Bless Your Name

This evening I began thinking about the time that we are given here on this Earth.  More specifically, how much it means to give all that we have in every moment that has been given to us by God.  This week, a general in the kingdom of God went to meet Jesus face to face.  Billy Hornsby, founder of the Association of Related Churches, finished his battle with cancer and took his place among a huge cloud of witnesses in Heaven.  This man's life was an inspiration to thousands worldwide for the cause of Christ.  To me, he was a model of what it means to desperately love the success of the local church, to be passionate about empowering others for the work of the ministry and his life exemplified what a christian legacy could look like for each of us.

Before Billy's influence touched my life, it touched the life of our pastors', Tony and Sheryll Ashmore.  While LifeGate was in it's infancy as a new church plant, I was spending most of my personal time teetering back in forth between whether or not I could be fulfilled in "local-church-ministry".  I thought I was called to "the road".  After all, I played music and that's where musicians belong, right?  What would life be like if I were to lay down all of my pursuits, except those which benefited our local church? Then our pastors took us out to lunch with Billy.  That was the beginning of the end of me.  It was something about the way he spoke and the way he inspired our pastors that afforded me an assurance.  I began to know that the dreams and ideas I held for my life were really worth risking for what God was ready to do at LifeGate.  I had high hopes for our young church plant, but honestly...in the beginning...low expectations.  Billy's partnership with our church afforded me the God-confidence that big things would come out of a small town!!!  In the years that have followed, LifeGate has grown from a 30 person launch group into a 1000+ church!  Who da' thunk it!  Billy would have.

The legacy he left is one to be desired, and yet it continues.

The song I have posted is called "Bless Your Name".  It was written soon after we met Billy.  All that God wanted to do in our church was beginning to shine brightly.  His favor was evident in everything we put our hands to.  It was no longer a question to me of whether or not LifeGate was God's plan for my life.   His question to me was, "Will you celebrate it and embrace it?".  I felt my rightful response was this song.

I hope you enjoy it!
BTW - It is a demo, so please excuse some less than best production:) Hehe!