Mike Weaver of Big Daddy Weave | Worship, Grief, and the Grace of God

The world is becoming increasingly proficient at telling stories that deny God. As such, we need thinking Christian to become as natural as breathing. Welcome to the Thinking Christian podcast. I'm Dr. James Spencer. Through calm, thoughtful theological discussions, Thinking Christian highlights the way God is working in the world and questions the underlying social, cultural, and political assumptions that hinder Christians from becoming more like Christ. Now, on to today's episode of Thinking Christian. Before we start today's episode, I want to take a moment to tell you about usefultogat.com. From online courses to free downloadable study guides, I'm confident you'll find something to help you live faithfully in today's world. You can also check out some of my books, including Christian Resistance, Serpents and Doves, and my most recent contribution, The D.L. Moody Essentials Collection. Coming this fall, we're also running a German Reformation tour. The tour runs from October 30th through November 9th, and we'll be visiting sites from Berlin to Munich. The booking deadline for the tour is May 31st, and spots are filling up fast. If you're interested in learning more about the Reformation, World War II, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, you can check out the tour at the link in today's show notes. As always, if you find this podcast valuable, take a second to like, share, and leave a positive review. It really does make a difference. And if you haven't yet, subscribe to our YouTube channel for even more content to equip and encourage you. Now, let's get into today's episode. Hey, everybody, welcome to this episode of Thinking Christian. I'm your host, Dr. James Spencer, and I'm joined today by Nate Giordano. And I don't know whether you guys, we really don't talk about Nate that much on the show. Like Nate's on, and he has these discussions with me, and it's totally cool. But Nate is a former skateboarder, and he used to work with K-Love. He's got all of these really cool connections, and he allows me to have some really awesome guests on the show. And so today I'm pretty pumped to have Mike Weaver on the show, and I'm going to let Nate introduce him further. Nate, go ahead. Yeah, hey, I'm so excited to be here. I'm really, really honored. We've been trying to make this happen for a while. The very first tour I ever did in 2012 with K-Love was a Christmas tour. It was Big Daddy Weave for King & Country and Meredith Andrews. And I had the privilege of sitting in and seeing that happen and just seeing the heart on and off the stage of Mike Weaver. So I want to welcome Mike Weaver from Big Daddy Weave. We are so honored to have you, brother. Come on, dude. This is, yeah, it's been a long time coming, dude. It's good that we can finally get together like this. It's good. Yeah, absolutely. Thanks for joining us. Well, Mike, hey, I don't know whether you remember this, but so both Nate and I work for an organization called the D.L. Moody Center out in Northfield, Massachusetts. I don't know whether you remember playing that event. It was a little actually before my time. I didn't move over to Moody Center till after you'd been there. But I've seen the pictures of you guys playing in the D.L. Moody Center auditorium and have been excited to meet ever since Nate said he knew you and could possibly get you for the show. I'm like, oh, that'd be sweet to meet him. Well, we loved we loved that, man. I do remember that. And it was really pretty epic to be in that room. What a historic kind of room, dude, you know. And so it was it was awesome. And the Lord really moved that night and you just felt like it's the continuation of something he already had been doing in that place. It's beautiful. Yeah, it's really cool. And you're in you're in Allen, Texas now. Is that right? Because you're on tour sitting in. Yes. Sitting in Allen, Texas right now on the Let It Begin tour with our awesome friends. You guys know the song, which is taking over the planet. The truth is I'm my father's child. So Megan Woods is out on this tour. It's her first tour, which is pretty cool to get to have her. And there's like this beautiful energy because she's never been on tour before. Like the guys in Big Daddy, we've been getting up for like twenty five years. So we're like old and crusty, you know what I mean? And so it's like everything is new to her. So it's kind of reminding us, ah, I guess this is pretty good, actually, you know. And then Ben Fuller, man, who we just absolutely love, man. That guy is my brother. I'm telling you. And he is like a walking revival out here, man. So every night it's been it's been so beautiful. And I think it really is. It was named after a song, you know, our song. But it was like it feels like it's aptly named because there's like this, the Lord is just starting so many things right now in all