July 2, 2024 • 48 mins
Join us as we explore Anna Hurst’s incredible journey of surrender and faith, highlighting her transition from traditional religious practices to a profound spiritual awakening at a non-denominational church. Anna opens up about her adult baptism, the divine guidance that steers her family life, and the unshakable faith that has shaped her path.
Have you ever felt a calling that seemed impossible? Anna did this when she was led to write a 200-page book, "Open-Handed Living: A Lifestyle of Surrender," despite facing dyslexia and no formal training. Discover the miracles that followed a powerful prayer walk, leading her to organize "Reclaim" — a concert to unite churches under God’s banner. Witness the compelling story of her husband’s initial skepticism and the powerful confirmation that set their mission in motion, emphasizing the essential role of spousal support.
Get inspired by the divine orchestration behind the Reclaim Concert. From assembling a team of musicians across different denominations to securing the prestigious Blossom venue, this episode uncovers the challenges and triumphs of bringing a God-centered vision to life. Learn about the concert’s unique vision that prioritizes spiritual engagement over performance and the role of prayer warriors who will support attendees. This transformative event, featuring worship, baptisms, and divine connection, promises to be a spiritually enriching experience, free from commercial and denominational constraints.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the XM podcast.
Here is your host, mentalhealth therapist Matthew Cunabee
.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
I am very hard on myself.
Dealt with severe anxiety andit made me feel like a monster.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
I didn't have the energy to care.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
There was just nothing more but to face what I
had been running from, I'malready an anxiety-filled mess.
It's just luck, like it justgoes back to luck.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Do you guys remember the story in Joshua about the
city of Jericho, when theIsraelites were tasked with
walking around the city for sixdays and then on the seventh day
they had to walk around itseven times?
Can you imagine what they musthave been thinking?
or or what about the peoplewithin the walls of Jericho?
I mean, everybody must havethought these people were crazy.
(00:47):
Well, it turns out they weren'tcrazy at all.
They were just carrying outGod's plan and being obedient to
his calling and direction.
So this reminds me of ourguest's journey today.
I'm so excited for our XMaudience to get to meet her.
She has put together a miracleof an event that, by the end of
(01:07):
this interview, you're not goingto want to miss.
Please welcome to the podcastthe host and creator of Reclaim,
a concert that's taking placein just a few weeks, Anna Hurst.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Yeah, thanks for having me.
I appreciate it.
I love sharing God stories anyof them so and I'm full of them.
But I have 11 kids me and myhusband.
We live in Ohio, olmstead area,cleveland you know that side of
(01:38):
town and just a stay-at-homemom, since that's what 11 kids
really.
That's about the.
I think I'd be paying more inchild care if I got a job.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
So age is 16 to one and a half and it's a fun house
topic Just having 11 kids andthen a little bit of the journey
that you've been on that Godhas kind of put some things on
your heart.
You and I were kind of talkingbefore we started recording.
Not only did he put this event,this concert that we're going
to be talking about, on yourheart, he also put something
(02:18):
else on that you justaccomplished, which I think is
pretty neat.
If you wouldn't mind sharingthat we were just speaking about
that.
I was just like can anythingelse be put on this woman's
plate?
That you're just being obedientto God's prompting, which I
think is amazing.
If you wouldn't mind sharing alittle bit about that, yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Yeah, I mean I I'd like to take it back even
further, cause it's like thereason I think it.
I think adding my, maybe mytestimony kind of adds to why
God chose to put so much on myplate, which I don't mind at all
because he's sufficient in allthings.
But I was raised Catholic andso I knew all like the Bible
(02:59):
stories.
You know Jonah and Noah and youknow all the basics.
But I was acting, you know Iwent to public school and was
like every other teen.
You know high school partiesand just living, having fun.
Fun, so to speak, because onceyou get older you realize that
wasn't even fun.
But you know, just living life.
And God had in His design forme to find some new friends who
(03:26):
attended a non-denominationalchurch and they were excited to
go to church.
They were youth group friendsand they're excited to go.
And they asked me to go.
I'm like no one's excited to goto church.
There is no way I'm going withyou guys to church.
My mom has to force me to go onSunday.
And after a couple times ofthem asking me, I'm like, all
right, I'm going to go and seewhat it's about.
(03:47):
And God met me there that dayhe showed me that he finds me
worthy of his love, that he hasa relationship, an intimate
relationship with me that I hadno idea was was available to me,
and his desire for me.
So that was like my start ofwanting to understand who this
God is that I've never heardabout.
So that got me starting to readmy Bible and start surrounding
(04:10):
myself with different friends asI was searching for it.
That life change probably didn'thappen, though, until I was
about 21.
I got married at 20.
We had our first kid at 21, andGod kept pursuing me to get
baptized, but I fought it for awhile.
Like I don't need to getbaptized, I was baptized as a
baby.
Like I don't need to getbaptized, I was baptized as a
(04:30):
baby.
I made my confirmation, Ichecked those things off, and
God kept coming to me asking meto get baptized, and finally, at
21, I decided okay, I need toget baptized, because I realized
that baptism wasn't adeclaration of your faith, like
I was taught with confirmation.
The difference with the baptismthat you see in the Bible and
with a lot of Christianities Imean so many different Christian
faiths have a differentperspective on it but baptism
(04:52):
that we see in the Bible fromadult.
It's a complete surrender.
It's an act of surrender.
It's saying I want to die tomyself and go under and come up
a new creation, fullysurrendered to Christ and living
for Him alone.
And that baptism was the startof a full surrender for me.
And then me and my husbandafter that we're like, okay, how
(05:13):
much.
It almost became like a taskfor me to find how much can I
surrender, like how much doesGod actually want me to
surrender?
So I mean it's come down tolike our kids, letting Him
choose the number of ourchildren and continually
surrendering that, because weknow he has already the number
set and planned and if I justget out of the way, he will do
(05:33):
amazing things.
So we surrendered that.
I mean we surrendered ourfinances, even our kids' school.
We don't just send them toschool, we pray about it every
single year and wherever theHoly Spirit leads is where we
put them.
And that doesn't mean hardshipsdon't happen.
Actually, a lot of hardshipsstill happen.
But you have that solid groundof well, god told me to be here.
So what do I need to learnwhile I'm in this?
(05:55):
So that's kind of the start ofthis journey, for us to be in
this surrendered mindset.
So about a year and a half ago,my son got diagnosed with cancer
.
My eight-year-old and I startedthis prayer, like this diligent
prayer walk, every single hour,and God healed him like
(06:16):
miraculously, healed him, likeliterally.
We went through nothing and God, just on that prayer walk I'll
never forget it of him, said nolonger pray but praise me
because I've healed him.
And he did not a single bit andwe had to do nothing for it,
which is beautiful.
But that just started thisconsistent.
While I was praying in themorning and praying in the
evening, this started thisprotected prayer time.
(06:37):
I'm like what more does Godhave for me in this protected
prayer time that I just am notstill enough through my day of
11 kids to get?
So I kind of made that just areally sacred space.
So even if it's when my kidsare napping and I'm going up and
down my driveway for 30 minutesto walk and just still my mind,
I make sure every single daythat I'm getting that quiet time
(06:58):
with the Lord.
So it was in that walk inNovember that I was walking and
praying and God said he wants meto write a book on living.
It's actually calledOpen-Handed Living, living, a
Surrendered Life for Christ, alifestyle of surrender, and
through it I just go through theconcept of what it means to
(07:21):
surrender all things right, likehow every bit of our life is
almost like an unknown variablein a math problem and we choose
those numbers.
But what would it look like ifGod chose each of those
variables?
Your solution you're, you know,solving for X is a lot bigger,
right, because God's insertingthem.
So I explain the concept andthen kind of break it down into
(07:42):
these like three steps of apersonal relationship with
Christ.
And then like obedience, becauseonce, once he starts talking,
you have to obey, like that'slike step two for sure.
And then the steadfastness,because warfare comes and it
gets hard and difficult, butyou've got to stay steadfast in
that obedience.
So he asked me to write thisbook and he just stopped time
for me to write it in two months, which I mean from what I hear,
(08:05):
cause I've never I've nevergone to school to be an author.
I was dyslexic in school, so itreally I had no training in any
of this, and so, from what Ihear, two months is a really
quick time to write a 200 pagebook, but I did so.
That's.
That's just God, it wasn't me,it was completely God.
Stoppingstopping time.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
And two weeks after that, call Is that book
available yet for our audience?
It's in editing right now.
It's in editing, so any ideawhen-.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
So it's like I finished editing actually, and
now I'm going through kind ofstill an editing process where I
want a bunch of verytheological people or women
who've led tons of Bible studiesto really read the book and go
over and make sure it's likebiblically sound, Cause it's,
you know, when you're going andwhen you're representing Christ.
(08:51):
I don't ever want tomisrepresent him, Like I don't
think I did, but you need thoseother perspectives from people
to make sure I'm not offendingsomebody or or using scripture
in the wrong way, Cause I neverwant to use it for my own gain
or to make my point.
I want scripture to stand onits own and me to just like be
excited for it, you know.
So that's the process it's inright now.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Okay, any idea when that would be ready for our
listeners who are like I'd loveto read a book like that?
Speaker 2 (09:18):
No, when God tells me , but like I don't, Maybe I'll
have you back on when it'sreleased, so we can.
I know I probably shouldn't evenmention it, because now I just
like I led you into it.
I led you into it.
Yeah, sorry, it's going to be.
It's called open-handed living,a lifestyle of surrender, and,
um, I have a Facebook andInstagram that I'll like
(09:38):
sometimes post if I'm in myBible studies and it I get this
like revelation of a really coolthing that surrounds this and
supports the style of surrender.
I'll share it on there, butthat's that's.
That's where it's at right now.
Yeah, sorry.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
Well, that's good.
That's good it's.
It's something for for peopleto look forward to, and those
are things I can put maybe inour liner notes um access to
maybe your Facebook page orInstagram so that they can see
updates when that may come out.
So that leads us into.
Then you went on a differentwalk, another walk that inspired
a whole other journey.
(10:14):
That is kind of what brought mea little bit into this fold and
tell us a little bit about theother prayer walk, or at least
the one that's leading us to theconversation we're having today
.
I know you've been on many andI'm sure God's given you a lot
of different things, but thisone, I just think, is really,
really interesting.
And I've been a mental healththerapist now for about 12 years
(10:38):
and when you started sharingthe story, I was like is this
woman diagnosable?
What is going on here?
And then, as you continued totalk, I'm like I've been talking
to so many people about thisevent.
I'm like I really think God'sdoing something, or this is the
craziest thing I've ever heard.
It's like there's a fine linebetween this is a God-inspired
(11:03):
event or everybody involved justlost their minds.
