The idea of sowing and reaping has been on my mind lately. I once heard a speaker tell the story of a man who had been given a pot of dirt by a farmer with specific instructions for its care. The man made sure it received the right amount of water, light, and fertilizer according to instructions. After months of this routine and no signs of growth, the man told the farmer that he must be doing something wrong because nothing had happened after so many months. He was told to continue the routine. Months turned into years, and the man again sought advice from the farmer, and again was told to continue caring for the pot of dirt. One morning after three years of diligent care, the man saw that the plant had grown three feet overnight.  This continued day after day until it became a 40-foot tree. What the man could not see was that all of his work was creating a thriving root system that had been developing over the long three years. 

There are times we may be working for something or praying for someone without seeing results, but we need to remember that things are happening that we cannot see.  Our own “pots of dirt” will one day turn into something incredible if we remain faithful. That same truth holds during those times when we may see people being dishonest or hurting and cheating others.  We don’t see the damage to themselves that is taking place. It may look like they already have pots of gold, but weakness and decay lie beneath. It says in Galatians 6:7: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: For whatsoever a man sows, that will he also reap.” I’m thankful we can hold onto this promise!

I was checking my email a few nights ago, and when I opened the message, a picture of my dad appeared. A student who knew Dad when he was a coach had posted a picture of him on Facebook as a memorial. Dad passed away several years ago, and I was with him when he died. His death was unexpected. We had read I Corinthians 13 as our devotional that night, not knowing he would die only a few hours later. We talked about the sections of the chapter that say “for now we see though a glass darkly, but then face to face,” and where it later says “but then shall I know even as also I am known”, and whether or not this meant we would all know each other when we are reunited in Heaven.

Some people believe we will not know each other, because this means we will remember any bad that may have happened along with the good, and this cannot be a part of Heaven since there will be no more tears there. Some believe we will know each other, but those bad memories will be gone. Others believe that knowing each other will be universal–that we will all feel that we have always known each other, and it will be so great that whether or not we knew each other on earth won’t matter. Dad and I decided that night that whatever the answer, it is much better than anything we could ever design.

When I opened the email the other day, my dad’s picture just suddenly appeared, and there was a split second when I didn’t remember he was gone. It was an “all is normal in the world” feeling–Dad is here, we’ll probably watch a game and eat hot dogs later tonight. The feeling I had reminded me of those times when we go through periods of grief and wake up in the mornings, and for a brief moment, everything is peaceful, and there is no trace that anything was ever wrong. From my earthly eyes, I kinda think it will be that way when we see each other on the other side. One key to I Corinthians 13 is when Paul says “for now I know in part,” which really sums up so much of the walk of faith.

Today is the day we celebrated Dad’s birthday. I thought this would be a nice way to remember him.

Next Tuesday, February 7 will be the official release date for “Abby May” and “Little Child”, the latest singles from Leap. You can check out the links to see the video here and the feature box at All Access here. Though the songs were written at different times over the six years it took to make the album, both deal with the taking of innocence. “Abby May” was written about a girl who never felt she belonged.  In the video for the song, she finds herself the merchandise for human traffickers. For reasons she does not understand, she becomes drawn to a church and wonders what would happen if she were to go inside. The song and video address the power of prayer, God’s redemption, and how the church family can impact people like Abby May who feel like outsiders.

“Little Child” is based on Matthew 19:14, where the people were trying to keep the children away from Jesus, and He told them to let them come to Him, “for such is the kingdom of God”. The song is set in the present day, with the narrator finding himself in a world where childlike faith is gone.

I hope the songs remind us that no matter what we may be going through, God sees us as His children (Romans 8:17) even though there may be many factors that try to keep us from this truth. It’s when we start seeing ourselves though His eyes that we can truly know and experience the life He has made for us…

Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. (Ephesians 1:4-5, NLT)

Some of the first words I heard this year were “Jesus loves you”.  It was early in the morning, and we needed to pick up a card at the grocery store.  As I was looking at the cards, a man walked over to me and said, “I usually don’t do this, but I wanted to tell you that Jesus loves you.” I replied, “I really appreciate you telling me that, and Jesus loves you, too.”

This was not the usual grocery store exchange. And since part of my personality is to analyze why things happen (some call it paranoia), I had various, interfering thoughts (“Do I look like someone who doesn’t know Jesus loves him? Maybe not shaving this morning was a bad idea.”) I then thought about what it says in Mark 16:15. One translation of it reads, “Then Jesus said to them, ‘So wherever you go in the world, tell everyone the Good News’.”

This is what the man was doing. Even though I have known that Jesus loves me for as long as I can remember, unexpectedly hearing it that day seemed to cut to the heart of what really matters. It was like John 8:32 says, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” That is how it felt to really experience those words. It felt like someone had just told me the answer to life, the universe, and everything. And that is exactly what had happened.

Merry Christmas from Mama’s Hippopotamus Music!

The song “Abby May” from Leap is going to be released in a few weeks. A sneak peek of the video is now available at the link below. Hope you enjoy it!

