No Way Out But Through: A Chat with Kent Maxson
Kent Maxson’s book, "No Way Out But Through," dives into the wild rollercoaster of life’s trials and how we can find meaning in the chaos. In this chat, we get real about what it means to face the storms—like divorce, health scares, and job loss—and come out the other side with a little more clarity (and hopefully fewer scars). Kent’s journey isn’t just a sob story; it’s a testament to resilience, creativity, and the power of faith. We also tackle the absurdity of feeling unheard by God, only to discover that those crickets chirping might actually be divine whispers. So grab a drink, kick back, and let’s unpack the messiness of life together with Kent, who’s got some seriously powerful insights and stories to share.
Kent Maxson's journey is one for the books—literally! We dive deep into the chaos of life and how Maxson turned his trials into treasures in his book, "No Way Out But Through." From heart surgeries to divorce, this guy's been through more than a soap opera plotline, yet he stands tall, sharing how each setback was a setup for something greater. The conversation kicks off with the relatable analogy of Peter walking on water, emphasizing the courage it takes to step out of our comfort zones. We chat about how faith often feels like a turbulent sea, but like Maxson, we learn that sometimes we have to sink a little before we can swim. His storytelling is laced with humor and sarcasm, making it clear that while life throws some serious curveballs, it can also serve up some unexpected blessings. And hey, if he can find a way to turn crickets into inspiration, then maybe we can all find a little music in our own struggles.
Maxson’s perspective on songwriting is a breath of fresh air. He believes anyone can write a song, and that creativity is inherent in all of us—if only we get out of our own way. He shares this wild study about how kids start off 90% creative but lose that spark as they grow up, thanks to an education system that loves conformity over creation. I mean, who knew that all it takes to write a hit is a little courage and a willingness to make a fool of yourself? Maxson encourages us to embrace our inner songwriters, reminding us to take those quirky life moments and turn them into lyrics that resonate with the world. The episode serves as a motivational pep talk, challenging listeners to tap into their creativity and share their stories, no matter how messy or chaotic they may seem.
The heart of this episode is about perspective—how we view our struggles and our relationship with God, especially during life's storms. Maxson doesn't shy away from the hard stuff; he talks about his battles with depression and faith, acknowledging that sometimes it feels like our prayers are just bouncing off the ceiling. But don't think for a second that he's wallowing in despair. Instead, he shares how he’s learned to look for the little miracles hidden in the chaos. From unexpected friendships to the peace found in nature, every experience became fodder for his writing and growth. This episode is a reminder that while life can be a hot mess, it can also be a beautiful mess, and sometimes the best things come from the places we least expect them. So grab a snack, kick back, and get ready to be inspired by Kent Maxson's journey through the wild ride of life!
Takeaways:
- Kent Maxson's journey through personal chaos led him to write his powerful book, 'No Way Out But Through'.
- The concept of walking on water is symbolic of faith, and Maxson emphasizes taking risks in life.
- Maxson reflects on how creativity can be stifled in adulthood, urging everyone to tap into their inner child.
- Forgiveness is crucial in relationships; holding onto grudges only binds you to your pain.
- Maxson shares that sometimes our greatest struggles can lead to profound personal breakthroughs and new beginnings.
- He believes God communicates through quiet moments, highlighting the importance of listening in faith.
Links referenced in this episode:
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Black Sheep Christian Podcast
- Kent Maxson
- John Ortberg
- Garth Brooks
- Circuit City
- ASCAP
Transcript
Foreign.
Speaker B:Welcome back.
Speaker B:My name is Ashley, and this is the Black Sheep Christian Podcast.
Speaker B:Today I am honored to have a conversation with Kent Maxson.
Speaker B:Welcome.
Speaker A:Hello.
Speaker A:Glad to be here.
Speaker B:You are author, songwriter, and today we're going to hear talk about your book, no Way out but through yes, ma'.
Speaker A:Am.
Speaker B:So this is a.
Speaker B:Looking at the title alone is a very powerful title.
Speaker B:And it's so funny.
Speaker B:When we connected, my pastor ended up doing a sermon about Jesus, Peter, the water.
Speaker B:And he pointed out something that was quite.
Speaker B:I just never thought of.
Speaker B:It's like one of those things, like it's been there the entire time.
Speaker B:But the fact that Jesus told them to go, and Jesus knew that a storm was going to come, and so for him to be there for Peter to be able to see Jesus and for Jesus to walk and Peter to walk at a particular distance before he fell through the water, this title seems very fitting and appropriate with that timing.
Speaker A:Well, I appreciate that you talked about walking on water.
Speaker A:There's a very good book out there by John Ortberg called if you want to walk on water, you got to get out of the boat.
Speaker A:And he.
Speaker A:He talks about.
Speaker A:Everyone makes fun of Peter because he lost faith and fell into the water.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:He's the only one outside of Jesus that ever walked on water.
Speaker A:So the whole point is, if you really want to do something special, you got to get out of the boat and do it.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And you know, another point, too was he was the only one who identified Jesus out of all of them.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Even before taking that step forward.
Speaker B:But, yeah, that's a good one.
Speaker B:Thank you for that.
Speaker A:Oh, yeah.
Speaker B:Well, what made you to.
Speaker B:What prompt you to even write this book to begin with?
