So many times I have wondered how great our God is. There are no such words given to us to express how BIG He is as our small brains can not think that big. Anyway I have been walking through days where I have had to do hard decisions and I have felt both sorrow and pain. The good thing is still that when our decisions go hand in hand with the word of God, He is also confirming His word through His people and how He does everything is another mystery. Right now I am thinking about the first love and how important it is to stay in that very first love. The Bible also says that it is important to stay in our first love with our Lord and people have asked me how this is possible?
Personally I believe that our first love always will be in our hearts but the thing is IF we walk and live in our first love. I think that we have to take up that first love it not every day, then at least on a regular basis and see from where and from what GOD have saved us. In my life I just have to return to my deathbed where I laid four years ago. I still remember how it felt and how scared I was. Scared of death and scared of not knowing what is going to happen to me. Jesus did not only come to heal me. He also saved me and delivered me from fear and most important of all is that HE loved me first. Now, we are coming to the point. HE loved us first. I believe the first love is in HIM, not in us but I also think that we have to go back in time and see where we were and where we are today. Personally I can just praise the Lord and say Amen and Halleluja as my life is totally and absolutely different than it used to be when I lived without Jesus. All the glory to GOD! "For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life". Yes, thats the good ol' John 3:16.
Speaking about John 3:16 I am still in the middle of working on the new "Thankful" album and GOD has just blessed me in so many ways with this project. Good musicians, good sound engineers, good producer and wonderful songs. One of the songs will have be "Good ol' John Three Sixteen" and it will also be what the verse above says. About Gods love and again we come to the first love as Jesus has always been in God and HE loved us first!
Last weekend my longtime friend, also called "Mr. Rock and roll" or if you ask himself he says that his middle name is "rock and roll". His name is Mikko Rintanen and he lives in Helsinki, the capital of Finland. For many years he have played with most of the famous finish bands and it is such a privilege and honor to have him on my records. Mikko himself said; - What wouldn't I do for my friends!
He laid down piano and organ on all the 8 new tracks and he did a fabulous work. Now we are working with a pre-mix so we can start working on more guitars, bass and the final vocals. There will be some additions of violin and maybe a banjo or a mandolin too. Depends on what the Lord wants to happen.
Upcoming dates
God has been opening doors in a totally different way lately. Not only to churches and places where Christians are together singing Halleluja, Glory to God! Many of you know that I met my real mother for the first time end of last year and that I received a letter from my older sister on new years eve. Next week I am heading to eastern Finland to visit my siter for the first time ever. Her life has not been easy, I will meet her in one of the finnish prisons as she is in jail. The good news are that she believes in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and I know that GOD is doing work in her right now. I am looking forward to meet her and the same night, next thursday I will also have a meeting in the same prison for the male prisoners. This is another door opened by God and I am thankful that He is sending me to places like this.
I will also meet my mother and grand mother and this is the second time I meet them. On friday YLE TV2 are coming to do the last shootings for the documentary for TV. The program will be aired out after the summer and I hope and pray that it will be a good testimony about how GOD also is healing relations and creating new things in us.
Saturday night I will speak and sing at a meeting in Varkaus (eastern Finland) and sunday I drive back to the west coast for a meeting all the way in Oravais. You can see the complete schedule that is being updated all the time in the calendar. I am waiting and looking forward for the USA Ambassadors to arrive in our country in may. We are getting hooked up here and there and I am sure we'll have a great time. Check the posters!
Now it is time to enter the studio again. We are actually going to rehearse with the band as a change as we have upcoming gigs and we are continuing working on the new album. I want to wish you all Gods richest blessings in your lives and remember our first love! GOD LOVED US FIRST!
Love Ya'll!
Pontus
