Read Romans 12:2

Hello, my name is Craig French.  I am blessed to have the opportunity to write for Every Day with God on behalf of Grace Church, and I wanted to tell you more about myself.  I am the husband of my beautiful wife, Angie, and the father of three amazing children: Brendan (16), Mara (14), and Joel (11).

I was born in Cleveland, OH at Fairview Park Hospital and was raised in Berea, OH.  I graduated from Berea High School in 1997 and from West Virginia University in 2001 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education.  I also hold a Master’s Degree in Conducting from Sam Houston State University.  I met Angie in the marching band at WVU, and we married in December of 2001.

My career has led me to teach band and orchestra in the public schools of Georgia, North Carolina, Missouri, and Ohio.  My wife and I have moved 15 times, encompassing 7 different locales.  When I tell people that, they usually say something like, “Oh, so you served in the military!”  Sadly, no.  It has caused much strife in my family, but this is the primary thing that God has used to transform my heart to be more like His.

As a kid, I was raised in church, but it was a very theologically liberal denomination.  I graduated high school with zero understanding of the Gospel message, or what it meant to have a personal relationship with Christ.  God drawing me to Himself is what led to my marriage and my salvation, and I accepted Christ as my personal savior in 2003 at a small rural church in Conyers, Georgia.

My adult life is characterized by the growth that I have experienced in Christ.  As a younger man, all of the moving was a direct result of me trying to find contentment, fulfillment and status via my career.  Ambition can be a poisonous pill, a wolf in sheep’s clothing.  God has blessed me with an INCREDIBLY patient wife, who gave me grace to learn (albeit painfully!) that my job would never fulfill me.  A dear friend of mine helped me to see what my life verse, Romans 12:2, really means.  It answers an incredibly complex question:  ‘How do I know what God’s will is for me?’

The way that we know what God has for us is to be transformed by Him.  This is the job of the Holy Spirit, and without getting too far in the weeds, it’s as “simple” as reading God’s word, praying, listening to council, and being obedient in those places.  My life’s focus has changed from trying to bring myself glory to trying to bring God glory.  The manifestation of this, the specifics, will look completely different for each and every one of us, but the result is always the same… a life that brings God glory by being completely devoted to and partnered with Christ and His mission to rescue a fallen world.

Are you pursuing anything other than God’s will for your life? What are some ways that you can better understand God’s will for your life?

To God be the Glory!

Craig French