Your sometimes overly anxious and slightly agitated sheep again 

I just wanted to update you on how my plans to get us to green pastures are coming along 

Honestly it’s the same sad song 

Everything was going so well until everything went wrong 

Waves of anxiety have tried to drown me and I don’t think that I’ve ever felt so out of control 

Please lead me to still waters 

I desperately need you to restore my soul 

My mind, will and emotions have taken blow after blow and I don’t know what to do 

I went from at least looking like I had everything together to waking up and feeling like I don’t have a clue 

And the only thing that I’m certain of is that with every newfound pain and every wrinkle in my reality comes a reminder: I am not you 

I’m sorry that I ever thought that I was 

Dear Shepherd, please remind me that peace comes when I allow you to take the lead 

Remind me that when I have You, I have everything that I need 

And when I’m tempted to make decisions based upon my own nearsightedness 

Please remind me that only You know the path that is right 

Guide me with Your word and Your presence 

The commandments and the cloud by day and fire by night 

Help me to fall so in love with You that when you ask me to surrender I won’t put up a fight 

Be more to me than the Savior that I need to survive 

Become the Satisfier in whom I delight 

And as I walk through the valley of the shadow of death and the terrain gets tough 

Let that shadow be overshadowed by the reality that You are with me and that Your grace is enough 

Thank you for loving me enough to correct me when I get off course 

And when my enemies tried to stop my forward progress, You prepared a table before me reminding all of us that You are my source 

You anoint me, You heal me 

You appoint me, You refill me 

You sustain me with goodness and chase me with mercy that follows me until my last breath 

And Your plans for me prove that Your passion for me is stronger than death 

And as my final day approaches, please remind me that You are closer still 

Let my homesick heart be reminded that this body is only a tent that will fold at the command of Your sovereign will 

You are Yahweh and I am Yours, invited into Your forever shalom 

I will fear no evil because even death is only a doorway – home. 

Written by Jarrell

CHECK OUT THE MEANING BEHIND THE SONG “FLY”.

“FLY” is the first song from Jarrell’s new album “RISE”. RISE is a concept album that tells the story about a person who decides to defy the odds in life and reach for more. Watch Jarrell explain the story below.

When I first stepped out to be a full-time missionary through music and to artists, I pictured things going a little better than they did. A few days after I informed the right people of my decision, it seemed as though God was beginning to open doors to do what I loved – ministering through music and mentoring artists. Things were starting off with a bang! I shared the stage with some of my favorite worship leaders, and I went out of state AND out of the country to do music in a three-week span. I was offered an opportunity to mentor an artist that would have paid me considerably more than I was making at the church. I thought it was all God’s plan.

Then things started to turn. Concerts stopped coming… which meant income stopped coming. The opportunity with the artist never materialized. After talking and waiting for about nine months, I eventually had to cut off the expectation of any kind of partnership. My wife and I prayed about what to do and we agreed that God wanted to do something with our RISE community and with the music he had given me. We decided that my wife would begin working for a season until we were able to build something that sustained us. While she was glad to help, my identity as a man took a heavy blow.

To add to all of this, I underestimated the toll that life had taken on my emotions. There were some things that I didn’t take the time to deal with on an emotional level. Years of hurt and offense came to resurface as this transition was taking place. I was tired. My whole family was tired. I was in a dark place where my faith was shaken in a way that it had never been before. I still tried to press on and create an album in the middle of the pain. I felt like I had to press on and try to keep what little momentum I had left. I set a date for the release of my new CD and I failed miserably to meet it. I was so disappointed in myself. I came face-to-face with my own limitations and I felt inadequate to minister let alone lead. I was on the verge of losing hope. Then Jesus did a thing.

A church asked me to do a spoken word for their Easter services and the theme was “Hope”. I found myself in a situation where I had to write about God’s power in the middle of tragedy… and I was mad at God for allowing my personal tragedies to happen. I felt like He abandoned us. But something awesome happened. As I began to write, the Lord began to remind me of who He was. He is God and He is Sovereign. And He is Love! As I wrote, I could feel the healing begin to take place. Then, in His mercy, the Lord showed me where I went wrong and how to get back on track. He also showed me that everything that I was seeking was already around me. He placed all the right people around me to help me in this season. It was me that closed the door to His blessings by not participating in genuine community with others.

