Joshua Goins Music

Back In Deutschland

2012-02-21T04:52:00.000-05:00

Hello from Germany! Since returning to Germany I have found myself to be very busy. In the maintenance department that I lead here at the school I was blessed with two very knowledgeable co leaders named Luke and Joern. This is quite a blessing for me because it helps to not only keep up the base here more efficiently, but to also have more time for the other ministries that I am involved with. The maintenance department is not just about fixing things. We as the leaders also take the time to disciple the students that work with us. On top of teaching some of them to work with their hands for the first time we also get to know who they are and are always open if they need to talk. All of the students that we have been working with the past 5 months will be coming back this weekend from 2 1/2 months on outreach. They have been scattered all over the world in teams to serve God by helping people and sharing with them about Jesus. I am excited to hear what God has been doing during this time. Though they will not have long to rest because in a month they will be going back out for a week long tour all over Germany and the Czech Republic. The focus of this week is to work with local ministries and share their testimonies from outreach. I am praying that God will use this to revive the church within these two countries. Also the band I am playing in called Liz and The Lions(a band within Pick A Pocket) is releasing our first album. This album will be used in the future to raise support for our on going projects to end poverty. If you would like to support this effort by purchasing an album please send me an email and let me know. As a member of Pick A Pocket I am excited to announce that we have just rented our first shop in the center of town. We hope to open a cafe with an art gallery and music venue as a way to raise awareness and support for our projects. To find out more about our projects please visit www.pickapocket.net Please continue to pray for me as God has been dealing a lot with my character. It has been my experience that when God begins a work on restoring your heart and mind it is usually difficult. God has been speaking to me a lot lately about what it takes to be a leader by shaking up certain areas of my life. At the moment this is very challenging for me. So this is why I ask for your prayer in this area, that I would really yield to Him in this time. Also I would like to ask for prayer in my finances. I don't really have enough coming in a month to live here and so I owe the base for this. I believe God called me to missions but I need a break through in the area of finances and fund raising. Thank you all for your love and support.

Allegro Op.2 A cello experiment.

2011-11-23T03:08:00.001-05:00

This came out of an experiment over the summer. I was testing out layering tracks and effects with just cello. I learned that with a few instruments and the right effects you can become a whole band or orchestra. I hope to improve the quality of the music by building some custom pickups for my cello. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this.

Opening Eyes Op.1 Anti-human trafficking video soundtrack.

2011-11-18T05:20:00.001-05:00

This is a three sectioned piece that I wrote for an anti-human trafficking. The video was created and displayed in the Not For Sale confrence in Hamburg, Germany in the fall of 2010. I hope to write more for awareness films.

Brief Tour Update

2011-10-09T11:14:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to give a brief update about the music tour that I wrote about in my last update. It was very successful in standing in the gap and connecting the people that can help with those that need help. I,along with 7 other people, were able to spend a week playing music inwestern Germany in order to raise support and awareness for ourprojects in Ethiopia. We raised so much money for projects. With one of projects in Ethiopia we were ableto rescue around 13 girls from working in a landfill, 9 of thosegirls have been led to the Lord. We continue to work to rescue more children from spending their childhood working in a landfill. We want to see these kidsreceive an education, proper nutrition, love, and to see them discoverGods heart. I feel humbled and blessed to be apart of helping thosein need through music.

Going On Tour

2011-06-29T10:38:00.001-04:00

We are a band called Liz and the Lions and members of a non profit organization called Pick-A-Pocket. Our aim is to fight social injustices world wide through the arts. We believe that it is the heart of God that we as believers would reachout to a world in need. That we would feed those that are hungry, give water to the thirsty, speak up for the enslaved that have lost their voice.
We will be touring the Frankfurt, Germany area starting on June 28th. We are very excited to play some music for a good cause. To learn more about our projects please check out: http://pickapocketart.webs.com/ To learn more about Liz and the Lions please check out: http://www.myspace.com/lizzyandthelions

