Well yesturday was the first day of recording.  I was way nervous.  I just didn't know how everything was going to go, if I was going to struggle with timing and take 2 hours for 1 song; anyways we got all the guitar tracks for every song recorded yesturday.  Yeah Go God!  So we are ahead of schedule.  Today is vox, so pray for me.  I am really excited and can't wait to rock through it today. 

4351 Bighorn Ave., Sheridan, WY 82801,US - $5
This is a benefit concert to help for my cd project. I will be recording the week of May 22nd-26th in Colorado Springs. The project will cost around $4000 and I have $1700. So I need to raise appx. $2000. Please come and support. $5 will get you dinner. We are going to BBQ. The show is from 6:00pm-8:00pm. You will be able to preorder a cd for a donation of $10 or more.

To begin I would like to thank God for the Gifts He gives His people to use for the building up of His kingdom. It is my desire to use the gifts He has given me to the fullest potential possible. As many of you know, music has been a big part of my life and God has allowed me to use it for Him. I feel so blessed to have played with so many great people and musicians over the years, from Infinite Green and The hour, to an incredible worship team every Sunday at my home church.

Over the last few years God has had me in a developing stage of life. I am continuing to develop as a man, a husband, youth pastor, and a musician. Through the coarse of the last little while, I have written a lot about my journey as I discover whom God has made me as a musician. I hope that some of you have been touched and inspired by some of the songs God has given me. My heart longs to share with those around me the struggles and the inspirations I have endured. I want the messages God gives me through song to cause people to reach for the depth that God has for them personally.

I am excited to announce to all of you that I will be recording my first record called nights like these. The common cry through the whole project is about the times when God has to remind us that this life is not about us. Instead this life is about Him and His glory filling the hearts and lives of all people we come in contact with. I will be recording the week of May 22nd-26th in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In preparation for the project I would like to invite each of you to an evening of concert and worship that will help in raising the finances necessary to complete this project. It will be held on Wed. May 17th at Cornerstone Church in the amphitheater, from 6:00pm-8:00pm. The cost will be $5 per person and includes a BBQ. I would like you to consider if you might help financially in any way. Above all, I am asking for your prayers as I make this journey to where I feel God is leading me.

You can mail checks to: Adam Cruz 12 S. Linden Apt. 9 Sheridan, WY. 82801
Please visit my myspace account for rough samples of some songs that will be included on the CD at www.myspace.com/adamcruz.

I love all of you and thank you for your love and support.


For the Lambs Reward,

Amber and I took the youth group this weekend to The Thorn (www.thethorn.net) an intense drama at New Life Church in Colorado Springs of the Crucifixion. It was incredible. The kids were so moved and all us leaders too. It is a phenomenally well done drama with 1100 actors and hollywood quality makeup people, just look at the pics. Anyways I am just blown away at what some people can pull off in their creativity. 1000 people are makeing first time desicions at each of the 10-12 shows they do.

Check it out.

So at the well friday night, we were all talking about how stupid myspace is.

So here is my myspace acount for my music. 
myspace.com/adamcruz

hehe

Amber and I have been experiencing a very interesting situation the last few weeks.  One of those situations that test your heart.  Shows you great things and at the same time how gross you are. 

It started about 3 weeks ago, when we noticed the first one.  It was deep and made me mad, I had no idea where it came from or why someone would do that to me.  Then a couple more a few days later, so I am thinking this is some punk kids that have it out for my car.  Yeah see my car has been getting keyed.  So I am thinking this is happening at like walmart or something, you know some kids have told all their little friends, "hey go find the green honda".  So I am trying to think of ways to set up my camera in my car and bust them. 

Then it happens a couple days later yeah so now there is like 10 straches.  By this time I am furious, I am speaking curses for the next 30 years on these kids lives.  I am discovering though that it is happening outside my apt.  So I decide to set up my whole survellience system out the  window looking right at my car.  I am going to catch these guys.  So I film from 11-1 at night.  By this time it has happened to 3 other cars bad.  So I tell my youth group guys they should come over and dress in all black like ninjas out of the movie "the three ninjas" but then I want you to shoot them at point blank range with paintball guns till they cry like babies and we can laugh at them.  See I told you my heart is gross. 

