Internet Fast

Well Just if anyone was wondering why there are no new posts from myself, I am right in the middle of a fast from the internet so I'm posting this quickly and getting right back to it for about another 20 days....Please keep Luminate in your prayers!

-dustin

UPDATE

Well I have been doing a bunch of nothing lately and just sortof working since we got back into town. At the moment, I am pretty darn tired and just trying to make it through the week...its been a little bit of a rough one. Luminate is scheduled to start writing again this coming monday in nashville and will also be on the road for a bit up to thanksgiving...I am really excited to get in the studio and write some more....God just continues to bless us with amazing songs that are truly at the heart of worship....

thanks for anyone who reads this.....I pray that you are truly blessed this week and that God will truly show that He is always faithful in your life!

Nashville

Well it's about 2am on Sunday morning and I just got done watching the Texas v. Missouri game on Tivo! it was definitely a way to end the night...Texas looked amazing!

So, Luminate has been in Nashville since Wednesday getting the opportunity to write with many amazing writers/artists and all I can say is the music that came is so awesome! It was truly a gift from God that we were able to accomplish as much as we did. These songs are definitely anointed and marked with His fingerprints...I can't wait for everyone to hear them... This week has definitely been a blessing for me!

Miracle Givin

Well I am currently sitting at Mcalister's in Tyler, TX....It is 5 o'clock and I have been here since about 3 or so emailing out our new song, "Miracle!" it's been a long day but definately worth it....

the one thing that has gone through my head many times today is, "Put others First"....Some times I can be terrible about that so I have been trying extremely hard to think of others before myself...I hope that I can encourage you to do the same!

Have a blessed week!

LIFE

Well life has been pretty busy lately...I have been mostly working and playing shows

I had the wonderful experience of getting to see Switchfoot last night and it was seriously incredible...probably one of the top 5 best shows i have ever seen!

well keep luminate in your prayers continually cause we need it....

-dustin

EAST TEXAS STATE FAIR

Well recording on Thursday went amazing...hopefully many will get to hear our new song, captivate, on our myspace soon!

Well last night we got to play on an amazing stage at the East Texas State Fair.... it was definitely a very interesting show!

Afterwards the owner of the fair gave us VIP passes to ride as much as we wanted! So, we decided to head out and have fun....

word to the wise: If you know from previous experience that fair rides make you sick..... Those principles still apply even if you haven't ridden a ride in 5 years! lol....that was my mistake! So we rode the epic starship ride that makes you stick to the walls and it was a blast for about the first 30 seconds...everything after that was just miserable...I left the ride and made it about twenty minutes before i puked everywhere right by our trailer as we were loading our gear! lol

My final thoughts: I hate the fair!

P.S. I have this random thing for football...I kind of love it! Well, My old Highschool, Grace Community Tyler, played their rival, Brook Hill, last night and stomped them as always...so congrats Cougars!

beautiful day

wow...today has been so wonderful! the weather is perfect...i'm tempted to have a pic-nic! I got off work about an hour ago and drove all the way home with the windows down and the sunroof open...i was listening to some Coldplay-Parachutes..... definately a great day to say, "God you are freakin awesome and thankyou for the breeze!"

well last night I watched a movie called, "The Ultimate Gift"...It was incredible! It was an amazing display of love and relationships. Please take the time to watch it if you have a chance...


On another note... please keep the band in your prayers. This week or so is going to be super huge for us ..God is begining to show us things as well as open doors...we will be going in to the studio this thursday to record our newest song, "Captivate"! it is exciting to see the the things God is doing....Every day God's mercy strikes me so hard and how He chooses to use screw ups such as myself to be a part of his plan.......

thankyou in advance for the prayers. They are deeply appreciated.

-dustin

This is Funny!

So I was chilling watching cartoons with my 1 yr. old nephew when this amazing music video came on! so, I thought I would share it with you....

Matthew 16:24-26

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples,, "if any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. 25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up you life for my sake, you will save it. 26 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?"

Be the lowest. Be a servant. Lose it all. Love others..... then you'll see the world change

Labor Day!

Well I woke up this morning at 10am to what I thought would be a pretty uneventful day...right now it is only 11am in the morning. so I rolled out of my bed and was just standing up when i hear the doorbell ring...My good friend, Jayden, was at the front door wanting to play baseball....if you are wondering jayden is probably around 6-10 years old (I can't remember, sadly)....so I went and played baseball across the street with him and a good friend mike venable! it was a blast! after that I actually mowed my yard and now here I am sweaty, tired, and writing this blog! but that is all...i must now take a shower so I don't smell bad....

Work,Work,Work...and then shows

Hey guys! just wanted to update everyone on what I've been up to...

WORK! thats about it...lol...I work at a coffee shop here in tyler,TX and it has been pretty good, just long hours and I've been barely keeping up on sleep between work and the band! Just another random thought, but is anyone as upset as i am about Harry Potter being moved to July '09... it's sad!

well, if you get a chance read Isaiah 53...I've been reading it every day..it rocks my world, especially in "the message" translation...

Isaiah 53
1Who believes what we’ve heard and seen?
Who would have thought God’s saving power would look like this?
2The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling,
a scrubby plant in a parched field.
There was nothing attractive about him,
nothing to cause us to take a second look.
3He was looked down on and passed over,
a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.
One look at him and people turned away.
We looked down on him, thought he was scum.
4But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—
our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.
We thought he brought it on himself,
that God was punishing him for his own failures.
5But it was our sins that did that to him,
that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!
He took the punishment, and that made us whole.
Through his bruises we get healed.