Forgiveness

2011-03-18T07:04:00.002-04:00

I think perhaps forgiveness is the beginning of healing. Imagine for a moment that our lives are seen along a line. Our decisions connect our lives with other peoples lines. We can be connected in love or not. It is when two lines cross that are outside of love that hurt enters into this relationship. I am beginning to think of forgiveness as detaching yourself from connections made to others that were outside of love. I should probably explain what kind of love I am referring to. I am defining love as wanting the highest good for someone in intention and action. Outside of this abstract illustration i would like to quickly describe what this could look like in a practical application. Perhaps someone does or says something that really hurts you and your relationship with them. Your two lives are connected at a point that is negative for the relationship, a point that is outside of love. The person did not act towards you in a manner that is wanting the highest good for you. Forgiveness is detaching yourself from that. Perhaps the completion of forgiveness is filling this detachment with love. It is once again wanting the highest good for the person that hurt you. This is not to say that there will not be frustrations, but walking in this love can make you strong because it is rooted in the heart of God. Forgiveness requires a response and that response is prayer. Praying for those that hurt you, for restoration of the relationship, and the heart of the person that hurt you. Forgiveness gives us authority to pray over others. I have struggled with forgiving my dad for over ten years. I struggled with what it meant to forgive and what love actually is. God has been speaking to me so much about what love is that I had to write this down.

The Story of Peru

2011-02-21T18:32:00.000-05:00

I wanted to update everyone on our trip to Peru. This trip was personally life changing. When we went down to Peru I had no idea exactly what we would encounter. We were told that we would be working with street children and prostitutes that are still in their teen years. So we packed our art supplies, musical instruments, clothes, and hopped on a plane. (I personally feel thankful that my track leader, Liz, gave me a long speech about taking my cello.) When we got to Peru we found this group of incredible kids that had been rescued from the streets by a woman named Lucy Borja. Lucy started the organization Generacion and is partnered with Not For Sale. This woman has the heart of a mother and she was an inspiration to us all. She spends all of her time and energy fighting for the lives and well being of children living on the streets, children who have no voice. Considering all of the obstacles that she has faced in dealing with Peru´s corrupt leadership she has made a difference in the lives of so many kids. She continues to fight tirelessly for each one of them daily.
The kids that we worked with were so amazing. They, like all kids, want to be loved and cared for. Instead they have been rejected and abused by their family, community, and government. We were taken to meet such a group of kids that live along a river. As we walked down to a bridge which served as housing for about thirty street kids we began to see smoke from an embankment next to the bridge. As we got closer we found out that the police had burned all of the street kids possessions just hours before our arrival. It was sad and frustrating to hear why their things were burned. The police let them live under that bridge as long as the kids clean out the police building everyday for free. The kids decided that they were not going to be used as slaves and refused to clean. The police then took all of their belongings, put them in a pile, and set it ablaze. The kids who live on the streets have been labeled as worthless and expendable.
We got to know a group of 21 kids that Lucy had rescued from the streets. They have been living at Lucy's house for various amounts of time and ranged in ages from 9 to 19. They are responsible, educated, and have a love for life. They are a giant family and love Lucy so very deeply. You can see the love that they have for Lucy by the way they look at her and hug on her and laugh with her.
There is very broken family system in Peru. So often in Peru young couples would abandon their own children out of selfishness and lack of love. These kids are as young as five when they are abandoned to the streets. In their sad and scary rejection, these children often turn to drugs to cope with life. Other kids move to the streets to escape forced labor in mines and factories. Lots of children, even after being outcast by their families still manage to stay in contact with them. One kid that we met worked enough to fix up his mothers house. In public schools most street kids are treated unfairly by both peers and teachers. Some of the children have decided to change the mentality that people have about street kids within the public schools. They work to show their teachers and peers that they are smart, can make good grades, and can be leaders. I was amazed at the heart of these kids.
Out of all the stories that I heard there was rarely any mention of fathers which is a subject that I feel very strongly about. I feel blessed to have been used by God as a positive male figure in their lives. In saying our goodbyes I hugged them and I could see in their faces that they were deeply effected by having a father figure hug them and tell them that they are awesome.
In all of this negativity, Lucy and her kids have chosen to fight and stay positive. They are speaking out. She has given them hope and a sense of dignity. She has given these children a voice. I believe that it is Gods heart to see man reach out to one another in love and I believe that this is what Lucy Boja is doing. It was tough to say goodbye and I will never forget these people as long as I live.