By Ryan Jones

Photo by Joseph McNichols

Hope you’re doing well, friend. Hang in there. In this short article, I want to remind you that God will put you exactly where you need to be when you need to be there. He wasn’t shaken up by any of this, even though it’s been a while since we’ve had this much uncertainty. In Deuteronomy 31:8 it says, “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

I graduated from the Bible College in 2017. It was amazing. I would definitely recommend signing those papers and moving in this fall. Not only because campus is beautiful and President Wade Mobley is a great guy, but God’s Word is the foundation to everything that happens here. And when you’re consuming God’s Word intentionally, your heart gets softer and your faith in Christ grows.

After graduating, I took a year off to process my life, working full time at Sherwin-Williams and spending a lot of time talking with Jesus in my van. I’d complain and tell Him that I didn’t understand what He was doing, and then He’d listen, remind me of His unfailing love, and comfort me with His presence. It was a challenging and stretching time for sure.

Fast forward to fall of 2018. I was just starting classes as a Media Production student at the University of Northwestern, St. Paul. And I was also living with three other dudes in a cheap apartment in New Brighton. Phenomenal time. I loved what I was studying and it was really fun to be doing creative work for homework.

The biggest reason I went to UNW was because I found out that if I chose the Media Production program, it meant that I could spend the last semester in Nashville, Tennessee learning the artistic, technical, and financial parts of the music industry. All hands on. No textbooks. Project based learning. It sounded too good to be true.

When I moved to Nashville this past January, I was all in. I wanted to make the most of my time and learn as much as possible. I can’t even express to you how much fun it was. Too many stories to tell. I was one of 15 artists in the program and our main job was to write, demo, and perform original music. We wrote at least one new song every week and put together a live show every Thursday night on a million dollar stage, literally. The amount of production that went into every show was mind blowing. Lights and cameras. Fog machines and video walls. And then at week 10 of 15, it all got cancelled because of the virus and they sent us home.

I was reading a Stand to Reason article recently and author Amy Hall was talking about the fact that God calls people to do certain things at certain times. Whenever believers transition to a new place or take a new job, a change in vocation occurs, but God’s purposes remain the same. That is, to love the Lord first and love the people around you second. Hall cites a verse from Acts 17:26, “God made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place”.

After getting back from Nashville, I spent a few weeks wondering where God would place me next. I felt like I was starting over. Live music is currently illegal and no one knows when it will open back up again. But then I got a phone call and that phone call led to an interview and that interview led to an acceptance letter. After talking to Jesus about it, I accepted the Media Specialist position here at FLBC and am finishing up my first week on the job. Lord willing, I will also be serving as a Dorm Assistant this coming fall. How crazy awesome is that? God is faithful. He will take care of us. Go Conquerors.