Experience Emerge (ExEm)
Experience Emerge (ExEm) with musician-turned-mental health therapist, Matthew Knabe, MA, LPCC (cuh-nay-bee), uncovers the various ways people find rest and live free amidst the crazy challenges life brings. With a zoned-in focus, Matthew carefully probes into the broken places of people’s lives, bringing the listener into the experience all the while adding life tools and insights. ExEm is a conversational resource of emerge.org, a global faith-based counseling organization.
Experience Emerge (ExEm)
Anna Hurst: Path to a Life of Surrender & Reclaim Concert on July 18
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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Welcome to the XM podcast. Here is your host, mental health therapist Matthew Cunabee.
Speaker 2:I am very hard on myself. Dealt with severe anxiety and it made me feel like a monster.
Speaker 1:I didn't have the energy to care.
Speaker 2:There was just nothing more but to face what I had been running from, I'm already an anxiety-filled mess. It's just luck, like it just goes back to luck.
Speaker 1:Do you guys remember the story in Joshua about the city of Jericho, when the Israelites were tasked with walking around the city for six days and then on the seventh day they had to walk around it seven times? Can you imagine what they must have been thinking?
Speaker 1:or or what about the people within the walls of Jericho? I mean, everybody must have thought these people were crazy. Well, it turns out they weren't crazy at all. They were just carrying out God's plan and being obedient to his calling and direction. So this reminds me of our guest's journey today. I'm so excited for our XM audience to get to meet her. She has put together a miracle of an event that, by the end of this interview, you're not going to want to miss. Please welcome to the podcast the host and creator of Reclaim, a concert that's taking place in just a few weeks, Anna Hurst.
Speaker 2:Yeah, thanks for having me. I appreciate it. I love sharing God stories any of them so and I'm full of them. But I have 11 kids me and my husband. We live in Ohio, olmstead area, cleveland you know that side of town and just a stay-at-home mom, since that's what 11 kids really. That's about the. I think I'd be paying more in child care if I got a job.
Speaker 1:So age is 16 to one and a half and it's a fun house topic Just having 11 kids and then a little bit of the journey that you've been on that God has kind of put some things on your heart. You and I were kind of talking before we started recording. Not only did he put this event, this concert that we're going to be talking about, on your heart, he also put something else on that you just accomplished, which I think is pretty neat. If you wouldn't mind sharing that we were just speaking about that. I was just like can anything else be put on this woman's plate? That you're just being obedient to God's prompting, which I think is amazing. If you wouldn't mind sharing a little bit about that, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean I I'd like to take it back even further, cause it's like the reason I think it. I think adding my, maybe my testimony kind of adds to why God chose to put so much on my plate, which I don't mind at all because he's sufficient in all things. But I was raised Catholic and so I knew all like the Bible stories. You know Jonah and Noah and you know all the basics. But I was acting, you know I went to public school and was like every other teen. You know high school parties and just living, having fun. Fun, so to speak, because once you get older you realize that wasn't even fun. But you know, just living life. And God had in His design for me to find some new friends who attended a non-denominational church and they were excited to go to church. They were youth group friends and they're excited to go. And they asked me to go. I'm like no one's excited to go to church. There is no way I'm going with you guys to church. My mom has to force me to go on Sunday. And after a couple times of them asking me, I'm like, all right, I'm going to go and see what it's about. And God met me there that day he showed me that he finds me worthy of his love, that he has a relationship, an intimate relationship with me that I had no idea was was available to me, and his desire for me. So that was like my start of wanting to understand who this God is that I've never heard about. So that got me starting to read my Bible and start surrounding myself with different friends as I was searching for it.
Speaker 2:That life change probably didn't happen, though, until I was about 21. I got married at 20. We had our first kid at 21, and God kept pursuing me to get baptized, but I fought it for a while. Like I don't need to get baptized, I was baptized as a baby. Like I don't need to get baptized, I was baptized as a baby. I made my confirmation, I checked those things off, and God kept coming to me asking me to get baptized, and finally, at 21, I decided okay, I need to get baptized, because I realized that baptism wasn't a declaration of your faith, like I was taught with confirmation.
