teaching

IΓÇÖve been listening to Christian music probably since college. ThatΓÇÖs when I discovered it and there were Christian artists that really built me – built my faith. Being dyslexic and ADD, I didnΓÇÖt read the Bible much for myself so when I would hear somebody like Steven Curtis Chapman singing about His grace being sufficient for us or that HeΓÇÖs going to finish what He started in me – that made me want to go find the verses and figure out where it came from so I could know more about Jesus. And really, Christian music connected me with God and connected me to His work.

IΓÇÖve been in church ministry for half my life, as youth pastor, as a worship leader, and I really hurt in my heart for the things IΓÇÖm not hearing as much. Some of the things I donΓÇÖt hear as much these days are ΓÇ£I really want to start a ministry that pours into children.ΓÇ¥ What IΓÇÖm starting to hear is ΓÇ£I want to find a church that has a good ministry for children.ΓÇ¥ One thing I donΓÇÖt hear very much is ΓÇ£I want to see my church awaken in their worship and IΓÇÖm going to lead out with my worship.ΓÇ¥ What IΓÇÖm hearing instead is ΓÇ£we want to go find a church that has passionate worship.ΓÇ¥ Instead of building church, weΓÇÖre shopping for church.

One of the big discoveries in my walk with Jesus was realizing that Jesus was tempted too. He was just like us in that he was tempted in every way, but He was nothing like us in that he never sinned. The idea of Jesus being tempted by the enemy, that’s a story IΓÇÖve read most of my life and itΓÇÖs been read to me. IΓÇÖm trying to picture Satan tempting Jesus, like how does that even work? I mean, how could Jesus be tempted?

One of the questions I get a lot is what is it like singing in front of thousands of people? When you get up on stage and you just see faces all over the room. How does that feel? This is going to seem like the strangest answer, but IΓÇÖm not really sure how it feels because when I get on stage, I am singing for about four or five people. IΓÇÖve been praying for them since the beginning of the concert.

So I was about 19 when I really started feeding myself – getting into the Word for myself. I started seeing things differently. I saw my weakness differently. My weaknesses were always reasons to stay quiet and suddenly I started seeing them as things that were going to make me pray and keep me in a place where I had to depend on God. When suddenly my weakness became my strength, I saw my past different. I saw the things that were haunting me, those scars are now my story and I could offer them to other people and show them how big God’s love is. I started seeing people different. I saw my friends differently. IΓÇÖd gone to school my whole life like most of us and IΓÇÖd been a Christian, but I didnΓÇÖt see people like Jesus did until I began to look at my friendships. I began to look at the people I spent my time with and I began to wonder about their souls. I began to wonder if they knew God, if they were afraid of the same things I was, or if they were going to be in heaven when I got there. Where did they stand with God? And it hurt my heart that I didnΓÇÖt know. IΓÇÖd been in friendΓÇÖs lives for so long and never knew that, but once God shows you something, once God turns the light on in your life, you canΓÇÖt unknow it. So I was having to face the truth of not knowing where my friends stood every time I hung out with them.