What Happenin’ In My World!!

                                          Beat Makers vs. Producers

IN THE WORLD OF HIP HOP AND R&B MUSIC PRODUCTION THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF PEOPLE. ONE IS A PRODUCER THE OTHER IS A BEAT MAKER. NOW! DON’T GET IT TWISTED THEY BOTH ARE GOOD, VERY GOOD AT WHAT THEY DO. SOME PEOPLE JUST NEED TO KNOW WHO IS WHO.

NOW A BEAT MAKER IS SOMEONE WHO IS ABLE TO CREATE A HOT MUSIC INSTRUMENTAL USING THE BASIC TOOLS (MPC, SAMPLES, KEYS, ECT.) AND THAT’S WHERE IT STOPS. WHICH IS GREAT! THERE ARE SOME VERY GOOD BEAT MAKERS OUT TODAY, AND YOU HEAR A LOT OF THEIR INFLUENCE IN MAINSTREAM RADIO (ESPECIALLY DOWN SOUTH AND YOU WONT HEAR MUCH FROM THEM DOWN THE ROAD LIKE VARIOUS OTHER PRODUCERS WE’LL TALK MORE ABOUT BELOW)

A PRODUCER ON THE OTHER HAND TAKES THIER BEAT MAKING A LIL DEEPER AND ALOT MORE SERIOUSLY. THEY MAKE THE BEATS USING (MPC, SAMPLES, KEYS, LIVE INSTR, WHAT EVER IT TAKES) THEY WRITE HOOKS FOR THE TRACKS, THEY MAY EVEN SING THE HOOKS.THEY KNOW THEIR WAY AROUND THE STUDIO, THEY MIX AND DO THE RECORDING. IF THE ARTIST NEEDS SOME INPUT ON WHAT THE SONG IS MISSING OR WHAT KIND OF VIBE SHOULD THE ARTIST BE ON WITH THE TRACK, THE PRODUCER IS RIGHT THERE TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING THAT IS NEEDED IS PRESENT IN THE FINAL PRODUCT.

A PRODUCER HAS A FULL PROTOOLS STUDIO (OR AT LEAST HAS ACCESS TO A FACILITY THAT WILL ACCOMMODATE WHAT IS NEEDED IN ORDER TO COMPLETE THE PROJECT – PROTOOLS HD SYSTEM)!! WHY PROTOOLS BECAUSE IT IS AN INDUSTRY MUST, AND MOST ARTIST WILL NOT WORK WITH CATS IF THEY ARE NOT RUNNING PROTOOLS, WHY!! LET ME TELL YOU WHY! IF I’M AN ARTIST LOOKING FOR PRODUCTION AND I FIND TWO PRODUCERS WHO HAVE HOT TRACKS AND ONE IS USING PROTOOLS AND THE OTHER IS USING CAKEWALK OR FRUITY LOOPS AND THEY BOTH WANT $5000 A TRACK. THE PRODUCER CAN TRACK MUSIC AND VOCALS INTO HIS PRO TOOLS RIG, THEN TAKE THEM TO THE BIG STUDIO FOR MIXING SAVE ALOT OF MONEY VS. PAYING FOR THE TRACK THEN BOOKING TIME AT ANOTHER STUDIO TO LAY DOWN THE VOCALS AND THEN BOOKING ADDITIONAL TIME TO MIX.

ON THAT NOTE KEEP THIS IN MIND, GOOD MUSIC IS GOOD MUSIC, NO MATTER WHO MADE THE TRACK.WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THAT IS WHAT YOU NEED TO THINK ABOUT. YOU NEED TO ASK YOURSELF DOES PUSHING RECORD OR COPYING AND PASTING SOME HOOKS & VERSES MAKE YOU A PRODUCER OR ARE YOU STUCK IN THE BEAT MAKING PROCESS.

THE NEXT TIME YOU SAY YOU’RE A PRODUCER AND FEEL YOU HAVE ARRIVED IN MUSIC PRODUCTION, NEVER HAVING SET FOOT IN A REAL STUDIO NOR PLACED FINGER ONE ON AN SSL/NEVE CONSOLE KNOB……….YOU MAY BE IN FOR A RUDE AWAKENING SHOULD SOMEONE IN NEED OF A PRODUCER COME KNOCKING!

