The Show Goes On

just pretend you're interested, ok?

Well, I finally did it. I hit the "New Post" button.
And I have something to say... the show goes on.

I'm twenty-two years old, I love Jesus, I'm a sad excuse for a student, I'm a graphic designer, I'm an [interim] worship pastor, for some strange reason I still want to be an actor, my album is on pause now... and I have no idea what the heck I'm doing.

I've been in a really confusing place. Half of me knows what I want my life to be like, the other half has no idea. Some could say it's my age. I'm twenty something. I don't even know who I am yet. This will pass.

That may be true, but it doesn't really help. However, what does kind of make it comical is that I'm pretty sure at least one of the thousand people that have taken a look at this blog might just feel the same way.

So yeah, I have no clue. But, the show is going on. The only thing to do is wake up, put one foot in front of the other, choose to be positive, and pray that I get it right eventually. I know this entry may come off as morose, but I'm laughing as I write this.

Even though my emotions aren't co-operating, I'll say this, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." And you can, too. We can.

Well, that's all. I wanted to take a shot at honesty on this blog. I figured you'd appreciate it more than the blog on my love/hate relationship with Starbucks I was planning.

If you're in the dark and wondering when you'll see the sun know this: you'll see the sun, the show goes on, and you're not alone. I promise.

I'm busy, but happy.

Breaking news: Joseph Drinkard is alive. I can honestly say that I have never been busier in my life. However, I can, with upmost sincerety, say that I have never been happier. So much is going on!

A few days ago, I auditioned for a new Channing Tatum movie, "21 Jump Street". Click the link to view so more info on iMDB. I'd play "Delroy", one of the nerds that helps hack a cell phone to wire tap it. Keep your fingers crossed. If all goes well, this could be the biggest role I've had so far. I try not to think about it too much. It stressed me out!

In other news, I've been working on my album and things are going spectacularly! If you like a tight beat so a few vocal runs now and then, I think you'll really dig what we're coming up with.

Right now, I'm enjoying the finer things of Greek culture and a night to myself. Life is good. Friends are good, and God is great.

demo preview & foxtrot

Well, I think that it goes without saying that I so very excited about my album that will be coming out soon! My weekends have been spend writing, and correcting, and colaborating-- and I know it's going to be worth it in the end. It'a so exciting to hear people asking about the album! I wish I could have it in all of your hands tomorrow, but good things take time. If you'd like to stay up-to-date on any album news or upcoming shows, become a fan on facebook.

Last night, I was up at Foxtrot Production & Studios rehearsing with Derek (friend & guitarist) for our show coming up March 4 in Shreveport, LA. By an awesome course of events, rehearsal turned into demo-recording using some pretty $weet equipment. There was also some talk about further recording at Foxtrot, but I'll have more to say when... well... when there is more to say.

Back to the demo-goodness...

We recorded the (unfinished) vocals and an acoustic track for "Same Mistake Again"-- the title track for the album. "Same Mistake Again" was inspired by Bonnie & Clyde-- the infamous crime duo that swept the nation. I always wondered how Clyde talked her into crime after crime, knowing that they'd eventually get caught. My ponderings persisted, and "Same Mistake Again" was born. Most people think it's about a couple who never learns their lesson. I'll leave the decision up to you. Enjoy!

Photoshoot?! What?

Recently, I had the opportunity to do a photo shoot with Kelly Cathey of Kelly Cathey Photography. It was incredible. Not only did I have a great time, but (as you'll see) the quality is amazing! I came away with great head shots to send to my agent, and even better memories. Below are only a few of the amzing shots that she got! Click on a photo to view a larger version.

Oh, if you have any photo needs... give Kelly Cathey Photography a call.

Click the link below to check out her fantastic website. But be warned, you'll be addicted.



http://www.kellycathey.com/



Sushi Love

 

So, Derek, Chelsea & I were at Sushiko @ the Boardwalk this past Tuesday, and had an... interesting time. Instead of trying to explain it all, I'd rather just show you our idea of a great time! Aside from Chelsea almost choking, this was an epic food-off! Hope you guys enjoy the video! I put tons of work into it. (Note the awesome effects, lol)

Needless to say, this was obviously one of the best nights ever. This post isn't long, just a snippet of my life. Just pretend you're interested. ok?