Speaker 2:The difference with the baptism that you see in the Bible and with a lot of Christianities I mean so many different Christian faiths have a different perspective on it but baptism that we see in the Bible from adult. It's a complete surrender. It's an act of surrender. It's saying I want to die to myself and go under and come up a new creation, fully surrendered to Christ and living for Him alone. And that baptism was the start of a full surrender for me. And then me and my husband after that we're like, okay, how much. It almost became like a task for me to find how much can I surrender, like how much does God actually want me to surrender? So I mean it's come down to like our kids, letting Him choose the number of our children and continually surrendering that, because we know he has already the number set and planned and if I just get out of the way, he will do amazing things. So we surrendered that. I mean we surrendered our finances, even our kids' school. We don't just send them to school, we pray about it every single year and wherever the Holy Spirit leads is where we put them. And that doesn't mean hardships don't happen. Actually, a lot of hardships still happen. But you have that solid ground of well, god told me to be here. So what do I need to learn while I'm in this? So that's kind of the start of this journey, for us to be in this surrendered mindset.
Speaker 2:So about a year and a half ago, my son got diagnosed with cancer. My eight-year-old and I started this prayer, like this diligent prayer walk, every single hour, and God healed him like miraculously, healed him, like literally. We went through nothing and God, just on that prayer walk I'll never forget it of him, said no longer pray but praise me because I've healed him. And he did not a single bit and we had to do nothing for it, which is beautiful. But that just started this consistent. While I was praying in the morning and praying in the evening, this started this protected prayer time. I'm like what more does God have for me in this protected prayer time that I just am not still enough through my day of 11 kids to get? So I kind of made that just a really sacred space. So even if it's when my kids are napping and I'm going up and down my driveway for 30 minutes to walk and just still my mind, I make sure every single day that I'm getting that quiet time with the Lord.
Speaker 2:So it was in that walk in November that I was walking and praying and God said he wants me to write a book on living. It's actually called Open-Handed Living, living, a Surrendered Life for Christ, a lifestyle of surrender, and through it I just go through the concept of what it means to surrender all things right, like how every bit of our life is almost like an unknown variable in a math problem and we choose those numbers. But what would it look like if God chose each of those variables? Your solution you're, you know, solving for X is a lot bigger, right, because God's inserting them. So I explain the concept and then kind of break it down into these like three steps of a personal relationship with Christ.
Speaker 2:And then like obedience, because once, once he starts talking, you have to obey, like that's like step two for sure. And then the steadfastness, because warfare comes and it gets hard and difficult, but you've got to stay steadfast in that obedience. So he asked me to write this book and he just stopped time for me to write it in two months, which I mean from what I hear, cause I've never I've never gone to school to be an author. I was dyslexic in school, so it really I had no training in any of this, and so, from what I hear, two months is a really quick time to write a 200 page book, but I did so. That's. That's just God, it wasn't me, it was completely God. Stoppingstopping time.
Speaker 1: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 idea when-.
Speaker 2:So it's like I finished editing actually, and now I'm going through kind of still an editing process where I want a bunch of very theological people or women who've led tons of Bible studies to really read the book and go over and make sure it's like biblically sound, Cause it's, you know, when you're going and when you're representing Christ. I don't ever want to misrepresent him, Like I don't think I did, but you need those other perspectives from people to make sure I'm not offending somebody or or using scripture in the wrong way, Cause I never want to use it for my own gain or to make my point. I want scripture to stand on its own and me to just like be excited for it, you know. So that's the process it's in right now.
Speaker 1:Okay, any idea when that would be ready for our listeners who are like I'd love to read a book like that?
Speaker 2:No, when God tells me, but like I don't, Maybe I'll have you back on when it's released, so we can.
Speaker 2:I know I probably shouldn't even mention 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 and Instagram that I'll like sometimes post if I'm in my Bible studies and it I get this like revelation of a really cool thing that surrounds this and supports the style of surrender. I'll share it on there, but that's that's. That's where it's at right now. Yeah, sorry.
Speaker 1:Well, that's good. That's good it's. It's something for for people to look forward to, and those are things I can put maybe in our liner notes um access to maybe your Facebook page or Instagram so that they can see updates when that may come out. So that leads us into. Then you went on a different walk, another walk that inspired a whole other journey. That is kind of what brought me a little bit into this fold and tell us a little bit about the other prayer walk, or at least the one that's leading us to the conversation we're having today.
Speaker 1:I know you've been on many and I'm sure God's given you a lot of different things, but this one, I just think, is really, really interesting. And I've been a mental health therapist now for about 12 years and when you started sharing the story, I was like is this woman diagnosable? What is going on here? And then, as you continued to talk, I'm like I've been talking to so many people about this event. I'm like I really think God's doing something, or this is the craziest thing I've ever heard. It's like there's a fine line between this is a God-inspired event or everybody involved just lost their minds. So let's, if you wouldn't mind sharing I just love the story Amazing.
