I received some feedback – three emails count as “some” feedback – from readers of GannsDeen.com asking what was going on with the website. “Why,” asked one, “don’t you blog about yourself and your life anymore? The website is GannsDeen.com, not NewChristianMusic.com.” (That URL, by the way, forwards to HearItFirst.com, which is an awesome website.) Another says, “I know you love music, but your (sic) at your best when you write about politics.” Yet another asks, “Miss the funk and misadventures. When are you coming back?”
So let’s address these feedback, shall we? I’m not “coming back” because I was never gone. lol I realize that, yes, I haven’t been posting much about myself lately, and there’s a good reason for that. I don’t think people really care specifically about what goes on in my life. It’s God, Caths, Nate & Nicki, work, and ministry. While this suits me just fine, I don’t get too many blog-worthy experiences because of the nature of my job and the routine of my work. I usually interface with the same people; while I do graphic design, print, video, & web, I can’t really blog about the content of it or the thought process because it “spoils” the product before it launches at the church in the Philippines where I work. That’s pretty much it. So, there are few “misadventures,” as one commenter puts it, because, well, there aren’t many.
I appreciate the kind words regarding my posts on politics. The truth of the matter as regards why I don’t blog about politics is this: I get very passionate when I write about something, then a few hours after I post it, I usually end up regretting posting it. Politics is such a dirty, negative game, and that’s not who I am. So while it does afford me a chance to occasionally make a commentary on the nation’s woes – or successes, to be fair – it just stresses me out, especially when someone comes in and disagrees with me. I fight a lot on my political blog posts, and it’s not worth the negative energy. (As regards my environmental posts, well, I’m not saying much about that because I’ve arrived at a point where I feel that actions are worth a lot more than words, so while I will occasionally post about environmental issues and events, I’d rather focus on putting my money and effort where my mouth is and actually do something for the environment. More on that in a future post.)
Which brings me to music, specifically Christian music. I’m sorry, guys, but Christian music is really where my heart is. It brings me joy. It really does. It gives me an outlet to worship God, to extol Him, to sing His virtues, to jump and thank Him for His goodness. Sure, there are so many other websites out there that give you new Christian music, but end of day, I’m not looking to compete with those websites. This isn’t a contest, and I’m not in it for the hits or the money. (Lord knows I’ve never been paid to promote a song on GannsDeen.com.)
So what am I out for? Well, Filipino-Christians don’t have much access to new Christian music, and that’s where I’d like to come in. GannsDeen.com is not an online Christian songhits magazine, but if you’re Christian and you like Christian music, then you may like GannsDeen.com. A new Christian song every day. That’s all I promise. God can speak to us through music, and I know that there are songs out there that deserve to be heard because God wants to speak to us through those very songs. I’m not in full-time music ministry, but one doesn’t have to be, to be of service to the Christian community. And that’s what I want to be. I’m looking to introduce however few readers I have to the new music that’s coming out, and giving them my thoughts on the song, and access to the song, whether it’s a video on YouTube or an mp3 that I bought off iTunes. (Thanks, happysammy! God is working through you!)
In Victory, there are certain people we know we can turn to for particular areas. You want blog entries on how to raise a family in God’s way, you go to PaoloPunzalan.com or Larry Uy.com. You want blog entries on how to handle your finances, you go to RandellTiongson.com or ChinkeeTan.com. Want to learn how to plant a church? Dennis Sy.com‘s a great resource. Want to learn about motherhood? Visit Thammie Sy.com or Jenn Punzalan.com. Right now, Victory doesn’t have a regular worship pastor blogging. I don’t claim to be that pastor, nor do I want to be, but in the absence of such, if I can provide worship resources, information, or materials to our community and the Filipino-Christian community in general, that would be terrific. That’s the goal. I love worship, and I want to share that joy with others.
If you’d like to interface with me on a personal level, there’s always Facebook. But I’d like the GannsDeen.com legacy to be that of a worship resource, because I worship the one true God He’s has been so good to me, despite the fact that I’ve screwed up more often than I care to count, despite the truth that even if I’m not worth a nanosecond of His time, He loves me unceasingly, unabashedly, shamelessly. Why else would I have a beautiful wife who puts up with my crap, two incredible children who bring me so much joy, a job I love, with people with whom I love doing it. To give something back to Him and the spiritual family I have as a result of His goodness comes naturally, and I hope you’ll forgive me for this latest shift, because it really is where my heart is.
