Ben Pettit

This week at Westside we are playing a new song for us. It’s called “Ready Now” by Jared Anderson aka the good singer in Desperation Band.

The song starts out very chill but builds into an awesome bridge that might by mislabeled and should be really the chorus.

I’m ready now, I’m ready now, I’m ready now, do what you will.

Now honestly, there is nothing fantastic about this song in the sense of a music analysis. The form is very predictable V, C, V, C, B, C, C. A long with a very simple form, the transitions from each section are predictable and simple. I wonder though if the quarter note rhythm is the reason it has a relaxed feeling. It some how makes us feel like we are walking at a comfortable speed. The instrumentation chosen gives a non-busy, minimalistic, and free feeling.

Fortunately for us at Westside we are very blessed to have two guys, Bill and Bill, who are our auxiliary percussion players. They are wonderful at everything they do. It’s amazing what having a shaker player does for your sound. Last night Bill played shakers on Ready Now and it literally made the song.

Rehearsal went well last night and if any one was out of it, it was me. After about 30 minutes into the rehearsal, major fatigue set in for me. I was so tired I could not see straight. I’m not just saying that, I got really confused about where we were on the chord charts. I felt disoriented. I had been running up the stairs to the sound console and back to the stage all afternoon. So today, the Lord is rest, and in him I lay.

It’s crunch time, game time, and all the cards are on the table.

It’s hard to charge the gates of hell with your pants around your ankles. - Perry Noble

It’s time for you to take your place in the kingdom as a priest and disciple. You are to put on your armor and fight the good fight. The Lord is with you.

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, Or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” - Romans 8:35

You will experience every temptation and weight.  It is time to charge forward. You may get hurt and it may get messy.

No persecution could be so painful that God’s love cannot bring comfort. - H. Blackaby

It’s time to fast and pray that the Lord might sustain you through your discomfort.

I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.     - Job 12:23

What you may not know is this… most of what I write about on this blog are things that I have been battling like a war in my head. For the past month or so I have been consumed with a little identified sin called worry. I have had a constant battle going on in my head. I battle every day, to only think about today. I like planning things A LOT. I like knowing what I am doing every day. Truth told though, it is not my job to know or worry about it.

This morning Evan (one of my college roommates) and I were talking. He made such a great point. He said, “you know, I think that’s the cool thing about Jesus. We don’t have to know about tomorrow”. That rang so true for me today. The Lord is teaching me daily not to be anxious. He knows the plans, he knows the thoughts. We have to grasp hold of that. Especially me. He wants me to sit in stillness and wait to hear his voice.

So where ever you are, this is my prayer for you and I today. I would love that after you read it that you stop, bow your head and talk to your heavenly Father. He is waiting, patiently for you to come to him. And in no way should you feel obligated but, pray for me today. I need it. Thanks guys.

Lord, come meet us where we are. Right now, Holy Spirit you are welcome with us. Come be our guide. Quiet our soul, our emotions, our worries, our fears, our aching self confidence and speak to us in a whisper. Let us love patience, a place where you can manifest your power because we will be obedient to wait for your timing. Perfect. Timing. Amen

Well yesterday I posted about what success is in my opinion. Here are my TOP 5 things success is NOT.

1. Success is NOT making a lot of money. Even marketers believe this. Enjoy where you are, at every moment. If your not happy making 35k a year. You won’t be happy making 70k or a 100k a year. Money buys things, it does not buy happiness. As a college student I was lucky enough to have incredible college jobs all 5 years. I always had money. It was what drove me. I thought having a lot of money would make me super happy. It didn’t. I remember sitting in my apartment one night lonely as can be, thinking, what is all this for any way?
2. Success is NOT being well known. I’m a net worker by heart. I haven’t always been able to do it, but these days I feel right at home with a room full of people that I don’t know. Although at the same time, I’ve remembered days in my life where my contact list was completely full yet I had no one I thought I could talk to. So I just sat there, bored and lonely. Make meaningful relationships and have meaningful conversations.
3. Success is NOT boastful. We often think because of our idea was the one chosen that we are just “the man”. So far from the truth. If your idea is chosen at work, great job, good for you! But, the true success is having your idea chosen, making a big sale, getting a raise… and then staying humble.
4. Success is NOT built overnight. I’ll let you follow the link and think to yourself about this one.
5. Success does NOT complain. I’m not even going to elaborate on this one but I will tell you a story. I have a friend who’s father bought her a brand new car. She didn’t have to pay a dime and instantly the car, title, and all was hers. The car cost about $20k. She then proceeded to complain that the car did not have the highest luxury package and she did not even want it.

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

- Winston Churchill