Home

I think my new home is Waco, TX.

If home is where the heart is, my home is in Waco.

If home is where the mind is, my home is in Abilene.

If home is where the spirit is, my home is in Heaven.

I think it is very interesting to be back home and see old things.
I see things I used to like.
I see things I used to do.
I see things I used to write.
I see things I used to think.
I see things I used to dislike.
I see things I used to fear.
I see things I used to hope for.

But for me, I think that every one of those things has changed.

In high school, I was a very different person than I am now. I lived an unclean life, full of hidden sin. My inner hopes (you know, the ones you would never admit but that control you) were set on attention from girls. I was addicted to sexual sin. I lied about many things to cover up my sin. My mind was filled with lies from the evil one, such as "you will never be free of sin", "what you have done is too bad to tell anyone", "God needs you to get over your sin and conquer it before you can really confess it", and "You need a lot of personality characteristics to be liked or to be influential." My dreams were that I could marry a beautiful woman and have a really cool job at a really big church where I could be really cool, have a lot of cool stuff, be around a lot of cool people, and still "fulfill" my inner desire to live a life for Jesus.

Now, I am changed. Most of the last two years has been a PAINFUL process of relearning most of what I have learned. I have come to realize many things about my life. I have learned that it is okay to fail. That "sister" means sister. That freedom comes from Jesus, not from me. That people are to be loved and trusted. That I can confess the worst things I have ever done and thought and still be loved. That healing comes from vulnerability. That radical Christianity requires radical discipline. That I really wasn't living out half of what I thought I was. That I wasn't following Jesus, as much as my heart desired him and my mind knew him. That complete freedom is real and within reach. That God desires to be my friend. That I can suffer a lot and it isn't the end of the world. That my world is TINY and SHELTERED compared to reality.

It has been a hard process. I have had to walk some rough paths. Some dark and lonely paths. I have had to confess sin. I have had to face up to secrets that were discovered. I have had to cry out to Jesus to change me. I have had to repent. I have had to reconcile myself to close friends. I have had to turn away from things I wanted. I have had to say no to opportunities that were ideal.

I have failed even in the midst of change. Yet this year, for the first time, I am seeing the real fruits of discipline and surrender come to bear in my life. I have been walking in very consistent freedom from all sin this year. There have still been some absolute mess-ups, some bad ones! But I look at my life and I see a changed person! I am not the same as I was Junior year, Senior year, Freshman year, or even Sophomore year! All because of Jesus Christ, I am now living a life of righteousness!

Not to say that I won't fall again. I am sure that I will. I believe that God has bought 100% freedom for me, and I won't settle for less, but I realize that my fallen, ugly, deprave flesh is ever seeking to take over again.

I have realized one huge truth that has displaced more lies than I can count:

Jesus is EVERYTHING. I am NOTHING.

I have nothing to bring to the table. I have NOTHING to offer Him. All my good works are utter CRAP to Him. And more than anything, apart from the Spirit of God, I. WILL. FAIL. Every time. Without exception. The ONLY thing I have is the GRACE OF GOD sustaining every breath, every righteous choice, every MOMENT of my existence. And the second I try to do something on my own, I FAIL.

What a hallelujah! What a beauty! I cannot do anything, but I have a God living in me who is able and willing to do EVERYTHING!

I think one of the biggest flaws of my Christian life, one of the largest sources of pain and frustration in my life, is my stubborn desire to accomplish things myself. On my own strength. I am SO PRIDEFUL! How dare I try to accomplish ANYTHING apart from the Spirit of God! Who do I think I am! HE IS GOD! I AM MAN!

The more I realize that I am evil and Jesus is Holy, and that to live from myself is death but to live from Him inside me is life and peace, the more I love Him, cherish Him, and look like Him!

I went through a season this year where every morning I read psalm 16. One of the best parts of that chapter is the verse that says "Apart from You I have NO GOOD THING". I would meditate on this, say it to my spirit, hammer it into my stubborn heart, until I KNEW that it was true. I cannot afford to live a single day on my own strength!