I’m happy to say that I’m coming out on the other side of this valley. I’m coming out with a new perspective. I’m coming out with a new passion and new energy to work. And I’m coming out ready to RISE. Things that bothered me don’t bother me as much anymore. I’m not chasing the validation of people. I know longer want to be in the “in” crowd with people who tolerate me instead of celebrate me. Getting left out of things and circles can only mean that God has something better. My hope is not in idols and temporary saviors when I serve a God who is so much greater.

I want to encourage you. When everything that you put your hopes in falls apart, just know that God allowed everything to be shaken so that you’ll know the difference between the temporary and the eternal. The shaking revealed the foundation. The shaking came, but it didn’t take you out. You’re still standing along with everything else that was supposed to remain. It’s time to rise, my friend. RISE.

TO LISTEN TO THE SPOKEN WORD THAT I WROTE DURING THIS TIME, CLICK HERE.

“And to the man he said, ‘Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grain. By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.'”

Before being asked this question, I never really gave that idea much thought. I had to go back and read exactly where God placed the concept of work in the garden of Eden. It didn’t take long to see that God put Adam to work before the penalty for sin. And it sounds like it was pretty hard work too! Genesis 2:15 lets us know that God placed Adam in the garden “to tend and watch over it”. In verse 18, we see that Adam needs a helper so God makes Eve. So yeah, there was a lot of responsibility and work going on. So what’s the difference before the curse and after?

The difference was that, after the curse, the work that they were used to doing wouldn’t result in fruitfulness. They would actually have to work MORE and get LESS in return. As farmers, they would sow into a ground that was fighting against them and refusing to give them what their work was worth. (You know where I’m going with this.) The scripture tells us that mankind would still be able to eat grain from an unwilling ground. That was God’s mercy on display. But when the curse isn’t involved, we have a picture of hard work PLUS an environment that is willing to be a blessing to the sons of God. We see the investments of our work and time ALWAYS resulting in fruitfulness.

The key to fruitfulness is in the gospel. Do we really understand what Jesus did when He conquered sin and invited us to abide in Him? He is not a weak Jesus who sheepishly asks us if we would let him come into our heart. The Word made flesh rose victoriously, called us by name, transformed us, and baptized us into Himself. We are sons and daughters of God and JOINT HEIRS with Christ. This is the same Christ that ran up on a fig tree and was like, “I AM the Life. If you don’t want to be fruitful while I’m around you, then you’re the one cursed and not Me.” He flexed on a tree, y’all! He refused to live under the same curse of an unwilling ground that Adam did because fruitfulness has always been a top priority for God. “Be fruitful and multiply”, remember? And here’s the key: Jesus worked HARD. During one of His claims to be God in John 5:17, he says “My Father is always working and so am I.” But he only invested His time into what His Father told him to do. That’s why He was always producing fruit.

I want to encourage you as an artist. Don’t settle for working hard and barely getting a return. That’s not your portion as a son or daughter of God. And don’t let the world OUTWORK you. In one of her songs, Rihanna says “we sweat for a nickel and a dime, turn it into an empire.” If the world can make careers in music and artistry with limited resources and limited revelation in a world that is hostile to fruitfulness, then the people of God can do so much more. Remember who you are!

#RISE

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When hurtful things happen to us, sometimes we truly believe that we’ve dealt with the situations and are able to move on. We never really take the time to grieve or heal. We just brush it off and go on for the sake of the family, the ministry, or whatever context we may find ourselves in at the moment. Transitions provide us with a space to breathe, examine situations and, most of all, examine ourselves. It’s at that place of examining ourselves that we find out that we’re not really ok. That was me.

