“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Are you seeking Christ? Do you love Him with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength? When we know God… truly know Him… our knowledge of Him helps guide those decisions where we don’t know whether we can trust our hearts. Trust Him, my friend… my Melody Man. He knows.
I’m praying for you and for the clarity you need.
Mood Music
Dear Mood Music,
I took your advice and talked to my friends. It was hard and awkward and a little uncomfortable, but I told them everything. They’ve felt like family for a long time… even if they drive me kind of crazy… which is how families are supposed to operate (or so I’m told), and I’ve missed spending time with them. I’m trying to do better. Make some changes. And just… be present, even when I feel like a bit of a mess inside.
In the past, I dealt with some deep-seated anxiety and abandonment… things… issues… whatever you want to call it. I was in therapy as a kid and worked through a bunch of those feelings, but it wasn’t until I started followingChrist that I really understood that I didn’t have to walk through those tough times alone. And it felt as if God gave those two dorky teenagers to me as a gift. They drove me crazy half the time—still do—but they stayed. Ya know? They stuck around with me, and things got better.
Anyways, they’ve since gotten married and started their own lives, and I’m so happy for them. Like… I get to be an uncle to their beautiful kids and watch their lives take off, and sometimes I can’t believe it. How far we’ve all come. But then other times, I feel like I’m on the outside looking in, and I don’t know where that leaves me.
Anyways, I took them both to our favorite coffee shop, stuffed them full of sugar and carbs, and told them everything I just told you.
And, I guess that I wanted you to know that your advice made a difference.
And thank you for sharing your mama’s advice, too. I needed that reminder. I’m going to tape that verse somewhere I’ll see it and trust that God will make the way clear.
Okay, so…
Jan mentioned—between her nagging me to pick something to take home or telling me to get a new hobby—that she might be DJing the Bicentennial HomecomingFestival in Sugartree in a few weeks. Not sure if you’re familiar with Sugartree, but wouldn’t it be crazy if we were there, listening to what has got to be the most eclectic playlist ever created (if Jan is to be trusted), and we were together?
All that to say… maybe we should meet. Do you want to?
Leaving you with this country classic, in my top five for sure, and hoping you’ll say yes… “Check Yes or No” by George Strait.
Hopefully, I’ll see you soon,
Melody Man
9
SPIRIT LEAD ME (LIVE)
INFLUENCE MUSIC & MICHAEL KETTERER
“He wants to meet!” Ginny shouted into the phone as she stomped down the stairs from her loft to Good Start’s kitchen below. It’d been a few days since she’d been able to catch up with Sadie, which had given Ginny more than enough time to obsess over whether meeting Melody Man would be a good idea.
What if he’d expertly catfished her? What if he was a creepy old guy… or a teenager… or an Alabama football fan? Or, perhaps more terrifying, what if he was perfect? What would she do with that?
Sadie shouted on her side, equally excited, echoing Ginny, “He wants to meet!”
“Who wants to meet?” Ginny heard Dakota’s voice, though muffled and as if far away.
“Mystery man,” Sadie said, still talking to Dakota.
“Melody Man,” Ginny corrected.
Dakota sounded confused. “But I thought she was into Ryan?”
Ginny growled.
“She is,Wade,” Sadie explained, calling Dakota the weird nickname she always used for him. “But, as we’ve established,Ryan won’t get on board with the very real feelings he obviously has for her. So Ginny is not gonna waste her time when a super hot, musically inclined, emotionally available man wants to meet her.”
“You said he’s a mystery. How do you know he’s hot?” Ginny heard the sound of water turning off at the end of Dakota’s question.
