We rolled into Memphis around 1 o'clock in the morning. It was strange driving into the city that had been our home for the past 5 years. We had been away nearly 4 months and somehow in that span of time it was no longer ours. It felt like bumping into an ex - remembering the things we liked about the city, but knowing all the reasons we left… Kinda bittersweet. Our good friend Matt and his wife Natalie were hosting us for the weekend and we were incredibly grateful for the king size bed and our own private bathroom. Having our own space had become a well appreciated luxury. We got up early the next morning to spend some time with our hosts, then headed over to Corey's former place of employment - The Academy of The Percussive Arts - to participate in the 2nd Annual Drum Coalition. Corey's brainchild, Drum Coalition is a weekend event in which The Academy brings in clinicians and brand reps to educate and inspire the drum community. The weekend is filled with clinics, recitals and performances - not to mention some amazing sales and lots of free gear. The first Drum Coalition was a huge success and it was great to see the legacy live on even in Corey's absence. We spent most the day at the Academy - catching up with the community that had become family to us through the years. I snuck out for a few hours to visit my former employers as well… I guess when you spend most of your waking hours at work - your co-workers become some of your closest friends...
The next day we headed out to Nashville to visit Corey's brother, (my new brother in-law!!!!) Shane. Shane and Corey lived together for 3 years while we were in Memphis. Their apartment, better known as the Wolf Den, was always decked out with antlers, wolves and furniture made from scrap wood. Shane took most of the decor with him to Nashville when he moved, so his place felt more like Memphis than anything else. We felt right at home. Our Nashville show fell through last minute, so we ended up being able to spend some great quality time with Shane as well as my former roomie, Chrissy. Having moved half way across the country - it was a true blessing to spend time together. To top it off, our dear friends from Carolina Story were playing in Nashville that night, so we we able to catch up with Ben and Em and catch the last show of their Soul Stormin Tour.
After a day of catching up with family and old friends we headed back to Memphis to pack up Corey's "office" at The Academy - a 5' X 5' storage space that contained the equivalent of 2 full drum sets. I tell you what - i may have a lot of clothes... but this boy has a LOT of drums... And drums take up a LOT of room. Thanks to Corey's packing prowess however - a skill he attributes to playing a lot of Tetris back in the day - we were able to fit everything in our mobile home. The van was packed to the brim when we left Memphis... requiring a co-pilot at every turn. You don't realize how much you depend on your rear view mirror until you aren't able to use it...
We headed north toward St Louis - a long flat drive through farm land. Our show was in the small town of Columbia, IL, located 20 minutes outside of the city. We had actually played in Columbia before - two years prior on our Migration Tour. Our very first attempt to get on the road, The Migration Tour was one week long, included 5 shows and 900 miles from Minneapolis to Memphis..... That trip gave us our first taste of the road and opened up relationships that we still treasure to this day... It was on the Migration Tour, that we met Dave, frontman of the bluegrass band, Silverbacks. And it was Dave who set up the show for us on this tour. It's amazing to me that two years later we are still reaping the benefits of those seeds sown. The Lord truly has a plan far larger than we can comprehend.
We played for an intimate crowd, mostly friends and family of the Silverbacks. Our good friend Chris came out as well, and we had a great time reconnecting with yet another Visible Music College alum. The Silverbacks opened the show with some old school and new school Bluegrass, and we all closed the show together with a group rendition of Amazing Grace. The atmosphere was relaxed and comfortable. Lots of stories were shared. It felt more like a family get together than a show. Afterwards we went back to Dave's house and spent the rest of the night socializing with the Silverbacks crew. A vibrant and loving community, they were a complete joy to get to know.
We went to bed late and woke early to make our way to Eau Claire, WI. 9 hours away, Eau Claire would be our last night on the road.... Though we had one more show to close out the Honeymoon Tour, it was in Minneapolis.... home. We drove into Wisconsin with mixed feelings. Our travels had left us exhausted, but wanting more. We were glad to be nearing the end, ready for a break, but sad to see it all come to a close. So much planning and preparation. So much work and effort. So much adventure and blessing. And it would soon be over....
We were playing at a benefit concert for a local charity called Feed The Need. The organization was founded by our friend Sean Jones whose love of the arts and heart for service inspired him to host concerts to raise money for Feed My People Food Bank. Corey met Sean two and a half years ago when he toured with the band Redefined in Red. Sean's one man band Survive The Drive was one of the 5 acts that made up the Infection Tour. With his quick wit and extroverted personality he became a quick friend to Corey and has been ever since. The benefit concert was hosted at Pizza Plus, which despite the names, is a swanky, modern, artesian restaurant/bar. We were headlining the show, playing with 4 other bands. The place was surprisingly packed for a small college town and the acoustic/folk show was surprisingly diverse with styles ranging from Jason Mraz-y indie pop to eerie theatrical Glam folk. Who knew Eau Claire had so much to offer? All were amazing and we were happy to meet some great musicians near our neck of the woods. We connected with one band, a husband and wife-to-be duo called Scrimbo, who had just completed a self booked European tour. We were inspired and impressed... maybe we'll plan our text tour in France... Honeymoon Tour 2.0? All in all the night was a sucess... through ticket sales alone we raised nearly $2000 worth of food! Corey and I may have eaten about as much in pizza.... Pizza Plus can make a mean chicken gorgonzola pizza... mmm.
We spent the night at Sean's parents house - camping out on the same basement floor that Corey slept on 2 1/2 years ago on the Infection Tour. We woke to the sound of a pug sniffing at our door and spent a good portion of our morning being entertained by the same strange creature. Then Sean met us at the house for some chocolate chip waffles before we hit the road one final time. The short 90 minute drive to home was filled with reflections on where the tour had brought us, and where the Lord would lead next. One thing we were sure of, He was with us every step of the way and so He would continue. The fields grew more and more familiar as we neared the Minnesota border, the sun shining crystal clear in the cool fall air... until finally we turned onto my dear gravel road. Having built so much momentum, it seemed easier to just keep going, keep moving. An object in motion, stays in motion after all. But we had reached the end. It was time to put on the brakes, to reflect, absorb. One show to go, but our travels completed. The end of the road.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Honeymoon Tour - Albuquerque, NM - Amarillo, TX - Tulsa, OK - Little Rock, AR
Endurance runners experience something called the "second wind" When all their energy is spent , legs heavy as stone, lungs on fire, they feel they have nothing left to give…. All they can do is focus on putting one foot in front of the other. Then by some miracle, they discover an untapped source - strength they didn't know they had. Like a drawing from a new well - abundance overflowing. Their feet move without thought, faster than ever before. Almost flying. The runner's "high." I find touring much like endurance running. The final leg of our tour was set at a grueling pace. We reached a point - I think at day 28 - when we were ready to be home. We were tired and spent. We still had a long road ahead of us, and every drive, every show, every song seemed to require more than we felt we could muster. It was daunting. But God's grace is sufficient. His well runs deep. By drawing upon the Living Water, we discovered a "second wind," we developed endurance.
Our eastbound endurance run began in Flagstaff. We woke up in a Walmart parking lot that morning, washed up in a public restroom and drove through the Coconino Forest into painted deserts Low mesas, brushed with color, spread across the horizon. Craving an adventure, we pulled off to see the Meteor Crater National Monument - only to find the attraction incredibly overpriced. We paid less to see the Grand Canyon - which I'm fairly certain is a larger and far more interesting hole in the ground….
We made it to Albuquerque as the sun was setting and found ourselves strangely reminded of Salt Lake City. The city of Albuquerque rubs shoulders with the Sandia Mountains which tower overhead much like the Wasatch Range of the Rockies near Salt Lake. Beautiful red mountains, shadowing the city below. Our thoughts flashed back to our time in Salt Lake - remembering how the Lord confirmed time and time again His will for us... Here we were, 21 days later seeing His providence in every day.... Our Albuquerque show fell through, so we were able to spend the evening getting to know our hosts. Friends of a friend - Deb and James (along with 18 month old Edmond) graciously opened up their home to us and made an incredible dinner of homemade enchiladas - with New Mexico signature green chilies. They invited their neighbors over to share the meal with us. Deb being a lawyer, and James being an Episcopal priest we were surprised to meet their friends who came dressed in camo sweatshirts and jeans. It made for a beautifully diverse group - a lawyer, a priest, a blue collar hunter and his wife and a couple of musicians. A table you're sure to find Jesus sharing. We talked late into the night, discussing faith, life and politics. An unlikely meeting of hearts and minds that felt close to heaven.
From Albuquerque we headed east for Amarillo. We crossed out of desert into flat lands and rolling plains revealing ghost towns and abandoned train depots. Entire cities sitting empty - silent. As though the whole town was evacuated all at once. Eery. Forgetting the time zone chance, we got into Amarillo with barely enough time to set up for the show. To tell you the truth… we didn't expect from much Amarillo - the only city in all of Texas off of I-40. From what we had heard there wasn't much going on in that town. Our venue was located off of old Route 66. A historic district that had recently been recovered from gangs and vandals. The 806 was empty when we arrived. Things looked rather bleak. But the owner told us to wait - people will probably show up at least a half hour late. So we waited and sure enough - the place started to pack out. We ended up playing to a full house and later found that many were musicians and artists themselves. An encouraging and supportive community of creatives. It was amazing. Right as we were about to finish for the night, a man handed us a large amount of cash saying. "I just got here - would this be enough to convince you to play two more?" We told him that would be enough to play the whole set again and happily played an encore.
After the show we were approached by a guy who introduced himself as Starchild. He was young, maybe 24 with long dreaded hair pulled into a Rastafarian style hat and a tie dye shirt. A musician himself, he said he understood how it can be on the road and asked if we had a place to stay for the night. We in fact did not. So Startchild invited us to stay at his art studio. His father we found was an accomplished artist with a gallery and workshop down the road. Starchild lived there with several of his friends. I'd be lying if I didn't say I was a little worried driving there that night. But Starchild proved a quick friend and a generous host. The studio was incredible. Giant 8 foot landscapes painted in vibrant shades. Deserts, lightning, and autumn treescapes. Portraits in process - perfectly detailed. Then the avant-garde. Degas Dancers painted amidst splashes of color and Native American petroglyphs. The art was incredible to say the least. The paintings would sell for $7,000 - $15,000. The portraits - $30,000 - $50,000. Crazy.
The studio itself was more of a ware house. A large sprawling building with twistst and turns that revealed room after room. Two large band rehearsal spaces. A kitchen, a bathroom that resembled an old locker room… I don't think we even saw half of it. There were 8 people sleeping there that night and we never saw any of them. Starchild showed us to our room for the night. Empty save for a computer desk and piles of recording equipment. He laid out a futon mattress for us and some linens. Then we went down to the kitchen and shared stories and songs late into the night. It was by far the most interesting and unexpected host we've ever had. A true blessing.
We were sad to say goodbye to our newfound friend, but Tulsa was calling our name so we continued west. The ground grew trees around us as we travelled into Oklahoma, dirt peeking out red beneath yellow grass. I finally understood why Emmy Lou Harris called herself a Red Dirt Girl. For the first time since Utah, it looked like autumn. Bright reds and golden yellows. Lovely. That night we were booked to play at The Colony. A small pub on the south east end of the city. The show wasn't scheduled until 10pm, but we arrived early to catch up with our good friend Jaron who lived about an hour away. We ate dinner and killed time in the parking lot - taking in some of Jaron's new tunes. (His band, Hundred Year Dash has a live electronic dubstep vibe - gotta check it out! We <3 him). When 9 o'clock finally rolled around we went into The Colony to set up only to be informed that the venue had double booked. Two other acts showed up gear in hand, planning to play for the night. Not wanting to step on each-other's toes, we all agreed to split the time evenly - an hour each. The Passerine closed the show which meant we didn't grace the stage until 12:30am and didn't leave until 2:30am with a full hour drive ahead of us. Needless to say - it was a long night. But we met some great folks - including Justin, the founder of fundraising company Change Clothing. His business raises funds for non-profit organizations by selling T-Shirts. Awesome ministry. He felt led to bless us financially that night saying "You have a dream - I want to invest in that." Wonderful soul. We hit the road and followed Jaron out of the city to a farm community called Webbers Falls. We finally got to our host home at 3:30 that morning. Poor ole Jaron had to get up for work at 5am. Talk about a faithful friend. I know few people who would drive two hours to see us - let alone sacrifice all but 1.5 hours of sleep. True blue.
We spent the night at the homestead of our friend Bobby. Bobby, Jaron and two other Visible guys moved out to Webbers Falls for the summer to work on Bobby's family's farm. All summer long the guys harvested corn, potatoes and watermelon by day and worked on their music by night. Livin the dream…. Bobby greeted us in the morning and stuffed our faces with a farm fresh breakfast. We spent some time catching up with our old friend before going on our way. Bobby sent off with two economy boxes of pop tarts and an open invitation. "Come back whenever you want - you don't have to call - just let yourself in." I couldn't help but marvel at the hospitality of this little family farm. Opening their doors to musicians and college kids alike.
The last show of our endurance week was in Little Rock. AR. The drive through Arkansas was beautiful. The Ozarks developed before us… thick forests of pine, woodsy towns nestled snug between rolling mountains and hidden lakes.. Then erupting on the scene was Little Rock. Much larger than I expected, Little Rock was a sudden bought of civilization amidst the wilderness. We were playing at Vino's a popular pizza joint/music venue/bar that attracts a mix of families and college students. The staff were amazing and the pizza was out of this world. We played to a rowdy crowd - so rowdy the staff had to ask some to leave. A new experience for our little acoustic folk band. After the show we packed up quick and headed for our old stomping grounds… Memphis TN - As we drove the 3 hours drive to Memphis, we reflected on the Lord's faithfulness yet once again. Every-time we felt spent - He was there - to fill us and give us strength for the journey.
Our eastbound endurance run began in Flagstaff. We woke up in a Walmart parking lot that morning, washed up in a public restroom and drove through the Coconino Forest into painted deserts Low mesas, brushed with color, spread across the horizon. Craving an adventure, we pulled off to see the Meteor Crater National Monument - only to find the attraction incredibly overpriced. We paid less to see the Grand Canyon - which I'm fairly certain is a larger and far more interesting hole in the ground….
We made it to Albuquerque as the sun was setting and found ourselves strangely reminded of Salt Lake City. The city of Albuquerque rubs shoulders with the Sandia Mountains which tower overhead much like the Wasatch Range of the Rockies near Salt Lake. Beautiful red mountains, shadowing the city below. Our thoughts flashed back to our time in Salt Lake - remembering how the Lord confirmed time and time again His will for us... Here we were, 21 days later seeing His providence in every day.... Our Albuquerque show fell through, so we were able to spend the evening getting to know our hosts. Friends of a friend - Deb and James (along with 18 month old Edmond) graciously opened up their home to us and made an incredible dinner of homemade enchiladas - with New Mexico signature green chilies. They invited their neighbors over to share the meal with us. Deb being a lawyer, and James being an Episcopal priest we were surprised to meet their friends who came dressed in camo sweatshirts and jeans. It made for a beautifully diverse group - a lawyer, a priest, a blue collar hunter and his wife and a couple of musicians. A table you're sure to find Jesus sharing. We talked late into the night, discussing faith, life and politics. An unlikely meeting of hearts and minds that felt close to heaven.
From Albuquerque we headed east for Amarillo. We crossed out of desert into flat lands and rolling plains revealing ghost towns and abandoned train depots. Entire cities sitting empty - silent. As though the whole town was evacuated all at once. Eery. Forgetting the time zone chance, we got into Amarillo with barely enough time to set up for the show. To tell you the truth… we didn't expect from much Amarillo - the only city in all of Texas off of I-40. From what we had heard there wasn't much going on in that town. Our venue was located off of old Route 66. A historic district that had recently been recovered from gangs and vandals. The 806 was empty when we arrived. Things looked rather bleak. But the owner told us to wait - people will probably show up at least a half hour late. So we waited and sure enough - the place started to pack out. We ended up playing to a full house and later found that many were musicians and artists themselves. An encouraging and supportive community of creatives. It was amazing. Right as we were about to finish for the night, a man handed us a large amount of cash saying. "I just got here - would this be enough to convince you to play two more?" We told him that would be enough to play the whole set again and happily played an encore.
After the show we were approached by a guy who introduced himself as Starchild. He was young, maybe 24 with long dreaded hair pulled into a Rastafarian style hat and a tie dye shirt. A musician himself, he said he understood how it can be on the road and asked if we had a place to stay for the night. We in fact did not. So Startchild invited us to stay at his art studio. His father we found was an accomplished artist with a gallery and workshop down the road. Starchild lived there with several of his friends. I'd be lying if I didn't say I was a little worried driving there that night. But Starchild proved a quick friend and a generous host. The studio was incredible. Giant 8 foot landscapes painted in vibrant shades. Deserts, lightning, and autumn treescapes. Portraits in process - perfectly detailed. Then the avant-garde. Degas Dancers painted amidst splashes of color and Native American petroglyphs. The art was incredible to say the least. The paintings would sell for $7,000 - $15,000. The portraits - $30,000 - $50,000. Crazy.
