4 Indispensable Life Lessons I Learned While Recording A Music Album

Today’s post is a guest post by Joseph Drinkard. Joseph is a Christian singer-songwriter from Shreveport, Louisiana. His album I Serve A King comes out on Tuesday, February 7th. For more information on I Serve A King, please visit www.josephdrinkard.com. You can find Joseph on Twitter and Facebook.

UPDATE: 

Joseph’s album is out now!

Here is my tweet on the release day with a link to purchase the album:

Just had a great convo w/ @jdrinkard about his album release TODAY. He's incredible. Buy his album #iserveaking here: j.mp/wbAsBr

—
BRANDON ROBBINS (@RobbinsBrandon) February 07, 2012

I Serve A King, my first album, comes out in 8 days, and it still doesn’t feel real. I know that I wrote the songs, flew up north, and recorded an album, but my heart hasn’t grasped the fact that one of my biggest dreams is about to come true. (Weird, huh?) To say that this has been a growing process is an understatement. My heart is to share a few things that I’ve learned along the way in hopes that you’ll be (re)inspired to chase after your own dreams! Some of what you’ll read is practical, while others will focus more on you as a person. The important thing is that you take what you can and run with it!

Learn Your Voice, Stick To It.
I’m talking to more than just singers. I’m talking about your God-given style and flavor that all your own. It might sound a little silly to you, but I had to come to terms with the fact that I wasn’t Chris Tomlin, or Toby Mac, or random-guy-with-a-guitar-at-Starbucks-who-is-phenomenal. First things first: God doesn’t want another Christ Tomlin (although he is great). He wants you. Yes, there’s a risk to putting your heart and soul into an album. There’s a chance (actually, a guaranteed certainty) that not everyone will like your sound. So what?! God’s given you the talents that he’s given you for a reason! Be yourself, and use them for His glory. Looking back on your work ten years from now, you’ll be a lot happier if you didn’t try to force it into a mold.

Honesty Really Is The Best Policy.
In a creative environment, in this case a recording studio, it’s imperative that you make it OK to be honest with one another when it comes to thoughts and ideas. When it came to producing I Serve A King, we made honesty our priority. There are certain times for agreeing to things or saying “yes” for the sake of being nice (i.e.; eating your aunt’s horrible casserole at Thanksgiving, holding your girlfriends purse while she goes to the changing room). Recording I Serve A King was not that time for us. I’ll admit it, I didn’t like some of the producer’s ideas for a few of the songs. At the same time, not all of my original visions for the album were spectacular. But, 100% honesty was all that was accepted. We worked through it, combined ideas, and made something great! If the record came out exactly how I originally envisioned it, it would have been boring and dull. Be honest. Be willing to change. Work as a team. Encourage new ideas.

Redefine Success.
Success is not in numbers. Success is obedience. I wouldn’t have recorded I Serve A King if I wasn’t absolutely sure that it’s what the Lord wanted me to do. Putting all of your time, talent, and energy into something that may be a good thing but not a God-thing is a practice in vanity. It may look great, but you’ll find yourself lacking in the end. Set your focus on His Kingdom. I’ve found over and over that if we’ll just stay attached to Jesus, attached to The Vine, we’ll bear fruit. The growth will come. The numbers will come. We’ve succeeded because we’ve been obedient.

Have a Lot of Fun
Please remember to have a great time. Get stuff done. Do it with excellence. But have fun. Who wants to look back on life, see everything that they’ve made, and regret it? I don’t, and chances are that you don’t either. The fact of the matter is that we serve a holy, righteous, excellent, fun God. He designed us for joy and relationship. Don’t let the enemy steal that from you.

These are just a few of the things that the Lord has been putting on my heart these past few days.

My prayer is simple: God, birth God-sized dreams in the hearts of those reading this. Raise up creative, godly, hard working, fun-having people who pursue you with everything.

Take what I’ve said and run with it. Make music, design, lead, innovate, change, and inspire—in the name of Jesus, for His Kingdom, His Power, and His Glory!

___________________________________________________________________________

If you appreciated this or would like to spread the word about I Serve A King,  please share this post using the social media icons below!  Please use the hashtag: #iserveaking. Connect with Joseph on Twitter:

Follow @jdrinkard.

