Sing to Him, sing praise to Him; tell of all His wonderful acts.  – Psalm 105:2

One of the things that I’ve enjoyed doing lately is playing music.  I’ve been heading into the taprooms, breweries, coffee houses, and wine bars and just playing my acoustic and singing.  As you can imagine, it has been met with some concern among the religious community.  I was interviewing for a possible job and was asked straight up, “Would you stop doing this simply because of the way it looks?”  I said, “no” and that was over before it ever even got started. 

But here is the thing, there was a time when I think that it would have been wrong for me to do it.  I used to love that world.  Now, I can certainly do without it.  I believe God has called me to go and play.  I do not play all Christian songs.  I play pretty much all the songs that I loved playing when I was a teenager and a young man just learning how to play.  But here is what I do that is different.  I ask God to open the door for an opportunity.  I just open my spirit and let Him lead me in an opportunity to play a worship song, or a song you might hear on Christian radio.  The results have been nothing short of amazing.  I just want to tell you about one.

There wasn’t a huge crowd, but I had not felt led at all yet to play for the Lord.  At the very end, I was beginning to think that this was going to be the first time that God didn’t lead me to do so.  Then, a couple brought in their young grandkids.  They had a little girl who was just enjoying life and dancing around.  She came near me after I finished a song.  I said, “What is your favorite song?  I’ll play it if I can.”  Without hesitation, “Can you play ‘Jesus Loves Me’?”  Just like that, we were all singing this song that I would have never even thought to play.  

I said, “Is there anything else you want me to play?”

“Will you play the B-I-B-L-E?”  

“Yes, I will.”  

Lord, I couldn’t make some stories up if I tried.  You do the coolest things at the coolest times.  You know exactly how to bring glory to Your Name in the most perfect of ways.  Continue to use me.  Continue to work in me, on me, and through me.  You know my heart.  I don’t want a bad attitude towards “religious” people.  You know that I have been one and in many ways probably still am.  Help me to be merciful.  Help me to forgive.  Power wash my soul and restore me to what You created me to be.  You are and always will be the greatest thing this planet offers.  Amen