Even when it’s hard to believe
Even when our hope seems all gone
There has never been a night without a dawn…
“Faithful God” is one of my favorite songs. Co-written with my friend, Wayne Tate, this song is one that I sing regularly. It never gets old to me.
You can order it as a free MP3 and songsheet download at www.davidbaroni.com
Godrest and Godspeed!
David Baroni
Just watched an inspiring interview with Garrison Keillor and Robert Altman about the movie “A Prarie Home Companion.” (on Youtube)
In the interview with Peter Travers of “Rolling Stone”, Keillor commented on Robert Altman’s directing style. Altman’s approach is to get out of the way and let the actors bring what they have to the scene.
This started me thinking about the best music producers and authors and songwriters that I know. By far my favorite style of producer (and the way I try to produce as well) is the one who gives a skeletal outline, a flexible “wineskin”, then empowers the musician to let the music flow; to rely on Inspiration and the interplay between the musicians. To let go of creative control requires humility and trust in the creative process that causes one to rise above the paralyzing self consciousness and fear that so easily thwarts the free flow of creativity.
One of my favorite authors, Dean Koontz, imagines the characters in his novels, then lets them take on a life of their own. He merely writes from the flow of the moment. It is unselfconscious, and to me, the vulnerability and trust in the inspiration is what gives the novel it’s power and “out-of -the-blue” sense of creativity, freshness and imagination.
In a recent newsletter Koontz writes:
“When you accept your talent not as something to take pride in but as something for which to be grateful, you set the ego aside ad you are freed from the desire to impress, and you enter into play. When that happens, the consequent spontaneity enriches the work, and you experience moments that are spiritually exhilarating, an awareness of God within and without.”
I like my friend and Pastor, Steve Fry’s recent take on authority. My rough paraphrase: “Authority is not so much about power and control and submission to leadership, it is “author-ity”- creating, originating.”
The best songs that I have written were (with only a few exceptions) songs that seemed to have a life of their own. I merely yielded to the creative impulses that were bubbling in the Spirit-realm, and in my own heart.
Jesus is the Author… We are created in the image of the Creator! There is an authenticity and vitality that comes when we trust the Creator to create through us. Let it flow!
Godrest and Godspeed
David Baroni
David and Rita have been in full-time ministry for 25 years.
David has ministered in 49 states and 20 countries. Rita has been able to join David on many of those trips and contribute in her unique and powerful way.
We are very grateful to the Lord for Him allowing us to be in full time ministry. We appreciate your prayers and support financially. The ministry is dependent on the love offerings and sales at our live events, some songwriter royalties, and the generosity of the people who believe in us. Many times God has provided for us with unexpected donations through offerings through the website or checks in the mail.
Recently, the Holy Spirit has impressed us to offer many of the items on the website free of charge, in particular the teaching mp3s.
We at davidbaroni.com know that God is always faithful to provide for all of our needs whether they are financial, spiritual, or physical. Thank you for the part you have in our ministry.
Thank you for your prayers and love! If you feel led by the Holy Spirit to make a donation to our ministry you can do so by clicking on the donation button on the home page at www.davidbaroni.com to donate securely by Pay Pal, or mail a check to:
Kingdomsongs Inc.
209 Cambridge Place
Franklin TN 37067
You can also help by purchasing the ministry resources that are available on the website.
Thank you and God bless you!
These are two powerful principles taught to us by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.
First, we are a kingdom of priests:
Rev. 5:9,10 (my paraphrase) You have redeemed them from every tribe and tongue by Your Blood and have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God and they shall reign on the earth! (emphasis mine).
The role of the priest in the Old Testament was to minister to God on behalf of the people and minister to the people on the behalf of God. in other words, the priest was to be a mediator between God and man.
Now, of course, because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, through the Holy Spirit residing in the believer, we are all part of the royal priesthood. (1st Peter 2:9)
Christ is in us as the Great High Priest, giving us access into the very Holy of Holies, the place of intimacy with Almighty God. Not only that, but Christ in us is also reconciling the world unto Himself through us!