The studio itself was more of a ware house. A large sprawling building with twistst and turns that revealed room after room. Two large band rehearsal spaces. A kitchen, a bathroom that resembled an old locker room… I don't think we even saw half of it. There were 8 people sleeping there that night and we never saw any of them. Starchild showed us to our room for the night. Empty save for a computer desk and piles of recording equipment. He laid out a futon mattress for us and some linens. Then we went down to the kitchen and shared stories and songs late into the night. It was by far the most interesting and unexpected host we've ever had. A true blessing.
We were sad to say goodbye to our newfound friend, but Tulsa was calling our name so we continued west. The ground grew trees around us as we travelled into Oklahoma, dirt peeking out red beneath yellow grass. I finally understood why Emmy Lou Harris called herself a Red Dirt Girl. For the first time since Utah, it looked like autumn. Bright reds and golden yellows. Lovely. That night we were booked to play at The Colony. A small pub on the south east end of the city. The show wasn't scheduled until 10pm, but we arrived early to catch up with our good friend Jaron who lived about an hour away. We ate dinner and killed time in the parking lot - taking in some of Jaron's new tunes. (His band, Hundred Year Dash has a live electronic dubstep vibe - gotta check it out! We <3 him). When 9 o'clock finally rolled around we went into The Colony to set up only to be informed that the venue had double booked. Two other acts showed up gear in hand, planning to play for the night. Not wanting to step on each-other's toes, we all agreed to split the time evenly - an hour each. The Passerine closed the show which meant we didn't grace the stage until 12:30am and didn't leave until 2:30am with a full hour drive ahead of us. Needless to say - it was a long night. But we met some great folks - including Justin, the founder of fundraising company Change Clothing. His business raises funds for non-profit organizations by selling T-Shirts. Awesome ministry. He felt led to bless us financially that night saying "You have a dream - I want to invest in that." Wonderful soul. We hit the road and followed Jaron out of the city to a farm community called Webbers Falls. We finally got to our host home at 3:30 that morning. Poor ole Jaron had to get up for work at 5am. Talk about a faithful friend. I know few people who would drive two hours to see us - let alone sacrifice all but 1.5 hours of sleep. True blue.
We spent the night at the homestead of our friend Bobby. Bobby, Jaron and two other Visible guys moved out to Webbers Falls for the summer to work on Bobby's family's farm. All summer long the guys harvested corn, potatoes and watermelon by day and worked on their music by night. Livin the dream…. Bobby greeted us in the morning and stuffed our faces with a farm fresh breakfast. We spent some time catching up with our old friend before going on our way. Bobby sent off with two economy boxes of pop tarts and an open invitation. "Come back whenever you want - you don't have to call - just let yourself in." I couldn't help but marvel at the hospitality of this little family farm. Opening their doors to musicians and college kids alike.
The last show of our endurance week was in Little Rock. AR. The drive through Arkansas was beautiful. The Ozarks developed before us… thick forests of pine, woodsy towns nestled snug between rolling mountains and hidden lakes.. Then erupting on the scene was Little Rock. Much larger than I expected, Little Rock was a sudden bought of civilization amidst the wilderness. We were playing at Vino's a popular pizza joint/music venue/bar that attracts a mix of families and college students. The staff were amazing and the pizza was out of this world. We played to a rowdy crowd - so rowdy the staff had to ask some to leave. A new experience for our little acoustic folk band. After the show we packed up quick and headed for our old stomping grounds… Memphis TN - As we drove the 3 hours drive to Memphis, we reflected on the Lord's faithfulness yet once again. Every-time we felt spent - He was there - to fill us and give us strength for the journey.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Honeymoon Tour - Grand Canyon - Flagstaff, AZ.
It was one of those days. One of those days when anything that could go wrong - did in fact go wrong. Or so It seemed. One disappointment after another. Just a bad day. We woke up that morning anticipating another amazing day. We were going to see the Grand Canyon. We planned to arrive early afternoon, giving us plenty of time to set up camp and then catch the sunset over the canyon. However, we desperately needed to do some laundry, so we set out for Flagstaff and found the laundromat. Of course on a weekend, the place was packed. We were lucky enough to find an empty machine. We started on our task…. Hours later we were still working on our task. Frustrating. When we finally finished - we discovered the machines had ruined several pieces of clothing. Treasured vintage pieces that were irreplaceable. Disappointing. Frustrating. We repacked our luggage quick as we could and loaded up the van. By the time we left, we knew we'd have to race the sun to catch the sunset. Then….. we got stuck behind a slow moving camper on a one lane highway - no passing allowed. Arg. The sun was long gone before we got to the park. We raced to Mather Point hoping to catch the last rays of light, but the canyon was barely visible in the dusk. Disappointing. Frustrating. Sad. Then….. because we were so late getting to the park, the camp ground was full. We were going to have to sleep in a parking lot somewhere in town. Disappointing. Frustrating. Sad. Upset. Our trip to the Grand Canyon was turning out to be a wash. We found ourselves getting ready for bed in a McDonald's restroom and sleeping in a Holiday Inn Express parking lot. Not exactly what we had anticipated when we got up that morning.
When things go wrong its easy to let my mind submit to a downward spiral. Believe the worst, lose hope. Having had an incredible tour thus far, we were caught off guard by this unfortunate turn of events. It was easy to let despair set it. This is it. The Lord has left us. We are on our own. The remainder of the tour was looking bleak and scary. A new city everyday. Not many host homes along the way. Several nights sleeping in the van. I was left to dread it all. We got ready for bed and crawled into the back of the van. Fustrated, tired, disappointed - I opened up our devotional for the day. The first line read:
"Every time something thwarts your plans or desires, use that as a reminder to communicate with Me… When you reframe setbacks as opportunities, you find that you gain much more than you have lost." "
You cant make this stuff up. Ha. I heard Him loud and clear. The Lord was calling to us. He knew the condition of our hearts. After 4 weeks on the road, we were getting weary and He knew we needed Him… He knew He needed to get our attention. We spent the rest of the evening in devotional to Him. Listening for His voice and being refreshed by His spirit.
He reminded us that He was with us…
Exodus: 33: 14 "My Presences will go with you and I will give you rest."
That He would give us strength for the journey…
Psalm 29:11 "The Lord gives strength to his people, the Lord blesses his people with peace."
He reminded us that He will equip us to do what He's called us to…
Hebrews 13:20 "May the God of peace… equip you with everything good for doing His will.
We reframed our disappointing day into an opportunity…. an opportunity to reconnect with the Lord and one another. … and found that we did indeed gain far more than we lost.
Then we had an idea… we decided that since we missed the sunset, we'd get up for the sunrise instead. It was late by the time we made this decision. We knew we'd have very little sleep - but it would be worth it. Our alarms went off at 5:30am. We crawled into the front of the van and drove through the sleeping town back into the park - to Yavapai Point. With a full view of the east and west end of the Canyon, Yavapai Point was the perfect place to watch the world wake up. The morning was cold and quiet. We were alone in the park save for one other couple who had braved the early hours to watch the show. No one said a word. The sky descended from black to sapphire as we bundled up against the wind… We made our way down to the lookout… The sun, still hidden from view, was making its slow ascent from below the horizon, evidenced by deep ribbons of color peeking out behind the canyon crest. The canyons were barely visible in the low light. Folds of fog weaved through the peaks and hid the valley below. We huddled together on a boulder and listened to the wind whistle through the pines. As the sky began to brighten - the wind grew stronger and howled up the canyon walls. Slowly the canyon turned color, reflecting the sky's light. Saturated reds turned icy pink. Sapphire turned cerulean blue. The canyons took shape, revealing more of their beauty by the moment. Anticipation building, we rose to our feet, waiting. Then finally… in a sudden flash - dawn's first light. The first rays shot across the sky, illuminating Point Imperial, the canyon's highest peak. Like a beckon of hope, Point Imperial stood tall, lit above the shadowed valley. As the sun climbed higher, the rays of light slid across the horizon, lighting up mesa after mesa. Light dipped down toward the canyon floor, breaking through the stubborn fog and revealing the valleys far below. Warmth settled on our skin as the earth came to life around us. The canyon glowed red orange in the morning sun. We forgot the day before, we left all our disappointments behind us. We were restored. I have truly never experienced anything like it before.
Much like the Grand Canyon, our hearts often lie in fog and shadows. The disappointments of life settle around us. Doubts and fears cloud our minds and hide the light of hope and truth. But if we would turn our eyes to the horizon - and wait upon the Lord with anticipation, He will burst forth with glorious light and illuminate the dark places of our souls.
After soaking in a sufficient view of the canyon, we went back to the van and got ready for the day. In the parking lot we met our van twins, a retired couple that had been traveling since Labor Day, putting over 7000 miles on their little red mini van. They also equipped their mobile home with a lofted bed, making room to store their kayak and porta-potty among other things. Great minds think alike. We took some time to explore the canyon rim, fighting the crowds of people who flock to the canyon every day. Then… after a short 2 hour hike to Ooh Aah Point (a totally different thing to hike down a canyon rather than up… ) we headed back into Flagstaff to set up for our show.
We were booked at Marcy's European Coffeehouse, which surprisingly enough, has a large european cliental. Located down the block from a youth hostel, a large portion of Macy's patrons are travelers. It made for an interesting crowd. After the show we drove to the local Walmart where we set up camp. Night #2 in a public parking lot. However this night was different. Rather than feeling discouraged and overwhelmed - we were filled with peace and joy knowing the Lord was with us - that He would give us strength for the rest of our journey and equip us for the work He called us to. What a difference a day makes. Or rather a sunrise.
When things go wrong its easy to let my mind submit to a downward spiral. Believe the worst, lose hope. Having had an incredible tour thus far, we were caught off guard by this unfortunate turn of events. It was easy to let despair set it. This is it. The Lord has left us. We are on our own. The remainder of the tour was looking bleak and scary. A new city everyday. Not many host homes along the way. Several nights sleeping in the van. I was left to dread it all. We got ready for bed and crawled into the back of the van. Fustrated, tired, disappointed - I opened up our devotional for the day. The first line read:
"Every time something thwarts your plans or desires, use that as a reminder to communicate with Me… When you reframe setbacks as opportunities, you find that you gain much more than you have lost." "
You cant make this stuff up. Ha. I heard Him loud and clear. The Lord was calling to us. He knew the condition of our hearts. After 4 weeks on the road, we were getting weary and He knew we needed Him… He knew He needed to get our attention. We spent the rest of the evening in devotional to Him. Listening for His voice and being refreshed by His spirit.
He reminded us that He was with us…
Exodus: 33: 14 "My Presences will go with you and I will give you rest."
That He would give us strength for the journey…
Psalm 29:11 "The Lord gives strength to his people, the Lord blesses his people with peace."
He reminded us that He will equip us to do what He's called us to…
Hebrews 13:20 "May the God of peace… equip you with everything good for doing His will.
We reframed our disappointing day into an opportunity…. an opportunity to reconnect with the Lord and one another. … and found that we did indeed gain far more than we lost.
Then we had an idea… we decided that since we missed the sunset, we'd get up for the sunrise instead. It was late by the time we made this decision. We knew we'd have very little sleep - but it would be worth it. Our alarms went off at 5:30am. We crawled into the front of the van and drove through the sleeping town back into the park - to Yavapai Point. With a full view of the east and west end of the Canyon, Yavapai Point was the perfect place to watch the world wake up. The morning was cold and quiet. We were alone in the park save for one other couple who had braved the early hours to watch the show. No one said a word. The sky descended from black to sapphire as we bundled up against the wind… We made our way down to the lookout… The sun, still hidden from view, was making its slow ascent from below the horizon, evidenced by deep ribbons of color peeking out behind the canyon crest. The canyons were barely visible in the low light. Folds of fog weaved through the peaks and hid the valley below. We huddled together on a boulder and listened to the wind whistle through the pines. As the sky began to brighten - the wind grew stronger and howled up the canyon walls. Slowly the canyon turned color, reflecting the sky's light. Saturated reds turned icy pink. Sapphire turned cerulean blue. The canyons took shape, revealing more of their beauty by the moment. Anticipation building, we rose to our feet, waiting. Then finally… in a sudden flash - dawn's first light. The first rays shot across the sky, illuminating Point Imperial, the canyon's highest peak. Like a beckon of hope, Point Imperial stood tall, lit above the shadowed valley. As the sun climbed higher, the rays of light slid across the horizon, lighting up mesa after mesa. Light dipped down toward the canyon floor, breaking through the stubborn fog and revealing the valleys far below. Warmth settled on our skin as the earth came to life around us. The canyon glowed red orange in the morning sun. We forgot the day before, we left all our disappointments behind us. We were restored. I have truly never experienced anything like it before.
Much like the Grand Canyon, our hearts often lie in fog and shadows. The disappointments of life settle around us. Doubts and fears cloud our minds and hide the light of hope and truth. But if we would turn our eyes to the horizon - and wait upon the Lord with anticipation, He will burst forth with glorious light and illuminate the dark places of our souls.
After soaking in a sufficient view of the canyon, we went back to the van and got ready for the day. In the parking lot we met our van twins, a retired couple that had been traveling since Labor Day, putting over 7000 miles on their little red mini van. They also equipped their mobile home with a lofted bed, making room to store their kayak and porta-potty among other things. Great minds think alike. We took some time to explore the canyon rim, fighting the crowds of people who flock to the canyon every day. Then… after a short 2 hour hike to Ooh Aah Point (a totally different thing to hike down a canyon rather than up… ) we headed back into Flagstaff to set up for our show.
We were booked at Marcy's European Coffeehouse, which surprisingly enough, has a large european cliental. Located down the block from a youth hostel, a large portion of Macy's patrons are travelers. It made for an interesting crowd. After the show we drove to the local Walmart where we set up camp. Night #2 in a public parking lot. However this night was different. Rather than feeling discouraged and overwhelmed - we were filled with peace and joy knowing the Lord was with us - that He would give us strength for the rest of our journey and equip us for the work He called us to. What a difference a day makes. Or rather a sunrise.
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Honeymoon Tour - San Diego, CA - Phoenix, AZ
Whatever you do - don't drive through LA during rush hour. I can't tell you how many times we were given this piece of advice. Yet somehow we managed to find ourselves just outside Beverly Hills at 3 o'clock in the afternoon - in a grid lock…. wondering if we would make it to our show. We had left wine country mid morning believing we had plenty of time. We traveled down Interstate 1, hugging the coast - a beautiful drive that provided view after view of the ocean. I think we went wrong when we decided to stop outside Santa Barbara for lunch. There was a state park right off the freeway - the perfect spot for a seaside picnic. We took our time, eating a lazy lunch which set us back at least an hour. Hence sitting in stop and go traffic in the middle of LA. It took us 2 hours to drive 30 miles.
Somehow, by the grace of God, we managed to make it to our venue in Escondido right before we were supposed to go on. Our friend Eric met us outside and helped us load in as the first act finished up. We were completely out of breath when we started the show - but we made it. Our show took place at Escondido Joe's, a cafe/coffeeshop operated by a local church. Eric - a friend from our Visible days - had set the show up for us, and did an amazing job. The place was packed out with friends, family and fans of the local acts - Bethany Jordan Jackson, and husband and wife led band called Serenade & Strum - all were incredible. We felt honored to share the stage with them and were completely inspired by their music. After the show we got to talking with Benji and Jen Horning, the founding members of Serenade & Strum. The duo has been married for 6 years, work full time as youth pastors and have two kids, yet somehow they've found time to pursue their passion for music. "Yea we got rid of our cable and whenever we used to watch TV we started to write." They just recently finished their sophomore album. "Yea we'd work all day, spend time with the kids in the evening, and then record from 10pm-2am every night." Talk about dedication. Makes you wonder what you could accomplish if you made the best of every day …. What they've accomplished is some of the most beautiful God honoring music I've ever heard. Seriously check them out. Serenade & Strum.
After some much appreciated fellowship we said our goodbyes and made our way to our host home in San Diego. We stayed with Tyler - a friend of Corey's from Garret Co. Tyler had just moved out to California 4 months ago - a big move for a recent college grad and a small town guy. California isn't exactly a cheap place to live and being clear across the country from family and friends, it was a risky move. But he was ready to do something with his life. After months of free lancing he finally found a job in his field of graphic design. He just started this week. It was awesome to see him take a risk and be rewarded. It got us thinking about the risk we took and how it's been rewarded. It was terrifying at first… without the security of a regular pay check I worried that we wouldn't be able to pay our bills. Being in Memphis for 5 years, we knew how hard it is to be away from friends and family. And you never know what can happen on the freeway…. But the longer we're on the road, the more we peace we feel. Traveling the country has freed us. Freed us to pursue the Lord's call on our lives no matter where He sends us. Freed us to take more risks, to trust more, and fear less. Freed us to consider a life on the road.