A quick thanks...

Hey everybody! This post won't be long. (I know, cue the group sigh now.) It's alright. A pretty epic one is coming up soon. No, today I wanted take a moment to say thanks to everyone who has been reading my blog. The month of February is only halfway done, and we've already had more readers in these 2 weeks that we've had total in the past. JosephDrinkard.com has regular readers in 7 countries! Don't hesitate to recommend this blog to people, share it on facebook, and retweet it-- or comment!

I'll shut up now.

You guys are awesome-- couldn't ask for a better group of people to share with. Have a great day.

an infographic of my blog experience-- thanks to you

When I Grow Up

Just pretend you're interested. ok?

Today is a beautiful day in Louisiana. It's a sunny 68 degrees, I've had sushi and Naked Juice today, and have a fresh outlook on life that has put me in a great mood.

Sometimes I think that we all get so consumed with the future-- what are we going to do with the rest of our lives, how are we going to make money, how to handle the expectation others. For years, I struggled with questions like these. However, sitting in the warm sun with a cool breeze and two great friends helped me remember something that I seemed to have forgotten along the way: life is in the small moments-- the little miracles that go by almost undetected.

I encourage you to take some time today, go outside, and do nothing. Spend time alone with God, don't speak, and just be. Just be with Him. There's joy to be found-- even in hard times. 

Psalm 46:10 (New International Version, ©2010)

¹⁰ He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
   I will be exalted among the nations,
   I will be exalted in the earth.”

 On a very different note, I found my facebook comment of the week while I was browsing on my phone one morning. I hope you find it as off the wall and funny as I did. I'm not saying I laughed out loud-- just a small internal chuckle.

**edit: this is not MY comment. this is one I found in my news feed. Wow, definitely should have said that. **

Just a quick video update!

friendship and new glasses!

new glasses. impromptu photo op. why not?

It's a rainy day, but my heart is full. I've realized just how awesome my God and my friends are. A quick quote for you guys:

"Every relationship goes through periods of testing, times of boredom, times when those involved in the relationship must decide whether they are going to develop it to its fullest potential or slide off sideways and begin a new one. Developing a true friendship means digging deep. The stuff of which it is made comes from the depth of our souls. Those who dare to make the commitment discover not only the treasure of a true friend, but the truth about themselves as well." 

A quick thanks goes out to all of you who have been reading my blog! So far, we have readers in USA, Canada, Malaysia, and Singapore. If you just finding this blog, just pretend you're interested. ok? If you haven't commented or "followed" this blog, give it a shot! You can do it without an account or use the other options available!

In other news, Gateway Church has a big Bilingual Signs & Wonders Conference coming up next weekend. Know what that means? Yes! I get to lead worship in both Spanish and English! I'm so excited! I've never had the opportunity to lead bilingually, so I'm pretty stoked!

cough drops, music, and belief

epic hot sauce packet. leaves from a photo shoot i did with danielle. me & a typewriter.

I'm not sick anymore. Thank God. All that I am left with is a sore throat and a new appreciation for Hall's cough drops, chicken broth, and hot showers. I should be used to it by now, but I'm not. I get like this every time the winter hits and the seasons begin to change. I guess my body is more conservative than I once thought. #whowouldathought.

Speaking on changing seasons-- I've found myself in a pretty cool season of life. It's like I woke up one day and found myself surrounded by artists, musicians, chefs, and genuinely beautiful people. I keep learning more about grace and love. I feel so moved at times when I think about the opportunity that I have to love people-- not just for who they are, but who they can be. I love believing in people.

Psalm 2:8 (NIV, ©2010) Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. 

 

Well, I don't want to babble on. To keep you all informed, my friend Landon and I have continued writing for the album. He leaves for a tour in February, so there's the crunch time. I'm getting excited. Also, just finished another song for the worship album coming later this year!

New Album Coming Soon? (and other stuff)

Well, school has started again which means that my life just got increasingly more complicated. I have learned two things so far: Paul's Tarsian influence held great significance in his ministry and National & State Governement has to be the most boring class ever. Aside from that, everything seems to be going well. My books still haven't come it, but I am hoping that everything will work itself out before any big assignments are due.

