kiss me. We knew that God had created us for each other by the third month of courting, but waited for eleven months to go by before marrying.

Our marriage has been very unconventional, but we are bound spiritually. I would change nothing about my best friend and accept him unconditionally. Both of us have been severely abused, taken for granted and abandoned by our exes. Our love for God and each other is so surrendered that even though we both had parents who were harsh, highly critical and gave us little affirmation, God daily tempers our deeply-ingrained ugly attributes into what He wants us to be, nurturing, long-suffering and kind.

I can't imagine the difficulties Mark endures with his damaged spine, sleep-apnea, (walking up at 5 am), the breadwinners responsibility and to deal with the burden of my huge medical expenses of this Lyme-Dystonia condition. He is the most amazing, generous and hard-working man I have ever loved. This gift of hardship has drawn us together and we face the challenges together with great appreciation to God for each other. There is nothing that kills or maims a marriage faster than despising your spouses weakness. I accept Mark as he is, hot-tempered and critical and all and he accepts my forgetfullness, enigmatic and fragile femaleness, We take the good with the bad, but our trust in each others abilities outweighs our weakness.

Throughout our marriage, Mark has learned that when he despises my female fragilities, his prayers are hindered. Many husbands could learn a great deal about humility!

I want to share and celebrate my husband, Mark. I am truly blessed that God graced me with a godly man who is a fine human being, highly intelligent and logical husband and a good provider. The Lord is Good and His mercy endures forever!

THE HOLY OF HOLIES

Journal Entry October 4, 2010

Come into the Holy of Holies, enter by the Blood of the lamb. Oh the exquisite presence of God. There is nothing like being plunged into His depth. Jesus invited the Samaritan woman sitting at the well to drink of the sparkling, restoring and ever abundant water that is available to any who seek for it. How I’ve gone through life for so long with minimal amounts of this Holy Ghost drenching, is beyond me, but I believe that God is giving to me my request for depth.

. My pastor, spiritual mentor and friends, Sandra Gonzalez left an answering machine message a few months ago,

"Anita, enter into the Holy of Holies as often as possible.”

I accept this invitation to enter uncharted spiritual termites. God has not disappointed me and Paul, the apostle spoke about being rooted and grounded. In this rooting we discover the depth width and breadth of God’s love for us, so deep, in fact, that unless we tunnel like an oil drill, we cannot fathom the mysteries of God. Paul was transported out of his body and saw magnificent attributes of God that left Him speechless and without physical strength! They were so marvelous that he could barely remember them or describe them in great depth.

Yesterday, leading worship, I felt gears switching as Holy Spirit flowed sweetly. A geyser suddenly swept over the worshipers and I was also swept into prophetic worship mode. Over and over, I strummed the A maj7th to C maj 7th chords. God’s words flowed from my tongue, not following any progression. By the time an hour had passed, we were caught in rapture of our Abba Father’s sweet anointing. All I was an empty conduit for Holy Ghost to flow through. Pastor Sandra was so weak from the anointing as she closed the service and thanked me for allowing the Lord to flow through me.

Of course, I had nothing at all to do with His goodness and mercy. I just wanted Him to have free access and flow. Amazing that the enemy tried to stop me from leading worship at Pastor Sandra’s church, by disabling my car. But God cannot be stopped. He had His way as I caught a ride with another church family from Full Gospel.

The enemy still tried to impede God’s anointing by causing our equipment to have problems. When I arrived at the church, Mark was struggling with getting my guitar pedals to work. Feedback blasted from the speakers. Nonetheless, God’s living rivers cascaded over us, irrespective of the technical problems.

His presence intensified as we worshiped and we could feel His overwhelming love. I’m just scraping the surface of what God has for me as a prophetic worship leader. Joel prophesied that in the last days, God’s people would dream dreams and have visions. A fresh new outpouring of His spirit iscoming to drench us, but we won’t experience that flow until we plunge into Him!

In my dissatisfaction with surface praise, I ask Holy Spirit to draw me closer and to hunger for His presence. I find myself worshiping Him more and more often during the day. He obliges, to my joy and I receive greater revelations of what he has in store for me. My prayers are more powerful and my faith is more confident. I’m seeing God move in every area.

So this is what going deeper means! Why many Christians are not thirsty for this deep water is beyond me. We will see stunning manifestations of His glory and might when we take on an Elijah faith stance. We must ask him for a double portion of His anointing. Elijah prayed that it would not rain. And there was a famine in the for over three years. If all of God’s children sought to have authoritative prayers like Elijah, how we would push back the evil tide of Satan’s works on this planet.

Come quickly, Lord Jesus, amen!

THE CALLING

Journal Entry, April, 22, 2010

This past year, I ponder my path as a journalist, songwriter/modern prophet. I capture the painful nuances of not only my life, but those He put me in contact with. He gives me glimpses of His love through their lives and struggles. This is now my main work, portraying the meaning of suffering in such a way that it is not frightening or offensive. With God's new revelation, I no longer acquiesce to repercussions of hopelessness and despair of injustice, killings and prodigal children, but acknowledge these through filter of His grace and mercy. This is the miracle of suffering...His supernatural intervention and restoration!

My promotion as a songwriter/musician to spiritual God scientist parallels the work of the professor who scrutinizes the specimen on the microscopic slab, intent upon analyzing the constituents which make the virulent plague...sin. In spite of persistent studying confirms no cure...but God. The only cure is God for this kind of virulent and rampant strain

Religion, education Science and Psychology have all failed in their flimsy attempts to heal the inner man. Masters, Bishops, Popes and professors are deluded into believing that their tremulous studies and experiment can tame or arrest sin. Sin has the most infections and terrifying properties of even the most devastating strain ever known to mankind, tainting every soul alive from the beginning of time to the present...worse than the depicted in any science fiction movie!
Only with the continual immersing of the baptism can the disease be tamed by putting on the mind of Christ..
Just the other night, I mourned the slow rate of my recovery. Tears fell as I asked my Heavenly father why I had to endure such suffering for such a long period of time.

"Father, I know you love me, not because I feel your love, but because You've said so in your word and I walk by faith and not by sight." In coming to maturity, His children must learn to believe even without seeing or feeling. His love for me does not entail me waking up and feeling physical exuberance, vitality or feeling happy. For me it has been an arduous and elaborate gleaning of the carnal/intellectual versus the intricate glories of His workmanship, especially in suffering.

God created a perfect and pure world in the garden of Eden. That perfection was marred through Adam and Eve's sin traversing mankind through the flood onto the annihilation of sin and death through the atoning blood of JESUS Christ.

God continues to use vessels who choose to receive His instruction however, difficult, humiliating, and baffling to expound .His deeper truths. I marvel and ponder why , despite my many weaknesses, physical facilities and emotional handicapped He continues to graciously reveal His ways and will? Often, the bodily pain is so strong that I want Him to stop and carry me like Elijah into a chariot to the heavens. "It is enough, Lord," I cry out exhausted from sobbing and opposing.

My writings and songs have now evolved into deeper revelations. I wouldn't expect many to get them and I often wrestle with myself as whether I should waste the time and effort to share such knowledge with a generation so dull of hearing. Hours of editing and composing these spiritual gems usually end up with one or two people who receive and rejoice, I'm tired of delivering telephone books in the elements to secure finances to record songs that are just too deep for the mainstream. Just when I think I'm finished with music or writing, I am encouraged by the Holy Spirit. I forge forward and my Father blesses me with favor.

This is the way of the prophet Misunderstood, scorned and often ignored, but determined and obedient to capture His word and give it to a lost culture driven by secularism and materialism
Lord...throw the life rope. Someone's down there!".