Treasure Vessels

#65 Motty

info@treasure-vessels.com (Carolyn Burnette) — Sat, 1 Nov 2014 07:27:00 -0700

Today we were so blessed to speak with Nick Mott who is currently residing in Turkey.
I found myself saying “wow” a lot while talking with him about his life and all he is being blessed to experience. Nick started playing the bass when he was a teenager and in his early 20’s he became a Christian and started playing the guitar. Early on he began to write songs and also make songs from scripture as he grew more from reading the bible. Nick expressed how he loves to get into the heart of what the bible says and explain these things in the songs he writes. He touched on how Psalm 119 is the longest psalm in the bible and explained to us some things that most may not realize when reading this psalm. His feature song today is based on 8 verses from this psalm, and like other sections it has its own theme and this section is about suffering. Nick says it’s an amazing concept that God in his goodness allows us to suffer, and that is part of his goodness. He does a great job unpacking this for us in a really interesting way. He says it’s like a mystery to take something we perceive as bad and call it good and asks the question, “How do you praise God in the middle of the dark valley?” The difference is the relationship with God and the Psalms are songs and that show us that it is right to sing praises in both joyful and mournful times. Out of suffering we actually experience a growth in our own life as we learn to walk with the Lord. It’s the paradox of suffering and it seems like it’s out of place in our lives, that as children of God we shouldn’t suffer but yet when we look back we see that we’ve grown and we actually do love God’s ways more. God’s master plan is to make us more like Christ. Nick said some really great and deep things and we know you will enjoy this discussion with Nick Mott on the song he has entitled, “teth: Good for me that suffering came.”

Interview 28/06/2014 – teth: Good for me that suffering came by Motty
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Lead Scripture:

1 Corinthians 15:57
But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
God gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ to overcome all of our fears and frustrations in this life, but even more so, He gives us the victory to overcome eternal death because we are raised again with Him to live with Him forever!

LYRICS:
teth: Good for me that suffering came

Can it be from this valley dark
That a song of praise be on my lips?
When suffering comes can it be right
To praise the One who allowed this pain?

Without affliction well I know
I used to love ungodly ways
But now in love You've broken me
So I might learn to love Your ways

Good You do, because good You are
And good for me that suffering came!
Because I've become more like Christ
And learned to walk His precious ways

Delighted by Your precious word,
Teaching me the way I should live.
Had it not been for suffering
A greater sinner I would be!

Scriptures from Interview:
Proverbs 28:5
The evil do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand it completely.

Proverbs 28:13
No one who conceals transgressions will prosper, but one who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
We do not understand the justice of God which is good and holy and true until we repent of our own injustice and sins and seek His face.

Isaiah 53:5
But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed.

2 Corinthians 1:3-7
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are abundant for us, so also our consolation is abundant through Christ. If we are being afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation; if we are being consoled, it is for your consolation, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we are also suffering. Our hope for you is unshaken; for we know that as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our consolation.
It does not say that he took all our sufferings away and that we don’t still have to go through suffering. All the followers of Jesus suffered. Many were killed and many left with broken hearts from the ones the loved who were gone from this earth. Still, the faithful pressed on, even under severe persecution.

Job 30:15-19
Terrors are turned upon me;
my honor is pursued as by the wind,
and my prosperity has passed away like a cloud.
And now my soul is poured out within me;
days of affliction have taken hold of me.
The night racks my bones,
and the pain that gnaws me takes no rest.
With violence he seizes my garment;
he grasps me by the collar of my tunic.
He has cast me into the mire,
and I have become like dust and ashes.

Job 12:10
In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of every human being.

Job 42:5-7
I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,
but now my eye sees you;
therefore I despise myself,
and repent in dust and ashes.
Job’s Friends Are Humiliated
After the LORD had spoken these words to Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends; for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has."
Job knew the dark valley. He also praised God, even in his affliction.

#64 Ok Enough

info@treasure-vessels.com (Carolyn Burnette) — Mon, 11 Aug 2014 10:46:00 -0700

Each of us is a treasure, all priceless in God’s sight. A priceless treasure of God’s here on earth is Donnie known as OK Enough on SoundCloud.
Much of Donnie’s life he expresses in his music and one of the things I really appreciate about him is his candor. Being very open and honest when he talks about his life, Donnie is who he is and there’s no façade here, and we love real people! He’s been treated for bipolar disorder for many years. He explains this to us during the interview and he is not shy about it. Music is a big part of Donnie’s life and is also therapeutic for him, as it is for all of us. He improvises a lot of his songs and likes to express himself and it is a way that is journaling his life experiences. His kind heart and love for people and many things in life cause him to be well loved by those who know him. We hope you will join us in our discussion of his song he has entitled, “Set Free.”

Interview 14/06/2014 – Set Free by Ok Enough
Download or subscribe on iTunes

Lead Scripture:

Psalm 28:7
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoices; and with my song will I praise him.
When we realize how God loves us and protects us cannot help but praise him.

LYRICS:
SET FREE

I woke up and I was finally set free
I woke and wasn’t alone in my misery
All those beautiful people came around
All those beautiful days
I hid it in the park
I hid it in the scene
I hid it wherever I could find it
I could find it
I woke up an I was final free
I woke up and I wasn’t alone in my misery
I hid it wherever I could find it
I hid it in my sock drawer
I hid it behind the T.V.
Someday it just found me

Scriptures from Interview:
Psalm 115:14
May the LORD give you increase, both you and your children.
That is a prayer for Donnie.

Psalm 116:1-9
love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my supplications.
Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
I suffered distress and anguish.
Then I called on the name of the LORD:
“O LORD, I pray, save my life!”
Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; our God is merciful.
The LORD protects the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me.
Return, O my soul, to your rest, for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.
I walk before the LORD in the land of the living.
God knows and sees everything. He does not force himself on us but watches and waits and is there to help us when we call. He is our Deliverer and Savior and loves us.

#63 thiago r. da silva

info@treasure-vessels.com (Carolyn Burnette) — Fri, 18 Jul 2014 09:43:00 -0700

Off to the wonderful country of Brazil today we get to meet a very interesting and one of a kind individual with a love for life, Thiago R. da Silva.
We met Thiago on SoundCloud a few months ago and were really impressed by his vocal ability and the quality of his songs. He has a solo page on SC and also is part of more than one group, The Beardos which is a rock group and Dust Commando a heavy metal band. Both bands are made up of people in his area and they are able to record their songs together, which is a great thing for musicians! We love the internet music world but having musicians right there with you is definitely a blessing! Thiago’s love and involvement with music goes back to his childhood and his teenage years when he began as a bass player. Later on he began writing songs and started singing. All of the songs played on the podcast today are originals that he’s written and some of them recorded with his two bands. The lyrics of today’s song really brought out some areas that we had not thought of and were very pleased with the depth of his thought into the words he puts to music. We know you will enjoy meeting Thiago and listening to the discussion on his song he’s entitled, “Frankenstein.”

Interview 21/06/2014 – Frankenstein by Thiago R. da Silva
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Lead Scripture:

Romans 12:2
And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
We are to renew our minds from this world and its ways and make our will conform to God’s perfect will.

LYRICS:
FRANKENSTEIN

ain't got no reason to believe what they say
ain't got no purpose pointing at their way
the only thing to link us wasn't established by me

throughout our instinct I found out who you are
our instincts tell us who we really are inside
I never thought it could be so strongly advised

yeah, rebuild myself
yeah, reprogram my own self

ain't got no pleasure being so unkind
well that's a pity it won't change in this life
the only way to feel is making others feel what we do

I'm gonna rebuild myself so I can turn against what I hate
I'm gonna reprogram my brain so I can act when's needed
I'm gonna censor myself than I'll see through lies
we're gonna lose control but there's no fear to die

Scriptures from Interview:
John 8:44
You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own; for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Jesus spoke to the evil rulers of the day, those who were righteous in their own eyes but he could see in their hearts what was really true.

Luke 11:39
And the Lord said to him, Now do you Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.

Luke 11:42-44
But woe unto you, Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought you to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Woe unto you, Pharisees! For you love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are as graves with appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.
Their practices did not make sense and anyone who followed them would be led astray. They made things look good on the outside and followed all kinds of manmade rules, but they did not follow the good ordinances set by God. They changed things to please their own selves and pocketbooks and images of themselves.

Matthew 3:9
And think not to say within yourselves, “We have Abraham as our father: For I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
Jesus may have been related to these people as all coming from the same father Abraham, but that was only in the physical. In the spiritual realm he had no relation to them. They had evil intentions in their hearts and did not honor God. Jesus honored our Father God in all that he did.

Matthew 22:18
But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt me, you hypocrites?

Luke 20:23
But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why do you tempt me?
Jesus perceived all things by the Spirit of God in him.

John 3:34
For he whom God has sent (Jesus) speaks the words of God: for God did not give the Spirit by measure unto him.
Jesus is fully God and fully man and fully the Spirit of God was with him and revealed to him all things.

Ephesians 4:22-23
That you put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

II Corinthians 4:16
For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

Romans 12:2
And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
We are to renew our minds from this world and its ways and make our will conform to God’s perfect will.

Romans 6:21
What fruit did you have in those things that are are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.
We can face everything in life and not fear when we walk with and trust the Lord.

1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear has torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love.

Matthew 28:20
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and , low, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
We can face the uncertainty of death when we abide in the love of God in our daily lives by seeking His face and His presence always.

Mark 10:43
For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom for many.

Acts 17:27
For in him we live and move and exist. As one of your own poets says, We are his offspring.

Romans 6:8-9
And since we died with Christ, we know we will also share his new life. We are sure of this because Christ rose from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him.

Romans 8:9
The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as he raised Christ from the dead, he will give life to your mortal body by this same Spirit living within you.

#62 Rudi Lockefeir

info@treasure-vessels.com (Carolyn Burnette) — Mon, 23 Jun 2014 07:31:00 -0700

Music and writing songs has been a part of the very interesting life of Rudi Lockefeir since he was a youngster at the age of 13.
Today we were so privileged to have Rudi join us as our special guest. Rudi told us some of the most interesting stories from his own life, some sounding just like something out of a movie. We had a lot of discussion about home and going back to a place we used to know as home, and why we leave a place we know as home. Rudi says he’s always philosophized about life in his thoughts and in his lyrics. His song today brought out a lot of stories and thoughts from his life. We know you will enjoy our visit with Rudi as much as we did as we talked about his song, “Take me down to Georgia.”

Interview 24/05/2014 – Take me down to Georgia by Rudi Lockefeir
Download or subscribe on iTunes

Lead Scripture:

Psalm 116:1-2
I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my supplications. Because he has inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.
When we realize how God loves us and protects us cannot help but praise him.

LYRICS:
TAKE ME DOWN TO GEORGIA

I grew up in Georgia
We used to live in College Park
Our neighbors name was Dotty
Her two sons Gary and Mark
We all had dreams together, on Rugby Avenue
And when I moved to Holland
It broke my heart in two
They drove me to the airport and they, all said goodbye
I just starred out of the window, as tears filed my eyes
Now I know what Ray meant when he sang, Georgia on my mind.
I’m going back to Georgia. I’m going back in time.