Connect with me:

Follow @robbinsbrandon

Your Resolutions Will Fail. Here’s What I’ve Concluded to Fix That

If you’re like every other normal person on the earth, you probably made some new year’s resolutions. Right? Or maybe you didn’t. If you didn’t, either you just didn’t care, or you were smarter than that. Well, nevertheless, it’s time to start caring, because this is the stuff that matters. 

Let’s get real:

Next year you are going to look back at 2013 wishing you had done the things you had intended to do now. You will hold true to your resolutions for a few days, a week, a month, a couple months, or maybe half the year…if you’re that lucky. But you probably won’t make it all the way through. You will give up. Quit. Done. The excitement of the new year will wear off, then your passion to make your life better will dwindle. It happens every year. You make resolutions to change your life around the same time each year. But every new year, you look back thinking, “Last year didn’t quite go the way I wanted. It didn’t happen. I didn’t pull through.” Let me tell you this, brutal as it may sound: you won’t pull through on your resolutions this year either.

Sad, right? 

Here’s the thing: If we do this “making resolutions” deal every year, yet every late December/early January we look back on the year before and don’t feel fulfilled, SOMETHING IS WRONG.

So, this year I’ve concluded to ditch resolutions. Why? Cause I’ve got something better.

It’s called a  plan.

Here’s what I’m going to do to pull off my plan for this year:

1) Change my terminology. Resolutions deal with “what I want to do,” but plans deal with “what I’m GOING to do.” I don’t simply want to do anything different this year. I plan to do things different, and my words will reflect that. After all, words have power.  “This year I want to _________” statements don’t get you anywhere. Be smart with what you say.

2) Work backward. You know that annoying cliché phrase “Begin with the end in mind?” Well, there’s immense wisdom in that. Resolutions say, “What can I do starting right now to get better?” That seems logical, but it’s failed millions of times for millions of people. I’m starting in the mindset of “where do I want to be at this time next year?” Then I start working backward month by month. So it’s examining what I have to do in December to get to January 1st. Then what I have to do in November to get to that place in December. I do that until I get to the “right now.” Then I ask, “what do I have to start doing right at this moment in order to stay on track for the plan I’ve made?” I keep in my mind that if I don’t do what I’m supposed to do NOW, it messes up every single thing I have planned for the next year. Motivating, right? Don’t start your planning with right now. Start it with this time next year.  You’ll be sorry if you don’t. (Don’t be afraid to think lofty. Big dreams are within your grasp.)

3) Schedule it. I’ve got a great pastor friend that talks about priorities & time management and in one way or another says, “If you don’t schedule it, it won’t happen.” You will always find a way around or run out of time for the things you don’t schedule…the things you don’t make a priority. I’m scheduling my plan, putting it in writing. Resolutions are things that stay in your head, but if you want to make a good plan, you write it out. Go out and buy a new planner. Schedule in specific dates & times where you will either work on what you want or deadlines where you have to have something done to fulfill your plan. Have an overview for each month so you can glance at it quick & know what you need to do that month. Make copies. Post them everywhere during the month they apply.

4) Grab 2 or 3 people to keep me on track. The fancy word for this is “accountability.” These people will check in with me every week or 2 to see if I’m on track with my plan & fulfilling my scheduled obligations. This pushes me to stay on track, not knowing when they’re going to check up on me. Additionally, it’s a good reminder to keep my plan on the front burner, emphasizing it’s priority status. You could have accountability check in every week or 2 as well, or maybe just once a month. It all depends on the nature of your plan. But the higher the frequency, the better. But you’ll want to have specific questions they should ask about every time. Without that, your accountability is entirely useless. In fact, it helps even more if at least 1 accountability buddy has a similar plan, that way you can push & challenge each other along the way. Competition. That’s some good motivation right there. The only warning here is, only share your plan with your few accountability buddies or very close friends. Don’t tell everybody and their dog. If you do, sure enough, everyone and their dog will show up looking for results, and putting their nose where it doesn’t belong. No pressure, right? That’s what we call demotivation. That stinks. If you keep your accountability small, but effective, and you stay on course with your plan, people are bound to notice. The changes will eventually manifest themselves. Why tell everybody now and spoil the fun, when you can catch them by surprise later?

Ditch resolutions. Develop a plan for 2013 and then do it.

___________________________________________________________________________

If you appreciated this, please share it using the social media icons below! (be sure to use the hashtag #thebowecho)

You can follow or connect with me on Twitter or Facebook.