Our first ministry is to the Lord. From the overflow of that worship and obedience and acknowledgement of our dependence on Him (Christ Who is our life) comes our ministry to others. To reverse the order is to rob ourselves of freshness, vitality and effectiveness- regardless of how well-intentioned we may be. We are a kingdom of priests. Not independently, but in unity- though we all have different giftings, callings and expressions of the life of Christ through us.
That is only half of the exciting revelation.
We are also a priesthood of kings!
One of the Names for the Lord Jesus Christ is “King of kings”.
Notice that He is not just the King of subjects. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. This doesn’t merely mean that He is the King that is better than all the other kings (though of course that is true.) He is the King Who reigns over all the “little k” kings.
Who are these “little k” kings?
I am! You are, if you are a born-again believer in Jesus!
We are given the opportunity (and responsibility) of ruling and reigning “on the earth” with Him! Everywhere we go, we are ambassadors of the heavenly Kingdom. We carry heaven with us and fulfill the original mandate given to Adam and Eve to :
“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it:” in other words to advance the agenda, the Kingdom of our Father God!
We are a Priesthood of Kings! From our attitude and posture of humility, worship and delight in caring about those people and things that are on the Heart of God, we have been privileged by grace to partner with the Almighty!
Again, in Romans the scripture: “The entire creation groans and travails together in pain until now waiting for the unveiling of the sons of God.”
Arise and shine kings and priests of our God for your Light has come and the glory of the Lord has arisen upon you!
God’s greatest goal is not to get us to heaven, but to get heaven into us and through us to His world, to conform us to the image of Christ!
This is a partial lyric to a song I wrote years ago:
“Kings and Priests”
From the first to the last
From the greatest to least
We will worship the Lord
As a kingdom of priests
We minister praise to our God and our King
With one heart and voice
We exalt You and sing
We worship You almighty God
We worship You Ruler of rulers
We worship You Almighty God
By Your grace we’ve become
Your daughters and sons
Called to show forth Your praise to the nations
As we glorify Christ as His new Creation
Your glory’s increased
Through your people this Kingdom of priests
We have heard by the Spirit the song our God sings
So we worship You Lord as a priesthood of Kings
Godrest and Godspeed,
David Baroni
I was having coffee at Starbuck’s with a friend and fellow musician today when the conversation turned to one of his favorite jazz recordings: Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea doing a lot of improvisation- free flowing spontaneity within a very loosely sketched, skeletal arrangement.
I told him that spontaneous flowing musically and spiritually is a metaphor to me of how our relationship with God should be. We flow with what we hear from the Lord, willing to lay down our preconceptions of how life is supposed to play out. In involves receiving the gift of faith and the grace to trust that God is faithful and really is working… “all things out for the good of those who love Him, who are the called according to His purposes.” I call it the “victory of vulnerability”, when we step out of the boat on a Word from God.
Jesus said “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” As Paul the Apostle wrote “Now the just shall live by faith.”
It takes a degree of trust to launch out with other musicians into the unknown waters of spontaneous composition. Our tendency, especially as Greek-mindset influenced westerners who rely on empiricism- that is, on what we perceive by our natural senses- is to lean too heavily on the sheet music. It seems safer that way, we like structure.
But does our structure make room for God? He dwells not in temples (structures) made with human hands. He came in the unlikely womb of a young virgin… to the natural minded a woman of reproach. A King? Yes, but born in a stall surrounded by smelly animals and lower class shepherds. The Word was made flesh… the Eternal/Invisible clothed, indeed bound Himself with Time and the Physical so that we who were blind could finally, by faith, see the Father.
The church is a wineskin for the Kingdom of God, not an inflexible piece of pottery that crumbles under the intoxicating pressure of the
flowing wine of God’s grace and Presence. I am not advocating that we have no structure, no wineskin, only that the new wine of the Kingdom of God is poured into the accommodating wineskin that the church is meant to be.
