I recently returned from two weeks away at youth camps of a couple of different churches and it was awesome! The 1st church I actually led the music for the week and it was incredibly powerful to watch teens worship Jesus and get to know them and their stories. Jesus was the last thing I had on my mind at that age, (much props!) and I still find it a bit bizarre that a youth pastor would let me lead worship for their students but nevertheless ...

The second camp was one of those "out of the blue" opportunities that I knew was a God moment simply because I couldn't afford to go. My good friend Daniel at Knox Calvary Church called me and said "we have an exta seat that's already paid for if you would go with us to Daytona Beach for the "Big Stuf" camp". Three of my favorite pastors were speaking and although I was covered up with commitments, I knew I needed to go. I got much more than a free trip to the beach. I got a spiritual recharge and a very valuable lesson.Very simply,God revealed to me "you can't give what u ain't got". The people who know me know what a busy guy I am. I've always got 50 irons in the fire and I love it, I love to share with people, build people up, help people BUT I get so busy doing "good things" that I often don't do "the best thing"! the best thing being spending time reading thru God's word and praying and getting to know Him. If I say I have a relationship with anyone then I will be involved in their lives, spend time with them, right? Same is true with God, he designed us and knows we function best, if I live life without him as the principal source of input/advice then all my decisons are just guesswork. There are even Biblical accounts of Jesus making time to get awat and to be refueled. If he needed it, how much more do we? Make the time, it will make a difference!

A Change of Heart

It's been almost a year since I first "stepped out on faith" and left my full time day time job. My thoughts at the time were a bit mixed. I was definately ready to move on but quite unsure of what the future held. In my mind I secretly hoped it was God movingme into full time music, that was what I considered to be the desire of my heart. Overthe past year He has opened up many doors and created many opportunities for meto share music with all kinds of folks. Something has happened along the way thoughthat has shifted the focus of my hearts desire. I now desire relationship above everything else. Don't get me wrong, I still love music but I think it's just a different kind of love, a healthier, more balanced type. I desire relationships with people and many times over the past few years music has created a barrier for true relationships in my life. (If u have ever been to a DWB show, U know what I mean) I would probably go so far as to say it created a barrier between me and God. It was what I considered to be my connection to God but now, it's just a little different. In fact many of my favorite people in the world I spend the least amount of time with, my bandmates. Sure we hit the stage together most every weekend but during the week real life happens and I miss out on that more times than not. I feel a shift happening, a true heart change and I hope it doesn't stop. After all music was supposed to be a way I could connect with people and I pray that it's just that, a tool to connect me to real relationships with real people.....