It’s a Wonderful Life!
December 7th, 2007
IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: Christmas time is upon us once again and as I sit here by the fireplace, sipping a glass of hot cocoa, gazing at the Christmas tree lights, surrounded by 400 used Kleenexes, I ponder that winter query that many of us are currently faced with…will I ever get over this cold!!! Right after Thanksgiving, Karen and I got this cold that is one of the longest we’ve ever had. Fortunately, Karen is getting over it, but I still haven’t turned the corner, even with the all-powerful ally of Amoxicillin. Our concert last Sunday morning was cancelled because of snow (rescheduled for Feb. 10th for those of you in western Maryland), and I was able to eek out Sunday evening’s concert, but I’m hoping I can be back to form for this weekend. Please keep me in prayer as we have a really busy December, full of rehearsals and concerts and I need to be back in good health soon to make it through it all.
I want to thank you all for your prayers for our family when we were out on tour in Oklahoma. We made it home safely and our car ran fine after replacing the transmission. There really is no good time for a transmission to go out, but if there was, this was it! We didn’t miss a single concert, and we were able to get our transmission fixed by a reputable place at a really good price. Had we broken down 400 miles earlier, it could have been a real disaster.
Each year, our family watches our stack of Christmas movies throughout December. This year, being so busy, we’ve barely touched the stack, but we did watch my favorite a couple of days ago…It’s a Wonderful Life. I guess I’ve always been moved by the story because it’s the story of my life. Sure, I’ll admit there was a time I hoped to be the next Steven Curtis Chapman, the next big singer/songwriter to explode onto the national scene and take the music business by storm. I had dreams of having a string of number one songs that would stand forever, being cheered by tens of thousands of fans everywhere I sang. God had other plans, though. I had always hoped to do something “Big”, but in a way, we are. We are touching the lives of people every week. I’m able to travel and minister with my family, and write songs that God is using to encourage people in their faith. We are seeing souls come to Christ everywhere we go, and we are blessed to be used of God to further His Kingdom. We truly are leading a “Wonderful Life!” I guess I’ve always felt a kindred spirit in George Bailey, but this year, the movie was particularly relevant. For those of you who know the story, George Bailey, through no fault of his own wound up in serious financial trouble. He had a debt that there was no way he could pay, but in the final scene, the whole town pulled together and came up with what he needed, simply because they had all been touched by his life and his giving spirit through the years. God times these things perfectly because at the very same moment this final scene came on, I was right in the middle of organizing thank-you notes to be sent to the list of people who had come together and supported us financially to help pay for our transmission. It was an incredible moment as our family thanked God for the awesome friends, sufficient God, and wonderful life we truly do have!
Entry Filed under: Random Thoughts