But, that's not why you're still reading... you're probably wondering about this whole "album" thing that's in the subject line. Well...

I'm recording an album. It's not a worship/Christian album. I decided that I wanted to write songs about real peoples lives, something that everyone could relate to, and dance to, and have a good time to. (Before you pick up the stones, hear me out.) A worship album is in the works and will be all orgininal songs to include "I Serve A King". However, I don't want to write complete crap. The last thing I want to write is some generic song that uses a bunch of religious lingo that no one can understand. So, instead of rushing one out to satisfy those of you who are "strongly suggesting" that I do an album, I will wait and release a quaility LP later this year. Remember: there are albums coming. One is a worship album. The other isn't. Both will be good, fresh and clean!

So, there's the news. The other bit of news:

I have accepted the worship pastor position at Gateway Church here in Shreveport, LA. Don't have a home church, come check us out Sundays at 10:15AM. This decision was definitely a God-thing that was put together divinely. I couldn't have asked for a better place to serve with such a high quality of staff and congregation. Can't wait to see all that the Lord is going to do. I would love to go into more detail, but it's too much for how short I want to keep my post. Message me on Facebook for some more information.

I Serve A King & One Year Later

CLICK HERE FOR A FREE DOWNLOAD OF "I SERVE A KING"!

This past weekend I spent time recording "I Serve A King" with a few of my friends! There is something about music that is therapy for me. It was long (8 hours to be exact) but fun! "I Serve A King" was the first song that I wrote, and is dear to my heart. For more, see below...

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in the following are only reflective of Joseph Drinkard. Joseph Drinkard does not claim to speak for or on behalf of any third party or affliate.

I'll be vague on purpose. "I Serve A King" was written about 1 year ago when I found myself in a heartwrenching situation at my church. There was dishonestly in the atmosphere, people were torn & some made hasty, uninformed decisions. I was one of them. A good friend of mine felt impressed of the Lord to tell me to write a song about everything that had been going on leading up to and during the event. The Lord drew me to His Word. "I Serve A King" was written out of the book of Nehemiah. Scripture speaks of the walls of Jerusalem, how after their repair, their latter glory was great than the former. The Lord put this song on my heart, and in 20 minutes, "I Serve A King" was born.

For me, it's a song of Hope. No matter what, the Lord is still Holy. He is still worthy. He mends broken walls and restores them better than before. Look to Him. Trust the Lord. He is so Good. So Faithful. At times, we're tempted to look and follow people. I encourage you to look to, and trust in the Lord alone.

CLICK THIS LINK TO HEAR "I SERVE A KING" ON YOUTUBE

or click the link in the sidebar to the right.

Good things came in pairs...

Today was freaken rediculous. Re-di-cu-lous. There are busy days, and then there are days where I contemplate taking up drinking more than other days. I had, and still have, a relatively small mountain of stuff to do at work before Sunday, a huge move Saturday from my old house to my new home, recording, duties at home, and my super-cool blog to keep up with. I think it goes without saying that I will sleep well tonight. However, this truth didn't keep me from wanting to pull most of my hair out today. Then, on top of all of this, facebook gives me this:

Seriously? After the day I've had, I can barely spell my name, much less "pesticides sealants". 3 tries later, I entered it correctly. Success. It's a small victory, but I'll take it.

However, today wasn't all bad. I think that the Lord gives us hope if we'll look for it. For me, good things came in pairs. Lunch with Jacob today at Bistro Bironz (which I highly recommend), and Starbucks right now. I'll tell you, there's nothing quite like a Toffee Mocha Frappuccino to bring closure to one's day. 420 calories. 13g of fat. 270mg of sodium. 69g of sugar. AND IT'S ALL WORTH IT. Shoot, I may not finish it all after reading the nutrition fact, but I definitely deserve this!

To close, I leave you with this: everyday may not be a walk in the park, but we can walk every day with Jesus. Even at its worst, we still have hope in Him. I don't know where this blog finds you, but take heart!

