Happy Fall! It's been absolutely beautiful here in So Cal and we are enjoying the warm autumn weather with trips to the pumpkin patch and the beach! I have also been back in the studio working hard on recording a new album, and playing dates all over the country. I am so excited to share these new songs because I have gotten to work with some great friends on several of these tunes. It's also been awesome to have so much support at the churches I play at every week...people seem to dig the new tracks. It's an exciting time and I will keep you posted when new music is ready to preview!

Do you ever get out of bed and just want to mute the news and social media? The chaos in the world is so brutal and overwhelming sometimes. I don't want to live in denial certainly but I often feel helpless on what I can do to help in such insane brokenness. I am so thankful for prayer and for a God who has this whole messed up orb in his hands. We are praying for fallen soldiers, their families and for the sick and hurting. Jesus is the ultimate comforter and capable of miraculous healing.  

Phillipians 4:6-7

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Summer 2021 has begun with a bang! I have been busy playing all over the country doing events, special services and trips with my wife and kids and it's been a lot of fun! Our kids are getting back into their sports post Covid and we are all traveling together again. A good friend of ours with much older kids said "these are the good ole days..enjoy them!" That struck me because I can see that it's true. I have had so many prayer requests answered over the last several years and we are living a life we truly love. I also know the only constant is change and that these moments and this time will slip through my finger tips faster than I can imagine. As doors of opportunity keep opening and we keep marching through them I am taking stock and trying to be present. I am taking snapshots of memories to carry with me. We see our lives being used by God and we are trying to love on the people He has put in our lives. We are making new friends and reconnecting with old ones. I am also writing new songs and collaborating with new friends for a project coming up! It's been an incredible time of renewal and adventure. I am so grateful and blessed. These are the days to remember...

You know I think the main prayer I have for my life is to be a vessel for the Lord. I want to be able to use my life to serve Him. After a busy, fun-filled weekend of teaching, playing and leading I feel so grateful. I am so glad I can use whatever skills/gifts I can offer, to encourage anyone to look to Jesus. It's such a fulfilling endeavor to try and live with a heaven focus and to be able to reflect that focus on worship, creativity and God's Word. To do this job or any job for that matter in a way that honors God is a blessing no words can describe. I think it's vitally important to get in touch with how you can further the kingdom of heaven in any and every way. Whether it's through a job, a friendship or in your family, being a vessel for Jesus is the endgame that really matters.

As I plopped down exhausted on my couch today, I looked at my wife and our kids so thankful for redemption and love and that I am able to be a leader/vessel in my family. I love that our family seeks to pursue Jesus together and I am able to live in the freedom and purpose that brings. I love watching my kids growing up in their talents and gifting and championing them on to discover who God has made them to be. I look at our home and all of the miraculous blessing in my life and I am astounded. Our family keeps a prayer journal and I can tangibly see prayer requests being answered in the most specific ways. It's never easy following Jesus but living as a vessel for Him will fill you up with unspeakable joy even as the world attempts to throw its roadblocks and challenges in your way. Even if you stumble and make mistakes God can and will still use your life in mighty ways. Just be open and willing to be used and you will see incredibly opportunities unfold.

I really love this time of year. Spring usually signals new life, warming temperatures and the Easter season. This year though, I have been doing a ton of memorial and funeral services. Being a part of special moments celebrating the lives of my friend's loved ones has been incredibly moving and life changing. I feel like there has been so much death around us in the last several months that as Christians, it forces us to be heaven focused. We cannot see death as the world sees it, as the end of life, but as a graduation to being in the presence of our heavenly Father and Jesus. Living with a focus on Jesus, breathes hope into anyone who is struggling or grieving. It also helps us to be a comfort to those who are struggling in any difficult season of life.