Open Letter to TobyMac
Dear TobyMac,
I want to start of with just saying am so sorry for the loss of your son. I can't imagine how that has changed your life, but I have been praying for you and your family! Although I do not know you personally, I cried for you and pray that God has continued to be faithful to your family throughout the last months.
I also want to say thank you. Thank you for sharing your voice and talent with the world. Thank you for sharing God's work in your life with us. Thank you for sharing the highs and lows. Thank you for being vulnerable. Just, thank you! You honestly have no idea how much your music has blessed my life!
I know you have been doing music for quite a long time, but I have to be honest about something. Until December of 2016 - December 1st to be exact - I didn't know your music. Well, I had heard it on the radio, I just couldn't have named you as the artist. I really only knew the name TMac because I was always listening to Mandisa's song "Overcomer". Then, on December 1st, 2016, God used one of your songs to completely change my life. Now TobyMac is a household name for us, and your music is almost always playing!
See, God had been working HARD in my life for a while. Really, my entire life... but I started allowing Him to work in 2012 after our world was shook pretty hard. Then, in November of 2016, my family walked through another one of the darkest things we ever faced. I can't go into details of the events here, but it involved some of our children, and it completely rocked our worlds in a dreadful way.
As I drove our children to an appointment, I was crying and asking God what to do. I had no clue how to face the path ahead, and I was literally praying for God to audibly speak to me and tell me what to do. I wanted God to just sit next to me, tell me what steps I needed to take, what to do and say, how to act, and every other thing that came with the situation. What I didn't expect, was that He did audibly answer me... using your voice!
As I sat in the parking lot, crying and just wondering why God wouldn't speak to me, I turned my radio back up. The song that had just started was one I had heard before, but for some reason it was different this time. It wasn't just my ears listening, my heart was listening, and every single word of the song pierced my soul. I had goosebumps and an overwhelming sense of peace as the words of "Move" penetrated through me as if it was God himself saying the words. Since I am prior military, it really felt as if God meant them for that exact moment in time. I just need to move and trust the promises God made. So, I did.
After a little over a year of listening to your music regularly, my husband got tickets to your show in Saint Louis, MO. He got me right up next to the stage!!! I don't think I can begin to describe my excitement! I spent three months counting down to finally getting to go! It was honestly far more perfect than I ever could have imagined!
Not only did I get to go. Not only did I get to be right next to the stage. Not only was I so emotionally overwhelmed just to be there. But... then... you picked me out to do a video with on my phone! Now, I know you do this every show, so maybe I shouldn't feel super special... but again... I think God answered a prayer by allowing that to happen to ME! I was completely shocked and excited!
Then, just about a year later, I had another opportunity to go to a concert in FairFax, VA. A good friend attends a church where the youth pastor is someone you went to college with. So, there was also a meet and greet! I didn't hesitate to make sure I was able to go, and what an experience! Though I didn't get to chat with you, it was just inconceivable that I was standing 2 feet from you!
I know all of this may come off as "fan-girlish", and, maybe it is just a little bit. Though, it really has more to do with how God used you in my life. It is about how your music moved (no pun intended) me. It is about your music encouraged my soul and pointed me back to God when I was struggling to even get out of bed most days!
So, again THANK YOU!!!
Part of me hopes this letter finds you somehow, but this is mostly for my own therapeutic jump back into writing again! I could never express the deep gratitude and love I have for you and your music, and how much it really does inspire me to do and be better, and to just keep moving (ok, some pun intended... lol)!
I want to start of with just saying am so sorry for the loss of your son. I can't imagine how that has changed your life, but I have been praying for you and your family! Although I do not know you personally, I cried for you and pray that God has continued to be faithful to your family throughout the last months.
I also want to say thank you. Thank you for sharing your voice and talent with the world. Thank you for sharing God's work in your life with us. Thank you for sharing the highs and lows. Thank you for being vulnerable. Just, thank you! You honestly have no idea how much your music has blessed my life!
I know you have been doing music for quite a long time, but I have to be honest about something. Until December of 2016 - December 1st to be exact - I didn't know your music. Well, I had heard it on the radio, I just couldn't have named you as the artist. I really only knew the name TMac because I was always listening to Mandisa's song "Overcomer". Then, on December 1st, 2016, God used one of your songs to completely change my life. Now TobyMac is a household name for us, and your music is almost always playing!
See, God had been working HARD in my life for a while. Really, my entire life... but I started allowing Him to work in 2012 after our world was shook pretty hard. Then, in November of 2016, my family walked through another one of the darkest things we ever faced. I can't go into details of the events here, but it involved some of our children, and it completely rocked our worlds in a dreadful way.
As I drove our children to an appointment, I was crying and asking God what to do. I had no clue how to face the path ahead, and I was literally praying for God to audibly speak to me and tell me what to do. I wanted God to just sit next to me, tell me what steps I needed to take, what to do and say, how to act, and every other thing that came with the situation. What I didn't expect, was that He did audibly answer me... using your voice!
As I sat in the parking lot, crying and just wondering why God wouldn't speak to me, I turned my radio back up. The song that had just started was one I had heard before, but for some reason it was different this time. It wasn't just my ears listening, my heart was listening, and every single word of the song pierced my soul. I had goosebumps and an overwhelming sense of peace as the words of "Move" penetrated through me as if it was God himself saying the words. Since I am prior military, it really felt as if God meant them for that exact moment in time. I just need to move and trust the promises God made. So, I did.
After a little over a year of listening to your music regularly, my husband got tickets to your show in Saint Louis, MO. He got me right up next to the stage!!! I don't think I can begin to describe my excitement! I spent three months counting down to finally getting to go! It was honestly far more perfect than I ever could have imagined!
Not only did I get to go. Not only did I get to be right next to the stage. Not only was I so emotionally overwhelmed just to be there. But... then... you picked me out to do a video with on my phone! Now, I know you do this every show, so maybe I shouldn't feel super special... but again... I think God answered a prayer by allowing that to happen to ME! I was completely shocked and excited!
Then, just about a year later, I had another opportunity to go to a concert in FairFax, VA. A good friend attends a church where the youth pastor is someone you went to college with. So, there was also a meet and greet! I didn't hesitate to make sure I was able to go, and what an experience! Though I didn't get to chat with you, it was just inconceivable that I was standing 2 feet from you!
I know all of this may come off as "fan-girlish", and, maybe it is just a little bit. Though, it really has more to do with how God used you in my life. It is about how your music moved (no pun intended) me. It is about your music encouraged my soul and pointed me back to God when I was struggling to even get out of bed most days!
So, again THANK YOU!!!
Part of me hopes this letter finds you somehow, but this is mostly for my own therapeutic jump back into writing again! I could never express the deep gratitude and love I have for you and your music, and how much it really does inspire me to do and be better, and to just keep moving (ok, some pun intended... lol)!
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