PLANS FOR YOU
PROMOTIONS
THEIR STORIES
HIS STORY
There comes a time when everyone needs to give thanks to the ones that influenced their life. I thank God for His patience with me and for Him finally revealing the plans He has for me! My parents for ALWAYS taking me to church as a kid. My wife and her wonderful family, that I met at church as a kid! They are all beyond words! Then, Barbara Collier for introducing me and Tami to Southern Gospel music and Greater Vision! There in Katy, TX in 2004, I heard a young man's testimony about his dad and his dad's battle with alcohol. I have been forever changed by that story!!! (If you should ever want to hear this same testimony, get yourself a copy of Greater Vision's "Now and Then" DVD!!) And for that testimony, I THANK YOU Rodney Griffin!!! And for introducing us to your friends, Bill and Joanne West and to your awesome mom and dad, Sue and Brother Jeff!!! With that being said, I thank you Gerald, Rodney and Jason for everything you guys have done for Tami and me in the past three years! You ALWAYS find time to answer every question either by phone or email that we have ever had! Your influence on our lives is beyond any measure that we will ever understand here on Earth. The strength you have given us to lead others to the Lord has become our mission! Thus, "Our Vision" of creating www.Jeremiah29eleven.net is to bring everyone closer to Christ by influencing them through music. There is so much that music can say that mere words never could! And maybe, just maybe, if you seek Him, the Lord will reveal His......"Plans For You" !!
Blessed by the Best,
Joel
P.S. "Come on in, the water is wonderful !!" lol
footnote:
Three years ago, I wrote Rodney a letter about the regrets Tami and I had for not taking our kids to church, unlike our parents did. I expressed to Rodney how talking to them about going to church had fallen on deaf ears! Rodney, in his ever so kind way, said not to worry about what they hear, just to be a good example to what they see!! Three years have passed and to have them and their wife and girlfriend with them, sitting in church on Sunday morning is incredible! And to reaffirm Rodney's statement, last Sunday (01/21/08) after church, a young lady approached Tami and me. She wanted to let us know that she had secretly been WATCHING us for the last two years!! And, that she had never had the courage to tell us that we had been "her inspiration" to stop drinking for the last two years! Praise the Lord!! This convinces me that "ANYONE" and "EVERYONE" can be a positive role model for someone.......Even you!!!! Cause people are watching YOU, too !!!!
There comes a time when everyone needs to give thanks to the ones that influenced their life. I thank God for His patience with me and for Him finally revealing the plans He has for me! My parents for ALWAYS taking me to church as a kid. My wife and her wonderful family, that I met at church as a kid! They are all beyond words! Then, Barbara Collier for introducing me and Tami to Southern Gospel music and Greater Vision! There in Katy, TX in 2004, I heard a young man's testimony about his dad and his dad's battle with alcohol. I have been forever changed by that story!!! (If you should ever want to hear this same testimony, get yourself a copy of Greater Vision's "Now and Then" DVD!!) And for that testimony, I THANK YOU Rodney Griffin!!! And for introducing us to your friends, Bill and Joanne West and to your awesome mom and dad, Sue and Brother Jeff!!! With that being said, I thank you Gerald, Rodney and Jason for everything you guys have done for Tami and me in the past three years! You ALWAYS find time to answer every question either by phone or email that we have ever had! Your influence on our lives is beyond any measure that we will ever understand here on Earth. The strength you have given us to lead others to the Lord has become our mission! Thus, "Our Vision" of creating www.Jeremiah29eleven.net is to bring everyone closer to Christ by influencing them through music. There is so much that music can say that mere words never could! And maybe, just maybe, if you seek Him, the Lord will reveal His......"Plans For You" !!
