4:12 Productions Blog

Learn The Lesson, Not The Pain

Administrator — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 21:44:29 +0000

The definition of pain is:

Verb: Cause mental or physical pain: “it pains me to say this”.
Noun: Physical suffering or discomfort caused by illness or injury.

Pain can also serve as caution, forewarning, information and motivation.

How many times have we realized we have felt the pain but not learned many of the lessons life has tried to teach us? Truly pain can serve you well if you know this, and take action as to what is causing you pain. However most of us probably won’t take advantage of this information until now.

Having pain inflicted upon you causes you to give the same in return. Most times we do this subconsciously. It’s not until we take an introspective look at ourselves, and do the honest hard work to look within, that the painful experiences actually become useful lessons. They teach you to embrace your new classroom of learning where you are both student and teacher. Kinda cool and refreshing to hear that huh? Now really you can begin to embrace your everyday events as serving you, and not causing you pain. You will begin to avoid the feeling, inflict less suffering upon others, and you will begin to live in a place of peace and harmony with yourself and others.

Try this: Someone says something negative or untrue about you. First breathe in and out slowly. As you are breathing feel your breaths and nothing more. Then close your eyes and embrace you thinking about who you are. Begin to tell yourself who you are and write it down. But stay in the moment of calm. Next feel the person(s) who said something negative about you and forgive them. When you honestly forgive them you will instantly feel a shift in your mind and body. Allow this to happen for you are releasing the words that you heard and they cannot be trapped in your mind or body. Next hug yourself and extend your hug to them. Feel the release and let it go.

Be the change you desire to see in others.

From my heart to yours,

Coach Louise

This blog was written by Louise T. White, a dynamic life coach and author of the book “I Know Who I Am/365 Daily Reminders”. To find out more about her services visit http://www.loveyourself1st.com

Launching Out Into The Deep

Administrator — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 10:58:33 +0000

When I first read Luke 5: 1-9, I thought this scripture was about moving away from the familiar, and branching out into new territory. The title phrase which Jesus spoke seems to suggest this. However, after further meditation, I found this to be somewhat different than what I’d imagined before. This scripture actually is about returning to a place that had previously yielded no fruit. This lesson is for people who have taken risks, those who are doing what God had gifted and called you to do, but cannot seem to strike gold. Here are three powerful revelations from this scripture to help you breakthrough.

1. Just when you’ve done about all you can do, that’s when Jesus will reveal Himself. Jesus was looking for a boat and crew that would help Him and what He found was a docked boat, and disappointed fishermen. Have you ever hoped a store was open at night, only to drive by and see a dim light on, and no one at the cash register? The disciples were washing their nets after a hard night of labor. These guys were done for the night. Come back tomorrow. Better luck next time. We feel like this in life sometimes. I’ve done all I can do at this point, and it’s time to hang it up. This is just the time when Jesus arrives to stir things up a bit. We can take comfort that, even in our discouraging moments, He is there. But what does His presence mean?

2. Often God will ask you to take your mind off of what you were trying to achieve, in order to do something for someone else. Jesus asked the fishermen to take Him further out in the water, on their ship, so he could teach. “Are you kidding me? But we just got back in!” They didn’t say this, but I can imagine such a human response. Despite the inconvenience these men MAY have felt, there was crowd on the shore waiting to hear Jesus speak, and the Lord requested that the fisherman take him a little ways off the shore so He could address the multitude. The less spiritual mind would think: “Wow Jesus, knowing everything, you should’ve been sensitive to these poor fishermen’s situation and helped them out first. Actually, Jesus WAS trying to help! He wanted to get these men to operate in the Kingdom principle: “Give and it shall be given unto you.” The Lord already knew that if these fishermen would selflessly help others in need, their needs would be met. Jesus’ mind was on the crowd that was waiting on the shore, hungering and thirsting after righteousness. He was not oblivious to the fishermen’s desires either. He just needed them to see what He saw, and feel what He felt, as his heart beat with compassion for the people. This would set these future disciples in the right place spiritually to receive the material blessing that was coming their way.

