Mt. Rushmore

Hey everyone. Coming live to you from Rapid City, South Dakota. Yesterday we visited Mt. Rushmore and it’s pretty incredible what man can build and create. It was an amazing site to see and hear how it was built. We even took our own band picture recreating Rushmore. You can check it out on my twitter or facebook if you want.

I woke up this morning with a passage of scripture, that I had read a couple months ago, on my mind. So I looked it up and reread it. It was in I Cor. 15:10. Paul says, “But because God was so gracious, so very generous, here I am.” You know being around Paul had to be so encouraging because of all that he had been through, his past, so much yet he still passionately pursued after God and the things of God. That guy has encouraged me so much throughout my Christian life. I think because most of the time he always communicates how I feel. When he says things like “I the chief or sinners” or “I’m not worthy to even be called an apostle”. Not that I’m an apostle but I see his heart. I know that there are times that I feel like I don’t deserve to be doing what I’m doing but because God is so gracious, so very generous, here I am. Paul mentions in the verses above Peter, and James, and then says I don’t deserve to be on the inner circle like them. But, he gets the love that God has for him despite his downfalls. That’s why he follows vs. 15 with, “And I’m not about to let His grace go to waste.”

I just want to encourage you today. No matter who you are or what you’ve done or will do, God has a purpose for each of us. I know most of you know that but let the words of Paul eco in your life today. But because God is so gracious, so very generous, here I am. And I’m not about to let His grace go to waste.

God Bless,

Josh Seagraves

The Jordan Stones

Well it’s starting to warm up here in Georgia. I’m gonna miss the winter. I know most people look forward to spring and summer, but I’m a winter lover. I love the cool temps but do love the things that come along with spring and summer. As I look back at the winter time and look forward to the summer, I’m reminded to always think of what God has done and look forward to what He is doing so that I have strength for today. Or better phrased, a record of God’s faithfulness in the past combines with hope in a better future for one end: to equip us for the present.

I once wrote a paper for college called “The Jordan Stones.” The paper was based on the times that God told the children of Israel to build piles of stones in places that God did things so that future generations would see the stones and ask what they were for then prompting the adults to remember and tell the stories of how God moved in big ways for them. This year has already received some “Jordan Stones” in my book. Many of you that come to our shows have heard about us being in Haiti when the earthquake hit in January. You’ve heard Shane and Shaun share of the things God did and there were so many. It was truly an amazing time! One that sticks out to me was told to me later on after the trip. Our Holt rep., Chris, was just mentioning in passing that every time she had been to Haiti on a Trip with missions organizations and brought artist that they had stayed in Hotel Montana in Port-au-Prince. This was the first time that she came and we stayed in another hotel!! Incredible! I’m reminded once again that God is in control and it still brings tears to my eyes to think of how God was watching out for us because that hotel was completely destroyed. Many Americans lost their lives in that hotel. My parents often times would share with me the time I was a baby and how I managed to get the baby gate open that blocked the stairs going to our basement. I then went down about 15 stairs in my walker with no side railings only to be found by my mom completely unharmed and upright in my walker on the basement floor.

I share these things with you only to encourage you. God is and incredible loving Father that has great plans for us. When external circumstances press in, family strife, job pressures, financial worries, global concerns, think back to how God has been faithful to you. Remember the “Jordan Stones” in your life to gain hope for the future and strength for the present. Paul became frustrated with the people of Corinth in Acts 17 and had to be reminded by God that He was at work there even though Paul did see it in the present. God is always at work around us we just have to open our eyes to see sometimes. I hope that you can view all the distractions of your day from the perspective of eternity. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever!! TRUST HIM!

Holiday Fun

Hey guys and gals. Hope you are all well. It’s been a crazy year. Hard to believe that we are getting close to the end of 09. I really like this time of the year. It’s getting colder and that means that I’m about to have a ton of incredible holiday food! It also means hanging out with the fam. I don’t know about you guys but it’s always very interesting when I get together with my family. I’m from the country so just imagine when a country boy turned rock and roller shows up with spiked hair and the rock shirts. Yep, I get the stares! At least once at each family gathering some one (usually my grandma) always ask, “Hey, did you stick your finger in a light socket” then they all laugh as do I. Then to keep the joke going I always reply, “Yep I sure did you should try it…now” hahahaha. Anywho, I hope all of you out there enjoy time with your families. I do even though I get the stares and questions but my family is great and they really enjoy hearing about all the places we play and things we do. Well lots of exciting things are around the corner for Julian Drive. We are writing for a new record and hopefully gonna start recording some in Dec. The songs are coming together and are really great. We cannot wait to share them with all of you in the new year. Keep checking back with us so you’ll know when we’ll be in your area. Until then hope you all have an amazing Thanksgiving and great Christmas always remembering to be thankful for all God has bless you with especially the birth of His Son Jesus.

