It was the fall of 2009, my freshman year of college. I had just moved from Michigan to North Carolina to attend college. I was extremely excited because I was moving away from the cold and harsh winters of the north to a beautiful state where I could play golf almost year round.
That semester, I oddly had the desire to learn to play an instrument. I thought about what instrument would be really cool to learn, and the guitar was the first that came to mind. And to be completely honest, I wanted to learn the guitar to be this “attractive” guy who could serenade women. I didn’t grow up being musically talented other than playing the trombone in middle school. And I eventually quit band because I wanted to focus on sports.
So one afternoon, I took a trip to the music store in town and looked at all the available guitars. I talked with the manager telling him that I just need a basic guitar as I was just starting to learn. He picked one out for me and I bought it.
I thought to myself, “Well I completed step one which was to buy the guitar. Now the next step is to start learning and practicing.”
I began looking up youtube videos and things online to help me learn. After a few days, I learned a few chords, strumming patterns, and progressions. But it was hard. My fingers hurt after a while and slowly but surely, I began to play less and less. I didn’t want to put the time into learning and the guitar began to be just a decoration piece in my dorm room.
My desire soon dwindled after I had bought it. Year after year went by and I can honestly say I only picked up the guitar maybe once a month. I would fiddle around with it and then just put it back on its stand.
But for some reason I held onto it.
It was like I couldn’t let go of it.
I kept it in my room throughout college. When I moved away for my first job, I took it with me. And every other place I moved to, I continued to bring the guitar. But I never really played it or took the time to learn. This went on for years as I continued to move around a lot.
Fast forward 8 years to right before I launched for the race. I still had the guitar, and the thought of me bringing it on the race crossed my mind a few times. I pondered the thought for a few days, and then made the decision to bring it. I was thinking that I would have a ton of time on the race for me to learn and practice and finally use this thing.
And yes, I have had lots of time to learn and practice, but the Lord has used me and my guitar in ways that I couldn’t even imagine. The fruit that has come from me bringing the guitar with me, taking time to learn and practice, and stepping into boldness has all been from the Lord.
It began with stepping up and leading my team in worship. I remember we had a few worship nights in El Salvador and I wasn’t great at playing whatsoever. But it wasn’t about if I was good at playing or not. It was about the desire to worship our Lord through music and songs.
Which lead me to leading my squad in worship over our first debrief. Again, I was still trying to learn, only knew a handful of songs, and wasn’t too confident in my playing ability. But I didn’t let that stop me from taking the risk, being bold, and leading my squad in times of worship. And since then, I’ve been able to continue to lead my team and my squad in worship sessions throughout the race.
And just last week, I took another risk and stepped into boldness.
I helped coordinate and lead worship for over 100 racers and adventures staff members. Four separate squads who are all on the field met up in Thailand for a couple of days to worship, learn, and continue to grow on this journey. To say I was nervous would be an understatement, but the Lord and Holy Spirit guided me in my ability to lead worship. And to do it with other racers from other squads was such a neat experience.
And this all started with my little desire to learn how to play the guitar. I had no idea that my desire to play 8 years ago would have turned into a passion for worship.
But God did.
He knew I would get a guitar and hardly ever play it.
He knew I would take it wherever I go even though I used it as a piece of furniture.
He knew I would decide to bring it on the race with me even though I didn’t desire to lead worship.
And He knew how I was going to develop a passion for playing and singing, but ultimately develop a passion praising our Father.
It’s also been neat to see my squad mates witness me grow in this. They constantly give me encouragement which gives me so much lift and joy in continuing this passion I’ve developed.
It’s about the end of month 9 of our race and we only have 2 more months left (yes, that’s hard to believe!). I have no idea what the Lord will continue to do with my passion for worship, but what I do know is this:
If I continue to be obedient, listen, and continue to have boldness in my actions, the Lord can and will do some pretty amazing things in my life!
The wonderful worship coordinators for Awakening Thailand