We went out for breakfast with Tyler and his girlfriend Carly early the next morning. We walked through the heart of downtown San Diego to the infamous Crest Cafe where we ate a hearty meal of omelets and creme brulee french toast…. mmm. After our delicious meal we said goodbye to our gracious hosts and made a trip out to Coronado Island to visit the ocean one last time. Having grown up in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, my soul craves water. There is no beauty that can compare. I'm a fan of the ocean. We walked down the beach, watching the waves tumble toward shore. With a long drive through the desert ahead of us, I appreciated a chance to say goodbye to that large body of water.
A little before noon we left the coast behind us and began our long journey home - eastbound. The drive through southern California is almost other worldly. Giant crumbling mountains laid out across the countryside, like piles of boulders dumped from the sky. Traveling parallel with the Mexican border on Interstate 8, we watched the mountains give way to a long stretch of desert. We passed through several border control check points before we turned north for Phoenix. As we closed in on our destination, the rocks turned red and sprouted forests of saguaro cacti. Like something from a painting - or a cartoon - the landscape was so foreign is hardly seemed real. Phoenix is a world of its own.
I think the Lord knew we'd need a date night by this point in the tour. Despite our best efforts, we were unable to confirm a show in Phoenix. Then our host (family of a family friend) informed us last minute that she would be out of town….. so… she booked us a hotel room - at the "Best Boutique Hotel in Phoenix." Talk about a blessing. This was exactly what we were craving. A chance to have some quality time - no show to prepare for, no host to get to know, no campsite to set up. A place of our own and a night to ourselves. Not to mention at the coolest swanky hotel I've ever experienced. I felt like I walked straight into a 60's hotel - perfectly preserved. We were beyond stoked. After checking in to our room we went up to the rooftop and watched the sun set over the desert. Then we relaxed in the mod hot tub before grabbing some fish tacos for dinner.
The whole experience was an amazing gift - something we never would have allowed for ourselves, but was given to us - out of the blue, by a near stranger. We never even met our host face to face, and yet she gave to us extravagantly. That kind of generosity is nothing short of Christlike. I am constantly overwhelmed by the goodness of our God. He gives to us generously. extravagantly. He cares deeply for us - not only on a grand scale - but in the details. Allowing a couple of newlyweds a moment for romance…. I am reminded that our God is a God of romance. He ordained marriage as a living portrayal of His love for His bride, the Church. He passionately pursues us, lovingly provides for us. He creatively woos our hearts. The stars, the ocean, the desert to inspire us, made by his Hand to speak to us. What a passionate, romantic, epic God we serve. May He capture our hearts more and more every day.
Somehow, by the grace of God, we managed to make it to our venue in Escondido right before we were supposed to go on. Our friend Eric met us outside and helped us load in as the first act finished up. We were completely out of breath when we started the show - but we made it. Our show took place at Escondido Joe's, a cafe/coffeeshop operated by a local church. Eric - a friend from our Visible days - had set the show up for us, and did an amazing job. The place was packed out with friends, family and fans of the local acts - Bethany Jordan Jackson, and husband and wife led band called Serenade & Strum - all were incredible. We felt honored to share the stage with them and were completely inspired by their music. After the show we got to talking with Benji and Jen Horning, the founding members of Serenade & Strum. The duo has been married for 6 years, work full time as youth pastors and have two kids, yet somehow they've found time to pursue their passion for music. "Yea we got rid of our cable and whenever we used to watch TV we started to write." They just recently finished their sophomore album. "Yea we'd work all day, spend time with the kids in the evening, and then record from 10pm-2am every night." Talk about dedication. Makes you wonder what you could accomplish if you made the best of every day …. What they've accomplished is some of the most beautiful God honoring music I've ever heard. Seriously check them out. Serenade & Strum.
After some much appreciated fellowship we said our goodbyes and made our way to our host home in San Diego. We stayed with Tyler - a friend of Corey's from Garret Co. Tyler had just moved out to California 4 months ago - a big move for a recent college grad and a small town guy. California isn't exactly a cheap place to live and being clear across the country from family and friends, it was a risky move. But he was ready to do something with his life. After months of free lancing he finally found a job in his field of graphic design. He just started this week. It was awesome to see him take a risk and be rewarded. It got us thinking about the risk we took and how it's been rewarded. It was terrifying at first… without the security of a regular pay check I worried that we wouldn't be able to pay our bills. Being in Memphis for 5 years, we knew how hard it is to be away from friends and family. And you never know what can happen on the freeway…. But the longer we're on the road, the more we peace we feel. Traveling the country has freed us. Freed us to pursue the Lord's call on our lives no matter where He sends us. Freed us to take more risks, to trust more, and fear less. Freed us to consider a life on the road.
We went out for breakfast with Tyler and his girlfriend Carly early the next morning. We walked through the heart of downtown San Diego to the infamous Crest Cafe where we ate a hearty meal of omelets and creme brulee french toast…. mmm. After our delicious meal we said goodbye to our gracious hosts and made a trip out to Coronado Island to visit the ocean one last time. Having grown up in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, my soul craves water. There is no beauty that can compare. I'm a fan of the ocean. We walked down the beach, watching the waves tumble toward shore. With a long drive through the desert ahead of us, I appreciated a chance to say goodbye to that large body of water.
A little before noon we left the coast behind us and began our long journey home - eastbound. The drive through southern California is almost other worldly. Giant crumbling mountains laid out across the countryside, like piles of boulders dumped from the sky. Traveling parallel with the Mexican border on Interstate 8, we watched the mountains give way to a long stretch of desert. We passed through several border control check points before we turned north for Phoenix. As we closed in on our destination, the rocks turned red and sprouted forests of saguaro cacti. Like something from a painting - or a cartoon - the landscape was so foreign is hardly seemed real. Phoenix is a world of its own.
I think the Lord knew we'd need a date night by this point in the tour. Despite our best efforts, we were unable to confirm a show in Phoenix. Then our host (family of a family friend) informed us last minute that she would be out of town….. so… she booked us a hotel room - at the "Best Boutique Hotel in Phoenix." Talk about a blessing. This was exactly what we were craving. A chance to have some quality time - no show to prepare for, no host to get to know, no campsite to set up. A place of our own and a night to ourselves. Not to mention at the coolest swanky hotel I've ever experienced. I felt like I walked straight into a 60's hotel - perfectly preserved. We were beyond stoked. After checking in to our room we went up to the rooftop and watched the sun set over the desert. Then we relaxed in the mod hot tub before grabbing some fish tacos for dinner.
The whole experience was an amazing gift - something we never would have allowed for ourselves, but was given to us - out of the blue, by a near stranger. We never even met our host face to face, and yet she gave to us extravagantly. That kind of generosity is nothing short of Christlike. I am constantly overwhelmed by the goodness of our God. He gives to us generously. extravagantly. He cares deeply for us - not only on a grand scale - but in the details. Allowing a couple of newlyweds a moment for romance…. I am reminded that our God is a God of romance. He ordained marriage as a living portrayal of His love for His bride, the Church. He passionately pursues us, lovingly provides for us. He creatively woos our hearts. The stars, the ocean, the desert to inspire us, made by his Hand to speak to us. What a passionate, romantic, epic God we serve. May He capture our hearts more and more every day.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Honeymoon Tour - San Luis Obispo, CA
Honeymoon Tour - San Luis Obispo, CA
There's a whole lot of open space between Vegas and California. We set out from Vegas midday and saw desert for 4 hours straight. We also saw our first oil field - drills lines up like cavalry - an army of machines. We passed orchards, crop farms and fields of flowers. Then we hit the Sierra Nevadas. Beautiful rolling mountains dotted with livestock from the surrounding ranches. Just as the sun set as we crossed into wine country. Like something out of a painting, the rolling hills are lined with row after row of grape vines. We felt like we were back in France on our honeymoon. Just gorgeous. It wasn't always like this.. Ideal for vineyards, the dry crumbly soil of the central coast was just recently "discovered." What once was miles and miles of open farm land has now been developed into wineries. And sitting amongst them, are small farm houses, standing firm against the change of times.
One such farm house was our destination. My dear friend Crystal just moved back to California from Memphis with her husband Bryan and twin girls, Kady and Zoe. Much to their surprise, when they arrived in California, Bryan's parents offered to give them their inheritance early - the family farm. Over 100 years old, the farm has been handed down from generation to generation - and the tradition lives on. The place is truly magical… and comes complete with 4 dogs, 3 goats, 8 wild turkeys, a flock of pigeons, a donkey and a horse. Quite the change from urban Memphis….
We arrived at the house after dark, welcomed by the two dogs, two toddlers and 2 grandparents that share the estate with Bryan and Crystal. We stayed up late into the night catching up with our old friends and touring the beautiful old farmhouse. The next day we explored the farm as Crystal explained her vision for the property. Their home in Paso Robles, CA sits midway between LA and San Francisco and would serve as a perfect stopping point for touring artists. She hopes to renovate the barn and make it into a venue and rehearsal space for road weary musicians. The field adjacent to the barn could also serve as a natural amphitheater for an autumn music festival. In the meantime Crystal is looking to developing the music scene in the area - starting with hosting house concerts. I am honored to say that we were officially the first artists on the Artist Farhm.
The Fahrm is absolutely amazingl and will serve as a wonderful place of rest for many musicians to come. As the halfway point of our very long tour - I can say we were glad to be there. Rather than itching to get out and explore the area (as we did in the cities we visited), we were happy to simply take in the beauty that surrounded us. We spent one afternoon sitting on the crest of the hill - wine country unfolding before us - napping in the breeze and lazily working out harmonies for a new song. If only you could pause time.
Of course we had to explore the coast a little while we were there, so we drove down to Montana De Oro State Park. The park spans down the shore line. The view is breathtaking with cliffs that jut out into the ocean, waves crashing below. We intended to watch the sunset but the fog came in thick and hid it from us. We enjoyed the scenery anyway and made a few friends on the beach - including Brett, a 4th year med student who was traveling the country to interview for different residency programs. Came to find Brett followed much of the same route that we did visiting Zion National Park, Vegas and the Hoover Dam etc. Small World. We also spent a day visiting a few local wineries and an olive oil maker - if you ever get a chance to do an olive oil tasting - i highly recommend it! Nothing quite like it - and its free!.
On Tuesday we played a house concert at Bryan's sister's home - located up the hill from the farm. House concerts are a new concept for a lot of people, but they are our favorite venue hands down. There's not much to it really - invite your friends and family over for a party and we'll provide the tunes. House concerts provide an intimate laid back atmosphere that allow the artist to be more engaged with the audience (and allow the audience to engage more the with the artist). We had a diverse crowd that night, ranging from 2 years old to 80 years old and everywhere in between. Family concerts - or all ages shows - are a fun dynamic. Between the kids dancing and playing around and the elderly sitting back and appreciating the show - there's a lot of good energy. We've discovered that some of our biggest fans are senior citizens - perhaps because our music is a bit of a throwback to their generation's music. Johnny Cash can bring the house down with the 70+ crowd. It was a great night and the whole experience got everyone excited for the future of Artist Fahrm.
On Thursday we provided Lunchtime Music for Treasure's Antique Mall in Morro Bay, CA. The store is owned and operated by Crystal's mom and is an eclectic gem. With 78 vendors each possessing their own flare - it is a beautiful array of vintage, antique and boutique. In hopes to generate the music scene, Treasures has started hosting Lunchtime Music, inviting musicians to set up show amidst the merchandise and put on a show. It was a new kind of venue for us - shoppers applauding from all corners of the store, hidden from view. We thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere - being the thrift store queen that I am. And of course i did a little browsing myself… After the show we went down to San Luis Obispo for their open air Farmer's Market. Unlike most markets which take place in the morning, San Luis' market is an evening ordeal. Every Thursday night the city comes to life with vendors lining the streets and live music on every corner. Epic and amazing and the best California style pizza. ever.
Of all the places we visited, I think I had the hardest time leaving the central coast. Inspired and excited for the future of Artist Farhm, we were tempted to start renovating the barn ourselves. It was a place of rejuvenation, a home away from home. It was also a place of huge financial blessing. Looking back, I see it as further evidence of the Lord's faithfulness. In Vegas, we felt led to tithe to Advance church. With what little money we make - especially on the road - tithing can be a challenge. On Sunday though, the message was about money. The pastor, Ryan's main point was this: The way you view your money will determine the way you use your money. If you view your money as yours - you will use it to buy things for yourself. A new car, a bigger house, better clothes. You will use your money to expand your kingdom. However, if you view your money for what it really is - a gift from God - given to you out of His providence - you will use it to expand His kingdom. Having raised support to go on this tour - we are very aware that our money is a gift - quite literally. Our funds were given to us by God through His people - straight out of their pocket books. It makes us incredibly thankful for every dollar that comes across our path. It also makes us think very carefully about how we spend it. We were moved to expand the Lord's kingdom through Advance church and tithed what we could.... Then the Lord totally blessed it. . From the 55 cents given to us by a special needs customer at Treasures (talk about a sacred gift) to the $100 bill slipped to us by a stranger after a short 5 minute conversation, every time we turned around the good people of California were coming out of the woodwork to bless us. It was amazing and humbling to see the Lord honor our small gift and provide for us on the road... Truly the more you walk in obedience, the more the Lord reveals himself to you. This time He revealed His provision to us. And for that we are incredibly thankful... it allows us to walk in peace on this crazy road, knowing the Lord will guide and provide.
There's a whole lot of open space between Vegas and California. We set out from Vegas midday and saw desert for 4 hours straight. We also saw our first oil field - drills lines up like cavalry - an army of machines. We passed orchards, crop farms and fields of flowers. Then we hit the Sierra Nevadas. Beautiful rolling mountains dotted with livestock from the surrounding ranches. Just as the sun set as we crossed into wine country. Like something out of a painting, the rolling hills are lined with row after row of grape vines. We felt like we were back in France on our honeymoon. Just gorgeous. It wasn't always like this.. Ideal for vineyards, the dry crumbly soil of the central coast was just recently "discovered." What once was miles and miles of open farm land has now been developed into wineries. And sitting amongst them, are small farm houses, standing firm against the change of times.
One such farm house was our destination. My dear friend Crystal just moved back to California from Memphis with her husband Bryan and twin girls, Kady and Zoe. Much to their surprise, when they arrived in California, Bryan's parents offered to give them their inheritance early - the family farm. Over 100 years old, the farm has been handed down from generation to generation - and the tradition lives on. The place is truly magical… and comes complete with 4 dogs, 3 goats, 8 wild turkeys, a flock of pigeons, a donkey and a horse. Quite the change from urban Memphis….
We arrived at the house after dark, welcomed by the two dogs, two toddlers and 2 grandparents that share the estate with Bryan and Crystal. We stayed up late into the night catching up with our old friends and touring the beautiful old farmhouse. The next day we explored the farm as Crystal explained her vision for the property. Their home in Paso Robles, CA sits midway between LA and San Francisco and would serve as a perfect stopping point for touring artists. She hopes to renovate the barn and make it into a venue and rehearsal space for road weary musicians. The field adjacent to the barn could also serve as a natural amphitheater for an autumn music festival. In the meantime Crystal is looking to developing the music scene in the area - starting with hosting house concerts. I am honored to say that we were officially the first artists on the Artist Farhm.
The Fahrm is absolutely amazingl and will serve as a wonderful place of rest for many musicians to come. As the halfway point of our very long tour - I can say we were glad to be there. Rather than itching to get out and explore the area (as we did in the cities we visited), we were happy to simply take in the beauty that surrounded us. We spent one afternoon sitting on the crest of the hill - wine country unfolding before us - napping in the breeze and lazily working out harmonies for a new song. If only you could pause time.
Of course we had to explore the coast a little while we were there, so we drove down to Montana De Oro State Park. The park spans down the shore line. The view is breathtaking with cliffs that jut out into the ocean, waves crashing below. We intended to watch the sunset but the fog came in thick and hid it from us. We enjoyed the scenery anyway and made a few friends on the beach - including Brett, a 4th year med student who was traveling the country to interview for different residency programs. Came to find Brett followed much of the same route that we did visiting Zion National Park, Vegas and the Hoover Dam etc. Small World. We also spent a day visiting a few local wineries and an olive oil maker - if you ever get a chance to do an olive oil tasting - i highly recommend it! Nothing quite like it - and its free!.