Speaker 2:You'd have good company with my husband because he thought the exact same thing like this. My wife just went crazy, you know, because I come home and tell him I'm writing a book and he's like you have 11 kids, you're driving all over the place. When are you going to do that? I'm like I don't know, but God said it, so I'm just going to start. And then two weeks later I come home and tell him I'm on this prayer walk and God asked me to host a concert to unite his churches and call his children to him. And I literally looked around. I stopped must have been talking to that was not me in that park because and there was nobody. So went home and I told my husband and he's like, yeah, no you're you're like that's what is wrong with you Like, stop going
Speaker 2:on prayer walks. Why? Why would God call you to have 11 kids and to write a book and to host a kind of like? That doesn't even make sense. We're not even. We're not even members yet at our church.
Speaker 2:I was like I don't know. He's like you don't know any music. I was like I know, I don't know. That's just what I heard.
Speaker 2:So he gave great advice. He said completely forget about it, because the Holy Spirit is persistent, so if it is God, he'll come and he'll seek you out and tell you again. And now I know that he was saying it to avoid an argument, he didn't want to disprove me. He's like yeah, just forget about it, and if it's God, he'll come again, thinking it won't happen. And sure enough, a week after that I was in my car singing a praise song and the Holy Spirit filled my car and I could barely breathe. I was crying, it was in awe of the presence that was in my car.
Speaker 2:And he said I want you to host a praise concert. It's called Reclaim and it's to unite my church and call my children to me. And then he gave me five components of that that I had to follow through with. So that was like well, there's no refuting that. And I went in and told my husband 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 married couple. So like you shouldn't do anything apart from your spouse, and so. But when I told him, he's like well, 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, our brother-in-law does music, so maybe I'll pick his brain about it.
Speaker 1:So can you share with the audience your history in the music industry.
Speaker 2:Zero, like literally zero. Zero, like literally zero. I had to set you up. Yeah, my brother-in-law is a praise pastor and like that's it. Like I don't even have friends who are music. I seriously can't even play chopsticks on the piano because it's like so much coordination like I love it. It sounds beautiful, but like me, none, none at all.
Speaker 1:so where does this start? So you, essentially, the Holy spirit, gives you this, you know vision, and then what do you do? I mean, it's like I don't even know where you begin when, when it's like, well, you know, if you 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 know I'll do that, that'd be one thing. But that's not where you started. You weren't even at that level of ground zero, you know.
Speaker 2:But that's I mean. That's why he called me to do it. Because, right, if I was in 15 years, I would have started doing how I know how to do it. Because I didn't know how to do it, I had to fully rely on what God said and each step of the way of like, okay, what's next? Because I don't really know, you know. So it started with the only person I know in music asking him to meet up with me because I'm going crazy here. I'm like I'm supposed to be hosting a concert. He's like, well, that's my like I'm in music, so let's talk. So he agreed to meet up with me.
Speaker 2:I went 15 minutes early to that meet up with him and before I met up with him I just kept praying, asking God, like when is this? You know, because God can give you a calling and it can be for next year, three years, five years, 10 years, when your kids are grown. You don't, god's timing is not our timing. So I'm just asking and praying what God's timing is. And I kept here on July 18th and then I showed up 15 minutes early to that meetup with my brother-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 or is this at a mega church with a thousand people, you know I'm happy to do whatever. And that's when I heard the fate whisper of Blossom Music Center and again I stopped that in my tracks. God seems to do that to me a lot. I stopped that in my tracks. I was like that is a very God thing to do. I was not expecting that. I was thinking running chairs and tables for my yard and he's thinking, no, I want like 23,000 at Blossom. And sure enough, that is what he ended up booking.
Speaker 2:But I go into this meeting with my brother-in-law and share with him the call and everything. And he's a praise pastor. He's been in many different churches serving as a praise pastor and he's like I don't know how you're going to get. You know, part of Reclaim is this unified team as a band. That it's, you know, drummer from one church, guitarist from another, vocalist from another. So it's uniting all churches and denominations, even on stage, which is not common, you know, not something that's heard of Normally it's you know, your church comes up and plays two songs and then the next church comes and plays two songs, but this is people who don't play together like on the regular basis.
