On Adultery and Hypocrisy in Christian Artists and Leaders

As long as the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ has been in existence, there have been false converts, weak brethren, false apostles, as well as honest believers that make mistakes. We all have been sinners at one time, and we still fight against sin.

There are plenty of pastors with children by different women in “their” congregation, and plenty of Christian artists that don’t live what they sing.

Even King David himself slept with his neighbor’s wife, and then killed her husband. However, God had mercy on Him, because David confessed and forsook his sin. Even then, David reaped exactly what he sowed. His own daughter was raped by his own son, then one of his sons killed the other… Then the son that killed the other son tried to kill him and takeover the kingdom! And his baby died. David had a brutal family life because of what he allowed into his family (2^nd Samuel).

God is merciful and he will forgive you personally… but you will still reap what you sow! That’s an Immutable Spiritual Law.

7: Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
8: For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

Galatians 6

Spirtual Law #2 – Confession and Exposure

Another scriptural promise that we should all be aware of is this: Whatever is done in secret will be seen in the light…

Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
2: For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.
3: Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.

Luke 12:1

You CANNOT HIDE ANYTHING! It’s a spiritual principle! All sin is the result of believing a lie. One of the biggest and simplest lies satan tells you is that you are powerful enough to keep sin a secret. Its IMPOSSIBLE. The longer you delay confession the worse it gets for you.

This is why you must confess your sins. The bible says whoso hides their sins will not prosper or be successful at it or anything else… But whoso confess and forsakes shall have MERCY.

13: He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

Proverbs 28

This is why I personally try to catch my sins in the thought stage, before they turn into words and actions. If I notice myself lusting, or even cursing or saying non-blessings in my head, I’ll confess it to God while its still in my head. Otherwise, I know that I will reap what I sow, and I will not be able to hide it. It will be shouted from the rooftops and airwaves. Another benefit of doing this is that it builds intimacy, closeness and openness with God.

Ministry and Music

Do we throw away the Psalms because David sinned? No. Even the chapters before Psalms 51 are still scripture.

Do we throw away Proverbs because Solomon didn’t obey them? No.

Its the same thing with Christian music… If its Word-based, then its anointed by God. The Word of God is anointed. It’s our job to obey it and live it.

I always judge music by the lyrics. If I hear about a Christian artist that has sinned, I simply pray that they are restored, and have peace and righteousness in their life. Yes, I do get disappointed… but that doesn’t mean their music was ungodly.

Some “gospel” music, you should definitely throw away… It is not truth-based. But you don’t have to discard truth. The truth is the truth.

Non Christians LOVE to see bold saints fall into sin, and they love to call them hypocrites, because they think it gives them an excuse not to love or believe in God at all.

BUT when judgment day comes, everyone will stand before God and be judged by God, and their own conscience will give witness that they are wicked without Christ’s mercy. There will be no excuses except the grace and mercy of Christ.

Instead of scoffing and laughing at Christians, professional sinners should tremble. Judgement only begins in the house of God (1 Peter), it doesn’t end there! When non-Christians see believers being exposed, they should not be haughty… They should actually fear God, and be careful to repent, because that means judgment is coming even harder and quicker for them! God always purifies HIS people first before the ungodly get theirs.

17: For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
18: And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

1 Peter 4

Hypocrite – definition

1. one who answers, an interpreter

2. an actor, stage player

3. a dissembler, pretender, hypocrite

A hypocrite is simply a person who is not true. They are actors in real life. Remember that Jesus said in Luke 12:1, the doctrine of the Pharisees was hypocrisy. They were actors and professional pretenders. They were pretending in real life!

Jesus promised that if you are a pretender… the truth will definitely come out. It’s a spiritual law.

Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
2: For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.
3: Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.

Luke 12:1

So here is the option: you will either confess the sins, or it will be shouted from the housetops. Either way, there is nothing hidden. Exposure is inevitable! There is no need to gossip or spread rumors, because eventually, it will be heard in the light!

Judgmental?

