It’s been awhile since our last update, but not for lack of eventful news. I left off when we were in the middle of our mountainous adventure in Colorado and we were on our way to Santa Fe for Ranier and Will’s (friends from Maui/Minneapolis) wedding. There we spent 5 glorious days staying in a beautiful adobe style mansion with friends of the couple, along with 4 of my dearest friends from highschool. We had such a blast and were able to return the favor of helping setting up a beautiful wedding, as so many did to make our wedding a success. This is also where we spent David’s birthday, and celebrated with old and new friends… more on that in David’s Top 10 Post.

Then began our trek across Arizona. As we planned this leg of the journey we both decided that it seemed most logical to drive straight through and spend as little time there as we could. Not much good can come from Arizona in August, so we thought. But we had 2 weeks before the next show which was in San Diego and not much of an idea of what to do with it. So we decided to take a few days to see what there was to see. We started by making a stop to enjoy Petrified Forest National Park, which was fascinating, and then made our way up to the Grand Canyon. While we enjoyed our free time hiking and scootering around the Grand Canyon, we got an email from Adam DeCuir, a friend of a friend who had heard about my music and our adventure, and was interested in having us down to his church in Southern Arizona. So before long we were hitching up and driving South to Sierra Vista, or as David likes to call it, Northern Mexico. We arrived and met our gracious hosts, Adam and Jess. Jess is from Sebring, Florida (where David and I attended Bible school) and we had so many mutual friends from within that small community… it was kind of surreal! They are both musicians and have hopes to one day pack up all they own in a trailer and have a similar adventure of doing ministry through their music. One morning during our stay with them I awoke to find Jess scouring Craig’s List for RV listings. They were inspired by our obedience and we, by theirs as they serve in a church that is doing well to disciple a community of believers to know the Word and live it out. It is an incredible thing to be moving with God and ministering to people…. we go into a situation looking for how we can bless and encourage others, and we end up feeling over-the-top blessed and encouraged by the very ones we have attempted to minister to! I was able to share in the weekend services at Thunder Mountain Community Church and then they allowed me to hold a concert on Monday evening where I could share the entirety of my songs from my new album and the stories behind them. It was a great night that ended with them praying over us and encouraging us in our ministry. See The Middle of the Circle. We are really seeing that when we allow ourselves to poured out by God, He fills us up again to overflowing. What an incredible mystery of His Kingdom. By the time we left Arizona we were leaving with some new dear friends and a church we hope to return to one day… and most of all a renewed realization that God’s thoughts are far higher than ours. We thought, “let’s spend as little time in Arizona as possible”, and God thought, “I’m going to do some things in Arizona that are going to blow your mind.”

Our drive across the desert to San Diego was long and hot and took a couple of days, but as we got closer and closer to the coast, we began to feel that familiar ocean breeze. We were refreshed as we pulled in to the neighborhood of Tom and Debbie Anderberg. They are a couple that we met in Israel last spring while we were studying with Pastor Randy. They were a part of a church group from California that came on the tour as well. We had gotten to know each other a little on the trip, and they came to our minds recently as we thought of who we could connect with in San Diego. They were so excited to have us in their home, and they had set up an evening where all the people who came with us to Israel could come and listen as I shared the music and messages God had given me since we had all seen each other last. It was such an encouraging night as we saw how God takes the little encounters that we don’t think will ever go anywhere, and He uses them to accomplish His plan. We are reminded to make the most of every interaction, never knowing what God could have in store.

We had the weekend with an old friend from Maui, Jen Janzen. She was a great tour guide and she introduced us to her thriving church community at Barabbas Road on Sunday morning. I shared a couple songs in their service and once again saw as God orchestrated the plan, as the sermon was, in principle, the same story as my song Take Courage, which I shared right after. We loved getting to see a church body that so mirrored the things we are passionate about. They are teaching the Word, allowing it to change lives and draw people deeper, and being very intentional about discipleship among their young congregation. We loved being a part of that community for the weekend. As we shared our adventure with someone that afternoon they said, “So you’re Musicianarries”. We liked that are now claiming the title.

It seems to be the trend that once God gives us an open door and we walk through it, it is only then that the illumination for the next step comes. So Sunday afternoon I heard back from a few contacts, and now our week is full once again with things we didn’t foresee, but we will make changes accordingly so that we are walking where God would have us walk.

Sitting in a chocolate and coffee shop in Ouray, CO, a little historic town nestled in the mountains, the clouds have just started to descend into the valley and shroud the jagged skyline of rocky peaks that look so close you could reach out and touch them. A light rain has just started to graze the window in front of our table and it couldn’t be a more perfect moment to settle in, let the storm pass, and write an update.

We decided to take the scenic route to Santa Fe, so the last couple day’s drive has been so beautiful we can barely find enough space in our brains for more… but we still have the alleged “best drive in the nation” yet to come, from Ouray to Durango. But first, let’s start where I left off in Fort Collins.

I had my first official house show on 7/31 at my grandparent’s home. Family and friends crammed into their living room and I shared my new songs as well as some old favorites that they requested at the end. It was an incredibly intimate occasion. It is a strange thing to share your heart and your music for a room full of people who’s stories you know well. I knew which songs were ministering to which people at certain moments, and couldn’t help but be impacted anew by the messages of these songs as I shared them. They were especially personal that night. It also confirmed that the living room full of a small group of people is still my favorite venue.

In the next few days we left for Denver where we reconnected with some different family members and friends. Sunday, the 8th, I was invited to share at City Presbyterian, a church full of really cool people who are obviously committed to serving the city they live in. They just lost their senior pastor, however, so it was a timely visit to bring some encouragement through my songs. It was awesome to see how God orchestrated the service without us planning it; the preacher talked about Lamentations, how God has to bring us to the end of ourselves in order for us to learn that the only true hope is in Him. And then I got up and sang Naomi’s Song, the same principle in a different story. Then we took communion. The officiant said, “Christ died, Christ rose, Christ is coming again.” and I began to sing, “don’t lose heart, I’m coming back for you…” It was a powerful service and it was encouraging to be reminded that God is so involved in this process. (Also, a side-note to say that we sold enough CD’s in Colorado to make it to the next state, which was our hope from the beginning…. this may actually work!)

Then began our journey West on I-70 into the mountains. Then we headed south, intrigued by a National Park we had never heard of. Motivated by our need to make the most of the year-long parks pass we purchased at the beginning of this adventure, we made our way towards Black Canyon of the Gunnison Nat’l Park. When we arrived at the North Rim we walked to the edge and looked over to see one of the most beautiful views I have ever seen. It took us both a few minutes to get our breath back after leaving the edge. The canyon was immense, majestic. As we stood gazing into the gorge, I was thinking about how God is so much more immense and majestic; He looks down and sees that canyon at the same time he sees Mt. Everest and Russia and every other thing that seems huge to me. And it is a speck of dust compared to Him. If I am left feeling literally like I can’t breathe just looking into a 2700 foot ravine, how is it going to feel when I look at His majesty. I have no idea. But I am excited and terrified and I honestly can’t wait.

And that brings us to where we are now, in this cozy old brick building looking out and up into the mountains. Soon we will pack up my computer and hop back in the truck and make our way to the next place, but we have plans to return to this town for more than 15 hours some day! And we definitely won’t soon forget the amazing roads that got us here.