John Albert Thomas Solo Piano

The Faith Of A Child

Tonight at bedtime, out of the blue, Will (3 years old) said, “Jesus is behind me.”

I said, “Where?”

He reach behind him and said, “Right there.”

He rolled over and said, “Hi, Jesus.  I love you so much.”

Then he reached out his arms and gave him a big hug.

That’s what I’m talking about!

Eat, Drink and Be Merry, For Tomorrow We Die

If you are like me you have plenty of entrepreneurial ideas with lots of optimism and hope for the future, but you also struggle with those moments of doubt when you wonder how you are going to pay the bills every month. Will one of my ideas finally take off? What if my dream flops? What if I jumped too soon? The moments of doubt can lead to days of worry, fretting and frustration.

This morning I woke up feeling that way. Quite frankly, I didn’t really want to go to church. I’d rather spend the hour alone and maybe have my own little service. But I went anyway, and I’m glad I did.

During the time of praise we sang a song I needed to sing:

Because He lives I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives all fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
live is worth the living just because He lives.

Then I thought, “What is the one thing that has given me strength in my moments of doubt?” The thought that comes back every time to en-courage me is the fact that “He holds the future.” I can face tomorrow without fear because He is already there. Will it be rosy and care-free? Maybe, or maybe not. Doesn’t really matter. Just knowing that He’s prepared it for me and will walk me through it. As the Psalmist wrote, “Though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I will not fear for you are with me.” (Psalm 32)

Can you imagine if He doesn’t live? Tomorrow would be dreadful thought; all is fear; the future is chaos; life is of no value. Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.

Praise Jesus that He kept His promise to raise Himself on the third day. If He can keep the promise to do that, then He can certainly keep His promise of hope to us. Not only hope in this life, but in the life to come.

There's Something In Here!

WOW! What a weekend! I guess I’ll end it with the beginning in mind.

Becky and I went to Franklin, TN where Dan Miller and his team hosted a two-day workshop chocked full of incredibly useful information about how to turn my ideas into thriving businesses.  I went mainly to find out how to build my music career, but little did I know that Becky and I were about to strike the motherload of self-discovery. From the moment we left Franklin till we arrived in Memphis, Becky and I talked and wrote non-stop about our business idea and plan. Let me explain.

For years I lived a melancholy existence cooped up behind a computer screen in the corporate world. Day after day I would dream up business ideas that would allow me to exit that existence and spread my entrepreneurial wings. I would shoot off a few emails to friends to get their feedback on my ideas to look for weaknesses. I would always end this exercise with a single thought or statement: “That’s a great idea. I don’t want to do it, but someone should!” Then I would settle back into corporate reality and grow more depressed. (Can I just say how patient my dear wife, Becky, has been with me all this time!)

What made it worse was that I love to compose piano music. I started composing at age 12 and received my college degree in music theory and composition. My piano works are manifestations of creativity in three or four minutes of sound. Over the years I released two solo piano albums, but they never took off. I always thought that God wanted me to be a professional solo piano composer. Last fall, during a church service, I surrendered my musical aspirations to Him completely.

Then in January, on a mission trip to Mexico, I told my pastor of my struggle to find God’s will for my life. He told me something very wise, “Sometimes, when we are seeking God’s will, He lets us struggle. It prepares us for the answer. Try to see your struggle as a positive thing.” Early the next morning, I turned in my journal to a blank page, set my pen down and pushed it across the table. I prayed, “Here, Father. You write it.” I finally let go of my expectations and stopped telling God what to do. I started to TRUST Him.

I came back and life changed. I realized that I couldn’t live a lie in the corporate world anymore. I started listening to Dan Miller’s podcasts and heard about the Roundtable. I knew that Becky and I needed to go to build our dream together. We were at a crossroads and we needed wise counsel from those who had moved from the corporate world into entrepreneurship successfully. I needed a plan to build my music business, or silver business, or nobody’s business.

Becky and I drove up to “The Sanctuary” as they affectionately call it and discovered that Dan and his wife Joanne had successfully built a place where home and business are woven together, secluded from the world, warm with hospitality and thoughtful ministry. No wonder they call it “The Sanctuary”. We had envisioned such a place for ourselves just a year ago. It was a beautiful setting, and we were greeted graciously by our generous hosts.

Two days of interaction worked relentlessly to chip away the dirt of self-doubt, inadequacy, and false assumptions. As I shed the shell of the man I was, I began to see that there’s something in here! All those years of struggle in corporate life finally made sense to me!

As fellow attendees expressed their struggle with how to take their business to the next level, my mind began to fill with business idea after business idea, like pieces of a puzzle coming together. Part of me didn’t want to say anything because I didn’t want to appear conceited, but if I had information that might really help then I needed to share it. That’s why we all went there, right?

The more I shared, the more I discovered that my ideas might be worth something. What if they could be used to double someone’s business? Or accelerate their economic model? I asked Chuck Bowen about the possibilities. I told him that I love coming up with business ideas, but I have so many of them I cannot build them all myself. He suggested that I could generate business ideas and then hand them off to others to make them happen. He suggested that I had a lot of creativity bottled up inside, and he’s absolutely right. By the end of the weekend, someone gave me a new nickname, “The Idea Guy.” That solidified in my mind what I need to do.

After a sad but satisfied ending to a great weekend, Becky and I went back to our hotel and brainstormed the concept of being an “idea guy”. How do I get there? What is my product? Who is my client? What makes me unique? All the things we learned over the weekend. We finally crashed.

Sunday morning we drove back to Memphis, TN. From the moment we left the hotel to the moment we drove up to our house we talked and wrote every idea down on paper, page after page of great ideas. I became my own Idea Guy. It flowed. It made sense. It’s doable. And best of all, my wife was right there by my side taking ownership. For the first time it was not MY thing. It was OUR thing. THAT’s the life I want. And so, over the coming days, we will digest and plan the entrepreneurial existence that we are wired to live.

Incalculable thanks to Dan, Joanne, Ashley, Kevin, Chuck, Kent, Deby and everyone who made the weekend a life-changing experience for me and my family. I hope to see them next year, or preferably sooner! Shoot…I’ll see them often on 48days.net.