I’m just so happy that I was given the opportunity to be on those tracks. I heard Shout It and knew it was something I wanted to write on, it was right up my ally in that season of life, and every time I hear it I feel the Lord’s presence all over it. Even while I was sitting in Brandon Hampton’s living room/studio writing and recording my vocals, I was feeling it, it’s just one of those songs and I knew if I had the chance I had to be on it. His songwriting is inspiring, I love it.

This whole album is awesome, check it out:

Love / War / Solar System – Michael Ketterer on iTunes or Amazon

-J.May

This song was inspired by Revelation 4 and 5 and the scene in heaven around the throne. As I meditated on these chapters, I wanted to articulate what John was seeing. Something that was reality to Him. Revelation 4 is what happens 24/7 in heaven. There’s worship that’s unending, glory that can’t be comprehended or even articulated rightly. That’s why John has to keep saying “like” and “as” when he’s trying to articulate what he’s seeing; There’s no way he can explain it in human words. The beauty of the Lord’s appearance on the throne is a glory that we can’t fathom or understand, but we can get a glimpse and see what John saw. When the song gets to Revelation 5, I believe the scene in heaven begins to come to earth. When Jesus takes the scroll (the title deed of the earth) and begins to loose the seals in preparation for His return, there’s going to be a party that begins to break out all over the earth; the church will be overwhelmed with joy in anticipation of seeing the one they love and knowing that He is returning for His bride. As young people begin to look on this scene, they will become totally fascinated with Jesus, with His reality which will soon be ours, with the scene of His majesty on display and His holiness striking like lightning and cracking like thunder.

My heart for writing and creating songs like these is more than Christian rap about Jesus, it’s worship to Jesus, songs that put who He is on display. More than just about Him, it’s for Him, to Him and through Him.

-J.May

Download “The Throne” on iTunes Now

The Throne was produced by Tyler England, who is currently the music director for The Ramp. The song features Nathan Prior, who was the lead producer of my EP “Conflict”.

I’ve been trying my best to walk with the Lord for 8 years now and there are so many times when I felt like I missed it, like I had been disqualified. I remember how hard I fell when I was 21 years old. The reason I call it a fall and not a stumble is because I let condemnation creep in and push me away from God. I felt like I had failed Him and that I was too messed up for Him to even listen to my prayers. But that’s because I didn’t know Him and how He relates to humans. He knows we’re not perfect, He knows that we’re weak, He knows we’re going to struggle and mess up. “BUT WHILE WE WERE YET SINNERS CHRIST DIED FOR US.” While we were His enemies and hated God, Jesus came and died for us. How much more confidence should we have now when we are in Christ and at least trying to live for Him?

If I would have really, in my heart, understood that He loves mercy and was just waiting for me to ask for it, then I would have had a completely different life in God as a young believer. The thing about my generation is that we are wholehearted, passionate lovers. When we are seeking God, we give it everything, but with one mistake or trip up we get discouraged and disheartened. If we don’t know God and the fact that He absolutely loves us even in our weakness, then we will give up. We’ll give in to shame and condemnation, which is demonically fueled, and actually run from God instead of to God. If we give in to this, we step into religious pride by saying, “What I’ve done is too big for God’s mercy, even God can’t forgive this.” You may not say it out loud but it’s what your actions indicate. God is inexhaustible, you can’t do anything too big or TOO OFTEN that He can’t cover. There is no end to His supply of mercy, you can’t use it up and run out of mercy, He always has more.

God is crying out for us; the backsliders, the discouraged Christians, the ones who really want to live for Him but can’t find the strength or confidence. He wants us to BELIEVE!!! To believe in His mercy and trust in His love. I’m telling you, in that very place you’re at right now, whatever the situation, I guarantee if you would just believe in His mercy for a moment, and ask Him to forgive you, HIS PRESENCE WILL FLOOD YOUR HEART!!!! Put my words to the test. Anybody who has ever fought to live holy can testify that after you’ve done something stupid His Spirit always touches you RIGHT AFTER you’ve done it. He’s trying to let us know, “I know you’re weak, I know you better than you know you, but don’t give up, you’re not alone, I AM FOR YOU, I’m not against you, RUN TO ME AND EXPERIENCE REAL LOVE, unconditional, not based on your struggles and weaknesses, IT IS WHO I AM.”

You can do it because God is in your corner…
1 Life 1 Love

The Lord called Moses up Mount Sanai to establish His covenant with the Israelites. Moses said he was, “full of fear and trembling” (Heb. 12:21). When the Lord came down on the Mountain top it was “in smoke, because He descended on it in fire… and the whole mountain quaked violently.” The Lord called Moses to the top of the Mountain where He was, and told the Israelites to stay away or else He would break out on them… because God is raw Righteousness and burning Holiness and not all can approach Him and live. Years before this, Moses was being prepared to go up the Mountain, Hebrews 11:24-27.