these rooms that we're in. So it's cool to be this close to Dallas. Man, I'm praying. I got my fingers crossed. We're going to somehow get some Papasitos while we're out here, dude. I don't know if it's going to happen or not, but, you know, miracles happen, dude. And Big Daddy's need Papasitos in our life. You know what I'm saying? So it's like it may not be over. I hope somebody bring us some in. That's awesome. Well, man, tell us a little bit about that. So you've been doing this for 25 years coming up on this fall will be 25 years you guys have been doing this. This song is everywhere. I'm sure our audience has heard it. Let it be. And the song is just you can't turn on Christian radio right now without hearing it. We play it in Kansas City on Life 85. And I was telling Mike before we started recording here, that song has really ministered to me in my life and helped me so much in my journey just with some stuff I'm walking through right now. And so I'm so proud of that song and just stoked to know you. But literally, like James was saying and like you were saying just now, like the heart, it's not just music and people know that if they see you guys live, it is an encounter with God. It is a ministry night. And I know that's your guys' approach. You're not about just neither is Ben, neither is Megan Woods getting up and just performing about connecting people to Jesus. Praise God. That's always been the goal. And I think, you know, because look, look at this. This does not really scream rock and roller. You know what I mean? It's like when we come walking out, they're like, man, I hope there's something more to this because there's not. I don't know that this is going to be very interesting. You know what I mean? And it's like, but Jesus has been on our behalf. You know, one of my favorite scriptures right now is, is when it talks about a scripture that Jesus lives to make intercession for us, man. Man, isn't that something? I mean, it's like, it'd be one thing to find out he's an intercessor, but whatever the translation was I was reading literally came across like he lives to be our savior. He lives to intercede and to intervene and to be on our behalf, which blows my mind because you got to be awesome to be the God of the universe, but you don't got to have that kind of mercy, right? You don't got to have loving kindness, you know? And, and dude, I've experienced nothing but that for more than 25 years. We started Big Daddy Weave when we were in college, little university of Mobile in Mobile, Alabama. And we were just, we were leading worship and it just like never stopped or whatever, you know? It's like we, we made a little independent record together and, and then it was like people started calling from Nashville and, and it's, we've been doing this for 25 years as our job, dude. And it's like, I feel like we're going to get discovered and caught at some point. You know, it's like, dude, now you got to get a real job or whatever. And it's like, but it just kept on going, dude. I don't know if we're going to do is look how much white is here now, dude. Look, if we're going to be like granddaddy weave in no time, you know what I mean? And it's like, but we're, we're still going, dude. We're still going. And I see, I see so much potential in Megan. My gosh, you know, she's just like a sponge right now, just receiving from the Lord. Ben Fuller is just like, oh my gosh, honestly, he should be headlining this tour, I think. And that's, that's how it feels when he comes out, man, the authority that's on him when he shares, he's only five years old in the Lord, man, but I'm telling you, Jesus has, it is like a Saul to Paul type transformation. And he literally doesn't come around anybody that it doesn't affect, me included, man, I'm telling you. And so we're, we're having a blast out here, man. We're loving this. Well, speaking of Ben, I have to say this, and you know, you're aware of this story. So I had been praying for my next door neighbor. I'm at my house right now. I'm just across the street. My neighbor for the last 15 years, I really had a burden for him the last five years or so. And I just knew he was struggling

Every single night of this tour, and it literally has been like a personal revival in my life, man. So, dude, I'm grateful, dude. I'm really grateful. You know, not that I'm not going to definitely say anybody, but not everybody has the same approach in Christian music. And so when you kind of see behind the curtain, you see behind the veil, so to speak, when you get out there and you do events and touring, like I just love that that is truly your guys' heart. Like I look at you more as ministers of the gospel than I do. Oh yeah. Yeah. Man, or, you know, guys that get up and perform and sing, like it is truly connecting. Like the bridge that you guys helped make happen and Ben helped make it happen for my neighbor. God uses these songs. I mean, and James, you've heard some of the songs on the radio. You and your wife, I'm sure you have. These songs are just powerful and they become part of people's stories. And so that's amazing. 