Ah, it’s good to be home this week. The last three weeks since the album release have been gnarls (=intense/crazy/radical). Lots of shows and new things I’ve never dealt with before. So I’ve been having a lot of fun too! Life would be boring with the same routine every hour, every day, every year.
I’m not sure what to tell you guys. Like I said, a lot has happened! But here’s the first thing that comes to mind:
I was out in Maui for about 10 days, mostly leading worship for Calvary Chapel South Maui, and a really cool thing happened. I was sharing a room with a couple other guys, one of them was from Alaska, who was visiting his friend at the bible college. Well, the dude totally decided to start following Jesus (you know, “got saved”). Of course it was the Lord who orchestrated the whole thing, but it was fun to be a part of what God was doing in his heart! The guy was smart, so he had a lot of great/fun questions for us to answer. Like, “do I really have to give up certain things to follow Jesus?” and “what makes a sin a sin?”
We were driving in the car one day and he asked me, “so you don’t really think about God all the time do you, like even when you’re eating and stuff?” I was like, heck yes I do, especially when I’m eating something super good, like shaved ice, or Mango, or 100% pea berry Kona coffee! He didn’t reply right away, cause either he thought I was joking, or he was letting the idea spin around in his head for a moment.
Then I told him that it doesn’t happen overnight, but as we “walk”, grow, and learn to live life in Jesus, the more and more He becomes a part of everything we do. It isn’t about just one hour at church every week, it’s a relationship to be lived in every moment!
…And then I told him that I’m in a Christian band, and he got saved!
No, just kidding, he gave his life to Jesus later that weekend at the morning service before he flew back home to Alaska.
There’s more to the story of course, but when the Spirit is after someone, it’s hard to get away!
Sadly, this doesn’t happen every day for me, or even every year to be honest. But it does line up with a few things God has been encouraging me in the past few months, and even this morning reading through the book of James. I want to not just be a hearer, but a doer of God’s word. Consider this – Words don’t act unless we do.
It did remind me of when I first gave my life to the Lord at junior high camp. I was so confused, I raised my hand the next week at Youth Group to get saved again. Ha!
I remember a lot of things that happened that first week of being alive in Christ. I never said the “F” word again, and God took away my anger problems. It’s so much more than that of course, but those were two pretty big things for me at the time, and so my life in Jesus began!
What are your thoughts? How did Jesus radically save your life? What changes did you see once you made that choice? Has God ever used you to lead someone to Jesus?
Is it ok to say “heck” and “F” word in the same blog? / Is it better to ask for permission or forgiveness after the fact?
Random stuff:
-I finished reading The Shack by William P. Young, and started reading Searching For God Knows What by Donald Miller. The Shack was cool. I really appreciate what Young did to really challenge my concept of God. The book naturally stirs up a lot of commotion and opinions, but with all of it aside, I’ve been encouraged to live in a closer relationship with Jesus.
Miller’s book is already breaking down a lot of walls for me. He’s stupid funny! I think it’s in chapter two that he talks about making God exist for our own agenda (which is a bad thing). I’ve already began working on a song that parallels that thought with Psalm 43. Don’t ask why I put those two together? It was just what I was reading that morning.
-Listening to Tyler Burkum’s new release “Darling, Maybe Someday” and Chris Taylor’s “Take Me Anywhere”. I recommend both.
-I’ve added a couple Jon Foreman songs to my worship set. “House Of God, Forever” and “Your Love Is Strong”.
-I finally found some v-necks that fit me right at Old Navy. Go figure!
I hope the hipster kids will talk to me now. Especially after I cut off my skinny jeans for Summer time, became a Ryan Adams fan, and started riding my fixed gear bicycle from the stone age to work…from the suburbs.
-Last but not least, HURRAY for the Olympics!
Done.
-Michael
Above The Golden State