So let's, if you wouldn't mindsharing I just love the story
Amazing.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
You'd have good company with my husband because
he thought the exact same thinglike this.
My wife just went crazy, youknow, because I come home and
tell him I'm writing a book andhe's like you have 11 kids,
you're driving all over theplace.
When are you going to do that?
I'm like I don't know, but Godsaid it, so I'm just going to
start.
And then two weeks later I comehome and tell him I'm on this
prayer walk and God asked me tohost a concert to unite his
churches and call his childrento him.
(11:34):
And I literally looked around.
I stopped must have beentalking to that was not me in
that park because and there wasnobody.
So went home and I told myhusband and he's like, yeah, no
you're you're like that's whatis wrong with you Like, stop
goingon prayer walks.
Why?
Why would God call you to have11 kids and to write a book and
(11:56):
to host a kind of like?
That doesn't even make sense.
We're not even.
We're not even members yet atour church.
I was like I don't know.
He's like you don't know anymusic.
I was like I know, I don't know.
That's just what I heard.
So he gave great advice.
He said completely forget aboutit, because the Holy Spirit is
persistent, so if it is God,he'll come and he'll seek you
out and tell you again.
(12:17):
And now I know that he wassaying it to avoid an argument,
he didn't want to disprove me.
He's like yeah, just forgetabout it, and if it's God, he'll
come again, thinking it won'thappen.
And sure enough, a week afterthat I was in my car singing a
praise song and the Holy Spiritfilled my car and I could barely
breathe.
I was crying, it was in awe ofthe presence that was in my car.
(12:40):
And he said I want you to host apraise concert.
It's called Reclaim and it's tounite my church and call my
children to me.
And then he gave me fivecomponents of that that I had to
follow through with.
So that was like well, there'sno refuting that.
And I went in and told myhusband because that's always,
you know, as a married couple,that's a huge affirmation, for
you is your spouse.
God will never divide a marriedcouple.
(13:02):
So like you shouldn't doanything apart from your spouse,
and so.
But when I told him, he's likewell, looks like we're throwing
a concert.
I don't know where to start.
I don't know anyone in music.
I'm like well, ourbrother-in-law does music, so
maybe I'll pick his brain aboutit.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
So can you share with the audience your history in
the music industry.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Zero, like literally zero.
Zero, like literally zero.
I had to set you up.
Yeah, my brother-in-law is apraise pastor and like that's it
.
Like I don't even have friendswho are music.
I seriously can't even playchopsticks on the piano because
it's like so much coordinationlike I love it.
It sounds beautiful, but likeme, none, none at all.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
so where does this start?
So you, essentially, the Holyspirit, gives you this, you know
vision, and then what do you do?
I mean, it's like I don't evenknow where you begin when, when
it's like, well, you know, ifyou had 15 years in the music
industry and was like, oh yeah,okay, lord, I'll put on a
concert, and you know, I, lord,I'll put on a concert, and you
(14:02):
know I'll do that, that'd be onething.
But that's not where youstarted.
You weren't even at that levelof ground zero, you know.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
But that's I mean.
That's why he called me to doit.
Because, right, if I was in 15years, I would have started
doing how I know how to do it.
Because I didn't know how to doit, I had to fully rely on what
God said and each step of theway of like, okay, what's next?
Because I don't really know,you know.
So it started with the onlyperson I know in music asking
him to meet up with me becauseI'm going crazy here.
(14:32):
I'm like I'm supposed to behosting a concert.
He's like, well, that's my likeI'm in music, so let's talk.
So he agreed to meet up with me.
I went 15 minutes early to thatmeet up with him and before I
met up with him I just keptpraying, asking God, like when
is this?
You know, because God can giveyou a calling and it can be for
next year, three years, fiveyears, 10 years, when your kids
(14:53):
are grown.
You don't, god's timing is notour timing.
So I'm just asking and prayingwhat God's timing is.
And I kept here on July 18thand then I showed up 15 minutes
early to that meetup with mybrother-in-law and just was
asking God if he could show me,even give me some clues on what
he's thinking for a place,because you know, if it's at my
house with a hundred people oris this at a mega church with a
(15:16):
thousand people, you know I'mhappy to do whatever.
And that's when I heard thefate whisper of Blossom Music
Center and again I stopped thatin my tracks.
God seems to do that to me alot.
I stopped that in my tracks.
I was like that is a very Godthing to do.
I was not expecting that.
I was thinking running chairsand tables for my yard and he's
(15:37):
thinking, no, I want like 23,000at Blossom.
And sure enough, that is whathe ended up booking.
But I go into this meeting withmy brother-in-law and share with
him the call and everything.
And he's a praise pastor.
He's been in many differentchurches serving as a praise
pastor and he's like I don'tknow how you're going to get.
(15:58):
You know, part of Reclaim isthis unified team as a band.
That it's, you know, drummerfrom one church, guitarist from
another, vocalist from another.
So it's uniting all churchesand denominations, even on stage
, which is not common, you know,not something that's heard of
Normally it's you know, yourchurch comes up and plays two
songs and then the next churchcomes and plays two songs, but
(16:19):
this is people who don't playtogether like on the regular
basis.
It's not a band, it's or onechurch's team, it's all
individuals coming togetherunder one name.
And he's like there's no waythat you're going to be able to
do that, like I mean, maybe Icould formulate a beast of a
team like one.
I'm like I think God has three.
And he's like, yeah, likethere's no way you can do that.
(16:41):
I'm like I don't have to.
God does Like I didn't evencome up with this idea.
So if this is going to happen,it has to be on His way, because
I you're right, I can't do it.
And then he's like well, wheredo you think this is going to be
?
And that's when I was like well, I think I heard blossom.
He's like no, definitely notLike whoa, whoa.
(17:01):
No, like I don't think so.
Um, but but as you can see, nowthat we're here, god, god had
it all planned well, and I'msure you've heard a hundred
times, if not more, by now.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
You don't just book blossom, that's not, no, that's
not a place.
You just kind of call a phonenumber and say, hey, my name's
anna, I would like this date andI'm going to put on a show.
Can I have the venue Like itdoesn't work like that.
So I mean, what was yourjourney to even get to blossom?
Speaker 2 (17:34):
So I first went down a trail that some people
mentioned to me of a festivalthat's outside, that they're
like, maybe you can be openingact, they'll have everything set
up for you, and I said, well,maybe, maybe that, maybe I heard
wrong, that's fine, knocked on,that door got shut in
immediately.
So then I was really left withjust blossom and I started
Googling of like trying to findany.
(17:55):
It's actually like really hardto find even anything to call,
like there's no numbers listedanywhere.
And I finally find some like Idon't even know where it was
some number and I was like gaveit a shot and I'm talking to
some guy in India and I'm like,hey, I need to get to United
States because God wants me tohost a concert.
I probably sound so insane tohim Like God really wants me to
(18:18):
host a concert at Boston, so Ineed to get back to the United
States.
So any number or email like itcan be a janitor, like anybody.
And he eventually gave me anemail, who then gave me another
email and I just kept gettingpassed to like all these
different people till finally Igot the person who manages all
of Blossom's bookings.
So I mean I called India thatpeople ask me all the time like
(18:38):
how do you book Blossom?
Like I called India?
It was God.
It truly was not me.
Speaker 1 (18:42):
Yeah, and I think it's like that.
I mean I shared with you beforeI toured for years.
So I mean I know how thesethings work.
I mean they work with bookingagents who know promoters, who
you know it's an inside thing,it's the you know the way these
tours come together and stuff.
So it's not something they justput on.
If you want to book Blossom,here's and here's our, our phone
(19:11):
number.
So like even when it was broughtto me um by the group of the
people that I'm going to beplaying with um at the event, I
was like what?
Like that, that can't be right.
Like maybe there's a smallervenue called blossom, somewhere
that I'm not aware of.
But you know, it's just, it'scrazy.
The whole thing is crazy.
But that's what's so excitingabout it, because for me, anna,
just hearing it on my side, Iwas like this has got to be a
(19:31):
God thing, because I know it'snot possible to just do this
without that, because it's notset up that way.
Venues like this, and not onlythat, there's a lot of now
people involved in this that youjust can't bring together
haphazardly.
It doesn't just happen likethat.
(19:52):
I talk a little bit about someof the things that have come
together Cause.
Okay, Now, now you got to thepeople who book blossom, but
there's a lot that you can'tjust stop there.
There's a lot of other thingsthat need to happen after that.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
Yeah, yeah, I mean we started working on the teams
for the concert, the praiseteams.
My brother-in-law was able toput together his like from all
the people he knew who were topmusicians and truly like amazing
, amazing musicians, and he putthe first team together.
(20:25):
The second team was kind oflike fumbling around and I get
on a call with oh so we have amusic manager for our group.
Kind of she's just a musicteacher, but she saw me post it.
She's been friends with myhusband since they were little.
So she saw my post on socialmedia of me going crazy, of like
well, I'm going to throw aconcert, you guys better come
(20:46):
before anything was planned.
And she's like I, like my heartis for unifying the church,
like it's been, it's been on myheart for so long.
Like I have to be part of this.
I'm like great, I don't knowanything about music, come on
aboard, you'll know what I need.
I don't even know whatinstruments are in a band.
Like I don't even know whatinstruments I need for this or
how many.
Like I don't know any.
So she came on board and wastrying to make that second and
(21:07):
third team and was just kind ofstruggling getting people to
respond to her or to get videosof people, like it just was not
easily falling into place, andwe get on a call and she's like
you know, it's just not really.
I'm like you know, maybe Godhad planned just one team and
I'm trying to force threebecause I thought he wanted
three, but maybe it is just oneteam and the couple people you
(21:29):
have can jump on team one and itjust be one team.
And but I'll pray about it.
You know, and at this time too,we also didn't have the AVL
team yet, and I don't even knowwhat AVL is.
So anyone listening, avl isaudio visual lighting, which
apparently the musicians don'tmake sound with their
instruments on their own.
You have to have an amp orsomething to make the sound.
(21:52):
I didn't know any of this.
I was like, okay, what's AVL?
They're like, well, you needAVL.
I was like, oh great, we'llfind someone.
They're like, well, blossomneeds like big sound.
I'm like, okay, they're like,yeah, you need like a certain
equipment.
So only a few people actuallyhave the ability to play
something like Blossom, to havethe equipment for that big of a
(22:14):
sound, with the boards and allthese other words they use that
I'm just like okay, yeah.
I don't know what you're talkingabout, but sure so they also
were getting a little nervousbecause it's four months out now
and they're like we don't havean AVL team, we don't have all
that.
I'm like, all right, top of myprayer list, guys, I'm not going
to move until God moves.
(22:34):
So I'm going to pray about itand we'll see where he goes with
it.
And sure enough, that day wenton a prayer walk and had a phone
call scheduled for.