Some people like to say that if you preach the Truth, you are being judgmental… and somehow that causes you to be a hypocrite. Please read this scripture aloud.

9: Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10: Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
11: And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

1 Cor 7

Well, is reading that scripture aloud judgmental? The issue is not the whether we can speak the Truth or not… the issue is: are we living the Truth, or being actors in real life? 

Now on to solutions…

How not to Be an Actor in the Kingdom

Avoid Pride in Real Practical Ways

Sin gets in under pride… We put artists and popular ministers on a pedestal, when they should be equal (not just theologically, but practically). They don’t have good accountability and fellowship. They are put on a pedestal and cannot have shoulder to shoulder fellowship with saints, because they are on a higher plane… and always by themselves on a plane. Keep a true Kingdom lifestyle of humility, fellowship, and brotherhood. Make yourself equal to the “lowest” brother in you know in a practical way.

Don’t Be Contentious

One evidence of pride is contention (Proverbs 13:10). A minister or artist is beefing with someone, or in strife, and that’s how satan gets in. Satan also gets into marriages by pride, then contention. If you feel like you are in a contentious fight with someone, humble yourself and let them win. Speak the truth and your belief and move on.

Travel with Your Wife

We need to do the simple things like travel with our wives. Peter and the other apostles who were married (1 Corinthians 9:5) did this.

Fast Weekly

People don’t really obey Christ Jesus’s command to fast that much. If you are heavy in ministry you need to be heavy in fasting. Even if you’re not doing a lot of preaching you should be fasting regularly as a part of the kingdom lifestyle as a regular believer. (Matthew 6, Matthew 9:15). Fasting is brutal for your flesh, it helps keep you disciplined, and it just simply multiples the grace on your life.

Get Off the Stage
Go house-to-house, not just stage to stage. Teach your sphere of influence to live the lifestyle of the Kingdom of God. Teach whatever scriptures you learn on a weekly basis. Do bible studies. Throw house parties. Host prayer meetings. People need brotherhood, house-to-house fellowship, and lifestyle discipleship, not just stage-to-stage-to-stage-to-stage ministry. Those days are officially over. Stage-to-stage ministry alone leaves people empty and immature as professional spectators. And by itself, it keeps you an actor on a stage.

Keep it 50/50
Match your ministry-to-others time with your ministry-to-the-Lord time. If you are hosting a 3 hour event, first minister to the Lord in your closet for 3 hours. You can call it “50/50.” This will keep you balanced.

This world is corrupt, our sin nature is real, and the devil is on the attack. But our Faith is the Victory that overcomes the World! In the Blood of Jesus Victory is guaranteed.

More Solutions

One of best book I’ve ever read on adultery, fornication, and marriage is “Why Some Christians Commit Adultery.” It has been recently republished as “Why Good People Mess Up” This book is detailed, deep, but surprisingly quick, easy to read, and full of real life stories.  It talks about spiritual defilement, voyeurism, masturbation, psychological adultery, transference of spirits, dating, cultural strongholds, and much more! Order it here.

More Solutions

Check Out the Good News Talk Show!

Sleep With Your Own Wife Part One

Sleep With Your Own Wife Part Two

Lyrics:

Baby I know
you are waiting for my phone call
I’ve been gone for too long
but I need some time for myself

because lately i’ve been thinkin
you know that this ain’t working
and calling you it aint gonna help

i know we’ll end up fighting
it’s always over nothing
somehow youre acting cold as ice

well baby let me tell you
in case that you don’t get it
These problems don’t dissapear by theirselves

You know I love you but I can’t go on
I can’t remember where our love went wrong
is there a way so i can understand
please let me know so that i can

Move on
and let go of the past
Move on
cause this was never gonna last
Move on
so i can finaly rest
i need to move on and just
leave you alone

