What Will They Say About Me...

Good morning family!

This morning (and often many mornings), I woke up hearing Kirk Franklin's "The Appeal"....specifically at point 6:08. I know, it's these gloomy conversations that NOBODY likes talking about, but I often times try to think about when I die, what will people say about me? And its frustrating sometimes because I tend to live my life with that in my mind.  I'm always worrying if the things that I say or do will hurt others.  Its just my nature.

I find myself jealous because so many of my friends today are in that place where they say "Hate it or Love it, im doing ME!!"  ***NOTE**** Im not saying that anything is wrong with people who say that.  DO NOT GET IT TWISTED....lol. It's just the fact that I feel like I'm so far from where I see myself.  So its hard to DO ME when Im not 100% sure if I'm cool with who "Me" is today...lol.

If I were to die today, I hope people would look at me and say that I was a man who loved God, his family, and did good for the world.  I want to be remembered for making people laugh uncontrollably; the guy that helped as much as he could.  I want to be the guy you see God in...and it doesn't have to be signified by me wielding a bible openly so everyone can see. It would be apparent in the way I treat people.

As I think more, I'm grateful to music because it gives me an avenue to be these things that matter to me.  I'm grateful for this blog because it further allows me to open up and share my story with people.  It's my hope that through my music...through my blog....through my message, somebody is touched enough to believe they can do all things with Christ as their foundation.

Its actually kinda funny.  Today I asked God why He gives me these Words to share.  He simply replied (immediately) "because people listen to you".....wow.

I hope you hear my heart with this one...Much Love...

MD

Wilderness Prayer

Greetings Friends and Family,

It's been a while since I've posted here.  I havent forgetten!!  Life has just been a whirlwind.  I'll keep today's post short and to-the-point.  As of late, I've had my share of challenges that I feel have knocked me off course with my relationship with God.  In the spirit of transparency, I feel lost.  Me being the business person that I am, I feel compelled to have a strategy for finding a solution for getting myself back on track. Truth is, I don't have one.  But I'm grateful to have stumbled upon this old prayer.  It is my prayer for today, tomorrow, and the next.  I hope that if you are in the same place as I, that you may embrace this prayer as well:

"My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do i really know myself. The fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But i believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road... Therefore I will trust you always.  Though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death, I will not fear for you are with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone. ~ Thomas Merton (Thoughts of Solitude)"

God Bless,

Marc

Life Deals Blows....

No matter who you are...no matter what you know...no matter how good of a person you are, there is one thing that we can all attest to...LIFE DEALS BLOWS.  These blows (or trials) may be temporal or their impacts can last a lifetime.  No matter the significance, one thing's for sure...although they never get an invite to the "life" party, they always finds a way in.  No one says when they wake up in the morning, "Hey, life is too good right now.  I REALLY need some bad things to happen...you, know just to balance things out." Haha.  No it doesn't work that way.  If all of us could live in total bliss, Im sure we'd go that route without question.

But as I think about the trials that I'm currently faced with, I turn to James 1:2-4:

² My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, ³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. ⁴ But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 

I love this verse because you dont have to be a Christian to understand it's practical application.  When difficult situations come in our lives (especially the ones that are too big for us to fix), we are often forced to play the waiting game.  For example, Men, you know how we do that thing that our girls absolutely hate?  Then after the confrontation on that situation, we usually have to deal with the silent treatment.  That's a trial that really works our patience.  Because we're not getting anything out of her until she is ready...HA! But its in those moments during our trials that we are forced to stop DOING, and focus on reflecting.

Going through trials forces us slow down.  Its so easy to get caught up in work, deadlines, commitments, etc. that we forget the things that matter in life.  When those trials come, they bring pain.  But that pain helps us realize the more important things in life.  And as a Christian, that pain pushes the limit of our patience, and that leads to a greater reliance on God to bring us out.

So I stand here today grateful for the trials I'm going through.  Since I'm not dead, I consider it a wake up call.  My simple prayer for today: God, I pray that as I go through this trial...as WE go through our trials that in this moment of patience and reflection we turn to you.  I pray that in this trial you continue to show us your mercy.  Lift us out of our mess, and stand us at your right hand.  Let our test become our testimony.  And we'll be careful to share that testimony with all that we encounter.  Thank you for your test.  In Jesus' name we pray this prayer.  Amen.

John P. Kee - I Wont Let Go

The Circle of Life...

