Voice From the Vault: The Reba Resurrection (Part 2 of 2)
This interview on the NASHVILLE ALIVE cable TV show, which aired in the Spring of 2017, tells the story of what I now think of as “The Reba Resurrection.”
God used the one-of-a-kind voice of Reba McEntire to do the one-of-a-kind thing only He can do: resurrect the dead.* In this case, He was resurrecting a dead dream. My dream that was figuratively buried in a locked box in the back yard of my past...or you could say, at the bottom of the ocean where my dream-boat had suddenly capsized. I was perfectly content to leave the dream buried there, forever…
But here’s the thing about God. When we seek Him first as our "Abba Father", our heavenly Daddy, He begins to order things in our life the way HE wants them to be.* And He’s known to be a Dad who takes us out of our comfort zone.
Our heavenly Father is not content with our contentment.
Why? Because He has created each of us for a purpose that is far beyond mere contentment.
I felt content keeping my old dream neatly locked-up in the vault, and leaving my capsized dream behind. I was happy now spending my days diving into deep “Kingdom waters” with the Lord, focusing on our family and home, and working our family businesses. But then…God did another “suddenly.”
He suddenly breathed new life into a dead dream.
On March 8, 2016, an unexpected message landed in my cell phone voice mail…suddenly out of the blue. I know the exact date because I still have it saved on my phone. It was the voice of my former song-plugger (one who pitches songs to record labels and artists) delivering some surprise news:
“Hey! Just wanted to let you know something very cool,” I heard the voice say.
“Your 'God and My Girlfriends’ song is on hold for a gospel album Reba is doing!”
Wait. What?!
God and My Girlfriends is on hold for Reba? As in, Reba McEntire?
The one and only. A song I had co-written in 2008, with Patricia Conroy and Marcia Ramirez, had previously been slated to be recorded by Reba back when it was first written. However, it turned out to be the right song at the wrong time for Reba. Now (suddenly!) some 7 years later, the time was apparently right. Out of the blue, out of the vault.
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven…” Ecclesiastes 3:1
You can see my “timeline of souveniers” that unfolded with Reba, and this song and album containing the song, on the “God and My Girlfriends” page of this website.
Here’s just a few highlights:
Reba performed the song on THE TODAY SHOW February, 2017
Reba’s album charted on both Billboard Country AND Christian charts
Reba’s album won a DOVE AWARD in October, 2017
Reba’s album won a GRAMMY AWARD in January, 2018
More suddenly’s have followed, including invitations to sing around town again. I have (rather reluctantly) let my voice out of the vault, in more ways than one:
I’m singing a new song; I’m writing a new blog.
I’m using my new voice to do new things God has put it on my heart to do.
Faith First…Faith Forward.
From suddenly-in-the-vault one day, to suddenly-vaulted five years later.
Singing the praises of the Most High God, who suddenly resurrects!
reSOURCES:
*John 11:1-44: The miracle of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.
**From Author Bob Hamp: Whatever we seek first orders our lives.