Weve gotten to a point where theres no turning back
after all the we have said
girl you know i’m gonna walk through the door

inside it’s feeling wrong cause
i thought you were the one
but my love for you wont play me no more

oh scream at me be angry
your words will go right through me
ill even let your tears hit the floor

this time its going down
girl I won’t turn around
like i used to do before

You know I love you but I can’t go on
its not my fault that our love went wrong
deep in your heart i know you understand
i need to go so that i can

Move on
and let go of the past
Move on
cause this was never gonna last
Move on
so i can finaly rest
i need to move on and just
leave you alone

On the guitar is the known songwriter Cloud T 83 with her new artist J-marie presenting the new track “I’m Missing You”. Enjoy

Rumour has it that Robbie Williams asked his longtime girlfriend, Ayda Field, to marry him live on the radio, the singer is “not engaged”!!!

It was a joke – that’s his excuse!!! And we bet she’s thrilled!

Robbie took to his website to combat the rumors, in which he writes, “Hey all. We are not engaged. Rob.”

He’s either an idiot to deny it or a douche to propose as a joke!

You decide!!!

Just a week ago, Janet Jackson and Colin Farrell were spotted having dinner together in Beverly Hills.

That led many to assume something might be going on between Janet and the ladies’ man.

But, Colin was just seen this past weekend with his girlfriend and it seems Janet’s out of the picture – or she will be after seeing these pics!

During Thanksgiving break, Colin was spotted with his babymomma, Alicja Bachleda, in Mexico.

The two welcomed their first son together, Henry, this past October in Los Angeles. Colin also has a son, 6-year-old James, with model Kim Bordenave.

Guess that’s the end of the potential Colin-Janet hookup.

We didn’t see them lasting anyways!

The Only Exception

Brick By Boring Brick

Realise how different Hayley looks here lol.

VIDLA’s Patron, author and vocal coach Dena Murray, has been kind enough to write an exclusive article for VIDLA this week.

The article is called ‘Dispelling the Myth – Proper Engagement of the Diaphragm’, and is a tantalising glimpse into the focus of her latest book, which is available to order via Amazon, or via the VIDLA Bookstore

The book is called “Vocal Strength and Power: Boost Your Singing With Proper Technique & Breathing“, and is published by hal Leonard. It is the third of Dena’s books. Her first two: “Vocal Technique” and “Advanced Vocal Technique” (also published by Hal Leonard), are two of VIDLA’s range of Key Texts associated with specific Study Units.

You can find Dena’s new article in full  here.

Dena is unfailing in her support for what we do here at VIDLA, and the whole team would like to thank her for her always-charming manner, her kindness and her expertise.

With warmest wishes,

The VIDLA Team

Click here for a zip file containing all the images from this post. If the thumbnails below don’t load, click here for an index.

Academy of Country Music Awards – 2009

CMA Music Festival – 2009

George Strait ACM Artist of the Decade – 2009

Good Morning America – 2009

Silverton Hotel performance – 2009

Stagecoach Music Festival – 2009

Revolution photoshoot

Photo Miley Cyrus                                                                                     ♥

They are celebrated as great vocalists, but can the likes of Bob Dylan and Tom Waits really sing? Neil McCormick writes in the Daily Telegraph:

Bob Dylan: “A voice like sand and glue” in Bowie’s memorable phrase. Contrary to what many of his critics would assert, Dylan actually sings in tune but his harsh, barbed-wire timbre & attacking delivery has been inspiration for every tone deaf poet with a guitar. But with songs like these, who cares whether he can really sing or not?

Lou Reed: His half talking, half singing drawl with the Velvet Underground created a new rock template.

Tom Waits: Started out gruff and soulful but deliberately ravaged his vocal chords with whiskey and cigarettes to sound older and more lived in. In the history of vocals, I am not sure anyone has ever done more with less.

Johnny Cash: Even as a youngster, his voice was shaky and low, but he sang in time and in tune and like he had lived every word.

John Lydon (Johnny Rotten): His ranting style, high and tuneless, led the attack of the Sex Pistols then took us on dub metal journeys with Public Image Limited.