3. Submission to God releases the anointing, supernatural POWER. When Jesus completed HIS assignment, He instructed them to: “launch out into the deep and let down your nets.” Now let’s go get what you were after. Let’s go back out and be effective this time. With Christ, the anointed one with them on the boat, backing their fishing efforts, there’s NO WAY they could fail! This was the Christ who healed crippled bodies, blind eyes, and deaf ears. The Savior who cast out demons, and created the earth…and He’s going fishing with us? Yep. We’re catching fish tonight. When our attitude is correct, and our priorities in order, the anointing of Christ will empower us as He resides in the ship of our hearts. The obedience of the fishermen is seen when they comply with Jesus’ request to let Him teach from the boat. Even Peter’s response when told to launch out into the deep reveals submission: “We have been at this all night, nevertheless at thy word…” The power is manifested when they received a blessing that was more than they could handle. They caught so much fish, their nets brake, and they had to call in a partner ship to help them carry their catch to shore. There was so much fish, the boats began to sink. They needed a miracle to catch the fish, and now they needed one to make it back to shore! But Jesus was with them, and they returned safely…and wealthier than when they started out.

In conclusion, let us not be afraid if, in the process of following Christ, He asks us to launch out into the deep. Chances are He wants us to launch into a deeper area of faith, and trust that there will be a blessing beyond our wildest dreams when we get there.

This blog was written by Stanley Porter, President of 4:12 Productions and award nominated writer/composer of three urban gospel albums. To find out more on Stanley Porter visit www.stanleyporter.net

3 Steps To Keeping Your Passion Alive

Administrator — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 11:07:52 +0000

Recently a young singer asked me: “How do you keep the passion for something that has become your job?” I believe most of us face this dilemma in our relationships, careers, and entrepreneurial endeavors. Though this blog is a response to a music career question, this information can help you keep your passion alive in almost any area of life.

Be creative. Sometimes we drain ourselves trying to handle the business behind our art, and we forget to spend quality time with the art itself. For example: I spend lots of time preparing for a live performance or getting ready to record in the studio. In addition to these things, I have to plan the logistics of a tour, and manage my finances as well. These things are necessary, but are only slightly related to my love for music. Balance must be struck between the business and the music. I need to create space in my life to just play music for the sake of playing it. Taking time to explore chord structures and melodies as they come to my mind or trying out some new technique I just learned is very liberating….and fun! Sometimes I’ll just play whatever comes from within without thinking about it too much. Handling business can be extremely analytical, whereas, for me, producing music is a creative process. One of best ways to keep your passion alive is to spend more time being creative
Take a break. For artists, it’s easy to forget that great music and songs are inspired by life. If we are not enjoying life we suffer on some level and, consequently, our music suffers. Even in a traditional workplace, vacations are allowed. The music industry is so competitive and it changes so rapidly, that taking a break may seem like career suicide. Challenge yourself to think long term, and to see beyond the next gig or ministry opportunity. Having passion is related to having energy, and it’s difficult to be passionate when we are overworked. If doing what you love is beginning to feel too much like a job, then maybe that’s a sign you need to slow down a bit. People who are passionate communicate their passion through their work and performance. A lack of enthusiasm will eventually show, and may cause your supporters to question your commitment to putting your best foot forward. You see, nobody wins in this scenario. Take a few days or a week away from your music and career. Reconnect with great friends and mentors. Visit places that inspire you or pick up an old hobby you used to enjoy. Not only will you return to your music (or career) with your passion renewed, you will probably approach it differently because of how your vacation experience has changed you.
Stay connected to innovators in your area. People who are achieving breakthroughs in related fields can inspire you. I have a business mentor, who is always doing something amazing every time I call him. He tells me about new ventures he’s involved with and shares the vital lessons he’s learning. In addition to having some valuable music mentors, I’ve attended some phenomenal music seminars. Whenever I am done with a conversation with a mentor, or when I return home from a conference, I start brainstorming like crazy! I’m at the keyboard for hours practicing and applying what I just learned. Other times, I am rethinking and reworking plans I have drafted. Why? I’m excited at all the new possibilities I am imagining. There are new ideas and visions developing in my spirit and I realize that if I make way for these new innovations, my final products will be much better. If you need your professional passion rekindled, I recommend connecting with someone who is on fire in the same field. You’ll be propelled forward by his or her momentum!

In closing, I would say do not be afraid of becoming less passionate. It’s natural! As a matter of fact, anticipate that you’ll become less excited about something you love at the moment. Life changes and people change…accept it. Become an expert at rekindling your flame through life’s ups and downs, and I guarantee your passion will stand the test of time.

