The Gospel Accordion to Bob Rice!

If there has been anyone who has influenced my life more that I have never met before it is Bob Rice. I have had great people in my life but there is something about Bob that has struck a chord with me. He is a musician, speaker, professor, father, husband, former youth minister, and is Catholic. Pretty much everything I wanted to be in my life when I want 16 and heard of Bob Rice....I have blogged about this before so I will just let you all look at that here:
http://x-tremeforjesus.blogspot.com/2010/10/i-might-be-obessed-but-he-is-my-role.html .....Anyway He has a new CD out and every one should listen to it. It is called the Gospel Accordion to Bob Rice.  I really have loved all the Albums Bob has put out but this one feels more special. Maybe it is the accordion on every song, maybe it is the subject material. But I really think it is because I helped fund the project via Kick Starter.
 When I first saw it I was like how awesome, I need to fund this...From my understanding this was the only way Bob would be able to fund a record this year, the money just wasn't there, and I know that feeling, I had gotten a better paying job after losing my job and I knew that the best way to thank God was to fund this project. It is as the title of the album implies all accordion music that shares the gospel. But it isn't like what you typical would think accordion music would be aka Polka. I am polish and grew up with a lot of polka so I was half expecting this:

It is nothing like that, now through the updates and such that I would get on the Kick Starter I saw what Bob was trying to do with this record which was fuse worship music and accordion together more than any one else ever had. At least in my opinion as a amateur music critic, he did that and more. The songs are all really catchy, as 1 a song writer and 2 a worship leader I find the message of the CD in the  last song:.

'Cause I have been broken, I've been disjointed

But I have never, ever been disappointed

I've felt Your love and I've been anointed

And I have never, ever been disappointed

I trust your plans and I trust Your choices

I have never, ever been disappointed in You

You make all things new

(here is a Video of the song)

Since Bob Rice "crowd funded" this CD he didn't even know he was going to make it until he got the $9,000 that he needed just for a basic CD. He didn't know what God's plan was going to be through the whole thing. Really it could of gone 2 way, he would look like a hero or he would look like a fool.   Truly he took a leap of faith,  and because the generosity of his fans and friends, and God's grace he was able to raise $12,27. 

 I have to say a word about the producer, Mike Ofca, he has basically produced every Bob Rice CD. The only way I can describe Ofca's work with Bob Rice is that it is like Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf.  They make magic together, too friends that truly do amazing things in the studio and even on stage. 

You can by the Cd by going here:

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bobrice9

Lord, I need you

There have been many times in my life that I have been blessed with "stuff", some times that "stuff" gets taken for granted and taken away. I could list the most intimate times in my life when that has happened, but I will mostly spare you the details. When I was growing up I played football all through middle school and High School. The first year I played varsity we went 8-2, missed the play offs but had a great season. You would think we are going to play just as good, the next year we went 3-7. That is when I learned a key lesson in life, you learn more from a loss than a win. It is a sobering thing going into a game and getting it handed to you. Is it a good thing, no I would rather win than lose but some times God has different plans. In scripture it says "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."-1 Corinthians 10:13 it also says in Mathew that "With God all things are possible"- Mathew 19:26