So I film like 9 days and see nothing, I am like what the heck, cause straches keep showing up.   Then last sunday we bust him.  Yep, well not me but my neighbor who went for a smoke and saw him do it to his car.  So he confronted him, and they guy thought he could get away.  The man was 63, yep 63 and we were like I'll kick your hip out old man stop trying to get away as if he could. He was mad cause he had to walk around our car on the sidewalk.  So he pulled his little knife out that he probably won and his grandsons birthday party at chuckie cheeses and put 30 scratches in my car.  So the cops showed up and did this whole investigation,  (which I find funny cause only in sheridan do all the police show up, snipers are mounted on the roofs, and the guy in the helicopter is yelling, "I have a visual, I repeat the suspect is in view")  makes me laugh.  So anyways I was so pumped he was caught and so we were talking court and getting new paint jobs and all, then about two days later he was arrested, because the damage was so bad it turned into a felony.

Thats when I was like aww man thats lame.  Really the guy was probably retired getting ready to leave
for the bingo championship and I am sticking it to him.  Cause after court I have to go reposes his car, sell it, and get money, or sell his house.  So I sleep at night knowing this.

But what God was showing me is a glimpse into his heart and how mercy and justice work.  Cause you and I want justice.  I want my car fixed.  And I do far worse things to God and he loves me still.  I find hate in my heart for this man cause I did nothing to him and he did this to me.  But Jesus never did anything to me either and I offend him every hour.  To show this man mercy and justice at the same time would be for me to, after he is convicted of the crime (which is the justice), forgive him and pay the price of all the damage myself which is the mercy.  That is what Christ did for me, but I didn't key the car, and Jesus didn't sin. I can only show mercy or justice, but more than that its a heart issue of forgiving this man and praying for his salvation.  By showing him the love of God he could let his anger go and embrace Christ.  Isn't that the goal as christians.  But we want to hold onto our anger.  We want justice and talk about mercy, but we want justice. 

The life of noah is simply amazing, there are only two people that the Bible says "walked with God", so it has intrigued me to study this mans life and what the depths of his story is, what it means to "walk with God". So I am teaching on this at Backdraft Jr. High this sunday. I am still learning and developing my thoughts but these are some. He was considered the only righteouss person on the planet. Our minds can't comprehend that. The only one, no one else, everyone else was against you and everything you believed was true. We tremble in the face of a little opposition to the scriptures and the life of christ at school or work or whereever, but this man had no accountability partner, no friend to pray with, just him and God, everyone thought he was a crazy man for listening to God. Then God tells Him to go build a boat. I would be like "a what" cause there was no such thing back then, he had no clue what a boat meant or looked like, except for what God had instructed.
Then God says not just any boat but check this out, i imagine God saying "pay close attention now", this boat is going to be equivilant to 1.5 football fields long and some 40 feet high. Then go find one of every creature, cause I am killing it all. Oh and by the way it takes him over 100 years to build, and remember they had never seen rain, cause all the moisture came from the ground up. So he is thinking Rain for 40 what?
At this point Noah, you would think, is rebuking the Devil, or renewing his mind cause he has lost it, but No he choose's to obey. He faces all kinds of ridicual, and opposition, I would expect also fatigue and doubt. I mean building back then wasnt a fast process and you would have to be pretty sure of what God was saying was true.

After this boat gets built the rains start to fall and people are straching at the door begging for Noah to let them in and if not them at least their children, it was a very dark time, and I can't imagine Noah feeling cheery.

So I find myself at this place of wondering what has God called me too. I mean is there really anything to big for him, is there really any body who God can't use. So here is God in 2006 scowering the earth continually looking for that man or woman who will "walk with God" and will find favor in the eyes of God. I want to be that one. I want to be the faithful one that wastes my life on knowing God. But where am I doubting, where am I letting others influence my fears. God till the end I want to know that I "walked with you" and fulfilled the your will on this earth, like David, "For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers and underwent decay".

And oh the promise of the rainbow, what that day must/will be like.