Speaker 2:It's not a band, it's or one church's team, it's all individuals coming together under one name. And he's like there's no way that you're going to be able to do that, like I mean, maybe I could formulate a beast of a team like one. I'm like I think God has three. And he's like, yeah, like there's no way you can do that. I'm like I don't have to. God does Like I didn't even come 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, where do 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 not Like whoa, whoa. No, like I don't think so. Um, but but as you can see, now that we're here, god, god had it all planned well, and I'm sure you've heard a hundred times, if not more, by now.
Speaker 1:You don't just book blossom, that's not, no, that's not a place. You just kind of call a phone number and say, hey, my name's anna, I would like this date and I'm going to put on a show. Can I have the venue Like it doesn't work like that. So I mean, what was your journey to even get to blossom?
Speaker 2:So I first went down a trail that some people mentioned to me of a festival that's outside, that they're like, maybe you can be opening act, 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 with just blossom and I started Googling of like trying to find any. It's actually like really hard to find even anything to call, like there's no numbers listed anywhere. And I finally find some like I don't even know where it was some number and I was like gave it 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 to host a concert. I probably sound so insane to him Like God really wants me to host a concert at Boston, so I need to get back to the United States.
Speaker 2:So any number or email like it can be a janitor, like anybody. And he eventually gave me an email, who then gave me another email and I just kept getting passed to like all these different people till finally I got the person who manages all of Blossom's bookings. So I mean I called India that people ask me all the time like how do you book Blossom? Like I called India? It was God. It truly was not me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I think it's like that. I mean I shared with you before I toured for years. So I mean I know how these things work. I mean they work with booking agents 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 just put on. If you want to book Blossom, here's and here's our, our phone number.
Speaker 1:So like even when it was brought to me um by the group of the people that I'm going to be playing with um at the event, I was like what? Like that, that can't be right. Like maybe there's a smaller venue called blossom, somewhere that I'm not aware of. But you know, it's just, it's crazy. The whole thing is crazy. But that's what's so exciting about it, because for me, anna, just hearing it on my side, I was like this has got to be a God thing, because I know it's not possible to just do this without that, because it's not set up that way. Venues like this, and not only that, there's a lot of now people involved in this that you just can't bring together haphazardly. It doesn't just happen like that. I talk a little bit about some of the things that have come together Cause. Okay, Now, now you got to the people who book blossom, but there's a lot that you can't just stop there. There's a lot of other things that need to happen after that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I mean we started working on the teams for the concert, the praise teams. My brother-in-law was able to put together his like from all the people he knew who were top musicians and truly like amazing, amazing musicians, and he put the first team together. The second team was kind of like fumbling around and I get on a call with oh so we have a music manager for our group. Kind of she's just a music teacher, but she saw me post it. She's been friends with my husband since they were little. So she saw my post on social media of me going crazy, of like well, I'm going to throw a concert, you guys better come before anything was planned. And she's like I, like my heart is for unifying the church, like it's been, it's been on my heart for so long. Like I have to be part of this. I'm like great, I don't know anything about music, come on aboard, you'll know what I need. I don't even know what instruments are in a band. Like I don't even know what instruments I need for this or how many. Like I don't know any.
Speaker 2:So she came on board and was trying to make that second and third team and was just kind of struggling getting people to respond to her or to get videos of people, like it just was not easily falling into place, and we get on a call and she's like you know, it's just not really. I'm like you know, maybe God had planned just one team and I'm trying to force three because I thought he wanted three, but maybe it is just one team and the couple people you have can jump on team one and it just 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 know what AVL is. So anyone listening, avl is audio visual lighting, which apparently the musicians don't make sound with their instruments on their own. You have to have an amp or something to make the sound. I didn't know any of this.
Speaker 2:I was like, okay, what's AVL? They're like, well, you need AVL. I was like, oh great, we'll find someone. They're like, well, blossom needs like big sound. I'm like, okay, they're like, yeah, you need like a certain equipment. So only a few people actually have the ability to play something like Blossom, to have the equipment for that big of a sound, with the boards and all these other words they use that I'm just like okay, yeah.