Ian Dury: Unrepentantly cockney speak-singing, frequently completely flat but utterly alive in the playful lyrics.

Leonard Cohen: A low, shaky monotone that has, somehow, grown in authority even as it reduces in range.

Nick Cave: A stiff baritone beset by tuning problems, Cave invests his apocalyptic blues with spine chilling conviction.

Siouxsie Sioux: A lone female entrant on our chart of errant singing stars, Siouxsie’s limited range and gravelly tone only added to her lustre as la grande dame of punk and goth.

Jarvis Cocker: OK when he keeps it to a whisper but as soon as he sings out he turns into some tuneless geek in a karaoke bar, which perfectly suits his vignettes of ordinary life.

While the Miley Cyrus was getting some food at Pop Burger, the counter person asked for her name to put on the order. Miley was shocked and fired back with: “Are you serious? You don’t recognize me? I’m Miley Cyrus.”

The name obviously didn’t register with the Pop Burger employee and just shrugged and said “That’s nice for you. Here is your order. Have a good day.”

Grammy-award winner Ne-Yo is set to perform at The Pearl Concert Theater in the Palms Casino Resort on Jan. 1. 

In 2006, Ne-Yo hit the R&B scene with a style all his own – a mix of classic sounds with a modern twist. His debut album, In My Own Words, hit #1 on the Billboard 200 and solidified his role as an artist to watch. The Las Vegas singer’s sophomore album, Because of You (2007), also peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200 and brought Ne-Yo much acclaim when he won Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 2007 Grammy Awards. 

With Ne-Yo’s third DVD, The Year of the Gentleman, the Las Vegas native and premier songwriter has constructed a suite of songs that shows exactly what he means by class. Written over the course of travels through Europe and his own fascination with the hometown boys known as the Rat Pack, Ne-Yo explains, “For me, the sharpness of Sammy and Sinatra is the kind of style I strive for in clothes and music. Year of the Gentleman is named in honor of those guys.” 

This event is produced by Andrew Hewitt and Live Nation. The Pearl Box Office in the Palms Casino Resort is open from noon – 7 p.m. daily. Doors will open at 8:00 p.m. and show time is 9:00 p.m.  For more information, please call 702-942-6888.

Okay, not about pottery, but still about the arts:  Last night we attended a performance of the Tony Award-winning musical “Spring Awakening” at the Orange County Performing Arts Center.    It was fantastic entertainment.  From the very engaging actors/singers to the clever & cunning mise-en-scene (costumes, hair, make-up, scene & lighting design) as well as remarkable movement choreographed by the incomparable Bill T. Jones; well, it made us happy.   There is nothing like live theater.  Buy a ticket today, you won’t regret it.  Here’s a short clip of the touring cast we saw last night:

This  morning I watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. I was both pleased and shocked over the changes to this parade. For one, I was glad that this parade returned to its original route, ending on NYC’s 34th Street, as in the film Miracle on 34th Street. Being a musician, I was curious as to which artists would grace the stages of some of the floats. While this year’s Thanksgiving Day Parade featured astounding musical numbers and singers like Andrea Bocelli and Carly Simon, I noticed that this parade had more artists that were new to me: artists like Jay Sean, Keke Palmer, Boys Like Girls, Billy Currington, and Mitchel Musso. These singers cover a wide range of genres, some of these performances bothered me. Currington, for instance, sang “People are Crazy,” where he proclaimed his love of God and alcohol (Was that really necessary for a family program?). Others, like Musso, lip-synched their hit songs, often barely avoiding musical snafus reminiscent of  Milli Vanilli. Honestly, I’d prefer if all of the performers would just sing and not rely on their amplied studio recordings as crutches!

Rhap Salazar’s debut album from Star Records is a tribute to Michael Jackson.

It’s always exciting to see a new star rise to fame in a short period of time.

Imagine being 12 years old and being able to sing Michael Jackson’s songs that he did when he was around the same age.

It’s lovely they found someone young to relive those moments for the next generation, creating fans of Michael Jackson’s music and that of Rhap Salazar’s voice.