After it, got on the phone witha woman named Joni and she
tells me she has she kind ofdoes a similar thing with
Uniting Churches.
So she's been doing this for awhile and has this huge, huge
(22:56):
tons of people, of huge, amazingartists who she could reach out
to.
She's like, well, maybe some ofthem she's like all of them get
booked up.
They all have summer gigs, theyall play at the churches, they
all do a ton because they arereally sought after people.
But I can email and see ifmaybe a couple of them could
help be a couple for your teamtoo.
And I said, great, that's good.
(23:16):
I was like now I need AVL.
If you know what that means andyou know someone who can do
that I really need them.
And she's like well, here's anumber of a guy who does the
live festival, so he has bigenough sound but he's doing a
live.
So he has big enough sound buthe's doing a live, so he won't
be available, but you could callhim and maybe he'll introduce
you to somebody.
And um, so got that number.
The next day Joni calls me backand she's like you won't believe
(23:38):
this, like I don't even knowwhat to say, but every single
person I sent who's available,all my musicians are available,
all of them can play.
So like the whole third team,the whole set, like everything
just fell right in place.
You know, like people got backto Lisa finally on on the people
she was trying to get ahold of.
So like it was almost like Godwas waiting for that one call to
(24:00):
just show his hand that he's incontrol of all of us.
It won't be by any of our doingor because we have good words
or good connections, it's onlyby him.
Which is beautiful to be partof that God story.
But so everyone was filled inand then I give a call to her
AVL guy and this guy was likehow'd you book Blossom?
I'm like well, let me tell youfirst about my concert.
(24:21):
He's like no, I don't want tohear about the concert, I want
to know how you booked Blossom.
I'm like I didn't God did.
It truly was a God story.
But I want to tell you aboutthe mission.
And he was like no, I don'twant to hear your mission, I
only want to know how you bookedBlossom.
And I'm thinking did this guywant to book Blossom?
Is he trying to get the secretsauce?
(24:42):
Like, what is this guy askingme for?
I'm like listen, buddy, I calledIndia, like I did not book
blossom.
I called India and they passedme around until finally I got
someone.
He's like I do blossoms AVL.
I am blossoms AVL.
They call me give, get my quoteand book 30% on top and give to
you I do blossoms AVL.
(25:02):
I know you can't book blossom,you're not anybody, you can't
book them.
Like, how the heck did you getit?
I'm like, oh man, this is sogood, like God, just totally mic
dropped on this guy.
Yeah, god booked Blossom.
You know, if anyone's going toknow, it's going to be someone
who works with Blossom right,that's so incredible, that's so
incredible and so he's on.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
He was like, okay, I'm going to do that.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
Yeah, he's doing a live, but he's also doing he's
like I I got to do this.
So he's having half his team.
He's coming in the morningsetting it up.
He's going to blossom or sorry,to alive, setting some up, then
coming real quick to ourssetting that up, leaving some of
his team there to go back tolife.
So he's doing both.
(25:48):
I mean, when you feel the HolySpirit moving that's what I've
noticed is like so many peopleonce they hear it and they just
want to be part of it, they wantto be near it.
But that's what Christ does.
It's not me, because I havegood words.
It's the Holy Spirit stirringand moving in everybody else's
hearts that they want to drawnear to God.
They feel that light and theywant to be near it.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
That's awesome.
And so there's there's threebands.
I'm fortunate enough to beplaying guitar in the third band
.
Joni was one of the people thatreached out to me.
So when that third band cametogether, I was one of the
people that were like, what inthe world are we doing?
Like this, I, I, I, I, my wifeand I were watching TV and I was
(26:31):
like I think I just got a textmessage about playing blossom
this summer.
And she's like, well, that can'tbe right.
And I'm like they don't makestuff up, like that's probably
you know.
And I was like, do we haveanything going on July 18th?
And she's like, if we do, we'll, we'll take it off the schedule
, we'll, we'll clear that out.
And if, can you talk a littlebit about some of the things
around the importance of theshow and then some of the things
(26:51):
that you've that God's kind ofput on your heart that are going
to be taking place during theshow?
Obviously, there's music, butthere were some other things you
talked about as far as prayerand people involved and some
things that God put on yourheart that I think are really
like if I had booked Blossom,I'd been like, okay, good, we're
good, okay, but there were somethings that you shared about
(27:13):
praying and mentorship and someother things that are going on
that night that I think arepretty awesome.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
Yeah, yeah.
So first, one of the newestunderstandings that God's given
me to articulate is that thisisn't a concert that people
would think is a concert.
It's a very unique event inthat manner that God said, okay,
a concert's normally, right,you're going to see the person
(27:40):
on stage and watch them performand it's like all eyes on them,
right.
And God's just flipping thatword concert on its head and
says, actually, the mostimportant person coming is the
person in the audience.
So it's almost like that youwho comes, it's like your
birthday and he hired this band,he hired you, you actually to
play and bring them into praise,for them to be with him.
(28:02):
And so it is completelydifferent because he's offered
this free space to just comewith open hands.
He says I'm going to callpeople even the morning of, and
they need no barrier, they needno like, even if it's a free
ticket, they can't have anythingthat's a barrier.
They need to be able to comethe moment I call them and feel
stirred and not have any excuseto come to my open arms because
that's what they are and I willmeet them where they're at.
(28:25):
And so it's a very differentexperience because, while we
have insanely amazing musicians,like it's so hard for me not to
highlight them because I'm likestarstruck by so many I'm like
oh my gosh they're so good, butit's not about.
It's about them singing, so youfeel comfortable praising and
being with God, because it'sabout you sitting in the seat.
(28:47):
So that's one really uniqueaspect of this event.
It's not a normal concert thatyou see going across, where it's
unifying the churches throughdifferent churches, praise teams
, and it's about that.
It's actually about theindividual in their seat that
God wants to make himself realto them and meet them where
they're at and then going with.
Other components of it all comefrom the five components that
(29:10):
God gave me.
At the very beginning of it hesaid he wanted a unified band,
even like unifying the church,even in the bands, which he did,
a playlist that he would give,which he did, and it's.
I mean, I could go on with somany stories with that.
Okay, I'm going to touch here alittle bit with the playlist
here, because it's crazy is Iwould be like putting on makeup
(29:31):
in the bathroom and like lyricswould just be in my head.
I'm like I either wrote areally good song or this is a
song that's like out there, forsome reason, god's putting it in
my head Cause I've never heardthis song and I type it into
Google and sure enough a songwould come up and like okay,
this is supposed to be at thegrocery store at Whole Foods.
It's not a Christian grocerystore at Whole Foods.
My kids screaming in the carlike the devil was trying with
(29:53):
all his might not to let me hearwhat was playing and, weirdly,
all my ears could hear was thissong that was playing and I knew
that was another song for theplaylist.
So the playlist was literallyhandpicked by God and, like we
went down to South Carolina fora family vacation, I listened to
the entirety of it because Ihave it all on my Spotify, the
entirety of it, praying over it.
(30:13):
Just Lord, remove any songs youdon't actually have.
Tell me if this is the finallist.
And he solidified all of that.
And then, while I was down therepraying who should have these
songs?
And there'd be some bands thathe really specifically chose the
song for, where he said this isfor team two or this is for
team three, and there was maybelike eight, nine songs that he
(30:34):
did that with.
And then I get down there and Iemail out all the bands.
I'm like here's the playlist,Send me your top, like 15.
I can't promise anything, buthere's the top 15.
All of them pick differentsongs because it's God, like no
one was fighting over songsbesides two that are our combo
song at the end for everyone tocome out and sing together, like
no one fought over anything,because God just made it perfect
(30:58):
.
And all the ones that theypicked were ones like all the
ones that God chose for thatband were ones that they picked
too on top of it.
Like how crazy is it that theyactually wanted also the song
only God, right, only God.
But so a playlist that he wasgoing to give us and then
running partners and prayerwarriors at the event.
So prayer warriors who aregoing to pray over people at the
(31:19):
event and then running partnerswho are dedicated to a year of
anyone who wants thatdiscipleship, anyone who's
either new to faith or maybeyou've been in faith, like
you're a believer but you'venever walked that lifestyle of
Christ and you could really usean accountability partner to
just when you, you know, falland fall short, that you have
someone to call and being likeman, can you just pray for me?
(31:41):
Like I'm really struggling withthis.
You know, it just is thiswhisper in my ear constantly
like somebody for you to have acontact with and who can get you
connected to a bigger body.
If you're not part of a church,who can, who can invite you to
their church or share with youother churches in the area.
So that, again, wasn't myplanning.
It was just God knowingeverything that was needed and
(32:02):
the way he's had that set up.
You know, I first heard, when Ifirst heard, that I started
trying to collect all thesepeople like who wants to be
prayer warriors and runningpartners.
Who wants to do this?
And I was Martha-ing it.
I don't know if you know thestory of Mary and Martha, but
Mary sits at the feet of Jesusand Martha starts busying
herself.
I Martha-ed it there where Iwas trying to collect.
And then God comes along andbrings these ministries, all
(32:25):
these different ministries fromacross Ohio.
Like I don't even know how Igot connected to them.
To be honest, I'd have to lookat the notes of like who
connected me where to how I gotto it.
But like Cincinnati's bringingup a team, columbus is bringing
up a team, dayton's bringing upa team, akron's bringing up a
team these ministries that dothis, that pray with people and
disciple them after they'reequipped with the gospel message
(32:46):
.
They do this all the time.
They have vetted churches inthe area of all different
denominations because they'reall for unity, which is crazy.
Did you know?
Declare Dayton had this wholeministry for uniting the church
and they actually throw aconcert the day after ours,
which is crazy.
But, God had all theseministries.
He knew they were all out there.
He brought them all to me forthem to all bring their teams to
(33:08):
come and be prayer warriors whowill connect with these people
after.
And here I'm like trying tolike stir it on my own, and if I
would have just sat like Mary,god would have brought it to me,
because he did bring it to me.
So then I had to go back to allthe other people.
I'm like so do you want to jointhis team?
Or if you want to be a prayerwarrior, you have to kind of
already be willing to follow upwith them, because there's a
(33:29):
connection you make with someonewhen you finally become
vulnerable to ask someone topray for you, your spirits have
this connection and really thatperson praying over you has to
be the one who's calling you up,seeing how you're doing, seeing
if you need anything, if youneed any more prayer.
If they can continue connectingwith you, it needs to be that
person.
So what before I was countingas two roles was actually two
(33:52):
sides of one role and God justhas made that perfect now and
then the other.
The last component of that waswater, which again, being in
this life of surrender.
I don't go before the Lord, soI refuse to claim it as baptisms
or anything.
Until God spoke and I hadpeople, you know we're like
(34:13):
maybe it's water bottles, youknow we need to be hydrated.