Blessed by the Best,
Joel
P.S. "Come on in, the water is wonderful !!" lol
footnote:
Three years ago, I wrote Rodney a letter about the regrets Tami and I had for not taking our kids to church, unlike our parents did. I expressed to Rodney how talking to them about going to church had fallen on deaf ears! Rodney, in his ever so kind way, said not to worry about what they hear, just to be a good example to what they see!! Three years have passed and to have them and their wife and girlfriend with them, sitting in church on Sunday morning is incredible! And to reaffirm Rodney's statement, last Sunday (01/21/08) after church, a young lady approached Tami and me. She wanted to let us know that she had secretly been WATCHING us for the last two years!! And, that she had never had the courage to tell us that we had been "her inspiration" to stop drinking for the last two years! Praise the Lord!! This convinces me that "ANYONE" and "EVERYONE" can be a positive role model for someone.......Even you!!!! Cause people are watching YOU, too !!!!
HER STORY
First I must thank God for allowing me the opportunity of being able to share how He has worked in my life. Even when I have turned my back on Him over many years of this life, He has always been there for me.
Second I must thank my parents for their commitment to God and taking me to church every Sunday. I accepted Jesus at a James Robinson Crusade my mom took me to at the HOT coliseum. How vivid is the memory of having to ask mom to help me down the stairs because the tears were so heavy that I could not see to make my way down to the front. What a joy filled my life after making that decision!! No one could wipe the smile from my face.
I met Joel at Columbus Avenue Baptist Church when I was in the 3rd grade. He was the older brother of one of my best friends from my Sunday School class. I always liked him but God's timing kept us apart until I was 36 and he was 40.
During my first marriage, I was bless with two awesome sons, however because I was not seriously walking in my faith with the Lord, I did not take them to church. I will always regret not making God first in their lives at an early age, but the almighty dollar seemed too important and without committing myself and our marriage to His purpose, the marriage failed.
God gave us our first chance to be together in 1996. We were married in the church but still God was not number 1 in my life. He had blessed me with wonderful parents, two beautiful sons, a loving husband and a great job but all was not right. I still was not listening to what He was telling me. Partying and alcohol were to take their toll in my life. God bless me with the ability to gather people together and party thats for sure. He had blessed us with an awesome place on the river which I always felt was a pure gift from Him. However drinking would be the stumbling block.
One night as I stood just inside my patio door, I asked the Lord, "Is this all there is?" It was then that I heard Him say, "No, I have more planned for you!" I had already started back to the small country church down the street but Joel would not go with me. He was not totally listening and it was not his time.
Our divorce was hard but necessary. Yes God hates divorce as he states in His Word but it seemed as if I needed an awakening and a soul-searching time. We were always friends during our separation time. One day my mom and her friend, Barbara, invited me to see a southern gospel group called Greater Vision at a local church. I went and was totally blown away as I felt the Holy Spirit hovering right over the crowd. It was totally amazing! They were going to be in Katy, Texas a couple of weeks later and I asked Joel if he would go with me. The Lord used that concert to touch his heart and he realized that God had a plan for him and for us.
We were remarried but this time it was totally different. During this ceremony, we had a captive audience to share God!! We played music that had a profound message and wrote vows from our hearts.
We have made wonderful new friends on our journey. Greater Vision (Gerald, Rodney, Jason and their wives) has been a great support. We have been blessed by being welcomed into numerous homes around the country. The West, the Griffins, the Klaudts and numerous others have only made our journey more complete.
As I said earlier, God has given me the ability to throw a party and now He has blessed me by revealing His plan to me. Throw a party for ME!! Plans for You Promotions is a tool to share God's plan with others. God sent the verse Jeremiah 29:11 to me and Joel one week as a guide to help us see His big picture in this temporary life. It is only my prayer that I can be a tool for Him. Music sometimes touches people when words cannot. God has blessed us with a love for His music and the ability to share it with others so someone might be touched and grow closer to Him.
Jeremiah 29:11 states that He has a plan for your life. He will prosper you and not harm you. Do you know his plan for your life? It's awesome when you finally see His work and exciting when it's actually happening to you.
Join us for one of the upcoming concert. Call us if we can pray with you or for you. Open your heart so God can fill it up!!!
I also want to thank my MOM for always being there for me. She is an awesome Christian mother, grandmother and now great grandmother. God chose her to take me in, raise me in a Christian home, love me as her own, and support me during my entire 49 years through good and bad times. I love you mom!!! You are the greatest!!
Through the Fire
Jason Crabb
