Choices

If you're living and breathing (which you are if you're reading this blog), you have had to make choices in your life. Sometimes they're easy, sometimes not so easy. Recently, I've had to make a choice that hasn't been so easy. With this blog, I write with mixed emotions. I am sad and excited all at the same time.  A couple of weeks ago, I decided it was time to walk away from singing with 1WORD.  As much as I love singing with them and have enjoyed every step of the way with them, when I joined a new group this summer (Durant), it was just beginning to get overwhelming trying to juggle two singing groups. Trying to learn new songs with two different groups, record a new album with each group, along with trying to balance singing on the Praise Team every week at church. I was becoming stressed trying to make it all work.  Those who know me well know that my passion and desire has been to do nothing more than minister through music and travel the world to share the good news of Christ through song. Try, try, and try as I have to do this with people in the past, they always had big ideas, but it never happened. It always just ended up being a bunch of talk and then it went nowhere.  It was so frustrating. I was needing to find a core group of folks who are not tied down and really had a passion to minister through music, and by that, I mean, leave everything behind and go into all the world.  I never knew if I would have this opportunity, but that's where my doubt comes in to play.  Why didn't I believe the words of Psalm 37:4: "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." The words of this verse ring more true with me every day. You have to believe it if you want it to happen...something I wasn't doing.  Durant is becoming increasingly busy with a travel schedule that includes us going abroad, Lord willing, in 2013.  I knew with our travel schedule that it was just going to be next to impossible to try keeping up with 1WORD. It is also not fair to them as a group to have to work around "my" schedule.  So with much prayer, consideration, a phone call from one of the members of 1WORD, and listening to the voice of God, I have heard Him calling me to travel with Durant. I believe the Lord is calling me into a world of ministry through music, and I have to be ready to go wherever He chooses to lead me. Mark 16:15 says,  "Go into all of the world and preach the gospel to all creation."  This is what I long to do, this is my passion...to share the good news with the world. To the people who don't know Christ, I want them to know Him...to REALLY know Him, the way I know Him.  I'm single, I have nothing holding me down, so why would I not jump at this opportunity?  I know there are probably people reading this who think I'm crazy.  And that's ok.  No matter what you do in life, someone is going to think you are nuts, but God is the one whom I have to please, not people.  God has given me a talent, and I need to be using it for HIS kingdom, just as you need to be using YOUR talent for His kingdom.  I'm excited about the future of Durant, and I ask you to please join me in prayer as we embark on this journey.   And if you're not a fan, please become a fan of ours on Facebook by clicking Durant.  You will be able to keep up with us through this page and all of our travels and upcoming events.  Durant was started by Melissa Lancaster a few years ago and is part of the Acappella Company which has been ministering to folks for 30 years.  Acappella Ministries was started by Keith Lancaster (Melissa's dad), and you will not find anyone with a bigger heart for God than this man.  To this day, he and his wife, Sharon, still travel the world sharing the gift of music through his Praise and Harmony workshops. They are a wonderful family, if you know them, you know this. :-)  Oh how the Lord has blessed me.  I look back over my life and see how he has brought me to this place by my letting go and letting Him.  So to 1WORD, I thank you all so much for giving me the opportunity to be a part of you for 5 or 6 years? I've lost track, but I know it all started with "The Dinner Bells" at Uncle Phil's Diner, the Christmas play at church all those years ago.  I pray for your ministry and look forward to how God uses you all in the future.  To Durant, I thank you all for giving me this once in a lifetime opportunity. I never in a million years dreamed this would be happening to me, but God knew all along.  I can't wait to see how He uses us for HIS glory!  And to all of you reading this, you are dear friends to me, and I thank you for going through the ups and downs of my life with me, for reading my blog, for encouraging and supporting me all the way. I am BLESSED beyond anything to have so many good friends and people in my life.  The Lord is too good to me.  I love you all, and I hope you have a blessed day in Him!!