in music) asked me what I was doing after graduation. I said,“ Well, I’ m going to get my MBA, my masters, and work in corporate America, I’ ll probably move to New York.” And she said,“ It sounds like you’ re just buying time!” I said,“ What?! What do you mean?” She said,“ What’ s in your heart? What are you passionate about, what do you enjoy; what would you do if no one paid you to do it?” I said,“ I love to inspire people and I love music, so I guess minister in music.” She told me,“ For the rest of the semester you have no other assignments other than bringing in brochures from churches you would love to work at and people you would love to reach. That’ s your work.” This wasn’ t a Christian school by the way, it was Georgia Southern University.
So that’ s what I did for the rest of the semester, I just brought in stuff and was like man, I love this! I brought in pictures of tour buses and studios. She forced me to dream, to get out of the real world, and go to never-never land. That was the biggest turning point for me in school, and that’ s why I’ m so passionate about my call to action – to tell people don’ t stop being a kid, don’ t stop dreaming, and pull that diary back out. The Bible says to write the vision and make it plain. So, write down His vision! What is God saying to you? Dream again, go after it again, and engage your future. That’ s our call to action, to engage culture and move up stream.
Culture is all around us, it’ s undeniable, it’ s the rhythm of a generation and it’ s what defines an era. There are only three responses you can have to culture. You can conform to it, you can complain about it, or you can confront it and I believe that’ s what we’ re supposed to do. There’ s supposed to be some tension in our life. To move up stream and to confront the cultures of this world to create the narrative of what this world is and what this society is and community is. As believers’ it’ s up to us to move up stream and become the change we want to see. So that’ s my call to action for everybody – become your future. Don’ t wait on it to show up, go after it and become the change that we want to see in the world around us.
[ WM ] On your personal YouTube channel, you share your testimony of getting saved after falling out a fourth-floor window. But that was not the first time you got saved, as I understand you were actually stillborn. Per the four-story fall, your mother spoke words of life over you and boom, here you are! One of the things I absolutely love about the Forward City Instagram feed is the words of life you speak through your feed. It’ s in your DNA, both personally and spiritually, can you speak to that?
[ Travis ] That’ s what my heart burns for and almost brings me to tears to even think about. There are so many people who are walking dead, just getting by, just doing life. Of anything I believe I’ ve been sent to this world to do, it’ s to encourage people to live and live life abundantly. That’ s not by pursuing things, it’ s by pursuing purpose.
I think the biggest tragedy is to be driving the nicest car, having the biggest office, having the most amazing 401k and savings account – and being miserable. How tragic is that? You’ ve got everything you could ever want, but you’ re not fulfilled. Fulfillment only comes from living within the will of God. I would rather have nothing and be fulfilled than have everything and lack purpose. That’ s why you still see so many millionaires who grab a gun and take their lives. Even though you would love to have Benjamin on a piece of paper, when times get tough, Benjamin can’ t talk, he’ s dead.
You need something more, you need the spirit of life, you need Jesus. He’ s alive and there is enough of him to fill any lacking thing and any void. That’ s all I am, man, I’ m just a big sign that points that says,“ Hey! There’ s another way!” and that way is Jesus. That’ s what I’ m trying to do with my life, man. There’ s joy in a life of Christ that can’ t be replaced by possessions.
[ WM ] You’ ve received numerous awards and accolades for your musical contributions. I’ d love to know, at the end of the day, which accomplishments mean the most to you and why?
24 September 2018 WorshipMusician. com