Speaker 2:I don't know what you're talking about, but sure so they also were getting a little nervous because it's four months out now and they're like we don't have an AVL team, we don't have all that. I'm like, all right, top of my prayer list, guys, I'm not going to move until God moves. So I'm going to pray about it and we'll see where he goes with it. And sure enough, that day went on a prayer walk and had a phone call scheduled for. After it, got on the phone with a woman named Joni and she tells me she has she kind of does a similar thing with Uniting Churches. So she's been doing this for a while and has this huge, huge tons of people, of huge, amazing artists who she could reach out to. She's like, well, maybe some of them she's like all of them get booked up. They all have summer gigs, they all play at the churches, they all do a ton because they are really sought after people. But I can email and see if maybe a couple of them could help be a couple for your team too. And I said, great, that's good. I was like now I need AVL. If you know what that means and you know someone who can do that I really need them. And she's like well, here's a number of a guy who does the live festival, so he has big enough sound but he's doing a live. So he has big enough sound but he's doing a live, so he won't be available, but you could call him and maybe he'll introduce you to somebody. And um, so got that number.
Speaker 2:The next day Joni calls me back and she's like you won't believe this, like I don't even know what 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 back to Lisa finally on on the people she was trying to get ahold of. So like it was almost like God was waiting for that one call to just show his hand that he's in control of all of us. It won't be by any of our doing or because we have good words or good connections, it's only by him. Which is beautiful to be part of that God story.
Speaker 2:But so everyone was filled in and then I give a call to her AVL guy and this guy was like how'd you book Blossom? I'm like well, let me tell you first about my concert. He's like no, I don't want to hear 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 about the mission. And he was like no, I don't want to hear your mission, I only want to know how you booked Blossom. And I'm thinking did this guy want to book Blossom? Is he trying to get the secret sauce? Like, what is this guy asking me for?
Speaker 2:I'm like listen, buddy, I called India, like I did not book blossom. I called India and they passed me around until finally I got someone. He's like I do blossoms AVL. I am blossoms AVL. They call me give, get my quote and book 30% on top and give to you I do blossoms AVL. I know you can't book blossom, you're not anybody, you can't book them. Like, how the heck did you get it? I'm like, oh man, this is so good, like God, just totally mic dropped on this guy. Yeah, god booked Blossom. You know, if anyone's going to know, 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:He was like, okay, I'm going to do that.
Speaker 2: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 morning setting it up. He's going to blossom or sorry, to alive, setting some up, then coming real quick to ours setting that up, leaving some of his team there to go back to life. So he's doing both. I mean, when you feel the Holy Spirit moving that's what I've noticed is like so many people once they hear it and they just want to be part of it, they want to be near it. But that's what Christ does. It's not me, because I have good words. It's the Holy Spirit stirring and moving in everybody else's hearts that they want to draw near to God. They feel that light and they want to be near it.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. And so there's there's three bands. I'm fortunate enough to be playing guitar in the third band. Joni was one of the people that reached out to me. So when that third band came together, I was one of the people that were like, what in the world are we doing? Like this, I, I, I, I, my wife and I were watching TV and I was like I think I just got a text message about playing blossom this summer.
Speaker 1:And she's like, well, that can't be right. And I'm like they don't make stuff up, like that's probably you know. And I was like, do we have anything 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 little bit about some of the things around the importance of the show and then some of the things that you've that God's kind of put on your heart that are going to be taking place during the show? Obviously, there's music, but there were some other things you talked about as far as prayer and people involved and some things that God put on your heart that I think are really like if I had booked Blossom, I'd been like, okay, good, we're good, okay, but there were some things that you shared about praying and mentorship and some other things that are going on that night that I think are pretty awesome.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. So first, one of the newest understandings that God's given me to articulate is that this isn't a concert that people would think is a concert. It's a very unique event in that manner that God said, okay, a concert's normally, right, you're going to see the person on stage and watch them perform and it's like all eyes on them, right. And God's just flipping that word concert on its head and says, actually, the most important person coming is the person in the audience. So it's almost like that you who 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.
Speaker 2:And so it is completely different because he's offered this free space to just come with open hands. He says I'm going to call people even the morning of, and they need no barrier, they need no like, even if it's a free ticket, they can't have anything that's a barrier. They need to be able to come the moment I call them and feel stirred and not have any excuse to come to my open arms because that's what they are and I will meet them where they're at. And so it's a very different experience because, while we have insanely amazing musicians, like it's so hard for me not to highlight them because I'm like starstruck by so many I'm like oh my gosh they're so good, but it's not about.
Speaker 2:It's about them singing, so you feel comfortable praising and being with God, because it's about you sitting in the seat. So that's one really unique aspect of this event. It's not a normal concert that you see going across, where it's unifying the churches through different churches, praise teams, and it's about that. It's actually about the individual in their seat that God wants to make himself real to them and meet them where they're at and then going with. Other components of it all come from the five components that God gave me.
