Worship Leader With A Grateful Heart And A Positive Message To Share

My life tells a story...just like your life. Ups and downs no doubt? Maybe more downs than ups?

In October of 2004 I was finally broken, a drunkard, a liar, and at risk of losing my wife and my Air Force career. That's when I heard the voice. It was THE Voice. God was knocking on the door of my heart for the billionth time and it was time to wake up. I heard the message loud and clear for the first time, "follow me first and I can set things right." That night, October 26th, 2004, was my last drink of alcohol. I went to church, found some help, and turned on a fire for the Lord. My wife stuck it out with me, though not understanding at first, but loving the Lord, worked through the change and we mended our marriage. 

God kept his promise.

I began listening to praise and worship music on KLOVE radio. I heard for the first time, after always being moved by music, songs that made me feel good and made me want more of what these artists like Chris Tomlin and Casting Crowns were singing about. I wanted to sing like that; I wanted to write songs like that. With my wife's help and tutelage, I got involved in playing guitar for church praise teams as we traveled with the Air Force (oh yeah, by the way, God, restored my career too and I'm now a retired Master Sergeant of 20 years). I was asked to lead a few songs; then asked to lead teams. Now, almost 13 years from that fateful night in October, I've begun writing music again. And I'd love to share them with you now. 

My debut album, "Dreams Come True," tells a musical journey from top to bottom; from my “beginnings” writing music with my brother, seeing “Dreams Come True” in my gracious marriage to my wife and seeing the miracle of birth in my daughters, to being “Restored” by God and being “Baptized” in the East China Sea in 2007--and on fire for the Lord ever since. I now look toward the future in my still "new" life with Jesus Christ, when one day the “Train Goin’ Home” will carry me through the "Rapture" on my way to Heaven.

We all have a story...in HIStory. 

I hope by sharing a little piece of my story helps you realize that you, too, can see your "Dreams Come True." Just answer the knock when God calls.

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me." Revelation 3:20

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." - Proverbs 3:5-6

God Bless,

- Kevin Ray Nichols

Kevinraynichols.bandcamp.com
www.sundcloud.com/kevinraynichols

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Step 6: From the Top Rung

I grew up watching the World Wrestling Federation (WWF); the original stuff (or at least what I consider original) with wrestlers like Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, Macho Man Savage, The Ultimate Warrior (had to be my favorite) and of course, mainstays like Hulk Hogan. I always knew when it was going to get good when one wrestler was lying on the mat, while his opponent climbed to the top of the ropes in the corner. The announcer exclaimed, “From the top rope!” Then, an amazing leap of action commenced that Jimmy “Superfly” perfected, as the flyer either landed on the wrestler below, the mat, or got a knee to the sternum on the way down.  

              

The significance of God on the top rung of the ladder (literally, most translations say “stood over [the ladder]”) obviously signifies His omnipotence, which is a big word just to say, His holiness, or all-mighty authority. Jacob recognized this awe and wonder and set up a sacred stone, worshiped Him and made a vow from the moment he woke up. Jacob’s vow mirrors exactly what God said in verse 15, which is also significant according to J.P. Fokkelman, who wrote, “Reading Biblical Narrative.” On page 112, in Chapter 7, he states that most repetition in the Bible is intentional and deliberate. Although repeating exactly what is written or said is not the way we are taught in school, the Bible narrators have a divine reasoning behind it. In this particular passage, Jacob repeated in verse 20 what God had promised him from verse 15. It highlights the importance of God’s words that “He will be with me and keep me.” This foreshadows God’s words throughout the Old Testament and New Testament when God said, “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you” (Deut. 31:6; Heb. 13:5).

The word “keep” is an interesting study on its own as it can mean several different things to different readers, depending on the time and circumstances when it is read. Those are quite a number of variables, thanks to the English language. It is certainly an important word as it is used 156 times in the NASB translation. In this particular passage, it makes sense to say that to “keep” is to protect or watch over something, as a Sheppard keeps his sheep. In certain contexts, it is used in several Old Testament scriptures to obey or follow earnestly as to “keep the commandments” or “keep His statutes.” Many of these references can be swapped with synonyms like: observe, pay attention to, or preserve.

