Ed Morales - Christian Adult Alternative Acoustic Rock

ED MORALES
(first appeared in Cross Rhythms Magazine, Feb/Mar, 2000)

Asking Eddie Morales to describe his music is a big mistake! "The music fundamentally is folkrocklatinacoustictexaselectricfunkbaladpop," he says without batting an eyelid!

However you pigeonhole the sound, the heart is very evident. 'The One And 99' is an album born out of struggle and much heart searching as Eddie wrestled with God over a number of years.

Eddie got saved as a teenager but didn't continue walking with God. The pursuit of a music career kept him in and out of various bands in Texas, some with critical acclaim but none taking him into national success. Even after recording a successful solo album in 1993, his frustration with life caused him to return like a prodigal to his God. Having re-dedicated his life to Christ in 1994, it was five years before God released him into music ministry. He reflects, "there was a lot of training, refining and polishing the Lord had to do to me before I was released in ministry."

In 1994, Eddie attended a seminar on the subject of destiny. He remembers, "One of the teachings was how we can focus so much on the 'destiny' and not on Jesus that it becomes idolatry. O was busted! I knew that I was headed into that trap. I decided then that I would place music on the altar and allow him to provide and guide what needed to be done. So began the arduous task of what eventually I called 'actively waiting'. Praying, fasting, learning, praying again and trying to be faithful in all small things he would provide until the appointed time of God. Much of the small stuff 'I' didn't want to do for various reasons, mainly ego, and there were struggles and arguments with God. However I got smart and yielded and these small things turned out to be the most extraordinary life changing experiences ever."

Moving to San Antonio, Morales hooked up with another Christian artist, Chris Taylor, to work as guitar player in Taylor's band. He played on Taylor's debut solo single and album, 'Down Goes The Day'. Then on January 1^st 1999, everything started to fall into place! "I had received no notification from God that I was being released to record. Within two weeks, I had a band, studio, songs, producer and the funds (this was to be done debt-free) to complete the full project. He had provided and released me to record. All this time, I had prayed that God would provide me a tool for ministering his word and in essence this is what he gave me. He was to be the focus. It was to be back to basic, guitar oriented recordings. Unpolished. It was going to be my best effort yet because it was for the Lord - or so I said. So began the process."

The process left Morales struggling. His previous solo album, recorded before he had returned to God, was a sophisticated, layered, state of the art production. 'The One And 99' was simple, acoustic driven and stripped down guitar pop/rock. During the recording, he worried what people would think of him as an artist. "Frantically, I began to seek old friends and other musicians to layer the sound and make it what 'I' wanted. BUT … hadn't I prayed for a tool for ministry, hadn't I asked for him to provide the strategies and resources? And here 'I' was trying to take control again. During the five years of 'actively waiting', I had thought I had placed everything on the altar, that I was cleansed of my 'self' in music and totally freed to pursue his call. But there was one element left which would not have revealed its ugly head unless I had gone through this process. I still had my identity of who I was and that self was still deeply tied to music. What people thought of it still mattered and reflected on who I was as a person. Since I was 16, through parents' divorce, girlfriend breakups, friends' betrayals, good times, bad times, good bands and bad bands - my music and my songs were always there for comfort and consolation. It was the one steady thing I had and didn't want to give up. However, God had other plans. He wanted that place. So I repented and turned over the controls back to God and allowed 'The One And 99' to be completed as he wanted."

Out of a journey which has caused Eddie to respond to God with a humble heart came and album with a ministry impact. Eddie has a unique ministry which he describes as "reaching the unsaved, religious Christians who do not have a relationship with Jesus, and Christians lost in the 'depths of greyness'. These are the grey areas many like to live in to justify their actions. They compare themselves to the drug addicts, murders, rapists, thieves and 'believe' they are not that bad. Basically using the dark as their standard for their lives rather than the light. An example: 'sex before marriage is all right if you love that person.' However, we all know this kind of morally relative thinking is a trap and the worst thing about it, many never realise or admit they are in it. Often times this 'grey' type of thinking is perpetuated by many of the politically correct churches. Sometimes so called 'conservative' churches also perpetuate this because they are so busy knocking the obvious sins, they fail to see their own. Once you realise that sin is a sin is a sin and that to God lying equals stealing equals homosexuality equals adultery equals murder equals gossip then you can become humble and begin eliminating the judging of others, justifying actions and begin to be as Jesus - using him as your standard."