Here we go.  I wake up the next morning after a long drive into the night.  My mind is racing as I put the car into gear and drive.  The highway takes me into a small town in Arizona called Cottonwood.  I turn on route 260 and take it into town, turn right on 89A to Zalesky Road.  I stop.  I text Sarah.  She responds within minutes.  Strange....but OK.  She says she's around and the kids are at school.  I gulp, respond and say I'll be there in few minutes.  

 

I bow my head as I sit on the side of the road.  Say some kind of prayer and put the car in drive.  I pull into the driveway on Purple Sage Trail and get out.  The sun beats down from the clear blue sky.  It's light warms my face.  Sarah is standing there in the doorway.  I wipe my hands on my pant leg and walk over to her.  "Hi". I say.  "Hi" she responds.  Good start.

 

We make our way to the back patio by the pool and she asks, "OK, what's up? It's been a few months and we haven't heard from you."  "I know, and for that I apologize."  I dive right in.  I tell her everything.  I tell her about the drive, the waitress, the truck driver, Paul and his family.  I tell her about Darren and his second chance and how I had a small part in that.  She listens, really listens.  

 

"Sounds like you've had quite a trip," she says.   "I have. It's been quite a trip indeed."  I end with telling her how I've quit my job.  She smiles and looks down.  "That's good. You needed to.  I couldn't make you, you needed to figure that out on your own."  I tell her that I'd like to start over.  That there's this road that we need to get back on as a family.  As husband and wife. She laughs, "Do you think it's that easy?"  "No," I respond, "it's not.  It will take time, and I'm here, willing to start over if you'll let me."

 

"The kids miss you.  I miss you.  We've been waiting for you, you know.  I told them weeks ago that you're smarter than this and that it will just take some time." I smile and say, "you were right again, I'm sorry."  I feel a tear forming in my eye.  "I can't believe I've been so foolish."  She takes my hand.  "Tom, it's not that. We get so wrapped up in everything and aim so high for the big picture, sometimes we don't see that all we really need is right in front of us.  A family, a home, kids.  Everything else is a luxury."

 

I bow my head and sigh.  She takes my other hand. I look up.  There are tears in her eyes now as well.  She smiles.  "I've missed you.  Really missed you. I see something in you that is new.  Something that I haven't seen since the first day that I met you."  I tell her more about Paul, about his words, about his love for God and about our prayer together.  She looks out over the yard and shakes her head.  "We've been going to church ever since we got out here.  I needed something to ground me.  Something to believe in after I couldn't believe in you.  Looks like we both found it in different ways.  Different paths."

 

"Tom," she says.  "I just don't want you to miss this life.  There's too much to live for. Too much here."  

 

I get up.  Walk over to the edge of the pool and turn around.  I get lost in her eyes.  I walk towards her, kneel down and say, "I swear, this will be a day that we'll look back on.  A day that we can remember and smile.  From here on out, I'm yours.  I belong to you and our kids.  I want nothing more than to be with you if you'll let me."  She takes my face in her hands and our foreheads touch.  "Yes, I believe you.  I know that God is working here. I just can't believe it's really happening."

 

She takes my hand and leads me to the backyard. "I want to show you something," she says.  We walk to the rear of the yard by the fence.   There are four Arizona Cypress trees planted against it.  "The kids planted these a few weeks ago."  Each tree had a small sign at the base.  One for each of us. "They've wanted you to be here so badly.  I've been hoping and praying that these trees would represent a new life for all of us."  

 

We walk back into the house.  The sun has been moving over the deep blue sky and it's getting to be later in the afternoon.  We step out onto the front porch.  The kids school bus is coming down the street.  I stand there, tears streaming down my face.  Sarah looks up at me.  She takes my hand and leans in to my arm.  The bus stops.  I see two beautiful children step off.  They start walking towards the house and then recognize me on the front porch.  Their eyes light up and their steps quicken.  I run out onto the front walk to greet them.  A father holding his arms open to hold his children.  "Don't miss this life," I repeat Sarah's words in my head.  As they run into my arms, I hold them tight and take a breath.  

 

Today's a day for reflection. A day to look at what's going on and see if it's really what you want going on.  I wrote this song in December of 2016.  In the middle of recording the album.  Scotty and I were working like crazy, 16 hour days and i remember having a conversation where we just talked about what's important and why we do what we do. 

 

So that makes you start to think about your family, your life, decisions and a whole bunch of other stuff. So today, take a little extra time to reflect.  Spend some extra time with the devotional below and the song.  We only get one of these lives so let's use it as best we can for all that we can.

 

When I first wrote this, as you'll hear in the demo below, it was much faster.  After living with it for a while, we decided to slow it down, make it a little more contemplative.  I love how it came out.  The acoustic guitar at the top just sets the mood.  The quiet organ and the lyric.  So so good.  

 

Listen today.  Listen to yourself, your heart.  Don't miss it. There's too much to do and see here.  The journey is hard.  The journey is long.  We fight it and embrace it all at the same time.  Today, don't miss it.  Take a breath.  Don't miss this life.

PART 2: CHAPTER 1: 

Faith and Gasoline.

 

Tom opens his eyes, sweat on his brow.  He wipes his head and looks at the clock. It's 4:15am.  Sarah gently sleeps beside him.  He's been back for 8 months now.  A lot has changed.   His heart has changed, softened.  

 

This is a regular occurrence.  This waking up.  Dreams have been coming and going.  Trying to tell him something. 

 

He gets up and makes a cup of coffee.  The warm liquid soothes something inside him as he sits on the front porch.  The cactus in the yard are tall statues reaching to the sky. The sun begins to welcome the day, pink and yellow hues start to paint the heavens , creeping like a slow fog over the mountains.

 

Tom waits.  He lifts his head and prays.  Seeking direction, seeking what's next.  How many times has he done this.  He feels lost yet found all at the same time.  Life with his family has completed something in him but he is being pulled into more.  Like a photographer patiently waiting for the right scene to open up in front of him, he sits still.  Waiting.  Is this what faith is?  Is this how faith works?

 

He goes back inside and opens his computer.  Fourteen emails are waiting but one stands out.  It's an email from Paul with the subject line, "Thought you might be interested....".  He opens it and starts reading.  

 

 

Hmm.  Tom has just a moment to process the idea when he hears a screech outside, tires rounding a corner fast...too fast.  The crash sounds like a symphony gone wrong.  He rushes to the door but before he can open it, he hears a knock.  He hesitates just for a moment and reaches for the door knob.....

 

So glad to be continuing this journey.  Our story with Tom continues.  This story is just one in a billion stories that we come across every day.  This journey, this time together is precious.  Embrace it.  Take time for it and enjoy it.  

 

We start today with Faith and Gasoline, the first song on this acoustic journey.  It's a song about the journey, about the ins and outs of life and how we get so lost sometimes we can't seem to find our way out.  This is where faith comes into play.  I always say that this ministry runs on two things, our faith in Jesus and the gasoline that we put in the tank of our van to get to the next gig.  Today, let's expand our faith, expand our beliefs and push deeper into the Word that God has given us. Faith.  It's hard, complicated, frustrating, rewarding, incredible, unseen, seen and so much more.  

 

Welcome to the second part of our journey.  So glad you're here with us.