Speaker 2:At the very beginning of it he said 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 so many stories with that. Okay, I'm going to touch here a little bit with the playlist here, because it's crazy is I would be like putting on makeup in the bathroom and like lyrics would just be in my head. I'm like I either wrote a really good song or this is a song that's like out there, for some reason, god's putting it in my head Cause I've never heard this song and I type it into Google and sure enough a song would come up and like okay, this is supposed to be at the grocery store at Whole Foods. It's not a Christian grocery store at Whole Foods.
Speaker 2:My kids screaming in the car like the devil was trying with all his might not to let me hear what was playing and, weirdly, all my ears could hear was this song that was playing and I knew that was another song for the playlist. So the playlist was literally handpicked by God and, like we went down to South Carolina for a family vacation, I listened to the entirety of it because I have it all on my Spotify, the entirety of it, praying over it. Just Lord, remove any songs you don't actually have. Tell me if this is the final list. And he solidified all of that.
Speaker 2:And then, while I was down there praying who should have these songs? And there'd be some bands that he really specifically chose the song for, where he said this is for team two or this is for team three, and there was maybe like eight, nine songs that he did that with. And then I get down there and I email out all the bands. I'm like here's the playlist, Send me your top, like 15. I can't promise anything, but here's the top 15. All of them pick different songs because it's God, like no one was fighting over songs besides two that are our combo song at the end for everyone to come out and sing together, like no one fought over anything, because God just made it perfect.
Speaker 2:And all the ones that they picked were ones like all the ones that God chose for that band were ones that they picked too on top of it.
Speaker 2:Like how crazy is it that they actually wanted also the song only God, right, only God. But so a playlist that he was going to give us and then running partners and prayer warriors at the event. So prayer warriors who are going to pray over people at the event and then running partners who are dedicated to a year of anyone who wants that discipleship, anyone who's either new to faith or maybe you've been in faith, like you're a believer but you've never walked that lifestyle of Christ and you could really use an accountability partner to just when you, you know, fall and fall short, that you have someone to call and being like man, can you just pray for me? Like I'm really struggling with this. You know, it just is this whisper in my ear constantly like somebody for you to have a contact 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 you other churches in the area. So that, again, wasn't my planning. It was just God knowing everything that was needed and the way he's had that set up.
Speaker 2:You know, I first heard, when I first heard, that I started trying to collect all these people like who wants to be prayer warriors and running partners. Who wants to do this? And I was Martha-ing it. I don't know if you know the story of Mary and Martha, but Mary sits at the feet of Jesus and Martha starts busying herself. I Martha-ed it there where I was trying to collect.
Speaker 2:And then God comes along and brings these ministries, all these different ministries from across Ohio. Like I don't even know how I got connected to them. To be honest, I'd have to look at the notes of like who connected me where to how I got to it. But like Cincinnati's bringing up a team, columbus is bringing up a team, dayton's bringing up a team, akron's bringing up a team these ministries that do this, that pray with people and disciple them after they're equipped with the gospel message. They do this all the time. They have vetted churches in the area of all different denominations because they're all for unity, which is crazy. Did you know? Declare Dayton had this whole ministry for uniting the church and they actually throw a concert the day after ours, which is crazy.
Speaker 2:But, God had all these ministries. He knew they were all out there. He brought them all to me for them to all bring their teams to come and be prayer warriors who will connect with these people after. And here I'm like trying to like 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 all the other people. I'm like so do you want to join this team? Or if you want to be a prayer warrior, you have to kind of already be willing to follow up with them, because there's a connection you make with someone when you finally become vulnerable to ask someone to pray for you, your spirits have this connection and really that person praying over you has to be the one who's calling you up, seeing how you're doing, seeing if you need anything, if you need any more prayer. If they can continue connecting with you, it needs to be that person. So what before I was counting as two roles was actually two sides of one role and God just has made that perfect now and then the other.
Speaker 2:The last component of that was water, which again, being in this life of surrender. I don't go before the Lord, so I refuse to claim it as baptisms or anything. Until God spoke and I had people, you know we're like maybe it's water bottles, you know we need to be hydrated. I'm like, really, god wants us to be hydrated, I mean. And they're like maybe it's rain, maybe everyone's going to you know whatever else, and I'm like I don't know. I don't know and I'm okay waiting until God moves. And a couple people mentioned to me some things about baptisms. And when I first saw, when I first, when I was in my car that time so not the first call that one was like short and sweet, but in my car, when it was with all of his glory, I saw this. I saw it was outside and I saw a man baptizing. But sometimes when you hear you can put your own thoughts on. So I wanted to make sure I wasn't putting my own thoughts on like I did with the prayer warriors and running partners.