I'm like, really, god wants usto be hydrated, I mean.
And they're like maybe it'srain, maybe everyone's going to
you know whatever else, and I'mlike I don't know.
I don't know and I'm okaywaiting until God moves.
And a couple people mentionedto me some things about baptisms
.
And when I first saw, when Ifirst, when I was in my car that
(34:35):
time so not the first call thatone was like short and sweet,
but in my car, when it was withall of his glory, I saw this.
I saw it was outside and I sawa man baptizing.
But sometimes when you hear youcan put your own thoughts on.
So I wanted to make sure Iwasn't putting my own thoughts
on like I did with the prayerwarriors and running partners.
I'm like I'm not doing thatagain.
(34:55):
I'm going to be married, I'mjust going to be still.
And sure enough, a couple ofpeople mentioned some things and
so I started really prayingabout it.
If it's baptisms, for God tojust reveal, it, make it so
evident.
And then I get a text from CityMission saying we have a
thousand gallon tank we want tobring, set up and tear down for
you, for baptisms that reclaim.
And I'm like wow that soundslike God, that you just want to
(35:18):
do it and like provideeverything.
So that was the start of thatand we went to Blossom's
walkthrough and there isliterally the most perfect spot.
This is so good.
Between the grass and the seatsis a sidewalk I like triple
wide sidewalk and it jets out inthis one portion, right in the
middle of the sidewalk, likegoing the other way, so it's in
(35:40):
the middle of it, going longways and also vertical.
So in that very bit is jets outis a cement pad that can
completely fit perfectly thisbaptismal tank and a table to
hold the towels and shirts andBibles for people.
Oh, my gosh, only God, only God,now being only God, he also
(36:02):
fits it to be perfect in all ofwhat he's doing, because he has
claimed that this is only music,that there is no altar call, no
message being preached, nocharity that's being pitched, no
mission, not missionary, likeministry that has a table set up
to advertise None of that.
This is a holy ground only forGod.
(36:23):
He's the only highlight for himto be with you.
So, with that, the baptisms.
We know that.
There's no call to that.
There's no video on it, so it'snot stirring people because they
like the look of the video.
It's completely going to be ledby the Holy Spirit that if he
stirs somebody, they're going toknow that water's for them.
Their eyes are going to be ableto find that water and see it
(36:45):
because the Holy Spirit's goingto bring them to it.
And we'll have people thereequipped with the gospel, with
the reason for baptism, that canshare with them and baptize
them.
But that won't, which is soperfect because so many
denominations have differentviews on it, and so it'd be just
like God to have it availablebut not to challenge anybody.
He's not challenging anyone'sfaith.
He meets you where you're atand stirs individuals because
(37:06):
he's such a personal God.
So it's beautiful.
It's so God of him.
Speaker 1 (37:11):
It's incredible.
I mean, all of these thingscoming together like this are
just kind of like reading theOld Testament and seeing all of
these prophecies and all of themcoming to fruition with Jesus.
You know what I mean.
It's like only God does thatkind of stuff.
Wish it with Jesus.
You know what I mean.
It's like only God does thatkind of stuff.
You can't have this many thingsworking in the way that they
(37:33):
are unless God's involved.
And I just love yourpersonality with this and it's
just like look, I don't knowwhat I'm doing, but God just
keeps giving me this stuff and Ijust keep listening.
And when I listen then I gointo action.
It's like the book of James,it's like faith in action.
(37:56):
It's like, all right, lord,tell me what you want me to do,
okay, and then we go.
And it really is incredible.
I think I want to highlightsomething.
This is a free show.
There is no cost.
You don't have to get tickets.
You don't have to get tickets.
You don't have to do there is.
There is no hoops you have tojump through to be a part of
this this evening, um july 18th,what I think is going to be
(38:19):
really incredible.
And then the other thing too.
Um, there are no sponsors.
You know, I mean when?
When is the last time you'veever been to any event that
doesn't have these massiveconglomerate sponsors?
And not that that's a bad thing, but it kind of shows you, okay
, where's the money going, andall of these things.
(38:41):
There's none of that, andthat's shocking to me because a
lot of people have asked me.
It's like well, who's behindthis?
That's shocking to me because alot of people have asked me
it's like well, who's behindthis?
Who's the big company, who'sthe big church that's supporting
this?
I'm like it's not.
It's almost hard for people tobelieve that an event like this
is happening, that there isnothing that you have to
(39:12):
subscribe to to come to thisconcert and anything else you'd
like to share with the audienceabout this night or what's
coming up, or things that youwould like them to be aware of.
Speaker 2 (39:24):
Yeah, I think you hit it all on the head there.
Just, there's no alternativemotive.
God was very purposeful in that, so nobody's guard needs to be
up.
The beautiful thing about music, um, is it allows you to just
be still and embrace it andallows the spirit to move and
allows you to be vulnerable,because you can just move into
in this music that's beingperformed and, like I said, it's
(39:47):
not even about the performance.
So so the whole screens arejust lyrics so you can sing
along with and we hope thateveryone participates, because
that's just ushering in andallowing yourself to be free and
open to God moving, and I thinkhe's going to do.
I think this is.
I think this how many insanethings have happened to make
(40:09):
this event.
I think it's just the beginning.
I think at the event, we aregoing to see so much more of
God's power in all of it, and sothat's the amazing thing about
the event is just it's sospirit-led, all of it, the whole
team is spirit-led.
There's only three other peoplewho are doing this with me.
(40:30):
All of us say the same thing wehaven't really done anything
Like we kind of just.
God said to do this and we didit, and then it was just
happened and was done Like thisis our event manager.
She used to do PGA tours, soshe's used to like doing events.
You know the whole golf tourlike, and she's like I have
never done so little foranything in my life.
(40:51):
She's like I feel like I'm notusing my talents.
I'm like you weren't eversupposed to.
You're just supposed to comeand watch God work.
That's the beauty of it.
That even the people arethrowing it Like I think I'm
just sitting there enjoying andbeing with God too, while you
guys play, like I, he's takingcare of of everything, which is
just beautiful that he's notjust gifted it for the people
(41:12):
there, but all the peopleinvolved.
You know you have your set, butbefore and after you're just
free to be with God too.
That he has that gift for eachperson, even the people who are
working the event, and only Godcan do that like.
I've never heard or been a partof any event that that was
possible and you probably knowthat playing in bands, there was
not a downtime for you.
(41:33):
This wasn't about you.
It was about pleasing the fansand putting your show on, and
here you can just come and be.
Speaker 1 (41:41):
Yeah, yeah, and I love the fact we've been in a
pretty large group text with allthe bands and the way we're
deciphering who's in what band'slike there is no band name, you
know.
There is no like artist.
It's it's like oh, matt, I'mmatt from band three, or I'm,
I'm on team three, or you know,and this is like tim from band
(42:01):
one and and it's just like it'snot like.
You know what I mean, becausepeople keep asking me like well,
who's playing?
I'm like band one, band two andband three.
I don't know how you marketthat, but people keep wanting
that.
Speaker 2 (42:16):
they're like you got to put the band, like put some
advertising for the band, likewell, a lot of them never play
together.
I don't have like footage fromit, like it's not like a footage
thing of a band, like I don'tthink it's a really hard concept
.
But that also shows howbeautiful it is that every
person God brought they havesuch a humble heart, like none
of you want the spotlight orcare that your name's not on our
(42:37):
website or like you're like Iget to be part of God's event
and it's like this humility thateverybody has around this event
that is so beautiful.
It's been amazing to be a partof, to see all these people God
brings, to see the humility thatpeople have and the love for
just furthering God's kingdomand to bring people into the
(42:58):
fold you know of.
I don't care, I don't need aguitar solo, right.
I want them to be part of this,I want to move them, I want
them to feel the presence of God.
So, however, I can serve them,I'm happy to do and it's just.
It's so different than what themusic industry is, from what
I've heard, because I haven'tbeen in it.
Speaker 1 (43:17):
Yeah, I can tell you it is.
It certainly is, and that'swhat piqued my interest to go on
.
I just want to be a part ofthis and serve in any way that I
can, and it's been just areally interesting journey
seeing what God's been doingthrough your vision and how you
have just multiplied throughother people and through other
(43:38):
things to bring this so manypeople are excited about it.
I've been talking about it andI've had people actually reach
out to me randomly and been likehey, man, have you heard about
this Reclaim concert that'shappening at Blossom?
I'm like, as a matter of fact,I have.
It's like it's just it's.
I'm super excited.
It's July 18th at blossom.
Um, music's going to be fromseven to 10 and it's free, and I
(44:01):
would suggest probably gettingthere a little bit before seven.
If, if, if you want to find aspot that you want to, you know,
be able to be in worship, andI'm super excited about it and I
I'm so thankful for you givingme some time today.
I know there's a lot on yourplate.
You got 11 kids, you're writingbooks, you're putting on major
concerts.
I mean you know.
Thanks so much for, yeah, nobig deal, just just a few little
(44:24):
things that I'm doing, butthanks for making time for us at
the XM podcast.
I really appreciate you andappreciate your heart and just
you know.
Seeing you know what God'sdoing through this has been
amazing, so thank you forsharing that.
Speaker 2 (44:38):
Yeah, thanks for having me, thanks for getting
the word out there and invitingpeople, cause that's, I mean,
our number one goal now is tojust we know 20,000, 23,000
people can fit in the Blossom,so 23,000 people have to hear
the call for the Holy Spirit tostir to get them there.
So getting the word out any waywe can is huge and you're right
, getting there a little earlymight be helpful.
5.30 is when doors open.
(44:59):
I think, Blossom has the parkinglot open at 4.30.
So that way traffic can kind ofget helped, but the doors open
at 5.30.
And all concert regulations areon Blossom's website.
You know they have like theclear water bottle.
You can bring in one clearwater bottle or you can bring in
your own water bottle,refillable plastic it just can't
(45:19):
be stainless steel and theyhave refillable stations.
So you can really keep itcompletely free by bringing in
your own water, becauseconcessions will be open, but
you can bring in your own watergallon, Ziploc, clear gallon,
Ziploc, bag of food you canbring in.
So you can really make this afree event which is hard to find
in the summer right.
Like when do you find any freeevents in the summer?
Speaker 1 (45:39):
Like it's so hard to find that.
That's so good.
Well, and I appreciate you somuch Reclaimconcertcom.
Any other information you mayneed you can find there, and
thank you so much, and it'sreally looking forward to July
18th.
Thanks for doing this.
Yeah, thank you.
(45:59):
Well, if you are in the area ofNortheast Ohio or can travel,
we would love to see you at theworship event on July 18th, but,
honestly, that wasn't the onlyreason I wanted to put out this
podcast.
