Enabling the Dreams of Others - Audio Sample from New Book

Here's an audio sample of a chapter from my new book about Beats N Blessings

In Beats N Blessings (BNB) my dream became to enable the dreams of others. Many times people couldn't understand why I invested so much of my time and talent into developing the talents and dreams of young people in BNB. I would call it the ultimate unselfishness ministry of music. This is one of the things that attracted so many young people to my ministry. They saw an opportunity to receive from the wealth of resources and development that I help provide them with. So many youth dream of using their gift of rapping, singing or making beats, but they don't have a place where they can develop or showcase this talent of theirs. I decided that BNB would be a place where youth can come off the streets and find a positive outlet to develop and express their musical talents. I started invited all the youth off the streets with flyers and by word of mouth and youth began to flock to BNB. Most of the young people would start

attending BNB by taking a digital music production classes. In these classes I would teach them how to use studio equipment to produce beats. After the beats were made many of them would then record lyrics. I feel that what I do with BNB is the total opposite of what the average rapper would do with his time. I'm not boasting in myself or the unique gifting that God has placed on my life. I'm boasting in my God who put this on my heart. If it weren't for him giving me a desire to see souls saved I wouldn't   have taking on this mission. I would say that I died to myself and my own personal agenda so that I could take on the ministry of grooming others in their talents and abilities. It reminds me of the word where it says that except a seed go into the ground and die it is good for nothing. But if it dies it will bear much fruit. This is exactly what happen with me as a result I was able to bear much fruit. I'm thankful that my fruit has also remained. I've seen many of the young peope in BNB go on to do very powerful things with their talents to the degree that they have been able to bear fruit as well. I basically planted seeds that produced trees which bore fruit that had seeds that furthered the God's work even beyond me. It's amazing how God's word fulfilled itself in my life to this degree and I'm so thankful for it. Another reason I poured so much of myself into the lives of young people is because youth begat youth. Meaning each seed bears seeds of it's kind. If we are to reach the young people of this world it's essential that young peope be involved in the process of converting other young people unto him. I know even for me when I was 17 years old I was brought to church by my cousin Derrick who was also 17 years old. If it weren't for God using him to invite me to the youth service at church I probably wouldn't be saved today. The powerful thing about my whole conversion is that there were other teens that help give me a vision for seeing myself on fire for God like they were. It was a very special season in my life and the minstry that occured amongst the young people he surrounded me with. These youth were so fired up that they helped to spark the fire in me. At that moment in time I saw for the first time that following God was not just something for old people, but it was for people my age also. Now many years after my conversion I saw many youth inspired to serve God when the youth in BNB would use there talents through rapping in singing. As the word says "may they see our good works and glorify our father which is in heaven." I believe God has used many elements of my own conversion to give me a vision for helping to convert others to him. I also remember accepting Christ at a play called "Jacob's Ladder". God used the actors in this play to give me a clear picture of what Christ had did for me on the cross when he died in my place. I was so moved by the Holy Spirit that my stomach was literally heated up and I knew it was God who was calling me to give my life to him. It's intresinting how I been used in the arts to win souls as well. My passion for using the arts to win souls clearly comes from my own experience. I know first hand how powerful God moves through the arts to reach many souls around the world. Using the arts and teaching others to do the same brings such a joy to my heart and it's from this place that I have found strength and tenacity to move beyond all obstacles and set backs. One thing I love about God is how he can turn any set back into a major come back. During the times when I found myself between a rock and a hard place my passion for using my talent for him woud be the catalyst keeping me in the race. It would cause me to keep knocking, seeking and asking, knowing that I will eventually see a breakthrough.

I wouud encourage anyone who is looking to enter ministry to do what brings them joy. Work from your passions and when difficult times come you won't give up. Many times people go into a ministry that they are not passionate about and when the adversary comes they give up because they were not passionate about it in the first place. Even in businesses people are advised to work at what they have a passion for so that when tough times come they won't give up and utimately fail in the business. Life can through us many curve balls and things will happen that can cause us to loose focus. But if we stick with what we love we will always find our way back to living out our purpose in life. There are so many things that can distract us from living out our true purpose. Over the years I've had many different business propositions come my way. Things that took up too much of my time and brought lots of frustration into my life. I would start out excited about the new found venture only to quit months later after my desire for that thing dwindled and lost it's attraction for me. This can be a very tricky and confussion place for many of us, especially when we are gifted with many abilities. Sometimes I wish that I didn't have so many talents becuase I get so scattered at times trying to do too much on my own. This is an5 other place we can loose focus. The best thing to do is to follow the 80/20 rule. In our lives it's 20% of what we do that brings about 80% of our prosperity. It's for this reason that we need to delegate the other 80% of what needs to be done to others who are masters at it. For example I learned to produced beats using many different tools from hardware to software, but It woud take me hours or even days to do what some of my producer friends could do in a matter of minutes so that's when I had to delegate that area of my ministry to others who are masters at it. This way my time is now more freed up to do what I'm a master at. Overtime I've come to see how God has given

me the annointing for activating others into ministry. I've seen it happen in so many ways and it's as though I didn't even realize how God was using me. I have a way of helping people to see what they are great at and launching them into using their talent in that manner. Basically this is what BNB has become a place where young people have been able to discover what they are great at and work on mastering and using that gift to impact the lives for others. Some would find that they're great at making beats, others would find they are great at rapping, singing or dancing. I guess you can call me a Holy Ghost Activator. (Lol). I love to look into the lives of individuals and pull out of them hidden treasures that have been buried or under nurished.  I guess this is why I have found so many people come around me showing me the same ministry. Even the writing of this book was inspired by prophets and prophetess who God used to help activate me into releasing this wonderful gift that was buried deep

inside of my heart. Sometimes I was misunderstood for why I do what I do and I had to learn how to ignore those who seek to distract rather than to understand how God is using me. The enemy at times uses others to persecute us because he's trying to get us off track from what God called us to do. He want's us to doubt the work that God is doing through us. Like Peter who walked on water when he kept his eyes on Jesus we need to do the same or else we will sink in the water as he did when he looked at the storm instead of keeping his eyes on Jesus. When I look at all the great things that God has done through BNB it amazes me to see how he allowed me to walk on water as well. I've also seen how when I took my eyes off Jesus I would began to sink in the troubled waters of life. But thanks be to God that when we sink we can always call on Jesus will reach down and pulll us out of our dispair.