It is the night before a performance, and I can't go to bed just yet. I know that I have to be up at 4:00 in the morning to get on the road to meet up with my guitarist down in Gatesville, Texas to do at least one (if not two) services in the morning. Ken Belcher and I have been collectively known as Grace Descending for almost four years now, and I still get restless the night before we perform.
Many people have been clamoring to see us do what we do, and some have been able to see us at things like the Biker Bash in Granbury, Texas (which we will be at this year on September 5th in the late morning), or as part of the Battle of the Bands earlier this year in downtown Dallas. Friends have been kind enough to check out our limited list of songs on Soundcloud and Reverb Nation, and some have even asked us to come and play for their churches, and we could not be more thankful for the friends we have made over the years that have also become some of our biggest supporters. But the largest crowds that we have been able to play in front of are some of the most amazing and participatory crowds you will ever see.
They are in prison.
Now, when I say "they are in prison," I don't mean metaphorically (although some of them do qualify under this category). I mean it literally. Most of you know this, but for those of you that don't, Ken and I have been a part of a network of ministries that take the time to bring the Gospel to the men and women of various prisons of all levels around the state of Texas. The first time I was able to do this was about four years ago when we were part of a Praise and Worship team at our church. I have always been a "Lord, I will go where you send me" kind of guy, but when I agreed to do this for the first time, even I had to look up and say, "Did I hear you right? THIS is where you want me to go? Are you SURE?" But knowing that I was going in surrounded by people that truly would not leave me on my own was enough to say I would try it at least once.
What I was not prepared for was how heavy the Holy Spirit would be in that place that evening. These offenders truly had a heart for God that even made me ask myself some hard questions. Their willingness to participate truly blew me away and it even made my faith a little bit stronger. What I thought would be going into the darkness and hoping that a single person would hear what we had to say turned into a room with arms raised and voices singing that almost brought me to tears.
Since that day, we have just about seen it all in these services, but the biggest thing that we have seen is people changing their lives and focusing them on God. I have heard my share of detractors that have a very jaded view of what may or may not go on while we are in there, but people will only believe what they want to believe. I want to believe that we are truly doing our best to help people see the love of Jesus through us and want to be a part of the body of Christ. Recently, we were even able to take our full band in with us thanks to the great Tammy Schaefer Ministries, who have stood by us through thick and thin with more love and support than any group of people should be allowed. That service was one of the best services I have ever been a part of in any capacity.
And tomorrow, we get to do it again. I have spent over 42 years on this planet, and my God has shown me so many things that I cannot understand what makes me worthy of the blessings that He gives me. I am truly one of the luckiest souls on the planet on SO many levels: to be able to call Grace Descending a ministry that I am part of, to have people like Al & Tammy Schaefer and their entire ministry team past, present, and future in my life that support and give the chance to do what we do, to have people like Ken and Heather Belcher in my life as friends (someday, I will chronicle the Grace D story... it is an AMAZING one, kids) who I can honestly say are the yin to my yang, and I theirs, and to have so many great people that I have had the privilege to call "friend" and/or "family" that have lifted us up even when we didn't want to be.
Sure, the road can be long. The temperatures can be less than desirable. The hours can start early and end late. But I would do it every day for the rest of my life if I could. Hindsight being what it is, this thing called "music ministry" is something that has been in my blood my whole life. Sometimes, I wish I could have figured it out much earlier, but there was no way that I would be ready for it. Whether we want to believe it or not, God's time is on time, every time. We can question why, we can shout to the heavens "WHY ME, LORD? WHY NOT SOMEONE ELSE?" But what we realize in the end, the answer is simple.
"Because it is part of My plan for you."
We don't always understand that plan; we are not meant to. Sometimes, a leap of faith is just that. It took me walking through that metal door for the first time to understand that plan, and that plan has taken me to places that I never thought possible and those places have made my understanding of the plan stronger and stronger. I will tell you what I know is this: I can't wait to go through that metal door again and again and again. I can't wait to bring The Word to the crowd in front of us. I can't wait to see Kenny, Heather, Al, Tammy, and the rest of the crew. And I hope someday, that we get to see all of you worshiping with us on the OUTSIDE of those gates.
I love you all more than you may ever know.
Rob
No comments:
Post a Comment