God is doing some amazing things in our Little Church on the northeast corner of Indianapolis.  We are becoming a catalyst for his blessing.  Our weekend services have become a haven for true worshipers and a beacon of hope to so many in our community that have been marginalized or turned off by church in the past.

Last night, I attended a service at Eastern Star, which is the largest church in our city.  I watched as Jeffery Johnson, the senior pastor, gave a check for $183,000.00 to Convoy of Hope, which will feed over a million people in Haiti.  This was due to a response by our church and many others in our city.

Jesus said that we feed him when we feed the “least of these”.  Well, there is no doubt that God is blessing.  We are seeing a move of the Spirit that is refreshing and awesome and we are starting to see that God is blessing our church in order that we might be a blessing to others.

It’s a dream to lead worship at a church like this.

Not empty religiosity, just people that want to be used and want God to move among them.

-Holy Dust

Most people that spend any time with me notice that I have my head in the clouds a lot.  I notice things in the sky; hawks, vultures, clouds, planes, stars.  I learn the cycles of the moon and just kind of pick up when its going to be full and when it is crescent; when there is a new moon.   Im not an astronomer and don’t know my constellations real well, but I do know what the star clusters look like and where the line up over my house.  And the difference places they sit in the sky at different times a year.  It’s not just some hobby that I have.  I notice the sky for two different reasons.

1. God Did It: God finds pleasure in painting the night sky.  I feel like if my Dad is into something, I should be into it too.  I feel like if I notice and am like, “Lord you are so mighty and amazing” he will get glory from my adoration.  I actually believe that the God that I love and worship and follow, really painted the night sky.

2. Jesus Comes Back In The Clouds:  Scripture tells us that Christ will come back just like he left, in the clouds.  When Jesus comes back, I want to see it.  I don’t want the dude next to me to nudge my shoulder and let me know.  I really believe he is coming back and that it really could happen at any moment.  Sometimes I gaze up the sky and wonder if today is the day.

I feel like each of us should lead lives that notice the sky and all the workings of nature around us.  Nature is what our heavenly Father is into.  And I want to be about my Dad’s business.  So, wake up and look up. Notice God around you.  Stop driving life so hard with your head down at your feet.  God does amazing things.

Psalm 8:3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have put in place, who is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?

I read my bible and get really pumped up when I hear stories about King David when he says things like, “who is this Philistine who defies the armies of the living God”.  I’m like, YES, when I here Paul talk about how he is a prisoner in chains for the gospel, and how he would consider everything a waste compared to knowing Christ and being radically devoted to him.  But I got to be honest, I’m kind of jealous.  I feel like they had this super devoted and risky adventure of a life following Christ and I’m like buying non honey nut Cherios for my boys because they don’t need all the sugar in their diet.  I mean, I don’t want the organic band wagon to leave without me.

Furthermore, I see the kinds of global disasters that are happening all over the world that are exactly like the labor pains of the end times that we read about in Revelation.  I’m thinking that I’ve got to put all the cards on the table.  I’m the only thing standing in the way of a life that makes radical attempts and surrenders fully to God.  God will use my life in big and amazing ways as I give him all of me.  My hopes, dreams, ambitions.

I just wrote this song that puts it all in perspective.  It’s time we see ourselves as the disciples and apostles saw themselves.  All in; Fully surrendered.  God wants to use you to change the world, but first you have to say to Him, Im All Yours.

Im All Yours- By Rick Stump

A little clay, a little sand, the breath of God and I became a man.  I turned away, my heart went black, but God gave up his only Son and bought me back.  Jesus take my life and make it Yours.  Then use my heart to love this broken world.  Im all yours.  When I look, give me your eyes.  To see the poor and the oppressed here in this life.  And where I go, You go beside.  Turn every mortal step I take into divine.  Jesus take my life and make it Yours.  Then use my heart to love this broken world.  It’s amazing how this little ball of clay, could come to life and do the holiest of things.  And I have nothing I can offer you of worth.  But my dust is Yours, my dust is Yours.  jesu take my life and make it yours.

Have an awesome day!

