Let me tell you a story. As you may know I have been working as a creative consultant in marketing and design for a local business since last November. This job has been a God-send for many reasons. I have had the opportunity to forge many wonderful new relationships, work on new and challenging projects, learn a ton about marketing, and (most importantly) pay the bills. This means that, for many weeks, I didn't have to pay myself out of Sound of the Trumpet and I was able to let the account grow a bit. Then it happened. The brakes finally gave out in my truck. After countless thousands of miles on the road all over the Midwest, the old boy needed some surgery.
If you've ever had a total break job (and I mean total - shoes, pads, rotors, disks, fluid, the works) you know that they don't come cheap. That fateful morning, I dropped my friend off at the shop and waited to here the diagnosis. The phone call came later that day - it wouldn't be cheap, but it was doable. I gave the go-ahead and nearly $700.00 later I drove it home. While I was glad to have my truck back in traveling shape, I was concerned that Sound of the Trumpet would have to postpone some of its future plans due to the financial drain.
That next week I received a call to perform a wedding for a dear friend I had known for years. I also received two funeral calls that week. Normally people pay you when you do those kinds of things and it's enough to cover your gas and maybe lunch. That week was a little different. When I counted up what I had been paid for these three services, I counted $700.00. In one week, the cost of my brake job that threatened to derail my plans for ministry was washed completely by God's provision. I continually marvel and the way that He provides for the ministries to which he calls us.
Thanks to all of you who came out to the Wesleyan Church in Sidney and New Carlisle Missionary these last couple of weeks. It's always great to see you and share my stories in person. I will be playing at the Faith Missionary Church in Hamilton, Ohio on Mother's Day. I'd love to see you there.
Be God's
Greg
Monday, April 27, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
My Friend, My Brother
Nearly fifteen years ago, I joined up with three guys from college to form a Gospel quartet. We sang together for ten years and then called it quits to pursue other ministries. Out of that group I gained quite a bit of life experience, a veritable cornucopia of sound system parts, and a few decent songs that I still play in concert. The greatest thing that I gained from that group, though, was some truly dear friends. One of those friends (who also is a contributor to this blog) is Mike Massie.
Mike and I are very different people and, early on, our families were fairly sure those differences were going to get one of us killed. We fought over nearly everything, but, over time, we learned that those differences could be complimentary. It seemed that we would accomplish far more for the kingdom if we worked together. A decade and a half later, Mike and I are still teaming up to bring people closer to God. We've chosen to combine our talents in a two-man drama ministry. We sing, we act, we tell stories.
Tonight I had the privilege of watching some of Mike's work. You see, he teaches English at Fairfield High School and he also directs in the theater department. His production of Beauty and the Beast opens this weekend and I wholeheartedly recommend that you see it. His attention to detail and boundless creativity make this show a truly enjoyable experience for all ages. I am continually impressed with the ways in which he uses his God-given abilties for the betterment of others and this is no exception.
As we look back on times in our lives, it is easy to second guess decisions we've made in light of what we know now. I used to do that a lot. Now I just try to accept my journey for what it has been and be thankful for the blessings along the way. One of these amazing blessings has and will always be my friend, my brother.
Be God's
Greg
Mike and I are very different people and, early on, our families were fairly sure those differences were going to get one of us killed. We fought over nearly everything, but, over time, we learned that those differences could be complimentary. It seemed that we would accomplish far more for the kingdom if we worked together. A decade and a half later, Mike and I are still teaming up to bring people closer to God. We've chosen to combine our talents in a two-man drama ministry. We sing, we act, we tell stories.
Tonight I had the privilege of watching some of Mike's work. You see, he teaches English at Fairfield High School and he also directs in the theater department. His production of Beauty and the Beast opens this weekend and I wholeheartedly recommend that you see it. His attention to detail and boundless creativity make this show a truly enjoyable experience for all ages. I am continually impressed with the ways in which he uses his God-given abilties for the betterment of others and this is no exception.