Anna's faith and obedience todoing God's will is astounding
and I hope it's infectious toall of our listeners, because it
certainly is to me.
You know she could have quitmany times over when doors were
(46:22):
shut or feeling like maybe itwasn't God's voice speaking into
her heart, but she didn't.
She is someone I am sure God ispleased with and I had to have
her on.
I hope this conversation hastouched you and made an impact
in some way in your life.
Thank you for continuouslysharing these episodes.
(46:42):
Please, if you haven't already,subscribe to this little
podcast that keeps going.
We are very close to doing our100th episode.
Well, until next time or whenour Savior comes, God bless.
Welcome to the XM podcast.
Here is your host, mentalhealth therapist Matthew Cunabee
.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
I am very hard on myself.
Dealt with severe anxiety andit made me feel like a monster.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
I didn't have the energy to care.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
There was just nothing more but to face what I
had been running from, I'malready an anxiety-filled mess.
It's just luck, like it justgoes back to luck.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Do you guys remember the story in Joshua about the
city of Jericho, when theIsraelites were tasked with
walking around the city for sixdays and then on the seventh day
they had to walk around itseven times?
Can you imagine what they musthave been thinking?
or or what about the peoplewithin the walls of Jericho?
I mean, everybody must havethought these people were crazy.
(00:47):
Well, it turns out they weren'tcrazy at all.
They were just carrying outGod's plan and being obedient to
his calling and direction.
So this reminds me of ourguest's journey today.
I'm so excited for our XMaudience to get to meet her.
She has put together a miracleof an event that, by the end of
(01:07):
this interview, you're not goingto want to miss.
Please welcome to the podcastthe host and creator of Reclaim,
a concert that's taking placein just a few weeks, Anna Hurst.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Yeah, thanks for having me.
I appreciate it.
I love sharing God stories anyof them so and I'm full of them.
But I have 11 kids me and myhusband.
We live in Ohio, olmstead area,cleveland you know that side of
(01:38):
town and just a stay-at-homemom, since that's what 11 kids
really.
That's about the.
I think I'd be paying more inchild care if I got a job.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
So age is 16 to one and a half and it's a fun house
topic Just having 11 kids andthen a little bit of the journey
that you've been on that Godhas kind of put some things on
your heart.
You and I were kind of talkingbefore we started recording.
Not only did he put this event,this concert that we're going
to be talking about, on yourheart, he also put something
(02:18):
else on that you justaccomplished, which I think is
pretty neat.
If you wouldn't mind sharingthat we were just speaking about
that.
I was just like can anythingelse be put on this woman's
plate?
That you're just being obedientto God's prompting, which I
think is amazing.
If you wouldn't mind sharing alittle bit about that, yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Yeah, I mean I I'd like to take it back even
further, cause it's like thereason I think it.
I think adding my, maybe mytestimony kind of adds to why
God chose to put so much on myplate, which I don't mind at all
because he's sufficient in allthings.
But I was raised Catholic andso I knew all like the Bible
(02:59):
stories.
You know Jonah and Noah and youknow all the basics.
But I was acting, you know Iwent to public school and was
like every other teen.
You know high school partiesand just living, having fun.
Fun, so to speak, because onceyou get older you realize that
wasn't even fun.
But you know, just living life.
And God had in His design forme to find some new friends who
(03:26):
attended a non-denominationalchurch and they were excited to
go to church.
They were youth group friendsand they're excited to go.
And they asked me to go.
I'm like no one's excited to goto church.
There is no way I'm going withyou guys to church.
My mom has to force me to go onSunday.
And after a couple times ofthem asking me, I'm like, all
right, I'm going to go and seewhat it's about.
(03:47):
And God met me there that dayhe showed me that he finds me
worthy of his love, that he hasa relationship, an intimate
relationship with me that I hadno idea was was available to me,
and his desire for me.
So that was like my start ofwanting to understand who this
God is that I've never heardabout.
So that got me starting to readmy Bible and start surrounding
(04:10):
myself with different friends asI was searching for it.
That life change probably didn'thappen, though, until I was
about 21.
I got married at 20.
We had our first kid at 21, andGod kept pursuing me to get
baptized, but I fought it for awhile.
Like I don't need to getbaptized, I was baptized as a
baby.
Like I don't need to getbaptized, I was baptized as a
(04:30):
baby.
I made my confirmation, Ichecked those things off, and
God kept coming to me asking meto get baptized, and finally, at
21, I decided okay, I need toget baptized, because I realized
that baptism wasn't adeclaration of your faith, like
I was taught with confirmation.
The difference with the baptismthat you see in the Bible and
with a lot of Christianities Imean so many different Christian
faiths have a differentperspective on it but baptism
(04:52):
that we see in the Bible fromadult.
It's a complete surrender.
It's an act of surrender.
It's saying I want to die tomyself and go under and come up
a new creation, fullysurrendered to Christ and living
for Him alone.
And that baptism was the startof a full surrender for me.
And then me and my husbandafter that we're like, okay, how
(05:13):
much.
It almost became like a taskfor me to find how much can I
surrender, like how much doesGod actually want me to
surrender?
So I mean it's come down tolike our kids, letting Him
choose the number of ourchildren and continually
surrendering that, because weknow he has already the number
set and planned and if I justget out of the way, he will do
(05:33):
amazing things.
So we surrendered that.
I mean we surrendered ourfinances, even our kids' school.
We don't just send them toschool, we pray about it every
single year and wherever theHoly Spirit leads is where we
put them.
And that doesn't mean hardshipsdon't happen.
Actually, a lot of hardshipsstill happen.
But you have that solid groundof well, god told me to be here.
So what do I need to learnwhile I'm in this?
(05:55):
So that's kind of the start ofthis journey, for us to be in
this surrendered mindset.
So about a year and a half ago,my son got diagnosed with cancer
.
My eight-year-old and I startedthis prayer, like this diligent
prayer walk, every single hour,and God healed him like
(06:16):
miraculously, healed him, likeliterally.
We went through nothing and God, just on that prayer walk I'll
never forget it of him, said nolonger pray but praise me
because I've healed him.
And he did not a single bit andwe had to do nothing for it,
which is beautiful.
But that just started thisconsistent.
While I was praying in themorning and praying in the
evening, this started thisprotected prayer time.
(06:37):
I'm like what more does Godhave for me in this protected
prayer time that I just am notstill enough through my day of
11 kids to get?
So I kind of made that just areally sacred space.
So even if it's when my kidsare napping and I'm going up and
down my driveway for 30 minutesto walk and just still my mind,
I make sure every single daythat I'm getting that quiet time
(06:58):
with the Lord.
So it was in that walk inNovember that I was walking and
praying and God said he wants meto write a book on living.
It's actually calledOpen-Handed Living, living, a
Surrendered Life for Christ, alifestyle of surrender, and
through it I just go through theconcept of what it means to
(07:21):
surrender all things right, likehow every bit of our life is
almost like an unknown variablein a math problem and we choose
those numbers.
But what would it look like ifGod chose each of those
variables?
Your solution you're, you know,solving for X is a lot bigger,
right, because God's insertingthem.
So I explain the concept andthen kind of break it down into
(07:42):
these like three steps of apersonal relationship with
Christ.
And then like obedience, becauseonce, once he starts talking,
you have to obey, like that'slike step two for sure.
And then the steadfastness,because warfare comes and it
gets hard and difficult, butyou've got to stay steadfast in
that obedience.
So he asked me to write thisbook and he just stopped time
for me to write it in two months, which I mean from what I hear,
(08:05):
cause I've never I've nevergone to school to be an author.
I was dyslexic in school, so itreally I had no training in any
of this, and so, from what Ihear, two months is a really
quick time to write a 200 pagebook, but I did so.
That's.
That's just God, it wasn't me,it was completely God.
Stoppingstopping time.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
And two weeks after that, call Is that book
available yet for our audience?
It's in editing right now.
It's in editing, so any ideawhen-.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
So it's like I finished editing actually, and
now I'm going through kind ofstill an editing process where I
want a bunch of verytheological people or women
who've led tons of Bible studiesto really read the book and go
over and make sure it's likebiblically sound, Cause it's,
you know, when you're going andwhen you're representing Christ.
(08:51):
I don't ever want tomisrepresent him, Like I don't
think I did, but you need thoseother perspectives from people
to make sure I'm not offendingsomebody or or using scripture
in the wrong way, Cause I neverwant to use it for my own gain
or to make my point.
I want scripture to stand onits own and me to just like be
excited for it, you know.
So that's the process it's inright now.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Okay, any idea when that would be ready for our
listeners who are like I'd loveto read a book like that?
Speaker 2 (09:18):
No, when God tells me , but like I don't, Maybe I'll
have you back on when it'sreleased, so we can.
I know I probably shouldn't evenmention it, because now I just
like I led you into it.
I led you into it.
Yeah, sorry, it's going to be.
It's called open-handed living,a lifestyle of surrender, and,
um, I have a Facebook andInstagram that I'll like
(09:38):
sometimes post if I'm in myBible studies and it I get this
like revelation of a really coolthing that surrounds this and
supports the style of surrender.
I'll share it on there, butthat's that's.
That's where it's at right now.
Yeah, sorry.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
Well, that's good.
That's good it's.
It's something for for peopleto look forward to, and those
are things I can put maybe inour liner notes um access to
maybe your Facebook page orInstagram so that they can see
updates when that may come out.
So that leads us into.
Then you went on a differentwalk, another walk that inspired
a whole other journey.
(10:14):
That is kind of what brought mea little bit into this fold and
tell us a little bit about theother prayer walk, or at least
the one that's leading us to theconversation we're having today
.
I know you've been on many andI'm sure God's given you a lot
of different things, but thisone, I just think, is really,
really interesting.
And I've been a mental healththerapist now for about 12 years
(10:38):
and when you started sharingthe story, I was like is this
woman diagnosable?
What is going on here?
And then, as you continued totalk, I'm like I've been talking
to so many people about thisevent.
I'm like I really think God'sdoing something, or this is the
craziest thing I've ever heard.
It's like there's a fine linebetween this is a God-inspired
(11:03):
event or everybody involved justlost their minds.
So let's, if you wouldn't mindsharing I just love the story
Amazing.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
You'd have good company with my husband because
he thought the exact same thinglike this.
My wife just went crazy, youknow, because I come home and
tell him I'm writing a book andhe's like you have 11 kids,
you're driving all over theplace.
When are you going to do that?
I'm like I don't know, but Godsaid it, so I'm just going to
start.
And then two weeks later I comehome and tell him I'm on this
prayer walk and God asked me tohost a concert to unite his
churches and call his childrento him.
(11:34):
And I literally looked around.
I stopped must have beentalking to that was not me in
that park because and there wasnobody.
