Monday, January 31, 2011
"With Everything. . ."
Wow! If the first class is any indication of how this year is going to be, then this will be the most amazing year of school I've ever had! Yeah, Lee was great and the new experience of being out on my own was awesome. And sure North Greenville was amazing, getting to come home every weekend. But there is something about standing on the edge of an adventure, knowing that it will forever change your life, though you're not exactly sure how. There's the wonder and awe of the unknown mixed with the anticipation of the uncertain that has the potential to stir you to greatness, or subdue you to complacency. To stir you to the greatness God has called you to, through His grace, to the glory of His name. . . THE name. Or it can drive you to into the abject complacency that the devil has so perfectly planned for you to fall into. You can run, with everything, after His plan, with reckless abandon; or you can choose to stay in the comfortable realm of what is popular - conforming to the chaos around you. 2011 is a year of new beginnings . . . Which will you choose?
Sunday, January 30, 2011
"Journey. . ."
So once again I'm going back to the whole faithfulness of God thing. I just cant seem to get off of it. . . Theres something about knowing that there is something HUGE out there. A huge God with an incredibly large, all encompassing, inescapable plan. . . and knowing that I'm a part of it! You have no idea what role you play, but somehow there is an overwhelming sense of calm, knowing that wherever He leads, He'll be faithful to take care of you. Prefect example:
A couple days ago, Brandon and I took a bus up to Castle Towers (just one of the shopping centers outside Sydney) Getting there was no problem, we took one bus straight where we wanted to go. However, getting home was a different story. We were pretty sure that we were supposed to just jump on the same bus that we rode up on, and take that back home. But, as you can imagine, we wanted to just make extra sure. Hmmmm, who could we ask that would know. . . Ah hah! Another bus driver. So we found us a bus driver and asked him. Long story short, he said, Look just jump on with me and Ill get ya there, so jump on we did. And we rode all over the place, of course we had no idea where we were the whole time. Eventually, we get to the T-way (a dedicated bus road in Australia) and he tells us to get off, and that another bus would come and take us the rest of the way. Brandon and I, however, being the street-savy dudes that we are, decided to check the bus times (on the handy-dandy chart the bus service provided). Wonderful. . . the very helpful bus driver, had left us to wait for a bus that doesn't run on Saturday. . . it was Saturday! Ya know God, I really appreciate the help in trying to immerse us in the culture and teach us patience and everything, but its hot out here, I have no idea where I am, I wanna get home and Im tired. . . so a little help would be good, ya know. (Now pause real quick. First I wasn't that sarcastic, but it was still kinda frustrating. And secondly, ever since I got here, I've been hearing things about how "God will do amazing things in your life and provide for you just when you need it". Even about how as soon as you say "amen", God would show up. So I kinda had all this goin on in the back of my head)
Well theres nothin for it, we better start walkin'. . . .once we know where we're going. So we stop to ask directions. . .a totally logical thing to do in our situation. The first car we tried to flag down didnt even stop. The second car however, was a taxi van (Total AWESOMENESS!!) which did stop, but instead of offering directions, he waves for us to get in! Hmmmm. . . me being the suspicious foreigner that I am, and not knowing how their (very expensive) taxi service works, proceeded to assure the driver that we couldnt pay him, and that we just needed directions. To which he replied that he was off duty and headed in our direction anyway, and just to hop in anyway. WOW! Talk about a fast turn around time! This is just another example of how Gods faithfulness is amazing! I mean, not only did we get a ride home, but it was in a taxi that took us to our front door, instead of a bus stop 100 yards away! What an awesome God we serve, and what an amazing journey He's called us to. . .
A couple days ago, Brandon and I took a bus up to Castle Towers (just one of the shopping centers outside Sydney) Getting there was no problem, we took one bus straight where we wanted to go. However, getting home was a different story. We were pretty sure that we were supposed to just jump on the same bus that we rode up on, and take that back home. But, as you can imagine, we wanted to just make extra sure. Hmmmm, who could we ask that would know. . . Ah hah! Another bus driver. So we found us a bus driver and asked him. Long story short, he said, Look just jump on with me and Ill get ya there, so jump on we did. And we rode all over the place, of course we had no idea where we were the whole time. Eventually, we get to the T-way (a dedicated bus road in Australia) and he tells us to get off, and that another bus would come and take us the rest of the way. Brandon and I, however, being the street-savy dudes that we are, decided to check the bus times (on the handy-dandy chart the bus service provided). Wonderful. . . the very helpful bus driver, had left us to wait for a bus that doesn't run on Saturday. . . it was Saturday! Ya know God, I really appreciate the help in trying to immerse us in the culture and teach us patience and everything, but its hot out here, I have no idea where I am, I wanna get home and Im tired. . . so a little help would be good, ya know. (Now pause real quick. First I wasn't that sarcastic, but it was still kinda frustrating. And secondly, ever since I got here, I've been hearing things about how "God will do amazing things in your life and provide for you just when you need it". Even about how as soon as you say "amen", God would show up. So I kinda had all this goin on in the back of my head)
Well theres nothin for it, we better start walkin'. . . .once we know where we're going. So we stop to ask directions. . .a totally logical thing to do in our situation. The first car we tried to flag down didnt even stop. The second car however, was a taxi van (Total AWESOMENESS!!) which did stop, but instead of offering directions, he waves for us to get in! Hmmmm. . . me being the suspicious foreigner that I am, and not knowing how their (very expensive) taxi service works, proceeded to assure the driver that we couldnt pay him, and that we just needed directions. To which he replied that he was off duty and headed in our direction anyway, and just to hop in anyway. WOW! Talk about a fast turn around time! This is just another example of how Gods faithfulness is amazing! I mean, not only did we get a ride home, but it was in a taxi that took us to our front door, instead of a bus stop 100 yards away! What an awesome God we serve, and what an amazing journey He's called us to. . .