The main purpose and inspiring message of the whole passage (significantly verses 20-22 though) touches on one way God communicates with us on Earth, and more specifically, calls us to Him. Jacob “rose up” and began a number of events to honor the God of his ancestors who just spoke to him in a dream. God waited until the perfect moment in Jacob’s journey to “spring from the top rung” and pounce on him through this dream. Prior to this point, the notes in the New English Translation (NET) mention that Jacob may not have been a monotheist yet (having a belief in one God). This may also explain the reason Jacob grabbed a stone to sleep next to or to have under his head (the stone is thought of as having a source of power). God assured Jacob of his blessing and, in turn, Jacob made a vow to God to be faithful. The time for Jacob to take on God’s purpose for his life was now; and God nudged him in the form of a dream and settled any doubts Jacob had about the blessing he stole and gave him a righteous path to follow and humbleness to right the wrong in regards to his brother’s angst against him in the near future (Gen. 32). Jacob got the “3-count” and was pinned by God to begin his journey as a new man and it all began with a dream and a ladder.

Step 5: Waking To Believe

“So Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on its top (Gen. 28:18).”

As we continue our study, Climbing Jacob’s Ladder, the goal is to understand Jacob’s dream from his experience and reactions. Once he arose, Jacob immediately reacted. When someone rises early from bed, it’s usually one of two things or both: 1) Jacob couldn’t go back to sleep after experiencing this dream, and/or 2) he had a new excitement that overcame him and had to get up and worship. As the text says, he rose early and took the stone that he used under his head (some say it was used as a pillow) and set it up to mark this place as a moment or place where Jacob found God. The average reader may need a little help to understand the significance of this verse if they do not understand the meaning of the word “pillar” used in some interpretations. The NET uses “a sacred stone” which specifies that this is a ceremonial act of standing up this stone. The reader could also gather this from verse 18 as Jacob “poured oil on top” of the stone, signifying this is a ceremonial placing of this stone. This is explained more in Carl Graesser’s article, “Standing Stones in Ancient Palestine” which you can find by doing a web search online.

The significance of this section of verses highlights Jacob’s acceptance toward the Lord. He was afraid (a fear of the Lord), recognized God in this place as a “house of God,” anointed and erected a stone in God’s honor, and vowed to take God to be his God.

Step 4: How Awesome!

As Jacob woke up from his dream, he said, “How awesome is this place (Gen. 28:17)!” Most translations use the word, “awesome.” Merriam Webster’s Dictionary simply states the definition of this word as, “Expressive of awe.” Popular comedian Bill Engvall notes that sometimes we overuse this word in the English language and gives examples of what would be considered awesome:

 

I’d contend that the word “awesome” fits in Jacob’s world and, actually, the whole Biblical world. A lot of “awesome” things happened from Genesis to Revelation. When Jacob woke up from his dream touting angels on a ladder going up and down, with God standing on top, and talking to him, I would say that would be awesome too. Wouldn’t you?

            I will break this down a little bit here. Just about all translations say that Jacob “was afraid” when we said these words. Again I say, wouldn’t you be? That is why I agree with Jacob’s assessment that this dream would leave anyone “in awe.” But we are not talking about the dream only. Jacob expressed himself more fully in the next line of verse 17 saying, “This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” Jacob has touched on the fact that he just had an encounter with God, and it happened in the very place where he laid. He took this dream as a sign from God. If he was not a believer before this point, he was now. Jacob seemed a little thrown back by the magnitude of the dream. As Jacob processed what all this meant, he began to realize that God is real and God was going to be with him wherever he goes. Jacob began to believe in a personal God that called him to his potential.

Step 3: Dust in the Wind

A movie quote this time: “All we are is dust in the wind, dude.” If you’re a child of the eighties, then Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure just entered your mind as they traveled back in time and met Greek philosopher, Socrates. 

 

As I read Genesis 2 about the creation of Adam, and Genesis 28:14-15, I get sidetracked with the Bill and Ted quote as God created man from the Earth, combined with a little of divine “wind.” In continuing our series, Climbing Jacob’s Ladder, we come to two verses that wrap up Jacob’s dream with God. Earlier, we discussed how God explained who He was and gave Jacob a glimpse into the future; how his descendants will inhabit the land he was on. Verse 14 acknowledges that God means to bestow the Abrahamic blessing on Jacob here, therefore erasing any doubts Jacob (and the reader for that matter) may have that he has received the fatherly blessing from Isaac (making it legitimate), allowing Jacob to continue on the blessings of his forefathers. His descendants will be many and will spread throughout the nations in all directions. Another interesting note in verse 14 is the use of the word “also” as in the verse, “also be like the dust of the earth” (from the NASB). It refers to Adam who was made from the dust and earth (Gen 2:7). Jacob’s descendants will “also” be made from the dust (28:14). Some translations do not add this distinction.