So went home and I told myhusband and he's like, yeah, no
you're you're like that's whatis wrong with you Like, stop
goingon prayer walks.
Why?
Why would God call you to have11 kids and to write a book and
(11:56):
to host a kind of like?
That doesn't even make sense.
We're not even.
We're not even members yet atour church.
I was like I don't know.
He's like you don't know anymusic.
I was like I know, I don't know.
That's just what I heard.
So he gave great advice.
He said completely forget aboutit, because the Holy Spirit is
persistent, so if it is God,he'll come and he'll seek you
out and tell you again.
(12:17):
And now I know that he wassaying it to avoid an argument,
he didn't want to disprove me.
He's like yeah, just forgetabout it, and if it's God, he'll
come again, thinking it won'thappen.
And sure enough, a week afterthat I was in my car singing a
praise song and the Holy Spiritfilled my car and I could barely
breathe.
I was crying, it was in awe ofthe presence that was in my car.
(12:40):
And he said I want you to host apraise concert.
It's called Reclaim and it's tounite my church and call my
children to me.
And then he gave me fivecomponents of that that I had to
follow through with.
So that was like well, there'sno refuting that.
And I went in and told myhusband because that's always,
you know, as a married couple,that's a huge affirmation, for
you is your spouse.
God will never divide a marriedcouple.
(13:02):
So like you shouldn't doanything apart from your spouse,
and so.
But when I told him, he's likewell, looks like we're throwing
a concert.
I don't know where to start.
I don't know anyone in music.
I'm like well, ourbrother-in-law does music, so
maybe I'll pick his brain aboutit.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
So can you share with the audience your history in
the music industry.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Zero, like literally zero.
Zero, like literally zero.
I had to set you up.
Yeah, my brother-in-law is apraise pastor and like that's it
.
Like I don't even have friendswho are music.
I seriously can't even playchopsticks on the piano because
it's like so much coordinationlike I love it.
It sounds beautiful, but likeme, none, none at all.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
so where does this start?
So you, essentially, the Holyspirit, gives you this, you know
vision, and then what do you do?
I mean, it's like I don't evenknow where you begin when, when
it's like, well, you know, ifyou had 15 years in the music
industry and was like, oh yeah,okay, lord, I'll put on a
concert, and you know, I, lord,I'll put on a concert, and you
(14:02):
know I'll do that, that'd be onething.
But that's not where youstarted.
You weren't even at that levelof ground zero, you know.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
But that's I mean.
That's why he called me to doit.
Because, right, if I was in 15years, I would have started
doing how I know how to do it.
Because I didn't know how to doit, I had to fully rely on what
God said and each step of theway of like, okay, what's next?
Because I don't really know,you know.
So it started with the onlyperson I know in music asking
him to meet up with me becauseI'm going crazy here.
(14:32):
I'm like I'm supposed to behosting a concert.
He's like, well, that's my likeI'm in music, so let's talk.
So he agreed to meet up with me.
I went 15 minutes early to thatmeet up with him and before I
met up with him I just keptpraying, asking God, like when
is this?
You know, because God can giveyou a calling and it can be for
next year, three years, fiveyears, 10 years, when your kids
(14:53):
are grown.
You don't, god's timing is notour timing.
So I'm just asking and prayingwhat God's timing is.
And I kept here on July 18thand then I showed up 15 minutes
early to that meetup with mybrother-in-law and just was
asking God if he could show me,even give me some clues on what
he's thinking for a place,because you know, if it's at my
house with a hundred people oris this at a mega church with a
(15:16):
thousand people, you know I'mhappy to do whatever.
And that's when I heard thefate whisper of Blossom Music
Center and again I stopped thatin my tracks.
God seems to do that to me alot.
I stopped that in my tracks.
I was like that is a very Godthing to do.
I was not expecting that.
I was thinking running chairsand tables for my yard and he's
(15:37):
thinking, no, I want like 23,000at Blossom.
And sure enough, that is whathe ended up booking.
But I go into this meeting withmy brother-in-law and share with
him the call and everything.
And he's a praise pastor.
He's been in many differentchurches serving as a praise
pastor and he's like I don'tknow how you're going to get.
(15:58):
You know, part of Reclaim isthis unified team as a band.
That it's, you know, drummerfrom one church, guitarist from
another, vocalist from another.
So it's uniting all churchesand denominations, even on stage
, which is not common, you know,not something that's heard of
Normally it's you know, yourchurch comes up and plays two
songs and then the next churchcomes and plays two songs, but
(16:19):
this is people who don't playtogether like on the regular
basis.
It's not a band, it's or onechurch's team, it's all
individuals coming togetherunder one name.
And he's like there's no waythat you're going to be able to
do that, like I mean, maybe Icould formulate a beast of a
team like one.
I'm like I think God has three.
And he's like, yeah, likethere's no way you can do that.
(16:41):
I'm like I don't have to.
God does Like I didn't evencome up with this idea.
So if this is going to happen,it has to be on His way, because
I you're right, I can't do it.
And then he's like well, wheredo you think this is going to be
?
And that's when I was like well, I think I heard blossom.
He's like no, definitely notLike whoa, whoa.
(17:01):
No, like I don't think so.
Um, but but as you can see, nowthat we're here, god, god had
it all planned well, and I'msure you've heard a hundred
times, if not more, by now.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
You don't just book blossom, that's not, no, that's
not a place.
You just kind of call a phonenumber and say, hey, my name's
anna, I would like this date andI'm going to put on a show.
Can I have the venue Like itdoesn't work like that.
So I mean, what was yourjourney to even get to blossom?
Speaker 2 (17:34):
So I first went down a trail that some people
mentioned to me of a festivalthat's outside, that they're
like, maybe you can be openingact, they'll have everything set
up for you, and I said, well,maybe, maybe that, maybe I heard
wrong, that's fine, knocked on,that door got shut in
immediately.
So then I was really left withjust blossom and I started
Googling of like trying to findany.
(17:55):
It's actually like really hardto find even anything to call,
like there's no numbers listedanywhere.
And I finally find some like Idon't even know where it was
some number and I was like gaveit a shot and I'm talking to
some guy in India and I'm like,hey, I need to get to United
States because God wants me tohost a concert.
I probably sound so insane tohim Like God really wants me to
(18:18):
host a concert at Boston, so Ineed to get back to the United
States.
So any number or email like itcan be a janitor, like anybody.
And he eventually gave me anemail, who then gave me another
email and I just kept gettingpassed to like all these
different people till finally Igot the person who manages all
of Blossom's bookings.
So I mean I called India thatpeople ask me all the time like
(18:38):
how do you book Blossom?
Like I called India?
It was God.
It truly was not me.
Speaker 1 (18:42):
Yeah, and I think it's like that.
I mean I shared with you beforeI toured for years.
So I mean I know how thesethings work.
I mean they work with bookingagents who know promoters, who
you know it's an inside thing,it's the you know the way these
tours come together and stuff.
So it's not something they justput on.
If you want to book Blossom,here's and here's our, our phone
(19:11):
number.
So like even when it was broughtto me um by the group of the
people that I'm going to beplaying with um at the event, I
was like what?
Like that, that can't be right.
Like maybe there's a smallervenue called blossom, somewhere
that I'm not aware of.
But you know, it's just, it'scrazy.
The whole thing is crazy.
But that's what's so excitingabout it, because for me, anna,
just hearing it on my side, Iwas like this has got to be a
(19:31):
God thing, because I know it'snot possible to just do this
without that, because it's notset up that way.
Venues like this, and not onlythat, there's a lot of now
people involved in this that youjust can't bring together
haphazardly.
It doesn't just happen likethat.
(19:52):
I talk a little bit about someof the things that have come
together Cause.
Okay, Now, now you got to thepeople who book blossom, but
there's a lot that you can'tjust stop there.
There's a lot of other thingsthat need to happen after that.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
Yeah, yeah, I mean we started working on the teams
for the concert, the praiseteams.
My brother-in-law was able toput together his like from all
the people he knew who were topmusicians and truly like amazing
, amazing musicians, and he putthe first team together.
(20:25):
The second team was kind oflike fumbling around and I get
on a call with oh so we have amusic manager for our group.
Kind of she's just a musicteacher, but she saw me post it.
She's been friends with myhusband since they were little.
So she saw my post on socialmedia of me going crazy, of like
well, I'm going to throw aconcert, you guys better come
(20:46):
before anything was planned.
And she's like I, like my heartis for unifying the church,
like it's been, it's been on myheart for so long.
Like I have to be part of this.
I'm like great, I don't knowanything about music, come on
aboard, you'll know what I need.
I don't even know whatinstruments are in a band.
Like I don't even know whatinstruments I need for this or
how many.
Like I don't know any.
So she came on board and wastrying to make that second and
(21:07):
third team and was just kind ofstruggling getting people to
respond to her or to get videosof people, like it just was not
easily falling into place, andwe get on a call and she's like
you know, it's just not really.
I'm like you know, maybe Godhad planned just one team and
I'm trying to force threebecause I thought he wanted
three, but maybe it is just oneteam and the couple people you
(21:29):
have can jump on team one and itjust be one team.
And but I'll pray about it.
You know, and at this time too,we also didn't have the AVL
team yet, and I don't even knowwhat AVL is.
So anyone listening, avl isaudio visual lighting, which
apparently the musicians don'tmake sound with their
instruments on their own.
You have to have an amp orsomething to make the sound.
(21:52):
I didn't know any of this.
I was like, okay, what's AVL?
They're like, well, you needAVL.
I was like, oh great, we'llfind someone.
They're like, well, blossomneeds like big sound.
I'm like, okay, they're like,yeah, you need like a certain
equipment.
So only a few people actuallyhave the ability to play
something like Blossom, to havethe equipment for that big of a
(22:14):
sound, with the boards and allthese other words they use that
I'm just like okay, yeah.
I don't know what you're talkingabout, but sure so they also
were getting a little nervousbecause it's four months out now
and they're like we don't havean AVL team, we don't have all
that.
I'm like, all right, top of myprayer list, guys, I'm not going
to move until God moves.
(22:34):
So I'm going to pray about itand we'll see where he goes with
it.
And sure enough, that day wenton a prayer walk and had a phone
call scheduled for.
After it, got on the phone witha woman named Joni and she
tells me she has she kind ofdoes a similar thing with
Uniting Churches.
So she's been doing this for awhile and has this huge, huge
(22:56):
tons of people, of huge, amazingartists who she could reach out
to.
She's like, well, maybe some ofthem she's like all of them get
booked up.
They all have summer gigs, theyall play at the churches, they
all do a ton because they arereally sought after people.
But I can email and see ifmaybe a couple of them could
help be a couple for your teamtoo.
And I said, great, that's good.
(23:16):
I was like now I need AVL.