So take me down to Georgia
And I will be alright. I’m going back to Georgia
I leave tomorrow night.
To the heart of Atlanta and the, home of the Braves.
So take me down to Georgia, far across the waves

I left in the summer but the, pain will never fade.
I haven’t seen my hometown sins 1968
I can see the Georgia Mountains and I
Feel those warm summer nights
I’m going back to Georgia I leave tomorrow night

They say I’ve got a brother but I’ve never seen his face
They took him from my mama when he was just a babe
She was devastated there was nothing she could do
I’m going down to Georgia; I’m going to bring him back to you.

Scriptures from Interview:
Psalm 24:1-2
The earth is the LORD's, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.
God is the creator. He has even established all of the laws of nature that we know.

Proverbs 24:3
By wisdom a house is built and by understanding it is established.
It is a good thing to make and keep a home.

Psalms 116:9
Return O my soul, to your rest, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.
We know where our rest comes from, our God, and we can always turn to him. He is always there and where he is that is our true home.

Ephesians 1:4
His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ.
When we know the place we going, when we know we going back to our own home, when we know what it feels like to be there, when we know the joy we will have there, we cant wait to go back.

Ephesians 3:4
This was his plan from all eternity, and it has now been carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.
We all do have dreams but life brings different turns we never thought of. That’s why we have a promise that this life is temporarily, a journey to the next life. where broken hearts will heal, tears will fade away.

#61 Focust1

info@treasure-vessels.com (Carolyn Burnette) — Fri, 6 Jun 2014 05:14:00 -0700

Today we were so blessed to speak with BG Burnette, known as Focust1, an up and coming artist in the Christian Rap scene who is working on his soon to be released debut CD.
He shared a lot about his life with us today even talking about the wrong decisions and trials he faced in his past. His lyrical expressions proved to be of great conversational value and we were able to glean even more from his words than what was written. His life is a wonderful picture of how God through our Lord Jesus Christ can transform a person who saw themselves at one point as hopeless. God calls those who will listen and respond to His call, and this is what happened with BG. He heard God call him in the midst of his pain and frustrations in life, in the midst of his bad decisions and what looked like chaos and loss, and God brought him out on the other side! His life is blessed today with a beautiful wife and children and a future! He is blessed with God’s presence in his life daily and he tells us more about it as we discussed his song of hope he has entitled, “Victorious.”

Interview 12/04/2014 – Victorious by Focust1
Download or subscribe on iTunes

Lead Scripture:

LYRICS:
VICTORIOUS (2013)

1 Corinthians 15:57: “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Victory through Christ he’s my refuge
Holds the spark to my heart, he’s my life-fuse
When I look back and think about the dark times
Sin had me drownin, He was my lifeline
Addicted to stackin up dough, getting it no matter the mode
Stompin no matter the toes, crossin no matter the foes
Flossin no matter the ride, tossin no matter the time
Livin outside his design, fallin faster into crime…I crossed the line

11/03 woke up behind inside them glass walls
No longer free blind choices were my downfall
Check my Dow Jones, fallin like a rain drop
It can’t stop as I’m locked inside this cell block
That was the day I decided, hit my knees prayin and cryin
Quit all the shamin and lyin, gave my life back to the messiah
No longer runnin from cops, no longer hustling them rocks
Gave up the schemes and the plots, no desire for pockets with knots…Rebuked them thoughts

Fast forward 2013 & ya boy’s good
Can’t imagine where I’d be if I hadn’t understood
To live in Christ is good, regarless of life’s ups and downs
God’s blessed me abundantly, look at me now
Beautiful wifey beside me, daughter couldn’t be any more like me
Son that’s more precious than ivory, blessings previously denied me
Finally got it on track, and no I’m gonna look back
I said I finally got it on track, no I’m not gonna look back…victorious!

Scriptures from Interview:
Job 36:13-15
The godless in heart cherish anger; they do not cry for help when he binds them. They die in their youth and their life ends in shame. He delivers the afflicted by their affliction.
When we go through adversity that is like the testing fields for us. If our hearts are full of anger then we will not cry out to God to help us and save us. But when we go through the hard and the bad times and a cry to God comes from us then that is like a proof of who we really are. We are children of God and He hears our cry and delivers us!

Romans 7:1 and 4 (paraphrased)
Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
When we are living our lives for ourselves we are “under the law” even though we may not realize it. The penalty for breaking the law is death. When we feel the pain of life come upon us and we allow ourselves to open and up and cry out to God for salvation then we actually feel the presence of God come inside of us. This is the moment when we “die to our lives” we “died in Christ,” though our bodies are still alive. And because we died in Christ we have become free from the law of sin and death! We are made new creatures who now live for Christ!

Romans 8:39
Neither height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
When we turn our lives over to God, our whole heart and even our thoughts we allow Him in, then there is nothing that can separate us from God’s love! We are victorious!

Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Death
Psalm 116:1-9
I love the Lord, because He hears My voice and my supplications.
Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live.
The cords of death encompassed me And the terrors of Sheol came upon me; I found distress and sorrow.
Then I called upon the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I beseech You, save my life!”
Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; Yes, our God is compassionate.
The Lord preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me.
Return to your rest, O my soul, For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.
For You have rescued my soul from death, My eyes from tears, My feet from stumbling.
I shall walk before the Lord In the land of the living.
Everyone who turns to the Lord in true repentance and confesses their sins to him will be able to say the same things in praise to God that He has rescued you and put you in the land of the living! Be victorious in Jesus and pray to Him now.

Colossians 2:13
In this way, God disarmed the evil rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross of Christ.
There is victory in Jesus to overcome all!

Hebrews 2:14
Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death. 15Only in this way could he deliver those who have lived all their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.
Jesus is The Way, The Truth and The Life!

John 3:9-10
Those who have been born into God’s family do not sin, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they have been born of God. 10So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the Devil. Anyone who does not obey God’s commands and does not love other Christians does not belong to God.
Litterally, those who have been born into God’s family do not continue to sin, and if we do sin then we repent and get up and try again. We are victorious when we learn to walk in the strength of Christ and not in our own strength!

#60 GrantTaylor

info@treasure-vessels.com (Carolyn Burnette) — Sun, 18 May 2014 07:22:00 -0700

An artist speaks their own truth through their art. This is one of the thoughtful things that Grant Taylor said in our discussion today.

Grant has lived his life with music and singing since he was a boy and has found he has a need to express himself through music. He realized early on that being in the limelight is not what life is all about and that people are what is important. In his life he walks what he believes as he gives from his own life to help others. Grant gave up pursuing his career on the road so that he could raise his two children in a stable environment on his own. Other ways Grant gives of himself is that he helps people who are broken and without opportunity. There is an obligation we have to help others less fortunate but there is also great satisfaction in being able to give someone a hand up as well as hope. By being available to help young artists on a one on one basis to work on their craft, Grant has provided an opportunity some of these young artists would probably never otherwise have.

With a very calm demeanor, Grant has the ability to show you that he believes what he says when he talks about being still and experiencing the simple presence of God. He says it is a healing place to go and is something so simple but yet so important for us all to do. Just be still. In his life’s journey he has experienced a lot of heartache with the loss of family members and several friends all within a short period of time. The pain of losing loved ones actually cause life to be brought into a clearer perspective and helps us to realize that things are not what is important, having fame is not what is important but what is important is people.

As an artist Grant see’s music as a gift that comes from within and is something that needs to be expressed. It is a gift that helps people relax and it gives them space to just be and just enjoy the music. An artist speaks their truth. That’s a great thought and one of the very interesting and thought provoking things that Grant Taylor had to say today as we discussed his recording of a wonderful song written by Marilyn and Alan Bergman entitled “Where Do You Start?”.

Interview 30/04/2014 – Where Do You Start - Written by: Marilyn and Alan Bergman - performed by: Grant Taylor
Download or subscribe on iTunes

Lead Scripture:

Genesis 2:7
Then the Lord God formed man of the dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

Where do you start? Where do any of us start? We began in the womb. But there are times in our lives when we have to pick up the pieces of our lives and start again. In difficult times we may be at a loss of where we are to start. Knowing where you came from and Who you belong to is a positive force in helping you during the difficult times of your life.

LYRICS:
WHERE DO YOU START
By: Marilyn and Alan Bergman

Performed by: Grant Taylor

Where do you start?
How do you separate the present from the past?
How do you deal with all the things you thought would last?
That didn’t last
With bits of memories scattered here and there
I look around and don’t know where – to start

Which books are yours?
Which tapes and dreams belong to you?
And which are mine?
Our lives are tangled like the branches of a vine.
That intertwine
So many habits that will have to break
and yesterday’s we’ll have to take apart
One day there’ll be a song or something in the air again
To catch me by surprise – and you’ll be there again
A moment in what – what might have been

Where do you start?
Do you allow yourself a little time to cry?
Or do you close your eyes and kiss it all goodbye?
I guess you try
And though I don’t know where and don’t know when
I’ll find myself in love again
I promise there will always be – a little place no one will see
A tiny part within my heart – that stays in love with you

Scriptures from Interview:
Job 36:24-25
Remember that you should exalt His work, of which men have sun.
All men have seen it; Man beholds from afar.

Isaiah 44:6-8
“Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
‘I am the first and I am the last,
And there is no God besides Me.
‘Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it;
Yes, let him recount it to Me in order,
From the time that I established the ancient nation.
And let them declare to them the things that are coming
And the events that are going to take place.
‘Do not tremble and do not be afraid;
Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it?
And you are My witnesses.
Is there any God besides Me,
Or is there any other Rock?
I know of none.

There is so much in this world that we put our hope in, things that don’t last. What does last is all of God’s creation and God’s love lasts forever.

Isaiah 44:24
Thus says the Lord, Your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: “I am the Lord who made all things, who stretched out the heavens alone, who spread out the earth – who was with me?

God is the First and the Last. He is here always and He knows all things.

Proverbs 8:17
I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.

Proverbs 8:34-35
Happy is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. 35 For he who finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord.

True happiness is when we search for God with our whole hearts for He will reveal himself to us and fill our hearts with his peace and joy.

Genesis 2:24
For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.

Roman 11:17
…a wild olive branch grafted into the root…

There truly is a joining together that takes place in our lives such as in marriage or as in being grafted into the family of God. How can you separate what has been joined together?

I Chronicles 28:9b
The Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts.

Jeremiah 17:10a
I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind…

Romans 8:27
…and He who searches the hearts knows…

Proverbs 20:27
The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all the innermost parts of his being.

We often think that there are secret parts of us that no one knows, thoughts that we can hide…but nothing is hidden from God. He knows every part of us and even the words before they are formed on our lips.

