So, it's been quite a while since I've utilized the blog. Between facebook and twitter and all of the countless songwriting and music accounts that I have to keep up with, who has time to blog anything actually worth reading?? Well, it's a quiet evening at my house, and I'm going to give it a whirl. Over the last few months I've been on a roller coaster of emotions and now that summer is here and stress is low, I'm taking a little time to reflect on what God is teaching me. As I sit here tonight, I am stunned and honored that 50 pastors have downloaded my video for "On His Knees" and will be showing it to their congregations this Sunday. How did I get here? I never even intended to do a music video!
Last fall one of the big takeaways from the TAXI songwriters conference was that I needed to get something up on Youtube, and then strangely within a few weeks of that, I had an unknowing friend mention that he needed a pet project for video editing. I said, "How about a music video?" And we were off and running with the idea. I picked a song with a purpose: turning the hearts of the fathers toward their children. (Mal. 4:6) I laid out a story board, called my amazing friends to see if they would act in it, secured a location from some other amazing friends. We were just missing one thing... a camera man! Every step of the way, God seemed to be answering my prayers and supplying just what was needed for the next step. So, I prayed and said, "Lord, if this is really what you want me to pursue, then please help me find someone to shoot it." I met quite a few people that did weddings or promo videos, but then I remembered that my producer, Brian Whitman, had done a film score last year for some Christian filmmakers here in Phoenix, and I went out on a limb to ask and see if they'd be interested in shooting a music video. After a few emails and calls, Dave and Johnny from Intrigue Films were actually wanting to shoot this music video! And within eight weeks, we had the whole thing finished! I cannot even describe how much better this music video turned out than any of us ever thought it would. I am amazed at how God's hand has been in this process! To Him be all the glory! See it here: http://www.youtube.com/gingertabot
At the same time that the roller coaster has been heading uphill in my songwriting, I've also had some extremely difficult times dealing with a decision that my husband and I have wrestled with for the last few months. I would not even entertain the idea that God might want me to make a change, that God might be asking me to give up something that I love. But the more I resisted, the more God was chasing me down. You know what I'm talking about? When every song on the radio, every sermon, every podcast, every friend, every page of your Bible is blaring the same message, it's pretty safe to say that GOD IS TRYING TO TELL YOU SOMETHING! So, I finally heard loud and clear that He was asking me to trust him and lay down something I love in order to follow Him. The question that finally broke me was, "Ginger, am I worth it to you?" And my answer had to be, "YES!" Because even when I don't feel like obeying, my brain and my heart know that ultimately His way is the best way. I rediscovered through this time just how powerful a song can be in giving a soul hope. I'm so used to being on the giving side of music, but I was honestly pulled out of the pit of despair many times by songs that gave me hope, and so in some way maybe God was teaching me all over again the vision of what I've been dreaming for so long: to write music that reaches down into people's souls and gives them hope! And even though I still don't know where in the world God is leading me in all of this, I know that as long as I follow Him, there is HOPE along the way!
Have you lost your HOPE? I encourage you to find a song that speaks hope into your soul. A lifesaver for me is Israel Houghton's song, "Identity." It says, "You are my Father, You are my future, You are my destiny!" When you know that no matter what this life may throw you, your destiny is JESUS, then how can you not feel like celebrating? Romans 15:13: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