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Two Step. . .
Fast forward a year and 5 jobs later (all at one time), and my brother and I are on a plane headed off to a mystic and foreign land known as Australia. . .Down under. . .The Outback. . . .What the heck were we thinking?!? How in the world was I planning to pack my entire life into four suitcases, get on a plane and trade everything I've ever known for things I've only heard about? Good question. . . and the answer was about to show up faster than I expected.
Somehow I got packed and ready to roll (three cases filled to the brim with drums, and one suitcase of clothes. . . and one drum. Very practical I know), made it to the airport, and after saying goodbye to Mom and Dad, boarded the plane. Twenty-four hours later we landed safely in the beautiful, but seriously ozone-lacking city of Sydney Awesome! All thats left to do is collect our bags and . . . . wait what? Great, so here we are in a strange city and none of our luggage made it? Oh what a wonderful trip this is turning out to be some kind of adventure! I know that God calls us to some difficult situations sometimes, but at least let me get settled in first. . .
No such luck. Anyway, to make a long story short, 3 ish days later, we got all our luggage back. This was the first (of many) times that God would show His faithfulness to us, me particularly. I have always taken God at His word and believed that He is faithful, but thats mostly what it was. . .faith. I would hear mom and dad talk about it and hear pastors talk about the faithfulness of God, but didnt always obviously see it. Ive got a feeling that this adventure will change the way I look at His faithfulness. Like someone I know once said, things might not happen the way we think they should, but God is faithful and His plan is best whatever that looks like. . .
Somehow I got packed and ready to roll (three cases filled to the brim with drums, and one suitcase of clothes. . . and one drum. Very practical I know), made it to the airport, and after saying goodbye to Mom and Dad, boarded the plane. Twenty-four hours later we landed safely in the beautiful, but seriously ozone-lacking city of Sydney Awesome! All thats left to do is collect our bags and . . . . wait what? Great, so here we are in a strange city and none of our luggage made it? Oh what a wonderful trip this is turning out to be some kind of adventure! I know that God calls us to some difficult situations sometimes, but at least let me get settled in first. . .
No such luck. Anyway, to make a long story short, 3 ish days later, we got all our luggage back. This was the first (of many) times that God would show His faithfulness to us, me particularly. I have always taken God at His word and believed that He is faithful, but thats mostly what it was. . .faith. I would hear mom and dad talk about it and hear pastors talk about the faithfulness of God, but didnt always obviously see it. Ive got a feeling that this adventure will change the way I look at His faithfulness. Like someone I know once said, things might not happen the way we think they should, but God is faithful and His plan is best whatever that looks like. . .
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Square One. . .
Hey Ya'll. . . .
and yes I did just say ya'll (I'm trying to indoctrinate Australia with Southern culture. We'll see how that goes). Well this is the first blog that I've ever done, so I'm totally clueless as to how this whole thing works. Anyway, this blog is intended to chronicle the my journey, not just to Hillsong International Leadership College in Sydney Australia, but the live journey that God is getting ready to take me on over the next few years.
So the story starts many years ago . . . the day I fell in love with playing drums (and you think Giligan's Island involved a fateful trip). So I started diving into this wonderful world of music and percussion and have never looked back, taking every opportunity I could to play, mostly because it was fun. But thats not what music is about, and more importantly thats not what worship music is about. Worship is about giving our praise and glory to God (but more on that later). Anyway, as I kept playing for our church, a passion for something other than just smacking wooden tubes began to develop. . . a passion for worship. Soon after that, I felt God start to call me to music . . . no idea how or where just to go. I didn't mind the idea, except for a few things. So I had this conversation with God:
God: .......
Me: Yeah, that sounds like it could be fun but. . .
God: But what?
Me: Well ya see, I'm quite the outdoors kinda guy, so I dont mind living in a tent for the rest of the foreseeable future. . .
