Category: Drums

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A New Season

For nearly 12 years, I’ve had the privilege of serving on the drums at church. helping lead worship, growing alongside incredible musicians, and being part of something bigger than myself. And for almost 11 of those years, I’ve shared pieces of that journey here through videos. It’s been a meaningful ride, and I don’t take a single moment of it for granted.

When I think back on all those years, a lot comes to mind. Early mornings, late-night rehearsals, learning new songs, building relationships with other musicians, and stepping on stage week after week with the same goal: to serve and help create an environment where people can worship. There have been moments where everything just clicked. When the band was locked in, the room was engaged, and you could feel that connection that goes beyond music. Those moments are hard to put into words, but they’ve meant a lot to me.

I’m deeply thankful for every opportunity I’ve had to serve. I’m thankful for every person who’s poured into me, challenged me, and helped me grow, not just as a drummer, but as a person. There are lessons I’ve learned along the way about preparation, humility, teamwork, and consistency that have shaped me in ways I didn’t fully realize at the time. I’ve tried to pass some of those lessons on through the videos I’ve shared, and I hope they’ve encouraged someone out there along the way.

This past weekend marked my last time playing for a while, and it was a special one for me.

Going into Sunday, I knew it would be my last time behind the kit for this season, and something shifted. I wasn’t overthinking like I normally do. I wasn’t trying to prove anything or play everything perfectly. I just played. And because of that, I think I enjoyed it more than I have in a long time.

The interaction with the band felt natural. The energy on stage was real. Worship felt genuine. I found myself leading from behind the drums in a way that felt free rather than forced. It reminded me of why I started doing this in the first place.

I love music.

I love how it brings people together.

And I love being able to contribute in a way that supports something bigger than myself.

A few people knew it was my last Sunday for a while, and their encouragement meant more than they probably realized. Sometimes it’s the small conversations, the quick “I appreciate you,” or the simple acknowledgment that sticks with you.

After service, I shared a video update, and the response has been really encouraging. A lot of kind words, a lot of support, and a lot of people reaching out. I’m grateful for that. At the same time, I’m learning to receive those things without letting them define me. That’s been part of my growth in this season, being thankful for encouragement, but not dependent on it.

Because if I’ve learned anything over the past year, it’s that identity and value can’t be built on feedback, good or bad. That’s something I’m still working through, but I’m more aware of it now than I’ve ever been. I’m reminded of what it says in Proverbs 29:25, that the fear of man is a trap. I’ve fallen into that trap before, letting opinions, responses, or lack of response shape how I see myself. I don’t want to live there anymore.

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And that brings me to the shift.

As I step into the clinical phase of my graduate program to become an LPC, life is about to get very full. Between a full-time job, classes, internship hours, and family, I’ve had to take an honest look at what I can realistically give my time and energy to.

And the truth is, something had to give.

As much as I love drumming, and I truly do, I don’t feel like I can give it the preparation and attention it deserves right now. For me, that matters. I’ve always tried to approach playing with a level of excellence and intentionality, and I don’t want to do it halfway. Colossians 3:23 says to work at everything as if you are working for the Lord, and that has always been my mindset when it comes to playing. If I can’t give it that level of focus right now, then it’s time to step back.

So for this season, I’ll be stepping away from drumming.

That wasn’t an easy decision. This has been a big part of my life for a long time. But I also believe there are seasons where you’re called to shift your focus, even if it means stepping away from something you love. Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us that there is a time for everything, a time to step in, and a time to step away. I believe this is one of those moments.

This isn’t goodbye to church, far from it. I’ll still be there with Cindy and the boys, just in a different role. Instead of being behind the drums, I’ll be in the room, present in a different way. And honestly, I’m looking forward to that.

I think this season is going to be a reset in a lot of ways.

A chance to focus on school and continue growing in a new direction.

A chance to be more present with my family.

And maybe even a chance to rediscover the joy of playing music without some of the pressure that can come along with it.

Because at the end of the day, music has always been something I love, not something I want to feel weighed down by.

That love hasn’t gone anywhere.

If anything, I think this break will help me reconnect with it in a healthier way.

I’m incredibly grateful to God for the gift of drumming and for every door it’s opened over the years. I’m grateful for every stage I’ve played on, every musician I’ve shared it with, and every opportunity I’ve had to serve.

And I’m especially thankful for all of you who’ve followed along, whether through videos, conversations, or just quiet support from a distance. It means more than you probably know.