            Verse 15 ends the dream in a big way. Jacob is reassured that God will not rest until the promise is fulfilled. I wonder if Jacob really understood how blessed he truly was to have that kind of reassurance. How many times have you had that happen? I simply pray for God to just show me the next step and give me the courage to take it. Jacob got the whole pizza pie in this dream (minus the hardships down the road, I suppose).

            The point to keep in mind here, and we’ll touch on this later too, is that the whole passage explaining this dream (Genesis 28:10-22) is about how God waited until the perfect moment in Jacob’s life to call Jacob to Himself. Personal testimonies are huge, and more than one person in your life has probably shared how God came to them, calling them to their purpose. Are you ready for God to reveal your purpose? Has He already spoke to you in some way and laid out the road map? Are you willing to follow through? Jacob was ready and willing; these are two attributes that are necessary to “go” as Abraham did in Genesis 12. When Jacob awoke from his dream, he said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” Do you know God is calling? Are you answering?

Step 2: Dream Big

As he lay down for the night, Jacob dreamed of a ladder that extended all the way to Heaven, with angels going up and coming down. At the very top he saw God who told Jacob, “I am the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac.” Wow! I think of some of the dreams I have had, and this may top my stories, but it reminds me of the feeling of waking up afterwards and thinking, “Wow. What a weird dream.” But Jacob’s dream was both all too real and visionary from God himself.

In the verses of Genesis 28:13 and 14, a big emphasis has to be placed on the Words of God coming from the top of the ladder, telling Jacob, “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants.” Prior to this dream, scholars speculate that there is a good chance Jacob was struggling with the thought of whether or not his father’s blessing was truly given to him since it was given under false pretenses. This dream reassured Jacob that, 1) God is with him and his descendants to come, and 2) the land he was lying on was for him.

It feels good to be reassured by God. In the New Testament, Jesus tells the crowds not to worry about tomorrow because today has enough troubles of its own (Matt. 6:34). God is with you here, later, before and every day from here on out. If you need a boost from God, pray for a sign, a vision, and get ready to dream big. God answers us in mysterious ways incomprehensible to our human thinking. But God may surprise you some night when you least expect and put your worries aside and assure you He is with you.

Climbing Jacob’s Ladder: A 6-Step Study of Genesis 28:10-22

When I think of “Jacob’s Ladder” my first thought still goes to the year 1986; where an 11-year-old (me) was listening to one of his favorite songs by Huey Lewis and The News. Flash back with me:

“Jacob’s Ladder” climbed to the top of the Billboard 100 chart by 1987. Many of the lyrics in the chorus were mumbled in the big-band hit, except for the first part of it:

“Step by step, one by one, higher and higher

Step by step…”

Many of things talked about in the verses I didn’t really understand as a kid either, like:

“I met a fan dancer
Down in South Side Birmingham
She was running from a fat man
Selling salvation in his hand…”  

I know now that it is a song about rejecting evangelists, but as that 11-year-old, it was just a cool hit, and I had no clue that it touched on one of the most prominent stories in the Old Testament. Step by step, we are going to break down that story; one by one, we are going to take six rungs to the top and tackle a big dream Jacob had about a ladder and God’s plan for him.

            Like the song, the first couple of verses of Genesis 28:10-11 can be hard to understand if you don’t know the background story. Jacob had stolen Esau’s blessing from their father, Isaac, at the behest of Rebecca, his mother, because she liked him best (Gen. 25:28). Chapter 28 picks up after Jacob was blessed by his father (deceived that he was Esau) and was told to “Arise, go to Paddan-aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father” (Gen. 28:2; Grandpa’s house, essentially), take a wife and be “fruitful and multiply” (28:3). Part of the crisis in this story is that as Jacob left the household, he was threatened by his brother’s act of wanting to kill him for Jacob’s treachery (27:42), which was the main reason Jacob was being sent away.   

            Great start, right? Steal the blessing, brother wants you dead, and father is stressed knowing he gave the blessing to the wrong kid. I would want to run away for a while too, I think. So, these first two verses are about Jacob’s journey. A journey is all about steps. Earlier in Genesis 12, God told Abram to take a journey too; a journey he really did not know anything about:

“Go forth from your country,

And from your relatives

And from your father’s house,

To the land which I will show you;”

Every journey we take with God is about steps. Humankind has even adopted the phrase, “stepping out in faith.” Jacob was doing a similar move here. Even though his parents told him to split town, God’s plan was set in motion, and Jacob encountered his ladder. At this point, Jacob went to sleep in “a certain place” on his way to Heran. That was step one. Follow my blog as "Step Two" will involve dreaming big about what the future holds for him.