In His Own Words - Sept 2003
Dear Friends,
Though it is merely a one-sided conversation, it has been far too long since I have spoken with you. So, I am jumping in.
I have been trying to take more of a "jumping in" kind of approach to life. This is difficult for someone who has often taken a squinty eyed look at life in an attempt to "decode" it's meaning and it's many experiences. The present ends up passing by as I measure, calculate, and manipulate situations so I can be sure to take the best course of action. In the end, I miss the opportunity to jump, and no action is taken at all.
Scripture reminds us that perfect love casts out fear. This "jumping in" is fueled by a love that is completely beyond me. Therefore, it is perfect. It is in the present that trust and faith are lived out. Not the past. Not the future. I ask myself why I would want to live anywhere else, when it is this trust and faith, fueled by perfect love, that move me to jump in.
The Psalmist talks of God's direction being plain to see and easy on the eyes. Therefore, I should just relax. Instead, I often catch myself thinking God's guidance depends on my ability to perceive things and position myself in the most spiritual spot possible.
And yet, God seems to use everyday occurrences to mold us and lead us. The way things happen are not merely happenstance or coincidence; rather they are the way that the God of the universe orchestrates our lives.
I want to embrace what is right there in front of me instead of being obsessively preoccupied with not missing turns. That fearful preoccupation leaves me exhausted, anxious, lost inside my own world of planning, and ironically, missing out. But perfect love removes that fear. So, I jump.
This fall I am jumping into a completely new and different experience. I am going to be the opening act for Ray Boltz on his "Songs From the Potter's Field" tour. It is going to be quite a change in direction for me. And it is going to be quite a blessing. Ray has been extremely generous in giving me this opportunity and I am looking forward to seeing how God is going to work through this. I am also looking forward to doing what I do is a significantly different realm. After we open the concert, Brad, Joe and I will remain and play behind Ray and be his band. There is much that is new about this fall, and I am excited about where God is leading. I have every intention of grabbing hold and embracing it.
A few months ago, I shared with all of you my concern with having fewer concert bookings and even somewhat questioned my future and my direction. I know an increase in concert bookings is not representative of God's increased activity in my life. However, I am not going to approach this fall as anything less than an answer to prayer. I am grateful for your loving concern that spilled over into prayers for that situation. I really don't know how prayer works, but I know it does. Jesus' faithfulness is consistent and is greater than any of my musical or ministerial aspirations, ups and downs, highs and lows. It is greater than the prayers we pray, the songs we sing, the hopes we have, the tears we cry, the weights on our hearts, or the joys that sooth our soul.
Why? It's because Jesus is perfect love. It is that love that remains when all else doesn't. Fear will leave, anxiety will vanish, control will disappear, plans will wilt, and sight will no longer be needed. Because it is trust and faith, fueled by the remaining perfect love of Jesus that moves us. The consistent faithfulness of Jesus is the wind that lifts us and net that catches us when we jump.
Peace of Christ,