Phrases That Can Cripple An Artist’s Career

Administrator — Mon, 10 May 2010 18:37:51 +0000

A friend once told me: “A wise man learns from his own mistakes. An even wiser man learns from the mistakes of others”. In my 10 years of experience as a recording artist, I’ve made many mistakes. As I mentor other aspiring artists, I try to reveal common mistakes made by myself and others trying to establish themselves the industry. Throughout my journey, I’ve heard indie artists make some pretty interesting statements. It is my belief, that, if we consistently say certain things, we reveal what our thoughts are on an issue. Thoughts inform our habits. Consequently poor thinking will lead to poor decision making. Independent artists, who are almost 100% responsible for their musical careers, literally cannot afford many bad habits. This writing is a summary of a presentation I gave recently at a music industry event. The title was: “4 things An Independent Artist Should NEVER Say”. Three of them are included in this blog.

“All I have to do is finish this album and success will come!”

One of my mentors told me long ago that the word “business” is longer than the word “music”. He knew that, as artists, we tend to get so wrapped up in our writing, singing, and instruments that we neglect the many processes that will actually make us money in this music industry. I know what it’s like to near the completion of an album, and anxiously await that first shipment of shrink wrapped CD’s! I also know what it was like to have huge amounts of inventory that I couldn’t sell because I hadn’t marketed properly before an album’s release. Independent artists need to remember that the burden of producing, manufacturing, distributing, and marketing an album all fall on their shoulders. In addition we have to manage our lives and rehearsal schedules. There is no major label, with paid staff, doing these things for us. Let’s not forget the financial commitment one must make in all of these areas. If you are serious about traveling the path of an independent artist, think long and hard about this point.

“I don’t have any money.”

Often we may not have cash on hand to complete our projects or finance other aspects of our music careers. Other times, our lack of knowledge or ingenuity, prevents us from seeing opportunities that exist. I always tell people your paycheck is only ONE way to finance your profession. I have successfully tried a few approaches to this challenge but there are many more. Here a just a couple of ways to find the money you need to get your work done.

a) Properly budget what you have. You’d be surprised: if you revisit how you spend and save, you might have some extra cash hanging around.

b) Write a letter to family and friends asking for donations. Let them know how much your project costs to get done and give them donation options. For instance $75 will buy an hour of studio time, and $300 will allow me to complete a full song. Always promise some kind of return like a special invite to your CD release when the project is done, or a special mention in the credits for their kind investment.

c) Start performing live! Sing at weddings. Provide music for receptions, funerals, and special parties. Offer private music lessons. Use the money you generate for studio time, radio advertising, printing flyers or whatever. Begin to use your talent to finance your business.

d) If you need money to manufacture your CD’s, you can have people preorder your CD. Simply start taking orders personally or plan a concert. Use a portion of the ticket sales to raise money to cover your manufacturing costs!

“No one’s buying what I’m selling!”

The best piece of advice I can give here is to perform some market research. This will help you find your niche and target your market. I know you’ve heard it before, but it’s the truth! Don’t try to get everyone to buy your music. When I first started out, I thought that if I released my first gospel CD at my church, everyone would buy it. How wrong I was! Older people preferred traditional gospel whereas my music is contemporary urban. In addition, many of them still use cassette players! Many of the younger people were still depending on their parents for money, and weren’t investing in gospel CD’s when they spent their dollars. I was almost in shock. Find those who really like your type of music and have the ability to buy it. Sell it to them, and get them to tell their friends! You might have to let some people sample your product, do a few surveys, and study what other artists are doing to sell their music. Often the market gets away from us because we don’t take the time to understand its various segments. When it comes to music…one size does NOT fit all!

Remember, this is not an exact science. Following solid advice only guarantees that you will minimize errors and gain some momentum toward your goals. Consistency is still perhaps the greatest key to breaking through.

Tips For Keeping Your Youth Ministry Strong

Administrator — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 15:55:56 +0000

Most of us have heard the Bible verse: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). The struggle, for many, is how to keep our young ones engaged in Christian activities for an extended period of time so we can give them that solid foundation. This is especially difficult to achieve for youth who have to compete with tremendous secular influences in school and in the neighborhood. Some churches can wow their youth with amazing concerts and others engage them through church sports leagues. Still others struggle to keep young people in Sunday School, or in regular attendance at youth group. Here is some basic advice that I believe will help youth leaders, no matter what strategies you currently employ.