AT THIS POINT YOU MAY STILL BE GROPPLING WITH THE PLUMMET YOUR EGO JUST TOOK AND THE SHOCK OF IT CRASHING TO THE FLOOR. BUT LEND YOUR EAR AND REMAIN OPEN TO SOME SOUND ADVICE THAT MAY JUST HELP TO PROPELL YOU TO THE NEXT LEVEL IN MUSIC PRODUCTION……….

EVERY BEAT MAKER AND PRODUCER HAS BEEN INFLUENCED BY THE PRODUCTION OR BEAT MAKING SKILLS OF SOMEONE ELSE ALONG THE ROAD, THROUGH SOMETHING YOU’VE HEARD WETHER IT WAS A SONG ON THE RADIO, A MUSIC VIDEO ECT. WHEN YOU THINK OF WHO HAS TRULY INSPIRED AND CHANGED THE FACE HIP-HOP AND R&B AS WE KNOW IT, WHO DO YOU THINK OF? WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PRODUCERS YOU CAN RECALL? DOES THE NAME QUINCY JONES, SEAN COMBS, RUSSELL SIMMONS, RODNEY JERKINS, TIMBALAND, JERRY WEXLER, RIC REUBEN, JERMAINE DUPRI, CLARENCE PAUL RING A BELL? WHERE WOULD HIP-HOP AND R&B BE IF ANY ONE OF THESE GUYS HAD GOT A HOLD OF AN MPC, KEYBOARD, LOOPED A HOT SAMPLE TO IT AND CALLED IT A DAY? HOW IS WHAT YOU ARE DOING HELPING TO SHAPE AND INFLUENCE OTHERS OR MUSIC AS WE KNOW IT? DOES WHAT YOU DO INSPIRE OTHERS TO STRIVE TO BE MORE THAN A BEAT MAKER? ARE YOU EVEN STIVING TO BE MORE THAN A BEAT MAKER?

                                           I am GOD’S Masterpiece

**Wikipedia defines a Masterpiece as any work of art that is considered extraordinary. The phrase is generally used to describe what is considered an artist’s best piece of work.

I recently attended a fellowship meeting at a friend’s house this past week. We spent time taking turns reading various teachings and scriptures based on content he had downloaded from the internet. Now everything that we read was all very moving, exciting, revealing and enlightening. But nothing struck me as strongly as when he turned to me, looked me in my eyes and declared that “I am GOD’S Masterpiece”! He looked me square in the eyes and stated “You are GOD”S Masterpiece”! He repeated this again, and again it was like something striking the inner core of my soul and spirit at the same time. When he stated this I didn’t have to try to agree, or try to “feel” what he was stating. It was as if this that simple declaration was a bridge between my inner soul and my spirit. An awakening and a rousing that only takes place when what dwells in your soul is confirmed by the spirit. Immediately I knew that what he was speaking was very profound and that it related to all Christians. Why do we somehow walk around at times feeling inferior or as though we as a Christian don’t measure up to the rest of the world. This appears to me to be especially true professionally and out in the Market Place. It’s as though when we find a Christian in a high position at a company or in a business there’s almost a “Wow Effect” as to say that, that occurrence is the exception not the rule. Why are we surprised to find this? Do we not all realize we are all GOD’S Masterpieces? As soon as I heard the statement, the words “Excellent”, “Standard” and “Exceptional” immediately came to mind. An Artist can have many paintings but when a Masterpiece is completed it is tangible evidence of some of the Artist’s greatest work. I as a Christian am tangible evidence of some of GOD’S greatest work!

                                      Before You Marry & Before You Even Date!!

First we must allow our Heavenly Father to do the picking.  Second, the  decision for a mate must be made on a spiritual and intellectual  basis  before it’s made on an emotional one. “What about love? Shouldn’t that be  the third?”, you ask. No, and I’ll tell you why. “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (Jer. 17:9). The heart is willful and is driven by its own agenda. It does not consider things rationally and intelligently–it just loves to love! Therefore, you have to point it in the right directions: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Prov. 4:23).   Whenever you meet a man, you need to get clearance from God, check out his attributes, and then allow your heart to engage.