#59 tonybluestone

info@treasure-vessels.com (Carolyn Burnette) — Sat, 12 Apr 2014 08:19:00 -0700

So excited to have a really great conversation with our friend Tony Pappas known as Tony Bluestone on SoundCloud!
He comes to us from Detroit, Michigan here in the USA and unbelieveably we’ve had the most difficult time with internet connections trying to talk with him! We’ve tried on so many Saturdays and were just about ready to give up when we prayed and the Lord let it happen! Tony tells us how he wants to relate to all the artists out there and to realize that we are all part of this life and to get involved because what we do does matter! Tony says there is joy and we can find it and realize that what we do really means something. Tony says that music is a tool to help people stay connected and we can help change people’s lives in a positive way.

Interview 29/03/2014 – Where Do We Go by tonybluestone
Download or subscribe on iTunes

Lead Scripture:

Proverbs 16:9
The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.
There is a path for each of us and the Lord will direct our steps and we can trust Him.

LYRICS:
WHERE DO WE GO

Well I have seen this place
Think we played here before my friends
But where have I gone
Oh

Played so many towns
Somehow we lost our way
So where do we go from here
Where

Where do we go, Where do we go
Sometimes it is not so clear
Where do we go, How did I get here
Oh, Oh Where do we go

Miss that old dusty room
Seems we went our separate ways
But lord that old six string
Needs to play oh Needs to play

Where do we go, Where do we go
Sometimes it is not so clear
Where do we go, How did I get here
Oh Yea

I see your back in town
I can tell by the look in your eye
You didn’t come here to talk
You came to play
Play that six string son

Where do we go, Where do we go
Sometimes it is not so clear Yea
Where do we go, Where do we go
Sometimes its not so clear
Yea well, well, well Where do we go

Scriptures from Interview:
Psalm 29:3
“The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thunders: the LORD is upon many waters.”
God is bigger than the oceans. His voice is louder and more powerful than the thunders he has created. God is not bound by space. He is everywhere. All of creation is here and continues even in the midst of the things of our lives, even in the midst of our pain. There is a purpose for the pain that we may not know until the Lord reveals it to us. Until then we just need to trust that all things have a purpose and circumstances will get better and change.

Jeremiah 10:23
I know, O LORD, that a man’s way is not in himself,
Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps.
The Lord directs our steps. Sometimes we just have to trust where we are going to go

Psalm 25:15
“Mine eyes are ever toward the LORD; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net..”
Always look to God. He is the One who loves us and saves us.

Psalm 27:1
“1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?.”
We can face everything in life and not fear when we walk with and trust the Lord.

Deuteronomy 32:10
He found them in a desert land,
in an empty, howling wasteland.
He surrounded them and watched over them;
he guarded them as his most precious possession.
Like an eagle that rouses her chicks
and hovers over her young,
so he spread his wings to take them in
and carried them aloft on his pinions.
The LORD alone guided them;
they lived without any foreign gods.
Lord never forsakes us in any deserted situation we land up due to our own mistakes.

Genesis 4:8
Later Cain suggested to his brother, Abel, “Let’s go out into the fields.” And while they were there, Cain attacked and killed his brother.
The innocence has lost long ago in all of us. And Ego, selfishness and love of self has grown inside of us.

1 John 3:11
This is the message we have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother
Lets start loving one another what Jesus taught us through His life.

Hebrews 12:24
You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which graciously forgives instead of crying out for vengeance as the blood of Abel did.
Lets start spreading love by first step of forgiving one another.

#58 Faerytale

info@treasure-vessels.com (Carolyn Burnette) — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 02:50:00 -0700

What a super treat for us today to visit with the very gifted and lovely Lisa West, known as Faerytale on SoundCloud!
Lisa spoke with us from her home in Texas and told us many things about her life that we all can understand; the way we tend to hide things about ourselves that we don’t want to be seen, the fears we have that we don’t want to mention. Several months ago during her busy life in the middle of her “static energy” as as she calls it, the words came to her and she realized it was time for her to face many things that she had not wanted to face before. We had such a delightful time with Lisa and so many great things came out in our talk and we are sure you will enjoy watching the video or listening in on our discussion of her wonderful lyrics of the song she has entitled “Whistling Bird.”

Interview 22/03/2014 – Faerytale "Whistling Bird"
Download or subscribe on iTunes

Lead Scripture:

Psalm 91:4
He will cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall trust;
His truth shall be your shield and bulwark.
We are safe when we are close to God and we can trust in Him.

LYRICS:
WHISTLING BIRD

Whistling bird, I hear you calling my name
And when I hear you calling my name
I know you've come near to hear of all I have seen in the night

The running of the fearful beasts I found
They're whispering softly in their burrows underground
They grow quite silent at the sound of my wings
They don't want me to know
But my eyes, they see these things

Whistling bird I hear you calling my name
And when I hear you calling my name
I know you've come near to hear of all I have seen in the night

The little foxes and the vines that wither to die
The tiny babe left out to the frost and its haunting cry
The wolves stop silent at the beating of my wings
My eyes cannot help but to see these things

Scriptures from Interview:
Ruth 2:12
12 May the LORD reward your work, and your wages be full from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.
There are many places in the bible that speak about being under God’s wing where we can seek refuge. This place close to the Lord is still available to us today, for all who believe and ask for forgiveness of their sins through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

Matthew 23:37
(Lament over Jerusalem)
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. 38 Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!
God seeks to cover us with His wings of protection and love, but if we turn our faces away from Him and refuse then He does not force us. This grieves His heart for us.

Ezekiel 1:22-24
Now over the heads of the living beings there was something like an expanse, like the awesome gleam of crystal, spread out over their heads. 23 Under the expanse their wings were stretched out straight, one toward the other; each one also had two wings covering its body on the one side and on the other. 24 I also heard the sound of their wings like the sound of abundant waters as they went, like the voice of the Almighty, a sound of tumult like the sound of an army camp; whenever they stood still, they dropped their wings.

2 Chronicles 5:7-8
7 Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house, to the holy of holies, under the wings of the cherubim. 8 For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim made a covering over the ark and its [b]poles.
Heavenly beings are also mentioned in the bible as having wings.

I Kings 19:11-13
11 So He said, “Go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing.13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
The scripture does not say that God talks to us like the whistling of a bird, but when He speaks to us inside with a still small voice, then we hear that very loudly. We may not understand the language of the bird though our human ears hear the beautiful sound. Our spirit does understand when God’s Holy Spirit speaks to us!

Other Scripture:
John 14:26
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

John 15:26
When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me,

John 16:7
But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.

John 3:19
This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.

Romans 8:27
and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

1 Corinthians 2:10
For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.

Proverbs 20:27
The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, Searching all the innermost parts of his being.

Judges 15:5
When he had set fire to the torches, he released the foxes into the standing grain of the Philistines, thus burning up both the shocks and the standing grain, along with the vineyards and groves.

Song of Solomon 2:15
“Catch the foxes for us, The little foxes that are ruining the vineyards, While our vineyards are in blossom.”

#57 Stella Schiavo

info@treasure-vessels.com (Carolyn Burnette) — Sat, 1 Mar 2014 09:41:00 -0800

Today we were blessed by the presence of our special guest, Stella Schiavo who is a very loved artist on SoundCloud.
Stella, and her family, welcomed us into their home in Brazil to talk with us about one of her newest songs that was inspired by a conversation she had with her daughter. So many thoughts about life, the here and now, the future and the life to come were discussed in our talk today. With a very bright mind and many artistic talents, Stella expresses her love and joy and thoughts on life in a style that perfectly fits her beautiful voice. As one of our favorite artists on SoundCloud we were really pleased to talk with Stella today and her song she entitled, “In a Lifetime.”

Interview 18/01/2014 – Stella Schiavo "In A Lifetime"
Download or subscribe on iTunes

Lead Scripture:

Ecclesiastes 6:12
12 For who knows what is good for a man during his lifetime, during the few years of his futile life? He will spend them like a shadow. For who can tell a man what will be after him under the sun?
God knows what is good for us…if we will only listen.

LYRICS:
IN A LIFETIME

Why can’t you see?
Life is what it is
So blind, open your eyes
…sand in the hourglass

Hold me fearlessly
Hold on to the air in your chest

We all are looking for answers
Although we know they will never come
The most hidden of secrets,
It’s everywhere for those who know … how to switch off

If you ask me
Who am I?
I will tell you without questioning, why?

I am the here
The now, the breeze,
The bird, the fly,
The sun, the sky,
The fire that dies, the newborn’s cry
We are the blink of an eye.

If you ask me
What I want,
I will show you if you are brave enough

The love, the lust
The doubt, the trust
The war, the peace
The light, the mist
The bitter and the pie
The sweet, the lime

A moment in a lifetime…
This moment in a lifetime

MONU notes:

Blindness: the things, which stops us to see the reality around us, things sometimes cover our eyes and make us blind. Example: Love of money, self obsession, and worldly attention. These things, keeps us so busy that we miss on basic lil things which are worth on long run of this life. We must enjoy and cherish the blessed moments we have in present time and make use of it to spread the love of God through us.
What can make us see? How can we remove these layers of pride, love for money, self centeredness from our eyes? Below is one reference from bible where we see how Jesus removes the layer so the blind could see. The only thing we have to do is to ask Jesus and believe in Him, and He will wash all dirt layers from our life so we can see.

Matthew 9:27-30
After Jesus left the girl’s home, two blind men followed along behind him, shouting, “Son of David, have mercy on us!”
28 They went right into the house where he was staying, and Jesus asked them, “Do you believe I can make you see?”
“Yes, Lord,” they told him, “we do.”
29Then he touched their eyes and said, “Because of your faith, it will happen.” 30 And suddenly they could see!
Answers: because we live in this blindness, we look for many answers which are always around us. And as it says in the song, it is everywhere for those who know. Why make things more complicated when we can simply ask.

Genesis 2:7
And the LORD God formed a man’s body from the dust of the ground and breathed into it the breath of life. And the man became a living person.
How beautiful that is. We have God’s breath which makes us alive and experience the lifetime we have. We can make use of it in every breath we take, in loving one another and living the moment of this lifetime by praising the creation of God around us.
A lifetime is no joke.. its a precious gift given by our living God.. He breathed life in us. And this is not to be wasted in blindness of things which will vanish. Love is eternal and that’s what we must share and spread in out life time…

John 12:24
Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who despise their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
This world offers many great things which may cause distraction from family, friends, and important things which are part of the real life. Better to take the worldly things wisely and get lost in it going away from eternal life. Jesus came to show us the real life, which doesn’t have pride, hate, war and lie; but truth, love, peace and promise.

Carolyn Notes –

On blindness:

Isaiah 42:18-19
18 Hear, you deaf!
And look, you blind, that you may see.
19 Who is blind but My servant,
Or so deaf as My messenger whom I send?
Who is so blind as he that is at peace with Me,
Or so blind as the servant of the LORD?
From my eyes, it seems there are 2 different types of “blind” mentioned in this scripture. There are those who have blinded their eyes on purpose to not see the truth in God. Then there is the Lord Jesus who is the mentioned servant and messenger. He turned his eyes to God the Father and therefore choose to be blind to the things, desires of the world.

Isaiah 53:7
He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He did not open His mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,
So He did not open His mouth.
This scripture is also talking about Jesus. Not only did he “blind” his eyes to the desires of the flesh and the world, he also was quiet and did not open his mouth when he was persecuted and crucified.