RhapSalazar idea girl consulting

michael-jackson in jackson 5

The Jackson 5 debut album song was ABC in 1970 on the American Bandstand.

With Father Michael Birdsong serving as the new Vicar of St. Michael and All Angels Church and Deacon David Hoffman leading the music ministry, both youth and adults are enthusiastically serving as singers and musicians at the Thomaston, Georgia congregation. Always a worshipping church, St. Michael’s is, according to Father Birdsong, experiencing a fresh awareness of God’s presence and experience. Youth, with the help of the more experienced believers, are helping to lead the way into the future.

Interesting study from Hungary:

Professional opera choristers, professional wind players and glassblowers have a higher prevalence of reflux symptoms compared with control subjects. Gastroesophageal reflux in these professions should be considered as a work-related disorder that may have an impact on quality of life and may negatively interfere with professional performance.

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: Work-Related Disease?
István Preguna, Tamás Bakucza, János Banaib, László Molnárc, Gábor Pavlikd, István Altorjaye, Péter Oroszf, László Csernayg, Zsolt Tulassaya, László Herszényia. Dig Dis 2009;27:38-44 (DOI: 10.1159/000210102)

Abstract

Background: An occupation-related susceptibility of professional singers to experience gastroesophageal reflux has been suggested.

Aims: To investigate the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux symptoms in a series of professional opera choristers, wind players, glassblowers and water polo players in comparison with a sample of general population.

Subjects and Methods: A total of 202 professional opera choristers from well-known choirs in different Hungarian regions, 71 professional wind players, 43 glassblowers, 54 water polo players were identified and 115 control subjects were compared prospectively. Reflux symptoms together with selected individual characteristics and lifestyle habits were investigated in study groups through a reflux questionnaire.

Results:

• Professional opera choristers reported a statistically significantly higher prevalence of heartburn, regurgitation and hoarseness than control subjects (p < 0.001).
• Among professional wind players, heartburn and regurgitation were significantly more frequent compared with controls (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively).
• Glassblowers reported a significantly higher prevalence of acid regurgitation in comparison with controls (p < 0.01).
• The prevalence of reflux symptoms in water polo players was similar to that of controls.

In opera choristers, wind players and glassblowers, reflux symptoms appeared to be significantly correlated with the cumulative lifetime duration of professional singing, playing and working activity, respectively (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that professional opera choristers, professional wind players and glassblowers have a higher prevalence of reflux symptoms compared with control subjects. Gastroesophageal reflux in these professions should be considered as a work-related disorder that may have an impact on quality of life and may negatively interfere with professional performance.

Amy Colalella is a singer on youtube.She is from Pennsylvania and is 16 years old.Her voice is amazing so I hope you will.Sub her friend her follow her.
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youtube
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But for now lets listen to her own virson of Tic Tok by Ke$ha.

I think when it comes to the best music throughtout the decades, it depends.

To a lot of folks, back in the day-produced the best music.

I believe the best music came from the  60s-90s.

I personally like the 90s the best.

The 90s had the best songs and rap songs when it came to R&B/Hip Hop music.

It was the best era of Whitney Houston, Tupac, Mariah Carey, Boys ll Men, etc.

I also like the 60s, the era of the Supremes, The Temptations.

The 70s, the era of Disco. (I still don’t see how disco played out as quickly as it did, compared to the rest of music!)

The 80s, the era of  Michael Jackson. Though the 90s, had the era of a lot of emerging artists- to me nobody really stood out a whole lot.

The celebrities I mentioned above, stood out, along with many others. In the 2000s, still the same. Even more so than the 90s. Its still some good music out there.

With good songs-actually singing, and singing about something worthy. Good beats. etc. It’s not all about what they got, what they gonna get, their money, rides, bling, cribs, men or women. Not all about the party or getting some.

It might be rare, but feel good music is still out there in some places. We should note that not all the good music is stuck back in the day or scattered to the winds.