44 Great Backgrounds & Images to Start the New Year RIGHT

Here is a collection of inspirational & fun backgrounds and images I’ve gathered from around the internet that I wanted to share to help you start the new year off RIGHT. Don’t just make resolutions, PLAN to live the life you dream of…then DO IT. Let these images be a reminder to you as you get rolling through 2012.

[For more resources to help you get ahead of the game this year, check out my “Ultimate Resource Guide for 2012 (free eBooks, videos, articles, tools).”]

For more resources to help you get ahead of the game this year, check out my 

“Ultimate Resource Guide for 2012 (free eBooks, videos, articles, tools).”

___________________________________________________________________________

If you appreciated this, please share it using the social media icons below (be sure to use the hashtag #thebowecho).

You can follow or connect with me on Twitter or Facebook.

Wisdom for Young Leaders from Monty Hipp

A few months ago I had the opportunity to hear the great Monty Hipp speak to a group of young leaders.  Here are some of his notable statements:

• Focus on being something or doing something will drive who you should be.
• You will never meet anyone who got smarter when their mouth was moving.
• If you are a finisher, people will follow you. If you are a starter, surround yourself with finishers.
• Associate 2 words: Character & Commitment
• Figure out faithfulness. Often the right thing is silent.
• Don’t let emotion be the foundation for your faith.
• Keep your hand out [to help others]. The risk of the reach is worth the stretch.
• Prayer and study of the Bible needs to go beyond spiritual decoration and needs to become personal passion.
• There is a difference between making “a difference” and making “the difference”
• Greatness doesn’t attract a crowd in a season of preparation, but it is your faithfulness in the determined disciplines that will draw a crowd.
• If you want to make impact all across society, you have to make impact in every sector of society.
• Until a person is affected negatively or personally, the majority of people will remain neutral on an issue.
• The single biggest issue facing our culture today: The inability to make ethical and moral choices.
• Framework for making ethical/moral choice:
  • 1) You must remove ambiguity.
  • 2) You must come to a place of awareness.
  • 3) You must come to a place of agreement.
  • 4) You must act.

   

-- Monty does some incredible work with the C4 group.  Find out more about Monty and the work he does here. –

___________________________________________________________________________

If you appreciated this, please share it using the social media icons below (be sure to use the hashtag #thebowecho).

You can follow or connect with me on Twitter or Facebook.

The Truth About Our Generation: Exposed.

Our generation does not understand the value of experience… and we don’t even realize it.  If someone has no experience in a particular area, who are they to correct or contradict someone who has dealt with that particular area their whole life? It isn’t all about being the best, the coolest, the most radical.  Experience plays a huge part in what we do.  If we want to show we are serious about what we do and we want our voices heard, we need to show that by gaining experience, not by shooting off our mouths concerning something we truly know nothing about.  Experience legitimizes us, strong opinions do not.

Our generation misunderstands the concept of influence…and we don’t even think twice about it.  Too often we see influence as an exertion of authority and power.  In pursuit of power we tear others down to build ourselves up.  We intentionally or unintentionally inflict others with feelings of inferiority and in some cases an inferiority complex.  We do so by socially, intellectually, organizationally, physically, or spiritually making others feel out of place or lesser than us.  We enjoy feeling bigger and better than those around us. Once we have made others feel inferior,  we have power, so we call ourselves an influence.  But if we want to have genuine influence in the lives of others, we can’t do it by tearing others down, we do it by lifting them up.  True influence is  not gained through criticism and the projection of inferiority, but through inspiration, compassion, genuine care and love.

Check out these conclusions of research and statistics collected by the Barna Group, published in the book UnChristian by David Kinnaman, about our generation:

• “Skeptical of leaders”
• “Extremely self confident, skeptical & cynical”
• “Don’t trust things that seem too perfect”
• “Prefer the messiness of life,  and ‘off the wall’ experiences and people”
• “View life in a chaotic way”
• “Don’t mind contradiction & ambiguity”
• “May tell someone what that person wants to hear, but then do whatever they desire.”

Our generation often overlooks our shortcomings.  We ignore our faults and put the blame on everyone else when something goes wrong.  But that doesn’t make it right.  It’s time to pause and take a good look at the facts…then start asking questions.

Is this really who we want to be?

When will we take responsibility for our actions, words, thoughts, and attitudes?

Who will be a catalyst for change?

[Live to Inspire.]

You Think That’s Normal? Think Again.