II Corinthians 4:4
4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
The “god” of this world as mentioned in scripture is the devil and he works hard to blind the eyes of people from seeing the truth.

Revelation 3:17
17 Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,
There are many around us in this world who do not realize the terrible shape they are in…

On Time:

Ecclesiastes 9:12
12 Moreover, man does not know his time: like fish caught in a treacherous net and birds trapped in a snare, so the sons of men are ensnared at an evil time when it suddenly falls on them.
None of us know the day or the hour when it will be our time to leave this earth. It is best to know where we are going so as not to be terrified of death.

Mark 13:32-33
32 But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
33 “Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time [a]will come.
Neither do we know when the return of Jesus will be to this earth. Take heed we are on His side!

Ecclesiastes 6:12
12 For who knows what is good for a man during his lifetime, during the few years of his futile life? He will spend them like a shadow. For who can tell a man what will be after him under the sun?
God knows what is good for us…if we will only listen.

On Looking for Answers:

Psalm 22:1
My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?
Why are You so far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning.
Even Jesus and King David cried out to God looking for answers in times of distress.

On Secrets:

Job 15:8
8 Have you heard the secret of God? And do you retain wisdom for yourself?

Psalm 19:1
1 The heaven’s declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.
Everything in creation shows evidence of God. He loves for us to explore and discover and try to find out more about Him! But there is wisdom and knowledge beyond our human comprehension! Only God has all the answers! He IS The Answer!

On Turning off our Ears:

Psalm 58:4
4 Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stops up her ear.
We all turn off our ears sometimes and choose to ignore different things, but when we completely turn off our ears to God and His Spirit calling us then that is like the poison of a serpent.
Exodus 3:14
14 And God said to Moses, “I AM THAT I AM.”
God is the Great I AM!

I Kings 19:11-13
11 So He said, “Go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing (a still small voice).13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
We look so much for meaning and purpose in so many activities in life. We look for God in the big things but He is here, the still small voice. Slow down and listen. God is talking to you. <3

#56 MLucas and CorinneBL

info@treasure-vessels.com (Carolyn Burnette) — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 05:44:00 -0800

Our first interview of the year 2014 we were really blessed to meet with Martin Lucas and his wife Corinne who live in the USA in Indiana.

Martin, who goes by Marty, opened their SoundCloud page under his name of MLucas years ago not expecting that much would come of it. He says he would have called it “Return to Normal,” had he known of the success of their on-line music adventure when he first started, as that is the name they go by together in their music. The two of them have been playing music together for many years an they have a large amount of original songs. Marty is the main lyric writer and together they make the songs complete. It’s a real blessing to have someone by your side in such things as making and playing music. The two of them each with their own playing style, writing style and vocals are sure to please the ears and the heart. There’s no doubt to me that they are a match made in heaven for music. Today we were really pleased to discuss their song that Marty says can be used as a tribute to the great Martin Luther King, a person who sought peaceful change. Surely we can walk in peace and without fear when we seek it with one another. We know you will enjoy the discussion and their song, “Kindness” in today’s interview podcast.

Interview 18/01/2014 – MLucas and CorinneBL "Return to Normal"
Download or subscribe on iTunes

Lead Scripture:

Romans 12:18b
“ …as much as possible live at peace with all people.”
Whatever you seek you will find. Seek peace and find it in your heart with God and with all people of the earth.

LYRICS:
KINDNESS (from the LP "Blinking in the Brackens")

Those who walk in peace
aren’t burdened by a rifle.
On his pilgrimage the
humble monk fears no one.

Defenseless and alone,
still he fears no one.
You seek kindness.
You need love.

If you seek kindness;
then bring kindness.
If you need love,
then bring love.

If you wreak destruction,
the flames will burn your skin.
In the darkness,
eyes grow dim.

Blood lust revenge
spawns the savage cycle --
but tend to orchards
and you’ll feast among flowers.

If you seek kindness;
then bring kindness.
If you need love;
then bring love.

Scriptures from Interview:

Luke 9:2-4
2 And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing. 3 And He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, neither a staff, nor a bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not even have two tunics apiece. 4 Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that city.
Those who have purposed in their heart to follow God and to walk in his ways will find that they can walk in peace and that God will provide all their need and protection.

Proverbs 16:7
“3 The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thunders: the LORD is upon many waters.”
When we set our hearts to follow God then we naturally will want to please him. When he see’s this he protects us from the enemy.

Matthew 26:52
52 Then Jesus *said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.
Jesus said it, if we take up the sword that we shall perish by the sword. Seek after Jesus and follow the way of peace.

Luke 22:38
38 They said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.” And He said to them, “It is enough.”
Marty brought up this scripture in the interview. We all agreed that Jesus is not advocating that we take up swords or guns. I believe that Jesus answered them in this way like children because in reality two swords are not enough to protect from the advance of evil, but Jesus knows that He, the double-edged sword that comes from the mouth of Jesus – the Word of God – protects us from all.

Psalm 28:7
The LORD is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart exults,
And with my song I shall thank Him.

Psalm 27:1
“1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
We can face everything in life and not fear when we walk with and trust the Lord.

Luke 11:10
10 For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened.
In context, Jesus was telling us that if we seek God we will find him. But we all agree that as ages of old have told us, whatever we seek we will find. So let us seek peace and kindness and love.

Psalm 106:3
How blessed are those who keep justice,
Who practice righteousness at all times!
When we do what is right we are blessed. The opposite is also true. So let us do right.

Proverbs 19:23
The fear of the Lord leads to life,
So that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil.
When we have the fear of the Lord then we fear no other!

Daniel 10:12
Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven.
Daniel was so humble that Lord loved him so deeply. Daniel never feared anything and had a strong faith. Even when he was thrown into the den of Lions, he wasn’t afraid. Because he was humble and not boasting or full of pride that he was God’s favorite.
With great wisdom and understanding we must not boast or become arrogant, but instead become more humble and filled with love.

If we need love, we have to show it and love will start flowing. Love, kindness and humbleness are not things we can buy, we just have to start giving and doing these things. It is of us and we have the capability to love and be kind. We also must forgive. Peace will follow once we start living the life with love.

Additional Scripture Notes:

Matthew 11:29
Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
If you experience fear then turn to Jesus. He will give you rest.

John 18:36
36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then my servants would fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from here.
Though there are many kingdoms in this earth, there is but one heavenly kingdom that has authority over all others. Jesus is the King of that Kingdom and though we may see many things happen in this earth, we who are believers and who have received Jesus as Lord and Savior of our lives know that this world is not our home and we are just passing through!

#55 Reverend George McCaulley

info@treasure-vessels.com (Carolyn Burnette) — Wed, 15 Jan 2014 04:24:00 -0800

A special treat for me today to have my dad, George McCaulley, visiting from Florida! We’ve actually kept this video back for a while to use when we had a break in our schedule.

My dad is a retired Baptist minister and also retired from work as a Chaplain at the Water Front Mission in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.
George shared with us some things about his early life. When he was a young boy his dad became paralyzed and so his mother sent him away to live with one of his brothers. He had gone to church as a child but what he heard was nice stories and not saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Lord worked in his life when he heard the true Gospel and it changed his life. He remembers the song, “Wherever He Leads, I’ll Go.” He says The Holy Spirit of God got a hold of him and he began to follow Jesus and surrendered to the ministry. He preached in several states and then he moved to Kentucky and started a mission church and the Lord blessed it. He was the first pastor there of that church that’s now been going for 42 years.

Brother George puts the questions to Manasseh and asks him about his upbringing and church background. Manasseh also talked about his experiences of going to churches where they were not preaching the truth and how God leads him to places where the truth of the Gospel of Jesus is preached. We from all sides of the world have this experience and have to keep our spiritual eyes open and listen to God’s Holy Spirit guide us to the right place where we will hear the real truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Brother George states that there is only One Word of God and only One Lord Jesus Christ and people who do not know Jesus don’t understand that, but people who do know him know that this is true. Jesus is alive and talks to us in our spirits. For the person who comes to know the Lord there is no doubt he is real and alive today!
We had a nice surprise visit from Jessy Cresspo, OmniJess, who told us about her newest song at the time, “Longing for Yourself.” She sang a few lines for us and talked about the meaning behind the song in how so many today think only on their own wants and needs.
Brother George said that God gave his all for us and we need to give everything we are to him. We had a nice visit and hope you will enjoy our discussion :)

Discussion 20/09/2013 – Reverend George McCaulley
https://soundcloud.com/brothergeorge123

Download or subscribe on iTunes

Lead Scripture:

Psalm 28:7
“7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoices; and with my song will I praise him.”
When we realize how God loves us and protects us cannot help but praise him.

Scriptures from Interview:

II Timothy 3:16-17
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Brother George says: We are not saved by good works but we are saved by Jesus Christ to do good works. The natural man does not understand these things until we come by faith in repentance to the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved. He does this one on one individually.

When a baby is born they are not full grown and neither is a Christian. We know as a Christian that all of our sins are forgiven; past, present and future but still as Children of God we still slip and fall short of what God wants us to do. I even pray every day, God, if there’s any sinful way in me please remove it.

Matthew 28:18-20
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

#54 Christmas Special 2013

info@treasure-vessels.com (Carolyn Burnette) — Tue, 24 Dec 2013 02:23:00 -0800

Come join us for a wonderful Christmas gathering of 2013 with some beautiful people from around God’s beautiful world!

What blessed experience we had with all of them! We enjoyed several live performances and our podcast next week will include some recorded messages from around the world from our friends who could not join us but wanted tos hare the love messages with all of you!