Josh

White Chocolate Mocha

What’s up guys and gals! Just enjoying a beautiful day here in Athens. It feels great outside; not too hot and not too cold.  I spent this morning at one of my favorite coffee shops, Jittery Joe’s. I got a lot work done for some upcoming events, while sipping on a white chocolate mocha. Be sure to check our dates and make sure to come out to a show if we’re near your area!

I’ve been reading a great book lately called Reaching for the Invisible God. It’s a great read and I would encourage everyone to read it. It’s definitely making me rethink some things. A few weeks ago we were at a show and Shane got to the portion of the show where he opens up the time for prayer. He mentioned that if anyone had been struggling with different things in their life and was to the point of giving up, to raise their hands. I was deeply moved, to the point of tears, by the number of hands that went up. It seems to me that everywhere we go, we find more and more people (from students to adults) ready to give up on God and themselves! Who can blame them? I’ve been so far in a valley at times, that I too have wanted to give up. The pressures of life sometimes seem so unbearable! We cry out to God to answer our prayers, but what happens when we get silence? What happens when the “Why” is left unanswered? Don’t misunderstand me; I’m not saying God doesn’t answer prayers, because he does! The Bible also gives us accounts where God is silent. Look at how many times in Psalms where David and the other writers cry out, “How long Lord will you hide Your face from me?”

So what am I trying to say? What words could I possibly give to a father that has lost his job and kids in this economy? What do you say to a mother that has lost a child to an untimely accident or to a brother that has lost a sister? What do you say to the students that feel that the only way to release the pain they feel is to cut themselves or take their lives? To those outside the faith that look at the world around us and ask, “How could a loving God allow this?” Or to those that are of the faith and ask, “Why does our loving God allow this?”  Remember, Job often wrestled with these same questions. Job was reminded that, “no time-bound human, living on a rebellious planet, blind to the realities of the unseen world, has the ability to comprehend such answers (Yancey)” Does God cause these hardships? No! We can see it as a wonderful demonstration of human freedom exercised on a fallen planet (Yancey). Faith in God is difficult at times, but faith offers the option of continuing to trust God even while accepting the limits of our humanity, which means accepting that we cannot answer the “Why” questions (Yancey).

My prayer is that you can take a step in the trust direction despite the pain, silence, or confusion. The only thing more difficult than having a relationship with an invisible God is having no such relationship (Yancey). Philip Yancey, the author of the book I’m reading, tells a story of a Scottish preacher in the last century that lost his wife suddenly, and after her death he preached an unusually personal sermon. He admitted in the message that he did not understand this life of ours, but still less could he understand how people facing loss could abandon faith. “Abandon it for what!” he said, “You people in the sunshine may believe the faith, but we in the shadow must believe it. We have nothing else.” Find hope my friends in knowing He’s only “ONE STEP AWAY” (hint: listen to the words of that song)

Sleep Numbers

What up all you crazy peeps out there! It’s Monday night we just got back from Colorado where it snowed like 2 feet in some places. We only saw a little bit of it of the snow before it started raining. We finally arrived home at 6 a.m. this morning and so I’ve been resting it up today. Pretty good day…..you know……sleep! Anywho, just finished watching a movie “Marley and Me” perhaps you’ve heard of it. And no I didn’t watch it alone. I watched it with my wife. It was pretty good and also very sad. I won’t spoil it for any of you that haven’t seen it but it’s a good rental, so go check it out.

I thought I would give you guys a little insight as to who I am. Being “the new guy” I thought I would take this blog to really open up…you know let you see the real me! Let’s start with the number 15 and no that’s not my age! It’s actually my sleep number. How do I know my sleep number you ask? Well the Radisson Hotel provided us with sleep number beds this past weekend. You know, you can tell a lot about a person by their sleep number. So what does 15 tell you about me? Well, it obviously states that I’m a drummer. It’s also the number of pull-ups I can do with one hand tied behind my back. It’s on average the number of drumsticks I break every show. It’s the number of days it took me to swim across the Atlantic Ocean while wrestling a giant squid. It’s how many times I’ve seen the “Ninja Turtle Movies” (both 1&2) in the last 24 hours. And finally, 15 is the number of choice if you were guessing a number between 14 and 16. So with that said you can tell I’m a pretty cool guy right. Well I hope so…I’m out! Look for more from me later. Peace!