On Tuesday we played a house concert at Bryan's sister's home - located up the hill from the farm. House concerts are a new concept for a lot of people, but they are our favorite venue hands down. There's not much to it really - invite your friends and family over for a party and we'll provide the tunes. House concerts provide an intimate laid back atmosphere that allow the artist to be more engaged with the audience (and allow the audience to engage more the with the artist). We had a diverse crowd that night, ranging from 2 years old to 80 years old and everywhere in between. Family concerts - or all ages shows - are a fun dynamic. Between the kids dancing and playing around and the elderly sitting back and appreciating the show - there's a lot of good energy. We've discovered that some of our biggest fans are senior citizens - perhaps because our music is a bit of a throwback to their generation's music. Johnny Cash can bring the house down with the 70+ crowd. It was a great night and the whole experience got everyone excited for the future of Artist Fahrm.
On Thursday we provided Lunchtime Music for Treasure's Antique Mall in Morro Bay, CA. The store is owned and operated by Crystal's mom and is an eclectic gem. With 78 vendors each possessing their own flare - it is a beautiful array of vintage, antique and boutique. In hopes to generate the music scene, Treasures has started hosting Lunchtime Music, inviting musicians to set up show amidst the merchandise and put on a show. It was a new kind of venue for us - shoppers applauding from all corners of the store, hidden from view. We thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere - being the thrift store queen that I am. And of course i did a little browsing myself… After the show we went down to San Luis Obispo for their open air Farmer's Market. Unlike most markets which take place in the morning, San Luis' market is an evening ordeal. Every Thursday night the city comes to life with vendors lining the streets and live music on every corner. Epic and amazing and the best California style pizza. ever.
Of all the places we visited, I think I had the hardest time leaving the central coast. Inspired and excited for the future of Artist Farhm, we were tempted to start renovating the barn ourselves. It was a place of rejuvenation, a home away from home. It was also a place of huge financial blessing. Looking back, I see it as further evidence of the Lord's faithfulness. In Vegas, we felt led to tithe to Advance church. With what little money we make - especially on the road - tithing can be a challenge. On Sunday though, the message was about money. The pastor, Ryan's main point was this: The way you view your money will determine the way you use your money. If you view your money as yours - you will use it to buy things for yourself. A new car, a bigger house, better clothes. You will use your money to expand your kingdom. However, if you view your money for what it really is - a gift from God - given to you out of His providence - you will use it to expand His kingdom. Having raised support to go on this tour - we are very aware that our money is a gift - quite literally. Our funds were given to us by God through His people - straight out of their pocket books. It makes us incredibly thankful for every dollar that comes across our path. It also makes us think very carefully about how we spend it. We were moved to expand the Lord's kingdom through Advance church and tithed what we could.... Then the Lord totally blessed it. . From the 55 cents given to us by a special needs customer at Treasures (talk about a sacred gift) to the $100 bill slipped to us by a stranger after a short 5 minute conversation, every time we turned around the good people of California were coming out of the woodwork to bless us. It was amazing and humbling to see the Lord honor our small gift and provide for us on the road... Truly the more you walk in obedience, the more the Lord reveals himself to you. This time He revealed His provision to us. And for that we are incredibly thankful... it allows us to walk in peace on this crazy road, knowing the Lord will guide and provide.
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Honeymoon Tour - Las Vegas, NV
After three days in the wilderness we were happy to head to Vegas to clean up (ironically enough…). We traded in God's Country for Sin City. A short 3 hour drive through the Mojave had us at our host's door - dirty, greasy and smelling like a campfire. What a way to make an impression… Luckily our hosts, Jordan and Kristen were old friends who passed no judgment. Instead they kindly let us into their beautiful home and (after some catching up) directed us straight to the bathroom. They understood our needs. :) As fellow adventurers (Jordan and Kristen recently quit their jobs, sold their home and moved to Vegas to plant a church), it was wonderful to connect with them on the joys and challenges of ministry. I often find myself wondering what would happen if more people took the risk to follow the Lord - in whatever way He directed them. I think the world would have a whole lot more satisfied people in it.
Being the incredibly hostess that she is, Kristen took the time to gather together a welcome packet - full of brochures, maps and information on how to best experience Vegas. One brochure in particular caught Corey's eye - Red Rocks Canyon. After our climb to Angels Landing, Corey was itching for more, so with our one day off we decided to head out to the wilderness yet once again. This was a different kind of wilderness however, the desert posses its own set of challenges. Water and sunscreen are essential. We read several warnings "Inform a friend or family member before you enter the desert and tell them when you plan to return….There is no cellular service in the state park." We were eager for a new adventure though, we picked our destination - The Keystone Thrust - and set off.
You really should check your gas gauge before driving 20 miles into the desert.
We had already made it to the state park before we noticed it… On a one way only loop through Red Rock Canyon. A 13 mile one-way loop. "Hmmm - we might need gas" Corey said nonchalantly as I was looking for our trail head on the map. "What?" "We might need gas." "Are you serious?" "Yea" "Corey we are in the middle of the desert this is not a good time to need gas." "Well the light hasn't come on yet…"
In the commotion - we passed our trail head. On the 13 mile - one way loop. "Why didn't you tell me to turn?" "I did! I told you it should be the next turn - if you saw a turn you should have turned!" "Well I can't turn now - we're on a one way!" Being the stubborn twosome that we are, we insisted on circling through the canyon again - on the 13 miles loop - and this time… the gas light came on. "The gas light came on." "Are you serious?" "Yea" "Aaagh" 2 miles in to a 13 mile loop, 20 miles outside of civilization with no cell service - you do the math. We would come seriously close to running out of gas. Still we insisted on finding the Keystone Thrust so we turned off on the trail head only to find we had to drive 2 miles up a rocky hill to the parking area. "Are we gonna make it?" "I don't know but we don't have a choice now!"
We parked the car in a parking lot in what seemed like the middle of the desert. Despite the circumstances we were intent upon completing our hike. We went to load up our back pack with the essentials only to realize that we had left the pack back at the host home. "Did you bring it inside?" "No did you bring it inside? "No, did we leave it at the campsite?" "I don't know!" "Well I guess we'll just have to carry what we need." We then proceeded to hike to the most uninteresting feature of the whole canyon. Called the "most significant geological feature," the Keystone Thrust ended up being a pile of rocks pushing through the dirt. Not exactly what we were hoping for after hiking 2 miles into the desert. The whole experience felt like a wash. All along knowing that we had to hike back to a car and hope that it would make it to a gas station. We were totally allowing our circumstances to ruin our attitudes.
We started wandering through the "thrust," and came across a stack of rocks set up on a sandy red boulder. Three or four small stones, stacked on top of each other. Then we came across another. And another. Rock piles stacked up by persons long gone - like altars. In the old testament, the Lord often instructs his people to gather stones and create an altar of remembrance. For example, after the Israelites crossed the Jordan river on dry land, they were instructed to take 12 stones and construct an altar. So that...
"In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' tell them, 'Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.' The Lord your God did to the Jordan what He had done to the Red Sea…. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful."
Seeing the altars - I knew. I knew that the Lord was with us. I knew that everything would work itself out. If we ran out of gas - we'd find someone to help us. It might take some time out of our day - but we knew weren't going to DIE out in the desert. Sometimes we need to take time to remember. Remember that the hand of the Lord is powerful. That He goes before us. So much of our lives are wasted by worry and stress. We miss out of the joy and peace of the Lord. Being reminded, we each added a rock to the altar and headed back to the car. We coasted down the desert road to the 13 mile loop. We hopped back on the highway and made it the 20 miles back into town. Gassed up and breathed a sigh of relief. The Lord was with us all along.
We finished up our time in Vegas by exploring the city - seeing the sights. Among them… the "Strip" (of course), my favorite part being the Bellagio Fountains. And Hoover Dam (much cooler than I expected - a modern marvel… its amazing to me what man can accomplish). And we had to get a photo by the Vegas sign! On Saturday we played at the swanky Sambalatte Coffehouse. Met some great people and had some ah-mazing coffee. Our last day in Vegas - before we set out for California, we had the opportunity check out Jordan and Kristen's church plant. It was so amazing to see the Lord's faithfulness. More and more confirmation that as you walk in obedience to His calling, He will bless it. The church just launched 7 months prior and they already had a thriving congregation of 75 people and their own building…. Pretty amazing. We left with the realization that even in the desert, the Lord is with us.
Being the incredibly hostess that she is, Kristen took the time to gather together a welcome packet - full of brochures, maps and information on how to best experience Vegas. One brochure in particular caught Corey's eye - Red Rocks Canyon. After our climb to Angels Landing, Corey was itching for more, so with our one day off we decided to head out to the wilderness yet once again. This was a different kind of wilderness however, the desert posses its own set of challenges. Water and sunscreen are essential. We read several warnings "Inform a friend or family member before you enter the desert and tell them when you plan to return….There is no cellular service in the state park." We were eager for a new adventure though, we picked our destination - The Keystone Thrust - and set off.
You really should check your gas gauge before driving 20 miles into the desert.
We had already made it to the state park before we noticed it… On a one way only loop through Red Rock Canyon. A 13 mile one-way loop. "Hmmm - we might need gas" Corey said nonchalantly as I was looking for our trail head on the map. "What?" "We might need gas." "Are you serious?" "Yea" "Corey we are in the middle of the desert this is not a good time to need gas." "Well the light hasn't come on yet…"
In the commotion - we passed our trail head. On the 13 mile - one way loop. "Why didn't you tell me to turn?" "I did! I told you it should be the next turn - if you saw a turn you should have turned!" "Well I can't turn now - we're on a one way!" Being the stubborn twosome that we are, we insisted on circling through the canyon again - on the 13 miles loop - and this time… the gas light came on. "The gas light came on." "Are you serious?" "Yea" "Aaagh" 2 miles in to a 13 mile loop, 20 miles outside of civilization with no cell service - you do the math. We would come seriously close to running out of gas. Still we insisted on finding the Keystone Thrust so we turned off on the trail head only to find we had to drive 2 miles up a rocky hill to the parking area. "Are we gonna make it?" "I don't know but we don't have a choice now!"
We parked the car in a parking lot in what seemed like the middle of the desert. Despite the circumstances we were intent upon completing our hike. We went to load up our back pack with the essentials only to realize that we had left the pack back at the host home. "Did you bring it inside?" "No did you bring it inside? "No, did we leave it at the campsite?" "I don't know!" "Well I guess we'll just have to carry what we need." We then proceeded to hike to the most uninteresting feature of the whole canyon. Called the "most significant geological feature," the Keystone Thrust ended up being a pile of rocks pushing through the dirt. Not exactly what we were hoping for after hiking 2 miles into the desert. The whole experience felt like a wash. All along knowing that we had to hike back to a car and hope that it would make it to a gas station. We were totally allowing our circumstances to ruin our attitudes.
We started wandering through the "thrust," and came across a stack of rocks set up on a sandy red boulder. Three or four small stones, stacked on top of each other. Then we came across another. And another. Rock piles stacked up by persons long gone - like altars. In the old testament, the Lord often instructs his people to gather stones and create an altar of remembrance. For example, after the Israelites crossed the Jordan river on dry land, they were instructed to take 12 stones and construct an altar. So that...
"In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' tell them, 'Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.' The Lord your God did to the Jordan what He had done to the Red Sea…. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful."
Seeing the altars - I knew. I knew that the Lord was with us. I knew that everything would work itself out. If we ran out of gas - we'd find someone to help us. It might take some time out of our day - but we knew weren't going to DIE out in the desert. Sometimes we need to take time to remember. Remember that the hand of the Lord is powerful. That He goes before us. So much of our lives are wasted by worry and stress. We miss out of the joy and peace of the Lord. Being reminded, we each added a rock to the altar and headed back to the car. We coasted down the desert road to the 13 mile loop. We hopped back on the highway and made it the 20 miles back into town. Gassed up and breathed a sigh of relief. The Lord was with us all along.
We finished up our time in Vegas by exploring the city - seeing the sights. Among them… the "Strip" (of course), my favorite part being the Bellagio Fountains. And Hoover Dam (much cooler than I expected - a modern marvel… its amazing to me what man can accomplish). And we had to get a photo by the Vegas sign! On Saturday we played at the swanky Sambalatte Coffehouse. Met some great people and had some ah-mazing coffee. Our last day in Vegas - before we set out for California, we had the opportunity check out Jordan and Kristen's church plant. It was so amazing to see the Lord's faithfulness. More and more confirmation that as you walk in obedience to His calling, He will bless it. The church just launched 7 months prior and they already had a thriving congregation of 75 people and their own building…. Pretty amazing. We left with the realization that even in the desert, the Lord is with us.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Honeymoon Tour - Zion National Park
We left Salt Lake City in search of God's country… otherwise known as Zion National Park. Deep in the Utah wilderness, the Virgin River has been hard at work, carving deep canyons out of ancient sand dunes, molding a landscape like no other. The road to Zion led us through the rocky Mojave Desert, winding through painted plateaus that rise gracefully from the ground. I fully understand how people fall in love with the desert. It possesses a beauty all its own. Red canyons stand stark against deep blue sky, powerful. And the most striking of them all - Zion Canyon. The deep bends and wandering forks of the Virgin create canyon upon canyon upon canyon, towering over the river valley.
We rolled into the park with just enough time to set up camp - right at the base of a canyon, along the Virgin River. The Yoder-home proved a sturdy "tent" and our lofted bed made for the best night of sleep I've ever had camping. We woke up the next morning later than anticipated… the canyon walls hiding the sun until 9am. So we ate a quick breakfast and set out on our mission - to climb Angel's Landing.
Angel's Landing is a steep peak that sits atop an impossibly thin canyon. Carved from a tight bend in the Virgin River, its walls rise over 1400 feet from the canyon floor - sheer cliffs on either side of the ridge line. It was named by a Methodist minister who believed the peak could serve as a point for angels to land and survey the Zion valley. The trail to Angel's Landing is hailed as a symbol of creativity and ingenuity of early park rangers. Chains were placed along the ridge, while "steps" were chiseled into the rocks to create foot holds. Strenuous and treacherous, it is not recommended for anyone fearful of heights…. I happen to have a fear of heights.
I should say that I was not forced to hike this trail. In fact - it may have been my idea. However, I was misled to believe that the trail isn't nearly as scary as its made out to be. Tom and Erica, our hosts from Salt Lake City, hiked the trail and told us it really wasn't that bad. "There were grandmas doing it!" That must have been one rockin' granny….
The hike was easy enough at the start. A series of switchbacks led us up a side canyon - cardio intense but manageable. We hiked 2 miles up to the Angel's Landing trail head. Then things got real serious. A mere half mile to the top… but with the possibility of death around every corner it made for a long half mile. As we stepped out onto the ridge I suddenly became very aware of my heart beat. I have a tendency to go into adrenaline overload and pass out. Corey calls me the equivalent of a fainting goat, It happens mostly in medical or surgical scenarios… really any time needles are involved. (I also have a small fear of needles…) I knew I'd have to keep my heart rate in check in order to survive the ordeal, lest I pass out and go tumbling off the 1400 foot cliff The climb itself was not too difficult. Don't get me wrong… it was definitely a climb. The fact that they call it a "trail" is beyond my understanding. You scramble over boulders, shimmy up crevices and scoot along ledges. "Trail" is more a loose term for - a way to the top. It definitely required some strength- but none of it was beyond my ability. It was my mind that I was battling more than anything else. Seeing the whole accent ahead of me was dizzying… So I just had to focus on where I was at the moment. And thats the trick of it really. Purely a mental thing. If you allow the mountain to be greater than you - it will be.
We started our ascent. Holding the chain with one hand, while l scrambled over rocks.. I immediately felt the fear. "Corey I'm scared. I don't think I can do this." "You can do it hon, just one step at a time." So that's what I did. One step at a time, refusing to look down, breathing slow and telling myself "I am not on a mountain. I am not on a mountain. I am not walking a cliff…" We made our slow rise to the top. Every so often we'd meet someone else along the path… on their way down from the top. We would carefully pass by one another and gather encouragement that the view was "definitely worth it." . Their presence was a comfort, knowing that someone else was crazy enough to attempt the climb, that someone else had survived. My patient husband coached me every step of the way, standing close beside me, to catch me if I slipped and shield me from the wind. We took frequent breaks to rest our shaky legs, but kept a steady pace, lest we take a look about and realize where we were. The longer we stopped the harder it was to keep going… the fear would settle in again - the little voice that said - "There's no way you can do this. You're not strong enough. And remember, you still have to get back down…" So we kept moving. One step at a time, until finally… we had done it. We had reached the summit.