God: . . And this has what to do with music?
Me: Hmmmm, well I guess you haven't seen a musicians paycheck lately, we don't make a lot of money. . .just about enough to buy a nice tent.
God: Ok. . . .
Me: Well I'd maybe like to get married someday, and Ive heard that girls like a little more security than 4 canvas walls. . .you had to make em like that . . .
God: *Silence*
After that part God was pretty quiet, so I figured I must have convinced Him and brought Him over to see my point of view. So with this idea, I graduated high school, packed my stuff up and headed to Lee University. . .to get a business degree. Not exactly what I had in mind for happy exciting life, but what I figured would pay the bills and provide something for a family someday. As it turns out, I wasnt supposed to be at Lee, so I transferred to North Greenville University. This school was much closer to home, and I had a car by this point, so I was able to come home every weekend, and keep playing music at church. One thing led to another, and before I knew it I was sitting at Passion 2010 in Atlanta having another conversation with God. By the way, this is the very short version of this story. . . . So this second conversation went something like this:
God: You still aren't listening. . .
Me: I thought we already had this settled. . .
God: Nope.
Me: *sigh* well my argument is still the same
God: Yup, so's mine. . .but your argument is based on a false assumption.
Me: Oh really? . . . And whats that?
God: What girl are you planning your life around? You're not married, not engaged, not in a relationship, not nothin'. . . So you're planning your life around someone that I haven't shown you yet. . .but that aside, if I call you to do something, don't you think Ill provide for you. . .and your as-of-yet-nonexistant wife.
Me: *Silence*
God: Thats what I thought
Once again I brilliantly put my foot in my mouth. God had won (as usual) and I now knew what I needed to do. . . I just had no idea how to go about doing it. After much prayer and research, I finally settled on Hillsong International Leadership College. That was when the real journey began. . . .
and yes I did just say ya'll (I'm trying to indoctrinate Australia with Southern culture. We'll see how that goes). Well this is the first blog that I've ever done, so I'm totally clueless as to how this whole thing works. Anyway, this blog is intended to chronicle the my journey, not just to Hillsong International Leadership College in Sydney Australia, but the live journey that God is getting ready to take me on over the next few years.
So the story starts many years ago . . . the day I fell in love with playing drums (and you think Giligan's Island involved a fateful trip). So I started diving into this wonderful world of music and percussion and have never looked back, taking every opportunity I could to play, mostly because it was fun. But thats not what music is about, and more importantly thats not what worship music is about. Worship is about giving our praise and glory to God (but more on that later). Anyway, as I kept playing for our church, a passion for something other than just smacking wooden tubes began to develop. . . a passion for worship. Soon after that, I felt God start to call me to music . . . no idea how or where just to go. I didn't mind the idea, except for a few things. So I had this conversation with God:
God: .......
Me: Yeah, that sounds like it could be fun but. . .
God: But what?
Me: Well ya see, I'm quite the outdoors kinda guy, so I dont mind living in a tent for the rest of the foreseeable future. . .
God: . . And this has what to do with music?
Me: Hmmmm, well I guess you haven't seen a musicians paycheck lately, we don't make a lot of money. . .just about enough to buy a nice tent.
God: Ok. . . .
Me: Well I'd maybe like to get married someday, and Ive heard that girls like a little more security than 4 canvas walls. . .you had to make em like that . . .
God: *Silence*
After that part God was pretty quiet, so I figured I must have convinced Him and brought Him over to see my point of view. So with this idea, I graduated high school, packed my stuff up and headed to Lee University. . .to get a business degree. Not exactly what I had in mind for happy exciting life, but what I figured would pay the bills and provide something for a family someday. As it turns out, I wasnt supposed to be at Lee, so I transferred to North Greenville University. This school was much closer to home, and I had a car by this point, so I was able to come home every weekend, and keep playing music at church. One thing led to another, and before I knew it I was sitting at Passion 2010 in Atlanta having another conversation with God. By the way, this is the very short version of this story. . . . So this second conversation went something like this:
God: You still aren't listening. . .
Me: I thought we already had this settled. . .
God: Nope.
Me: *sigh* well my argument is still the same
God: Yup, so's mine. . .but your argument is based on a false assumption.
Me: Oh really? . . . And whats that?
God: What girl are you planning your life around? You're not married, not engaged, not in a relationship, not nothin'. . . So you're planning your life around someone that I haven't shown you yet. . .but that aside, if I call you to do something, don't you think Ill provide for you. . .and your as-of-yet-nonexistant wife.
Me: *Silence*
God: Thats what I thought
Once again I brilliantly put my foot in my mouth. God had won (as usual) and I now knew what I needed to do. . . I just had no idea how to go about doing it. After much prayer and research, I finally settled on Hillsong International Leadership College. That was when the real journey began. . . .
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