PROCEED WITH CAUTION: As many of you know, I'm not usually the one that preaches to people in their blogs...or tries to sell an idea or thought to someone in order to start/further some digital movement.  I do thoroughly enjoy reading those types of blogs, but they just aren't not MY strong point.  What I write about is simple...my life.  I write it in hopes that it resonates with someone, and they can either give me some advice/guidance (selfishly speaking) or it blesses them to know that they don't deal with these types of things alone.  That said, let me jump to today's blog...

Life is funny.  Life is full of endless opportunities, yet starkly limited due to our mortality.  It is both simple and complex.  The moments we share are said to live for a lifetime, but that lifetime seems to go by in just moments (yeah, i came up with that).  We spend most of our days figuring out how to make life better.  And most of us don't do it just ourselves, but we do it for ones we love as well.  Most of us put our necks on the line so it can be easier for our family.  In essence, from birth we develop this servant mentality that drives us to do whatever we do.  Whether it be family, love, money, success, or just plain happiness; something is always at the core of what we do.

We set goals, and we march towards them.  Today, more than anytime in history, we ALL have the ability to achieve that which we set out to do.  That's the beauty of the world today.  But the thing that irks me the most is that in those times when you're a marching towards something that you KNOW will be a blessing to the people you truly love, but you wind up feeling unappreciated.  Have you ever worked really hard for something...im talking putting your full energy into making it better...only to have the person you're doing it for just dismiss it?  I've had that happen in college (s/o to nearly ALL of my professors...lol), in relationships (s/o to all my ex's), in life general.  Shucks, I've done it to others.

Aside: We never truly appreciate a person until their gone.  That's why funerals are so powerful.  It forces us to think back on all the good times we had with that person...all other things just seem so trivial.  

Flipping it back, I have to say that its one of the most painful things in the world when you give yourself to/for someone and they either don't acknowledge it or point out what you DIDNT do instead.  This is what makes giving so hard.  This is why I have the utmost respect to all those people-servants out there: the parents, teachers, pastors, employees, everyone who's primary role is doing something for others.  Why? Because for every one person you truly touch, there are ten others that can make you feel ineffective and worthless.

This isn't the path that I originally planned on taking with this post, but I know it will touch someone.  Unfortunately, I don't have the answer on how you make it through the feelings of inadequacy and worthlessness.  I'm actually in that place right now myself.  Now, I could throw out the cliches that are so prevalent in the church today, but I will spare you.  But there is one verse out there that just reminds me of how I SHOULD respond (even though I don't all the time...lol): 2 Chronicles 7:14.

Intro....Deuces...(s/o to Nina...)

MD

What is the world coming to...

So last night (since I was forced to evacuate due to flooding and no power), I decided to watch the Video Music Awards (VMAs) on MTV by my boy's crib.  I just have to say, that I knew my parents were strict and didnt let me watch for a reason, but I feel it has NEVER been this bad.  I couldn't believe what I saw for one minute. The things that we used to be too embarrassed to say or do on television are just a common place nowadays.

****ALERT*****THIS IS THE KEEPING IT REAL SECTION*****

I have to say that the Devil is SOO prevalent in today's society.  These little kids are looking/acting/talking devilish in every way.  The worst part about it was, every single one of them were thanking God for getting them to where they were.  One lady went into deep praise because her son won an award.  Her son then approached the stage and began to shout the most useless profanity he could think of.  Needless to say, my spirit was utterly disturbed.

I begin to think a little more on this.  My first inclination was tojust turn the channel.  But I thought to myself, "as a Christian, what is turning the channel doing to combat this?"  Is this really standing up for holiness?  I couldn't help but think that God didn't put me here to just accept this.  But what could I do?  Who am I to declare war on this "filth."  After all, I'm still dealing with my own personal demons.

But God is really putting this on my heart.  He's given me this music gift that I feel is peculiar.  I'm going to figure out how to use this to fight the good fight.  Rebellion is our sinful nature.  War is usually the outcome of rebellions.  The Great War is soon to occur, and I want to hone my skill for battle.  You'll see some changes to come...and I hope you rock with me...

Much love,

MD

Behind the Meaning: Keep On Praisin (Close To You)

...this is the last song from my debut Gospel album.  It's definitely THE jam if I may say so myself.  It talks about how in good times, we should praise Him.   In bad times, we should praise Him.  At ALL times we should have the mentality to Keep On Praisin'.

Behind the Meaning: Give You The Praise (Close To You)

This song was a song that God gave me.  It was just a song of praise that I wanted to lift up to Him.  It's hard to add more to this, because there honestly isn't anymore to it.  I think the biggest line that God gave me with this song was the line following the choir that eventually is repeated at the end of the song: "I won't hesitate, I'll give you the praise."