1. Serve the Parents. Parents and guardians are crucial allies for church youth departments. I have never seen a youth department GROW without parental support. What are you doing for parents? Invite them to a periodic planning meeting. Have them air their concerns or do a special night of prayer for the PARENTS of the youth. Send them updates about events and PROGRESS you’ve seen in their children. Thank them continuously for bringing their children to your church. There should be a mailing list (email) specifically for parents. You’ll be amazed when parents “buy-in” how much easier your job will be. They can help with a LOT of things from providing transportation when needed, to serving as chaperones. Parents who feel underserved or slighted in churches will often take their children out of programs or vocalize their dissatisfaction at home. This can lead to youth with conflicted feelings about your youth department.

2. Involve Youth in the Process. Don’t take the “we baked the cake, now eat it” approach. Those days are almost over! Schools don’t even approach teaching that way anymore. Find ways to involve your youth in the planning and implementation of your programs. Conduct a survey to find out what the youth would like to do. Give out tasks involving promotions and figure out what they can do during the event. Can they serve on the worship team, check coats, take tickets, make special announcements, or do kitchen duty? Are ther clean-up crews involved? These ideas may not appeal to your youth, but find out what they’d like to do and incorporate it!In my experience, youth who help plan events want to come out and invite their friends. Giving them complete control doesn’t work at all, but if there is a portion of the event, they can plan and manage, it may spark some enthusiasm.

View the video blog of this post by clicking here!

3. Involve Your Pastor. If you’re at a large church, this may seem next to impossible. It’s hard enough to shake your pastor’s hand after church on Sunday! However, remember many pastors were youth ministers first. Try scheduling an appointment with him/her to discuss the youth ministry. I’ve seen Pastors who interact with youth regularly, and make them feel special, do WONDERS for youth programs. They also have tremendous insight as to what’s happening with families and can provide valuable counsel. Depending on the size of your church and the pastor’s responsibilities, his/her involvement may range from periodic update meetings, to actually attending a few youth programs a year. Pastors can mobilize general church and community support for your programs. They are also able to endorse your programs publicly and rally parents on your behalf.

This advice will most likely work in a set-up where parents are attending the church, and there is a youth leader serving under a lead pastor. Obviously, there may be situations where you are serving in an area so broken that there are no parental or community supports in place. In these situations, different advice will apply and look for God to move in a different way. Just remember, building a youth department is not just about finding things for “kids” to do, it’s about serving families.

Overcoming Fear: A Biblical Perspective

Administrator — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:53:40 +0000

I preached a sermon recently from 1 Sam 17…you know…the David and Goliath story. It was interesting to see what David did to overcome the fear that gripped a nation as Israel faced Goliath and the Philistines. If you are facing a situation that is causing you stress or anxiety, take these few lessons from David:

Don’t Forget Who God Is –When David volunteered to fight the giant, King Saul quickly trying to discourage the young shepherd from going forward. The King said, Goliath has been a soldier from his youth, and you still a boy. It would’ve been easy to focus on what people were saying, but David chose another path. He reminded Saul of his encounter with a lion and a bear as a shepherd and how the Lord had delivered him from the paws of these beasts. He later told Goliath that God was the God of the armies of Israel. This infers that David knew something of the power of God through Israel’s military history. Remember Joshua? Deborah? Gideon? Samson? David drew strength from all these examples as he faced what many believed was impossible. What do remember about the God you serve?
Declare The Victory With Your Mouth- The young warrior told Goliath, ‘Today God will deliver you into my hand and I will cut off your head and feed your body to the birds’…WOW. When was the last time we got THAT specific about how we plan to come out victorious? I believe David got a vision of that victory and published it with his mouth. Whether you get a Rhema Word about your triumph or you are standing on God’s written Word-DECLARE it out of your mouth. You’ll be surprised at how much more encouraged you will feel and how much power you will release as a result.
Act Quickly -After all the threats Goliath hurled towards David, the Bible says that when Goliath arose, “David hastened and ran toward the army and the Philistine”. David realized that he was in a moment of destiny, that God had called him for such as time as that one. To focus on the size of Goliath, the giant’s armor bearer or the Philistine army would have been to allow fear to creep in. He would’ve lost focus like Peter did when walking on the water. When the anointing moves you, don’t think twice! Just do what He is calling you to do! Move faster than the enemy! Notice when Goliath rose, David was already running to meet the challenge! Don’t even give the enemy a chance to size you up: before the devil knows what hit him, you should be all over your purpose!
Celebrate with a Praise- David cut off Goliath’s head after the giant went down. The giant had already been miraculously slain with the slingshot so why cut off his head? It was customary for the victor to take the head of the defeated as a trophy. In other words, to celebrate the win. Notice the Philistine army had not dispersed yet. Any one of those soldiers could’ve shot David. But when the Philistine army saw David lift Goliath’s head above his corpse, the whole army began to run and the army of Israel gained strength from this act. When we celebrate our victory, even when we are not totally in the clear, we can have amazing results! Any demonic forces that are still clinging to our lives will have to flee and we will be a source of strength to those whose faith is failing.

