Journal entry for: 2-16-2000

Hello there Everybody!

      It's me again. This time I'm writing as B.J. and I are driving back to New Orleans from a couple wonderful days off that we spent in Illinois. I decided a couple of weeks ago that I was going to stop watching TV and movies for a while, because I always complain about how I don't have time to do all the things I want and need to. Then I realized that I spend so much time in front of that thing and when I get together with friends, a lot of times, we just watch TV or a movie. Anyway, this time at home I just got to spend a lot of great time with friends, old and new. It was such a good thing to not clutter my mind and my time with junk and to be able to breathe and grow in the enriching soil of friendship.

      Well, we're about halfway through with our record right now. We're pretty excited, and a little scared, cause it's new and different and honest. I had been praying for almost two years that this record would stretch us musically, spiritually and emotionally, and it has. It really has. I hope that you guys find in this music what we're finding out about ourselves and our God. We've really been trying to dive into the huge, vast, and beautiful world that He has created for us. Trying to reach into other genres and styles, lyrical ideas and inspirations. It's no longer just good enough for me to try and better myself simply to be better. I want to learn and grow in my abilities and my knowledge because there God is continually revealing himself. The past few weeks I have been really reevaluating my life. God has granted me such awesome opportunities, like He does for all of us, and I think sometimes He just wants me to do things which will allow me to experience more of His creation, whether in the grandness of nature or at the tip of my own pen.

      I am finding that the more I look for God, the more I see Him. I often get so cynical and logical that I tend to try and think of ways that I can learn more and teach more, yadda yadda, when God is right there trying to teach me what He wants me to learn. It is becoming more and more of my goal to not let myself get in the way of my own life! And God is good and faithful to answer these prayers and love me with the same abandon that He's hoping I will eventually grow to love Him and others with.

      Thank you again for all of you who are praying for us and thinking of us. We have seen, in the past few weeks, a lot of growth spiritually in the band and we are praying for it to continue. It is our goal to be a loving and praying band, please join with us in prayer for that! Thank you, and thank you all over. We look forward to getting back on the road and getting to share with you guys again. Until then . . .

Grace and Peace,
Andrew