The panorama was absolutely incredible. One side offered a view of the widening river valley, the sun glittering off the water far below. The other side was all canyon, layers and layers of canyons painted in desert hues. It is a sight that can only be seen from the top of a mountain. A sight you have to work for. We sat at the peak for a long while, taking it all in. Other hikers joined us at the top, which made for a feeling of camaraderie that was almost heavenly. Total strangers congratulating each other on a journey well traveled. Enjoying the spoils of their labor. After taking plenty of pictures we made our way down. Bolstered by our success, we moved with a bit of confidence. As we passed others making their ascent, faces white and knees shaking, we found ourselves encouraging them, "You're almost there! Its so worth it!" We reached the base of the trail, kissed the ground and each other and thanked the Lord for protecting us along the way. We made it out alive and it felt awesome. We hiked proud and content to the valley floor and headed back at camp where we made ourselves a hearty supper to reward ourselves for accomplishing the feat.
The whole experiences felt like an allegory for a life of faith. At times, it is simply a steady climb, one switchback after another. At other times, you'll find yourself climbing a narrow ridge, with cliffs on either side. At those times, life is scary and risky and overwhelming. The mountain ahead of you - weather it be your finances, your health, your relationships - towers over your. The sight of it is dizzying. All you can do it take it one step at a time, keeping your eyes steady on Christ, the path. If you allow your gaze to wander… if you begin to focus on the challenge ahead of you… the mountains, and the depths below - you will begin to slip. Like Peter, who, with His eyes on Christ, stepped out of the boat and walked upon the sea… then suddenly realized the waves crashing round him, took his eyes off the Lord and began to sink….. If you allow the mountain to be greater than you - it will be. Instead you must fix your eyes upon Him who will keep your feet steady and make your paths straight.
Along the way, just when you want to give up, someone who has "been there" crosses your path and offers encouragement enough to continue on. You move on… Every step a step of faith, believing your climb will be worth it. All your hard work… facing all your fears … will be fruitful in the end. Until somehow, you've reached the top - you've conquered your mountain - and you catch a glimpse of heaven. You drink it in. Knowing moments like these are few and far between. Then a funny thing happens, having climbed the mountain, you find yourself transformed. Filled with a new confidence. As you head back down the mountain, your footing feels secure. As you pass others along the way, you realize you've "been there" and offer encouragement to help them on their journey. A beautiful cycle.
If you are lucky enough, you have a companion with you on the journey. Someone to stand beside you, to catch you when you slip, to shield you from the wind, to tell you - "You can do this." I couldn't be more grateful for my amazing husband who joins me on this journey. As we continue forward, I know we will have plenty of mountains to climb, big and small, literal and figurative - but if we keep the faith and take it one step at a time - we can summit each and every one.
We rolled into the park with just enough time to set up camp - right at the base of a canyon, along the Virgin River. The Yoder-home proved a sturdy "tent" and our lofted bed made for the best night of sleep I've ever had camping. We woke up the next morning later than anticipated… the canyon walls hiding the sun until 9am. So we ate a quick breakfast and set out on our mission - to climb Angel's Landing.
Angel's Landing is a steep peak that sits atop an impossibly thin canyon. Carved from a tight bend in the Virgin River, its walls rise over 1400 feet from the canyon floor - sheer cliffs on either side of the ridge line. It was named by a Methodist minister who believed the peak could serve as a point for angels to land and survey the Zion valley. The trail to Angel's Landing is hailed as a symbol of creativity and ingenuity of early park rangers. Chains were placed along the ridge, while "steps" were chiseled into the rocks to create foot holds. Strenuous and treacherous, it is not recommended for anyone fearful of heights…. I happen to have a fear of heights.
I should say that I was not forced to hike this trail. In fact - it may have been my idea. However, I was misled to believe that the trail isn't nearly as scary as its made out to be. Tom and Erica, our hosts from Salt Lake City, hiked the trail and told us it really wasn't that bad. "There were grandmas doing it!" That must have been one rockin' granny….
The hike was easy enough at the start. A series of switchbacks led us up a side canyon - cardio intense but manageable. We hiked 2 miles up to the Angel's Landing trail head. Then things got real serious. A mere half mile to the top… but with the possibility of death around every corner it made for a long half mile. As we stepped out onto the ridge I suddenly became very aware of my heart beat. I have a tendency to go into adrenaline overload and pass out. Corey calls me the equivalent of a fainting goat, It happens mostly in medical or surgical scenarios… really any time needles are involved. (I also have a small fear of needles…) I knew I'd have to keep my heart rate in check in order to survive the ordeal, lest I pass out and go tumbling off the 1400 foot cliff The climb itself was not too difficult. Don't get me wrong… it was definitely a climb. The fact that they call it a "trail" is beyond my understanding. You scramble over boulders, shimmy up crevices and scoot along ledges. "Trail" is more a loose term for - a way to the top. It definitely required some strength- but none of it was beyond my ability. It was my mind that I was battling more than anything else. Seeing the whole accent ahead of me was dizzying… So I just had to focus on where I was at the moment. And thats the trick of it really. Purely a mental thing. If you allow the mountain to be greater than you - it will be.
We started our ascent. Holding the chain with one hand, while l scrambled over rocks.. I immediately felt the fear. "Corey I'm scared. I don't think I can do this." "You can do it hon, just one step at a time." So that's what I did. One step at a time, refusing to look down, breathing slow and telling myself "I am not on a mountain. I am not on a mountain. I am not walking a cliff…" We made our slow rise to the top. Every so often we'd meet someone else along the path… on their way down from the top. We would carefully pass by one another and gather encouragement that the view was "definitely worth it." . Their presence was a comfort, knowing that someone else was crazy enough to attempt the climb, that someone else had survived. My patient husband coached me every step of the way, standing close beside me, to catch me if I slipped and shield me from the wind. We took frequent breaks to rest our shaky legs, but kept a steady pace, lest we take a look about and realize where we were. The longer we stopped the harder it was to keep going… the fear would settle in again - the little voice that said - "There's no way you can do this. You're not strong enough. And remember, you still have to get back down…" So we kept moving. One step at a time, until finally… we had done it. We had reached the summit.
The panorama was absolutely incredible. One side offered a view of the widening river valley, the sun glittering off the water far below. The other side was all canyon, layers and layers of canyons painted in desert hues. It is a sight that can only be seen from the top of a mountain. A sight you have to work for. We sat at the peak for a long while, taking it all in. Other hikers joined us at the top, which made for a feeling of camaraderie that was almost heavenly. Total strangers congratulating each other on a journey well traveled. Enjoying the spoils of their labor. After taking plenty of pictures we made our way down. Bolstered by our success, we moved with a bit of confidence. As we passed others making their ascent, faces white and knees shaking, we found ourselves encouraging them, "You're almost there! Its so worth it!" We reached the base of the trail, kissed the ground and each other and thanked the Lord for protecting us along the way. We made it out alive and it felt awesome. We hiked proud and content to the valley floor and headed back at camp where we made ourselves a hearty supper to reward ourselves for accomplishing the feat.
The whole experiences felt like an allegory for a life of faith. At times, it is simply a steady climb, one switchback after another. At other times, you'll find yourself climbing a narrow ridge, with cliffs on either side. At those times, life is scary and risky and overwhelming. The mountain ahead of you - weather it be your finances, your health, your relationships - towers over your. The sight of it is dizzying. All you can do it take it one step at a time, keeping your eyes steady on Christ, the path. If you allow your gaze to wander… if you begin to focus on the challenge ahead of you… the mountains, and the depths below - you will begin to slip. Like Peter, who, with His eyes on Christ, stepped out of the boat and walked upon the sea… then suddenly realized the waves crashing round him, took his eyes off the Lord and began to sink….. If you allow the mountain to be greater than you - it will be. Instead you must fix your eyes upon Him who will keep your feet steady and make your paths straight.
Along the way, just when you want to give up, someone who has "been there" crosses your path and offers encouragement enough to continue on. You move on… Every step a step of faith, believing your climb will be worth it. All your hard work… facing all your fears … will be fruitful in the end. Until somehow, you've reached the top - you've conquered your mountain - and you catch a glimpse of heaven. You drink it in. Knowing moments like these are few and far between. Then a funny thing happens, having climbed the mountain, you find yourself transformed. Filled with a new confidence. As you head back down the mountain, your footing feels secure. As you pass others along the way, you realize you've "been there" and offer encouragement to help them on their journey. A beautiful cycle.
If you are lucky enough, you have a companion with you on the journey. Someone to stand beside you, to catch you when you slip, to shield you from the wind, to tell you - "You can do this." I couldn't be more grateful for my amazing husband who joins me on this journey. As we continue forward, I know we will have plenty of mountains to climb, big and small, literal and figurative - but if we keep the faith and take it one step at a time - we can summit each and every one.
Friday, October 26, 2012
Honeymoon Tour - Salt Lake City, UT
We left Cheyenne, WY early Saturday morning and spent the day on interstate 80 traveling west 450 miles to Salt Lake City, UT. I have never in my life experienced more straight-line winds. The treacherous highway often becomes impassable in the winter months due to snow drifts. Winds come sweeping across the wide plateaus and whip up through the canyons. To call it scary would be an understatement. Gust of 40 mph shook us to the core. Our faithful mini-van held its own though. Weighed down by our sound system and camping gear, the Yoder-home never lost traction. And Wyoming is not what you would call "heavily populated" either. For long stretches of time you could look across the arid land straight out to the horizon - on either side. Not a trace of civilization in sight. Desert as far as the eye could see. No power lines, no fences, no barns or homes. And you can forget about gas stations. The trip requires a certain amount of planning to avoid being stranded in the middle of the desert. As we neared Utah, the terrain transformed from low bluffs and plateaus to rising foothills and finally the mountains. Interstate 80 takes you straight through the mountains, winding through deep canyons of slanted sandstone until suddenly you reach the beautiful valley of Salt Lake. Surrounded on three sides by mountains, the city felt like a mecca midst the wilderness. Perhaps that is why Joseph Smith decided to settle there. Utah is most definitely underrated.
We found last minute accommodations via our friends Todd and Emily Marriot of the ah-mazing Battle Victorious. When they heard we were looking for a place to lay our weary heads in Todd's hometown, Emily vowed to call "everyone she knew!" Stepping up to the bat: Tom and Erica Power and their lively family - 3 year old Ryan, 5 month old Abby and 5 year old Jasmine - their 130lb Great Dane. All three were waiting outside to greet us as we pulled into the driveway, the dog however was the only one that stood tall enough to stick her head in the window to say hello. Jasmine was monstrous - on her hind legs she stood taller than Corey - but so gentle and loved to cuddle! The Power family became instant friends. We connected on our common love of hiking and the outdoors and they coached us on the sights and hikes we should check out during our stay.
We had the pleasure of joining them the next morning for church, which was actually our first church service since the wedding! It was so nice to be able to soak in the word and take time to worship. The message focused on know-it alls. We laughed out loud when we saw it in the bulletin… You see - we sit on opposite sides of the know-it-all coin. Corey likes to make quick decisions. I like to do a lot of research - a LOT of research. It drives Corey crazy. Before I can make a decision I have to know every outcome of every possibility, weigh the pros and cons and make an informed choice. It takes me 45 min to order a sandwich. You can see the potential for conflict. The pastor focused on being open to God's direction and seeking wisdom from those who know a little more than you. Encouraging us that we will never exceed our current abilities without begin open to wisdom. Both of us were able to glean from the message. We left the service inspired and ready for adventure. However we weren't exactly sure what to do with ourselves.
I'd like to say we were excited to arrive in Salt Lake City but we couldn't help but wonder what exactly we were doing there. Coming down off our Rock Mountain high, it was hard to imagine what else the Lord could have in store. We didn't know anyone in the city - no fan base what-so-ever and communication with our venue was spotty at best. Booking is an exhausting beast. You may send out 500 emails, make 40 phone calls, leave just as many messages and receive but one response. We had received that one response from Sugar House Coffee - an eclectic coffee house in the trendy up and coming Sugar House district. Though the day was confirmed, the time was not…. We weren't sure that they were even expecting us, but we committed to showing up anyway.
We arrived at Sugar House and sure enough, the barista didn't know we were supposed to play that night. She welcomed us in anyway though and directed us where to set up. The coffeehouse was crowded for a Sunday night and we were enthusiastically received. After the show we were approached by some folks who were interested in having us play at their harvest music festival next year. As we got to talking we found out the they had only stopped by to clean up after their festival from the day before, but they heard our music and decided to hang out and listen instead. The festival - by the way - was held in the Sugar House Coffee parking lot! "There's no reason you guys shouldn't have been on stage yesterday!" They started offering us loads and loads of wisdom in booking and promotion - and we were all ears. Remembering the message from the church service that morning. Corey and I would love to exceed our own ability in the booking realm, so we listened intently to the concert promoter and entrepreneur who filled our minds with creative ways to succeed in the music business. We ended up talking with them for hours until closing time and made plans to hang out the next day as well. All of us were blown away at our chance meeting and thankful for our new friends. The Lord never ceases to amaze me.
On our last day in Salt Lake City we set out to summit Fraggy Peak at the top of Antelope Island. Antelope island is located 7 miles off the mainland, in the middle of the Great Salt Lake. The desert island is laden with low lying shrubs and jagged rocks that cut through the earth abruptly. Surrounded by the hazy lake, it made for an unworldly scene. Corey believed we were climbing to Mordor. And climb we did, 2,100 feet in 3 miles - a steep and strenuous hike. It took us 2 hours to reach the peak - and the last half mile was more rock climbing the hiking - following the ridge line to the top. It was our first summit hike and we felt like kings.
Reaching a new high on our journey, we left Salt Lake eager to see what the Lord had in store for us next. And to think we had doubted Him... How often we resemble the Israelites. Though God freed them from their captors, split the Red Sea, made water flow from rocks in the desert and provided manna like dew every morning, the Israelites balked at every new challenge on their journey to the Promised Land. Give us faith Lord, to see past the desert, to your purpose.
We found last minute accommodations via our friends Todd and Emily Marriot of the ah-mazing Battle Victorious. When they heard we were looking for a place to lay our weary heads in Todd's hometown, Emily vowed to call "everyone she knew!" Stepping up to the bat: Tom and Erica Power and their lively family - 3 year old Ryan, 5 month old Abby and 5 year old Jasmine - their 130lb Great Dane. All three were waiting outside to greet us as we pulled into the driveway, the dog however was the only one that stood tall enough to stick her head in the window to say hello. Jasmine was monstrous - on her hind legs she stood taller than Corey - but so gentle and loved to cuddle! The Power family became instant friends. We connected on our common love of hiking and the outdoors and they coached us on the sights and hikes we should check out during our stay.
We had the pleasure of joining them the next morning for church, which was actually our first church service since the wedding! It was so nice to be able to soak in the word and take time to worship. The message focused on know-it alls. We laughed out loud when we saw it in the bulletin… You see - we sit on opposite sides of the know-it-all coin. Corey likes to make quick decisions. I like to do a lot of research - a LOT of research. It drives Corey crazy. Before I can make a decision I have to know every outcome of every possibility, weigh the pros and cons and make an informed choice. It takes me 45 min to order a sandwich. You can see the potential for conflict. The pastor focused on being open to God's direction and seeking wisdom from those who know a little more than you. Encouraging us that we will never exceed our current abilities without begin open to wisdom. Both of us were able to glean from the message. We left the service inspired and ready for adventure. However we weren't exactly sure what to do with ourselves.
I'd like to say we were excited to arrive in Salt Lake City but we couldn't help but wonder what exactly we were doing there. Coming down off our Rock Mountain high, it was hard to imagine what else the Lord could have in store. We didn't know anyone in the city - no fan base what-so-ever and communication with our venue was spotty at best. Booking is an exhausting beast. You may send out 500 emails, make 40 phone calls, leave just as many messages and receive but one response. We had received that one response from Sugar House Coffee - an eclectic coffee house in the trendy up and coming Sugar House district. Though the day was confirmed, the time was not…. We weren't sure that they were even expecting us, but we committed to showing up anyway.
We arrived at Sugar House and sure enough, the barista didn't know we were supposed to play that night. She welcomed us in anyway though and directed us where to set up. The coffeehouse was crowded for a Sunday night and we were enthusiastically received. After the show we were approached by some folks who were interested in having us play at their harvest music festival next year. As we got to talking we found out the they had only stopped by to clean up after their festival from the day before, but they heard our music and decided to hang out and listen instead. The festival - by the way - was held in the Sugar House Coffee parking lot! "There's no reason you guys shouldn't have been on stage yesterday!" They started offering us loads and loads of wisdom in booking and promotion - and we were all ears. Remembering the message from the church service that morning. Corey and I would love to exceed our own ability in the booking realm, so we listened intently to the concert promoter and entrepreneur who filled our minds with creative ways to succeed in the music business. We ended up talking with them for hours until closing time and made plans to hang out the next day as well. All of us were blown away at our chance meeting and thankful for our new friends. The Lord never ceases to amaze me.
