🔟 …I am determined to not let fear rule my life or my decision making—especially when it looks like saying goodbye to something I love so much. I’m thankful to have been a part of @magnolia’s story & can’t wait to use what I’ve learned at @AntiochWaco!

9️⃣ When I was presented with the opportunity to join the worship staff at @AntiochWaco, I was in the middle of reading @chipgaines’ book #CapitalGaines. Ironically, reading my boss’s book inspired me to take a leap of faith and put in my 2 weeks’ notice. Change is scary, but…

8️⃣ I learned how to work hard at @magnolia . How to take on challenges that were way bigger than what I was capable of...only to realize I was capable of more than I thought. How to fail smart—& keep moving forward. How to think like an owner & not just an “employee”.

7️⃣ Now almost 4 years later, my time at Mag has come to a close. And as you can imagine if you’ve read my other tweets, I’m super nostalgic. This company has meant the world to us, and will forever be a foundational piece of our life, our family, our marriage.

6️⃣ Lyss & I ended up working even more closely together, as the customer service job turned into an entire dept that I was managing—& Alyssa joined my team 😂 then we got engaged at the farm. Then we got married & for our 1st year of marriage drove to work together every day…

5️⃣ Back then the Gaines had a loyal but local fan base. And when I started working closely with them, I understood why. Who they are on TV is less than half of how amazing they are in real life. Hard working, full of integrity, genuinely CARE about customers, employees, etc...

4️⃣ At the time, Alyssa and I had just started dating. She was nannying for Chip & Jo, and part of my job was tutoring one of the kids, so we worked together every day for part of the afternoon. Some of my favorite memories from those days when Magnolia was still so young 😂

3️⃣ It didn’t hit me until a few months later that Magnolia checked off all 3 of those specific requests I had made to the Lord...and then some! Crazy how what jesus said about “ask and you’ll receive” is actually a thing...

2️⃣ Then I heard about this up and coming shop in town called Magnolia. I had a couple of friends working there and asked if there were any openings. Graciously, they took a chance on me to take over their customer service, even though I was 23 years old w/no prior experience.

1️⃣ About 4 years ago I had just finished @AntiochWaco’s discipleship school, and was asking God to provide me with a good job. I wanted to be challenged, to love my coworkers, and to work in a creative, design-focused environment (unsure if I could find all 3 in Waco).

“You do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.” It’s so easy to feel at home in the storyline of this world / culture / country / day and age. But the story I’m a part of is so different...far bigger...started way before me, ends long after I’m gone.

What if prayer really was as simple as “ask & you will receive”....

The kingdom of God is not about human understanding. It is alien to the ways of this world. That’s why we have to be born again to see it. Understanding comes from a heart that’s humble & submitted to God...not from a mind that is puffed up with knowledge.

All sin can be traced back to unbelief. If we actually BELIEVED everything we “know” about God, how would that change the way we live?

Parable of the sower: “the seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s WORRIES, RICHES, and PLEASURES, and they DO NOT MATURE.” (Luke 8:14). God, help me.

It takes diligent, intent, consistent work to weed out all the religious fluff I’ve learned from cultural Christianity & relearn the ways of Jesus. Crazy how different the Bible is from many commonly accepted beliefs about God, heaven, gospel, etc that are ingrained in my culture

Sometimes when I use the internet to gain knowledge about something, my underlying motive is to alleviate a fear or concern by learning ‘the truth’. But I’m discovering that sometimes this actually reveals sin in me—something besides Jesus has become my source of truth & reality.

I’m not living for the world’s approval. I’m living for God’s approval.

I wonder how many of my decisions and thoughts each day are influenced by fear.

Graham over at @recordingrev is celebrating 7 years of content by giving away $2,600 of FREE gear. This week only!