Determination: "I Will Not Bow"

There are many people in this world who have been dealt a rough hand, but, somehow, they keep going through life. Some have argued, I am one of those people. I’m not here to write a laundry-list of bad hands – I’m here to tell you, “I will not bow…” (Breaking Benjamin, “I Will Not Bow”).

Over the past few days, I have been pondering many things; among them, death, courage, resilience, and determination. A few years ago, death raped my heart, for what seemed like the millionth time. The point is, death leaves us forever changed (for more on this thought, visit this link). Forever changed, I’ve had the resilience to push forward. I don’t say that lightly – it takes courage to be resilient. But, where does courage come from?

No matter who we are, everybody’s got something that requires a little courage. My courage stems from many things: faith, love, hope, and experience – more than all of that – my courage is born out of determination. If I had to choose one word to define myself, it would be determined.

For, I am determined to never settle for the flow of heavy cards that have crossed my hand! “I will not bow” because I believe in something that promises better things than bad hands. I believe in a God who knows what it’s like to feel forsaken, I believe in a God who was crucified to a tree, and I believe in a God whose resurrection saved the world, with the best hand in the game. On bad days, determination equates to cursing at God. On average days, determination is proving that “I will not bow,” until God delivers on that better hand. On the best days, determination becomes a living resurrection. I’m a stubborn SOB and an egomaniac to boot; yet, the cross event – death and resurrection – can turn my determination into resurrection.

The Music Curse

http://www.rdio.com/artist/Kid_Rock/album/Born_Free_(Bonus_Track_Version)/

As some of my close friends know, I am a major Kid Rock fan. As a matter of fact, I think Kid Rock is one of the best, well-rounded, musicians walking God’s green earth. Though this piece is not about the Kid, his latest album Born Free sets the stage for this post. Born Free is nothing, like the Hip-Hop albums of the 1990’s that put Kid Rock on the map. Frankly, this fact displays Kid Rock as a music powerhouse and a man of amazing talent.

Now, what gets me is that artists (including myself) are criticized for sticking to their sound, but if they dare change it, it usually means they've lost their touch – this is a falsehood. I’ve been writing songs for a decade (I’m no Kid Rock) but if I were still writing the same stuff I was at the age of seventeen, I’d never grow as a musician. People ought to be allowed to change and evolve their art to fit a new canvas. I ran across some old Blues Traveler tonight and got curious to see if they had released anything since their 90’s hits (they’ve released several albums over the last fourteen years). Upon reading a review of their latest album (while sampling it of course) I felt that the critic slammed them for being more subdued than in the past. Honestly, no band should spit out the same album for nearly two decades.

Furthermore, a perfect example of why change is good, lies with the Rolling Stones. After a near fifty year run as a band they are still creative giants. Personally, I love spinning their new tunes right next to the hits that made them famous. The lives of music fans change throughout time, why shouldn’t the music of the artists they love? I hope I’m still creating music in another decade and I hope that it’s bigger, better, and on another planet from where I’m at today or where I’ve ever been before – art is about creating something and creation rarely comes in the form of re-creation.