In our society we often look at people, things, or events and say “That’s not normal” or “That’s weird,” but when you really think about it, who decides what is considered “normal?”  People often consider things weird when they don’t align with who they are or what they do.  They are convinced that THEIR definition of normal is right.  In other words, they believe that THEY define what is normal or abnormal…but they’re wrong.  They don’t realize where their definition of normal and abnormal (or weird) really comes from.

Normality and abnormality are defined by culture.  Too many people fall into the trap, blindly following what is considered normal by our culture without even realizing it.  We work hard to “fit in,” to look cool, or to gain popularity so that we won’t be looked upon as abnormal or weird.  But what if the the normality we pursue, which is defined by our culture whether we like or or not, is skewed? What if our culture’s portrayal of normality is wrong?  We often conform to our culture’s expectations without a second thought and yet claim to be entirely committed to and living for God.  Too many times we deceive ourselves.

It’s time to pause and think again:  Are you living up to the world’s standard of normal, or God’s?

Let’s figure out what God’s definition of normal is.  Check out “Act Normal” with Pastor Scott Wilson:

http://www.ministryplanet.net/sites/actnormal/about

[Live to Inspire.]

Love, Attitude, & Leadership That Creates Change

What does love really look like?

• God often reminds me that we cannot forget love is not about selfish gain, it’s about sacrifice & selflessness. I’m convinced our understanding of the word “love” is demonstrated in how we think about, value, and treat/care for those people that others may consider not as smart, classy, organized, wise, insightful, unique, or special as we are…those people that may never benefit us in any way…those people that may never be able to repay us for the love & care we give.

Everyday Life Reflections:

• Anger may be justifiable, but you can’t win with hostility and anger. Love is your weapon against injustice.
• We have to pick our battles. What injustices are truly worth fighting for?
• Organization is key to time management. So to better manage our time, we must first organize better.
• Rudeness is the product of self-righteousness. You can’t expect to gain influence when are think you are better than everyone else.  Self-righteousness is the stem of the rudeness tree and on that tree grows the fruit of failure.
• Concerning yourself with trying to be popular amounts to surrounding yourself with people who truly have no concern for you. It’s a worthless pursuit.
• You can’t gain momentum or expect your life/ministry/job to be BETTER until you are willing to CHANGE something.  Momentum that comes with positive results doesn’t come by chance…it comes by your willingness to change.
• Simple equation: bad+ attitude= undesired outcome. You can’t expect to get anywhere with an attitude that stinks.

Leadership Reflections:

• Despite contrary belief, you dont have to ask for everyone else’s permission to live right & lead by example…you just do it.
• You’ve got to be living it before you can expect others to be living it.  You’ve got to be the example.
• Before you can challenge others with a thought or idea, you’ve got to be willing to challenge yourself first.  You can’t expect someone else to do something you aren’t willing to do.
• Leadership isn’t being the best, smartest or coolest. The leader is often the one willing to give up the most for the sake of everyone else.  It’s a sacrificial thing.

[Live to Inspire.]

Think You’ve Got Life Figured Out? Think Again.

I believe that reflection and solitude are important things that one should incorporate into their life if they want to live the most effective and meaningful life possible.  It is often easy to get to a place in life where we think we have it all figured out and like we have everything wrapped around our finger.  Setting aside regular time for reflection and solitude gives me a chance to reevaluate my life and to take note of the many lessons I still need to learn that are easily ignored in everyday life.  These are some of the things I’ve been learning/taking note of in the past 43 days or so:

• If you have a problem with who somebody else is (because they aren’t like you), you’ve probably failed to realize that the weakness belongs to you, not them.
• Its so easy to complain about and criticize guarded people when you forget that trust is earned. Trust is not a right, its a privilege.
• Everything in life shouldn’t just be random or sporadic. That’s simply not effective. We need to set up strategies & systems that make life easier.
• You can’t always be back and forth in your decisions. If you go one way, then back the other, you never actually get anywhere. CONSISTENCY is key to success.
• Those with little right will always feel the need to find ways to condemn those with little wrong because they think it hides their own insecurity.
• When you stop waiting to simply “arrive” in life & you start focusing on how God is intentionally moving you right now, that’s when REAL LIFE takes place.
• The best way to relate effectively: Be like that one crazy amazing friend that you’re so thankful for or that you’ve always imagined, but never actually had.
• What do you want/hope to see in other people? I’m convinced we need to be what we expect from others.
• You can radically & positively change your life simply by changing the way you LISTEN.
• When we are tempted to correct someone, we need to double check our motive. Much of the time, we don’t do it for the right reason.
• People will often blame YOU for THEIR problems by criticizing in you what they don’t like about themselves.
• It’s time to move past arrogance, selfish ambition, pride, & know-it-all attitudes…God will use you the most when you lose the focus on SELF.
• As guys we need to understand that a male/female relationship isn’t about having a girl for the sake of having a girl…Its about appreciating her for her unique individuality.
• The only thing self-righteousness is going to get you in life is a bunch of people who don’t want anything to do with you.
• Don’t fake your passion for God. You are either all in or you’re not. You might be fooling some people but you cant fool God.. He knows. Be real.
• God INTENTIONALLY made each person unique & different. Your insecurity is what causes you to condemn people who aren’t like you.
• The world will always have a problem with pensive people because our society/culture promotes action without thought…That’s a dangerous road.
• The way you TALK to someone & the way you LISTEN to someone reveals much of what you THINK about them. Your thoughts are manifested in your actions.
• Why do you have a problem with a good thing? If you are irritated or offended by a good thing, maybe its because it convicts you.
• The day others will see you as truly grown up is the day when you stop acting like you are better than them & stop threatening them with trivialities.
• Every person of the opposite gender on the earth that is nice to you isn’t hitting on you.
• Don’t say “I love you” if you don’t really mean it. “I love you” isn’t something to simply throw around cause everyone is doing it. Learn what love really is.
• The moment you try to guilt someone into something is the moment you’ve revealed that you think your discernment is better than theirs.  That shows your pride.
• Not all anger is out of place. When you condemn someone for having righteous, justified anger, you are supporting the wrong doing. Think before you condemn.
• You are 1 of 2 different kinds of people: a BUILDER or a DESTROYER. Which one are you?
• Self-righteousness is like a virus. Its contagious, so when you have it, you contaminate everything around you. Who are you infecting?
• Friendship is not a part-time job. You’re either all in or you’re not.
• Impression is achieved through the element of surprise.
• Intelligence without genuine passion is dangerous. Do you use your intelligence to develop your passions…or to gain recognition?

[Live to Inspire.]

How Your Focus on SELF Affects Your Leadership: Time for a Culture Shift

It’s time for a culture shift:

Stop trying to lead through your self-righteousness, arrogance, selfish ambition, pride, & know-it-all attitude.  All those things are centered on one thing: YOU.  In leadership your focus will always be one of two things: to get the credit or to truly make a difference. When you try to lead out of self-righteousness & pride all you do is drive people away, leading yourself down a path of epic failure. So stop it. God will use you the most when you lose the focus on SELF.  Just like blood, your thoughts, words, and actions flow through the heart, and if the heart isn’t right, nothing else will be right either…it will contaminate everything.  It’s time to get your heart right.

 

It’s your turn: What are ways that leaders can combat self focus, in order to lead more effectively?Add to the conversation in comment section BELOW. 

 

[Live to Inspire]

________________________________________________________________________________________________

If this was helpful, feel free to share it using the social media icons below (be sure to use the hashtag #connectingthedots). You can also follow me on Twitter or Facebook.

REAL LIFE…what is it? (something to ask yourself)

What is REAL LIFE?

• Is it found by  seemingly “having it all together?”
• Is it found in wearing the best clothes or being the most fashionable?
• Is it found in listening to the most recent & coolest music?
• Is it found by going to school, getting good grades, and coming out with a degree?
• Is it found by meeting expectations?
• Is it found by maintaining a good attitude?
• Is it found in being accepted by others or having an abundance of friends?
• Is it found in having great potential and talent?
• Is it found in being “well off” financially?
• Is it found in having nice things (car, house, etc.)?
• Is it found in doing great things that make a positive difference?
• Is it found in a relationship?
• Is it found by avoiding a relationship?
• Is it even found in reading your Bible, praying, and going to church?
• Is it found by going into ministry or doing the Lord’s work?
• Is it found in helping others?
• Is it found in having influence?
• Is it found by not making mistakes and not doing things wrong?
• Is it found in being good at something?
• Is it found in being liked and  respected by others?
• Is it found by going to great, unique places and doing exciting things?
• Is it found in being successful?
• Is it found in making positive memories?
• Is it found in being the best you can be?

Are you living REAL LIFE?

[Live to Inspire.]