Soaring on New Wings!

Christmastime, 2009. My family decided to host the members of my band for a Christmas party…some egg nog, some finger foods, a modest gift exchange. I surprised each of them with a gourd shaker that I had hand-crafted, painted, and filled with mustard seed. My wife Becky and the band surprised me with a Gretsch White Falcon.

Now, I don’t assume that those of you reading this are “gearheads” like the guys in my band, but this instrument has been called the Cadillac of electric guitars. It has been my dream for many years to own a Gretsch, and while I was dreaming, why not dream for the White Falcon? I wrote down this dream on a list of twenty things I would love to do regarding music and ministry, then I forgot about it. My wife found the list, conspired with my guitar player Andy Othling who got the rest of the guys involved, and the dream was realized, about 20 years before I thought it would be!

I don’t mean to gush about it, but this IS significant. This is an extravagant gift. This is a guitar you work up to. This is a guitar played by Chet Atkins, George Harrison, The Edge, Bono, and a whole host of distinguished musical dignitaries (technically, Bono plays his own signature model, an emerald green version called the Irish Falcon, but I digress). You earn your stripes before you play this guitar. I honestly felt unworthy of it when I opened the case and first saw it. In sharing testimony about this gift, Becky talked about how the Lord kept putting a guitar on her mind for a gift to me this year. She found my dream list, asked Andy about it, and worried about the price tag. But Andy offered to help and get the band involved, and Becky took the leap of faith. It was only after the guitar was purchased that a check came in the mail from an unexpected source wanting to bless me and the music ministry (thanks, Evonne), and that was final confirmation to Becky that the Lord was giving me permission to dream big (thanks, Jesus).

I am slowly getting over my compulsion to “earn it.” Becky helps me with this. Whenever I ramble on about musical heroes, she just says, “They’re men, just like you.” Thanks, babe. And thanks Andy, Matt, Chuck, and Stephen.

So I’m learning to fly, and I do have wings. It is my prayer that the songs that come from this gift will lift you up, too.