My wife told me once that “the way you leave one season is the way that you’ll enter the next season”. I really do believe that to be true. I knew that if I left mad at everyone who did me wrong, then I would enter this next season unable to fully step into this new role of service that God has placed in front of me. There was just one problem. As much as I tried, I couldn’t let things go. I tried to remind myself of God’s love for me and how he forgave a sinner like me when I didn’t deserve it. But it didn’t work. I really needed God’s POWER to get over this stuff. Believe me, I felt like I had solid reasons to stay offended. I even used scripture to back up the fact that I didn’t have to forgive anyone who didn’t ask for my forgiveness. But the hurt and the ugly feelings towards people stayed. I had to give this whole thing to God. I told God that I couldn’t forgive even though my spirit wanted to. I told Him that I also knew that this unforgiveness would hinder me if I didn’t let it go.

On my way to a concert, I was praying in the Holy Spirit and I felt a huge weight lift from me. At that moment, I felt like I actually got the revelation that I was no one to hold anything against anyone else. I also felt something very special. I felt God’s love for me and His power to help me forgive everyone who hurt me. It was awesome! Only God gets the glory. Now I feel like I’m ready to receive everything that God has for me because my prayers aren’t hindered by an unforgiving heart. It gave me the confidence to know that God is for me so much that He would, in His grace, position my heart to be able to receive everything that He has for me. God is good.

I want to encourage you. A lot of friends, especially in our RISE family, are going through transitions. Reevaluation is happening. We’re beginning to rethink relationships, friendships, job situations, even theology… and basically life in general. God is moving us to a higher place. In the mind of God, the promotion was always going to happen. This new place that God has for was always reserved for us. The question is: are we really ready for it or are we going to hold on to the past by holding on to unforgiveness? You may never get the apology you need in order to forgive. As Jesus did, we must forgive those who do us wrong. (FOR)GIVE and GO do everything that God has called you to do. Live free! Greatness awaits.

#RISE

During the soundcheck for my concert last weekend, one of the volunteers came up to me and asked me how many people I would be attending the event with me. I started to add everyone up. “Well, I’ve got my family with me so that’s four total. Then I’ve got my drummer and his wife are with me.” My friend (who was also performing) had two people with him as well. The volunteer said to me, “We’re just gonna reserve two rows for all of you. Is that ok?” Two rows equaled about 14 chairs. I told the volunteer that it was great!

After the soundcheck, the service starts. I do my concert portion of the service, and then I go to the green room to cool down. I grabbed some water and headed back out into the service. If you know me, then you know that I don’t really like to draw attention to myself. I try so hard to be unnoticed that it’s to my hurt most of the time. There were over 500 people at this particular event… and here I am in the back of the building walking around in the dark and trying to find a seat in the back so that I wouldn’t bring any attention to me.

I finally found some seats that were blocked off. The event hosts obviously didn’t want anyone to sit there, but I’m one of the guest artists, right? So I snuck into this row that was blocked off and I just sat down. Oh yeah, there was this huge pole that was blocking my line of sight to a part of the stage and I was wayyy in the back. But I was unnoticed so I was good. Then the Holy Spirit whispers to me, “You have reserved seats in the front.” I totally forgot about those!  But the message had already started, and I couldn’t get up and walk to the front. That would bring too much attention to me when people should be listening wholeheartedly to the message. I decided that I was gonna stay right where I was… but that thought wouldn’t go away. I knew that God was actually challenging me to sit in the front. I stood up, walked to the front, and sat in my reserved seats. Something crazy happened when I did.

I didn’t hear anyone complaining about me distracting them as I was walking up to my seat. I didn’t hear anyone say, “Who does that guy think he is sitting in the front row?” I had plenty of room and I could see the stage clearly without a big pole in my way. Then came the lightbulb moment. People weren’t ever gonna be upset or even surprised that I sat in the front. In fact, people EXPECTED me to be in the front. In fact, some people probably thought that it was WEIRD that I WASN’T sitting in the front with the other guests. Then God started speaking to me again.

