Cracking The Egg
Sometimes divine connections happen where we least expect them.
I've grown to love Facebook and the ability it provides to communicate with
family or friends, or reconnect with them. I also love that I can use the
platform as a tool for encouraging others and witnessing. What I didn't expect
though, was for God to answer a desire in my heart to do more for Him, to 'get
off of the bench (pew) and into the game', through a random - yeah right! - ad
on a social networking site! That's right, one day while reading my Facebook
news-feeds, an ad popped up for Incubator Creative Group. I don't remember what
the ad said, that was the one and only time I've seen it! I do remember that it
caught my interest enough for me to follow the link and check them out.
Once at the site I basically skimmed over their information but
liked what I saw well enough to recommend them to a friend. You see, I was
knocking hard on the door of 50 and didn't even have an inkling of a plan to
begin a ministry! I knew I wanted to do more for the Kingdom and, although I do
love to sing and play my guitar, a public ministry wasn't something I would
really pursue on my own – especially at this point in my life! As we know,
God's ways are not our ways and he knows the plans he has for us...even if we
don't have a clue at the time. I would forward the link to my friend and forget
about it, I thought.
I was drawn back many times to the Incubator site. As I really
began to go through their information and see what they were all about; the
more I read, the more I liked. Their values, integrity, and ethics seemed to
line up perfectly with my own. So, sometime in October of 2009, I submitted a
request to Incubator to begin the application process. Incubator is very
patient and thorough (another thing I liked about them) in the process to allow
enough time and information gathering for both themselves and an applicant to
get to know what the other is about and discover if there is a possibility of a
good 'fit' in a working relationship. I felt that 'fit' and a connection with
them almost immediately! It was like I'd known them and had been working with
them for years! Once God opened that door and started opening my eyes to the
fact that this was indeed the journey He was leading me on, Incubator was even
more appealing. I did not want what the music industry had to offer.
What I did want was to use the gifts and talents God has given me to serve Him.
And to truly serve Him, you must be willing to serve others. That means
relationships, communicating and connecting with other people. That is one of
Incubator's main focuses. It's not about product, it's about people. Incubator
genuinely cares about their artists as a person first. And they care about
equipping their artists to make connections and develop relationships with
family, patrons, pastors, audiences, and whomever God brings into our lives,
not just sing songs or play music.
Incubator is also into helping an artist grow spiritually as well
as musically. Another desire of my heart they are helping to fulfill. Thank the
Lord I outgrew my dislike for reading as a youngster and have come to love it
as an adult. Incubator has me reading ALL the time! I've learned a lot about
myself and God, and am climbing that ladder of growth one step at a time. I
doubt if I would have made the time or set the priorities needed to dig this
deeply on my own. I may have had the good intentions, but not the
self-discipline without Incubator's influence, resources and their high regard
for accountability.
Incubator has been helping emerging artists for more than twenty
years. They have separated the good stuff from the 'fluff' and save us artists
from a lot of wasted time, energy and money. I'm sure I would still be just
sitting in the pews if God had not led me to Incubator Creative Group. I feel
an excitement I haven't felt in a long time. I feel I now know my purpose and
calling. In Incubator I have found not only a ministry partner, but an extended
family. They care enough to be honest in their objectivity and lead and mentor
in ways that suit each artist individually. It is a lengthy process but it is a
process I've already grown to love. I look forward to my ministry projects that
Incubator assigns to keep me working on my ministry and not just in it.
Sometimes it can seem a little overwhelming, but if I stop whirling for a
moment and take a deep breath, I come back to my senses and remember that with
God all things are possible! It's been an exciting ride and we're just getting
started!
I am looking forward to seeing what God has planned for me. What
He will be teaching me, and how He will help me to relate my life's story and
lessons learned to those He is already setting apart for me to connect with.
How far will this ministry go? Only God knows. One thing I do know, it's not
about me! It is about making myself available and allowing the power of God,
the blood of the Lamb, and the word of my testimony to speak truth, life, and
healing into the lives of broken and hurting people...for God's glory and for
His purpose!
Oh, you're probably wondering about the article's title,
'Cracking The Egg', and where that fits in to all of this. God has placed this
egg called Cori Schrader, into the Incubator. Now it will be Incubator's job to
help pry (and I do mean pry!) this chick out of her shell! To help me break
totally free and be able to offer all of myself to the Lord, not just small
parts that happen to be protruding outside of the comfort of my shell
occasionally. I believe they are up to the task and I will do my best to do
what is asked of me by them and God.
Only God could take a 50 year old, hearing impaired, introverted
woman who has spent much of her life battling a fear of failure and/or a fear
of rejection, and place her in an emerging, public music ministry! Let's see if
this ministry thing is all that it's cracked up to be! (Sorry, I couldn't
resist!) I know that God would not send me without first preparing and
equipping me for what He would have me to do. And I do not want to go where He
does not go before me! One of my prayers throughout this entire process has
been for God to open the doors He wants me to go through, and close the doors
where I am not supposed to go. As I have said earlier, this process started
back in October of 2009. I was signed under the Incubator Ministry label on
July 26th of 2010 – the day after my 50th birthday! It is
now approaching a full year since this all began. I believe God still has this
door wide open and I plan to continue on this path until He chooses to close
it! Thanks to all of you who have been such a blessing of prayer, support and
encouragement on this journey with me thus far. I pray I am the same for you!
One of my favorite
scriptures:
Then
Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us
up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your
people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people
from all the other people on the face of the earth?" - Exodus 33:15-16 -
NIV
