The Ark Doors are Closing

And I can't make you get in...

Just over four months ago, my wife died suddenly. It’s been a shock, whirlwind, and absolutely heart wrenching time for me and our two boys. Right now, we’re in Israel just resting and taking a break from our everyday lives. It’s been good, but also, the pain is being felt in a much sharper way at times. She’s buried here in Haifa, and so a visit to her gravesite will happen soon.

One thing I’ve found to be true in this season of my life is that I find myself in discussions with both my Jewish and Christians friends more and more about the prophets, and the end times. The other night, I was at an Israeli wedding talking to a new friend and his wife, and I learned that in Kabbalah (which is Jewish mysticism), it is believed that a tiny piece of the soul stays behind with the deceased one’s bones until the Resurrection; the time when Messiah comes (or returns, for believers in Yeshua, like myself) and His people raise from the dead.

It’s interesting when you think about stories like Joseph in the book of Genesis. It puts another dimension on chapter 50:25:

Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.”

As I spoke with my new friend, his wife eventually joined us. Both of us are very aware of each other’s faith, but very much locked in this conversation about the acharit hayamim (end of days). I said that the passing of my wife has not only made me more sensitive to the fragility of this life, but it has made me look forward to the last days. It has made me focus more on making sure my sons walk in the right path. Quite frankly, it has made me less focused on the rest of the world. The human rights / justice work I do outside of music is important, but I feel we are nearing the times that John writes about in Revelations 22:10-11:

And [the angel] said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”

People will do what they will do. Like in the times of Noah, the ark has been built, but the doors are closing and the rain is coming.

Joshua 24:14-15 has never been more of an anchor for me than it has now. Joshua says to the children of Israel:

“Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

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I promise, this update was just supposed to be a promotional message for my world tour, and more specifically, my upcoming show in Jerusalem, which kicks off the tour. This has been on my heart pretty much since the day Olga died, and there is much more I have to share. I just struggled with how to communicate it.

With that said, back to the tour. 🤗

I’ve been writing a lot since my wife’s passing; not just on this platform, but music.

Now, what was originally supposed to be a getaway in the Holy Land is both a getaway and the start of my world tour.

On the 29th of May, I’ll be kicking off my ‘Journey to Healing’ tour in Jerusalem, and if you’re in Israel, I’d love nothing more than for you to be with me that evening.

It will be a night of Symphonic Soulful music. You’ll definitely want to sing, dance, and probably cry a few times, and all of that is ok. As long as you feel free.

It’s not a gospel concert; not in the way most of us understand that to mean. And whenever people ask me what my genre is, I feel like I get a little better each time distilling it in a concise way. Let me try it here:

My sound is what I like to call Symphonic Soul. It’s very much inspired by singer-songwriters like Stevie Wonder, Jim Croce, Paul Simon, and Nina Simone, but the outgrowth manifests in a lush sonic variety. Some of my music may remind you of Earth, Wind, and Fire. Some may remind you of 5th Dimension, or Marvin Gaye. Some, you won’t be able to put your finger on it, but it resonates deeply. But I guarantee you’ll love it all.

Get your tickets by clicking here!

See you soon. ❤️