Speaker 2:I'm like I'm not doing that again. I'm going to be married, I'm just going to be still. And sure enough, a couple of people mentioned some things and so I started really praying about it. If it's baptisms, for God to just reveal, it, make it so evident. And then I get a text from City Mission saying we have a thousand gallon tank we want to bring, set up and tear down for you, for baptisms that reclaim.
Speaker 2:And I'm like wow that sounds like God, that you just want to do it and like provide everything. So that was the start of that and we went to Blossom's walkthrough and there is literally the most perfect spot. This is so good. Between the grass and the seats is a sidewalk I like triple wide sidewalk and it jets out in this one portion, right in the middle of the sidewalk, like going the other way, so it's in the middle of it, going long ways and also vertical. So in that very bit is jets out is a cement pad that can completely fit perfectly this baptismal tank and a table to hold the towels and shirts and Bibles for people.
Speaker 2:Oh, my gosh, only God, only God, now being only God, he also fits it to be perfect in all of what he's doing, because he has claimed that this is only music, that there is no altar call, no message being preached, no charity that's being pitched, no mission, not missionary, like ministry that has a table set up to advertise None of that. This is a holy ground only for God. He's the only highlight for him to be with you. So, with that, the baptisms. We know that. There's no call to that.
Speaker 2:There's no video on it, so it's not stirring people because they like the look of the video. It's completely going to be led by the Holy Spirit that if he stirs somebody, they're going to know that water's for them. Their eyes are going to be able to find that water and see it because the Holy Spirit's going to bring them to it. And we'll have people there equipped with the gospel, with the reason for baptism, that can share with them and baptize them. But that won't, which is so perfect because so many denominations have different views on it, and so it'd be just like God to have it available but not to challenge anybody. He's not challenging anyone's faith. He meets you where you're at and stirs individuals because he's such a personal God. So it's beautiful. It's so God of him.
Speaker 1:It's incredible. I mean, all of these things coming together like this are just kind of like reading the Old Testament and seeing all of these prophecies and all of them coming to fruition with Jesus. You know what I mean. It's like only God does that kind of stuff. Wish it with Jesus. You know what I mean. It's like only God does that kind of stuff. You can't have this many things working in the way that they are unless God's involved. And I just love your personality with this and it's just like look, I don't know what I'm doing, but God just keeps giving me this stuff and I just keep listening. And when I listen then I go into action. It's like the book of James, it's like faith in action. 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 highlight something.
Speaker 1: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 to jump through to be a part of this this evening, um july 18th, what I think is going to be really incredible.
Speaker 1:And then the other thing too. Um, there are no sponsors. You know, I mean when? When is the last time you've ever been to any event that doesn't have these massive conglomerate sponsors? And not that that's a bad thing, but it kind of shows you, okay, where's the money going, and all of these things. There's none of that, and that's shocking to me because a lot of people have asked me. It's like well, who's behind this? That's shocking to me because a lot of people have asked me it's like well, who's behind this? Who's the big company, who's the big church that's supporting this? I'm like it's not. It's almost hard for people to believe that an event like this is happening, that there is nothing that you have to subscribe to to come to this concert and anything else you'd like to share with the audience about this night or what's coming up, or things that you would like them to be aware of.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think you hit it all on the head there. Just, there's no alternative motive. 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 and allows the spirit to move and allows you to be vulnerable, because you can just move into in this music that's being performed and, like I said, it's not even about the performance. So so the whole screens are just lyrics so you can sing along with and we hope that everyone participates, because that's just ushering in and allowing yourself to be free and open to God moving, and I think he's going to do.
Speaker 2:I think this is. I think this how many insane things have happened to make this event. I think it's just the beginning. I think at the event, we are going to see so much more of God's power in all of it, and so that's the amazing thing about the event is just it's so spirit-led, all of it, the whole team is spirit-led. There's only three other people who are doing this with me. All of us say the same thing we haven't really done anything Like we kind of just. God said to do this and we did it, and then it was just happened and was done Like this is our event manager.
Speaker 2:She used to do PGA tours, so she's used to like doing events. You know the whole golf tour like, and she's like I have never done so little for anything in my life. She's like I feel like I'm not using my talents. I'm like you weren't ever supposed to. You're just supposed to come and watch God work. That's the beauty of it.