Dating exists not for mating; it exists for collecting data. I believe that the biblical design would be friendship, courtship, and then marriage. Friendship is two people walking together in agreement and accountability, learning and growing together. Courtship follows the mutual agreement to commit to one another exclusively–it is the decisive turning toward the agreed-upon goal of the marriage altar. It is a period of laying a foundation and preparing your life together after marriage. But dating? If you do choose to date, use the time to gather facts:

1. Check out the fabric. Is the person mate material? Does this man have an intimate relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ? Does he care what God thinks about his behavior? Is he accountable to God as well as another co-laborer in the faith?  Accountability is an important factor. It is imperative to maintaining a committed relationship. Is your potential spouse a member of the same family–the family of God?  Scripture is clear on this: “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.  For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” (2 Cor. 6:14). You need to have common interests and values and agree on the essentials of living day to day. You have to have a similar spiritual walk. You must be eating the same spiritual diet. Do you enjoy similar things? Do you have like interests, like goals in life, like opinions on basic life issues?
Though there is some truth to the idiom that opposites attract, like-minded folks fare better together. Furthermore, does he want to get married? If you want to be married and your dreamboat isn’t interested, don’t waste  your time. Remember, women fall in love and get married.  Men decide to get married and then look for a wife. Note the difference in order. So if a guy says he’s not looking for anything serious, take his words seriously. If he’s not going in your direction, be content to let him continue on his path and you continue yours.

2. Does this man want you? Is he pursuing you? The man who is right for you will pursue you, and God’s hand in the relationship will be clear.  No guessing, no fleeces, no dead ends. Scripture says: “He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord” (Prov. 18:22).  Note–who finds whom? THE MAN FINDS THE WIFE. From the beginning of  time, God has transported men and women across the world in order to put them together. At the RIGHT TIME, He will bring that man on the scene and he will find you. In God’s perfect design, the man is the one who  recognizes his mate. Adam had no problem recognizing that Eve was his  missing rib. You do not need to strategically place yourself anywhere. You don’t have to help a guy out because he’s shy! Men will do whatever they have to do to get what they truly want. The man in your life should  recognize you as the pearl of great price in his life and be willing to  do whatever he must in order to gain your hand. If he is passive about gaining your affections, take it as a sign that he is not interested.  Many a woman’s mother has suggested that it is a good idea to marry a man who loves you more than you love him. As cold as that   sounds, it actually might be scriptural if you stop to think about it: “We love him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Until then, take the ultimate chill pill. You don’t need a bunch of men in your life to make you feel good about yourself. You need only one man–your man, the one God has selected to select you. Remember, the right man at the wrong time can be just as awful as the wrong man at any time.

So trust God’s timing in this. He is the ultimate matchmaker. Relax, sit pretty and allow yourself to be found.  Again,–WAIT until the man voices his intentions. He should take the lead in establishing the relationship.  You may have an inkling that he is the one, but God will use the man to  et the tone of the relationship.  Allow him the opportunity to woo you–this could be considered the first act of submission. Jesus set the standard for all men to follow. They should love us first, and they should lead the relationship.    

3. The man in your life should not desire to move into your house, only into your heart. A man who prepares for your future has made his intentions clear. A man who is husband material has the means to take care of a wife. He is a responsible human being who understands he needs to have something to offer. In short, a man should have the means to be a suitable lover for you.

4. Check out his buddies. Everyone knows birds of the same feather flock  together, yet most women fail to see the connection between a man and his friends. A man’s pals tell you a lot about the person that you haven’t seen yet.  They reveal things about the guy’s character that might be hidden when he is on good behavior.  Everyone knows how to put his and her best foot forward.  Don’t stay focused on the feet, check out the rest of the body!

5. Check out his relationship with his mother.  How does he treat her?  This is your preview of how he will treat you.  There are lots of men who, because of a negative relationship with their mothers, really don’t like women, yet say they do.  Unresolved issues between mother and son continue between husband and wife.

6. Remember that a man’s family reveals the cloth from which he’s cut.  Take note and decide whether you want your future with the man in your life to look like his present family situation.

