When You Just Can't Sleep...
It just seems like a lot…
I was lying in my bed NOT sleeping.
The room was dark and cool but my brain just wouldn’t stop spinning.
The window was open and brought in the sound of rustling leaves from the maple tree outside my window.
The breeze followed.
I clenched my jaw and realized that I had been grinding my teeth together for the last few minutes.
My heart felt heavy... But it was beating fast - I didn’t expect to be falling asleep any time soon.
I sat up on my bed and turned on the light.
We had been working on our latest album, “Through It” for an entire year, and we were now in the final stages of planning the concert that would launch the new music.
It was a HUGE deal for us.
...And I had been put in charge of overseeing all the details.
With every member of our team working together to make this the best event possible (in order to share the gospel well with our community) the planning had been going smoothly, but the event was only a week away, and there was still a lot to do.
By itself, this would have made it hard to sleep.
But there was more...
I had recently been given the chance to speak at my home church for the first time ever - two days after our concert.
I was super excited for both of these events but I wasn’t convinced I could do it all.
I knew that I had nothing important to say on my own, and that I NEEDED God to speak through me.
I covered my face with both of my hands and rubbed my bloodshot eyes.
“Jesus.”
My whisper was muffled by my palms.
“I give everything to You. Everything...
“I can’t do this on my own. Please give me YOUR words and use me to point people to You...
“I release it all to You...
“Thank You that You have heard and - I believe - answered my prayer.”
As I finished praying, I felt like my heart had become five times lighter.
It felt like God had just taken a loaded barbell off of my shoulders.
I was suddenly filled with a strong belief that God WOULD show up that next Sunday morning, give me His words, and use me to do beautiful things by His grace and strength.
I also felt that I would look back on that moment and see that God had answered my prayer.
I exhaled deeply.
I wasn’t sure if I was about to cry or laugh.
I decided instead to just go to sleep.
After the release concert (where we saw a number of people say “yes” to Jesus) and after a lot of preparation (with the help of my dad and the leadership team at my church) I walked to the front of our large church auditorium, placed my notes on the tall circular table, and turned to address the audience.
I took a deep breath.
“Jesus, give me grace.”
And He did.
As I spoke I felt my nerves fade.
I felt passionate and bold - strong, even - as I shared the core of Christianity:
That even though all of us have separated ourselves from God by the bad things we have done, Jesus has paid the price for our forgiveness and reconnection to Him.
That we all have the opportunity to say “yes” to Jesus by admitting that we’ve sinned - by believing that Jesus is God and has paid a terrible price for our forgiveness - and by calling on His name.
I then gave the crowd an opportunity to respond.
And across the room, people boldly began to raise their hands.
I looked down and smiled to myself, thanking Jesus quietly for what He had done - how He had answered my prayer.
I prayed with the people who had responded, and once again saw first-hand how God answers our prayers and even allows us to be a part of some truly beautiful things - how He takes our weakness, gives us His strength, and uses it to bring freedom to the broken and hurting.
And this is why we do what we do.
More. Committed. Than. Ever.
International travel has just resumed, and we were recently able to return to the USA from lockdown quarantine in France. During this time of worldwide upheaval and uncertainty, we are more convinced than ever that Jesus is STILL the answer.
We've had to reschedule many of our upcoming outreaches (Zambia, India, and Haiti) until later in the year, but we're still committed to the goal of reaching as many people as possible in every nation with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ.
We're using this time to create new music and develop new strategies for reaching the world with the love of Jesus, and we're excited for the future.
If you'd like to help us share the love of Jesus in 2020 with a tax-deductible monthly donation or a one-time gift, simply click the link below for more information. We're deeply thankful for you, friends!
THIS ONE MEANS A LOT TO US…
Our brand new music video is streaming now - COME BACK was filmed on two continents over the course of six months…