JAKE GERMANY!

Hey guys! this is sort of a random post...but I just got done recording with my good bud Jake Germany and he will be releasing a New song on his myspace this coming Monday, August 25th....you should definately go check it out...he will have it up for a free download...you won't be sorry!

www.myspace.com/jakegermanymusic

Please read...

I honestly do not really know how to approach this post...

I guess my main wish is to encourage people as well as show everyone how much God loves and cares for each of us.... I hope this story blesses you

Sunday evening, I arrived in the parking lot at church... only to get a random/confusing phone call from a few of my friends telling me that they are picking me up, "Don't ask questions, you are coming with us!" So, they show up and I hop in their car. As we pull away from church, they reveal their plan to randomly leave dinner and water for people at the greyhound station on a very shady side of town....

I could probably say that when we arrived we weren't planning on being at the station any longer than 5 to 10 minutes..... we set down the food and poured many glasses of water and set them on the benches where they were visible... as we started to turn to leave, a man bursts out the doors of the bus station to greet us.... Here's a little bit of his story

 Dwayne...

...A Dirty, smelly, black man...He was old, tired, missing teeth. He arrived at the bus station about 5:30, as he does every day after he gets off work. Here was a man who grew up with 8 brothers and sisters in a christian home with loving parents. At the age of 16, he became a father... later in his life, Dwayne entered a relationship and married a woman that sent his life in to terrible downward spiral.... he started joining her at night clubs and just having a casual drink. What started, for him, as just plain entertainment, turned into a heavy, abusive drinking problem. He didn't care about the consequences, He didn't care about God. As time went on, His relationship with his wife had hit the rocks, He fell into deep depression. The pain was overbearing. Alcohol couldn't cut it anymore to ease the pain....So, he turned to Cocaine and heavy drugs.... He got to a point to where he felt completely alone and that God didn't care... that no one cared....So, one night, around 1 am, he decided to take his life with two straight bullets to the chest. He was found and rushed to the hospital. There, his entire family sat and waited, preparing themselves for the worst. Five doctors all entered the waiting room to inform the family that he would not make it through the night and there was nothing they could do. Feeling burdened, An older lady named Leigh spoke up and asked to see him alone in his room. Mama Leigh (that's what Dwayne called her) watched him grow up and was a strong woman of God in his church... Someone who he could always lean on. She entered the room that night and as everyone else left she began to pray, asking God for healing in his body. Mama Leigh prayed and prayed for a miracle. Initially, when the doctors took the x-ray, the bullets appeared too close to the heart to perform surgery. As she left the room, Leigh asked the doctors if it was possible to take another x-ray. With strong doubt, the doctors complied with her request. When the results came in, the doctors were stunned. The bullets had completely moved position and were now accessible to be removed.... The doctors performed the surgery and Dwayne made a full recovery.... Unfortunately, as life kept on going, Dwayne, still in deep depression, became more and more dependent on drugs. Until one night... he had bought his usual $150 dollars worth of cocaine and walked to his usual spot near the railroad tracks and alone from the world... As he began to set up his crack pipe and bring it to his lips, Something overcame his whole body. He was broken. He was desperate... Dropping his pipe, He fell to his face crying to God. He was completely surrendered to the One who created him. At those railroad tracks, Dwayne weeped and prayed for hours. He eventually stood up. Twisting his feet, Dwayne crushed what cocaine he had into the rocks. That night Dwayne surrendered his entire life to Jesus..... 18 years later he is still clean... He thanks God for pulling him through  everything in his life. Sex. Alcohol. Drugs. Suicide, For showing continual love and mercy to him, when he should've been dead.

So.... Here is a man, who shows up to the bus stop every day at 5:30 after work. Not to go anywhere.....but... to just sit and wait. He is waiting on anyone...anyone that is willing to listen to his story. He wants to serve others and show them the same love Christ has shown him through the years. He said one thing that struck me hard right before we left.....

"I don't have all this fancy clothes and stuff and a nice car... but I have everything I would ever need....I have Jesus." -Dwayne

Sunday!!!!

I woke up today around 7 and went to Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler with my mom...it was quite a day...not to mention great food with new friends at China King! that's what I have done for the most part today....I plan to go on a man date with my dad to the movies....yes I'm seeing BATMAN for the second time...my dad hasn't seen it yet! 

-Okay...now check this out! This movie just came to my attention and if you want to melt any girl's heart or I guess any dude's heart as well....this is the video to do it!

Extreme Tour Pics!

Well I decided to buy a Camera on Extreme Tour so I took some pics and yep..... Here they are!

Sam and I on an excursion to look for a near by walmart!

I Can't believe I ran into these fellas!

Aaron getting the first Picture on my camera ever!

Meltin faces 24/7!

definately a common 4th meal for us

my boys Moses and Angelo!

Check out my bro, Moses Uvere!

Thats about it Fool!!!!! until next time

-dustin

My New Friend

So around midnight or so last night, Dusty and I were finishing up an on foot excursion of Muskogee, Oklahoma....which consisted of  walmart, Kmart, crazy people at the gas station, dollar shirts at the flee market, bad attempts to get a free movie at a run down carmike, and etc......lol......but that was not the end of our journey...within the last 5 minutes of journey we encountered a little friend at a car dealership......Isn't he cute!!! 

p.s. If you didn't know its a baby skunk..haha

Muskogee, Oklahoma

I'm on the road enjoying extreme tour...its been great! I just set this blog up and I'm now going to go watch the show...we are up in 30 minutes