Behind the Meaning: Close To You (Close To You)

So I've been slacking on getting these out, so I'm going to knock out the remaining three of these tonight.  The first song I will talk about is the title track on my album, entitled Close To You.  The reason I wrote this song (and ultimately decided to name the CD after this song) was because this was ultimately where I stood in my relationship with God.  Now to truly understand what I'm talking about, I have to give you a little bit of history.

Behind the Meaning: Amazing Mercy (Close To You)

So I have to be honest about this song.  My only motivation at the beginning of writing this song was to have a song that mirrored (and maybe even combatted) Amazing Grace...lol.  There...you have it...guilty as charged.

Behind The Meaning: I Love You (Close To You)

An incredible God deserves incredible praise!!  That really didnt really have anything to do with anything.  I just felt it on my heart :-).   So thank you for entertaining my digression.

The next song I'm writing about is my song entitled "I Love You." This song was actually one of the hardest songs on my album to write.  I wanted something VERY simple.  Something that would tell the story of how I was feeling, without being too flashy.  My girl Nina Vishwanath actually randomly sent me this raw beat that she made.  It was a short clip, but it was enough to inspire me to create I Love You.

Behind the Meaning: You Were There (Close To You)

What's up family!!  So here is another installment of "Behind the Meaning,"  a segment dedicated on the WHY I wrote the songs that are on my debut album entitled Close To You--which is in itunes today (shameless plug).  This time around, I will be talking about my song "You Were There." It is the 5th track on my album, but actually the 1st song I wrote.

This song was actually inspired by the popular "Footprint In The Sand" poem by Mary Stevenson.  In it, you see a person walking on the beach, each step corresponding to a specific memory or a moment in their life.  It reads on to show a conversation with God where the protagonist (the main character) questions God on why, in the rough times in their life, were their only one set of footprints in the sand.  But in good times, there are two sets of footprints in the sand.  God responds:

Intermission: Just a Prayer

Hello my family....I wrote a prayer out yesterday, and I wanted to share it with everyone.   I'm not going to edit it.  I'm not going to prettify it.  I'm just going to share it with you all.


God, my Father.  I come to you humbly, grateful for all that you are for me...all that you've done for me.  I've taken some time to think.  There is so much I struggle with:

• The burden of pleasing everyone
• The feeling of loneliness although everyone is around
• The feelings of failing You
• The fear of being irrelevant
• The fear of weight gain
• The constant pain in my body
• The silent tears I cry because I feel I can't share with others (even if I can)

It's all just so much to bear at times. But I know who you are and what you stand for. They say you specialize in great outcomes. Well, I'm not even looking for a GREAT outcome. I just want to have peace in my spirit and a spirit of gratitude For the gifts you have given me. I'm tired of always wanting someone else's gifts. I'm tired of feeling like I cant...just because I feel others have it so much better.  I love you God, but this internal war is getting to me. I'm weaker than I thought. But you've promised me that for every situation I'm brought to, you've already planned a way of escape.  Give me the strength to just hold one through it all.

I know that there are people out there that are struggling with the same things that I am.  I just pray that we are able to come together (in spirit) and encourage each other out of these thoughts and feelings that attempt to subdue our joy.  Everyday we have the opportunity to live Galatians 6:2.  I know at the end of the day, I cant make it without any of you.

Thank you for being there for and with me...


Blessings,


MD

Behind the Meaning: Breakthrough (Close To You)

Greetings MD Fans,

Allow me to pause and just thank all of you for the love you've been showing me.  I have to say that it warms my heart to see all this support.  I figured now that all the initial business from releasing an album is over, I can get back to blogging the meanings behind my songs.

The next song on the album is Breakthrough.  This is probably THE most interesting song on the album, because it was literally written in like 2 hrs.  I was going through some things (both personal and professional), and one day the load just got too heavy for me to bare.  I just got SO overwhelmed to where I told a friend at work "you know, i feel like sometimes you just gotta go to Hell and back just for things to go your way....just to break through the nonsense."  Little did I know, I was establishing the foundation for one of my favorite songs on the album.

And to answer the question, I do believe Marc Danyell is destined for greatness. Why? My DADDY told me so!! Message!

Man. That Bieber movie got me hype. Listen...we can do ALL things through Christ that strengthens us. I encourage you as I encourage myself. Stay focused and always dream!!! Success is never a destination, it's a journey!!

Need some inspiration. Getting ready to watch the Justin Bieber movie. IAmNotAshamed NeverSayNever KidHasSoul

Testing out ping.fm. Let's see if this works!!!

