“I hope God will use the stories I share to light revival
fires in the hearts of other believers.”
This is a statement Jeff Slaughter shared with me as we were
saying our goodbyes after our time together discussing his new release – a book
entitled, It’s All True. This is a book that tells of many incidents
throughout Jeff’s life where God proved Himself faithful in every
circumstance. Indeed, at this point in
his relationship with God, Jeff wants his readers to know, “[God] knows the
intimate places of our hearts and how to touch them. He knows just what we need.”
Join me as I visit with Jeff Slaughter and discuss It’s All True.
Me: I want to open with a quote from you book: “I was wondering
what God was doing. First my daddy was
diagnosed with cancer, and now I’d lost my voice. Two of the things I love most were being
taken from me.”
Although this
story chronicles a major portion of your life in detail – the opening chapter
sets the stage for God’s tremendous invitation into every aspect of your
life. I lost count of the number of
times He spoke to into your life, “blatantly, strategically and intimately.” Is there one instance that was a “landmark” in
your spiritual life?
Jeff: Hope, and Redemption
are the thing God offers to His children.
You can’t focus on whatever event seems bad or tragic, but you must
focus instead on the good God alone can bring out of it. In the middle of each event, God pours out
His grace and gives you strength that you need in that moment.
.
The first landmark event
in my life was when my sister looked up to me after talking with her daughter
Mallorie, and said to me, “start singing.” That’s when God asked me, “Do you believe today? Will you praise me from sunrise to sunset
today? Do you believe there is nothing I
can’t provide today?” Worship is how we live our lives. Singing is a natural
form of worship but worship is much more
than that., It is something that
encompasses all of our lives and how we live it.
The second landmark event occurred when I led worship at Mallorie’s
service. I had to open my mouth and sing
when I felt like screaming and God gave me the strength and grace to lead those
people in worship.
The third and very powerful landmark event was when
I was allowed to view the Habakkuk scroll in Israel. It was so personal that I
just stood there and wept.
The only way to have and be able to share true compassion is
to know where someone has been – to have walked through a similar experience
allows you to be able to show genuine compassion.
Me: Other than song
publication – It’s All True – is your
first and only full length book. What is the most significant difference in
these publication processes? What has
this publishing process taught you?
Jeff: I worked harder on this book than I ever worked on a
song! The Lord used this book to work a whole other level of healing in my
life. The first chapter was written back
in Oct 2011 and the second chapter shortly after that.
When I was first offered a contract, I
thought it was a scam! I had no peace
about it. It wasn't until September 2012
that I knew the Lord wanted me to go forward with the project. Randy Winton
went back to the publisher almost a year later and they were still interested
in the project!
We wrote the rest of the
book between October and the following March.
We even wrote during the holidays!
There were days where we just wept over the things God
brought to the surface. I want people to
feel the Holy Spirit’s work in my life as they read. I poured all of myself into this work.
Me: You state in your
book that in the world you grew up in this was true: “…football,
family and faith…mostly in that order.
There was little for kids like me who had a passion for music.” Everyone was pretty resistant to your musical
pursuits…but oh how that talent ministered to them in later years! Was that resistance to embrace the talent with
which you were gifted another part of resisting God’s purpose?
Jeff: Walking by Faith is hard! The flesh wants to have a safety net. When I was going through the Master of Life
Bible Study, I had a defining moment spiritually. It was as if the Lord was asking me to, “Step
out of the boat and go!” I learned that
when God asks you to do something He provides the way to do what He’s asked you
to do. Today, when I lead worship and I
see people who won’t fully enter in – I want them to know that as adults we
have to model our faith and worship for the children coming behind us. God made us to do what we love. I think our
resistance is born out of fear.
Me: I thought the
story about your fraternity dues was hilarious!
How your mother went from tearing you limb from limb to urgently needing
to get off the phone to tell a very talkative neighbor about you being elected
pledge class president! Tell us about
your mom. (the scene where she bids
farewell had me sobbing!!!)
Jeff: (LOTS of
laughter ensued with this question! ) That's the way my Mama was. I
was the only boy and the baby I knew I could turn her on a dime!
Me: Quoting from your book: “This is
what you thought you always wanted…but I made you for more than this.” Why oh why do we all accept things that are
so much less than what God wants for our lives?
