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It says
in Proverbs 6:16 – 19 that there are seven things that God hates.
These things are an
abomination to God, and they are:
1.
A proud look - exalted eyes; those who will not condescend to look
on the rest of mankind.
2. A lying tongue - he who neither loves nor tells truth.
3. Hands that shed innocent blood, whether by murder or by battery.
4. A heart that deviseth wicked imaginations - the heart that
fabricates such, lays the foundation, builds upon it, and completes
the superstructure of iniquity.
5. Feet that be swift in running to mischief - he who works iniquity
with greediness.
6. A false witness that speaketh lies - one who, even on his oath
before a court of justice, tells any thing but the truth.
7. He that soweth discord among brethren - he who troubles the peace
of a family, of a village, of the state; all who, by lies and
misrepresentations, strive to make men's minds evil-affected towards
their brethren.
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I’d
like to ask you to read these things once again that break the heart
of God, and then ask yourself, “Is this talking about me?”
I
received a phone call earlier this week from a former pastor, who is
also a Christian Country singer/songwriter.
We don’t know the man personally, but he said he has been
listening to our radio show and station for many years.
He was grief stricken. He
was going through some very painful and difficult personal things,
but his extreme grief wasn’t because of those personal things.
His
words to us were: I
know you don’t know me, but I know you two.
I’ve listened to you for a long time on radio, and I’ve
watched what you have done for many artists in our industry.
I don’t know why I didn’t start with you when I started
trying to promote my Christian Country music, but I didn’t.
I
had a pretty successful career in country music as a much younger
man, and what I found in country music were basically kind people
who liked each other, even though many times they were competing for
a gig or a break, and industry people who were usually encouraging
and pleasant, although definitely all about “business.”
Oh, there were those who were the “snakes” at every
level, but you found out who they were and you just avoided them.
What
I wasn’t prepared for was what I found in the Christian music
industry. With a few
exceptions, many of those I met were the most hateful, back-biting,
vicious, mean-spirited and greedy group of people I have ever met.
I’m talking about people that I thought had a good name.
I recently released a song with one of those “pretenders”
who once he got my money, he treated me like I was a dog, unworthy
of mutual respect, wouldn’t accept my phone calls, and when he did
he had very unkind things to say to me.
And I want you to know that this person talked about you guys
and others in the industry like they were trash under his feet and
were dishonest and cheaters. This man is not your friend.
I’d like to tell you who it is.
My
first response to him was, “Please don’t tell me.” Then I said, “I am so sorry that you were treated like
that. More than
anything else, though, I’m sorry for that man, because he is
guilty of breaking the heart of God.”
Then
today I read an email that was sent out by another industry
big-shot, demeaning others in the industry who are providing
services for various artists. Obviously
the writer of the email was trying to make his light shine brighter
by making others' darker with innuendos and ugly insults.
Once again, this man is also breaking the heart of God by
spreading gossip, lies and discord among the brethren.
The
witness that these type people demonstrate to the artists
(particularly the new and up-and-coming artists and musicians) in
our genre of music, and the friends and
fans of our genre of
music, most of which are unsuspecting, is abhorrent.
Obviously,
these two people did not measure their deeds before they acted.
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There
are several things they didn’t consider:
1. There’s a principle in sales,
marketing, retail and PR: For
every 10 people who you disappoint, insult or otherwise anger, there
will be 100 people who hear about it.
Apply the math: Those 110 will tell their 100 for every 10,
and so on and so forth.
2. What goes around comes
around. You WILL reap what you so, so expect it.
3.
Do unto others as you would have
them do unto you.
4.
God sees everything we do and
the intentions of our hearts, and He doesn’t overlook such
malicious intent.
I
had another artist today who sent me the email I described above who
said, "Why can’t we just sing our music, minister to the
hungry, the hurting and the lost, and promote our music around the
world the way God leads us, without having all this discord thrown
into the mix? It makes
you just want to pick up your things and go home and forget about
this industry?" My
answer to her was, “And when you do that, they win.
We have an enemy, the devil, who wants you to quit, and he
uses whoever he finds who will be the discord spreader, the
tale-bearer, the thief and the cheater, and then he sets up another
plan that’s designed to make you quit. And when you do quit, he’s the victor.”
These
offending people are not going to go away, but when it happens you
need to just give it to God. He
can handle it far better than we can. Pray for the
offender. Try to love
him or her anyway, but pick who you associate with and work with
with great care and prayer.
Oftentimes
people and things are not what they appear to be.
Their motives are not always pure, and given enough time they
will expose themselves. But
be sure to keep your heart pure and set on things above.
Walk in love and do WHAT GOD calls you to do, following your
peace. Remember, you
may be the only Bible some people ever read or the only light that
someone will ever see, and your actions could have an eternal effect
on their lives, for good or for bad.
If you’re called to serve
God, remember that you are judged at a higher standard and your
responsibility is far greater than those who are not.
You don’t have to bring someone else down in order to make
your light shine brighter.
God bless you as you travel this incredible
road of music ministry, and if we can pray for you or give you any
guidance - which will simply be our opinion based on our own
experiences -- please don't hesitate to contact us, either by phone
at 870-741-1407 or at info@theconnectionon-line.com
by email.
Until next month, wishing you God's best
along your journey.
Micki Farington
Managing Editor |