Another reason this is beautiful, this grace of God, is that it means when I fail, I don't have to be ashamed or feel condemned. I am utterly appalled and deeply grieved by my failures, but it has a good side to it as well - it reminds me again that I am nothing to be proud of; neither my actions, nor my thoughts, nor my intentions. I don't have to be ashamed! I can fully realize my depravity, and fully embrace Jesus's total victory over it! If I fail, SO WHAT! Of COURSE Thomas Wilson failed! Thomas Wilson is a joke, is a sinner, is a failure. THOMAS WILSON IS DEAD!!!!!!!! But because of Jesus Christ living through me, I have been RAISED BACK TO LIFE through Him who overcame the grave, and I am able to BE - not just aspire to be, hope to be, dream to be, - BE, a MAN OF GOD! A man of INTEGRITY. A man of the TRUTH. A man of RIGHTEOUSNESS. A MAN OF HOLINESS!

And that's who I am.

I think that being home for me is hard because as I live at my old house, hang out with my old friends, see the old sights, hear the old sounds...I start to think my old thoughts. What a dangerous thing. However, I now know the secret to overcoming. It isn't something crazy spiritual or out-there. It is discipline. It is hard. It doesn't always feel right. But it is WORTH IT because IT leads to FREEDOM!

The only way I have been able to live a life of freedom here at home this summer is the fact that I have found a life-giving routine of meeting with Jesus face to face every day in the midst of my old life. It is transformational. I should know. I have become a completely different person. Sure since I accepted Christ, I was a new creation...but now I LIVE like a new creation! What freedom and Joy that brings! To know that I have become a new man. Wow. And not because of anything I could ever do. ONLY BECAUSE OF THE INCREDIBLE GRACE OF JESUS CHRIST. ONLY.

Praise be to Him who will complete the work He began in me upon salvation. His wisdom has been my guiding light. I have found communion with the father I would have never dreamed possible last year.

And the funny thing is...

I'm still learning.

I have made a lot of progress. gosh. a LOT. of progress. But I STILL HAVE SOOOOOOOO FAR to go. I am learning many things right now. I have been reading "The Heavenly Man" by Brother Yun and it is wrecking me. It is destroying me. I am realizing more and more that the life I want to live is not all happiness. I must suffer.

The reality of suffering and sacrifice is emerging as I read about the hardships faced by Christians all over the world. I am guaranteed persecution...not necessarily something I was hoping for, but nevertheless, it is part of my life. I have chosen a narrow path, and I am only starting to see how narrow it really is. But there is so much joy in this path too. I live for a greater kingdom than this world. My hope is set on a greater goal than this world has. And daily I am filled with a greater joy and peace and satisfaction than this world has! Jesus Christ has called me to leave everything for him. And I must obey. I must. To be a christian...I must. I will.

If home is where the friends are, my home is currently in about 5 different continents. The call to go and make disciples of ALL nations is reaching my ears. And one week from today, I will answer that call by stepping on a plane that will leave America. I will say goodbye to the amber waves of grain and purple mountain majesty and say hello to the beauty that is Cape Town, South Africa. I am excited. I think that a part of my heart will be left there when I leave. But we will see, very soon, if that is true.

For now, I will remain constant in prayer and faithful in discipline. God said "Ask, and I will give the nations to you". I am asking for the nation of South Africa right now! For the duration of this last week at home before I begin my summer adventures, I will ASK.

A Concept of a Concept of God

First, watch this:

http://vimeo.com/15642578

Did you catch the idea that these guys are running with?

"He doesn't want to be a concept to you, He wants to be your father."

God as a concept. How long have we viewed HIM like this? It's funny, because we Americans all have or still do, and yet refer to HIM as HE. I think I'm realizing more and more each day, each month, and each year that God is. He is a being outside of my control, objective to what I believe, and set apart from my thoughts about who He is. I have lived under a deceived state of mind for too long believing (in the back of my mind and in the deeper parts of myself) that if I decided not to believe in Him then He wouldn't exist. How selfish. How typical of a human, and an American human at that - that I would go so far as to say that I decide whether God exists, and His realness is dependent on me. The world does not revolve around me, and I'm finally seeing it clearer.

He is real - no doubts there now. But He is also a person. Though one can hardly refer to Him as such; infinite, everlasting, omniscient, omnipotent. Who is this King of Glory indeed?

Man so what in the world - my actions can affect our relationship. Just like a human relationship! Not talking to Him for a while creates a sense of distance! Who would've thought!

