What does a truly successful life look like? This week, we explore Ecclesiastes chapter 9 and how it challenges our cultural definitions of success, inviting us into a radically different way of living. We're confronted with two sobering realities: first, that our lives are not ultimately in our own hands but in God's hands, and second, that death comes for us all regardless of our achievements or status. Rather than leading to despair, these truths become the foundation for profound joy and freedom. The passage reveals that only about 10% of our lives are actually within our control—the rest is determined by genetics and circumstances beyond us. This means we can stop frantically grasping and start gratefully receiving. The teacher's prescription is surprisingly celebratory: eat your bread with enjoyment, drink your wine with a merry heart, wear clean garments, care for your body, and deeply enjoy your relationships. These aren't escapes from reality but acts of worship that acknowledge God's goodness woven into creation itself. When we understand that our lives rest in the hands of a loving God, we're freed from the anxiety of trying to secure our own success. We can be present, savor small moments, and find that true spiritual maturity looks like unhurried joy in the everyday gifts around us—exactly as Jesus modeled in his own remarkably relaxed and interruptible life.

Ecclesiastes | Enjoy Life With God - Ecclesiastes 9.1-10 - Clint Leavitt

He walks with me

A haunting reflection on trust, lust, and the emptiness of the modern world.
“Dead Inside” drifts through echoes of hypocrisy and desire, where two souls fight to feel something real in a cold, hollow reality.
Dark, emotional, and cinematic — a mirror to the world’s duality.

Dead Inside

The sermon focuses on Jesus' decision to specifically test Philip in John 6 by asking, "where shall we bread that these may eat", a question John commented on as being said specifically "to test him to test philip". This account, when combined with John 14, reveals the "shocking fact" that despite following Jesus from John 1, Philip "had doubts" and was still "not sure who jesus is" after years and miracles. Philip’s lack of faith was further demonstrated later when he interrupted Jesus, asking him to "show us the father and sufficient for us", leading to Jesus’ gentle rebuke, "have i been with you so long and you have not yet known me phip". Jesus chose Philip for the test because faith is revealed in temptations, hard times, and challenging times. The sermon derived three crucial lessons from this: first, faith is the product of testing, as trials act as a "production facility" for faith, helping it accumulate and grow, ultimately producing patience that allows believers to endure, knowing God will intervene (hence James’ advice to count it "all joy" when entering various trials); second, it is crucial to remember spiritual experiences because faith is the "accumulation of experience," and forgetting God's benefits (as Psalm 103 encourages: "forget not all his benefits") halts faith growth, causing one to perpetually "circle back to point one"; and third, when encountering difficulties, one must look towards God, not only the problem, contrasting Philip, who focused on the difficulty and concluded there was "no solution", with the small child who offered the food, trusting that Jesus could resolve the issue, illustrating that a person's faith dictates and determines their actions.

Feeding the Multitude

A track exploring the Secure Attachment Style within a dark, atmospheric setting. The music maintains a steady, clean bassline and solid rhythm, symbolizing stability and trust. The vocals are confident and warm, focusing on the comfort of interdependence, freedom, and the absence of anxiety in a healthy relationship.

Zero Turbulence

How do you get interest on money that's placed in a living trust. And Should You Put Life Insurance in a Trust? 

Insurance and Money Podcast Episode 12

“Fidelis” is a smooth, modern R&B anthem from Blaq (2025) — a song about loyalty, temptation, and the real meaning of being faithful in love. Over warm 808s, moody synths, and soulful harmonies, Blaq opens up about staying true when it’s easier to drift away.

It’s not about being perfect — it’s about being present.
Faithful. Trustworthy. Loyal. That’s Fidelis.

🎶 Style: Modern R&B / Trap Soul
🎤 Vibe: Brent Faiyaz x Chris Brown x Blaq
🔥 Mood: Loyal • Introspective • Emotional • Grown & Sexy
🎵 Key: A♭ Major | BPM: 80

Fidelis

In this song Zoey sings about how trusting the right man was a challenge until she met the right one.

You were my breakthrough

WILL YOU GIVE GOD THE TIME IN YOURLIFE ..? or are you going to keep scrolling and say u can do it later????

WAKE UP CHILD

All Arrangements, Instrumental Tracks, Vocal Tracks, Lyrics, Recording And Mastering Copyright Sandcastle Music, 2025

Walk With Me

Welcome To Sandcastle Music & God Bless Everyone who takes the time to listen to the Music I create.  I've Written and Recorded over 300 songs, but only post a limited amount of them at a time.  

I've been a Musician/Songwriter for many years and Write, Arrange and Record every Instrument in my songs (Keyboard, Synth, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar, Alto & Soprano Sax, Drums & Percussion).  The Vocals in every song are sung by me and I write all of my own Lyrics.

Special Thanks to Tylor McDonald At Sweetwater Music where I buy all of my Instruments and Recording Gear!

I write original songs, raps, and freestyles that reflect my journey with God and my perspective on life.

Blaq is The Voice of the Underground. His music hits where life gets real — love, pain, growth, and truth. A storyteller mixing R&B soul with Hip-Hop grit. 🎙️
🎵 Silent I Got You | Generation | Turntables | Y’all Outside I’m Cool
#RealMusic #Blaq #TheVoiceOfTheUnderground #RnB #HipHop #Storyteller #IndependentArtist

"Rock is the soundtrack to my life, where the guitar riff is louder than any words. This music makes me real."

One of my biggest passions is music.  I love most genres, but my favs are R&B and Hip Hop.  Also Check out my merch down below.

Upper Room Media is a ministry of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Its mission is to bring the word of God from a timeless faith into your hearts and mind anywhere at anytime.

The Orthodox Church worships God in continuity with the earliest Church, and as such is the oldest Church. It is a Church of balance: between the mystical and the tangible; between spirituality and theology; between the worship of God and service to humanity. Everything is in balance, otherwise known as right worship, which means Orthodox. It is not a denomination, but rather pre-denominational. It is not a religion but rather a life with God in Christ. 

The Orthodox Church worships God in spirit and truth (John 4:24) and dynamically incarnates that truth in every age - empowering all people from all walks of life to love God, others, and themselves. 

Contact us for more information.

At Midtown Presbyterian Church, we value honest questions and genuine community, working alongside one another as we discover more about what it means to follow Jesus in the modern world, and in Phoenix. You are welcome here.
Listen to our teachings in this podcast to follow us, and be sure to join us Sunday mornings; visit thespringmidtown.org to learn more.

New tracks tagged #trust