Music has always just been a hobby of mine, and not really much more. I have always loved music. I would break out the guitars at a party, or around a campfire, or if I was bored and nothing good was on TV. But with it only being a pastime, and my last few years being insanely busy, guitar is not something I had been picking up much. Until February of 2019.
In February of last year, me and my beautiful wife took over leading worship for the youth. Originally, the deal I made was that I would play acoustic guitar if she sang. I didn’t believe I was a singer. Sometimes I still don’t. But God has bigger plans and a bigger purpose for me than I could ever dream. Now my usual Wednesday’s involve playing bass and leading at least one worship song vocally. And I love it!
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I met Chloe in September of 2017. I had been traveling a lot for work, and had sworn off relationships. They were never successful, always ended in heartbreak, and seemed like a waste of time. I wanted a wife, but I was done trying to find one. I had plans to just keep working and keep being single, until September of 2017.
As soon as we started hanging out, she was all I could think about. We always have so much fun together! I had found a super cool chick that I was super attracted to. Half a year after asking Chloe out, I was asking her to marry me. Another 8 months and we were at the altar together. To this day (1 year 3 months and 6 days later) I’m still head over heals in love with that girl.
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I graduated high school in 2013. In high school, the shop was my favorite place to be. I never took shop class, but the engineering class got to spend quite a bit of time in the shop. My senior year, I took two engineering classes and was the engineering TA (teacher’s pet... I mean assistant). If I wasn’t in the gym I was in the shop. I had all these great plans to be an engineer, since I thought engineering class was what I loved so much. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy engineering. But I liked the shop better. I just didn’t know that until the summer of 2015.
Summer of 2015 I had an engineering internship. Getting to see how things were designed and engineered was really awesome! I enjoyed the work, just hated feeling trapped at a desk. When I found myself jealous of the maintenance guy, I knew I was in the wrong profession. I had worked construction through summer and winter breaks, and decided it was time to pursue that on a more full time scale.
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Five years ago I woulda told you my future was going to be engineering somewhere way far away from Maury county. Three years ago I woulda told you I was just going to stay single for a good long while, and probably keep traveling for work. A year and a few months ago I would have NEVER guessed that I would soon be leading worship for youth every Wednesday night.
All three of these areas of my life are great big long stories, but for the sake of keeping this blog shortish (I’ve already failed at that. Ha!), I’ll just say this: life is not at all what I would’ve expected. I never would’ve thought I would be playing bass and singing in front of people. I never would’ve thought I would be living - and working construction - in Columbia. And I NEVER would’ve thought I would be home while my wife was deployed in the military.
Proverbs 19:21 “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”
My plans didn’t work out at all. But my life is so much better now than I could have ever imagined!!! Leading worship has been such a fun and fulfilling way to do ministry! I love working construction. Staying active and getting my hands dirty really is fun for me. And I absolutely LOVE my wife! This long distance thing we’ve been forced into is only temporary. I wouldn’t trade her for the world.
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Things may not work out how you had anticipated or hoped. Dropping out of college and moving back in with my parents felt like a HUGE failure in the moment. But looking back, it was all just part of my story to get me to where I am today. The Lord has not forgotten you and will not forsake you. This life has been nothing like I’d planned; and so, so much better.