If you know what that means andyou know someone who can do
that I really need them.
And she's like well, here's anumber of a guy who does the
live festival, so he has bigenough sound but he's doing a
live.
So he has big enough sound buthe's doing a live, so he won't
be available, but you could callhim and maybe he'll introduce
you to somebody.
And um, so got that number.
The next day Joni calls me backand she's like you won't believe
(23:38):
this, like I don't even knowwhat to say, but every single
person I sent who's available,all my musicians are available,
all of them can play.
So like the whole third team,the whole set, like everything
just fell right in place.
You know, like people got backto Lisa finally on on the people
she was trying to get ahold of.
So like it was almost like Godwas waiting for that one call to
(24:00):
just show his hand that he's incontrol of all of us.
It won't be by any of our doingor because we have good words
or good connections, it's onlyby him.
Which is beautiful to be partof that God story.
But so everyone was filled inand then I give a call to her
AVL guy and this guy was likehow'd you book Blossom?
I'm like well, let me tell youfirst about my concert.
(24:21):
He's like no, I don't want tohear about the concert, I want
to know how you booked Blossom.
I'm like I didn't God did.
It truly was a God story.
But I want to tell you aboutthe mission.
And he was like no, I don'twant to hear your mission, I
only want to know how you bookedBlossom.
And I'm thinking did this guywant to book Blossom?
Is he trying to get the secretsauce?
(24:42):
Like, what is this guy askingme for?
I'm like listen, buddy, I calledIndia, like I did not book
blossom.
I called India and they passedme around until finally I got
someone.
He's like I do blossoms AVL.
I am blossoms AVL.
They call me give, get my quoteand book 30% on top and give to
you I do blossoms AVL.
(25:02):
I know you can't book blossom,you're not anybody, you can't
book them.
Like, how the heck did you getit?
I'm like, oh man, this is sogood, like God, just totally mic
dropped on this guy.
Yeah, god booked Blossom.
You know, if anyone's going toknow, it's going to be someone
who works with Blossom right,that's so incredible, that's so
incredible and so he's on.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
He was like, okay, I'm going to do that.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
Yeah, he's doing a live, but he's also doing he's
like I I got to do this.
So he's having half his team.
He's coming in the morningsetting it up.
He's going to blossom or sorry,to alive, setting some up, then
coming real quick to ourssetting that up, leaving some of
his team there to go back tolife.
So he's doing both.
(25:48):
I mean, when you feel the HolySpirit moving that's what I've
noticed is like so many peopleonce they hear it and they just
want to be part of it, they wantto be near it.
But that's what Christ does.
It's not me, because I havegood words.
It's the Holy Spirit stirringand moving in everybody else's
hearts that they want to drawnear to God.
They feel that light and theywant to be near it.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
That's awesome.
And so there's there's threebands.
I'm fortunate enough to beplaying guitar in the third band
.
Joni was one of the people thatreached out to me.
So when that third band cametogether, I was one of the
people that were like, what inthe world are we doing?
Like this, I, I, I, I, my wifeand I were watching TV and I was
(26:31):
like I think I just got a textmessage about playing blossom
this summer.
And she's like, well, that can'tbe right.
And I'm like they don't makestuff up, like that's probably
you know.
And I was like, do we haveanything going on July 18th?
And she's like, if we do, we'll, we'll take it off the schedule
, we'll, we'll clear that out.
And if, can you talk a littlebit about some of the things
around the importance of theshow and then some of the things
(26:51):
that you've that God's kind ofput on your heart that are going
to be taking place during theshow?
Obviously, there's music, butthere were some other things you
talked about as far as prayerand people involved and some
things that God put on yourheart that I think are really
like if I had booked Blossom,I'd been like, okay, good, we're
good, okay, but there were somethings that you shared about
(27:13):
praying and mentorship and someother things that are going on
that night that I think arepretty awesome.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
Yeah, yeah.
So first, one of the newestunderstandings that God's given
me to articulate is that thisisn't a concert that people
would think is a concert.
It's a very unique event inthat manner that God said, okay,
a concert's normally, right,you're going to see the person
(27:40):
on stage and watch them performand it's like all eyes on them,
right.
And God's just flipping thatword concert on its head and
says, actually, the mostimportant person coming is the
person in the audience.
So it's almost like that youwho comes, it's like your
birthday and he hired this band,he hired you, you actually to
play and bring them into praise,for them to be with him.
(28:02):
And so it is completelydifferent because he's offered
this free space to just comewith open hands.
He says I'm going to callpeople even the morning of, and
they need no barrier, they needno like, even if it's a free
ticket, they can't have anythingthat's a barrier.
They need to be able to comethe moment I call them and feel
stirred and not have any excuseto come to my open arms because
that's what they are and I willmeet them where they're at.
(28:25):
And so it's a very differentexperience because, while we
have insanely amazing musicians,like it's so hard for me not to
highlight them because I'm likestarstruck by so many I'm like
oh my gosh they're so good, butit's not about.
It's about them singing, so youfeel comfortable praising and
being with God, because it'sabout you sitting in the seat.
(28:47):
So that's one really uniqueaspect of this event.
It's not a normal concert thatyou see going across, where it's
unifying the churches throughdifferent churches, praise teams
, and it's about that.
It's actually about theindividual in their seat that
God wants to make himself realto them and meet them where
they're at and then going with.
Other components of it all comefrom the five components that
(29:10):
God gave me.
At the very beginning of it hesaid he wanted a unified band,
even like unifying the church,even in the bands, which he did,
a playlist that he would give,which he did, and it's.
I mean, I could go on with somany stories with that.
Okay, I'm going to touch here alittle bit with the playlist
here, because it's crazy is Iwould be like putting on makeup
(29:31):
in the bathroom and like lyricswould just be in my head.
I'm like I either wrote areally good song or this is a
song that's like out there, forsome reason, god's putting it in
my head Cause I've never heardthis song and I type it into
Google and sure enough a songwould come up and like okay,
this is supposed to be at thegrocery store at Whole Foods.
It's not a Christian grocerystore at Whole Foods.
My kids screaming in the carlike the devil was trying with
(29:53):
all his might not to let me hearwhat was playing and, weirdly,
all my ears could hear was thissong that was playing and I knew
that was another song for theplaylist.
So the playlist was literallyhandpicked by God and, like we
went down to South Carolina fora family vacation, I listened to
the entirety of it because Ihave it all on my Spotify, the
entirety of it, praying over it.
(30:13):
Just Lord, remove any songs youdon't actually have.
Tell me if this is the finallist.
And he solidified all of that.
And then, while I was down therepraying who should have these
songs?
And there'd be some bands thathe really specifically chose the
song for, where he said this isfor team two or this is for
team three, and there was maybelike eight, nine songs that he
(30:34):
did that with.
And then I get down there and Iemail out all the bands.
I'm like here's the playlist,Send me your top, like 15.
I can't promise anything, buthere's the top 15.
All of them pick differentsongs because it's God, like no
one was fighting over songsbesides two that are our combo
song at the end for everyone tocome out and sing together, like
no one fought over anything,because God just made it perfect
(30:58):
.
And all the ones that theypicked were ones like all the
ones that God chose for thatband were ones that they picked
too on top of it.
Like how crazy is it that theyactually wanted also the song
only God, right, only God.
But so a playlist that he wasgoing to give us and then
running partners and prayerwarriors at the event.
So prayer warriors who aregoing to pray over people at the
(31:19):
event and then running partnerswho are dedicated to a year of
anyone who wants thatdiscipleship, anyone who's
either new to faith or maybeyou've been in faith, like
you're a believer but you'venever walked that lifestyle of
Christ and you could really usean accountability partner to
just when you, you know, falland fall short, that you have
someone to call and being likeman, can you just pray for me?
(31:41):
Like I'm really struggling withthis.
You know, it just is thiswhisper in my ear constantly
like somebody for you to have acontact with and who can get you
connected to a bigger body.
If you're not part of a church,who can, who can invite you to
their church or share with youother churches in the area.
So that, again, wasn't myplanning.
It was just God knowingeverything that was needed and
(32:02):
the way he's had that set up.
You know, I first heard, when Ifirst heard, that I started
trying to collect all thesepeople like who wants to be
prayer warriors and runningpartners.
Who wants to do this?
And I was Martha-ing it.
I don't know if you know thestory of Mary and Martha, but
Mary sits at the feet of Jesusand Martha starts busying
herself.
I Martha-ed it there where Iwas trying to collect.
And then God comes along andbrings these ministries, all
(32:25):
these different ministries fromacross Ohio.
Like I don't even know how Igot connected to them.
To be honest, I'd have to lookat the notes of like who
connected me where to how I gotto it.
But like Cincinnati's bringingup a team, columbus is bringing
up a team, dayton's bringing upa team, akron's bringing up a
team these ministries that dothis, that pray with people and
disciple them after they'reequipped with the gospel message
(32:46):
.
They do this all the time.
They have vetted churches inthe area of all different
denominations because they'reall for unity, which is crazy.
Did you know?
Declare Dayton had this wholeministry for uniting the church
and they actually throw aconcert the day after ours,
which is crazy.
But, God had all theseministries.
He knew they were all out there.
He brought them all to me forthem to all bring their teams to
(33:08):
come and be prayer warriors whowill connect with these people
after.
And here I'm like trying tolike stir it on my own, and if I
would have just sat like Mary,god would have brought it to me,
because he did bring it to me.
So then I had to go back to allthe other people.
I'm like so do you want to jointhis team?
Or if you want to be a prayerwarrior, you have to kind of
already be willing to follow upwith them, because there's a
(33:29):
connection you make with someonewhen you finally become
vulnerable to ask someone topray for you, your spirits have
this connection and really thatperson praying over you has to
be the one who's calling you up,seeing how you're doing, seeing
if you need anything, if youneed any more prayer.
If they can continue connectingwith you, it needs to be that
person.
So what before I was countingas two roles was actually two
(33:52):
sides of one role and God justhas made that perfect now and
then the other.
The last component of that waswater, which again, being in
this life of surrender.
I don't go before the Lord, soI refuse to claim it as baptisms
or anything.
Until God spoke and I hadpeople, you know we're like
(34:13):
maybe it's water bottles, youknow we need to be hydrated.
I'm like, really, god wants usto be hydrated, I mean.
And they're like maybe it'srain, maybe everyone's going to
you know whatever else, and I'mlike I don't know.
I don't know and I'm okaywaiting until God moves.
And a couple people mentionedto me some things about baptisms
.
And when I first saw, when Ifirst, when I was in my car that
(34:35):
time so not the first call thatone was like short and sweet,
but in my car, when it was withall of his glory, I saw this.
I saw it was outside and I sawa man baptizing.
But sometimes when you hear youcan put your own thoughts on.
