God is good!  I say that because I have finally come to the realization that He works “in all things for the good of those that love Him.”  Most of us are running…  Either to or away from our Author, but we are running.  I ran for most of my life and that’s probably why I’m more exhausted than most.  This story isn’t a testimony of my time there, but let me tell you what He did while I was running.

I went to ENMU and started as a piano performance/pedagogy major.  I was required to teach piano lessons for a semester in a practicum setting.  My studio was a blessing in those early college years.  It was a place where I felt like I was making a difference.  You see, God didn’t need me perfect to use me.  He had a plan for my life.  It was just a semester and I was running the whole time, but for that hour or so each week I received a glimpse of my future.

I eventually settled for a bachelor of science in music (mostly because I had enough credits to graduate) and a minor in telecommunications.  The latter came out of nowhere.  I can’t recall how I started down that path but, before I knew it, I was working at the TV station under the direction of Rich Rivera.  I was blessed to be the technical director for Sportslook the last semester I was there, meaning that I was in charge of most of the production aspects of the show and helped with the organization and logistics as well.  Rich was probably one of the best things that ever happened to me.  His steady leadership provided stability.  You see, I was still running…

At the end of my rope in Albuquerque, I reached out to my piano professor at ENMU.  The TV job I knew I was equipped for was nonexistent, {for I know the plans I have for you} and I needed some advice.  Dr. Olsen wrote, “You taught piano lessons wonderfully.  Why don’t you do that?”  I ate some crow and moved back to Portales to start school.

My aunt sent me a classified ad for an educational assistant position for both music and art at James Elem. with a hidden agenda :0)  You see, Marea Thompson had just moved back to town and was teaching at that school.  I was offered the job and the opportunity to make up for lost time.  It wasn’t really lost, though.  Had I re-connected with her any earlier (I had tried to date her in high school) it would not have worked.  But, in God’s perfect timing, here we were.  I still hadn’t used my telecommunications minor or taught piano lessons since college, but that was okay.

I took a full-load of classes in those early years as a high school choir director.  I was so thankful for those piano lessons (my parents forced me to continue even though I wanted to quit in high school – again, God’s providence) because that knowledge carried me in those early years.  I had some catching up to do, but I firmly believe that if God calls you, He equips you.  Not only equips, but blesses.  Making music is one of the things I absolutely love to do.  And seeing the students rise above, come together collectively, and work toward a common goal is really something to behold.

 

So now, my beautiful wife, Marea (Thompson) Smith, has embarked on an awesome project.  The Lord took her out of the public classroom and put her in a smaller setting.  I will vouch that the rigor of that setting is every bit as demanding as her first grade classroom and we both love being able to speak into our children’s lives through discipleship – and if you haven’t taken the time to check out her early readers, do that now (www.meandtheestudios.com).  God is directing our waters, and I am much more receptive to that change nowadays.

God’s prevenient grace goes before us.  He has a plan for you.  And, actually, you can’t really mess up that plan.  You can try, and the waters can get pretty murky sometimes, but He is there.  Full circle, He is there.  God is good!

A few years ago Mr. Nusser sat down with me to talk.  He had an idea for streaming sporting events and creating a media class.  He needed someone with a computer background that would be able to run that program.  He had no idea that my minor was in telecommunications.  {God gives us the desires of our heart}  Media Arts is the part of me that I thought I had lost.  There was always music, but I never understood the purpose of my path in telecommunications during college.  Now I teach it, encouraging students to create, to take chances, to work hard.  Such a blessing!

I love Mrs. Schumpert – and if you know her you do as well.  She was my piano teacher for ten years and taught my two oldest.  It was really hard (I took flowers and a card) to tell her that we would not be taking from her this year.  In keeping with the spirit of speaking into our kids’ lives, I would be teaching piano lessons for Bailey, Emma, and Caden.  I had so much fun with them and they wanted to impress me with what they knew.  I don’t know if they have ever practiced more.  God uses me to make a difference every day (because I am willing) but there is something about teaching your kids.  It really is an honor.

The first lesson with each of them brought on this blog.  You may not be the rock star, but you are a rock star to someone.  You may not be a world changer, but you can change your world.  I’m starting with my family…

We’ve had quite a bit of trouble getting our settings for comments on WordPress aligned.  I fear many comments have been sent by Akismet to their death with no input from us.  So, I’m asking that you (anyone who wouldn’t mind being a part of our online community) send us a comment today to allow us to check our settings and current spam filters.  If you don’t get an email telling you that your comment has been approved in the next few days, let me know on facebook.  Technology…  sheesh!  🙂