“It’s all about the process,” a friend once told
me. Some things in life come along easy and seem to drop in your lap. Others
are tougher and require a lot of work! In my experience, it’s kind of like
songwriting. Some songs just seem to flow right out of you, while others make
you feel like you’re going through labor pains just so you can make them worth
the effort! Now, being a guy, I’ve never had to experience labor pains
fortunately! However, when you experience a passion for something that you just
can’t ignore; a longing that’s coming from deep, deep down inside of you,
you’ll try just about anything to make it work! But for many of us, it seems
like no matter how much you want to make this dream become a reality, you often
find yourself fighting against forces and situations that seem to continually
leave you grasping for straws and hanging you out to dry; stripping you of all
energy and drive so that you just want to give up! For 20 years I felt a lot
like this! I have gone through so many painful episodes of starts and stops and
ups and downs in my music ministry journey, I’ve often wondered if my dream of
seeing a functioning music ministry would ever see the light of day!
Over the years, there seemed to be several promising
opportunities laid before me, but I often felt left without the necessary
pieces I needed in order to put everything together. I often prayed for someone
to come along side me and partner with me so that, together, through our
combined efforts, the wheels of progress could be set into motion, but it
seemed like a very daunting task! Then God, who very often shows us His timing
is so unlike ours, provided a door of opportunity with Incubator Creative
Group! After 20 years of struggling to find my way into a sustainable music
ministry, Incubator has provided an oasis where an artist can come to learn, be
encouraged, and grow in a healthy spiritual environment where they can begin to
watch their dream unfold into reality!
There is, however, a lengthy audition “process”
(there’s that word again!) they make you go through, but it’s well worth it!
They get to know you personally and spiritually, and help you put together a
plan of action that fits your own unique life situation, so that you can see
your vision take flight! They practice what they preach every step of the way!
Nate and Tami are two of the best people I have gotten to meet in any form of
music management! In fact, I’ve gotten to know them for a much longer period of
time than most roster artists have at this point! They stuck with me and prayed
with me through some very trying times. The fact that they believed in me and
what I had to offer the body of Christ testified to the fact that God has
really called me into this form of ministry!
One of the many things I’ve learned through all
the Incubator seminars is that we are meant for so much more than we think!!
Music is only a part of what we do as ministers, but God uses our own unique
life experiences and brokenness to show others just how awesome His plan of
redemption is for all of us! God can take our little and make much out of it
for His glory, doing little in a BIG way!
Incubator is not all about the glam and glitter
that the music industry so intriguingly paints things to look like; it’s about
people and relationships, the very ones God cares so much for! He came to seek
and save the lost, hurting, and broken and came to provide encouragement to the
faint and the weary! He didn’t come so we could make much of ourselves and our
talents, but to make much of Him, so the people He sends across our path can
see Him, believe in Him, and be saved!
I’ve spent the last several years leading Praise and
Worship in various congregations around town, but I knew God had more for me to
do with music! Incubator is providing the opportunity to take all the things
God has put into me, helping me realize the potential of these things, and
showing me how I can better pour Him into the lives of others! They have a
“ministry first” mentality, and their values are, without question, God
centered! Finally! There is someone out there who gets what it’s like to go
through the struggles I’ve experienced--and is willing to come along side to
partner with me and encourage me, legitimizing the call God has put on my life!
Together, we will see God do great things for His kingdom!!
I thank God for Incubator’s heart of obedience to
the vision He’s entrusted to them! They have a heart for artists like me who
want to be found faithful with the vision and gifts He’s given us! God sends
friends and laborers across your path to guide and help you along the way, so I
will enjoy the process!