Is it because… “…there are no real
long-term guarantees, you’re never really settled.” Do we settle for less because we are always
longing for what we perceive to be “settled”
or stable? (this really hit home
with me!)
Jeff: Fear keeps us
from doing what God wants us to do. We
are afraid to accept more from God because we don’t feel we are worth it. God sent His only Son to die for you. He
loves you that much. He wants to bless
you.
Me: “Do you believe
today?” God spoke these questions into
your heart in the wake of a very significant and terrible tragedy. Do you think believers often relegate praise
to God when everything is going well?
Why or why not? What makes the difference in whether or not we praise
God or curse Him when our lives are on the ash heap of devastation?
Jeff: You have to
shift your focus to Him! You have to
claim His promises and encourage yourself in the Word. Often we ask “what have we done to deserve
this?” and we become bogged down in despair if we shift our focus from God to
the problem we are facing. Sometimes we never know why things happen. Sometimes our choices open the door to
consequences that are hard to bear.
There are deeper levels of grace available in the time of need. It’s waiting there for us when we come to the
end of ourselves.
Me: “As long
as there is one more bridge to cross, one more mile to go…I’m goin’ go.” This is a statement made be a persistently
faithful man – a man persistent to love the unlovable. This chapter was a very
powerful testimony – and years later you are allowed to see the fruit of the
labor he poured into the lives of others.
Who has been the most persistently faithful in your life? (besides God?) Do you still have a
relationship with that youth facility or a similar place?
Jeff: The most persistently
faithful person? My mother.
She poured out the Lord’s love to me and everyone around her. I want to encourage others the way she did. I
want to love others like she did. She
was consistent in all things and she always encouraged me to do what the Lord
wanted me to do in my life.
The youth center in this story has since closed and is no
longer in existence.
I recently
discovered Toby Mac’s ministry to feed the homeless and have participated in
that. You have to learn to encourage
people in a different way – to meet them where they are. This keeps you grounded. Makes you grateful.
Me: When your dad was very sick and you had to
leave his side to travel to Memphis to present songs you had yet to write you
said, “I am reminded of how He provides
for me when I simply stop, sit at His feet quietly, and allow Him to do what He
already wants to do anyway.” Do you
think all believers struggle with this at some level throughout their
relationship with God? Why or why not?
Jeff: It’s not our
nature to be still and silent before God.
Even in church we think we have to fill all of the spaces – with music,
preaching ect…. We need to learn to be still and know God.
I remember one Sunday
my pastor created complete silence in the building. No air conditioner, no music, no preaching –
silence. And he said he felt we were to
be still before God that day. After the
first fifteen minutes, the glory of the
Lord descended on that place. You began to hear people crying and praying. It
was a very powerful experience.
You are most successful when you spend time alone with God.
And I don’t mean financially or physically but in the areas of relationship
with God. He wants us to enter into a
relationship with Him.
I learned this in a powerful way when I left Lifeway in 2011
after 16 years of working together. I really
had to press into God. That is when He
can transform our lives. Christians
neglect opportunities to do that.
Me: “It’s March 18, Jeff and I have redeemed this
day for you now. You won’t think about
this day the same way ever again.”
No spoilers here but do you think
God purposefully redeems times and events for us as humans so that we will
learn to trust Him in all things? Again,
I think it’s an area where we miss a profuse amount of blessings!
Jeff: (this question
generated both laughter and tears from us both!) The Lord loves to show out for
us – to give us “Christmas morning moments” – to show us how extravagantly He
loves us.
Me: Mallorie, your painful relationship with your
uncle – the book chronicles some very difficult and painful moments in your life
– yet God is faithful to redeem each one in one way or another. (I loved the way Mallorie’s church
worshipped!! I cried!!) Is this the take away you offer readers in
this book? What is your heart’s desire
that readers walk away with after they reach the final pages?
Jeff: Redemption! In the best and worst times we place our
hope in the fact God has promised to bring good out of it. Joy does come in the morning. Don’t let go of that! You have to choose to hold on to your
relationship with God! Choose hope! The
stories in the my book are true. God is Sovereign . It is my prayer that God
will use my stories to light revival fires in the hearts of other believers.
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