Today marks the 6th day that I haven't had a full, good, rich time alone with Him. That's a long time. That sort of distance is huge between two who are in such an intimate relationship, not to mention the fact that Biblically He's been wanting to hang out with me non-stop and half the time I've ignored it. Not to say there haven't been parts of the past few days where we've talked or hung out a bit. But not much.

If I view Him as He is - a 'person', I must see that I'm not the center in our relationship and that I should not determine how much or little we will talk or hang out. If anyone should it's Him. I love what Jimmy Seibert says, that we're like a married couple, in which two imperfect people must change to adapt to each other, except in this case, He's perfect, so we're the only ones needing adjusting! I need a lot of adjusting. I have faults that cannot be cured but by time with Him. He changes me. How convenient. Thank you God.

Thank you God that you are the alpha and omega - that you made me, and that you'll have the final say in my life too.
Thank you God that my life and who I am does not depend on me but on you, and I know that I can trust you.
Thank you God that although every good thing I come up with is as a dirty rag to you, you give me YOUR righteousness.
It's outside of my control and you know what? I'm completely okay with that. You have YOUR way, I won't have MINE.

ideas

I am getting inspiration from United Pursuit's new cd live at the banks house...I really think it would be absolutely awesome and sick to do something very similar. Collaborate with a few other musicians and get some songs together. Really the key would be to get the right percussion and string elements right. Not to have too much but to have some unique sounds. Acoustic guitar, simple & clean electric guitar, piano (preferably real), violin, cello if possible, some kind of drums (maybe a ride, high hat, low tom, and snare?), more percussion stuff - tambourine, shakers, woodblocks, random objects - djembe, harmonica, accordion, mandolin, banjo, xylophone. brass or woodwind instruments maybe. french horn...trumpet...clarinet or flute. I'm thinking outside of the box a bit. some kind of bells?

Write new songs, revamp old ones, and do a few normal ones. Get a set-list. practice once or maybe twice. encounter god. as much or as little music as it takes. maybe it would be a capella for a while. who knows!

Maybe all of this could happen eventually, but to get SOMETHING started would be crucial. A few nights with just acoustic and maybe 1-3 other elements. we'll see.

Education

I wonder why our culture believes education is so important. I think that we value it because of our country's (and most countries') standards. To get a good job and to have influence in society, you need an education. In both the secular world and in the church we find that education is paramount in how well you can do. Why is it so important; why have we, as the american culture, created these standards that so stress the idea of education? Do we glorify knowledge? Do we fear the results of uneducated masses? Do we think that knowledge is power?

I don't disagree.

Education is vital.

But I wonder if it is as important as we think...

I casually drove up to my apartment, hastily turned into the parking lot, crookedly parked in the oversized spaces they give us, and thought: "I need to check all of my grades." The next thought was "I wonder if I'm doing badly." The next thought was "Why does it matter if I do well?" The next thought was "So that I can get my degree." The next thought was
"Why do I need a degree? Weren't Paul and the Acts saints mostly common and uneducated men?"
I believe that I have stumbled upon a fallacy of our culture: the idea that education is the key to our ultimate destiny as believers.
Look around and you will see this in everyone. The aspiring pastor goes to seminary. The hopeful missionary is an international studies major. The musician gets a degree to...get a degree.

I don't know what I'm saying, but I just know that if our focus is right - if our focus is on Christ, and our intent in obedience to Him, and our attitude in pleasing him, we will have different values.

Christ's call for each of us to make disciples of all nations beckons not primarily to the uneducated mind but to the obedient heart. It does also beckon at the educated mind, but my point is that His criteria for leadership and His measure for success lies not in how much we know but rather in how much we are willing to sacrifice. Will you be obedient to the Father until death? Will you truly take up your cross - not to lay it down again - and follow the Righteous one?
Will you be faithful in the small? In the unimportant, according to cultural standards?
Will you live kingdom values? Will YOU find satisfaction in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the Father?

I'm tired of aspiring leaders going to seminary to think their lives away, pastoring some church that gives American Christians a place to sit on a Sunday morning. We have created these standards for being "ordained" and for being fit to preach on a sunday morning, when the real standard in the body of Christ is character, obedience, and faithfulness in the little. We do need seminaries that teach truth and empower others to make change, but we also need to keep ourselves from the temptation to walk back into the garden to eat more of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil!

I frankly don't care for the knowledge of good and evil. I want the tree of life. I want the life of God in me for others.

