Childhood is a time for dreams. Did you ever dream as a child about what might become of you when you grow up? Did you achieve it? As we progress from childhood to adulthood we sometimes achieve those dreams and sometimes we don’t.
I didn’t dream much as a child. When I did I had dark thoughts. I always assumed that I would be an abject failure and die young. In fact I said I would never live to see my 30th birthday. That prophecy came exceedingly close to becoming self-fulfilling as I narrowly escaped death time and again.
The same was true about becoming an abject failure; I became one for a while by any standards, but then at the age of 23 I discovered God. Amazingly with His help I fought my way out of being a homeless, addicted, violent criminal, and today am considered successful. It was a case of starting from six feet underneath the barrel and rising up.
One of my best friends went the opposite direction. God gifted him enormously as a child and loaded him up with musical talent that is “beyond the pale”. As a youngster he dreamed of becoming a big country music star, and by the 70′s he was lead singer for two-time Academy of Country Music award winning band Brush Arbor. For a while he was able to live out his childhood dream of making the big time as a country music star and he even recorded songs that he wrote with Capitol Records. Their band went on the road and was often asked to front for legends like Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, and Charlie Rich.
He saw his name in the lights for a while, but he allowed himself to be ambushed by satanic influence and before he knew it he had fallen deep into the abyss of drugs and alcohol. Soon enough he spiraled into a free fall that turned him into a “nobody” with a guitar, and he was eventually voted out of the band.
But by the Grace of God, the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the forgiveness and love of His Son Jesus Christ, he finally turned his life around and has been free of his addictions since 1990. Now he spends his days as a Traveling Music Missionary using his talents and musical testimony as a witness to the power of God to transform lives. Today he states: “I’ve been so blessed, and I count it a privilege to Sing for Jesus, and I depend on His Grace to provide my personal needs along the way”.
We were two entirely different children beginning our lives with two entirely different dreams and taking two entirely different routes but we ended up in the exact same place. We discovered Jesus and found that it was Him that had been missing in our lives. Now we both spend our days trying to serve Him as best we know how.
My friend’s name is Kenny Munds and he was truly gifted by God as a singer and musician. He is coming to Honey Lake Church on August 11th and you do not want to miss this service, because it will bless you enormously. Mark your calendar now!
I’ve been on stage with Kenny numerous times and I can tell you personally it is an absolute treat to hear his riveting testimony. You won’t be bored because he delivers it using the combination of his music and describing God’s influence on his fascinating life in an inspiring way and trust me he is an awesome singer and guitar player. (Be prepared to laugh too, because he has an exceedingly keen wit and is funnier than a barrel of monkeys.)
If I could relive my childhood I would dream to be a man of God and though I haven’t asked, I’m sure Kenny feels likewise. I’ve seen and done many things in my life, but nothing compares to being a part of God’s ministry. If you aren’t involved with the ministry in some fashion, then I urge you to do so. Maybe you could witness to someone at work today. It is the dream of all dreams to lead someone to the Lord and know that they will have everlasting life in the presence of God. Whether we know it or not it is our purpose.
Isaiah 46:10
Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’