Christmas Special 2013

Download or subscribe on iTunes

Isaiah 9:6
6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

Part 1 – Live Guests:
1. Dick (Aka Oorlab) - Netherlands.
Link to the song He performed: https://soundcloud.com/oorlab/entre-le-boeuf-et-l-ne-gris

2. Shauna Kay Hamilton - Jamaica
SC page: http://soundcloud.com/dark_barcelona
Song link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtrU1sTlWTE

3. Thomas Mancine - NY, USA
SC page: http://soundcloud.com/tmancine

4. Henrique Pirai - Rio De Janeiro, Brasil
SC page: http://soundcloud.com/henrique-pira

5. Alice Leonz & Ronggowisnu Prihadi - Tangerang, Indonesia
SC page: http://soundcloud.com/aliceleonz
Sweet Christmas album: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/sweet-christmas/id780227212

6. John Styles - Netherlands
I still believe: https://soundcloud.com/matbaker1970/matt-baker-john-styles-i-still-believe

7. Milana and Arty - Ontario, Canada
SC page: http://soundcloud.com/milanazilnik/

8. Cochise and The Big R – London, Britain
SC page: https://soundcloud.com/cochiseandthebigr-1

9. Antoine Minor – Flint, USA
SC page: https://soundcloud.com/godsvessel
Shine: https://soundcloud.com/godsvessel/shine-gods-vessel-and-ef3

10. Matt Baker – Liverpool, Britain
SC page: http://soundcloud.com/matbaker1970
I still believe: www.justgiving.com/Matt-Baker10

11. Diana Harmon Garnand – California, USA
SC page: http://soundcloud.com/diana-harmon-garnand

Part 2 – Recorded messages from Guets
1. Dave and Isaac – SW, Britain
SC page: https://soundcloud.com/dave-mckeown

2. Hjerlmuda – Berlin, Germany
SC Page: https://soundcloud.com/experimentator

3. David Barclay (Aka Barclay Bunch) – Wales, Britain
SC page: http://soundcloud.com/barclaybunch

4. Jr Abella (Aka Gnetsound) – Philippines
SC page: http://soundcloud.com/gnetsound/

5. Marc Elluse – Paris, France
SC page: http://soundcloud.com/nemorospo

6. Sharliza Jelita – London, Britain
SC page: https://soundcloud.com/sharliza

7. Antonio (Aka AnmaFean) – Lisbon, Portugal
SC page: http://soundcloud.com/anmafean

Hosts:
1. Carolyn – Lexington, USA
lead Host

2. Mike – Italy
SC page: https://soundcloud.com/mike-young-lion-anderson

3. Dan (Aka Collecting pool) – Oswego, USA
SC page: http://soundcloud.com/Collecting-Pool

4. Jonathan – Germany
Audio and Video engineer

5. Manasseh – Pune, Indian
coordinator

Luke 2: 1-20
Jesus’ Birth in Bethlehem
2 Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of allthe inhabited earth. 2 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city.4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 5 in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. 6 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. 17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

1 John 5:1
Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.

#53 Cochise and the Big R

info@treasure-vessels.com (Carolyn Burnette) — Wed, 11 Dec 2013 11:29:00 -0800

We had a lot of fun today talking with this dynamic duo from London, Cochise and the Big R! They had plenty to say about their music and life and also in discussion of their lyrics.

We spoke a lot on love and the loss of loved ones that we all will go through during our lifetime. Drawing from past experiences and thoughts (and good song structure :) ) they put together this moving and beautiful song. Though the subject matter is very deep, we had a lot of fun and laughter during our conversation. We learned just a little bit more about these mysterious gentlemen who prefer to keep themselves with a little bit of anonymity and are sure you will enjoy their music and also this nice time in discussion their song entitled, “No One Left To Save.”

Interview 09/12/2013 – Cochise and the Big R
Download or subscribe on iTunes

Lead Scripture:

I John 3:16
¹⁶This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.
The highest form of love is to lay down our life for another. Jesus did this for all of us.

LYRICS:
NO ONE LEFT TO SAVE

It's not our world
I lost my girl
I can't break it all with ease
It's not our time
No stars to shine
Can't fly with broken wings
Now there's no one left to save

Been fifteen days
They took her away
I can't stand to search no more
I look right down
on to this town
my shoulder, against the door
Now there’s no one left to save

I would trade it all
For a second chance to fall
To the ground instead of you
I can take the pain
But I cannot take the shame
You're lost and I am too
Cos there's no one left to save.

Manasseh Notes:
Like the song speaks of a second chance, Jesus was sacrificed for us because we all need a second chance so we can go to eternal life with the Lord and not suffer in eternal separation from God.

Scriptures from Interview:

Matthew 10:39
39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.
It’s all about love. Do we love our lives so much that we are selfish with all we think and do? Or do we love others more? We show this by how much we give, and how much we give away…or try to keep for ourselves. God loves us so much that he gave his only Son for us to die in our place. Jesus lived the perfect and sinless life that we should have lived, and he died the death that we deserved. He’s given us this opportunity to exchange. We just have to accept what he’s done on our behalf.

Ruth 1:12-13
12 Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me—even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons— 13 would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord’s hand has turned against me!”
Naomi was a woman who feared God, yet she still suffered great loss, and so did her daughters-in-law. Naomi’s husband died in a foreign land, leaving her with 2 sons. Her son’s married women in the land and then both her sons died. Though Naomi reverenced and served God she still felt the sting of death and loss upon her family.

Ruth 1:15-18
15 “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.” 16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” 18 When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.
Ruth stayed with Naomi and returned to her home country. There Ruth became the wife of Boaz. They were the parents of Obed, the father of Jesse who was then the father of David who became king of Israel. Though the ending is much better for Ruth we do acknowledge that no person can be “replaced.” The loss that Ruth felt from the death of her husband, Naomi’s son, cannot be forgotten. Likewise, God feels the same way for us. Have you ever considered how when we ignore God or turn from him that it hurts him? We cannot be replaced. Not one of us. God feels the pain of loss when we turn from him. He also knows the pain of watching the death of his only Son, who died for us.

Psalm 86:67
6 Hear my prayer, Lord;
listen to my cry for mercy.
7 When I am in distress, I call to you,
because you answer me.
God understands all of our pains. He is also the only one who can truly comfort us. In our distress we call to him with our hearts and he answers us.

Isaiah 65
6 Look, I am creating a new heaven and a new earth
When looking at people around the world who struggle through different situations, job or physical or family problems. Everyone around the world suffer, even the innocent suffer because of the consequences of sin in this world. The first line in this song is, “its not our world.” The bible says this world was made for us but the enemy corrupted it. The bible says God will create a new world for us.

Matthew 10:39
He that finds his life shall lose it; and he that loses his life for my sake shall find it.
If all we are doing is seeking after our own fulfilment then we are really losing our life. Not just in eternity because we didn’t love others, but we are losing it now because it is a lonely existence to try to get everything for yourself all the time. But if you willingly lose your life by giving it up to help and love others then you will find true life.

#52 RosesAreBlue

info@treasure-vessels.com (Carolyn Burnette) — Tue, 3 Dec 2013 07:51:00 -0800

Coming to us from the London area, but not actually in London :) is the beautiful Rose, known as Roses Are Blue on SoundCloud.

Her lovely personality is quite evident in her songs as well as in our interview with her! Rose’s lyrics took us to a surprising place where I had thought it was only about loving someone but she also wrote this with a double meaning and that comes out in our discussion with her. She said her song writing is generally spontaneous but she did have something in mind when writing the words to this song. Caught in the moment of singing and feeling she says that what this song is saying is that what ultimately matters is love. We agree with her in that the greatest of all is love and we really enjoyed the conversation with Rose today and her song she’s entitled “Life is Love.”

Interview 12/11/2013 – RosesAreBlue
Download or subscribe on iTunes

Lead Scripture:

I Corinthians 13:13
13 But now faith, hope, love abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.
The greatest of all is love.

LYRICS:
LIFE IS LOVE

I'm not drowning in the rain
I'm not lost in the fog
I'm not burning in the sun
I'm not hearing anyone
When you break it all down
When you figure it out
Life isn't life
Life isn't time
Life is Love
Life is Love
Life is Love
What is life
What is time
I'm not calling your name
I'm not feeling any pain
Not wasting away
I'm so glad you stayed....

Scriptures from Interview:

1 John 4:9
By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He sent his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Deuteronomy 30:19-21b
19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, 20 by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”
Every day we make choices. There is one big choice. Choose life. Which came first, life or love? Can we as human beings even answer the question, what is love? Can you have life without love? I don’t think so.

1 John 4:12
No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.
Giving of our time and thoughts and prayer to others is part of loving others in a self- sacrificing love.

Song of Solomon 1:2
“May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your love is better than wine.
Love is the greatest of all.

Zephaniah 3:17
“The Lord your God is in your midst,
A victorious warrior.
He will exult over you with joy,
He will be quiet in His love,
He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.
Love renews us!

Proverbs 12:28
In the way of righteousness is life,
And in its pathway there is no death.

Proverbs 8:35-36
35 “For he who finds me finds life
And obtains favor from the Lord.
36 “But he who sins against me injures himself;
All those who hate me love death.”

Jude 1:21
21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.

John 15:13
13 Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

Galatians 2:20
20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Revelation 12:11
11 And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.

John 12:25
He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.

Matthew 10:39
He that finds his life shall lose it; and he that loses his life for my sake shall find it.
If all we are doing is seeking after our own fulfilment then we are really losing our life. Not just in eternity because we didn’t love others, but we are losing it now because it is a lonely existence to try to get everything for yourself all the time. But if you willingly lose your life by giving it up to help and love others then you will find true life.

1 Corinthians 13
If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. 13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love. (NASB)
When you strip it all down, what remains is love. Not self-centered love as the world loves. Real love is giving of self.

#51 Mrs. Jamie & Renegade Redeemed

info@treasure-vessels.com (Carolyn Burnette) — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 04:44:00 -0800

This energetic and couple were a great pleasure for us to talk with! So full of love of life and people and very strong in their belief and confession that we have to make the right choice in this life!

Renegade Redeemed and Mrs. Jamie are involved with the youth and their church community. They know what is going on in this world today and have no problems telling people the truth and calling them to follow the right direction! We had a great time discussing their lives and we even got a live demonstration of their rapping their fantastically catchy piece they’ve entitled, “One Shot.”

Interview 28/09/2013 – Mrs. Jamie and Renegade Redeemed (4.R.M./K.G.M)
Download or subscribe on iTunes

Lead Scripture:

Deuteronomy 30:19
This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.
As Ryan said it, knowing God our creator has set before everyone in this world the choice of life and death. We have one shot to get it right.

LYRICS:
ONE SHOT

Chorus:
All I know is that I love my God
Heaven or hell you gotta choose one spot
You gotta live for the King if your gonna make it to the top
So with this chance on earth you only get one shot

Renegade Redeemed 1st verse:
You only get one shot with this chance on earth. Its all about your soul your body returns to the dirt. So where's your destination you only get two choices. You can only serve one you can't follow both voices. So we here to let you know that there's only one way. If you wanna get to heaven you gotta do what He say. Yeah i'm talking Jesus believe and confess. That he died for all your sins then was raised from the dead. Acts chapter 4 in verse number 12. Because Salvation is found in on one else. You ain't gotta believe me take it back to the Scriptures. 1st Peter 3:18 yeah He dies for all sinners.
Mrs. Jamie 2nd verse:
Yeah we put Him on you know what we mean. Jesus the Most High representing our King. Make the right choice follow that road. Heaven or hell nowhere else to go. And why you think we playing like its some kind of game. Na you got it twisted because we UNASHAMED. For our King our Lord who died for our sins. So quit playing games own up repent. Oh I think they ready lets get it in. Time to pick our Cross and follow after Him. 1st Corinthians and yes I went there. So just like Him that's what we have to bear. On whats called the vertebra. On Him bones braking worst then all the slaves. So back to the topic the meaning of our rhymes. Seek and follow and claim a new Life.

3rd verse Mrs. Jamie and renegade Redeemed:
Mrs. Jamie - We choose Life and saying goodbye to death. Clean slate Spirit filled through Him we repent. Saying hello to the new days. Walking Spirit filled thanking God that we saved. But we gotta use Wisdom when our flesh wanna rise. Remember look up and focus on the prize. Stand up start shaking off chains. Through Him for Him we give Him praise.
Renegade Redeemed - Your Creator up in Heaven doesn't want you to perish. But He gives you free-will His Word you should cherish. I mean it don't make since when I was trapped in sin. I didn't care about Life take a lost instead of win. But i'm in Him and He's in me. I'm on the grind for what's right guaranteed i'm Free. If He can do it for me then He can do it for you. Chapter 11 28-30 book of Matthew.