Speaker 2:That even the people are throwing it Like I think I'm just sitting there enjoying and being with God too, while you guys play, like I, he's taking care of of everything, which is just beautiful that he's not just gifted it for the people there, but all the people involved. You know you have your set, but before and after you're just free to be with God too. That he has that gift for each person, even the people who are working the event, and only God can do that like. I've never heard or been a part of any event that that was possible and you probably know that playing in bands, there was not a downtime for you. This wasn't about you. It was about pleasing the fans and putting your show on, and here you can just come and be.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, and I love the fact we've been in a pretty large group text with all the bands and the way we're deciphering who's in what band's like there is no band name, you know. There is no like artist. It's it's like oh, matt, I'm matt from band three, or I'm, I'm on team three, or you know, and this is like tim from band one and and it's just like it's not like. You know what I mean, because people keep asking me like well, who's playing? I'm like band one, band two and band three. I don't know how you market that, but people keep wanting that.
Speaker 2:they're like you got to put the band, like put some advertising for the band, like well, a lot of them never play together.
Speaker 2:I don't have like footage from it, like it's not like a footage thing of a band, like I don't think it's a really hard concept. But that also shows how beautiful it is that every person God brought they have such a humble heart, like none of you want the spotlight or care that your name's not on our website or like you're like I get to be part of God's event and it's like this humility that everybody has around this event that is so beautiful. It's been amazing to be a part of, to see all these people God brings, to see the humility that people have and the love for just furthering God's kingdom and to bring people into the fold you know of. I don't care, I don't need a guitar 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 the music industry is, from what I've heard, because I haven't been in it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I can tell you it is. It certainly is, and that's what piqued my interest to go on. I just want to be a part of this and serve in any way that I can, and it's been just a really interesting journey seeing what God's been doing through your vision and how you have just multiplied through other people and through other things to bring this so many people are excited about it. I've been talking about it and I've had people actually reach out to me randomly and been like hey, man, have you heard about this Reclaim concert that's happening at Blossom? I'm like, as a matter of fact, I have. It's like it's just it's. I'm super excited.
Speaker 1:It's July 18th at blossom. Um, music's going to be from seven to 10 and it's free, and I would suggest probably getting there a little bit before seven. If, if, if you want to find a spot that you want to, you know, be able to be in worship, and I'm super excited about it and I I'm so thankful for you giving me some time today. I know there's a lot on your plate. You got 11 kids, you're writing books, you're putting on major concerts. I mean you know. Thanks so much for, yeah, no big deal, just just a few little things that I'm doing, but thanks for making time for us at the XM podcast. I really appreciate you and appreciate your heart and just you know. Seeing you know what God's doing through this has been amazing, so thank you for sharing that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, thanks for having me, thanks for getting the word out there and inviting people, cause that's, I mean, our number one goal now is to just 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 to stir to get them there. So getting the word out any way we can is huge and you're right, getting there a little early might be helpful. 5.30 is when doors open.
Speaker 2:I think, Blossom has the parking lot open at 4.30. So that way traffic can kind of get helped, but the doors open at 5.30. And all concert regulations are on Blossom's website. You know they have like the clear water bottle. You can bring in one clear water bottle or you can bring in your own water bottle, refillable plastic it just can't be stainless steel and they have refillable stations. So you can really keep it completely free by bringing in your own water, because concessions will be open, but you can bring in your own water gallon, Ziploc, clear gallon, Ziploc, bag of food you can bring in. So you can really make this a free event which is hard to find in the summer right.
Speaker 2:Like when do you find any free events in the summer?
Speaker 1:Like it's so hard to find that. That's so good. Well, and I appreciate you so much Reclaimconcertcom. Any other information you may need you can find there, and thank you so much, and it's really looking forward to July 18th. Thanks for doing this. Yeah, thank you. Well, if you are in the area of Northeast Ohio or can travel, we would love to see you at the worship event on July 18th, but, honestly, that wasn't the only reason I wanted to put out this podcast.
Speaker 1:Anna's faith and obedience to doing God's will is astounding and I hope it's infectious to all of our listeners, because it certainly is to me. You know she could have quit many times over when doors were shut or feeling like maybe it wasn't God's voice speaking into her heart, but she didn't. She is someone I am sure God is pleased with and I had to have her on. I hope this conversation has touched you and made an impact in some way in your life. Thank you for continuously sharing these episodes. Please, if you haven't already, subscribe to this little podcast that keeps going. We are very close to doing our 100th episode. Well, until next time or when our Savior comes, God bless.
