Hope

There is so much more I want to do. I am usually a one thing at a time, easy-going kind of guy, but lately I've had more ideas than I can keep track of crashing into each other in my brain. Sometimes I don't even know where to begin to try to collect and process them.

Since September 18, 2009, I have been unemployed. My former employer sold the part of the company I worked for and the office was closed. When that happened, I lost my job, as did 25 others – many of whom I had developed close working friendships with and many whom I still call close friends. It is a story for another blog, but at the same time my wife and I believed God was calling her to stop teaching and work in whatever ministry capacity possible with the church. The ending to that story as far as we are concerned right now is that we went from two incomes to a weekly unemployment benefit payment. God provided a place for us to live and store our property, and He has remained faithful since we moved out of downtown Fredericksburg. Our faith has grown immensely, as has our trust in God and resting in what He has done for us and will do. We have never wanted for our daily bread, not to mention so many more blessings we did not deserve.

Back to what I started this all about... I have been sensing a strong call to do more with the musical talents God has given me. As a result, I have begun to re-learn to read music, I am re-learning to play the piano, and I am beginning to experiment with composing soundtracks and work with film and music. I even started playing drums at church due to a sudden vacancy. I am also teaching guitar lessons, which has proved to be an amazing process. God is showing me that just because a career in a rock band didn't happen, I don't have to live a life without music in a very real way.

I have begun to receive inspiration to write more songs – not just about my personal experiences in a radio friendly, rock and roll kind of way, but to write about my experiences as a worshiper of the Almighty God. I am learning a new language of praise in songwriting (albeit slowly), and I am working towards a better understanding of God's word by studying it more and more.

With all of these new endeavors has come a fresh breath of air in regards to how I am living my life. I believe God created me to worship Him with all that is within me – all my heart, soul, and strength – and I am just now beginning to exercise what had been in danger of atrophy for years now.

I don't know where this new leg of the journey is leading, but I am excited because of Who I am following. Hope truly does spring eternal.