On our last day in Salt Lake City we set out to summit Fraggy Peak at the top of Antelope Island. Antelope island is located 7 miles off the mainland, in the middle of the Great Salt Lake. The desert island is laden with low lying shrubs and jagged rocks that cut through the earth abruptly. Surrounded by the hazy lake, it made for an unworldly scene. Corey believed we were climbing to Mordor. And climb we did, 2,100 feet in 3 miles - a steep and strenuous hike. It took us 2 hours to reach the peak - and the last half mile was more rock climbing the hiking - following the ridge line to the top. It was our first summit hike and we felt like kings.
Reaching a new high on our journey, we left Salt Lake eager to see what the Lord had in store for us next. And to think we had doubted Him... How often we resemble the Israelites. Though God freed them from their captors, split the Red Sea, made water flow from rocks in the desert and provided manna like dew every morning, the Israelites balked at every new challenge on their journey to the Promised Land. Give us faith Lord, to see past the desert, to your purpose.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Honeymoon Tour - Fort Collins, CO / Cheyenne, WY
We finished up our time in the Denver area by exploring the beautiful town of Golden. Nestled snug in the foothills of the Rockies, Golden has a small town charm that makes you want to stay awhile. So we did, exploring the shops and taking in the cold Colorado air. After visiting Buffalo Bill's grave on top of Lookout Mountain we met up with our dear old friend, John Carpenter. John was a part of Summon The Fleet, Corey's infamous melodic hardcore band from our Visible Music College days, so we spent the night reminiscing on the "epic days of our youth." The beauty of friends like John is that you can meet up after years apart and feel like no time has passed at all. True friendship knows no time.
We said goodbye to our Colorado home Friday afternoon on route for Fort Collins, CO. We were booked to play at The Alley Cat, an artsy coffee house that attracts students from the adjacent university. The whole place was buzzing - call it the coffee or the college kids. Corey and I couldn't help but feel old as we gazed around, commenting on how young they all looked. Age creeps up on you like that. I remember thinking I had arrived at adulthood when I turned 18… now 18 year olds look like babies… Sigh.
We played a 45 minute set before their Open Mic. Afterwards we stuck around to take in a few local acts. Open Mics are always an interesting mix - you just never know what you're gonna get when you allow the general public a microphone… Depending on the community you can count on at least one old cowboy, one retired choir director who still prefers to sing with classical vocal technique, a lead guitarist turned songwriter who really should have left singing to the vocalists and a slew of wide eyed youth playing for a crowd for the very first time. With the right group it can be a great community of support for musicians young and old. Amongst the usual suspects that night we witnessed a two piece folk band - who covered our fav Old Crow Medicine Show song - Wagon Wheel, as well as a a 90's throwback band who covered Eagle Eye Cherry (remember him? me neither - ha).
After we finished socializing we drove 40 miles north to our host home in Cheyenne, WY. Our host, Aaron was a contact from Corey's tour with Redefined in Red. He lived in a doublewide with his wife, two kids and two dogs (a basset hound and the fattest cocker spaniel I have ever seen in my life… she looked ilke and Ewok - it was unnatural!) A crowded home to be sure, but one of the sweetest families we've ever met Though he had to leave for work before the sun came up, Aaron waited for us to arrive and talked with us until well after midnight. He was an open book, sharing with us about his family, his vision for ministry and testimony upon testimony of God's goodness. He asked about our tour and offered some encouragement. It was a wonderful night of fellowship with a man that Corey had met for 20 minutes 2 years ago… What a great heart. We slept in his 11 year old daughter's room, painted bright pink and covered with stuffed animals. I'm pretty sure Corey used "Mrs. M&M" as his pillow and our comforter was a fleece blanket smattered with Disney Princesses .
The whole experience got me thinking about Martha and Mary…. We all know the story… Martha and Mary invite Jesus and his disciples into their home. Martha is busy in the kitchen, frantically preparing the meal and getting things in order. Her younger sister Mary on the other hand, is in the living room, sitting at Jesus' feet. Martha being frustrated that all the work has fallen upon her, storms into the living room and says "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me! Being more of a Martha myself - I can totally see where Martha is coming from. There is so much work to be done! And lazy couch potato little sister over there is just sitting on her butt. However, rather than rebuking Mary, telling her to get her act together and be some help to her darling sister, Jesus instead rebukes Martha. "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away form her."
Corey and I have experienced a wide range of host homes. Some have pristine 3500 square foot homes with a guest suite complete with heated towels (so not making that up!) It is obvious that the host put a lot of time into making sure their home was in order before our arrival. The towels are freshly washed and folded neatly at the foot of the bed. The bathrooms have been stocked up with toilet paper and toiletries. The bed is made up with crisp linens and so many decorative pillows you're not sure you'll find a mattress underneath it all. Don't get me wrong, these homes are amazing… like staying at a resort or a bed and breakfast, However, the hosts that have the greatest impact on us are not necessarily the ones with the largest, most beautifully decorated homes, but rather the ones that choose to engage with us. Those that share their hearts and lives with us. Those people have chosen the "better" thing. Their homes may be a little worse for wear, you might have to search for a clean towel or restock the tp roll on your own. But you never have to guess for a minute what their first priority is - people. Loving people. And in a trailer park in an industrial city in Wyoming, we met one of the most loving people you'll ever meet.
It is my hope to learn from the Mary's of the world. To pause from my frantic "preparations" and choose the "better." To invest my time in the beautiful souls around me. I am sure it will make my life and heart all the richer.
We said goodbye to our Colorado home Friday afternoon on route for Fort Collins, CO. We were booked to play at The Alley Cat, an artsy coffee house that attracts students from the adjacent university. The whole place was buzzing - call it the coffee or the college kids. Corey and I couldn't help but feel old as we gazed around, commenting on how young they all looked. Age creeps up on you like that. I remember thinking I had arrived at adulthood when I turned 18… now 18 year olds look like babies… Sigh.
We played a 45 minute set before their Open Mic. Afterwards we stuck around to take in a few local acts. Open Mics are always an interesting mix - you just never know what you're gonna get when you allow the general public a microphone… Depending on the community you can count on at least one old cowboy, one retired choir director who still prefers to sing with classical vocal technique, a lead guitarist turned songwriter who really should have left singing to the vocalists and a slew of wide eyed youth playing for a crowd for the very first time. With the right group it can be a great community of support for musicians young and old. Amongst the usual suspects that night we witnessed a two piece folk band - who covered our fav Old Crow Medicine Show song - Wagon Wheel, as well as a a 90's throwback band who covered Eagle Eye Cherry (remember him? me neither - ha).
After we finished socializing we drove 40 miles north to our host home in Cheyenne, WY. Our host, Aaron was a contact from Corey's tour with Redefined in Red. He lived in a doublewide with his wife, two kids and two dogs (a basset hound and the fattest cocker spaniel I have ever seen in my life… she looked ilke and Ewok - it was unnatural!) A crowded home to be sure, but one of the sweetest families we've ever met Though he had to leave for work before the sun came up, Aaron waited for us to arrive and talked with us until well after midnight. He was an open book, sharing with us about his family, his vision for ministry and testimony upon testimony of God's goodness. He asked about our tour and offered some encouragement. It was a wonderful night of fellowship with a man that Corey had met for 20 minutes 2 years ago… What a great heart. We slept in his 11 year old daughter's room, painted bright pink and covered with stuffed animals. I'm pretty sure Corey used "Mrs. M&M" as his pillow and our comforter was a fleece blanket smattered with Disney Princesses .
The whole experience got me thinking about Martha and Mary…. We all know the story… Martha and Mary invite Jesus and his disciples into their home. Martha is busy in the kitchen, frantically preparing the meal and getting things in order. Her younger sister Mary on the other hand, is in the living room, sitting at Jesus' feet. Martha being frustrated that all the work has fallen upon her, storms into the living room and says "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me! Being more of a Martha myself - I can totally see where Martha is coming from. There is so much work to be done! And lazy couch potato little sister over there is just sitting on her butt. However, rather than rebuking Mary, telling her to get her act together and be some help to her darling sister, Jesus instead rebukes Martha. "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away form her."
Corey and I have experienced a wide range of host homes. Some have pristine 3500 square foot homes with a guest suite complete with heated towels (so not making that up!) It is obvious that the host put a lot of time into making sure their home was in order before our arrival. The towels are freshly washed and folded neatly at the foot of the bed. The bathrooms have been stocked up with toilet paper and toiletries. The bed is made up with crisp linens and so many decorative pillows you're not sure you'll find a mattress underneath it all. Don't get me wrong, these homes are amazing… like staying at a resort or a bed and breakfast, However, the hosts that have the greatest impact on us are not necessarily the ones with the largest, most beautifully decorated homes, but rather the ones that choose to engage with us. Those that share their hearts and lives with us. Those people have chosen the "better" thing. Their homes may be a little worse for wear, you might have to search for a clean towel or restock the tp roll on your own. But you never have to guess for a minute what their first priority is - people. Loving people. And in a trailer park in an industrial city in Wyoming, we met one of the most loving people you'll ever meet.
It is my hope to learn from the Mary's of the world. To pause from my frantic "preparations" and choose the "better." To invest my time in the beautiful souls around me. I am sure it will make my life and heart all the richer.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Honeymoon Tour - Denver, CO
We were fortunate to spend the past 4 days enjoying good ole Denver CO, staying with Corey's uncle Brad and his beautiful wife Suzanne. After a full day of driving on Sunday, through a long stretch of flat, the mountains were a welcome sight. We arrived at their recently remodeled home in Arvada just in time for dinner. We met the "kids," two sweet and timid rescue dogs named Lizzie and Freckle and a friendly cat named Daisy. We spent the evening catching up over a wonderful home cooked meal. It was so nice to invest in some quality time with my new family. Having spent the past five years in Memphis, approximately 1,000 miles away from either of our families, Corey and I haven't had many opportunities to "get to know" the relatives. We welcomed the chance to visit at length, share stories and laughs and deepen our family ties.
On Monday we were booked to play at the Denver Rescue Mission's Lawrence Street Shelter in downtown Denver. The Lawrence Street Shelter, one of many ministries set up by the Denver Rescue Mission, is geared specifically toward men. Every night they house up to 300 men and offer 3 meals daily - serving over 1,000 meals every day. They also offer free medical, dental, optical and chiropractic care. Chapel services are hosted nightly and are led by volunteer speakers and musicians. In addition, The Lawrence Shelter is an entry point for DRM's rehabilitation program called New Life. Men who are committed to positive change are placed into a probationary period before they are entered into the New Life Program. During their probationary period they are assigned a position within the shelter, ranging from security to directing chapel services. We met one of these men who told us he worked 12 hour days, waking up at 4 or 5am to begin his tasks for the day.
We arrived at the shelter early and were greeted at the door by James, a New Life candidate in charge of the chapel services. He led us to the Chapel to set up only to find that we were actually supposed to be playing downstairs in the cafeteria for dinner. However the person who was supposed to speak for chapel never showed up so they asked us if we would be willing to play for the Chapel time instead. The mishap must have been God ordained because it ended up being the most powerful show we've ever put on. Playing at bars and coffee shops we grow accustomed to being background noise. A few people will gather in close and pay attention, but for the most part we set the mood for others to socialize. At the Chapel service however, the men gathered in and hung on every word. It was humbling and beautiful. Men of every color and every age, listening intently, seeking a word of hope. The Holy Spirit was very present throughout and it seemed He managed to bring greater meaning to our music that ever before. Bag of Bones encouraged the men that "there's still time, your old bag of bones can learn to fly. there's still time, your old bag of bones wasn't born just to die." Save Me reminded them that it is through sorrow and suffering that we grow and are sanctified. God goes with us, he loves pursues us, even in the Belly of a Whale. Every song offered a chance to bring a word of encouragement. Each testimony was greeted with an "amen" or applause. After Blood and Wine, written as a desperate cry for God, I asked the men if we could pray. The men responded with a resounding and enthusiastic yes and we went into a time of prayer. We ended the set with a couple upbeat tunes, the first beingTumbleweed. We encouraged the men to sink their roots down deep, draw life from the everlasting waters of God lest they become rootless, aimless, brittle - like a tumbleweed.
Jeremiah 17: 7-8
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.”
Tumbleweed had the men clapping and singing along and even brought one man (by the name of Durango Kidd) to his feet to dance. To give you a mental picture… Durango was an easy 75 years old - tall and thin with white hair and a long beard. He wore thick bifocal glasses, two pairs of jeans and a book stuffed into his waistband. He had a bright green sweatshirt, a cowboy hat over the hood, and a mexican poncho and danced "the cowboy" while the rest of the men cheered him on. Talk about the Joy of the Lord. We finished out with Ring of Fire, telling them that God's love is a burning flame that many waters cannot quench. It was truly the most significant show we've ever had. Afterward we were able to socialize with the men. We met Durango who started all his conversations by asking your birthday. After which he informed you of your astrology sign. Apparently Corey is an Aries and a natural born leader ;) We met Bill - a very sincere man who was deeply moved by our music. As well as Eddie who commented - I'm just chipping away… chipping away at a brick wall - one piece at a time. One of these days I'm gong to break through and see the light." Austin approached us to say that he really liked what we had to say. We could tell there was something going on under the surface as his eyes started to tear up. We asked if there was something we could pray for and he said "my life.. I mean my whole life has been sh***y." We prayed with him as well as Anthony - a young man with a loving spirit. We came to find he was a drummer who had gotten caught up in drugs and now hasn't seen his nine year old son for over a year and a half. "I'm walking in obedience to the Lord though… I prayed that I would find fellowship tonight and I met you guys." After we prayed for him, he prayed for us in return - asking that the Lord unify us as a couple and go with us on the road. We were totally blessed by him. After Chapel we went downstairs and ate dinner with the men. We met several more guys, some musicians, some passionate music lovers. We overheard Durango asking for more birthdays. It was a great time of fellowship.
I think its safe to say it was the best show experience we've ever had. Feeling the Lord present in our music, ministering to the men and being used by God gave us the confirmation that we are exactly where God intended us to be. We certainly had times of doubt as we prepared for this tour. We came across so many obstacles we started to wonder if we were really supposed to be doing this. Fear has a way of taking hold and preventing us from walking in the way of God. God's way is not always easy and it doesn't always make sense. At times it seems down right crazy. Its tempting to do the "safe" thing. The comfortable thing. But if we take the leap of faith, if we choose to walk in obedience - He reveals more and more of himself. And the richness of His blessing is far greater than our fears. If only we are willing silence our fears and choose the risky thing…
The Lord continued to confirm His plan for us on Wednesday when we took an impromptu trip into Estes Park to visit Rocky Mountain National Park. Despite the freezing temperatures and driving winds up to 28mph, we drove almost 2 hours to the park, an incredible drive through the valley into the Rockies. We hiked up the mountain to Nymph Lake and down to Alberta Falls, bundled up tight against the cold but enjoying the breathtaking views. Then we headed into town to wander through the shops of Elkhorn Avenue. Just as we were hustling back to the car to head home, we caught glimpse of a giant sign that said COFFEE. "Babe - we are going there." Corey led us up a side street, through a winding courtyard to Caffe Collage. Grateful to be out of the cold, we entered a cozy coffee house decked out with comfy couches and decoupage tables. We were greeted by a young barista who shuffled across the room to put away her mandolin. Of course the folk instrument caught our eye so we struck up a conversation… Came to find that the girl, Rachel was part of a family band and that she was in fact the owner of the coffee shop - at the age of 21. Surprised that she would own a business at such a young age we asked her how it came to be - "Oh its all God. I wouldn't be here without him." She continued to share with us her story - and we shared ours. She asked us to play some music, offering her guitar. So we played a song and she played one in return - a beautiful rendition of the old hymn Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus… She played an old upright piano that was gifted to her by a friend. "Everything in this shop was a gift from God, donated in some way…" Being the only ones in the cafe, save for Rachel's 10 year old sister Tahlia, we felt as though we were visiting an old friend. With a true gift for hospitality, Rachel made us feel right at home, visiting with us long after closing time. She sent us off with a bag of fresh ground coffee "on the house" and an open invitation to come back and play a show anytime.
As we left we had a profound sense of peace….realizing that the Lord truly has a plan and a purpose for this tour. We have made our plans, but the Lord is directing our steps. He has orchestrated not only our shows… but also the people we will meet - even those seemingly by chance… on last minute trips into the mountains…. And it is through His people that He reveals Himself… through the Body of Christ, the Church, that bears His image. We discover more and more of God's grace, power and beauty in the people we meet along the road. As they share their stories with us we see His work in them and it furthers our faith and trust in Him. We begin to understand the depth of His love - the fullness of His work. In every city we play, every town we pass, each person the crosses before us - He is there. Present and working. Pretty overwhelming when you try to grasp it. But we are blessed by the opportunity to discover even the smallest portion of His work and we eagerly await all that stands before us. Planned and unplanned.
