Sitting in the church lobby a couple hours before showtime, Nate Sallie radiated that
peace grin while talking about the Holy Spirit. He’s on the brink of releasing
his second record, Ruined For Ordinary, and took a break from playing
basketball with some of the members and crew of NewSong to chat about the new
music.
Growing
up as a preacher’s kid, he was faced with a decision early in life – play
basketball or immerse himself in music. The answer became crystal clear when he
broke both ankles in high school.
“God
tells us He works everything out for our good,” Nate tells Apostles That Rock.
“God doesn’t say, only good things happen to us, He says, everything that
happens to us, He works out for the good if we allow Him to be our source of
strength.
So even at a young age, knowing that God was in control of my life I was
thinking, God’s got a purpose, He’s got a plan, and like He said in
Psalm 139, He’s established all of our steps, the blueprint of our life,
and thank goodness I didn’t spend four years of college playing
basketball because I wasn’t going to the NBA.
I would have spent 4 years completely focused on basketball, graduated,
and playing at the local gym.
Where would that have gotten me? Thank goodness He led me to
the same school that I was going to play basketball. They had an amazing music
program.
I didn’t
know anybody in the music business, I had no idea and knew nothing about
Nashville or New York or LA. I didn’t have any connections, I just knew that
God had called me to minister with music.
He
does that with all of us. How do you use your time, your talent and your
treasures, you know what I mean? You can look in your wallet, pull out
your receipts and say, ‘ok, what am I doing with my treasure and how am I using
it for God?‘ Where your treasure is, that’s where your heart lies. So
even at that time I just knew He was calling me, I didn’t know what would
happen, but you’re just faced with that and you let God work it out. All
we have to do is trust, obey, and let God do that work.”
That attitude leads Nate to one of his favorite Scriptures – James 4:8 -
Draw near to me and I’lldraw near to you.
“It’s not drawing and drifting, it’s not plugging in and plugging out, it’s not
drawing near then wandering away. He’s very clear when He says: ‘Draw near to
me and then abide in me,’ which means remain in Him.”
I, I
feel you breaking through
In
everything I do
I
feel that soul renewed
My
mind is clear and new
The
world’s all coming true
Everywhere I look You’re breaking through
-
Breakthrough
“I was sitting at the piano
and was thinking about my relationships with my friends, my family, my Maker.
And I needed to release some unconfessed sin and forgiveness. I said to the
Lord, ‘man, I’m tired of living this way.’ So at the piano, talking with the
Lord, I just got rid of it.
Those are hard steps to take
because I was always coming up with reasons I shouldn’t address certain issues.
But during that moment, at the piano, I had to turn it all over to Him. I
immediately felt the renewing of my mind and my soul. After that happened,
my wife walked in the room and I started playing. I looked at her and I
said, ‘I’m back’ and she knew exactly what I was saying because my mind was
clear. It was like this fog had lifted from my mind.
When I sat down and started playing Breakthrough I didn’t come up with a
cool lyric, I didn’t come up with the idea of writing a song called
Breakthrough, that was the natural response that just flew out, the outflow
of my heart was inside, and just letting God pour out and sing into me so to
speak.
There another song on the new record called Sing Through Me which talks
about being in the mode where I tell God I don’t want to fabricate, I don’t want
to manufacture, I don’t want to just write another song, I want You to sing
through me.”
Another song was birthed out
of a donut. This just may be a first for inspiration of a Christian hit
record. A cannoli? Perhaps. A croissant is
understandable as well, but a donut? C’mon Nate.
“No really! It grabbed us, which is crazy!”
He explains the grassroots of the song Holy Spirit came from writer John
Bevere, but Nate and his wife encountered an important reminder of temptation by
craving the feeding of something other than The Word – literally, which cemented
the meaning of the song.
“My wife and I never eat donuts, it’s not even a thing that’s on our map, and
it’s not on our radar. We’ve been in our house for three years now and I don’t
think a donut has ever entered the door.
So this one evening we were flipping the TV and we came across a documentary
featuring the history of the donut. These donuts were just rolling off the
press and as we saw them, it was unbelievable how enticing they looked. Our
stomachs were aching for donuts, talk about a renewed passion, it enticed us, it
drew us in. At the same time we looked at each other and said, ‘we’ve got to
get donuts!’
So I got into my car at 9:45 and drove down to Krispy Kreme to get donuts.
Thank goodness I had to get gas before I got there. I pulled up and all the
lights were on at Krispy Kreme. thought they stayed open until midnight. I
pulled in, went up to the drive-thru and no one answered. I looked at the clock
in the car it was 10:02 . They closed at 10:00. I went home empty-handed, no
donuts.
We were laughing about it and
I thought what a great symbolic picture of how we’re hungry for what we feed on.
If we sit there and feed on ESPN radio, that’s what we’re going to be hungry
for. If we’re feeding on donuts and it draws us in, then that’s what we’re
going to be hungry for.
If we’re feeding on God’s Word, and we’re dwelling on the Word richly, that’s
what we’re going to be hungry for, and man, when we’re allowing the Holy Spirit
to work in us, that’s what we’re going to be hungry for.”
Saturate every move I make
So I’m filled with what I crave
Open my eyes to the pathway to heaven
And every step that I take
I’ll run to You
And Your words of truth You are the fire sent down from heaven
Until I see You face to face
I will run to You and Your one found truth
Holy Spirit come
Come and fill me with Your love
Move inside of me
Feel
the air I breathe
Holy Spirit come fall on me
Listen to
Nate Sallie
and other Christian artists on Apostles That Rock Radio