We do need education. But more importantly we need a relationship with the father through Jesus Christ. Without that; without spiritual strength and character, our education is but an ugly coat we wear to cover up our inadequacies. We need Jesus. THEN we can handle the knowledge. Through Christ our education finds meaning and purpose. Through Christ, we can do something.

Tasteful Guitar Playing...In Regards to the Recipe

Note: This was written over a month and may be scatter-brained.

Fellow guitarists,

So many times when I am playing guitar I have a sense of what "should" and what "shouldn't" be in the mix as far as guitar sounds. This morning I was thinking about the fact that everyone (every guitarist, every musician) has a unique set of "should" and "shouldn't-s", and I figured it might be beneficial to some if I shared mine. All of this is coming from 5ish years of experience playing guitar in churches, both good and bad experiences, as well as many conversations with musical friends, attentive listening, and lots of online reading and research. I don't have THE way as far as playing guitar, but God has given me a very keen ear for what sounds good and what doesn't. So take it as you will!

The most important element of music, ESPECIALLY worship music, is dynamic. Wikipedia says that,

"In music, dynamics normally refers to the volume of a sound or note, but can also refer to every aspect of the execution of a given piece, either stylistic (staccato, legato etc.) or functional (velocity). The term is also applied to the written or printed musical notation used to indicate dynamics. Dynamics do not indicate specific volume levels, but are meant to be played with reference to the ensemble as a whole."

I think that says very clearly what is encompassed in musical dynamics. If you have heard me talk about guitar playing or music, you will know that I am very passionate about dynamics. The reason behind this is simple: I believe that dynamics are (from a macro perspective) fundamentally more important than how fast you can play, how skilled you are, and how well you know your guitar. These elements are obviously all crucial to guitar skill, but without an understanding or more importantly a good ear for dynamics, these other things will come across wrongly and abruptly.

When I refer to dynamics in worship music, I am referring to multiple aspects of the music itself:

1. The overall dynamic of a song (including tempo and what kind of song it is)

2. Drum dynamics and how every instrument relates to the drums

3. Guitar effects dynamics in relation to the song and the band

4. Guitar playing dynamics in relation to the song and the band

I will explain more on each of these soon, but first I want to delve deeper into the various types of dynamics and models of dynamics that exist in guitar playing.

When playing guitar in a worship setting, there are many factors in play. First of all, and of utmost importance, is training yourself to be in-tune with the Holy Spirit, being open to what He is doing, and learning how to join in with your playing. This is a different subject. I've learned a lot through experience. Maybe I'll write about that another time.

Second of all, and of critical importance, is learning how to be on board with the worship leader and in sync with the band. It's particularly important to have an idea of what the worship leader wants, what they're looking for, and what they like. One primary role of guitar playing, after all, is supporting the worship leader wherever they're going. And how do you know how to do that if you don't know where they're going? I've been in many a situation where either I don't know the worship leader well, or don't know what they're looking for, and though the song may go smoothly, it loses so much impact from not having a single focus! I'll be building the song up when he wants it quiet, or I'll be playing softly when he wants me to be building the song.

Third of all, and also very important, is understanding the song. When covering a song, whether it's by hillsong and has been done a billion times, or is off world mandate 2010 and is fairly new, you want to get to know the song. Going into a song blindly can be beneficial SOMETIMES, if you're wanting a unique, original take on it. But, for the most part, the musicians who recorded the songs played certain parts for a reason...not by accident. I know many guitarists and musicians differ in opinion on the subject of staying true to a song's original version or making it "your own." My personal opinion is usually to try to stay true to the song's original feel. I almost always stick with the original guitar part, maybe varying subtle things, changing it every now and then, changing effects, or adding in small parts, but keeping the main melody intact. It was written that way for a reason. This also is subject to what the worship leader wants...whether he wants it like the cd or a fresh take.

Many times it's good to vary it according to the situation. If you're playing a song that could either be really hard hitting or really pretty..but you're playing it during offering or communion...maybe tone it down. But if you're at a lifegroup leader retreat where everyone's fired up and ready to go...I say let loose and go for it. You also must be aware of the situation as it relates to your band. If you're a 4 piece, maybe you shouldn't throw in all of the cool lead parts in the chorus and instead play some good inverted power chords up high to keep it driving. And if you have 2 guitarists and 2 keyboards, think of what will cut through the mix and add something to the huge sound your band probably (hopefully) has.