God won't put you through some thing that is unsurmountable, so even when you are losing your really winning because you are growing stronger in your faith, and even if you don't notice closer to God. The times that I have been struggling the most, when I come out of it I am closer to God and stronger in my faith. When my parents were getting divorced I was 19 years old. My parents had a tumultuous marriage. I can remember them fighting more often then not. They weren't meant for each other and basically stayed together for the kids. By the time I was old enough (I was the youngest) I could tell it was coming and it was only a matter of time. I would stay up at night waiting for my mom to get home, because she would spend time at her friends house and not home. I would wonder, Why doesn't she want to be at home?, am I not good enough for her. She spent more time around people I knew from school or church that were my age, then I would. My family was falling a part. I remember a lot of people knew this and it made it awkward when they would bring it up. I would just freeze and not say anything to them really. It was weird at my house too, my dad was anger because my mom wasn't moving her stuff out quick enough in his opinion. My mom still just spent more time at her friends. My dad was just done, he had put years trying to figure out how to make this work. He spent more time just numbing himself at this It was really a sad time. I was gaining and losing faith all at the same time. I was trying to get closer to God, but at the same time I wondered why God would put me through this. I didn't think God put divorce in my life to get me to Grow closer to him but I was determined to find his plan. God gives us free will we make our own decisions. So my parents made theirs, and I had to live with it. I found it hard to adjust to things, I never really thought it would of been that hard. I struggled with the fact that things weren't going my way. But I was positive that I could get through it with God's help.  That year at the Steubanville Youth Conference I remember talking to one of the CORE members and they asked "What are you hoping to get out of your last Conference?" I said very bluntly "Answers, I want answers there have been way too many things going wrong.  I am struggling with the fact that things are changing, ending, and my family had just fell a part. I  don't do good with not knowing what the plan is." That Core member said "Just offer it up, and ask your questions, only he can provide the answers."  I offered it up at all times, during adoration, praise & worship. There was a song that I really loved it is called "Mighty to Save". The refrain of the song goes:

"Saviour he can move the mountains

My God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save
Forever author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave" 

I remember the first time I heard it I was amazed, it said things I never heard before. God can move mountains, and I felt like he wanted me that he is mighty to save.  The bridge was one of my favorite part of the song:

Shine your light and let the whole world see
We're singing for the glory of the risen king Jesus

Losing is something we all will have to deal with at some point. You will lose something...even if it is just your life because some day you will die. But the trick is to know that loss is on way to get closer to God.

So you might say, "What was the point of all of this?", besides what might seem like a lot of over sharing and personal therapy. Here is the point of all of this; amidst all of our struggles God never leaves us! God LOVES us unconditionally he created us out of love not because he needed us but because we needed him.  He loves us so much he doesn't leave us....and though we may have no idea where he is going we will never be disappointed because he knows what we want before we even want it.

Go To Church!

Here is a question that I was just asked by some one. If I identify as a Catholic Christian but don't go to church am I still a Catholic Christian? Since the Last supper we have had the Mass, and being a Christian has not been a private thing. It is a very public thing. We as Christians are called to be Christians together; while we can and should engage in the private worship of God throughout the week (reading the bible, prayer, and spending time meditating.),  our primary form of worship is public and communal, which is why Sunday Mass is so important. It is the highest form of prayer that we have, it is meant to bring use closer to God, the heart of the mass has not changed ever! It started at the last supper when Christ said this is my Body this is my Blood, that gives us the ability to literally receive Christ in your Body. To then become a living tabernacle. There is nothing greater than that. Being Catholic I don't just go to Mass because it is just a thing to do. In my younger years that is how I saw it, I didn't see the point to go to Mass it was boring and not fun. I would of rather sat at how and watched Pokemon trying to see if Ash would ever "Catch them All".  As a grew older, my family quite going to Mass, and pretty much anything Church related. It wasn't in my top things to worry about I much rather not be apart of the whole "Church thing". I felt a little empty but I filled it with other things. People would say "God loves you" I would say "So, what that doesn't make me special God loves every one. I wasn't until I truly felt God's love that I knew what they meant.  It was 2005 when I felt the Mass really work in my life, it was on a retreat and I never had felt so full of God's love. It was at the Mass, that I said wow this just changed my life. I just experienced real community, I remember the sign of peace every one "peaced"  every one in the room. I had never seen that, over 50 people showing that they cared about each other. That was a community I could believe in, that is when I realized that Catholicism was true and exactly what I needed to follow.  So that is when I committed my self to Christ, it was about serving God and not serving me. I wanted to follow Christ and the best way to do that, to me was go to go Mass. It was to believe with other believers, and be very public. The anwser is no you aren't really Catholic, because you aren't fully buying in to the our most important form of worship.

Nothing needs to be said.

It is simple just watch it, if you struggle or have struggled, or are still struggling hopefully this will help you. This is a great spoken word piece.