25 years. So what have you learned, do you think, from, you know, 25 years ago, Mike Weaver to now? Like when you first started, did you know that you'd be doing this for 25 years? Did you have any expectations? Let me ask you a serious question. If something triggered a major market drop in the coming months, would your retirement be ready or exposed? With inflation, market volatility and ongoing global uncertainty, more families are taking a closer look at whether their retirement plan is truly built to hold up. And many are finding that adding a layer of protection makes a lot of sense. Sanctuary Metals is a Christian owned company that helps families strengthen their retirement savings with physical gold and silver through a gold IRA. During uncertain times, many people look to precious metals as a way to add stability when other assets may be under pressure. If you'd like to explore whether a gold IRA is a good fit for your situation, Sanctuary Metals makes it easy to get started. Text guide to 94878 to receive your free retirement defense guide or call 888-958-6579 to speak with one of their knowledgeable team members. Again, text guide to 94878 or call 888-958-6579. No, dude, no. Man, with a name like Big Daddy Weave, that shows a lack of planning already. You know what I'm saying? It's like, what the heck is Big Daddy Weave? You know what I mean? It's like, and I, you know, and it really is the Lord using foolishness to confound the wise. Like, I mean, and we don't look like we should have been here this long. We don't look like we belong on a stage. You know what I mean? We're just a bunch of dudes. There's, you know, and, but the Lord is so faithful. And that's what I, that's what I have learned is in out of all of this time, 25 years, dude, you're talking about songs. All right. Like I don't have one song about my faithfulness to God. You know what I mean? I got zero songs about how good Mike has been to God. I have all songs about how Jesus has been so faithful to me, man. And so after 25 years that, I mean, that's a little bit of a track record. You know, we can see, man, he has proven himself to us. Still sometimes my reflex is to like doubt, right? What is my damage? One day the Lord asked me, he was like, you know, Mike, when did I drop it so bad in your life that it merits this kind of distrust? Right. And I'm like, God, I got nothing. All I got is a giant track record of how good you've been to me in spite of how screwed up I have been in front of you. You know what I mean? And he just keeps coming. He just keeps coming, you know? And so through every kind of season, man, through the seasons where you're celebrating some kind of milestone that is a career or a ministry or something like that. And then also through seasons where it just is like, I don't think I can take another step. You know, we've been through in the last few years, we've been through that kind of a season, but I thank God because even with the idea of let it begin, that's, that is resonating with the season that God is beginning right now in our lives, man. So I think after 25 years, it really is just great is thy faithfulness, dude. You know what I mean? That's, that's what we've got. And that's the testimony of Jesus in our lives is, has been how good he's been to us, you know? 100%. And I think all of us fall short, like you said, but we're all, we all have that human condition. Unspoken has a song called Human Condition and it always makes me think because, like you said, I always think that same thing. And sometimes the song, very songs you're writing for people to God, for God to use for everyone else probably helps you along the road sometimes too, because you didn't know you were going to go through some of this. Losing three family members in just a few short years. Like it's trials and it's hard. And, you know, I think it's every single day we have to pick up our cross and follow after him. And that's a reminder probably to you of some of these songs. 100%. That's the litmus test. Does it work for me? You know what I mean? It's like, and then is it true when I sing this, when it comes out of my mouth, is this true for me today? Will it be true for me then? You know? And I think these songs are, are dealing with eternal subject matter, you know? And I'm so grateful that there's more to this life than this life, you know? That like, we're just getting warmed up, that like, this is really just sort of, yeah, it really is like the opening act to, Man, eternity, you know, where we literally step beyond time, dude. But we've been given this mission here to, you know, as recipients of huge mercy and huge grace, right? To then be distributors, man, of the message of that mercy and that grace to every single living, breathing person who will listen, right? And that's what we, that's what we get to do, man. And that's what we, man, we love after all this time, for sure, you know? Mike, has it always been the case, you know, where you're talking about it needs to be true for me now and it needs to be true for me in the future? Has that always been the case when you, you know, how you pick songs? Is it, you know, has that just always been sort of the heart of the band or has that been something that sort of developed and evolved over time where you guys have concretized it and really made it your own? You know, I do think there's been a little bit of an evolution to it in, in that at first, you know, I, I thought that maybe if we could just have this big victory story of something we could do really good for God, that that's what maybe would like kind of, you know, win us clout in somebody's eyes or something. But man, the older we've gotten and really the tireder we've gotten and the more that we are just vulnerable and just like, man, I gotta tell you, I don't have anything together. I just don't, you know, it's like, if Jesus wasn't carrying me into this room tonight, man, I wouldn't hardly make it. You know what it's like. And when all of a sudden, you know, we were wanting some kind of Olympic gold medal story when really what connected with people is our pain, you know? And as we're sharing our pain, that's the place where we have this common ground. And it was like, some people could relate to some kind of victory story, but mainly they could relate to what hurts because they're hurting, you know? And that's what I loved. It said about Jesus. Isaiah 61 is one that I constantly read and feel like it's new again. It says the spirit of the sovereign God's on me, right? He's anointing me to preach good news and to, to talk about freedom for the captive and to bind up the brokenhearted, you know, to declare the favor of God right over, over people. And so that, that is, that's been us learning how to like walk in that, that mission statement of even what it meant for Messiah to come and to be Savior. You know, this is what he's going to do. You know, he's, he's not here to, you know, tout somebody else's champion. He's here because we can't do it, dude. You know, he has to come and he has to save us, right? And our, the place of our pain is where we realize how badly we need saving. So then we can really receive what the truth of the gospel is, you know? Yeah. It is funny too, how, like, as I get older, I feel that same way. Like I completely get what you're saying. I think early on, I wanted to sort of conquer the world and do it all myself. And, you know, the success story was going to be the glory of God. And it just so happened that I'd also be really successful. And so that'd be all right too. But now that I've gotten older, I, I sort of feel the same way about it you do. It's like, you know, if I wake up in the morning and the aches and pains don't just keep me in bed and I make it down to my office and can actually get some productive work done, I

Or not And so there's like But yeah, it's, you know, it's it's long about Long about 9 or 10 You know, it's ish, give or take one But, you know, and this record has This is literally six years since we've had a record You know, and it's been because of the last season that we've been through So, in the the end of 2017 So Christmas morning of 2017 My dad, who's my hero in the Lord Went to be with Jesus after a battle with pulmonary fibrosis I was with him in the hours leading up to his home going Gosh, it hurt to say goodbye to him You know? He was a voice for me that was such a sustain He was like a sustaining type presence in my life His voice, man, I'm telling you, pulled me out of so many dark places in my life And then my mama, his amen corner You know, my dad was never in paid ministry But he was in every like lay position you could be in in church You know? Finally graduated to the custodian, dude My favorite memories of my dad are him with a vacuum cleaner in the sanctuary Literally just singing when nobody's in there, dude You know? And I love it, man He just loved Jesus so much And then my mama was just the perfect complement to him Man, she just loved on everybody who was around her And then I was right near her in 2021 When she went home to be with Jesus as well It literally felt like heaven like leaned in towards her house, man It was unbelievable And that hurt, man I mean, I know I'm gonna see him again I know I'm gonna be with them But I'm, it's like I need that voice in my life I miss her voice and her presence in my life so much And then, man, gosh, the terrible icing on an awful cake, man Was my little brother, who was a bass player of Big Daddy Weave You know, he's my best friend in the world We've been in Big Daddy Weave together, you know Over 20 years at that point, you know And we're just, gosh Beginning of 2022, I didn't even get to be there It was like he had a ton of health complications And that story is like available on the internet But it's like, he got COVID over New Year's of 2021 And man, never came out of the hospital And January 2nd, 2022 I listened to my best friend, my little brother Take his last breath over the telephone, man And literally, as I announced that To the internet or whatever It's like, it just, man, something broke in me at that moment And I literally received that I feel like I made an agreement with a broken heart in that moment I didn't know how to say that's what it was But I said, I said, my heart is broke I literally was just out of And so, man, I was trying to do the right thing You know, we're writing songs about grief We're trying to walk through grief But I'm just like nosediving, man Over these last three years To the point that I didn't even It's like I didn't even know me You know? And I was trying to do the things that you're supposed to do And say the things you're supposed to say And react to things the way But it's going bad I'm just hurting people around me I'm just hurting people that I love, man I'm hurting the guys in Big Daddy Weave And just telling them, I can't do this, man It's killing me to be out here All I see is where he ought to be right now You know what I mean? And he's not there And it hurts, and I can't do this anymore Jesus can't expect me to do this anymore When it hurts like this If he had, he would have left Jay here You know what I mean? It's like, I'm not mad at him It's like, I just Because I found out that's futile You know? Not because I can't be mad at him But it's because I've tried that before And it's like beating your head against a brick wall It makes zero sense, dude You know? And I ask, why, why, why, why? I ask a million times why Man, I don't even I met a bunch of people who have asked why also I've not met one who has a legitimate answer to why yet You know? And so literally, the end of The end of last year The end of 2024 There's an industry event There's a new place that's opening up And we're there with a bunch of other Christian artists We're seeing the grand opening of this place And I am just, I'm just dead, man I'm just dead on the inside It's as bad as it has ever been And I promised my kids we'd go to this grand opening So we're doing it, but I'm hurrying them along You know? We're just about to leave, man We're just about to leave We get to the door of the place And in walks Ben Fuller, dude We had literally just agreed altogether That we were gonna tour together in the spring With Megan and with You know, with Ben And I would I wish I could tell you I was excited I wasn't excited about anything The only way I could describe it I didn't think about killing myself I, I just wish I could unexist If that was something You know what I mean? It was like Job said something like that I wish I had never been born Like that kind of thing That's what I was wishing in my heart Because I was so in so much pain And Ben comes in the door I told you earlier, man He's a walking revival You know what I mean? And he goes from the door Like literally, dude You know, and He just comes running over there And he just grabs me And he just He's got me in this bear hug And you guys Sorry, man I did not mean for this to happen like this But Jesus did something in my body Like it happened to me And I'm not saying at that minute All the pain went away But it was like I was hugging Like the me that I remember You know? I was hugging, man This fire that was alive inside of Ben That I had experienced before in my life You know? It had been with me through seven years Of seeing God just do miracles And I'm telling you We had the most incredible seven years And then This end of 2024 Was this terrible seven years, man And it was like It just reminded me It reminded me of who I was And who I wanna be And you know And the life that I wanna live In the Lord, you know? And that hug Like I said, it didn't fix everything But I really believe it was like a catalyst It was catalytic in my life In that Like over the next few days God just orchestrated This work, man And it was incredible To the point It was like little moments That led up to this moment Me sitting I call it redneck holy ground, dude It's my RV It was sitting out of our house We had some friends coming for Thanksgiving Our family's all gonna stay out there On the RV and it's like It was How redneck is that, dude? Right? And so I'm there I literally had told my wife I'm like, the holidays are ruined I was in such a bad place only days before Then I flash forward After the Ben Fuller neck hug I'm sitting on my RV with my friend Paula Vell Who's an incredible, incredible counselor, man He's incredible, incredible ministry To wounded soldiers And he administered to Jay and I before, actually My brother Jay and I before when my brother became a double amputee And dude, so we Man, he's praying with me And you guys, I mean, it was like Jesus came in my RV And the Spirit of God spoke to my heart And he said, Michael, you've been living out of a broken heart You've made an agreement with a broken heart And he said, man, I wanna give you a brand new heart And in my mind's eye I'm sitting there with him with hands out just to receive And it was like Jesus reached in me and took the broken heart out, man And then he just puts this light It looked like a ball of light in my heart, man And it was brand new, man And I would You guys It's a different ball game It's a different ball game when Jesus gives you a new heart And so now with the guy who initiated the catalytic neck hug That seems like a t-shirt waiting to happen or whatever It's like, you know, man, on stage every night I get to tell this story about Jesus giving me a brand new heart And then also sharing with people, dude Jesus is no respecter of persons What he's done for me, he can do for you, man You know? And it's like, we've been praying over people To receive a brand new heart every night Who are dealing with broken heart That's right We've been praying over people every night Man, our buddy Noah, this young man, dude That has just been on our team forever We've been pulling him up there He sings this song he wrote called Pull Me Out And we've been praying over people who are stuck in situations in their life Just seeing God pull people out, man, every night And man, I get at least one of those catalytic neck hugs Just about every day from Ben Fuller And we're living out that revival out here Man, I'm telling you Jesus is about to launch that guy in a giant way I mean, many things have already happened But I just, I just heard his new record And it's like literally It's my favorite worship record and favorite like Tim McGraw record All in one, you know? It's like, it's the most beautiful, beautiful record Jesus is launching him, man I'm telling you, dude, he is a revivalist I'm telling you He is literally That thing that was back in the second great awakening We've been looking up and reading about revivals early on in America You know, and Charles Finney is a name that has jumped out at us And I feel like that Ben carries this thing that Charles Finney Had on his life, man And I just I don't know I'm just having a blast now I go to bed so tired every

Let me ask you a serious question. If something triggered a major market drop in the coming months, would your retirement be ready or exposed? With inflation, market volatility, and ongoing global uncertainty, more families are taking a closer look at whether their retirement plan is truly built to hold up, and many are finding that adding a layer of protection makes a lot of sense. Sanctuary Metals is a Christian-owned company that helps families strengthen their retirement savings with physical gold and silver through a gold IRA. During uncertain times, many people look to precious metals as a way to add stability when other assets may be under pressure. If you'd like to explore whether a gold IRA is a good fit for your situation, Sanctuary Metals makes it easy to get started. Text GUIDE to 94878 to receive your free retirement defense guide or call 888-958-6579 to speak with one of their knowledgeable team members. Again, text GUIDE to 94878 or call 888-958-6579. Incredible. And what a testimony to God's faithfulness, even though you felt like maybe you were going to be stuck there for a season, for who knows how long, and he literally turned it around through physically, through that moment with Ben and you. That's just incredible. And I will say, man, I have done, as you know, Mike, I've done so many shows over the last 12, 13, 14 years of my life, and there was something different about that show I went to when Ben started speaking. Man, he is a different type of anointing, and it felt like a revival type of situation where I was like, this is not normal. This is not business as usual. It's not a normal concert. Yes, dude. Well, I mean, we read stories about Charles Finney that literally when he would walk into factories, and this is back in the 1800s, you know, he'd walk into factories and he didn't say a word to anybody, and literally people would just start crying out and like giving their heart to the Lord, just repenting. You know? And it's like, you know, and just, and so literally, the factory owner would have to shut it down and just like tend to the fact that Jesus was dealing with people's souls. And that thing, that thing that happened, dude, when I hugged Ben that day, it's like, it's, I can't explain it. It literally was just, it was an act of God. Like God did this thing, and I watched Jesus do that through this guy every night. And it literally is just healing me, you know? Because dude, we have seen that. We have been in it. And I think we're just here to tell Ben, dude, you are not crazy. You are not crazy. Stay the course. Keep doing it. Go hard after Jesus, man. Run hard after Jesus. It's possible to go all in after Jesus. You know? That's because that's all Jesus is asking for is first, right? That's the thing. And everything else gets put in priority when we put Jesus first, right? Glory to God. Well, man, it does sound like, I mean, it sounds like just from your story, you grew up in church. Am I right about that? Yes. Yes, yes. And you said Ben was like five years new Christian, right? Yes. It's definitely awesome. And you can hear it through his music, James. I'll send you the record. Well, I just think it's awesome that you guys are paired together. Because, I mean, you've got this, you know, this long time with Christ. You know, you've been at it for 25 years. He's, you know, new at this. And I'm sure it is a real encouragement. As much as he's encouraging you, I'm sure it's as encouraging to him to have you guys around him and just have you affirming that, no, God is with you. You need to keep doing what you're doing. It's just amazing how God pairs you guys up. Praise God, dude. You know, because it is weird. Sometimes when you see the Lord move, like you think when you're sharing about it with somebody, that everybody's going to be as excited as you are. And they aren't necessarily. It weirds them out and it convicts them. And it's like, and so there's a thing about finding somebody else that's a kindred in it, I think. And just to be like, dude, you are not crazy. You know, you are exactly where you need to be. And Jesus is literally getting so much glory from your life, you know. It's so good. Totally. That's awesome. What do you, go ahead, James. I was just going to say, you were telling a little bit of a story before we started about where Let It Begin came from. Can you kind of elaborate on that? Give us the story about where Let It Begin came from. Well, that was wild, man, because Nate, you said that you saw Ben Fuller opening up for Matt Marr, right? Matt Marr is another like buzzword, buzz name for me because I just love that guy, dude, you know. And I have for many years, you know, when we had just started. And I guess we met him. We have this like one night that we both remember from like going to IHOP together, man. He's, I was here in some of his indie record or whatever, you know, and it's like, but man, Matt Marr, I think he's just one of the most prolific songwriters in Christian music. He says it in a beautiful way as we were writing for this record and we're dealing with all this grief, you know, and we're just, there was one night I was sharing about my brother passing and I would sort of plan a place because I was really struggling emotionally. I would plan kind of an off ramp in my like story to give me a second to try to recompose myself, you know. And one night though, it dawned on me that I didn't need it. So some healing had happened, you know. And it's like, and I know that healing is a process and that's what really kept me in it was just holding out in that process, knowing like, Lord, I just need you to break through somehow. But it's like, you know, I just kept going down and down and down. When we had this big breakfast where we just got together a bunch of the Nashville Christian songwriting community. And I just shared these like, these like titles of songs that I hope to write that are pieces of grief and all this stuff. We had no idea what we were doing. We were just trying our best, you know. And one of the titles that I had said in this breakfast, which was being, somebody just had a cell phone video they were making, you know. And the name of the song was Let Healing Begin, you know. At some point we realized, you know, we don't want to stay in grief forever. And so I thought that Matt had seen the video of us sharing about this when he reaches out to me at some point and says, Mike, I've got this song that I wrote and I just keep thinking about you for it. Right. And I'm like, it's called Let It Begin. Right. And I'm like, well, dude, you must, I'm thinking to myself, he must've seen us talk about this on this video we made or whatever about the song we wanted to write. And dude, so when I hear the song, I'm bowled over because I'm just like, first of all, who even uses language like this? You know what I mean? Like who can even put this together? And then I was just like, this is exactly what we were hoping, you know. And he goes, well, dude, I wrote this three years ago, you know. And I'm like, that is crazy. Right. And so, but it was like, it was our song, you know, even though, like it was, he said stuff I couldn't find the words for, but were just in, in my guts, man, you know, which is so amazing because how he wrote it was so cool. It was kind of in this ambiguous way. So, I mean, we're, we're singing it from this place of like grief because we lost somebody, you know, but then we get to Augusta, Augusta, South Carolina, North Augusta, South Carolina. That's just been through this hurricane. It's amazing to see what Jesus has done with this song, including out on this tour right now. Yeah. So people, I mean, people respond to it in different ways and different ways. But I mean, the nice part is that he wrote it in that ambiguous fashion. So it can basically hit people where they're at. It isn't just about one thing. It can be about whatever thing you happen to be struggling with at the moment. Yeah. So I, that's been kind of our, our raise the glass moment is singing that song and just agreeing together, you know, that, Hey, whatever this means in your life, let healing begin, you know. So we'll be able to, we'll be able to put in the show notes, the new album is coming out May 23rd. You guys are out on tour on the West coast right now. And we'll, we'll put all those links. Is there anything else coming up that we need to tell our listeners about? Anything you're excited about coming? Do you have anything for the fall? For sure. We'll be back out in the fall, man, with a great friend of ours, David Leonard. We love him so much. And Megan Woods is coming back out as well. And we're just going to have great nights of worship because it's a game changer when you're playing shows, not with a broken heart anymore, you know? So I'm excited to see what God's going to do, man

I'd kind of been introduced to them through the D.L. Moody Center, and so it was really fantastic for him to be on, and I love the new song, love the new album, and his story is just fantastic. So, really great guy. Yeah, it's incredible. Yeah, I'm so grateful for them. They're definitely the real deal. If they ever come near your town, wherever you live, go to BigDaddyWeed.com or just search on the internet. If they come near you, you guys got to check it out. We'll put it in the show notes, but their new album drops on May 23rd, and there's a few songs already out. You've probably heard Let It Begin on the radio already right now. But incredible dudes. They really, really, really stand behind what they sing, and you've got to see them live if you haven't. So, I would encourage you to do so. Yeah, well, we'll put the links to their website. They've got their tour out there. By the time this episode airs, I think they still probably have a few tour dates left. They keep touring into July and August, so we'll definitely have some that may hit your area. I'm actually looking at the one in Cadet, Wisconsin. Seems like it might be close, so I've got to check that out. Yeah, otherwise, we'll put the show links in there, and you guys feel free to check out BigDaddyWeave. Check out some of the other folks they tour with. Just really excited to hear what the work that God did in his life over the last year, and just great to hear that he's re-energized for what he's doing. I know from my own personal life that when work becomes a grind, it is no fun. So, it's amazing just to have that refreshing, and I really identified with his story. I went through that after I left being an academic dean to come work in a nonprofit. You know, as many problems as we deal with, Nate, and you know what problems we deal with. I will say I'm more energized about the work we're doing now than I was at the end of my time as an academic dean. It wasn't that the whole time, but it was certainly that toward the end, and I can only imagine being a performer up on stage and having to try to fake it until you make it again. So, it's amazing to hear his story of Jesus refreshing his heart and changing him. So, yeah, I just encourage you all to go check him out, and outside of that, really appreciate you booking these guests, Nate. We've got to tell Nate's story at some point on here. Nate's a pretty interesting guy, and he's done some pretty fantastic stuff in ministry that we probably ought to talk about, let you know Nate a little bit more. So, we'll do that coming up, but thanks for being with us. Like I said, hopefully you weighed past the technical difficulties and really hear the heart behind his story, and we will catch you on the next episode of Thinking Christian. Take care, everybody. I just want to take a second to thank the team at Life Audio for their partnership with us on the Thinking Christian podcast. If you go to lifeaudio.com, you'll find dozens of other faith-centered podcasts in their network. They've got shows about prayer, Bible study, parenting, and more. Praying Christian Women, the podcast that brings Christian women together to talk about the deep questions about prayer that we're all thinking, but sometimes afraid to ask. Hi, I'm Jamie Hampton, and my podcast partner, Alana Terry, and I would absolutely love for you to join us as we discuss what it means to be a woman of prayer in the 21st century. This podcast will be your go-to for biblical encouragement, inspiration, and practical tips to equip you with the tools you need to live out a more passionate, powerful prayer life. Tune in now at lifeaudio.com or your favorite podcasting app.