7. Check out the patterns of his life.  Do you see repeated cycles of drama in his personal kingdom?  Broken relationships? Problems in making  commitments, including the job market? Mood swings?  Is a problem always someone else’s fault?  Does he embrace responsibility or shirk it?  Does he keep his promises?  Is he a man of good reputation?

8. Does this man have a vision for his life?  Is he running with that vision? Remember, God decided Adam needed help once Adam got busy DOING his assignment.  As we saw Adam, a man doesn’t need help until he is busy doing what he was created and called to do.  Is the man in your life guided by sense of destiny and purpose, or does he just allow life to happen around him? A man who is not certain of his mission can be a most miserable person–and you’ll be miserable too if you know where YOU want to go in life.  A man who has vision is not intimidated by a woman whose mission statement is clear.  He will be your best ally, cheerleader and assistant because he wants you both to make it!  A man who cannot be supportive of your achievements because he is floundering in a sea of uncertainty over his own life is not a healthy partner to have and to hold forever.  Creating dependencies or feelings of obligation is not the way to get the best out of your man.  Somewhere along the way, he will resent you and flee from the smothering burden of obligation he associates you with.  You want a man who is firmly anchored in his identity in Christ.  Remember, we are looking for a man who will be priest and leader in his home.  His first instinct should be to want to cover you, redeem you, and provide for you.  Your job is to decide if this is the man God has ordained for you to complement.

9. Complementarily.  Do your talents and gifts complement his?  Do his gifts complement yours?  What about your temperaments?  Do you see the two of you as an effective team capable of bringing blessing to the lives of those around you?  Do your futures mesh?  Can you   coordinate your gifts in an attractive and effective way? This is why knowing your purpose is so important.  Make sure your hearts beat for mutual causes.  When I go shopping I always consider the fabric, the fit and what I already have in my closet.  Will my next purchase be a complementary addition to what I already have?  If I find that I am going to have to buy shoes and matching accessories to go with a new outfit, I leave it right on the rack.  It is too expensive a proposition.  If the man you meet makes you feel that you need to completely reinvent yourself, something is wrong.   This is where I ask you to consider the relationship in terms of cost.  Is this relationship expensive spiritually, emotionally, or physically? Does your longing for a mate make you willing to forfeit who you are in the process? Or does he see you as the gift that you are?  The man in  your life should consider you as a rare find, a priceless jewel-because of you he is getting ready to get blessed big-time!  Any relationship that causes you to feel unworthy, unlovely, unacceptable, undesirable, or that you have to work for love, is too expensive!  God has called the man to cover, protect, and provide not only materially for a woman, but emotionally and spiritually as well. You should be richer in mind, body and spirit for your union with the man of your dreams.  The man in your life should make rich deposits into your heart and spirit, not withdrawals.

10. Does he have a healthy love & acceptance of himself?  Make sure the man in your life has taken time to heal from past  relationships and has made peace with himself.  How he cares for himself is how he will care for you.  A man’s relationship with God is crucial here. His love for himself will only be as strong as his love for God. This is not something that you can impart.  You cannot be his savior or teacher.  That is out of spiritual order.  In his rightful place as your personal priest, he should be leading you to a richer relationship with Christ.  If he is causing you to compromise your faith and destabilize your walk, if he is leading you into sexual sin or causing you to be distracted from your commitment to Christ, the relationship is too expensive.  Offending the Lover of your soul, who promises you eternal love, is too high a fare to pay for a ride that has a limited run.  If you and your man can’t soar in the Spirit, when the force of your love for another is tested by the pull or gravity of the world, your union will not be able to survive.  So you decide.  How much is your life worth?  How much is your love worth?  You will be able to accept only what you believe you deserve.  God Himself calculated the worth of your love and decided it was worth His life.  He now pledges you His love for eternity.  Yes, Jesus sets the example for all others to follow when He paid a ransom for His bride.  Should you expect less from a mortal man?  Throughout the Biblical age, men were willing to pay the cost for the hand that they desired.  The truth of the matter is, everyone knows that anything worth having, costs.  And no one gets a ride in this life for free.