“He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.” And as the Message translation of Psalms 40:3 goes on to say:
He taught me how to sing the latest God-song,
a praise-song to our God.
More and more people are seeing this:
they enter the mystery,
abandoning themselves to God.
Godrest and Godspeed
David Baroni
P.S. My book “The Jazz Preacher” has more on this topic. You can order your copy at www.davidbaroni.com
To introduce our new affiliation with Itunes, we are announcing this promotional event!
The first 25 people to log into Itunes from our site (you can click the icon below or go to the home page at www.davidbaroni.com) and order at least $9.99 from Itunes will receive 3 free MP3s of your choice from the list below.
You can order anything, it doesn’t have to be David Baroni music. Of course, if it is, that would be great too!
Then email us at david@davidbaroni.com and tell us your order total and what 3 free MP3s you would like. It’s that simple!
The one who places the largest Itunes order will receive the following CDs free!
“FingerPaintings: Dream” David’s new instrumental
“Real Life”
“Captured By Your Presence”
After you place your order, choose 3 MP3’s from the following songs:
Ain’t Gonna Let No Rock
Faithful God
Bow Down
A New Anointing
O Draw Me Lord
He’s Been Good
Within the Heart of God
I Rest In You
Hear My Cry
Daddy Daughter Dance (FingerPaintings)
Serenity (FingerPaintings)
Blessed Be The Lord God Almighty
You Are
Sweet Songs
Event ends April 16th so order now!
When you download anything from Itunes… music, movies, games- using the link below, a percentage of the order is given to our ministry! It’s no extra cost to you. Thanks for considering ordering through the link below… tell your friends!
Godrest and Godspeed,
David Baroni
Here is a link to a video of the song “Within the Heart of God” recorded in Kuwait. I hope it is a blessing to you! It starts with a spontaneous instrumental.
““If you could see you how I see you says the Lord, it would free you to be you. Then you would know me for I will show you Who I Am and who you are.”
Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. Hebrews 4:11 (KJV)
A preacher friend of mine said years ago: “Where you find a paradox, you find God.” Some famous paradoxes are in the words of Jesus- “when you lose your life for My sake then you will find it,” and “unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies it bears much fruit.”
Jesus was asked by the people “what shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?”
He replied (and I can just see some of them getting their quills ready to write it down in numbered list form) “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” What a letdown for the listmaking human “do-ers!”
Imagine yourself in a canoe floating down a stream that is flowing in the direction you want to go.
All you have to do is sit in the canoe for awhile, admiring the scenery, waving at the fellow boaters, delighting in the sight of a fish leaping gleefully in front of you. You smell the sweetness from the fragrant trees on the shore. Perhaps you are enjoying a cool drink and a bite to eat. The current and the boat cooperate marvelously to facilitate this journey. You are resting, yet still making good progress toward your destination.
How foolish it would be to suddenly grab a paddle and begin to over-exert yourself with stroking, thinking that it takes your effort to complete the journey.
Welcome to the world of the Believer who is (unwittingly) serving God in his (her) own strength.
As author Major Ian Thomas says in his wonderful book, The Saving Life of Christ: “Serving God in our own strength is like someone giving us a fine automobile, and we receive the gift thankfully, then proceed to get behind it and push it where we want to go!. We are sincere, we are going in the right direction, and we are… exhausted!” Why? Because the automobile was never designed to operate properly by being pushed!
And we were not created to live the “Christian life” in our own strength. As the Apostle Paul said: “I live, nevertheless not I, but Christ Who lives in me!”
Many times we grasp in prayer, asking for what we have already received. Sometimes we respond in a knee-jerk way to a need, instead of following the example of Jesus Who only did what He saw the Father doing. Even Christ did not minister out of His own strength!
Often I find myself striving, living in my own power. What is the answer? To put the paddle down, reach for a drink of Living Water and by faith appropriate- “put on” the Life of Christ. He is our Life! He is our Strength. Christ in us is the hope of glory!
Godrest and Godspeed!
David Baroni