On Monday we were booked to play at the Denver Rescue Mission's Lawrence Street Shelter in downtown Denver. The Lawrence Street Shelter, one of many ministries set up by the Denver Rescue Mission, is geared specifically toward men. Every night they house up to 300 men and offer 3 meals daily - serving over 1,000 meals every day. They also offer free medical, dental, optical and chiropractic care. Chapel services are hosted nightly and are led by volunteer speakers and musicians. In addition, The Lawrence Shelter is an entry point for DRM's rehabilitation program called New Life. Men who are committed to positive change are placed into a probationary period before they are entered into the New Life Program. During their probationary period they are assigned a position within the shelter, ranging from security to directing chapel services. We met one of these men who told us he worked 12 hour days, waking up at 4 or 5am to begin his tasks for the day.
We arrived at the shelter early and were greeted at the door by James, a New Life candidate in charge of the chapel services. He led us to the Chapel to set up only to find that we were actually supposed to be playing downstairs in the cafeteria for dinner. However the person who was supposed to speak for chapel never showed up so they asked us if we would be willing to play for the Chapel time instead. The mishap must have been God ordained because it ended up being the most powerful show we've ever put on. Playing at bars and coffee shops we grow accustomed to being background noise. A few people will gather in close and pay attention, but for the most part we set the mood for others to socialize. At the Chapel service however, the men gathered in and hung on every word. It was humbling and beautiful. Men of every color and every age, listening intently, seeking a word of hope. The Holy Spirit was very present throughout and it seemed He managed to bring greater meaning to our music that ever before. Bag of Bones encouraged the men that "there's still time, your old bag of bones can learn to fly. there's still time, your old bag of bones wasn't born just to die." Save Me reminded them that it is through sorrow and suffering that we grow and are sanctified. God goes with us, he loves pursues us, even in the Belly of a Whale. Every song offered a chance to bring a word of encouragement. Each testimony was greeted with an "amen" or applause. After Blood and Wine, written as a desperate cry for God, I asked the men if we could pray. The men responded with a resounding and enthusiastic yes and we went into a time of prayer. We ended the set with a couple upbeat tunes, the first beingTumbleweed. We encouraged the men to sink their roots down deep, draw life from the everlasting waters of God lest they become rootless, aimless, brittle - like a tumbleweed.
Jeremiah 17: 7-8
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.”
Tumbleweed had the men clapping and singing along and even brought one man (by the name of Durango Kidd) to his feet to dance. To give you a mental picture… Durango was an easy 75 years old - tall and thin with white hair and a long beard. He wore thick bifocal glasses, two pairs of jeans and a book stuffed into his waistband. He had a bright green sweatshirt, a cowboy hat over the hood, and a mexican poncho and danced "the cowboy" while the rest of the men cheered him on. Talk about the Joy of the Lord. We finished out with Ring of Fire, telling them that God's love is a burning flame that many waters cannot quench. It was truly the most significant show we've ever had. Afterward we were able to socialize with the men. We met Durango who started all his conversations by asking your birthday. After which he informed you of your astrology sign. Apparently Corey is an Aries and a natural born leader ;) We met Bill - a very sincere man who was deeply moved by our music. As well as Eddie who commented - I'm just chipping away… chipping away at a brick wall - one piece at a time. One of these days I'm gong to break through and see the light." Austin approached us to say that he really liked what we had to say. We could tell there was something going on under the surface as his eyes started to tear up. We asked if there was something we could pray for and he said "my life.. I mean my whole life has been sh***y." We prayed with him as well as Anthony - a young man with a loving spirit. We came to find he was a drummer who had gotten caught up in drugs and now hasn't seen his nine year old son for over a year and a half. "I'm walking in obedience to the Lord though… I prayed that I would find fellowship tonight and I met you guys." After we prayed for him, he prayed for us in return - asking that the Lord unify us as a couple and go with us on the road. We were totally blessed by him. After Chapel we went downstairs and ate dinner with the men. We met several more guys, some musicians, some passionate music lovers. We overheard Durango asking for more birthdays. It was a great time of fellowship.
I think its safe to say it was the best show experience we've ever had. Feeling the Lord present in our music, ministering to the men and being used by God gave us the confirmation that we are exactly where God intended us to be. We certainly had times of doubt as we prepared for this tour. We came across so many obstacles we started to wonder if we were really supposed to be doing this. Fear has a way of taking hold and preventing us from walking in the way of God. God's way is not always easy and it doesn't always make sense. At times it seems down right crazy. Its tempting to do the "safe" thing. The comfortable thing. But if we take the leap of faith, if we choose to walk in obedience - He reveals more and more of himself. And the richness of His blessing is far greater than our fears. If only we are willing silence our fears and choose the risky thing…
The Lord continued to confirm His plan for us on Wednesday when we took an impromptu trip into Estes Park to visit Rocky Mountain National Park. Despite the freezing temperatures and driving winds up to 28mph, we drove almost 2 hours to the park, an incredible drive through the valley into the Rockies. We hiked up the mountain to Nymph Lake and down to Alberta Falls, bundled up tight against the cold but enjoying the breathtaking views. Then we headed into town to wander through the shops of Elkhorn Avenue. Just as we were hustling back to the car to head home, we caught glimpse of a giant sign that said COFFEE. "Babe - we are going there." Corey led us up a side street, through a winding courtyard to Caffe Collage. Grateful to be out of the cold, we entered a cozy coffee house decked out with comfy couches and decoupage tables. We were greeted by a young barista who shuffled across the room to put away her mandolin. Of course the folk instrument caught our eye so we struck up a conversation… Came to find that the girl, Rachel was part of a family band and that she was in fact the owner of the coffee shop - at the age of 21. Surprised that she would own a business at such a young age we asked her how it came to be - "Oh its all God. I wouldn't be here without him." She continued to share with us her story - and we shared ours. She asked us to play some music, offering her guitar. So we played a song and she played one in return - a beautiful rendition of the old hymn Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus… She played an old upright piano that was gifted to her by a friend. "Everything in this shop was a gift from God, donated in some way…" Being the only ones in the cafe, save for Rachel's 10 year old sister Tahlia, we felt as though we were visiting an old friend. With a true gift for hospitality, Rachel made us feel right at home, visiting with us long after closing time. She sent us off with a bag of fresh ground coffee "on the house" and an open invitation to come back and play a show anytime.
As we left we had a profound sense of peace….realizing that the Lord truly has a plan and a purpose for this tour. We have made our plans, but the Lord is directing our steps. He has orchestrated not only our shows… but also the people we will meet - even those seemingly by chance… on last minute trips into the mountains…. And it is through His people that He reveals Himself… through the Body of Christ, the Church, that bears His image. We discover more and more of God's grace, power and beauty in the people we meet along the road. As they share their stories with us we see His work in them and it furthers our faith and trust in Him. We begin to understand the depth of His love - the fullness of His work. In every city we play, every town we pass, each person the crosses before us - He is there. Present and working. Pretty overwhelming when you try to grasp it. But we are blessed by the opportunity to discover even the smallest portion of His work and we eagerly await all that stands before us. Planned and unplanned.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Honeymoon Tour - Lincoln, NE
Good morning friends. Up and at 'em early today after an eye opening experience last night. Yesterday we drove through SD, IA and NE to get to the People City Mission of Lincoln. The PCM is an incredible resource for homeless and impoverished in the Lincoln area. The facility offers housing and aid to a wide range of cliental. They have housing available for families, single moms and single women in their Family Shelter. These folks are set up with case workers helping them to find jobs, cars and permanent housing. PCM also has transitional housing for men and women with programs to assist in Spritual, Educational, Recovery or Vocational restoration. The men and women in the transitional program pay rent to stay there and attend classes daily. The Emergency Services center provides overnight housing for families and individuals in crisis situations and the Free Clinic offers medical care via volunteer doctors and nurses. In addition, they provide 3 meals a day, everyday, clean sheets, towels, and amenities. `PCM is a faith based ministry that is privately owned an operated. All funding is provided by donors. Between the funders, staff, and clients it is said that over 50% of Lincoln's population has been involved in the People City Mission in some way.
We had the privilege of playing for the residents during their meal time and spending the night at the facility. We were greeted the door by a bubbly case worker named Katie. Her rapport with the residents was remarkable. She carried a smile everywhere she went, sharing a little joy with those she passed. Among those on staff were former residents, recovered addicts, social workers, a worship leader from the International House of Prayer. It was a beautiful array of folks who loved the Lord sharing hope and healing with people in need.
Throughout the night we met several residents who shared with us a little of their story. Michael was excited to have us there explaining that he gave His life to the Lord after a similar music group came to play. Marilyn - a sweet elderly woman requested we play one of her cousin's songs - Virginia Patterson Hensley aka - the great Patsy Cline. We ate dinner with a woman named Daphne who just moved to Lincoln from non other than Memphis, TN. Small world. And Keith informed me that he built the computer that runs the hubble telescope... The accuracy of that claim is yet to be determined :)
Our music was well received and the residents were warm and gracious. We felt like guests being welcomed into the family. On several occasions we were approached by folks who wanted to thank us for coming. They were so encouraging and it totally blessed us. Funny how that happens... you set out to minister and find yourself being ministered to.
That night we slept in a small apartment in the family shelter. It came complete with twin bunk beds, a small living room with a Lazy-boy and a bathroom. With so many folks under one roof hot water was non-existent, so we took cold showers in the morning and said our goodbyes. Rested and content we reflected on our night as we headed west. Next stop - Denver, CO.
We had the privilege of playing for the residents during their meal time and spending the night at the facility. We were greeted the door by a bubbly case worker named Katie. Her rapport with the residents was remarkable. She carried a smile everywhere she went, sharing a little joy with those she passed. Among those on staff were former residents, recovered addicts, social workers, a worship leader from the International House of Prayer. It was a beautiful array of folks who loved the Lord sharing hope and healing with people in need.
Throughout the night we met several residents who shared with us a little of their story. Michael was excited to have us there explaining that he gave His life to the Lord after a similar music group came to play. Marilyn - a sweet elderly woman requested we play one of her cousin's songs - Virginia Patterson Hensley aka - the great Patsy Cline. We ate dinner with a woman named Daphne who just moved to Lincoln from non other than Memphis, TN. Small world. And Keith informed me that he built the computer that runs the hubble telescope... The accuracy of that claim is yet to be determined :)
Our music was well received and the residents were warm and gracious. We felt like guests being welcomed into the family. On several occasions we were approached by folks who wanted to thank us for coming. They were so encouraging and it totally blessed us. Funny how that happens... you set out to minister and find yourself being ministered to.
That night we slept in a small apartment in the family shelter. It came complete with twin bunk beds, a small living room with a Lazy-boy and a bathroom. With so many folks under one roof hot water was non-existent, so we took cold showers in the morning and said our goodbyes. Rested and content we reflected on our night as we headed west. Next stop - Denver, CO.
Honeymoon Tour - Souix Falls, SD
On September 9th. I married my best friend and the best man I know. The long awaited day couldn't have been more beautiful. Under an oak tree, with my dearest friends and family gathered around us, I committed my life to my husband.
"Where you go I will go, Where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die and there i will be buried. May the Lord deal with me if even death separates you form me."
Together we are embarking on an adventure together. As many of you know - we've committed the first season of our marriage to traveling the country, sharing our music and testimony. For the next 40 days we'll be playing at churches, coffee shops, homeless shelters and bars west of the Mississippi. It is our desire to pour out our lives as a sacrifice to the Lord and pour Christ's love on those that cross our path. In the meantime we'll be listening for His voice to guide us into the next season of our lives. We invite you to join us on our journey west.
We started our tour yesterday after a frenzied 48 hours of packing and preparation. We flew into MN from Maryland on Wednesday afternoon and left Friday afternoon for our first destination - Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Go big or go home. Our mode of transport: my parents Honda Odyssey, packed to the brim with our sound system, our camping gear and a custom built loft created by my amazing husband (so we have a place to lay our heads on night we don't have a host home). Taking care of me from the start :) It didn't take long for our loft bed to get put to use. Bogged down by a nasty cold I crawled into the back approximately 30 minutes into the drive. Slept like a champ.
Driving through south-western Minnesota proved easy enough, straight and flat. As Corey put it - With the cruise control on I really don't have to do much. We stopped by our host home before the show - located down a long dirt road and surrounded by corn fields. We were greeted by the lovely and amazing Bruce and Joyce Olsen with daughter and grandkids in tow. They fed us a feast of comfort food; a good ole-fashioned midwestern roast - complete with veggies from the garden and the beef from a family farm. It was nice to start off the tour with some familiar faces. (Bruce and Joyce are parents to two of our closest friends - The infamous Carolina Story). On the road you realize you have family everywhere, people willing to share their home and stories with you. Makes the world feel a lot smaller. And a lot sweeter too.
We then headed out to find our venue, a recently renovated bar right on the train tracks in downtown Sioux Falls, called Latitude 44. It was a beautiful place - cozy and warm and run by Cyndy, the sweetest bar mama I've ever met. 62 years young with a penchant for calling her patrons "hon" and passing out as many hugs as drinks. "We're a family here," she said. "Yea this place is like a warm hug" added a faithful patron by the name of Dave.
We shared the stage with two other acts. Hello Signal and Weliveinsodhouses. A great group of people who welcomed us in with open arms - literally. Hugs all around. One man band Hello Signal opened the show, followed by Weliveinsodhouses a 5 piece indie rock band led by husband and wife team Dustin and Rachel - Dustin on guitar and vocals, Rachel on drums. Ironic right? We had a great time talking with the fellow husband and wife duo. Came to find that the couple - who we assumed we younger than us by their appearance and enthusiasm, were actually 10 years older than us, with a 6 year old boy, an organic crop farm and 2 thousand hogs. It was inspiring to see a couple 10 years ahead of us with a successful business and growing family who are still pursuing music with a passion. They've even developed their own music festival. Every year on the 4th of July they host a festival with 10+ bands playing in their back yard. They don't charge admission - they just do it because they love it. "We have to limit the number of kids who come though - last year there were 30 of them running around like a pack of ferrel children - wanting to light off fireworks and blow things up… It just gets to be an insurance issue…"
All in all I'd say our first show of the tour was a success. Despite a raging cold draggin both of us down, we sang the best we could. In a bar room in south dakota, we brought the name of Jesus to a family of folks just looking for a good time and a place to belong. As people settled in to watch us, I became very aware of every mention of His name. Its my prayer that the Lord was able to speak through our music, calling his people home - where their hearts truly belong. At the very least we offered them the good time they were looking for as people clapped and sang along late into the night.
After the show we spent a good deal of time talking and hanging out with the folks there, leaving the bar well after 1am. We headed back to our host home, loaded up on homeopathic drugs to fight off our colds - I swear we could open up shop as a mobile hospital - and hit the hay. After a few short hours of sleep we were fed a heaping breakfast by the oh-so gracious Olsen family and headed out for Lincoln, NE. Our next stop - People City Mission.
"Where you go I will go, Where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die and there i will be buried. May the Lord deal with me if even death separates you form me."
Together we are embarking on an adventure together. As many of you know - we've committed the first season of our marriage to traveling the country, sharing our music and testimony. For the next 40 days we'll be playing at churches, coffee shops, homeless shelters and bars west of the Mississippi. It is our desire to pour out our lives as a sacrifice to the Lord and pour Christ's love on those that cross our path. In the meantime we'll be listening for His voice to guide us into the next season of our lives. We invite you to join us on our journey west.
We started our tour yesterday after a frenzied 48 hours of packing and preparation. We flew into MN from Maryland on Wednesday afternoon and left Friday afternoon for our first destination - Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Go big or go home. Our mode of transport: my parents Honda Odyssey, packed to the brim with our sound system, our camping gear and a custom built loft created by my amazing husband (so we have a place to lay our heads on night we don't have a host home). Taking care of me from the start :) It didn't take long for our loft bed to get put to use. Bogged down by a nasty cold I crawled into the back approximately 30 minutes into the drive. Slept like a champ.
Driving through south-western Minnesota proved easy enough, straight and flat. As Corey put it - With the cruise control on I really don't have to do much. We stopped by our host home before the show - located down a long dirt road and surrounded by corn fields. We were greeted by the lovely and amazing Bruce and Joyce Olsen with daughter and grandkids in tow. They fed us a feast of comfort food; a good ole-fashioned midwestern roast - complete with veggies from the garden and the beef from a family farm. It was nice to start off the tour with some familiar faces. (Bruce and Joyce are parents to two of our closest friends - The infamous Carolina Story). On the road you realize you have family everywhere, people willing to share their home and stories with you. Makes the world feel a lot smaller. And a lot sweeter too.