Scriptures from Interview:

Romans 1:20
20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
As Ryan said, “Understand that God has given us this opportunity here on earth to choose life. If we don’t then we have no excuse on judgment day because God has given us every opportunity to do so. God says, “Choose life.” He wants you to choose life, he does not want you to perish.

Proverbs 16:14-16
14 A king’s wrath is a messenger of death, and a wise man will appease it. 15 In the light of a king’s face there is life, and his favor is like the clouds that bring the spring rain. To get wisdom is better than gold; to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.
It is wise to make the right choice. The King has given us the best of everything, all we have to do is accept and receive what he’s done for us! Make the right choice!

#50 Roth Whyler

info@treasure-vessels.com (Carolyn Burnette) — Thu, 7 Nov 2013 08:43:00 -0800

Surrounded by 12 guitars in his home studio we talked with Hans Albers, known as Roth Wyler to those of us on SoundCloud!

We felt particularly blessed to have this opportunity to talk with Hans because he’s just recently been a victim of having his SoundCloud and FaceBook accounts hacked and erased by a person or a program made by a person. So many of us are really sad that his music is missing from SC and hope that there is some way his music and the history with them can be recovered. Until his SC site is restored or rebuilt we can find him on youtube where he has a few videos with music under Roth Whyler. In our talk with Hans today we shared some heavy words and feelings over the concept behind the writing of his feature tune. Our conversation took us to many areas of thought about how we hurt others in our lives. Hans brought us back to his original feelings behind his writing and we know you will be glad to see Hans as we visit with him and discuss his composition entitled, “The Princess and the Thief.”

Interview 28/09/2013 – Roth Whyler
Download or subscribe on iTunes

Lead Scripture:

Isaiah 28:16
Therefore, thus says the Lord God, behold, I am laying in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tested stone, a precious corner stone, of a sure foundation: he who believes will not be in haste.
Jesus is the Corner Stone. He is the Foundation. Believe in him and ask him for forgiveness. He is the one who truly loves you and took the punishment in our place for all the wrong we have done. He went even further than that; he then laid his blessings on us too!

LYRICS/TOPIC:
The Princess and the Thief

This is a story dealing with the tragedy of love.
It’s a flash back of a Don Juan realizing how many hearts he had broken, how many dreams he had destroyed, how much pain and tears he had given – and no chance for him to repair.

Scriptures from Interview:

MONU notes:

Nahum 1:3
The LORD is slow to get angry, but his power is great, and he never lets the guilty go unpunished.
Rejection of salvation is eternal death. How can our sins be pardoned?? Can our God who is so pure and holy forgive us? If so, then how? God cannot accept us if we willingly continue in our sins and refuse his offer of forgiveness on his terms. God is love and he has made a way for us to be forgiven. We just have to receive what he has done for us in his Son Jesus!

How can we ask for forgiveness?

John 3:16
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.
BELIEVING IS IMPORTANT.

Romans 10:13-14
For “anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him?
“Calling” means, asking for mercy, help and love and repenting of the wrong we have done. Why does believing show true repentance or accepting action by a person??

John 3:19-21
Their judgment is based on this fact: The light from heaven came into the world, but they loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20They hate the light because they want to sin in the darkness. They stay away from the light for fear their sins will be exposed and they will be punished. 21But those who do what is right come to the light gladly, so everyone can see that they are doing what God wants.”

Carolyn notes:

I Kings 11:1
1Now King Solomon loved many women…” 2bHe clung to these in love. 3 He had 700 wives, princesses and 300 concubines – and his wives turned away his heart to other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord God as was the heart of David his father. (Solomon took wives of people who served false gods).

There are men in the bible who loved many women, including many of kings, even though the law states that a king is only to have one wife. God knew that we find true fulfillment and companionship when we are devoted to one person. He also knows that when we are true to one another that we are better protected from pain by lost hopes and dreams for the future.
The Old Testament tells so many times how God wanted to show his love to the world through his people. Every one of us as groups of people would have made the same mistakes and been just as stubborn. We all have the same failings in our lives today. We may not turn to idols of wood and clay to worship but we do in a sense worship things our hands have made by seeking to fulfill ourselves in our way of choice and doing things our way. God continues to look today to find those who will be faithful.

Isaiah 12:2
Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, he has become my salvation.
Since people, any people, could not fulfill God’s purpose, God did it himself.

Proverbs 28:13
Confess and forsake transgressions to obtain mercy.

Proverbs 20:20
A faithful man will abound with blessings.

Jeremiah 3:1b-2a
1b …But you have lived as a prostitute with many lovers—would you now return to me?”
declares the Lord. 2 “Look up to the barren heights and see. Is there any place where you have not been ravished? By the roadside you sat waiting for lovers, sat like a nomad in the desert…
God is our true love. He holds his arms outstretched to us day and night calling for us to return to him. Can a harlot return to God and be cleansed and redeemed? Yes! Rahab the harlot believed and by faith in God she was redeemed and did not perish. She is in the genealogy line of Jesus himself. So, there is hope for me and you in Jesus too!

#49 Nemorospo

info@treasure-vessels.com (Carolyn Burnette) — Mon, 28 Oct 2013 08:45:00 -0700

Across the ocean blue to a wonderful friend of so many, Marc Elluse, known as Nemorospo, joined us from Paris, France today!

It doesn’t take long in a conversation with Marc to know that he is a lover of people and keeps a positive and upbeat attitude in life. He had no qualms about our interpretation of his wonderful song today and it was such a pleasure for us to talk with him! I told Marc in the beginning that I saw his song as something like, “Jesus looking for me.” He quickly understood my view and let me explain more while giving his view on the subject matter as well. Marc said he also believes in something he had heard about five important things in life that a man can do, build a house, plant a tree, write a book, love a woman and raise a child. He said it’s a peaceful way to live and truly Marc is a peaceful living man. There’s no doubt in my mind that you will enjoy getting to know Marc a little better as you watch our interview with him on his song, “White Nights.”

Interview 21/09/2013 – Nemorospo
Download or subscribe on iTunes

Lead Scripture:

Luke 13:34b

34… how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.

The heart of Jesus longs for us and looks for us but we so often are stubborn and not willing to come and lay our heads on his shoulder and accept his open arms of love..

LYRICS
WHITE NIGHTS

I’M SITTING ON TH ROOF
OF THE FORTRESS WE BUILT
UNDER THE SHINY MOON
LIVING IN MY DREAMS
I’M WALKING DOWN THE PATH
OF THE LAND WE SHARED
SURCHING FOR YOUR TRACKS
BETWEEN NIGHT AND DAY

I PICKED UP THE STARS
LAYING ITS AT YOUR FEET
I WROTE YOU A BOOK
DID YOU ONLY READ IT
I CREATED SOME WORDS
TO CARESS YOUT SPIRIT
I DANCED WITH YOUR SOUL
DO YOU REMEMBER THIS
I STOLE ALL THE JEWELS
LAYING ITS AT YOUR FEET
I WROTE YOU A SONG
DID YOU ONLY EAR IT
I CREATED SOME SOUNDS
TO EMBRACE YOUR EARS
I DANCED WITH YOUR SOUL
DO YOU REMEMBER THIS
DO YOU REMEMBER THIS

I STILL REMEMBER THIS
EVERY DAY EVERY NIGHT
I STILL REMEMBER THIS
EVERY DAY EVERY NIGHT
WHITE NIGHTS

Scriptures from Interview:

Revelation 3:20
20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
Just like Marc in this song who gave everything for the one he loves, Jesus does the same for us. When we open the door of our hearts to him then everything he owns is also ours. He wants to give us great and wonderful things that are priceless and far exceed the treasures of the world.

Ezekiel 34:16a
16 I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak…
The good shepherd searches for his lost sheep to bring them back to the safety of the fold.

I John 3:16
16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.
Jesus laid down his life to give us everything – laying all the riches of eternity at our feet.

Isaiah 55:11
11 …so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
God spoke, he gave us his word in a book – did you read it?

Matthew 11:28
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
He gives us his word that is alive and actively sooths our weary souls. Do you remember?

#48 Diana Harmon Garnand

info@treasure-vessels.com (Carolyn Burnette) — Thu, 17 Oct 2013 08:24:00 -0700

What a lovely person we found in Diana Harmon Garnand. So full of deep thoughts and a writer poetry most of her life.

Her voice is known very well on SoundCloud as she speaks from her own and other writings over music. Her voice inspires many wonderful musicians and composers on the cloud. Diana’s words today took us through a lot of meaningful thought about God and love and made us think of our own personal journeys. While Diana was searching for God she realized that he is very near to all of us. She believes in the divine which lead her to meditate on love. In busy lives it’s important to find the true love which is not outside but inside of us; the connection of Divine (God). Diana say that what really matters is for us to respond in love and that response will make a big difference in our world. We are sure you will enjoy the discussion today with Diana and her piece entitled, “The Road To You Is Through Me.”

Interview 14/09/2013 – Diana Harmon Garnand
Download or subscribe on iTunes

Lead Scripture:
Psalm 73:28

But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;
I will tell of all your deeds. (NIV)
When we welcome God’s presence in our lives then we know what is truly good..

LYRICS
THE ROAD TO YOU IS THROUGH ME

I have searched for You this entire life
Endlessly looking for You in countless eyes
Listening intently for our secret language
In all that is said, and unsaid
Yearning to feel Your touch
Seeking some sign, some confirmation
From You

Why is this search so long?
The road to You, so lonely?
What have I done to deserve this?
What do I need to do to find You…to see You?
Where do I look next?

So afraid to stop seeking
Time is running out
Unwilling to settle for less than You
I know you’re right there, just out of reach
And right here…here
Completely within my grasp
The road to You is through me
So I continue on…

Scriptures from Interview:

Psalm 73:21-26
When my heart was embittered
And I was pierced [a]within,
22 Then I was senseless and ignorant;
I was like [b]a beast [c]before You.
23 Nevertheless I am continually with You;
You have taken hold of my right hand.
24 With Your counsel You will guide me,
And afterward receive me [d]to glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but You?
And [e]besides You, I desire nothing on earth.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the [f]strength of my heart and my portion forever.
When we try to live without God then we go through painful experiences. Still through it all, God loves us. He is patient and waits for us to turn to him. When we do then we discover that he is all we have and all we ever need. God is love.

Proverbs 14:10
10 Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy.
Our experiences are our own and only God knows the full length and breadth of our experiences.

#47 GODs Vessel

info@treasure-vessels.com (Carolyn Burnette) — Sat, 5 Oct 2013 07:26:00 -0700

We really enjoyed our discussion today with Antoine Minor, known as God’s Vessel on SoundCloud and other internet sites.