On the mountain top the Lord showed Moses His ways and gave Him the Ten Commandments written on tablets. We now, in this new covenant, ascend the Mountain of God (Zion), the city of the Living God, the Heavenly Jerusalem (Heb. 12:22-24). As we ascend this mountain the fear of the Lord increases in our hearts and the glory of the Lord is revealed more and more. As we ascend God reveals more of His ways to us, and what once was written on tablets of stone God now writes His laws on our mind and the tablet of our hearts (Heb. 8:10).

Paul declares in 2 Cor. 3:7-11, that the glory of this new covenant is greater than the last. We see the visible things shook and were on fire at the appearing of the Lord, how much more we should tremble as we approach Mount Zion, where God dwells. And as we continue growing closer to God, there is a much greater increase of fear and trembling, and with good reason. When we get closer to our Lord we take on more knowledge of His ways and, “if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment…” (Heb. 10:26-27). And under the old covenant you died if you didn’t keep the Law of Moses. “How much more severer the punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under the foot the Son of God… and has insulted the Spirit of grace” (Heb. 10:29). The fear of the Lord is a gift to guard you from falling.

When the glory of the Lord was revealed to the Israelites, they all pushed away and told Moses to go up the Mountain and get the word of God for them. Being afraid of God is different that the fear of the Lord. The Israelites were afraid of God. If you fear the Lord you press into Him as Moses did, knowing that all you have is Him and that every good and perfect thing comes from Him… even if it’s uncomfortable. To fear Him is to love Him. As we move from glory to glory, ascending the Mountain and moving through the fire, we are being transformed into the same image of this glory we are beholding (2 Cor. 3:18).

1 Life 1 Love

Isaiah 40:9 “Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news, Lift up your voice mightily…”

Zion is called up the mountain and told to lift up their voice in power. Not being known as a messenger first, that is only the outcome of being the beloved Zion. Climbing a mountain is toil and difficulty. The news has already been given them (Is. 40:6-8), but the ascension up the mountain is necessary for their cry to be heard. However, their pursuit is not in their cry being heard, that is only the result. A call is sent out in Psalm 24:3, “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?” and in Psalm 24:6, this call is answered by the generation of those that seek His face. Those that have clean hands and a pure heart. The “Captain of our salvation” was perfected in His suffering, and this is the glory of the cross (climbing the mountain), perfecting us in suffering… voluntary suffering, creating in us clean hearts and right spirits. The ascension up the mountain of God is in seeking His face, and in this single hearted pursuit you are made pure. And as a result you are given a voice to proclaim the good news given you. The climb is guaranteed to be hard and difficult, but if God is all you want, then it is also guaranteed to be glorious.

“Climbing this mountain is a lonely journey, I’ll never see the peak but still I reach. Your face is what I seek, and with all of my being, I believe You’re all I need. Desperation is my heartbeat. No one understands me cus they don’t see, all my hope is in You will never leave. I believe, I believe You’re all I need. Though none go with me, I fix my eyes on eternity.”

1 Life 1 Love

In 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 (read it now… if possible), Paul is speaking of Israel’s salvation and pursuit to enter the promise land. He describes their journey as a shadow of our journey. It is a picture of our salvation of faith and the race we run to inherit the promise of salvation. These things became our examples and were written for our caution and warning (verse 11). In reading this example we need to carefully examine ourselves because they were all in the same Spirit, “but with most of them God was not well pleased for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.” The Israelites that were saved from Egypt didn’t all make it to the promise land… that’s scripture (Hebrews 3:16-19).

Philippians 2:12-13 says, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do according to His good pleasure.” Salvation starts from the inside, He works “in you,” and our outward response is VITAL.  If disobedience is alive in you, then so is unbelief (Heb. 3:18-19). If we sin, it is not owed to us to be forgiven. God owes no man anything, but in His mercy, He works repentance in us. God works that repentance in you and then you outwardly respond, like John the Baptist says, “produce fruit meet for repentance.” The outward response is the fruit that shows a genuine heart of repentance before the Lord. Romans 9:16 says, “It is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.” Again, this starts inwardly and is demonstrated outwardly. In God’s mercy, He graces you with Godly sorrow that leads you to repentance. But there is a place that I wish to never know, of not being able to find repentance. Hebrews 12:17 says, “For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.” …It’s “your own salvation,” don’t play with it.

Romans 11:20,22 says, “Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty but fear… Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness. If you continue in His goodness, otherwise you also will be cut off.”

Isaiah 33:6 says the fear of the Lord will be your treasure. In Isaiah 11:2, the fear of the Lord is a gift from the Spirit, and in verse 3 it is delighted in. Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” I pray that God would release the fear of the Lord into your heart, and you will not push away the uncomfortable feeling, but embrace it, until change is made and humility is produced. Recognize your need for Jesus, and humble yourself, He’s the only one that saves.

1 Life 1 Love