\”Abby May Sneak Peek\”

I thought I was looking at myself...

It’s that time when people start reflecting on the year that is about to end and thinking about the new year.  I hate to admit it, but I have never been a big fan of doing this.  I’m usually an “in the moment” kind of guy.  I count my blessings as they come, and try to make the best of everything God provides without looking too far behind or ahead.

For some reason, though, I can’t help but look back at the great things that happened for my music this past year.  If you have read my blog, you already know all about them, so I won’t list them again.  But I will mention the pre-release party at The Clubhouse in Villa Rica. It remains one of the best experiences I have had.  It never occurred to me as we stood there performing, surrounded by the most supportive people I know, that almost a year to the day later, we would be playing in New York City.  The great experiences that occurred between those two dates are amazing.  It’s evidence of how God knows the plan.  I would have never known to even ask for the opportunities that came our way.  Yes, God does exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20).

A view from Central Park

About the trip to NYC–I wasn’t sure how I would feel about the big city, but I really enjoyed it. The people were nice, and many went overboard in making us feel comfortable.  If we had questions, we would ask people on the street or subway, and everyone seemed happy to help.  We got a great deal at a place called The Flatiron Hotel, [thanks to a secret (travel) agent we know named Sonya].  I have never been shown such hospitality at a hotel. One night, the concierge spent 20 minutes in the middle of the street, in the rain, trying to get us a taxi to take us to the show.

When I almost lost two buttons on my jacket (maybe I ate too much), the seamstress at a place called John Glory sewed them back, on the spot, for $2 a button.  We enjoyed great breakfasts at a place down the street called My Taste, and wore out the subway going anywhere we wanted to visit.  Central Park and The Metropolitan Museum of Art were highlights.

Sunset in Central Park

The Living Room where we played was really comfortable, as the name suggests. The people there and from the Independent Music Awards showed us such hospitality. I felt blessed to be with the best band in the world–Brian Preston on drums, Cody Preston on lead guitar, Wayne Jay Wilson on bass, Carson Ray on vocals and tambourine, and Swaff, my awesome producer, on electric guitar. It was also nice to see my sister and Swaff’s mom in the audience. For pics from the showcase, click here.

It’s only one week until we will be performing at The IMAs Live! Showcase at The Living Room in NYC!  You can check out the flyer for the show below. I really appreciate the people at the Independent Music Awards for inviting us and making this happen!

CCM Magazine just published a New Music Exclusive Artist feature about me this week.  You can read it by scrolling to the Music section at www.ccmmagazine.com or go directly to http://www.ccmmagazine.com/article/new-music-exclusive-artist-j-douglas-wright/. I really appreciate having the opportunity to be included in such a great magazine!

I started writing this post several weeks ago when I found out the number of radio stations I had been able to track that were playing Straight N Narrow and/or Glorious Savior had reached 40. It’s been such an honor to be included on their playlists. The day just happened to be 40 days before we would be performing at The Living Room in NYC. It made me start thinking about the number 40, and how many times it is found in the Bible. There are several instances of people going away to pray for 40 days and 40 nights, most notably Christ when He fasted in the desert after being baptized. It is not our current custom to do this. I imagine we would get some strange and possibly negative reactions if we told our families or bosses, “See ya in 40 days or so–got some praying to do!”, even though the idea appeals to me.

I had the thought that during the month of November, it would be neat to post at least 40 blessings a day. There would be so many things to include. For example, if I first started by thanking God for life, I would include my physical self.  I might start with my skeletal system, which is comprised of 206 bones. Each is made of tissues, cells, marrow, all of which have their own numerous parts, and I would want to name and thank God for each of these, too. Then I would want to thank Him for all of the functions of the skeletal system; for example, the many ways it protects me and all the things it allows me to do with every move I make. I may next thank God for my muscular system, and name each of the 850 or so muscles, their parts, and what they do. (The eye muscle alone moves approximately 432,000 times a day.) To give thanks for the organ system, starting with my brain, would involve naming each of the 100 billion neurons that are involved in its function. At this point, I would not even be close to finishing my thanks for my physical self, and I would also want to include all of my family, friends, and those I don’t personally know who have impacted my life, and thank God for the countless intricacies that went into making each one of them.

Then there are the material blessings I enjoy each day, like a car (approximately 30,000 parts to make it), a house (just the nail-count: 1000 per 100 square feet), and a computer (one megabyte represents roughly one million bytes). It would take the rest of my life to thank God for everything, and there would be more left to cover. To thank God for the day, for life, for food, for a home, for family, and for friends represents centillions of mini-creations.

To think of how to properly thank God reminds me of a song we sing in church called “The Love of God”. One of the verses says “Could we with ink the ocean fill, and were the skies of parchment made, were every stalk on earth a quill, and every man a scribe by trade; to write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry; nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretched from sky to sky.” (Song by Frederick M. Lehman; photo of painting by Glenn Ewing)