We then headed out to find our venue, a recently renovated bar right on the train tracks in downtown Sioux Falls, called Latitude 44. It was a beautiful place - cozy and warm and run by Cyndy, the sweetest bar mama I've ever met. 62 years young with a penchant for calling her patrons "hon" and passing out as many hugs as drinks. "We're a family here," she said. "Yea this place is like a warm hug" added a faithful patron by the name of Dave.
We shared the stage with two other acts. Hello Signal and Weliveinsodhouses. A great group of people who welcomed us in with open arms - literally. Hugs all around. One man band Hello Signal opened the show, followed by Weliveinsodhouses a 5 piece indie rock band led by husband and wife team Dustin and Rachel - Dustin on guitar and vocals, Rachel on drums. Ironic right? We had a great time talking with the fellow husband and wife duo. Came to find that the couple - who we assumed we younger than us by their appearance and enthusiasm, were actually 10 years older than us, with a 6 year old boy, an organic crop farm and 2 thousand hogs. It was inspiring to see a couple 10 years ahead of us with a successful business and growing family who are still pursuing music with a passion. They've even developed their own music festival. Every year on the 4th of July they host a festival with 10+ bands playing in their back yard. They don't charge admission - they just do it because they love it. "We have to limit the number of kids who come though - last year there were 30 of them running around like a pack of ferrel children - wanting to light off fireworks and blow things up… It just gets to be an insurance issue…"
All in all I'd say our first show of the tour was a success. Despite a raging cold draggin both of us down, we sang the best we could. In a bar room in south dakota, we brought the name of Jesus to a family of folks just looking for a good time and a place to belong. As people settled in to watch us, I became very aware of every mention of His name. Its my prayer that the Lord was able to speak through our music, calling his people home - where their hearts truly belong. At the very least we offered them the good time they were looking for as people clapped and sang along late into the night.
After the show we spent a good deal of time talking and hanging out with the folks there, leaving the bar well after 1am. We headed back to our host home, loaded up on homeopathic drugs to fight off our colds - I swear we could open up shop as a mobile hospital - and hit the hay. After a few short hours of sleep we were fed a heaping breakfast by the oh-so gracious Olsen family and headed out for Lincoln, NE. Our next stop - People City Mission.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Fairytale Lost
The mountain pass is long
narrow, crooked, cold
and sorrow seems a strange guide
to send me on my way
but thats the way you save me
-The Passerine
Happily ever after. I consider myself to be a pretty grounded person. Fairly realistic. But somehow, somewhere in the back of my mind I believed in happily ever after. Perhaps I read one too many fairy tales growing up. All the prince had to do was find his princess, and then they would live happily ever after. When Corey and I started our relationship I truly thought we were living in the happily ever after. Our first date happened to fall on Valentine's Day. (I know, right?). We went out for dinner and were seated at the prime spot in the restaurant, a half circle booth that sat up high and gave an overlook of the entire restaurant. We were absolutely giddy, on a high like no other, completely enamored with one another. We watched the couples seated all around, some chatting sweetly, some laughing and gazing into each other's eyes. There was one couple, though, that was sitting in silence, their eyes planted on the floor. They wouldn't look at each other. The woman said something, the man shrugged his shoulders. Their food came. They ate without speaking. We couldn't believe our eyes. How could a couple ever get to that point? We would never be like that! We had something so much better…. Oh young love…. I remember gushing to my roommate one afternoon about how God had brought us together in the most beautiful way and how amazing and wonderful everything was. Suzy, who had been dating her man for over a year just smiled and said "You're in a great season right now, Hil, enjoy it." If only I had an inkling of what she was talking about, I might have done more to take it all in.
Our happily ever after lasted about a month. I distinctly remember our first fight. Corey actually remembers the exact dress I was wearing and cringes every time I put it on. We were enjoying a walk around the lake and had settled at a picnic table to do some devotions together when he said it. I don't even know why and how it came up but he said, "Lighten up Hil, have a little fun." Game over. I promptly got up and started marching to the car. Corey had no idea what was going on. He had never seen me like this. The words were simple, and truly meant no harm, but they struck a chord that ran deep. A feeling that had haunted me all my life. That I wasn't any fun. That people didn't like me. That I was not lovable. One of those wounds from childhood that have a way of surfacing at the most unexpected times. And that's the trick of it. We all have land mines hidden in our hearts. Without warning you'll find yourself in a cloud of fire and smoke wondering what just happened.
We hit one of Corey's a few weeks later on a trip back to his home in Maryland. We had anticipated a lovely, relaxing vacation. Having been brought together in such a beautiful way there was a great amount of pressure for perfection in our relationship. Both of us had made mistakes in our previous relationships and we wanted this one to be perfect. All we had to do was not mess it up. One carefree night, unbeknownst to us, we stumbled into treacherous land. We said I love you. But the moment was all wrong. It wasn't special enough. It didn't hold the depth that it ought to. It wasn't how we wanted our story to go. The pressure for perfection was too great. Corey withdrew. The force of it was as felt strong as dynamite. He seemed a stranger. It left me asking who was this person standing before me and where did my boyfriend go? A lonely place to be when you're 1,000 miles from anyone you know...
We realized we didn't know each other near as well and we thought. As we discovered more about each other, our list of differences grew at an exponential rate. And their implications seemed overwhelming. I was a planner, Corey liked to fly by the seat of his pants. (So I seemed controlling and Corey seemed irresponsible.) I desired to have heartfelt conversations, Corey wanted someone to goof off with. (But I never felt like I was any fun and Corey never felt that he had any spiritual depth to offer.) Our weaknesses played off one another in the most devastating ways. I got overwhelmed in large groups, Corey was a social butterfly. I spoke openly, Corey was a closed book. The list went on and on. It seemed impossible for this relationship to work. How could two people with such different needs, desires, strengths and weaknesses every work together. We were too different. It was a disaster. How could this be and why would God bring us together if it was going to be so hard?
John Eldrige spoke on this in his book Love and War. He brings up the phrase that veterans of dangerous expeditions unanimously urge, "Choose your tent mate carefully." The saying implies that you ought to choose someone you are utterly compatible with because after weeks on end in close quarters, every small difference will drive you crazy. That's not how God works though…
"God does the opposite - he puts us with our opposite. Our mutual brokenness plays off each other so perfectly that is its frightening. It's like throwing a dog and a cat in a dryer… like throwing Cinderella and Huck Finn into a submarine and closing the hatch"
Here I was, Cinderella, arms crossed, sitting beside Huck Finn floating somewhere in the ocean, wondering why… wondering why we had gotten into this mess and how we would ever make it out alive. I was reminded of my creative writing course in college. Our very first lesson was on conflict. My professor insisted that without conflict, there is no story. I could tell you about the most beautiful day, the sun shining, birds singing, not a cloud in the sky. We go for a picnic, set out our blanket underneath the shade of a perfect oak tree. Have a delicious meal, a nice conversation and go home. Nothing about that chain of events would be compelling. But if I told you we had gone for a picnic… The boy desperately wanted to impress me…. Nervously opening the tupperware, he flung the pasta salad into the air, landing it on my head, as rain began to pour down… you would would have yourself a story. We all have a picture in our minds of a perfect life. Life exactly how it was "meant" to be. Easy, happy without conflict. We strive for that perfection in our lives. But we need conflict. Conflict creates story. And God is the ultimate author. He knows all the elements of a good story and has a penchant for creating the most compelling character arch. The writer of a good novel knows that he must put his characters under pressure. That his characters much experience some pain for the purpose of his ultimate growth.
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son."
Romans 8:28-29
The Lord works ALL things, the heartbreak, the frustration, the struggle, for good. He uses it all to conform us into the likeness of Christ. There is purpose in it all - our sanctification. God throws dogs and cats in the dryer together, Cinderella and Huck Finn in the submarine together, to grow us. God doesn't put us with the easiest tent mate, but the one who cause us the greatest growth, who will bring the greatest benefit to our life. As Eldrege put it, He lures us into relationship and then uses it to transform us. And what is true in story is true in life, it is conflict, trials, suffering that transforms us.
"We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character hope. and that hope will never put us to shame."
Romans 5:3-4.
The beautiful allegory, Hinds Feet for High Places, tells the story of a woman named Muich Afraid who is invited by The Good Shepherd to journey to the High Places and receive a new name. He sends her two guides on her way named Sorrow and Suffering. Upon meeting her companions for the journey she is utterly dismayed. "You tell me that the mountain way itself is so steep and difficult that I cannot climb it alone. Then why, oh why must you make Sorrow and Suffering my companions?" But the Good Shepherd responds, "They are good teachers, indeed I have few better. Fear not, Much afraid, I promise that you shall not be put to shame. Go with Sorrow and Suffering and they will take you exactly where I want you to go."
Sorrow and suffering are indeed good teachers. The trials of our relationship led us up a steep and rocky road. But with every conflict, we grew.
"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another."
Proverbs 27:17
I don't know if you're aware of what happens when iron meets iron, but sparks fly. I think about all of the conflicts Corey and I had (and have) and I tell you what - we had some epic sparks. It wasn't easy. At several points in our relationship we had to ask ourselves if it was really worth it. It we were really meant to be together. But standing on the other side of the fire, I see it far more clearly. We were sharpening one another. The vast amount of growth that has occurred in each one of us over the past 3 years is evidence enough that God knows exactly what he's doing. And though the happily ever after doesn't look like I excepted, it is there all the same. Richer and more significant than I could have ever hoped.
narrow, crooked, cold
and sorrow seems a strange guide
to send me on my way
but thats the way you save me
-The Passerine
Happily ever after. I consider myself to be a pretty grounded person. Fairly realistic. But somehow, somewhere in the back of my mind I believed in happily ever after. Perhaps I read one too many fairy tales growing up. All the prince had to do was find his princess, and then they would live happily ever after. When Corey and I started our relationship I truly thought we were living in the happily ever after. Our first date happened to fall on Valentine's Day. (I know, right?). We went out for dinner and were seated at the prime spot in the restaurant, a half circle booth that sat up high and gave an overlook of the entire restaurant. We were absolutely giddy, on a high like no other, completely enamored with one another. We watched the couples seated all around, some chatting sweetly, some laughing and gazing into each other's eyes. There was one couple, though, that was sitting in silence, their eyes planted on the floor. They wouldn't look at each other. The woman said something, the man shrugged his shoulders. Their food came. They ate without speaking. We couldn't believe our eyes. How could a couple ever get to that point? We would never be like that! We had something so much better…. Oh young love…. I remember gushing to my roommate one afternoon about how God had brought us together in the most beautiful way and how amazing and wonderful everything was. Suzy, who had been dating her man for over a year just smiled and said "You're in a great season right now, Hil, enjoy it." If only I had an inkling of what she was talking about, I might have done more to take it all in.
Our happily ever after lasted about a month. I distinctly remember our first fight. Corey actually remembers the exact dress I was wearing and cringes every time I put it on. We were enjoying a walk around the lake and had settled at a picnic table to do some devotions together when he said it. I don't even know why and how it came up but he said, "Lighten up Hil, have a little fun." Game over. I promptly got up and started marching to the car. Corey had no idea what was going on. He had never seen me like this. The words were simple, and truly meant no harm, but they struck a chord that ran deep. A feeling that had haunted me all my life. That I wasn't any fun. That people didn't like me. That I was not lovable. One of those wounds from childhood that have a way of surfacing at the most unexpected times. And that's the trick of it. We all have land mines hidden in our hearts. Without warning you'll find yourself in a cloud of fire and smoke wondering what just happened.
We hit one of Corey's a few weeks later on a trip back to his home in Maryland. We had anticipated a lovely, relaxing vacation. Having been brought together in such a beautiful way there was a great amount of pressure for perfection in our relationship. Both of us had made mistakes in our previous relationships and we wanted this one to be perfect. All we had to do was not mess it up. One carefree night, unbeknownst to us, we stumbled into treacherous land. We said I love you. But the moment was all wrong. It wasn't special enough. It didn't hold the depth that it ought to. It wasn't how we wanted our story to go. The pressure for perfection was too great. Corey withdrew. The force of it was as felt strong as dynamite. He seemed a stranger. It left me asking who was this person standing before me and where did my boyfriend go? A lonely place to be when you're 1,000 miles from anyone you know...
We realized we didn't know each other near as well and we thought. As we discovered more about each other, our list of differences grew at an exponential rate. And their implications seemed overwhelming. I was a planner, Corey liked to fly by the seat of his pants. (So I seemed controlling and Corey seemed irresponsible.) I desired to have heartfelt conversations, Corey wanted someone to goof off with. (But I never felt like I was any fun and Corey never felt that he had any spiritual depth to offer.) Our weaknesses played off one another in the most devastating ways. I got overwhelmed in large groups, Corey was a social butterfly. I spoke openly, Corey was a closed book. The list went on and on. It seemed impossible for this relationship to work. How could two people with such different needs, desires, strengths and weaknesses every work together. We were too different. It was a disaster. How could this be and why would God bring us together if it was going to be so hard?
John Eldrige spoke on this in his book Love and War. He brings up the phrase that veterans of dangerous expeditions unanimously urge, "Choose your tent mate carefully." The saying implies that you ought to choose someone you are utterly compatible with because after weeks on end in close quarters, every small difference will drive you crazy. That's not how God works though…
"God does the opposite - he puts us with our opposite. Our mutual brokenness plays off each other so perfectly that is its frightening. It's like throwing a dog and a cat in a dryer… like throwing Cinderella and Huck Finn into a submarine and closing the hatch"
Here I was, Cinderella, arms crossed, sitting beside Huck Finn floating somewhere in the ocean, wondering why… wondering why we had gotten into this mess and how we would ever make it out alive. I was reminded of my creative writing course in college. Our very first lesson was on conflict. My professor insisted that without conflict, there is no story. I could tell you about the most beautiful day, the sun shining, birds singing, not a cloud in the sky. We go for a picnic, set out our blanket underneath the shade of a perfect oak tree. Have a delicious meal, a nice conversation and go home. Nothing about that chain of events would be compelling. But if I told you we had gone for a picnic… The boy desperately wanted to impress me…. Nervously opening the tupperware, he flung the pasta salad into the air, landing it on my head, as rain began to pour down… you would would have yourself a story. We all have a picture in our minds of a perfect life. Life exactly how it was "meant" to be. Easy, happy without conflict. We strive for that perfection in our lives. But we need conflict. Conflict creates story. And God is the ultimate author. He knows all the elements of a good story and has a penchant for creating the most compelling character arch. The writer of a good novel knows that he must put his characters under pressure. That his characters much experience some pain for the purpose of his ultimate growth.
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son."
Romans 8:28-29
The Lord works ALL things, the heartbreak, the frustration, the struggle, for good. He uses it all to conform us into the likeness of Christ. There is purpose in it all - our sanctification. God throws dogs and cats in the dryer together, Cinderella and Huck Finn in the submarine together, to grow us. God doesn't put us with the easiest tent mate, but the one who cause us the greatest growth, who will bring the greatest benefit to our life. As Eldrege put it, He lures us into relationship and then uses it to transform us. And what is true in story is true in life, it is conflict, trials, suffering that transforms us.
"We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character hope. and that hope will never put us to shame."
Romans 5:3-4.
The beautiful allegory, Hinds Feet for High Places, tells the story of a woman named Muich Afraid who is invited by The Good Shepherd to journey to the High Places and receive a new name. He sends her two guides on her way named Sorrow and Suffering. Upon meeting her companions for the journey she is utterly dismayed. "You tell me that the mountain way itself is so steep and difficult that I cannot climb it alone. Then why, oh why must you make Sorrow and Suffering my companions?" But the Good Shepherd responds, "They are good teachers, indeed I have few better. Fear not, Much afraid, I promise that you shall not be put to shame. Go with Sorrow and Suffering and they will take you exactly where I want you to go."
Sorrow and suffering are indeed good teachers. The trials of our relationship led us up a steep and rocky road. But with every conflict, we grew.
"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another."
Proverbs 27:17
I don't know if you're aware of what happens when iron meets iron, but sparks fly. I think about all of the conflicts Corey and I had (and have) and I tell you what - we had some epic sparks. It wasn't easy. At several points in our relationship we had to ask ourselves if it was really worth it. It we were really meant to be together. But standing on the other side of the fire, I see it far more clearly. We were sharpening one another. The vast amount of growth that has occurred in each one of us over the past 3 years is evidence enough that God knows exactly what he's doing. And though the happily ever after doesn't look like I excepted, it is there all the same. Richer and more significant than I could have ever hoped.
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