With all of this it should be pretty clear if the person you are currently dating is ordained by God to be your mate, if the person pursuing you has prepared himself for you or any woman for that matter. Sit back and trust God to bring forth that Man that you’ve been dreaming of and at the end of the day consider that he may not be in the picture yet because God is still preparing you, after all you don’t want mister right to show up and you are not ready!!!

Lastly ask yourself are there still voids in your life and heart that you have not yet asked the lord to enter into your heart and fill? When you are lonely have you asked God to come in and be your comfort and company? If you have not yet made God your everything, I pray that you do so and unlock the door to finding your perfect mate! For he will only be found through him!

                                                 Marriage On the Rocks!

Lately I’ve heard many different arguments for the “Rights of Homosexuals”. Repeatedly we are being bombarded with a statement of deception that the “Civil Rights” of Gay People across America are being violated. So for a moment let’s really open our ears and tackle some of the tough realities of the Homosexual lifestyle and dispel any misconceptions of what we are really fighting for and against!

Time and time again, interview after interview it is being stated by Homosexual individuals that they should be allowed to “be what they want to be”. Let them be who they want to be. Now think about this for a second, this is an individual who has made a choice to be something other than what and who they really are. There are many comparisons being made to the fight that Black Americans went through during the Civil Rights era and even women with the right to vote. How can it be compared to something that was discriminated against that was a pre determined or destined state? In other words did I somehow choose in my mother’s womb whether or not I wanted to be Black or White, Male or Female, Disabled or Healthy? That’s no different than saying that a person had no choice in whether or not they were going to live a Gay lifestyle. We are not talking about a predisposed condition or state of being; we are talking about a conscious decision to live a particular lifestyle.

In the civil rights era Black Americans were not allowed to attend public functions, attend the same schools, eat at the same restaurants, ride busses or sit where they wanted on the bus, sometimes there was no option to even take a seat at all despite there being empty seats on that bus. Am I somehow now supposed to believe that the fight that Gay people are fighting is to be compared to such blatant acts and violations of one’s Civil Rights? Are you serious? Let’s be real here, we all work with someone who is Gay, we dine at the same restaurants, we attend the same movies at the same time, we go to school with them, we shop together in the same stores, we use the same restrooms and yes we even attend the same churches. Whether we know it or not there are many Gay people “out and in the closet” in our everyday lives and until now I have never seen an uproar about anything that they have moved forward in doing with such resistance. So why now? What now has Americans across the country taking a stand and by overwhelming majority saying “No More”? Not in my state, not in my county, not in my city, not in my neighborhood and not in my home?

I recently had the task of renewing and selecting my benefits here at work. Many of the benefits included Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Disability Insurance and many other options. Each and every option for each benefit, I was given the option to not only select benefits for myself the employee of this company of which I work but to add an eligible dependant (child) and/or spouse (husband/wife) & “Same Sex Domestic Partner”!! Look there! Same Sex Domestic Partner! So in other words there is a recognition of “same sex partnerships” and that recognition can be tied to benefits for either party in the relationship! Last time I looked at a job application under the “non discrimination clause” it clearly states that an employer can not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, color, gender, age, disability and yes “sexual orientation”!! The same is true on an application for credit, application for a loan or housing rental, college applications, ect. So where are the rights being violated people? What about marriage? What about marriage! What is marriage by definition?

“a union between one man and one woman as husband and wife is a monogamous heterosexual marriage”

Marriage has always been between Man and Woman. Dare we ask what was God’s intent when he wrote the passages of the Bible that address this very issue? Did God intend for Men to be with Men and Women to be married and sexually intimate with Women? Absolutely NOT!! If so, why did he not make it possible for two women to create a life together (pro create)? Life is created when the sperm of the man is joined with the egg of the woman, life is not possible without one or the other being present! Not possible, no matter how hard you try you can not create life between two men and two women. So was the intent of Marriage to form a family? There are many arguments on what constitutes a “family” and we really could go one and on about that one……

Here is the heart of the matter, what they are all up in arms about is the denial of the Sacrament of Marriage. Many people living a gay lifestyle also practice in religions where the belief is not in God as our Creator and Father and his son Jesus as our Savior. When asked I have had a lot of them tell me that they believe in a “Higher Power” and practice religions such as Buddism and study the Kabala so my question is, if you do not believe in God and or my Christian values why do you need the sacrament of marriage or a “Church” to bless your union? They don’t believe the living word of God but yet they insist upon being “married” which is a sacrament under God? I’m still trying to see where the Civil Rights are being violated…………