So I wanted to make sure Iwasn't putting my own thoughts
on like I did with the prayerwarriors and running partners.
I'm like I'm not doing thatagain.
(34:55):
I'm going to be married, I'mjust going to be still.
And sure enough, a couple ofpeople mentioned some things and
so I started really prayingabout it.
If it's baptisms, for God tojust reveal, it, make it so
evident.
And then I get a text from CityMission saying we have a
thousand gallon tank we want tobring, set up and tear down for
you, for baptisms that reclaim.
And I'm like wow that soundslike God, that you just want to
(35:18):
do it and like provideeverything.
So that was the start of thatand we went to Blossom's
walkthrough and there isliterally the most perfect spot.
This is so good.
Between the grass and the seatsis a sidewalk I like triple
wide sidewalk and it jets out inthis one portion, right in the
middle of the sidewalk, likegoing the other way, so it's in
(35:40):
the middle of it, going longways and also vertical.
So in that very bit is jets outis a cement pad that can
completely fit perfectly thisbaptismal tank and a table to
hold the towels and shirts andBibles for people.
Oh, my gosh, only God, only God,now being only God, he also
(36:02):
fits it to be perfect in all ofwhat he's doing, because he has
claimed that this is only music,that there is no altar call, no
message being preached, nocharity that's being pitched, no
mission, not missionary, likeministry that has a table set up
to advertise None of that.
This is a holy ground only forGod.
(36:23):
He's the only highlight for himto be with you.
So, with that, the baptisms.
We know that.
There's no call to that.
There's no video on it, so it'snot stirring people because they
like the look of the video.
It's completely going to be ledby the Holy Spirit that if he
stirs somebody, they're going toknow that water's for them.
Their eyes are going to be ableto find that water and see it
(36:45):
because the Holy Spirit's goingto bring them to it.
And we'll have people thereequipped with the gospel, with
the reason for baptism, that canshare with them and baptize
them.
But that won't, which is soperfect because so many
denominations have differentviews on it, and so it'd be just
like God to have it availablebut not to challenge anybody.
He's not challenging anyone'sfaith.
He meets you where you're atand stirs individuals because
(37:06):
he's such a personal God.
So it's beautiful.
It's so God of him.
Speaker 1 (37:11):
It's incredible.
I mean, all of these thingscoming together like this are
just kind of like reading theOld Testament and seeing all of
these prophecies and all of themcoming to fruition with Jesus.
You know what I mean.
It's like only God does thatkind of stuff.
Wish it with Jesus.
You know what I mean.
It's like only God does thatkind of stuff.
You can't have this many thingsworking in the way that they
(37:33):
are unless God's involved.
And I just love yourpersonality with this and it's
just like look, I don't knowwhat I'm doing, but God just
keeps giving me this stuff and Ijust keep listening.
And when I listen then I gointo action.
It's like the book of James,it's like faith in action.
(37:56):
It's like, all right, lord,tell me what you want me to do,
okay, and then we go.
And it really is incredible.
I think I want to highlightsomething.
This is a free show.
There is no cost.
You don't have to get tickets.
You don't have to get tickets.
You don't have to do there is.
There is no hoops you have tojump through to be a part of
this this evening, um july 18th,what I think is going to be
(38:19):
really incredible.
And then the other thing too.
Um, there are no sponsors.
You know, I mean when?
When is the last time you'veever been to any event that
doesn't have these massiveconglomerate sponsors?
And not that that's a bad thing, but it kind of shows you, okay
, where's the money going, andall of these things.
(38:41):
There's none of that, andthat's shocking to me because a
lot of people have asked me.
It's like well, who's behindthis?
That's shocking to me because alot of people have asked me
it's like well, who's behindthis?
Who's the big company, who'sthe big church that's supporting
this?
I'm like it's not.
It's almost hard for people tobelieve that an event like this
is happening, that there isnothing that you have to
(39:12):
subscribe to to come to thisconcert and anything else you'd
like to share with the audienceabout this night or what's
coming up, or things that youwould like them to be aware of.
Speaker 2 (39:24):
Yeah, I think you hit it all on the head there.
Just, there's no alternativemotive.
God was very purposeful in that, so nobody's guard needs to be
up.
The beautiful thing about music, um, is it allows you to just
be still and embrace it andallows the spirit to move and
allows you to be vulnerable,because you can just move into
in this music that's beingperformed and, like I said, it's
(39:47):
not even about the performance.
So so the whole screens arejust lyrics so you can sing
along with and we hope thateveryone participates, because
that's just ushering in andallowing yourself to be free and
open to God moving, and I thinkhe's going to do.
I think this is.
I think this how many insanethings have happened to make
(40:09):
this event.
I think it's just the beginning.
I think at the event, we aregoing to see so much more of
God's power in all of it, and sothat's the amazing thing about
the event is just it's sospirit-led, all of it, the whole
team is spirit-led.
There's only three other peoplewho are doing this with me.
(40:30):
All of us say the same thing wehaven't really done anything
Like we kind of just.
God said to do this and we didit, and then it was just
happened and was done Like thisis our event manager.
She used to do PGA tours, soshe's used to like doing events.
You know the whole golf tourlike, and she's like I have
never done so little foranything in my life.
(40:51):
She's like I feel like I'm notusing my talents.
I'm like you weren't eversupposed to.
You're just supposed to comeand watch God work.
That's the beauty of it.
That even the people arethrowing it Like I think I'm
just sitting there enjoying andbeing with God too, while you
guys play, like I, he's takingcare of of everything, which is
just beautiful that he's notjust gifted it for the people
(41:12):
there, but all the peopleinvolved.
You know you have your set, butbefore and after you're just
free to be with God too.
That he has that gift for eachperson, even the people who are
working the event, and only Godcan do that like.
I've never heard or been a partof any event that that was
possible and you probably knowthat playing in bands, there was
not a downtime for you.
(41:33):
This wasn't about you.
It was about pleasing the fansand putting your show on, and
here you can just come and be.
Speaker 1 (41:41):
Yeah, yeah, and I love the fact we've been in a
pretty large group text with allthe bands and the way we're
deciphering who's in what band'slike there is no band name, you
know.
There is no like artist.
It's it's like oh, matt, I'mmatt from band three, or I'm,
I'm on team three, or you know,and this is like tim from band
(42:01):
one and and it's just like it'snot like.
You know what I mean, becausepeople keep asking me like well,
who's playing?
I'm like band one, band two andband three.
I don't know how you marketthat, but people keep wanting
that.
Speaker 2 (42:16):
they're like you got to put the band, like put some
advertising for the band, likewell, a lot of them never play
together.
I don't have like footage fromit, like it's not like a footage
thing of a band, like I don'tthink it's a really hard concept
.
But that also shows howbeautiful it is that every
person God brought they havesuch a humble heart, like none
of you want the spotlight orcare that your name's not on our
(42:37):
website or like you're like Iget to be part of God's event
and it's like this humility thateverybody has around this event
that is so beautiful.
It's been amazing to be a partof, to see all these people God
brings, to see the humility thatpeople have and the love for
just furthering God's kingdomand to bring people into the
(42:58):
fold you know of.
I don't care, I don't need aguitar solo, right.
I want them to be part of this,I want to move them, I want
them to feel the presence of God.
So, however, I can serve them,I'm happy to do and it's just.
It's so different than what themusic industry is, from what
I've heard, because I haven'tbeen in it.
Speaker 1 (43:17):
Yeah, I can tell you it is.
It certainly is, and that'swhat piqued my interest to go on
.
I just want to be a part ofthis and serve in any way that I
can, and it's been just areally interesting journey
seeing what God's been doingthrough your vision and how you
have just multiplied throughother people and through other
(43:38):
things to bring this so manypeople are excited about it.
I've been talking about it andI've had people actually reach
out to me randomly and been likehey, man, have you heard about
this Reclaim concert that'shappening at Blossom?
I'm like, as a matter of fact,I have.
It's like it's just it's.
I'm super excited.
It's July 18th at blossom.
Um, music's going to be fromseven to 10 and it's free, and I
(44:01):
would suggest probably gettingthere a little bit before seven.
If, if, if you want to find aspot that you want to, you know,
be able to be in worship, andI'm super excited about it and I
I'm so thankful for you givingme some time today.
I know there's a lot on yourplate.
You got 11 kids, you're writingbooks, you're putting on major
concerts.
I mean you know.
Thanks so much for, yeah, nobig deal, just just a few little
(44:24):
things that I'm doing, butthanks for making time for us at
the XM podcast.
I really appreciate you andappreciate your heart and just
you know.
Seeing you know what God'sdoing through this has been
amazing, so thank you forsharing that.
Speaker 2 (44:38):
Yeah, thanks for having me, thanks for getting
the word out there and invitingpeople, cause that's, I mean,
our number one goal now is tojust we know 20,000, 23,000
people can fit in the Blossom,so 23,000 people have to hear
the call for the Holy Spirit tostir to get them there.
So getting the word out any waywe can is huge and you're right
, getting there a little earlymight be helpful.
5.30 is when doors open.
(44:59):
I think, Blossom has the parkinglot open at 4.30.
So that way traffic can kind ofget helped, but the doors open
at 5.30.
And all concert regulations areon Blossom's website.
You know they have like theclear water bottle.
You can bring in one clearwater bottle or you can bring in
your own water bottle,refillable plastic it just can't
(45:19):
be stainless steel and theyhave refillable stations.
So you can really keep itcompletely free by bringing in
your own water, becauseconcessions will be open, but
you can bring in your own watergallon, Ziploc, clear gallon,
Ziploc, bag of food you canbring in.
So you can really make this afree event which is hard to find
in the summer right.
Like when do you find any freeevents in the summer?
Speaker 1 (45:39):
Like it's so hard to find that.
That's so good.
Well, and I appreciate you somuch Reclaimconcertcom.
Any other information you mayneed you can find there, and
thank you so much, and it'sreally looking forward to July
18th.
Thanks for doing this.
Yeah, thank you.
(45:59):
Well, if you are in the area ofNortheast Ohio or can travel,
we would love to see you at theworship event on July 18th, but,
honestly, that wasn't the onlyreason I wanted to put out this
podcast.
Anna's faith and obedience todoing God's will is astounding
and I hope it's infectious toall of our listeners, because it
certainly is to me.
You know she could have quitmany times over when doors were
(46:22):
shut or feeling like maybe itwasn't God's voice speaking into
her heart, but she didn't.
She is someone I am sure God ispleased with and I had to have
her on.
I hope this conversation hastouched you and made an impact
in some way in your life.
Thank you for continuouslysharing these episodes.
(46:42):
Please, if you haven't already,subscribe to this little
podcast that keeps going.
We are very close to doing our100th episode.
Well, until next time or whenour Savior comes, God bless.
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