Flexibility May Be Your Biggest Asset

Administrator — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 05:49:40 +0000

I have been trying to figure out what to blog about next so I read through some private journals I’ve been writing over the last few years. One thought keeps surfacing: Be flexible. This lesson applies to Business, Ministry, and Life. It is true that increased flexibility promotes health on a physical level. When you stretch your body, you increase your circulation, allowing more precious blood and oxygen to reach your muscles and brain. Working on your natural flexibility leads to clearer thinking, easier movement of your limbs, and increased energy levels. Some fitness experts even say flexibity can positively impact your strength level. I yield to you that being flexible in business, and life will lead to a smarter, faster, and stronger YOU! Flexibity may look different depending in which area you are trying to adapt, but the results should be equally rewarding.

So if you’re reading this, remember the following two points:

1) Nothing goes your way ALL the time. A mentor once told me there will always be trial and error in life. The least we can do is try to minimize the error. Great advice…if you accept the fact that there will be errors. I think people who rebound the best are those who anticipate problems before they occur and try to tweak their strategy to avoid maximum failure. How about that: flexibilty in the planning phase and during implementation.

2) Refusal to change can mean wasted time and opportunity. Roadblocks, and failures can provide great moments of reflection and become launching pads for success. The energy it takes to remain angry and dissatisfied over an outcome, can be used to fine tune strategy and shift direction.

In conclusion, flexibility has proven to be a huge asset for me. Over the past year, I have realized that half the goals I wrote down a year ago, do not even apply to my current situation…things have changed! My company has seen personell changes, unexpected financial crisis, and we are currently moving from one office space to the next. Personally, my family dynamics have changed dramatically, and my music ministry is moving in some unexpected, albeit postive, directions. Furthermore, the state of our nation’s economy is impacting the way everyone is living and working. In the midst of all this, 4:12 Productions is forging fresh relationships, developing new products, expanding our online activity, and improving our work systems. I attribute this steady momentum to, among other things, our ability to remain flexible. If you’re looking for a great book about flexibility, I suggest Who Moved My Cheese by Dr. Spencer Johnson.

Gospel Music or Contemporary Christian

Administrator — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 04:25:25 +0000

Music has changed. Wait..music is constantly changing. You know what? Church is changing too and this impacts the music we hear in worship. It’s easy to feel lost in all of the transitions, new chords, and convergence of musical styles in Christian and Gospel music today. There is hope for the real worshipper, trying to find his or her footing in this new musical landscape: God Never Changes. If we can find Him in the music, “I’ve got a feelin’ that everything’s gonna be alright”.

We must deal with the tensions that we feel. For some of us the more traditional songs bring us to a place of communion with God. For others, who are more contemporary, we’ll take God in a worship chock full of rock, hip hop, jazz, and even classical music! It is sometimes easy for one group to frown upon the worship experiences and tastes of another. I love traditional gospel because that is what I grew up on. Though I can appreciate contemporary Christian music, there are others for whom it is the vehicle by which they came to know the Lord. For these people, there is a different connection with and through this genre. So we must understand this: God is not limited to one form of Christian musical expression. Musical expression reflects the culture we are in at the moment. However God has NEVER let cultural boundaries limit his ability to move and reveal himself!

A quick sidebar: No matter what music you identify with, never confuse musicality with the anointing. Beautiful singing, lovely keyboard playing, and heavenly organ sounds are not automatically representative of the anointing! Be careful! Perhaps in a later blog I will break this down.

For now keep praising him! If you’re singing “How Great Is Our God” He’s worthy! Even if your dancing to “What A Might God We Serve”…He’s still worthy! And he hears all of our praises.