He told me that He has reserved places for me. These are places of influence. These are places of “more than enough” for me and for those who are with me. He told me that people are actually waiting for me to step into the places that God has reserved for me. Then He told me that I have actually been (1) holding myself back from receiving God’s full favor and (2) robbing others from receiving what God has given me… and I’ve been calling it humility. Ouch! In an attempt to blend in and feel like I’m no better than anyone else, I’ve been sabotaging my own mission. I wasn’t walking in humility as much as I was living by the fear of other people’s opinions and a mentality of lack.

So here I go. I’m embracing everything that God has called me to be. I’m not average. My life is a unique story that God is writing for all of eternity to read. And guess what? Your life is too. It’s time to RISE.

As the EJM team was waiting to take the stage, I remember looking out at the enormous crowd. Wow! I had never seen so many people at an event that I was rapping at! The opportunities that I had been dreaming about for so long were finally coming to pass. And that’s when I heard it—God’s voice. With gentleness, He said, “What’s the point of having a big platform if you don’t even love the people you are ministering to?” That moment was definitely heart-checking!

When Jesus came, He brought the Kingdom way of life with Him—a way of life that involved giving more than receiving. Throughout the Gospels, we see Jesus doing many great things for others without expecting anything in return. He wasn’t concerned about having a grand reputation or gaining recognition. He understood His identity and His role as Messiah. The idea of total submission wasn’t a threat to Him. All He cared about was working so that people would give glory to His Father in Heaven. Christ ministered to people from a place of wholeness; He didn’t need to take shine away from God to patch up insecurities (like we often times do). He was already secured in God. Because of His rich relationship with His Father, He was able to pour out love, giving more than He was receiving. We have to get to a place in our walk with God where we’re able to do the same.

Jesus told his disciples that the Kingdom was within them. The same goes for disciples today. This hits home for me as a rapper and minister. It means that as a Kingdom conduit, I must make sure that I’m using my influence and platform to point people to God, not myself. Every void that I have must be constantly filled with God’s presence so that I’m not using the praises of men and recognition as a substitute. I have to give to people out of love, not take from them out of insecurity.

That day in Arlington, when I finally had the chance to rap, I forgot my own lyrics! I found myself mumbling a part of my first verse, trying to get back on beat. LOL! There’s nothing like a nice slice of humble pie to keep you grounded. But you know what? After that ordeal, I still felt good! I recognized that I messed up, but I wasn’t trippin’ over it like I normally would because I knew that God still got His glory from the situation─and that’s all that mattered. My identity isn’t based on whether or not I can “kill it” on stage. I’m rooted in Jesus. Now, don’t get me wrong because I believe that practice makes perfect. Maybe next time, I’ll spend my morning practicing my set instead of cabbage-patching to 90’s music in my hotel room. (I was obviously excited that day. LOL!)

God is serious about His glory, so let’s be carriers of the Kingdom and give generously to the people we’re graced to minister to.

Live Zealous,

SonDaye

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT SONDAYE’S WEBSITE FEATURING MUSIC, VIDEOS, AND MORE!

It’s Sunday morning and it’s time to get ready for church. You found this fellowship that you really like, and you LOVE the worship there. You’re finally dressed, in your car, and playing your pre-game worship warmup list. You get to the service just in time to catch the first song. It’s your favorite! You’re feeling the presence of God. All is well until…

The band and singers stop halfway through the song. It’s over. It’s almost enough to make you get in the flesh.

Sometimes I wonder if that’s how God feels when He hears our worship.

I mentioned that God hears our worship. There’s so much that goes into the melody of our worship to God. And no, it’s not about voice control. In fact, the first time that the word “worship” is even mentioned in the Bible is not in relation to a song at all.

Genesis 22:5-6 says, “Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together.”

The first mention of worship actually had to do with sacrifice. When God looks at our worship, he doesn’t just look at how well we can spiritually connect with Him through a song. He looks at our sacrificial obedience to him in every area of life.

Ok, so…

Great worship songs: Check.

Personal, sacrificial obedience to God: Check.

We should be good now, right?

Not exactly. There’s something else that God looks for in His true worshippers. If He doesn’t find this, then everything else becomes an annoyance to Him. Amos 5:21-24 NLT reads: