by David Dodd

I love what the Lord has done in your life.  When I think about what’s been going on with you during the Go Tour, it reminds me of when I was a kid and I returned to school every fall and write a paper on ‘How I spent my summer vacation.’

And I’m thinking how you spent this last year as guitarist on the Go Tour, traveling to Russia, Singapore, China, Mexico, Scotland, Germany, all over the United States, New Zealand, let’s write  a paper together Paul and let’s talk about the greatness on what the Lord has done in this last year, your first year as a Newsboy. 

And the truth is, David, the greatest thing The Lord’s done and the work He’s done in my life is my character, but you’re right, all those places.  Wow.  I mean any great novel has four key things:

One of them is a great story, or a great sequence of events.  The other one it has is great characters. The third, you mentioned, is a great scene, and for us the scene is really the globe, but the most important part of a novel is what is it really about, what are the core issues?  And He uses the sequence of events and He uses the settings, and He uses the plot and the characters, but what is it that He’s really trying to say? 

And I think while the characters may be the Newsboys and the story may be the sequence of events this year, the real thematic stuff is the stuff that’s got me amazed, and that’s what I’ve been learning about myself and about life.  Because when you go from being the boss to being an employee, you go from being the singer to the guitarist, even in a band like the Newsboys, and the obvious great things that go along with them, there’s a great character element that goes with that, it’s something that I’ve always wanted and something that I’ve embraced every single day, and I’ve never wanted to be anything other than what I am. 

But when you do that at 38, it’s kind of like being a small successful business owner and then you go to work for Shell, in middle management, there are certain things that you didn’t realize you were accustomed to, how you were treated and the kind of space that you had.  And so for me, it’s been a lot of character stuff.

That’s the thing that I’m rejoicing in for me and the evidence of that has been in my marriage and with my kids, and with my family, and hopefully what they’re seeing is a person who’s maturing and learning more about life and learning about the fruits of the spirit really which is sometimes eclipsed by the part of the neon lights of the gifts of the Spirit which always seem to be more exciting.  I think evangelism seems to be a lot more exciting than patience sometimes.  Speaking out words of wisdom and knowledge sounds a lot more exciting than faithfulness, and so this time in my life has really been about the question of, if my life is a tree, what’s the fruit looking like?  Is it good fruit or is it bad fruit?

And yes, we have been to the four corners of the globe, but really the real work has been stuff in my heart and it’s still happening.  That’s the stuff that’s really been changing for me and has been the biggest thing.

And I think, Paul, that is probably the greatest blessing because you’re right, it is easy to look at the success of the Go tour and your position with the Newsboys, but when you look inside your heart, I mean there are many people who would take this position in the band and see that as a blessing and let it be.

I remember talking with you right when you took the offer to join the band, when you were in the Starbucks with Peter when he asked you to be in the band and everything that led you up to that moment was all in your character that God has molded, so I think he’s been working in your character all along in these last two years, big time. 

I think so, I think so.  And you know, there’s always the temptation and the seduction to not look at those things and  not see those things as the most important, but the truth is, you spend an hour and twenty minutes a day on stage so what do you do the rest of your time?  The rest of your time is not when you’re operating in your gift, so to speak, you know, because on stage, I’m up there and the lights are on me and that’s what I do, but a lot of people fool themselves by thinking that’s the real ministry of the day, whereas that’s part of it; it’s almost like that’s the easiest part, but the rest of it is who are you?  How are you treating people?  What’s your thought life like?  What kind of things are you dwelling on?  What are you actually doing in secret times when no one’s watching?  Where’s your focus really at?  And that’s been a great source of rebuke for me.  You can fool everybody but you can’t fool God, and in many ways you can’t really fool yourself, you can deceive yourself but underneath it you know.  So I think that’s been the thing that I’ve been really thinking about.

That’s what God does, He wants to work on us so that we’re useful to Him to love others, and the easiest way to do that for me is staying on stage playing guitar, but the hardest way for me is with people I see every day that I see their faults and I see their problems, to actually love them, whether that includes having guilt about something or whether it includes letting something go, that’s the real place where your Christian walk takes place.