Here are the different dynamic patterns I see in guitar playing.
1. Soft --> Loud

2. Low --> High

3. Slow --> Fast

4. Staccato --> Legato

5. And usually a combination of all of those.

1. Soft to loud refers to the actual volume your guitar+effects+amp is putting out. This is influenced mainly by velocity of picking, pickup selection, and effects. I find that when I'm wanting to play softly at the beginning of maybe a really quiet and pretty song, I'll switch to my neck pickup to take off some treble, take off most or all overdrives, and pick really lightly. Maybe even fingerpick. On the other hand, if I'm trying to play loudly for a solo in a big song, I'll switch to bridge pickup to cut through with lots of treble, turn on all overdrives, add delay and/or reverb, and pick really strongly.

2. Low to High refers to both pitch and location on the neck. This is a pretty standard model I commonly use. It works simply: as the song builds larger, guitar playing goes higher. A great example is the song Came to the Rescue, off United's United We Stand album. It begins softly with a fairly low guitar part. It builds into the chorus with a similar and slightly higher guitar part. The second verse starts a little lower, and the second chorus is slightly higher. Then, for the instrumental going into the bridge, it goes up to the 12th fret for a really high guitar part. At the climax it moves even higher.

3. Slow to Fast refers to picking/strumming speed (and can also involve delay). This is a less conscious model for me. If I play by this model at all, it would probably involve something like picking quarter notes in an intro or verse and speeding it up to 8th notes in a pre-chorus. It also is seen in the fast dotted 8th delay...though that's just FAST. no slow.

4. Staccato and legato refers to fluidity...softer parts are usually very legato, and the dynamic is raised when playing more staccato notes because they stand out. This isn't too prevalent in guitar.

All of these influence dynamic in a cohesive manner. None of these elements exist separate from the rest. Usually in my guitar playing, I simultaneously increase volume and pitch. But remember, all of this is subconscious! It's innate in my playing because I have devoted myself to learning to add as much as possible to a song.

If you've ever sung in a choir you will have heard of the term blend. It is crucial in voices and singing but also applies with guitar. There ARE times where a simple melody should ring clear above all other instrumentation. That's tasteful. But for the most part, your guitar part should blend/mix well with everything else. No one likes hearing a ridiculous jazz solo in the verse of a song. If there's singing, stay out of the way. That will save a lot of trouble. One thing I like to do is play a winding melody, always very simple, through the verse amidst the singing. It will rise and fall, and I will play something different and distinct in between the phrases of the lyrics. So what you hear is words, lyrics, singing, and then a space that is filled with a melody from guitar that carries you into the next phrase. It is pretty and it makes things smooth.

This brings me to a very, very important key in guitar playing. Simplicity. For the sake of everyone, including yourself, make things simple. Beauty is often found in simplicity, even moreso than complexity WHEN the dynamics are done well, the playing is confident, and the instrumentation fits. I often play VERY simple, very EASY guitar parts. But they sound beautiful. Why? I'm not showing off. I'm not trying to make something more than it is. I'm accepting that good tone and a few CONFIDENT notes will sound much better than a lot of muddled noodling. People can hear and understand a simple melody. It's usually hummable and rememberable. That is a great quality to have. Many times in more prophetic worship settings, there is room for people to join in this melody and sing it. Even add lyrics to it. No matter what, if you're listening to the holy spirit, these melodies will not be your own. They will be from Heaven. And they will be powerful.

A balance is found between showing off and shining through. Attitude of the heart. Rarely do I go crazy on a solo. For one thing, I usually can't. But it wouldn't be right of me in most situations because it would draw the attention to me. If there is an appropriate moment where this in fact draws attention to worshiping Jesus, do it.

Ultimately the main things I can offer are these:

1. Keep it simple.
2. Use delay sparingly.
3. You must learn to enjoy the simplest guitar part to be ready for anything complex.
4. Feel it, don't think it.
5. Build the song up...make it epic...
6. Worship Jesus, fix your eyes on Him, and ask for more! You have not because you ask not!

Hope this helps. I have nothing good to offer apart from Jesus, so God I ask that you would send you practical wisdom to rest in my friends as they read this! I pray if anything you've given me is of use to them, that it would pass to them. Let my friends exceed me in skill and creativity so that people may be blessed and we can give our BEST to the King who deserves it ALL!

