I came off the road, tired and ready for a break, when my wife Adrienne reminded me we were scheduled to volunteer that afternoon to serve at the Nashville Rescue Mission. Even though I was tired, I knew we had to honor our commitment.

 

After I listened to the staff talk us through what we were going to do, I quickly fell into a groove and found out you can indeed find joy in the simplest of tasks. While I placed bags of pretzels on each tray, I opened my eyes, my ears and my heart to the men coming through the line and I recognized myself in each of them.  Every single one of us is one wrong decision, one misstep away from God’s plan for our lives, but more importantly, every one of us is deserving of His grace and mercy.

 

After this experience, I approached my Restless Heart band mates about hosting a benefit for the Nashville Rescue Mission. To make a long story short, I began to spend nearly every day at the Mission getting to know many of the men in the program and meeting with the staff in order to learn as much as I could about the Mission. It is truly amazing what a handful of determined people can accomplish in a short amount of time!  With the help of lots of our friends, volunteers and the generosity of Alan Valentine and the Nashville Symphony, we were able to host an event that allowed us to donate all the proceeds to the ministry of the Mission.

 

“My Command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”  – John 15:12 

 

As I look back on that evening, I can wholeheartedly say it was the highlight of my career to have shared the stage with our star-packed lineup and the Men’s Mission Choir singing “How Great is Our God” while the audience openly sang, wept and praised along with us. We did more than raise money that night; we raised awareness that every homeless man, woman and child deserves a chance, and that God has a plan for us all. 

 

Since then, I have found myself spending more time at the Mission, eager to build on the connection I felt. I am amazed at how God weaves His tapestry, made up of people from all walks of life to accomplish His purposes. We are looking forward to making “Music With A Mission” an annual event that has the power to grow and give back even more to Middle Tennessee’s homeless community. We are forever grateful for how God has brought our family closer together and for the friendships forged from our involvement at the Nashville Rescue Mission.