He started in music in 1997 and found doors open to him and enjoyed playing in different venues, then in 2009 he had a transition happen in his life. He realized he had let music and modeling take too much of an important role in his life, even coming before God and his family. Then God stepped in and allowed the Holy Spirit to deal with him in a very personal way. He had the realization that if he continued his life in the same way that he would find himself alone with that entertainment. He didn’t want that, and so he stopped. But the gifts and callings from God are irrevocable, which means that if God gives you a gift and a calling then He expect you to fulfill it. Antoine knew inside that God wanted him to utilize what he’s been given and so he went back to music, but this time in the right way. Antoine gave some great thoughts about what it means to be a rider for the Lord and we know you will enjoy seeing and getting to him as we discuss his most interesting song, “Rider for the Lord.”

Interview 13/09/2013 – GODs Vessel
Download or subscribe on iTunes

Lead Scripture:
Revelation 9:16

¹⁶The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. ¹⁷And this is how I saw in the vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the color of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceed fire and smoke and brimstone.

LYRICS
RIDER FOR THE LORD

I want YOU to know that I’m a rider
I’m a steady seek YOUR face every day, I give YOU praise
I want YOU to know that I’m a rider for YOUR name
Until I laying in my grave

That’s right, I’m a man that will get it in
That’s right I’m aman surrendering
To the Lord and His Word and His face and His grace
And his will and His way
Say Hey

For Christ and His life on His side I will fight
Day and night with the shield of faith
Give my life, submit my life, lay it down for a
brown at the pearly gates
Less me, more you, no me, all YOU, in Jesus Name
I just wanna see Your face
I just wanna seek Your face
I just wanna SEE Your face
I just wanna praise Your name
Cause without submission
You’ll be hopin and wishin
You can get his attention
But will it be too late?
So take time and listen and
Start your repentance for your sins
Forgiveness before that burning lake

Hey, I’m a rider

Scriptures from Interview:

John 14:15
If you love me you will keep my commandments

Proverbs 7:1-4
My son, keep my words
And treasure my commandments within you.
2 Keep my commandments and live,
And my [a]teaching as the [b]apple of your eye.
3 Bind them on your fingers;
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
And call understanding your intimate friend
When we treasure God’s word and hide it in our hearts then we will willingly submit our will to his and follow after him with all our heart.

Revelation 2:10
10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Being faithful unto death is something to live every day. Each day we give up or die to our own desires in order to let Jesus live in us. More of you Lord and less of me.

1 John 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Could it ever be too late? Don’t let it be too late. Confess your sins to God now. He faithfully forgives all who ask and believe and receive his forgiveness.

#46 Dave Mckeown

info@treasure-vessels.com (Carolyn Burnette) — Mon, 23 Sep 2013 10:11:00 -0700

To Britain again, but this time we got a glimpse of the beautiful English Channel and are thankful to Dave for giving us a peek of what he gets to look at every day!

We were so pleased to have the opportunity to talk with the true SoundCloud legend, Dave McKeown today! Dave has a long history with music and has played since he was child and he plays many instruments including the sax, clarinet, flute, bagpipes, the piano and more! Music continues to be a big part of his everyday life and he told us in our interview with him today. His choice for discussion today was the topic of Chagall’s painting, “The Offering of Isaac.” Being very touched by this painting and how it brought much thought to him every time he stood in front of it and examined the work of Chagall made it an easy choice for his discussion topic today. Dave’s thoughts on this painting and how he tied it together with the feature tune, “New Day, by Cyra Morgan and the sound clip of Ethan McCord and then reciting the poem by Wilfred Owen, “The Parable of the Old Man and the Young.” A very thought-provoking discussion and we know you will enjoy listening to Dave on our interview with him today.

Interview 31/08/2013 – Dave Mckeown
Download or subscribe on iTunes

Lead Scripture:
Genesis 22:8a
And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering…

FEATURE TUNE
New Day, Dave McKeown with Cyra Morgan

DISCUSSION

Talk about Chagall's painting, The Offering of Isaac.

Link: http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/marc-chagall/the-sacrifice-of-isaac-1966

Scriptures from Interview:

The Offering of Isaac

22 Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” ²He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” ³So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.⁴On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance. ⁵Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.” ⁶Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. ⁷Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” ⁸Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.

⁹Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. ¹⁰Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. ¹¹But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” ¹²He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” ¹³Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. ¹⁴Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the Lord it willbe provided.”

¹⁵Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, ¹⁶and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, ¹⁷indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply yourseed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. ¹⁸In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” ¹⁹So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham lived at Beersheba.

John 1:29

The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

I Corinthians 13:1
If I speak with tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

#45 - Van Gabriel

info@treasure-vessels.com (Carolyn Burnette) — Wed, 4 Sep 2013 11:41:00 -0700

What a super treat today to talk with the wonderful Gabriel Vanore and get to listen to him tell us a little bit of what goes on inside that creative mind of his!

Oh…I’ve always thought of him being quiet and I was happily surprised to find him full of great thought and conversation! I was especially grateful for this because my fellow-host, Manasseh Nand, was absent for the first time in our podcast today. Gabriel, who goes by Van Gabriel on SoundCloud is very well know for his music production and arrangement and works with many artists from around the world. He gave us 3 clips of music with some of these artists and choose for discussion today the topic of “honesty.” I am really impressed by the thoughtful and kind heart of this talented man and I know you will enjoy the discussion I had with him today on Treasure-Vessels. :)

Interview 10/08/2013 – Gabriel Vanore
Download or subscribe on iTunes

Lead Scripture:
I Corinthians 13:6b
Love … rejoices with the truth;

Truth and honesty is important to God, and he has put that importance inside of us too. Love rejoices with the truth.

DISCUSSION
HONESTY

Scriptures from Interview:
God does not lie
Titus 1:2
in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago

In Contrast – the devil is the father of lies
John 8:44b
You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
God gives us good instruction from his word and shows us in many places how important honesty is to him.

I Chronicles 28:9b
“As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.

Psalm 43:1
deliver me from the unjust and deceitful man!

Proverbs 2:023
Differing weights are an abomination to the Lord,
And a false scale is not good.

Psalm 15
O Lord, who may abide in Your tent?
Who may dwell on Your holy hill?
2 He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness,
And speaks truth in his heart.
3 He does not slander with his tongue,
Nor does evil to his neighbor,
Nor takes up a reproach against his friend;
4 In whose eyes a reprobate is despised,
But who honors those who fear the Lord;
He swears to his own hurt and does not change;
5 He does not put out his money at interest,
Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things will never be shaken.
We have all failed… take it to Jesus. He forgives us and has been faithful in our place. He’s been faithful for us! God accepts us because of the faithfulness of Jesus!

Exodus 20:16
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Leviticus 19:11
Do not steal, do not lie, do not deceive one another.

Psalm 51:6
Surely you desire truth in the inner parts: you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

Proberbs 4:23-27
23 Watch over your heart with all diligence,
For from it flow the springs of life.
24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth
And put devious speech far from you.
25 Let your eyes look directly ahead
And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you.
26 Watch the path of your feet
And all your ways will be established.
27 Do not turn to the right nor to the left;
Turn your foot from evil.

Acts 24:16
In view of this, I also do my best to maintain always a blameless conscience both before God and before men.

I Corinthians 13:6
Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;

Philippians 4:8
8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

#44 1 Year Anniversary Special

info@treasure-vessels.com (Carolyn Burnette) — Thu, 22 Aug 2013 07:59:00 -0700

It’s One Year! Today we invited all of our former guests from the past year to join us for our special One Year Anniversary episode!

Our format for today was a bit different in that we “pulled topics from the hat” and randomly assigned them to our guests who were able to join us! This idea was presented to us by David Barclay, who we had join us as a fellow host for the day! Thank you, David! We started off talking about gifts and talents with Anmafean, to talking about the love of God with Milana and Arty, and The Prodigal Son with Martin all of the other topics we have written below! We did have audio difficulties at times, and unfortunately had to make some edit cuts, so we apologize if anything seems not to flow so well at different points, and some we had to cut a little short because of the audio difficulties. About the first 15 minutes of the audio is still a little difficult to listen to, but we hope you will hang in there for some great discussions with our wonderful guests! We thank you all for supporting us and being with us this past year and hope to see and talk to more of our wonderful friends and artists from around the world! Thank you from the Treasure Vessels team, Jonathan Sautter, Manasseh Nand and me too! :)

Interview 03/08/2013 – 1 Year Anniversary
Special Guests: Martin Likewyse, Anmafean, Gnet, John Styles, Henrique, Milana & Arty, Hjerlmuda, Alice & Ron, Dan and Tom O’Rose
Download or subscribe on iTunes

Lead Scripture:
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever belives in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

God really does love us! All of us! Every single one of us! :)

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION

Guest	Topic	Country
Martin	The prodigal Son	Germany
Antonio	Gifts and Talents	Portugal
John	Being Perfect	Netherlands
Henrique	Judas	Brazil
Milana& Arty	The Love of God	Canada
Tom O Rose		France
Hjerlmuda	Feeding The Poor	Berlin, Germany
Alice & Ron	Turning Water Into Wine	Indonesia
Dan	Importance of Believing	USA

SCRIPTURES FROM INTERVIEW

Gifts and Talents:

Matthew 7:7-11
7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!

Romans 11:29
29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable

I Corinthians 12:8
8 For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit;

Judas:

John 13:29
29 For some were supposing, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus was saying to him, “Buy the things we have need of for the feast”; or else, that he should give something to the poor.

Acts 1:16
16 “Brethren, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.

Feeding The Poor:

I Samuel 2:7
“The Lord makes poor and rich;
He brings low, He also exalts.

Psalms 72:12-13
12 For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper.
13 He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy.

The Love of God:

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever belives in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

Prodigal Son:

Luke 15:11-32
11 And He said, “A man had two sons. 12 The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.’ So he divided his wealth between them.13 And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living. 14 Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him. 17 But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! 18 I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.”’ 20 So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; 23 and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; 24 for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.
25 “Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things could be. 27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound.’ 28 But he became angry and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him. 29 But he answered and said to his father, ‘Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends; 30 but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’ 31 And he said to him, ‘Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.’”

Being Perfect:

I John 4:18
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.

Matthew 5:48
48 Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Importance of Believing:

Proverbs 23:7
7 For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he…

Turning Water into Wine:

John 2:1-11
On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; 2 and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her,“Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother *said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” 6 Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each. 7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” So they filled them up to the brim. 8 And He said to them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.”So they took it to him. 9 When the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom, 10 and said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana ofGalilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.

#43 Riny Raijmakers

info@treasure-vessels.com (Carolyn Burnette) — Fri, 26 Jul 2013 08:38:00 -0700

To The Netherlands again we go, this time to talk with a wonderful songwriter, Riny Raijmakers.

We were fortunate to also have Eve come and join in on the conversation! Riny had some meaningful words to say about his song that we featured today. He said for some reason it felt like an important song to him, and we had to agree, because there is something very important and possibly even vitally important about taking quite time to be still and just breathe and listen. Sometimes that is all we need. Riny said that he believes some things are best left unexplained, that way it can have a personal meaning for us. This took our conversation into an area we did not foresee. It was a good talk we had, the four of us, and we hope you will enjoy our discussion today as well as we go through this little journey with his song he’s titled, “Be Still.”