I Never Thought I Would Need to Remember Those Sights or Those Sounds

If you haven't heard that song you are missing out.

I've been nostalgic for approximately 2.5 hours now...ever since I saw The Rocketboys play at Common Grounds, I haven't been able to stop thinking about the past. It started out as I thought back to several different times I have seen them in Abilene...some of the best times. Downtown, a sense of mystique combined with an old-fashioned feeling of danger, like one of those classic black and white movies where men wore fedoras and women always dressed up. Dark, but lit by citylight, and noise coming from the small coffee shop. Walking by and smelling the smoke of the Abilenean scene, and feeling the warmth of a tiny, intimate, christmas light lit room. Glancing back at the waterfall, the smoke shop, and the fire escapes before hearing it: Delayed guitar notes, playing a simple 2-3-4 progression. So simple, yet so moving...moving to a putt putt course from the 70's...enjoying the music almost as much as the new friendships and company that accompanies them. Leaving the front line totem pole view to converse on artificial green. Feeling things changing...opening up - maturing. Finishing the night at starbucks, a simple conversation in the warm summer air.

I could follow that trail all the way through lakes and driveways, unites and beltways, but I don't think that ended well...no, I don't remember it being fun at all.

Mornings, distraught beyond belief, forcing myself to go to school in grief, and breaking down. Another song for another time, this time coming from what an outsider would guess is 49 years old. This time, I cried.

And following the trail further I find myself back again in time, crying to yet another song...this one more heavenly focused, as I remember that He loves us. A small town, and an even smaller building...the cramped yet cozy worship nights that happened there, and the awful allure of people from another school and place. I remember once wishing on a star, yes, my star it was. And as the river flowed, with it came a flood of bad choices, indiscretion, and mistakes.

Yet I find that in hindsight, some of these memories appear bright. They appear beautiful, as if the Creator God who intended them from the beginning knew it would happen and purposefully painted a masterpiece out of them. Yes, my failures turn out for my good. But still, I digress...

Moving now in the present to my pictures to see what else comes up, I find that much of my life has been spent in attempts at being someone...someone I was not at the time, but slowly have become in a beautiful process. I see more pictures that bring to mind more painful situations...dresses and suits and a gazebo...calculators with segmented art and a lonely gorgeous drive west...the feeling that I was made for more than what I have been saying to the person I last messaged...guilt but forgiveness. Shame but covered with new honor.

I stand redeemed.

This Morning

when I was spending time with Jesus, He told me to write out every good thing I've received because he died and rose again. Here is the list (which is only 30 minutes worth, so if I had the time I'm sure we would all see that I'm hardly scratching the surface of all that He has done for us):

Because Jesus died and rose again...

I grew up in a family that loves me.
My parents raised me well.
I went to church.
I found friends who love me for me.
It's okay that I'm not cool as the world deems cool.
I don't have to be afraid.
-Of people.
- the world.
- future.
- unknown.
I don't suffer the punishment I deserve when I fail.
I have a purpose and destiny in life.
I have life in death.
I don't need to feel guilty or shameful for all of the bad things I've done.
I am released from the need to compare myself with other people.
I can experience love.
I can receive love.
I can give love.
The only approval I am concerned with is God's.
I have freedom to do good things.
I am holy.
I am pure.
I am righteous.
My lack is replaced by His sufficiency.
I finally have a family.
I'm no longer just an orphan.
I can follow Him.
I have been given access to living water and the bread of life.
I am significant.
I can know and have a relationship with God.
I am no longer ruled by emotions.
I am accepted regardless of faults or flaws.
My ways of thinking, acting, and behaving that I couldn't escape were instantly broken.
I have the Holy Spirit inside of me.
I'm comforted.
counseled.
convicted.
I have rest.
I don't have to strive or work.
I'm healed.
My heart can be healed of all of the emotional wounds it has.
Life can be, for me, as it was always intended to be in the beginning.
I have inside of me a joy that is totally separate from circumstance or emotion.
I have inside of me a peace that is totally separate from circumstance or emotion.
Nothing at all, ever, can separate me from the love of God.
I will never be put to shame or disgrace.
I can see supernatural things happen in the natural.
I can be a part of incredible, supernatural, impossible occurrences that happen every day.
I can multiply what I have received so others can have it too.

wow.
Thank you, God.