Random update: I just watched my music video, and I saw that Mitt Romney is placing his campaign ads on it. I am completely fine with this as long as I get my check in the mail! Thanks for the Kroger money Mitt!
Alright ya’ll,
So the other day I went way, way, way out in the Smokey Mountains to ride 4wheelers! The trail was at like 4000 feet or something. It cost 5 dollars to ride on the trail and they used the honor system to pay…
The trail was intense!!! It was more like riding on top on boulders while driving up a mountain…it was straight up dangerous. It was fun though.
I got hung up on a huge rock at the top of a trail and my 4wheeler stalled. I was like, “oh no!” I was way up the mountain. Seriously, my wheeler is a little track/racing type thing…not made for this stuff!!! So, I turned around and went back down the mountain…
I ran into someone on my way back who had broken the back wheels off of his quad! He was walking down the mountain because his broken down quad was near the summit. I was like, “What, this trail is crazy!” My day ended early, but since I didn’t get my fill there, lately I have been ridin’ it full throttle on straight-aways and track like areas.
P.S. Amanda is awesome! I promised her I’d say that…lol.
When Lebron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2010 to join the Miami Heat I was happy for him. Although I felt bad for the city of Cleveland, I knew that if Lebron was going to go for the NBA title then was the time to do it. The 2010-2011 season started off rocky for Lebron James and the Miami Heat. They looked a little shakey in their games. I never thought that they would make it to the NBA Finals. But they did. Before I knew it they were matching up against the Dallas Mavericks for the title.
I can’t help but relate this to my own career because I have risked so much in leaving my home and coming to Nashville. I left everything behind at the drop of a hat. This is why I was all for Lebron James and him having success after taking his risk. But as the NBA Finals went on to game 5 I realized that God had another plan. After Jason Terry’s all-star performance in game 5, the Dallas Mavericks took home a victory that night. At the end of the game Jason said in an interview, “To God be the glory, he gives me the strength to compete, and to compete on a very high level.” I loved that comment, and I thought, “Man, now I want both teams to win!”
In game 6, with Dallas up by one game in the series (3-2) they had a chance to win the title. Miami also had a chance to tie the series. Again, Jason Terry exploded on the scene. He made almost every shot, and almost everything he did in that game ended in success. The Dallas Mavericks won that night giving them their 1st NBA title in franchise history. I was so happy for them. Again, in an interview after the game Jerry Terry gave the credit to God, and went on to say that his team’s faith in God was what carried them to victory.
I don’t know why Lebron and the Miami Heat did not win that night, but I am just thankful that I still have a chance to give God the credit for every victory he gives me in my career. He has given me the strength to overcome giant mountains. In this journey, I have approached trials where I said to myself, “It’s all over and its time for me to go home.” But God brought me through each and every one of those moments.
I realize that all my fans are not Christians, and I love that!!! I want to get along with everybody, and I do not want to judge anyone for who they are. Country music changed my life, and I want God to use me in country music to change the lives of others. I owe him big time!!! To God be the glory!!!
Last night a good friend told me that I should prepare for what I want using faith. She used examples of people preparing to receive things that seemed unattainable in life. Like a man clearing out a garage; therefore, making room for a new car that he wanted but couldn’t afford yet. Or a business person buying a picture frame for the success of a contract negotiation that hadn’t gone through yet; by committing the action it pronounced the person’s faith that the contract would be a success. In essence, they both displayed faith in preparing for these things.
I am posting this picture of me with the Band Perry because of something that is happening on the business end of my career.
Please do something similar for the things that seem impossible to grasp in your own life.
Have you ever seen the movie, “Tucker?” It is a true story about a man, Preston Tucker, with a dream, a vision, and a horrific struggle of accomplishing it . Preston Tucker was ahead of his time with innovation in automobiles. The car he designed in the 1940s had newer looking features than many cars today. When he first came up with the design for the Tucker car he knew he still had to raise millions of dollars to mass produce it. Everyone he tried to get money from basically laughed in has face, but the funny thing was that he seemed to laugh with them.
At the time he designed the Tucker, the big 3 (GM, Ford, and Chrysler) in Detroit still largely controlled the automobile manufacturing industry. The Big 3 were so powerful that they seemed to control a piece of the U.S. Government. The Big 3 did not want the Tucker car the come into existence because they knew that it was a better idea than any of their automobiles. The Tucker was designed with a futuristic look, a rear engine, multiple safety features, and could do 130mph. It was the first of its kind.
Preston Tucker eventually raised the money to start a manufacturing operation in Chicago. Shortly after production started he was arrested on charges of fraud. One morning Preston Tucker came into work and was reading a newspaper about how the SEC (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission) had raided his plant and he had been arrested. Shortly after that, SEC officials burst in his office and arrested him. The Big 3, the government, and the press had all worked together to bring a good, honest man down.
He was eventually found not guilty (duh?), but his automobile manufacturing plant was shut down for good. After he was found not guilty, 50 Tucker cars waited outside the court room that day. As all in attendance walked outside the court room, the judge, the jury, and everyone else was stunned at the Tucker car’s design and they all got to take rides. Those were the only 50 Tucker cars ever made. The Tucker never produced millions of automobiles, but the Tucker’s legacy is so much more valuable. After realizing that another Tucker car would never be made, at the end of the movie Preston Tucker said, “Its having the dream that counts.” Therefore, I guess many of us have made it to the other side.
The 1948 Tucker (tight huh?):
