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the world is fast and chaotic.

to be in it (but not of it), we must find a groove within the groove.

for me, that means returning to the simple.

when i focus on the fundamental elements of life and music, i’m more grounded as a man and artist.

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trials and tribulations come and go. good days, bad days and mondays.

when the winds blow tumultuously, focus on your roots, your foundation.

be like a tree, planted by the water –

bend, don’t break.

– Thaddeus

The Truth About Truth

here’s the thing about the truth: it is, it was, it will be.

many things have come (and gone), masquerading as the truth; they pick up practitioners along the way.

they seem to rise and reign as they gain more and more co-signers.

those who only halfway believe the truth begin to get nervous – they start yelling, foaming at the mouth, gathering their stones and pitchforks – ready and willing to call out the wolves dressed as sheep, the sheeple dressed as people and the downright, lowdown scoundrels and misfits.

those who know the truth, the real truth, are made free (by it). they don’t jump up and down at the sight of storm clouds or the crackle of thunder.

they continue to stand; in love, with love – arms extended, palms upward – no guilt, shame or condemnation do they walk in nor project towards others.

we all fall short. that is the beauty and uniqueness of humanity – our wholeness rests in pursuit of Divine Truth.

and in that Truth lies all peace, all love, all serenity.

seek it; be like a tree planted by the water, able to withstand.

lies, deceit, untruths and all manner of wickedness are the ways of this world – they are symbiotic: one will exists as long as the other remains.

they are distractions.

learn the difference between truth and distraction.

withstand.

and having done all, stand.

On Purpose: The Difference Between Tests and Temptations

long post, had to share. hope it helps you like it helped me.

the reality for most of us is that more often than not, to reach the next level, the next stage of our divine purpose, we need a “swift kick” in the ass, a challenge, a conflict to kickstart our forward motion.

usually, those conundrums arise when we least expect them and almost ALWAYS when we feel least prepared to deal with them.

like clockwork, the fallacy of humanity instinctively makes us want to retreat from those challenges (especially the major ones)…not recognizing that they are the proverbial and necessary test(s) required to graduate to the next level.

when we view them through our natural senses, we get caught up in the moment…we see them as a threat to some basic, human comfort and we protect that at all costs, by any means necessary.

but it’s a trap. and a lie.

while it is true that that situation could indeed derail you (permanently or temporarily), i want to submit to you that it could actually be THE most potent and vile medicine you need, to FORCE you to address the fact that you might indeed be dragging your feet, moving in slow motion, towards your destiny.

fact is, most of us want to be the hero but are afraid to slay the dragon.

we want to be in our purpose, living out our dreams. but we don’t count the costs required. and over time, as life happens and we age, we get further removed from our truest essence. in short, we get comfortable. comfortable with routine. comfortable with familiarity. comfortable with mediocrity.

most of us won’t admit it, but if we’re honest – there is something that we are not doing, consistently, with fervor and conviction, that would catapult us into our destiny. we talk about it, read the books, hit the “like” buttons when we see it, make to-do lists, go to the seminars, pray, seek counsel, journal about it – but we don’t do it – create it, ship it, show it, buy it, etc.

i want to submit to you that there are now (and more to come later) conflicts in your life that serve two purposes, simultaneously: to tempt you and to test you.

the temptation will always be there…to react based on how we feel: angrily, defensively, lethargically, passively, lustfully, aggressively, with fain humility, etc.
when we do, we take the bait, fall into the trap and postpone our purpose…proverbially marching around the desert over and over again.

when we acknowledge our feelings but CHOOSE to respond based on the potential of our purpose, we can then accurately view these scenarios as tests. and there is ALWAYS a reward for acing a test!

staying focused on purpose keeps us from succumbing to the low hanging fruit: the pettiness, the mediocrity, the vision-less.

this is THE life you get. getting it right can effect the world – even if it starts with just your small inner circle. you walking in purpose is a POWERFUL piece to this majestic jigsaw puzzle we call eternity.

learn the difference between truth and distraction…stay focused, my friends.

-Thaddeus

Fruit Doesn’t Lie

good or bad, right or wrong – we produce the fruit of what we have experienced and/or been taught.

want to change the fruit, become more effective…consider curating your experiences better:

start with your daily monologue – how are you speaking to yourself, are you injecting your atmosphere with unabashed, audacious praise and gratitude?

then, peace will find you.

guard and protect your peace: do what you can to engage with other likeminded people (who express the same good-hearted desires). in the event that your space is invaded with the opposite of peace, make the necessary decisions to honor yourself.

we can’t change or control the actions of others or the world…but we can absolutely be light in the darkness, that connects with other light-minded, light-hearted people, to usher in more love, more peace, more joy.

and this type of connectivity is at the heart of Gods love.

gratitude and pessimism can not exist at the same time.

choose wisely.

the fruit produced can not lie.