As we look back on times in our lives, it is easy to second guess decisions we've made in light of what we know now. I used to do that a lot. Now I just try to accept my journey for what it has been and be thankful for the blessings along the way. One of these amazing blessings has and will always be my friend, my brother.
Be God's
Greg
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Kevin, the Angel
The night was uncomfortably warm and no air moved in the city that night. As I drove home to my apartment on north 20th street, Rich Mullins sang to me about the color green. The AC was on the fritz so I rolled down the window and the familiar smell of stale beer greeted me. It was the aftershave of downtown Milwaukee and I had grown used to it by now. I lived on the third floor of a old brick building. It wasn't much to look at, but it has a garage underneath where I could park my car and feel somewhat safe. I saw him standing near the driveway and, as I pulled up to enter the code for the garage door, he approached the car.
He was a young man, maybe 18 years old. He had a bird's nest of hair on his head and his clothes bore the fatigue of a couple days wear. "Excuse me, Sir," he said, "Are you a Christian?" I had lived long enough in the city to have endured my share of questions from strangers, but this was the first time anyone had asked me this. "Yes, I am," I said, "Why do you ask?" "I saw the cross hanging from your rear view mirror as you pulled up." I had completely forgotten about that little item (insert irony here). As he came closer to the care, the ambiant light from the garage revealed to me that he had been crying. These weren't fake tears either, this guy has been through something real and had paid dearly for the experience. "Are you OK?" I asked. "No, not really," he answered. "Hold on a minute," I said. I parked my car safely in the garage and came back outside. He was still standing right where I had left him.
We began to talk and in the next moments he revealed to me that several members of his family had been killed in an automobile accident. He had come to Milwaukee to go to school, but he needed to return to his home in Chicago. I kept expecting him to ask me for money like all the other hard-luck strangers I had met, but he didn't. After some time of sitting on the front steps of my building engrossed in conversation, I asked him if I could help him get home. He said that he would greatly appreciate any assistance. At that, I invited him to walk the five blocks to the nearest money machine. On the way I asked if he knew who Jesus was and he shared with me that his grandmother had taken him to church as a boy. As we walked I shared my testimony with him and he graciously listened to my story.
When we arrived at the bank I entered the secure booth that housed the ATM and took out $15.00. He had told me that all he needed was $11.35 to have enough for bus fare to Chicago. I gave him the money I had withdrawn so that he would have some for food as well. It was at this point that he shook my hand and hugged me. From the way he smelled, I could tell that he hadn't bathed in days, but somehow I knew that his embrace was genuine. I told him, "Goodbye," and turned to make sure I had closed the door to the bank booth. Not five seconds later I turned to where he had been standing, fully expecting to see him walking away, and he was gone. I immediately ran several yards in every direction. I checked in every store and restaurant, but he was nowhere to be found.
Scripture says that we are to show God's love to everyone, because we never know when we may be entertaining angels in disguise. I will always believe in my heart that Kevin was an angel. And I learned that night that I need to be available for God to use me at any point in time to show his love to this tired, hungry, smelly world. Let me encourage you to always be ready to share his love as well. You'll be glad you did.
Be God's
Greg
He was a young man, maybe 18 years old. He had a bird's nest of hair on his head and his clothes bore the fatigue of a couple days wear. "Excuse me, Sir," he said, "Are you a Christian?" I had lived long enough in the city to have endured my share of questions from strangers, but this was the first time anyone had asked me this. "Yes, I am," I said, "Why do you ask?" "I saw the cross hanging from your rear view mirror as you pulled up." I had completely forgotten about that little item (insert irony here). As he came closer to the care, the ambiant light from the garage revealed to me that he had been crying. These weren't fake tears either, this guy has been through something real and had paid dearly for the experience. "Are you OK?" I asked. "No, not really," he answered. "Hold on a minute," I said. I parked my car safely in the garage and came back outside. He was still standing right where I had left him.
