I Still Believe

I'm not sure what the Lord has in store for my future, but I can say for certain that music is not my life. Christ is my life. I love writing, singing, and playing songs that He gives me to share, but whatever He has for me in five or ten years, I want to be willing to step into it. I never want to hold so tightly to my vocation that I lose out on His higher plan.

I know the journey seems so long You feel you're walking on your own But there has never been a step Where you’ve walked out all alone Troubled soul don’t lose your heart Cause joy and peace he brings And the beauty that’s in store Outweighs the hurt of life’s sting

Along the way, my Heavenly Father has taught me that the fruit of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control - is really just a byproduct of spending time with the Lord. It results from dwelling in His Word and listening for His voice. As much as we might try, we can't go out and manufacture peace. We can't conjure joy or whip up faithfulness in the microwave. Those things come to us only as we receive God's love, focus on bringing Him glory, stick close to Him, and live out the greatest commandment: loving God with everything we have and loving others in His name.

I struggled with insecurity because I was trying to find my security in things. But when I began serving God with all my heart, my security was in Him.

I felt myself becoming angry too easily. I once saw a couple at a restaurant, and I could tell from their mannerisms that they were having some type of disagreement. I got mad at the guy and wanted to tell him, "Come on – appreciate your wife!

Joy comes from having a relationship with the unchanging God and transcends any trial we can face on this earth.

My name had become a brand. (I have mixed emotions about that part of our (Christian media) industry, for sure.)

I ate so many Ramen noodles that I wouldn't even touch a package of them now.

She (his future wife) was so deep into the Lord's presence that I felt like an outsider.

My focus was on trying to figure out what God wanted be to do next. Their (his parents') focus was on what I was doing for God at the moment.

I knew that (job) had to be a humbling role for my dad, but he never allowed it to become humiliating work.

How my emotions starred as I played! During one of this tug-of-war contest between knowing right and doing wrong, I wrote the words to a song on my own for the first time.

She chose to look at her surroundings where they "think missionary" mind-set.

Everyone is different. We all deal with our circumstances differently. But we have a God who deals with us on an individual level. He created each of us, and He created you with a specific plan designed just for you. Embrace the people God brings into your life to help you through your difficulties. And embrace God. You might be wondering, as I did, if He hears you. If He really cares about your every situation. If He is even near to you. Trust me, He does hear your cries and groans and moans. He does care about you. He is near to you—He’s right there alongside you.

Life is hard, but God is good.

And praising Him is a signal to the enemy of our souls that he cannot, will not triumph, even when it might look like he has.