Life Lessons From Country Music - Brad Paisley -“When I get Where I’m Going – Heaven”
When I announced I was doing this series, I know what some of you were thinking: ‘Come on Bard, country songs? Really?’ After the last few week I think y’all get it.
See, growing up I would up visiting a lot of different churches of all different denominations. I wanted to learn, that is why I went, and every church and every Sunday school class I went to I was bored to death. Then I met a creative pastor, Dr. Kem Oberholtzer, one of the greatest Bible teachers I have ever met, He used physical illustrations, maps, voices, hand motions, memory triggers, and costumes, and skits, and cultural things like movies and music, to teach the word of God…. And I got it, I connected with it, I learned and grew from it…
When I was in my early 20’s and God called me to teach and I came into it with Dr. Oberholtzer’s mind set. God showed me early on that you should not be boring when teaching His Word. Jesus was not boring; He took things from the culture around Him and used them to teach God’s truth. I am convinced that if God had waited to send Jesus to us for the first time in our modern times that Jesus would use Movies, TV shows, music — yes, even country songs — to teach us lessons about life, faith, and God.
So that’s exactly what we’re doing in this series — finding Biblical truth in the songs, the stories, and the culture all around us. And today’s song fits perfectly. It’s one that speaks to something deep in all of us — a longing for home, a hope for something better, and the promise of a future with God.
It's from one of my favorite country artist, Brad Paisley. He is an incredible story teller, and there is so much truth in his songs… especially his hit, ‘When I Get Where I’m Going.’
1st time I remember hearing the song was a couple of months after I did the funeral for my Grandfather, Sam Bard, the man I was named after. A line in the song makes me think of him so it means a lot to me.
Now, if you do not know the song, or if you haven’t really listened to it, let me just tell you — it’s not just a good country song. It’s a beautiful reflection on hope, on longing, on the things that matter most. In it there’s this quiet confidence, this sense of knowing something wonderful awaits. And we can all relate to that. Life can be hard. Life can feel heavy. But the song reminds us: there’s something better ahead, and that is what we are going to look at today..
But before we jump into God’s word, the Fellowship of the Crossroads band is going play Brad’s song… and I want you to really listen — not just hear it, but feel it.