We began to talk and in the next moments he revealed to me that several members of his family had been killed in an automobile accident. He had come to Milwaukee to go to school, but he needed to return to his home in Chicago. I kept expecting him to ask me for money like all the other hard-luck strangers I had met, but he didn't. After some time of sitting on the front steps of my building engrossed in conversation, I asked him if I could help him get home. He said that he would greatly appreciate any assistance. At that, I invited him to walk the five blocks to the nearest money machine. On the way I asked if he knew who Jesus was and he shared with me that his grandmother had taken him to church as a boy. As we walked I shared my testimony with him and he graciously listened to my story.
When we arrived at the bank I entered the secure booth that housed the ATM and took out $15.00. He had told me that all he needed was $11.35 to have enough for bus fare to Chicago. I gave him the money I had withdrawn so that he would have some for food as well. It was at this point that he shook my hand and hugged me. From the way he smelled, I could tell that he hadn't bathed in days, but somehow I knew that his embrace was genuine. I told him, "Goodbye," and turned to make sure I had closed the door to the bank booth. Not five seconds later I turned to where he had been standing, fully expecting to see him walking away, and he was gone. I immediately ran several yards in every direction. I checked in every store and restaurant, but he was nowhere to be found.
Scripture says that we are to show God's love to everyone, because we never know when we may be entertaining angels in disguise. I will always believe in my heart that Kevin was an angel. And I learned that night that I need to be available for God to use me at any point in time to show his love to this tired, hungry, smelly world. Let me encourage you to always be ready to share his love as well. You'll be glad you did.
Be God's
Greg
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
What happened to big spender stories?
Many of you are wondering what happened to the stories. Well, here it is. Last year I made a living touring and ministering. I put out a new CD and played over 30 concerts. Life was cruising along and then the economy tanked. When that happened, bookings dried up almost immediately and we nearly lost everything. God provided some work just before Thanksgiving when I was contracted as a graphic designer in the marketing department of a local retirement community and I am still currently working there.
While this job has been, and continues to be, a blessing to our family financially, I have struggled to find time to write and post my stories. For a long time I just felt like a big failure while I fell more and more behind with regard to my ministry. However, I have regrouped and, with the help of some close friends and a little retooling of the site, I have risen to write again.
This is how bss will work from here on out. I will be posting on this blog along with a team of other folks. We are using a this approach to keep any one of us from having to post every week. The goal is to use a sufficient number of people to keep the content fresh. You can also get in on the action by sending your stories to us. You can email them to stories@bigspenderstories.com. Your submissions will be reviewed by a team member and posted for the world to read.
Please pray for us as we continue this ministry. I still believe with all my heart that when the people of God tell the stories of God the world will turn to God. Also please pray that bookings come in. As of now, they are still extremely scarce as you can see by the schedule on the website. The economy has many churches running behind budget with their members out of work. We are currently exploring new ideas for how to play out and you'll be the first to know what we come up with.
Thanks again for all of your prayers and support.
Be God's
Greg
While this job has been, and continues to be, a blessing to our family financially, I have struggled to find time to write and post my stories. For a long time I just felt like a big failure while I fell more and more behind with regard to my ministry. However, I have regrouped and, with the help of some close friends and a little retooling of the site, I have risen to write again.
This is how bss will work from here on out. I will be posting on this blog along with a team of other folks. We are using a this approach to keep any one of us from having to post every week. The goal is to use a sufficient number of people to keep the content fresh. You can also get in on the action by sending your stories to us. You can email them to stories@bigspenderstories.com. Your submissions will be reviewed by a team member and posted for the world to read.
Please pray for us as we continue this ministry. I still believe with all my heart that when the people of God tell the stories of God the world will turn to God. Also please pray that bookings come in. As of now, they are still extremely scarce as you can see by the schedule on the website. The economy has many churches running behind budget with their members out of work. We are currently exploring new ideas for how to play out and you'll be the first to know what we come up with.
Thanks again for all of your prayers and support.
Be God's
Greg
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