Cancer is a horrible disease.  It ravishes beautiful bodies.  It is one of the clearest pictures of the reality that we live in a broken world.  It is a broken world.  Yes we find beauty in it often, but there is no hiding that things are happening all the time that are not right.  war; hunger; loss of innocence; Leslie dying.  None of this should be this way.  How do we find hope?

Well, for Leslie, she had a hero in Jesus Christ.  She had a real relationship with her creator.  She claimed that Jesus is the reason that she could fight so hard.

And there, I said it.  It was Jesus.  The only one that could heal Leslie/ the only one that had ultimate control of the Universe, thus allowing this struggle to become Leslie’s reality.  He could take the cancer away without even breaking a sweat.  Now, I don’t really want to argue that Jesus was Leslie’s anchor and that some people use alah or budah, or some other “faith method”.  No!  There comes a time when the truth needs to be said, and If you are counting on any other “faith method” other than the one Leslie used, you are Lost.  Christ Jesus, the creator of the universe, is the only truth, and He is also the only one responsible and capable to help Leslie.  When someone close to you dies there is no more time to be splitting hairs.  It’s Jesus, so repent soon.

But Jesus was the only one that could help Leslie.  We prayed for him to heal her…a lot.  We wanted her to stay here in the broken place with us.  If she went away we knew how bad we would miss her.  We do miss her.  It hurts really bad when you lose people.  It’s unnatural for humans to die.  But God (Jesus) had other plans.

Towards the end, as we all started to face the reality that cancer would ultimately take Leslie’s life, it started to hit me that Leslie’s healing was coming soon.  I realize that this sounds like a fanciful way of saying that Leslie has gone to a better place.  But it’s not.  Today Leslie truly is healed.  She has actually won her battle with cancer.  We will miss her, but she has won.  Christ has conquered the brokeness of Leslie’s world.  One day he will put it all right.   He will make the pain go away.  It will be morning.  But slowly there are broken things that he is fixing one by one and Leslie is fixed.  She is all better.  I am still broken, but I know that one day I will be all better.

We had been praying for a long time that Leslie would be healed.  We truly believed what we prayed with all our hearts.  God, (Jesus) the only one who could help Leslie, did.  He rescued her and healed her body and soul once and for all.  Today, at this very moment, Leslie has been healed.

But we, the still broken, will love, miss, and never forget her.

I have this little red mason jar on my desk, in fact, I stuck my gum on it cause I wasn’t done chewing it and wanted some coffee.  I am sure the jam tastes amazing.  I’ll have to wait until tonight to find out.  It’s gonna be a country biscuit night, and I got the Red Raspberry Preserves to prove it.  The jar has a little ribbon around it that is tied in a bow.  It screams, “I love you and care about you from 1,000 miles away”.

Sometimes I make myself too busy to do those kinds of nice things for people.  I should do a better job at that.  I can be pretty self absorbed sometimes.

Preserve your relationships with the people you love.

-Red

See you out at ribfest this Saturday, August 30th at 12:30 PM.  Admission is free before 1 pm.  We go on at 12:30 pm.  

Rib America will be openning the VIP section during the Rick Stump show only, so make sure that you are there early to get a seat.

Also, I will be releasing the new Rick Stump T-Shirt on Saturday ($15 or 2 for $25) so meet me and the entire band at the merchandise tent after the show for signatures and meet and greet.  Love you all and can’t wait to see you out this Saturday.

Local Forecast= 83 and Sunny.  

I had a blast playing for you guys and meeting some of you last night.  You are an awesome group of people and your generous hospitality was much appreciated.  Thanks for coming up to meet me after the show and allowing me to take part in a special evening.  Aaron and John David brought it as usual.  I hope to play for you all soon.

thanks again,

-Rick

Summer is here and I have posted more shows. Love to see you out at some of the hottest local Indy music venues. Check the Tour tab for dates and join me and others out on the circuit. I am excited to get out and play some new stuff. I was starting to get a little cabin fever, as you may have felt yourself. Indy winters are lonely and long but the gorgeous summer nights help us forget in no time.

-See ya out there,

Rick

Just got news that I’m going back in the studio. I’m going to be doing the soundtrack for The Land Before Time XII (12). Look for it out in stores this fall. The animation of the dinosaurs is supposed to be 3D and some publicists speculate that this has a shot at being the 4th best Land Before Time ever released straight to video.

Happy April-

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