Cops: The First Ingredient for the Perfect Morning

from left to right: cop writing my ticket, mcdonals menu where I had to repeat my order 18 times, and creeper guy

 Last night was my second night in our new house in Bossier. Today was my first experience with Bossier's finest. I was driving to work, passing the CenturyTel Center, when a motorcyle pulls me over! Needless to say, I find humor in everything, and I mean... everything, so I decided to joke around with him. He said that he was going to give me the benefit of the doubt and write me up for going 60 in a 45mph zone. Favor? What did make me feel better was seeing someone else get pulled over right in front of me. Awesome! Misery loves company. The cop told me to have a good morning. I said the same back and added, "by the way, I hope I never see you again". He laughed (Praise God).

After that, a sausage biscuit and a Diet Coke was definitely in order. I saw this commecial for Diet Coke, and that's exactly how I wanted to feel. Obviously.

Live like it's your party. Light it up. However, I made the mistake of getting stuck behind "weird-guy-who-has-to-get-out-of-his-car-to-pay-in-the-drive-thru".  Crap.

But today is a good day. Why? Because Jesus rocks, and I'm forgiven. Even when the cops pull me over for speeding (on accident) and the guy at McDonald's is mentally inept, I still have Grace. Prasie God.

Someone told me that I couldn't sing...

...and that's alright. When I start to feel bad, I just watch this video, and I feel so much better. I know this is a short post, but it'll make you smile. Just watch this video, please.

I Swear I'm Not a Hoarder...

There's nothing like a good moving day after years of living somewhere to show you just how much stuff we own! We don't realize how much junk we carry along with us until someone comes along and begins to clean it all out! In my room, I still had stuff from my 16th birthday party packed in my closet-- not gifts, mind you, decorations! Needless to say, I had to seriously re-evaluate if I had hoarding tendencies. Word of advice: "When in doubt, throw it out!"

I think that same thing can be said for our spiritual lives. I felt like the Lord dropped this thought in my mind-- there is a big difference between letting me clean you up, and you tucking your secrets back in the dark. To the outside world, both look the same, but there is a world of difference between the two. I want to challenge you today, let the Lord search you. I'm reminded of Psalms 51. Check it out sometime. It'd be a good read for us all.

As far as moving is concerned, I've determined that I'm not a hoarder. There is a big difference between the two. We both have huge stacks of magazines. Hoarders just have dead cats under them.

Watch Joseph Drinkard on
TLC's "Hoarding: Buried Alive"
Sunday Nights @ 9/8C

Real Life & Race-Running

Lead worship at Real Life & Chi Alpha today! Fun stuff! It's always a privilage to lead God's people into worship. I learned that I really like Chicken & Bean soup, I'm really good with awesome babies named Beckett, and this: Life is a Race, and it's all about how you finish.....

I think so many of us get caught up in our failures. Brad preached tonight about running the race that Christ has set before us. We're not perfect-- no one is. We all fall. It takes a real man, a real woman, to get back up-- to press on to the high mark that is in Christ Jesus. I don't want to re-preach what he shared, but I want to encourage you how the Holy Spirit encouraged me: You can do this, with Christ's help. We can be winners. We are more than conquerors. Jesus loves you. He's not mad at you. He's madly in love with you.

 

On a completely different note... in direct contrat to my last post.... I find myself at Barnes & Noble's again. In my humble defense, Starbucks was packed. It's been the first day of great weather in Shreveport. (Great weather for us is NOT 103 and 99.99% humidity. ) It's been about 65 degrees today, and people flocked to the cafes.

On a random side note: When I was a kid, I used to freak out when the humidity was 99%. I thought that if it ever hit 100% that meant that the air would turn to water and we'd all drown. Think about it. It made sense at the time.

Barnes & Noble & Homework?

Barnes & Noble is the best, and worst, place to do homework. On one hand, I get to look all artsy and contemporary with my laptop and wireless connection. People look at me and assume that I am smart and educated because I am vigourously typing on my computer and have a stack of books next to me that look used and broken it. What they don't know if that I just started a Blogger account and am blogging. I have been on facebook for the past hour and have only gotten 20% of my homework done. I guess doing homework at Barnes & Noble is like plastic fruit. It's probably the best looking thing you every did see, but it's useless when you have the munchies. My advice kids-- stay at home, go to the library, because a barista yelling "PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE NO WHIP EXTRA FOAM" every 34.5 seconds is hardly a scholastic environment.