I recently had a Gay person ask me what if they tried to enact a law that stated that Christians could not be legally be married in our country. The first thing is that this country was founded on the belief in Christianity that’s why we have God in the Pledge of Allegiance, “In God We Trust” on our American currency, our presidents swear into office by the Bible as well as other congressional officers and it is in acted in our judicial system to this very day, that when giving testimony you are “swearing” before God and asked you place your hand on the Bible. OK maybe not place your hand on the Bible (physically) so much anymore but you still have to “swear” an oath before the court and God as your ultimate judgment!! I can not see a time when we would ever take that question seriously not just as Christians but as a country because the very belief that this country and our laws were founded, specifically speaks against Gay marriage. And it’s not up for “interpretation”, it’s very clear “man shall not lay with another man, and a woman shall not lay with another woman”.

Bottom line is that for centuries marriage has always existed between one man and one woman throughout various cultures, religions and societies. I can not see reason to change that “legally” for less than 2% of the world’s population which already has all of the same civil and fundamental rights as the rest of the us.

                                  Let Your Heart Give Way To His Will

Sometimes our Heart is a funny thing. Not funny as in “ha-ha” funny but funny as in complex, ever changing and down right deceitful. For it says so in the Bible –

Jeremiah 17; 9 – The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind,

When does this become a realization for us? Is it when our feelings are hurt by someone we love? Is it when we experience a bad relationship or just a plain old breakup? In what situations have the truth of our Heart’s deceit been revealed in our own everyday lives? A lot of times when we talk about the Heart we think of Love, Feelings, Emotions and everything within that context. That may be so, but what other things lurk in your Heart that when not given over to the Lord fully produce these same feelings and emotions? Sometimes we desire material things in such a way that our Heart gets attached to the idea of seeing the material things realized in the natural, and when we don’t make good on it or it doesn’t somehow come to pass we sit “Heart-Broken” over it. Often times this is the case and we don’t associate that same feeling and emotion with what is deep in our Hearts and in addition to that we further don’t understand why the feelings of discontent linger and how to rid ourselves of them. If we do not address what is at the “heart” of what we are experiencing we can not then begin the process to heal and change it. There is a reason why we even use the expression “the heart of the situation”. What we are experiencing truly lies within what’s in our hearts. Now don’t get me wrong I’m not saying that we should not desire to reap the fruits of hard work or what we seed in such a way that brings comfort and even in some cases wealth to our lives and the lives of our loved ones. The question you have to ask is, do you desire these things in such a way that you are emotionally bothered by the fact that you do not have or get them? Take a moment and be honest. There is nothing wrong with being passionate about doing something and striving to be excellent in it to the point of reaping that fore mentioned lifestyle. But do you desire the “things” in your heart more than you desire his will for your life? Even if it doesn’t include some of the “things” that you desire of your own heart? Letting your Heart give way to his will is just that. It means with all the desire and fire in your Heart, craving only the things that he has destined for you. This includes relationships, occupations, friendships, and financial destiny. Everyone who knows me knows how much I love music and what a passion it is in me. I would love nothing more than to be able to just sit and create, record, listen and write music everyday and make a great living doing it. But I would honestly care less if I was to become a millionaire by selling shoes or performing some other tasks with my time. In other words I do not desire the wealth or the success of being a music Producer so much in my heart that I would deny what God has destined for me in other areas. The Bible isn’t saying that he doesn’t want me to be wealthy or successful he is only asking that we desire him above all other things and that by doing so he knows the desires of our Hearts and those desires in him will be fulfilled. When I learned to submit my Heart to him completely, and declared unto him in my private prayer time that I would only seek that which he lays out before me, I began to experience a flood of new creativity in music and new ideas in business which I had not yet considered possible. For so long I allowed myself to cling only to the desires of “things” that I was unable to see the vehicles God wanted me to use in order to have them. I do not believe that I could hear clearly from the Lord if not for purging my Heart of my own desires and turned all of my Heart unto HIM.

Matthew 6;6 - But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.