Interview 21/07/2013 – Be Still by Riny Raijmakers
Download or subscribe on iTunes

Lead Scripture:
Ecclesiastes 3:1 & 7
1 There is an appointed time for everything…and there is a time for every event under heaven -
7 a time to tear apart and a time to sew together;
a time to be silent and a time to speak…

There is a time to be silent.

LYRICS
BE STILL

Sometimes a sigh is just enough
To break the silence
Sometimes a hand,
sometimes a touch
sometimes a touch
Sometimes a spark is just enough
Enough to light my fire
And sometimes a
‘hush, don’t talk no more’
Be quiet, still, is all I desire

Sometimes I don’t need words
No fireworks, no rollercoasters and no thrills
Sometimes a spark is just enough
To light my fire
Sometimes
‘a hush, don’t talk no more’
‘be quiet, be still

Sometimes a smile is just enough
To get me through the day
Sometimes it’s just a sentence
Sometimes a word you say
Sometimes a minute’s just enough
Enough to last a lifetime
Sometimes I need a nighttime love
Sometimes a valentine

Sometimes I don’t need words
No fireworks, no rollercoasters and no thrills
Sometimes a spark is just enough
To light my fire
Sometimes
‘a hush, don’t talk no more’
‘be quiet, be still

Scriptures from Interview:

Manasseh’s notes:-

Just one sigh “sign” is enough for us, just one indication or hint is enough.

Matthew 12:38

One day some teachers of religious law and Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want you to show us a miraculous sign to prove that you are from God.”

But Jesus replied, “Only an evil, faithless generation would ask for a miraculous sign; but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah."

Israel have been experiencing and witnessing a lot of miracles and wonders of God from the time of Exodus from Egypt, but still they had doubts on God. That’s why its better to be still and calm and believe in truth which God shows us all the time in this world. And its best to have faith in Him for all things.

Paul went to Rome and shared the word with all gentiles, where all other disciples were scared to go and preach about the good news. His life is also a good example about just one sign, a small sign. Jesus spoke to him and that was the sign for his life that he has to do Lords will… and that was enough to light the fire and it flamed all through Rome and many corners of the earth.

Luke 1:18-19

Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I know this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”

¹⁹ Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news!

Many times when we get the biggest indication which could be an angel from heaven like this, what we just read above, could be hard for us to believe. That’s when we have to keep faith in God and trust with our whole heart, that He can do everything even beyond our imagination.

Carolyn’s notes: -

Jeremiah 10:13
When He utters His voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens,
And He causes the clouds to ascend from the end of the earth;
He makes lightning for the rain,
And brings out the wind from His storehouses.
God can be loud … if he wants to be.

I Kings 19:9-13

Elijah at Horeb

⁹Then he came there to a cave and lodged there; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” ¹⁰He said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant,torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

¹¹So He said, “Go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lordwas passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹²After the earthquake a fire, but theLord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. ¹³When Elijah heardit, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Elijah experienced a great blowing wind, an earthquake and a fire as the Lord passed by… but it was not until a gentle blowing did he hear the Lord speak. God speaks the loudest when he speaks to us with a still small voice.

A Thorn in the Flesh

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

⁷Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! ⁸Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. ⁹And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. ¹⁰Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

In the context of our discussion Riny said he thought sometimes it was good not to explain a song but let it be open so people can get their own meaning from it. That reminded me of this scripture. The bible does not say what “thorn in the flesh” meant to Paul. It could have been temptation to sin or it could have been a health problem or weakness. It is left open for us so that we can also see that Jesus will help us with our weaknesses whatever they are.

Job 6:24

“Teach me, and I will be silent;
And show me how I have erred.

There is a time when we need to be silent. We do not have all of the answers. We need to sit and listen to the one who does.

#42 David W O'Connell

info@treasure-vessels.com (Carolyn Burnette) — Fri, 19 Jul 2013 07:36:00 -0700

What a lovely conversation we had with our special guest, David O’Connell coming to us from Derby, Britain.

David has an interesting background involving both music and radio and is a thoughtful songwriter now for many years. His featured tune today brings in thoughts from several areas as he talks about the good and bad within all of us. David says he was prompted to write this song when he had thoughts and feelings about an event that happened in our world. He realized that we all have to look within ourselves and see the truth. We hope you will tune in for this wonderful conversation with David and listen up and think as we discuss the most interesting lyrics of his tune, “The Lone Ranger & Tonto.”

Interview 13/07/2013 – The Lone Ranger & Tonto by David W O'Connell
Download or subscribe on iTunes

Lead Scripture:
Psalm 25:15
“¹⁵My eyes are ever toward the Lord; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net..”

Only God and his love is able to save us…from ourselves…

LYRICS
THE LONE RANGER & TONTO

https://soundcloud.com/david-w-oconnell/the-lone-ranger-tonto?in=david-w-oconnell/sets/christian-rock-songs

Like the Lone Ranger & Tonto we were spoiling for a fight,
Looking to set everything right,
Everything was easy, everyhting was black and white -
We knew who to help and we knew who to smite,
But in the very moment of our victory,
We found out that the evil was in you and me.

Well Tonto turned around and he said, 'Kimo Sabe,
what can we do to make the people happy?'
The ranger seemd confused he just threw down his gun,
'If the evil is inside us we got no place to run.
Cos in the very moment of our victory,
WSE found out that the evil was in you and me.'

Just then a masked stranger limped into that place,
He had dust on his jacket, he had blood on his face,
He said, 'I've been defeated, so I know how to win.
Come and follow me and I will drive out your sin.'
The ranger said, 'Stranger, what's the face behind your mask?'
He said, 'If you were holy you would have no need to ask.'

Scriptures from Interview:
Psalm 24:1-2

The Conflict of Two Natures

14 For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold [m]into bondage to sin.15 For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. 16 But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. 17 So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. 19 For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. 20 But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.
21 I find then the [n]principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good.22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God [o]in the inner man, 23 but I see a different law in[p]the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner [q]of the law of sin which is in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from [r]the body of this death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.

God is the creator. He has even established all of the laws of nature that we know. We often do things we don’t want to do and we don’t know why. It is because we have conflicting nature inside of us. Even the Christian who is born again still has to make decisions on a daily basis to do what is right. When we falter and fall it is because of the sinful nature inside of us. We are only saved from this wretchedness by Jesus!

Proverbs 13:14

The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, to turn aside from the snares of death.

We need the word of God and His Spirit to teach us and lead us and spare us from the death of our souls

Proverbs 13:17

A wicked messenger falls into adversity, but a faithful envoy brings healing.

Those who bring us words of life are faithful envoys.

Psalms 42:5

Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, For the help of His presence.

When we realize who we really are, that we are not all good but a mixture is inside of us then this may bring us despair. Stop looking at ourselves and turn to God! Turn our thoughts to God and know and believe that He will deliver us and He loves us even now!

Luke 11:27b

blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it.

Earlier in the text there was a woman talking about Mary when she said, “blessed is the womb that bore you.” But Jesus explained its not who we are in the flesh, or if we came from this or that family…it’s about keeping God’s word. When we keep God’s word then we are blessed.

#41 Padruna

info@treasure-vessels.com (Carolyn Burnette) — Thu, 11 Jul 2013 10:13:00 -0700

What a delight today to visit beautiful Switzerland and talk with the lovely and talented Padruna!

A special treat right off the top was a live vocal performance by her father, and a little accompaniment by Nina! We send him our warm congratulations on his 90^th birthday! Another special thing about today, we were pleased to discuss some of the lyrics of a very famous song that Nina has just recently released with the piano and arrangement by David Ari Leon through her record label with Grant Taylor Record Company. The song today originally came from Pink Floyd and their album “The Wall,” and has gone through in-depth discussions with people all over the world for many years now. We just touched on part the lyrics today as Padruna recorded just the first verses and the original lyrics are actually longer. Sharing so many things with us from her own life experiences; suffering, pain, fear and acceptance, we found the discussion with Padruna very touching and thought-provoking. We know that you will enjoy getting to know her a little better, as we did, in our discussion today with the lyrics of the song, “Comfortably Numb.”

Interview 01/07/2013 – Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb (Acoustic cover by Padruna)
Download or subscribe on iTunes

Lead Scripture:
Matthew 11:28-30

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

When we turn to Jesus we find true comfort and peace for our minds and souls.

LYRICS

COMFORTABLY NUMB
Lyrics by: Roger Waters
Music: David Gilmour and Pink Floyd

Hello?
Is there anybody in there?
Just nod if you can hear me.
Is there anyone at home?
Come on now
I hear you're feeling down.
Well I can ease your pain
Get you on your feet again.
Relax.
I'll need some information first.
Just the basic facts.
Can you show me where it hurts?

There is no pain you are receding
A distant ship smoke on the horizon.
You are only coming through in waves.
Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying.
When I was a child I had a fever
My hands felt just like two balloons.
Now I've got that feeling once again
I can't explain you would not understand
This is not how I am.
I have become comfortably numb.

MONU notes & scriptures:

Our only everlasting Comforter:

2 Thessalonians 2:17

May our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father, who loved us and in his special favor gave us everlasting comfort and good hope, ¹⁷comfort your hearts and give you strength in every good thing you do and say.

Nahum 1:7

The Lord is good. When trouble comes, he is a strong refuge. And he knows everyone who trusts in him.

2 Corinthians 1:4

⁴He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When others are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.

We all have this feeling many times in life and wonder why we have to go through all this pain. Sometimes we go so far as to even question God and why he even allows such pain for us. But God does not allow things to cause us harm. It’s a process of cleaning. For example when a stain gets on a cloth we have to rub it, the tougher the stain is the harder we have to rub it. It’s sort of the same way, God is in the process of cleaning this world and that’s why His kids are going through some pains, though this is also to make His kids stronger so they don’t fall again in the mud and get more stains.

Luke 12:27

“Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 28And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won’t he more surely care for you? You have so little faith!

Why we suffer?

Genesis 37:28

So when the traders came by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty pieces of silver, and the Ishmaelite traders took him along to Egypt.

Later Joseph was made a prince of Egypt. Initially he suffered but God had a better plan for his life which is also applicable in our life. Its like Gold has to go into the furnace so it can shine more to its real beauty.

Carolyn notes & scriptures:

Psalm 52:7

Behold the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and was strong in his evil desire.

The beginning of this Psalm talks about those who pursue evil and who harm others and who are selfish and also refuse to turn to God. It talks about how it will be bad for those who make such evil choices. In life we know there are consequences to our choices. If we are wise we will make right choices.

Psalm 52:8-9

But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God;
I trust in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever.
I will give You thanks forever, because You have done it,
And I will wait on Your name, for it is good, in the presence of Your godly ones.

The contrast from those who seek selfish gain to those who seek God is a great contrast. The one who seeks God will flourish like a green olive tree. That picture shows life and abundance and health. This is not just for our bodies but for our inner-being, or mind and our emotions, our spirit. We can try to turn to things of the world for our comfort, but the true comforter is our God. He is the one who will really help us.