If You're Gonna Play in Texas, You Gotta Have a Fiddle in The Band...

unless God tells you to travel to a small Baptist church for a Youth Crusade...

and unless your with the band Modern Miracle.

This past weekend I had the privilege of traveling with my family and speaking at a youth crusade in a small rural town in East Texas.

I was honored to worship with the band Modern Miracle at the youth crusade, and I'm still stunned at how talented this special group of musicians really is. Their rhythmic, hard-rock sound with superb composure and timing was impressive. I admire their devotion to God and I can only pray that God allows us to do more of HIS work together in the future.

From the moment I stepped off of the stage Saturday night, I wondered if God allowed me to move anyone more toward a relationship with Christ. I wondered who this mission trip affected. I wondered if God would allow me to know who it was, and HE did. HE allowed me to connect with some pretty amazing people that night. I love HIM so much for allowing me to reach those students.

And then something really interesting happened.

My wife and I took turns driving through the night and finally returned home at 6 AM this morning. As I wore out my new, two-song Modern Miracle CD while I finished the final four hours of the drive, I wondered why God chose me, a small Baptist Church, and East Texas. I may never know. Solid proof that the God who created the heavens and the earth has sense-of-humor enough that he would send me back to the state where my brother and I experienced horrific acts of violence, to preach.

Though I honestly fear God as I should, I still find it amusing and I smile just thinking about it.

I am truly in love with Christ, and the significance of preaching in a state I associate with pain makes me acutely aware of God's amazing, albeit bewildering plan for my life.

The Interstate seemed never-ending between the ninth and thirteenth hours of driving. The more I drove, the more I reflected on the past few days. While the highway's dotted line seemed pass in rhythm with Modern Miracle's song, "A Medium Gleam of Variable Speed", I began to see more and more someone else this mission really affected.

"Thank you for loving me God. You really do have pretty good sense of humor. I love you."