How Do We Know? A Pause to Review The Straight and Narrow

First and foremost, I wanted to say that I've missed you guys!  I took a little break from posting in my blog in order to prepare for and execute my album release. Aside: If you haven't purchased my album yet, its available on iTunes.  Just search for my stage name: Marc Danyell.  If you don't use iTunes, feel free to purchase it directly from cdbaby.com/marcdanyell.  If you have HAVE purchased my album, I want to say thank you.  Then commission you to tell 10 people to buy my album :-).

Okay, Okay...I'm hear to write, not talk about my wonderfully crafted, great sounding album.  Speaking of the album, I will get back to writing the meaning behind the rest of my songs following this blog.  I don't want to let that fall off, as I feel its important that the listener understand where I'm coming from [from whence I come...take THAT English Teachers everywhere].  

So today on my drive to work, I began to just think about my life and if I've lived a good enough life to get to heaven.  I have to say that this is one of the hardest things to ponder.  One thing that makes it hard is that there are just SO many humanity-tainted doctrines out there on Christianity and/or your relationship with God.  If you ever have a chance to just bounce from denomination to denomination, you'll realize that they all use the same bible...but have different focal points that become the foundation of their faith.  I wont get into a theological analysis of each, but I do want to point out the stress and strain that it puts on a seasoned believer (not to mention a new believer). Who's right? Who's wrong?  They are all right? So who's righter? [I know...."more right"...I got this...I know my grammar!!].

But even outside of the humanity-tainted doctrines out there, I find it still difficult to even measure something like "How well am I pleasing God."  Measuring your relationship with God isn't like measuring your album's success, which is directly linked to your sales and popularity. ....But is it? Jesus talks to us in Matthew 7 when he says that "every good tree brings forth good fruit; but corrupt trees bring forth evil fruit.  A good tree can't bring forth evil fruit, nor can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit" (vs. 17-18).

It's really much more simple than I am making it out to be.  If I want to know how I'm doing in my relationship with God, all I have to do is take a look around me.  Now I'll point out that we shouldn't get this confused with whether or not everything around us is GOING well, because that was never part of the deal.  Rather, if we see the people that are around us...their relationship with God getting stronger.  That tells the story of how success our relationship with God truly is greater than anything else can...

I learned something today...nice!  Be blessed!!

Behind the Meaning: He Touched Me (Close To You)

This song has a particularly special meaning for me.  I blogged about this a few years ago, but many of you know that my father passed away in 2009.  When I went home for the funeral, I found one of my dad's old mini cassette recorders.  On one side, I heard sounds of him hunting (so it had to be really old).  On the other,  I actually found him singing the old Christian classic "He Touched Me."

Behind the Meaning: My Everything (Close To You)

So this song was inspired by yet another Fred Hammond song (Everything To Me).  After listening to this song, I was on this kick to write about how God was just...MY everything.  I had a few songs that I had arranged previously that fulfilled this desire, but none of them were good enough to put on an album.  I was in the studio with my Producer, Noel, and he played this track for me.  Okay, let me pause here for a second.  So I have to admit something.  This track was NOT originally for me...but after I heard it, I just couldn't let it go.  So yes, someone got Track Jacked.... But dont worry, I added my own flavor to it--rearranged it, added some sounds, added an intro, added a vamp, and made it mine :-).

Behind the Meaning: Close To You...The Album

So I've decided to do something that I've never seen from any other artist (I pay attention to)...I'm going to blog about why I created each of the songs on my album.  I figure I should start by talking about the album as a whole. Well this whole journey was built on two things.  First, I wanted to find my sound (who is Marc Danyell).  Then I had to think about WHY I was making this album.

Wash Me....Then Use Me...

Whats up eWorld (i love calling you guys that...),

So I vow to do much much better than I have with keeping up with this post. The homie, Guil Da, has commissioned me to log my journey, so I will do so.

So this saturday at 6:30pm, I will be opening up for Carl Jenkins & X'Altation at First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens (771 Somerset St, Somerset, NJ). I will be singing two songs off of my debut album, Close To You---all shameless plugs. In preparation for this event, I wondered to myself...how can I get myself ready??

One Year Later...Progess?

Man...this is crazy. So first and foremost, allow me to say hello again eWorld. It's been quite some time. I decided this morning that I had so many things pent up inside of me, that I had to continue my blogging process. You can't really talk about your problems with any because everybody has their own issues. So I feel this is the most appropriate avenue to release all the thoughts that weigh me down.