This isn’t the end of the story; it’s just a new chapter.

I don’t know exactly what it will look like yet, but I’m trusting the process. I’m trusting that this season has purpose, even if it feels different from what I’m used to.

Here’s to growth.

Here’s to new seasons.

And here’s to trusting where God leads next.

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Most weeks I find myself prepping for Sunday mornings. I use several techniques such as active listening, passive listening and actual practice behind a drum set all in prep for helping lead worship on Sunday mornings. I am super thankful that all the places I play I am not looked at as just “the drummer.” I have always been encouraged to listen to the Holy Spirit and play accordingly. I have been playing for many years and I am still trying to master listening to the Holy Spirit on and off the stage. This past Sunday was no different. I had worked through the week of listening and making notes. I had spent several hours behind the drum set, all for 18 minutes of worship. I felt like I was ready to sit behind the kit with confidence.

There is also another side to what I do in which I film and make short videos of the worship set. Back in the days of drums lessons, I would often practice in front of a mirror and if I could film/record practice I would. It never crossed my mind that if I were to fast forward time I would be doing the same thing as an adult. But here we are, 22 years later. I knew I needed to work on some problem spots in my playing, so I turned to filming again. What used to be for me to improve has slowly become something other than its original intention. I was encouraged by one of the worship leaders at my home church and several other drummers to post what I had done. Throwing inhibitions to the wind, I started a YouTube channel and posted the video. I had no formal training on cameras, mics, software, but for some reason thought this was something I really wanted to give a shot.

I posted my first video Feb. 14, 2016. It is a blog style video and at the time not many people were making videos like this. Currently it has 199 views. Now to some that is an extremely low number, but to me I had a hard time believing that, that amount of people actually clicked on the video. It was the longest 3:30m video of my life. I spent hours trying to figure out editing in iMovie on my iPad. Yep, I started with an iPad and iPhone. Don’t get me wrong, its not the highest of quality, but it was produced and published. Any tutorial video you search, not matter who it is, will tell you to start with what you have. So, I did! Again, fast forward to current day and I use five GoPro cameras and my iPhone with an external mic. I have moved from iMovie to Final Cut Pro. I still find myself trying to make the best quality film with the tools I have. Am I a pro? Absolutely not!! There is still lots I have to learn. But I think learning is all part of the process.

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So, I share the back story to get you to this past Sunday. I was playing at Bethlehem Church, which is my home church. On the main campus there are three service times 9:15, 11, and 5pm. When I play at the main campus, Sunday mornings start early. Call time is 6:30am, however I like to be early. I usually wake up around 5am and I try to be to the church by 5:45am. I get there to set the drum kit to my liking, set the click tracks and start thinking about camera shots. Also, not to be hyper spiritual, but I want to pray over the room, chairs, tech stuff, the hearts of the people coming to worship, the worship leaders, and finally myself. Music is powerful for me and I think its powerful for the people that come to the services. I want God to be involved in every aspect that is for Him anyway.

Nevertheless, where is this going? Well, I’m glad you asked. In a portion of a song our worship leader began to talk about how we have an enemy. We, as believers, remind him of God. Because of that constant reminder, Satan hates all believers and wants to destroy us. John wrote in his gospel that Satan comes to kill, steal and destroy. I agree with our worship leader when he said “It’s time to fight back!” So, to answer your question, I’m fighting back. I believe people relate to music and to stories. It’s the only reason I can find why people, that I do not know, would click on a video. From that start date two years ago, I have subscribers on my channel that watch videos of me playing drums. Now, it could be that the places I get to play have some incredible singers and musicians. It could be that some want the “behind  the scenes” look at what we do or some are searching for help. The other side is that we all have a story to tell and you never know how your story is going to impact other people. I try to faithfully tell my story through drumming and the platforms God has given me. Making videos, blogging, social media or whatever the case may be, I want people to see Jesus.

My hope has always been that me overcoming my personal fear of insignificance, self doubt about drumming and posting videos would encourage other people to do the same. Overcoming those fears has been a long slow journey with Jesus through some very dark times. I’m not saying that journey is over either, but what I hope to communicate is that, with Jesus, the journey feasible. Jesus is not the “easy button.” Jesus is the person that gave his life for you to have a fighting chance. Everyday I go to battle, most of the time against my own thoughts, but I fight. “It is time to Fight!”