– Thaddeus

Fear vs. Faith

my grandpa told me that learning jazz is 90% listening, 10% playing; you’ve got to “hear it” to create and/or mimic it.

learning a foreign language is most effective when you hear natives speak it; you’ve got to “hear it” to become natural and fluent.

the Bible says “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”(Romans 10:17); His words will produce fruit once they are heard and planted in your heart.

you want to become a better improviser, listen more and emulate who you like.

you want to speak Cantonese, hang around some Cantonese cats and decipher/emulate what they’re saying.

you want to have more faith, less fear and worry? read, recite (out loud), listen to the word of God.

faith and fear/worry are vying for the same space in your life. you can not plant the seed of fear/worry with your words and thoughts and expect to naturally operate in faith. nor can you sow the seed of faith (consistently) and not have it multiplied in your life.

i don’t believe in the pop psychology of “the secret”, because it ain’t a secret…if we feed our ears a diet of negativity, our vision will be skewed and that is what we will see. the words that come out of your mouth ARE important! we have the power to create the world we want with our mouths. “death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21).

it is crucial that we make the choice DAILY to speak the words that line up with what God says about us. a heart, filled with gratitude, will manifest itself by the words that flow from our mouths. “out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45)

– Thaddeus

Dark Room Bright Light

alone in a dark room.
candle lit, nag champa burning.
blowing melodies on the trumpet; songs i wrote…years ago, maybe even decades.
you’ve never heard them.
maybe one day you will.
but for now, they’re mine.
i wrote them to heal me.
they’re cathartic…my soul is blessed by them.

alone in a room.
eyes closed.
blowing melodies on my trumpet.
i’m wherever i want to be, with whomever i want to be.

i’m in new orleans. i’m in shanghai. i’m in istanbul.

addison, plano & farmersville tx…
all three; simultaneously, equally.

i’m cleansed by His holiness yet mired in my flesh. both sinner and saint.

i’m discovering the beauty of that which has always been, accepting the reality of who i am and what i ain’t.

i’m sitting in a room playing melodies on my trumpet. my daddy’s trumpet.

i’m finding heaven in this music and God.

Tents & Mansions: Thoughts On Purpose and Destiny

sometimes we hold on for too long.
more times than not, it’s because we fear the unknown: “who am i without (fill in the blank) in my life.

i found out that holding on to a corpse doesn’t resuscitate it…you just literally carry around dead weight.

there is a destiny for all of us. and whether you choose to act or wait and be acted upon, life will propel you towards it. purpose will not return void.

sometimes, the minutiae in your life is a sign that what you’re holding onto was only meant to be temporary. you tried to make a tent your permanent mansion.

don’t lament the tent in lieu of the mansion; they both contain information. but don’t get stuck in malta, shipwrecked, if rome is the destination.

take inventory of your life and ask:
are the perils i’m facing today a direct result of my refusal to push forward (by doing the work) towards my highest calling?

if the answer is yes, begin anew by changing your mind, turn the opposite direction, and move towards the fire burning within that refuses to be quenched.

the proof is in the pursuit.

Wear Turtlenecks In The Winter: Thoughts on Unapologetic Acceptance

if your soul is telling you to push forward and achieve…go ahead and do it.

if your soul is telling you to go smaller, minimize…be at peace with it.

there’s a time and place for everything under the sun.

just like the winter turns to spring and summer into fall, wherever you are in this moment…whether it’s comfort over productivity or progress over complacency, rest in it…being fully aware of the reality that nothing (other than Gods love for us) stays the same.

everything must change.

in every moment, act accordingly.

Choice Validates Desire

On this journey called life, pain is inevitable. At the fork in the road, conflict awaits in either direction. The direction you choose will determine whether you compound your grief or reap a reward for faithfully enduring through. One road is wide and deceptively easier. The other is narrow with much trepidation on each side…deceptively blocking the harvest at the end of the road.

You choose: claim your prize, through obedience and perseverance or stay comfortably uncomfortable, marching around the desert repeating the same behaviors that have been stealing, killing and destroying your life for years.

On Waiting

Anything worth having is worth patiently, proactively waiting for.

Sure, you could rush it (out of desperation and lack of faith). But as soon as a storm comes (and they always do), your refusal to patiently endure will be exposed by the uprooting of your rootless tree.

Endurance is not an option. You can’t win if you can’t last.