First, a quick recap of our travels:
We began with a Youth for Christ high school conference called Heatwave in Wildwood, NJ with The Remedy [Worship].
These guys are our brothers and some of our best friends. We met some
incredible students and YFC leaders, and even got a second to dip our
toes in the sand! (Can you find us way in the back of the group shot??)
We drove straight from NJ to Wisconsin, stopping to sleep near Toledo. We were booked as Artists on the Rise at Under the Radar's Escape to the Lake,
a four day music festival/retreat for artists and music lovers. We met
incredible musicians and folks from around the country, witnessed
well-crafted songwriting and captivating concerts, and got to enjoy the
beauty of Conference Point Center at Lake Geneva.
We
explored Milwaukee (including cheese curds and brats) and played a show
for youth and families at Grace Lutheran School in the suburbs. We
shared the stage with Donney Wright, a hip hop artist passionate about youth and the Gospel.
We
explored Chicago NOT in January like our previous visits (courtesy of
our hosts the McGinty's and Dave Trout of Under the Radar!) and played
some of our songs and some corporate worship music for the Lincoln Park
location of New Life Community Church. We also ate the obligatory
Chicago deep dish pizza right before going on stage. You know, like the
pros do.
We played a house concert to a lovely crowd in Cincinnati with the uber-talented Son of Laughter,
and our hosts invited us to play at City Gospel Mission for residents
and the public the next morning. We got to sneak in a quick visit to
Over-the-Rhine, Graeter's ice cream, and Skyline chili before leaving
the city.
We ended the tour with a house show in Louisville with our dear friend and fellow musician Adrian Mathenia.
We enjoyed a reunion with old friends and explored more of Louisville
before driving through the night back to Maryland (in time for Jenna to
play another gig that night... whew!).
So,
those were our whirlwind 2 weeks on the road! Now that we're home,
we've been able to process some things we learned, both from questions
we had before we left and things that we didn't anticipate. Here are 8
of our thoughts. (Why eight? I don't know. Why not?)
-God protects and provides.
This is not new information. But there were so many little and big
things that happened... lest we thought for one instant that we were in
control of this tour, God quickly showed us otherwise. We left a
keyboard power cord behind at one location, and the venue where we
discovered this just happened to have not only a power cord for our
brand of keyboard, but an EXTRA. We realized one mic stand was missing a
mic clip, and the home we were in (note: someone's house. not a typical
venue.) just happened to have their own sound system with a mic stand
with a mic clip. We got caught in the mountains on our trek home in
torrential downpour, the gas tank nearly empty, and very few exits to be
seen... and an exit popped up with a gas station that was closed but
the pump still worked. In each of these moments, God provided peace
that prevented panic - which I think is also an indication that I'm
learning how to trust Him more instead of relying on my own strength and
logic. Each was uncomfortable, but I simply knew that God was going to
work it out, and He did each time.
-Extended time on the road seems to work for us. We
love road trips. We love exploring new places and trying local food
specialties. We also love playing music and and meeting new people.
There were tiring and trying moments for sure, but everything we saw and
did was so life-giving that we came back feeling excited and energized
rather than worn out. I'm sure years of it could leave us feeling
different, but for now, we wanted to get right back out there when we
arrived back in Maryland.
-The kingdom is far-reaching and generous. This
tour was financially sustainable thanks to all of the hosts who
provided us places to sleep and a meal. We felt the healing effects of
hospitality through this; we were well cared for and that enabled us to
play and care for others well. We felt a bit spoiled! Each place we
went, we met new friends who invited us to return one day under their
roof. People gave generously at shows. And the aforementioned power
cord? The sound men cheerfully sent us on our way with their extra so
that we could continue the tour.
-Artistic community is invaluable when it's healthy. The
Escape to the Lake event we played was full of talented songwriters and
musicians, as were shows that we played afterward. Community centered
around common interest and skill can sometimes entertain dangerous
elements of comparison, competition, and pride, especially when
creativity and performance are involved. We have both been in such
communities in the past, leaving us drained and anything but motivated
to work on our craft. ETTL, though, was full of community who simply
desires good art to be made and celebrated. The songs and skills of the
artists present were awe-inspiring and encouraging, as were the artists
themselves and the attendees. We could not wait to get home and write
again! We've been touring and playing on our latest album over the past
year, so this was a true page-turn for our artistic focus. We would
not have come upon such inspiration and motivation without this event.
-We need to stay connected to community back home. In our road
tripping pattern, we often didn't make or take phone calls that weren't
related to the tour. But the combination of preparations for departure,
the actual two weeks on the road, and another week away soon after we
returned put us in a place of not connecting with some people we love
for over a month. Whether they're physically from our town or close
friends and family elsewhere, we quickly recognized that if extended
road time becomes a normal part of our routine, we will need to take
time away to pour into these relationships to ease the strain of
absence.
-We're continuing on, one step at a time. For years, I struggled with comparison and being a planner. I
would lament that other people were further along, more disciplined,
more skilled, more driven, or at a magical successful point for which
there was no road map. I could not see how Chris & Jenna could be a
full-time thing (or even whether it was supposed to be) with no linear
path or numbered list of things to accomplish. However, God does not
typically hand out sets of 15 steps to people. He gives ONE. at. a.
time. And He invites us to trust him by following Him and obeying, even
though we can't see the step after it, let alone the end game. For now,
that step looks like me eliminating some hours of another job that I've
had in order to work more on the ministry that's been entrusted to us.
It seems that our story has been baby-stepping in some ways, and I'm now grateful for that.
-We are always learning to work better together. This
is hopefully true for any good marriage or business partnership. In
our case, we have both. We are learning how to have grace with each
other when we fail, to communicate through the mechanics and specifics
of playing shows and packing up gear and traveling, to resolve conflict
efficiently and lovingly, to divvy up responsibilities and tasks so that
we can take care of business and still take care of the people around
us, and to more selflessly serve one another. We want to still love
doing this together years down the road, so we want to be intentional
about forming foundations and walls we can build upon.
Thank you to all who supported us in any way on this adventure. We hope to revisit the Midwest (and/or a town near you) soon!
-Jenna
