Thoughts from a guy just trying to chase after God!

Last week we met with our financial advisor through the church and laid all of our debt and budget on the table. That night we met with our married couples small group and just talked about the sin and pride involved with money while we were in Clarksville and for the first time we felt like the wall that had been blocking us from financial freedom began to come down. So that lead to some amazing blessings from God.

It started with this past weekend when Erin and the girls and I went to Gastonia where I spoke at a conference with 200 middle school and high school girls called Searching for the Beauty Within. It was so awesome and that night I led worship at a really cool coffee shop / Christian Bookstore which was a very intimate time of worship with about 50 people. The next morning I led at Chapel Grove Baptist Church where I did the conference and God just blew us away with financial blessings. Not only that we received some checks in the mail that were unexpected and from all of that we were able to pay all of our bills for the month and have money left over for the first time in forever. 

I mean there have been plenty of times I have been blown away by what God does in our life or how He provides but today may have just taken the cake. As many of you know our house has been on the market since January and we are only 2 weeks away from foreclosure proceedings taking place. Now we saw this as a consequence for our bad decisions which were from my pride, see last post. Two days ago Erin spoke to a friend of ours who used to live in Clarksville and she was sharing the frustration of the house still being unsold. Our friend got off the phone and began to pray and ask God how she could help. She was then reminded of a friend in Clarksville who was looking for a home. She called her and her husband and her had gone through a rough financial stretch and had seen God bring them out of it by following Dave Ramsey’s financial peace and getting a Godly perspective on money, which is what God is doing with Erin and I right now. The woman called our friend back to tell her she saw the home online they loved it and the neighborhood and they were going to look at it the next day. So today our realtor calls and tells me he has an offer coming in on the house and another potential offer coming in that afternoon. I was thinking wow our friend Kelly’s friend and husband must have like the house. To my surprise it was 2 separate offers and our realtor showed that couple the house today and they put an offer in. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! 3 offers in one day after 7 months and only 10 people looking. 

So it looks like the house may be sold. I took the pictures for the new album today with me and the guys and they look great. So awesome the talent in our church from photographers, to graphic designers, the producer of my album, the guys that play with me, the staff the volunteers, just awesome. So Chris Davis, www.cdphoto.com, took the picture and they look amazing! After the photo shoot I got a phone call about meeting a guy from our church at the coffee shop tonight. When I got there I talked with this guy who I have only had one or two other conversations with before. He told me how God had been revealing to him answered prayers when you pray specifically and how he had been blown away by that and how today I was one of those. He then gave me a check to help finish the cost of the album since some miscellaneous things came up. The crazy thing is last night he prayed and asked God if it was supposed to be this or that. This morning I sent an email to a friend of mine asking for prayer to help with the cost that had arisen. That friend had lunch with this guy today and mentioned my name at the very end of lunch and then told the guy the need not know he had been praying for me and it was exactly what he had prayed the night before on what to give. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!! What are you doing God. How does that happen? It is just more affirmation that God is God and He is in complete control. 

Now that was a lot and maybe not written well but I wanted you to all see the journey and what God is doing. If you don’t think prayers are heard or matter than I want you to know that they do and even though the answer may not come when you think, ie 7 months on the market with our house, or the way you think, random people coming into your life to help out. No matter how or why God hears those prayers and is working through them. Just a glimpse of my life as I stand in awe of our Creator God.

The time to do what I am called to do and what I want to do has arrived. I want to just do ministry. Everyday, for the rest of my life. By that I mean, ministering through music and serving people and helping them walk with God. Now hear me on this I realize that you can serve God and minister for him wherever you are at anytime. What I am saying is God has given me a passion for the church and I desire to serve him in that capacity. What I am learning right now is although that is what my heart desires, right now I am called to be a provider for my wife and daughters and just be a follower of God. 

So to do that it means I am going to have to lay down the pride I talked about in the last blog and possibly work a job that will eliminate some opportunities to serve God through my music and in the church. If I find a job that requires me to work Saturday or Sunday’s or on nights when I could be helping at Port City or singing at another church or college somewhere then that is what I have to do. I don’t like writing this at all because it feels like a part of me is dying, but I am learning that music and ministry has to be an overflow and off-shoot of my walk with God and my family growing and being taken care of. 

Now this does not mean I am done with music, FAR FROM IT, that is one of the gifts God has given me. It just means that for now it may have to take a backseat as I make sure I am providing for my family and their needs. So I ask for your prayers as I continue to send out resumes and push to find full time employment. If you know of anything let me know. 

My wife sent me Psalm 112 & 128 which talks about the family prospering when the man of God fears the Lord and is obedient to him. So I know my calling and I am ready to take hold of it. So that is where I am today and I am anxiously awaiting God’s next step.