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:You got a couple minutes for me to give you a story?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Well, they say the.
Speaker A:There's the five most stressful things you can go through in life are, one, the death of a family, two, a health issue, three, a divorce, four, is losing your job, and five, is relocating or selling your house.
Speaker A: In: Speaker A:And so I'll try to fill you in because this is really why.
Speaker A:What started the book.
Speaker A:In February, I was rushed to the hospital.
Speaker A:Chest pains.
Speaker A:And I was scared.
Speaker A:Step.
Speaker A:But they wheeled me into the room.
Speaker A:The room.
Speaker A:They did a couple checks and they put me into surgery.
Speaker A:And when I came out, they told me that I had two heart conditions.
Speaker A:One of them was afib, and then the other one was pericarditis.
Speaker A:So over the next six months, I was in and out of the hospital and the doctor's office getting tests run and all this kind of thing.
Speaker A:Well, finally they decided they were going to do two surgeries on me.
Speaker A:Two different heart ablation surgeries.
Speaker A:One of them was what they call a hot one.
Speaker A:One's a cold one.
Speaker A:So at the beginning of August, I had the first one, and I was going to have the next one in September.
Speaker A:And when I came out, about two or three days after I got home, my ex wife told me that she was thinking about getting a divorce.
Speaker A:That weekend my boss called me and told me that the company I was working for was going out of business and that my last day of health insurance was going to be the day before my surgery.
Speaker A:So the doctors kindly rescheduled it to where it was the day before my insurance went out.
Speaker A:So then I had my heart ablation surgery.
Speaker A:My ex wife and I went through counseling, everything.
Speaker A:And then finally in November, she told me she wanted a divorce.
Speaker A:So I left the house that day and I.
Speaker A:It's like a fog.
Speaker A:The next six to eight weeks, I really.
Speaker A:There's you.
Speaker A:You're going through something like that.
Speaker A:And I didn't really know.
Speaker A:I didn't really make a decision.
Speaker A:It was like I knew I couldn't stay here.
Speaker A:It was.
Speaker A:I was back in Texas at that time, and I'd left Nashville many years before.
Speaker A:I was a songwriter and I left to take care of my family.
Speaker A:So somehow or another, I just made the unconscious decision that I was going to go back to Nashville and start my music career again.
Speaker A:That's all I ever wanted to do anyway.
Speaker A:So I moved back and my two roommates from 30 years ago had bought houses side by side.
Speaker A:And one of them rented me a bedroom for $50 a month.
Speaker A:And then the other one helped me store my stuff.
Speaker A:And I can remember thinking, 30 years and I have progressed nowhere.
Speaker A:I still have roommates.
Speaker A:I'm still living in a rented room.
Speaker A:I felt that big.
Speaker A:And then at night, I would lay in my bed and I'd be praying to God, pouring out my heart.
Speaker A:And I felt like my prayers stopped right at the ceiling.
Speaker A:They never got out of that room.
Speaker A:So if you've ever gone through a divorce for me, during the day you can find things to kind of distract you, keep you busy, your mind won't do it.
Speaker A:But at night, there's nothing but you and the darkness.
Speaker A:And so I would stay up all night.
Speaker A:If I.
Speaker A:If I did doze off, it might have been for 30 to 45 minutes.
Speaker A:So I Would get up and go out of the house and walk the neighborhoods.
Speaker A:And if you've been in Nashville, you know, there's no sidewalks.
Speaker A:It's just blacktop roads and grass and things.
Speaker A:So I'd walk over, usually to the local high school and walk or run around the track until I couldn't walk or run anymore and just dropping down.
Speaker A:And then I walk back to the house.
Speaker A:And as I was walking back, you can hear different sounds, you know, like critters running around or the street lights humming or crickets.
Speaker A:So I slowly started to heal.
Speaker A:And there's a lot of things that I could tell you about miracles that took place over the next couple of years.
Speaker A:But as I got back into the music industry, publishers started knowing I was around, so they would send me young kids to teach them about how to write songs.
Speaker A:So one day I was working with this young lady, just a very talented lady, and she had told me she submitted a song to a well known artist.
Speaker A:I said, well, what'd you hear back?
Speaker A:She said, crickets.
Speaker A:I said, what?
Speaker A:I'd never heard that expression before.
Speaker A:And when she explained it to me, I knew right then and there that that was the song that I had to write.
Speaker A:Because the very thing that I thought was God ignoring me was him talking to me.
Speaker A:If you think about the prophet that was in the cave, it came out and he said, God wasn't in the thunder.
Speaker A:He wasn't in this, he wasn't in that.
Speaker A:He was in that still small voice.
Speaker A:And that's what that cricket represented to me.
Speaker A:He was there.
Speaker A:I just didn't catch it at the time.
Speaker A:So that starts.
Speaker A:That's the first chapter in the book.
Speaker A:And if I tell you more about the book, it's.
Speaker A:There's 13 chapters.
Speaker A:Each chapter has one or two stories from, from my life and then a biblical truth that hopefully you'll get from the story.
Speaker A:Then there's the lyrics of a song and there's a QR code where you can go to it and you can hear the song or purchase it if you want to.
Speaker A:I did that.
Speaker A:Here I am talking some more.
Speaker A:When I left Nashville the first time, I became a training manager for a very large audio company.
Speaker A:And I found out that people learn different ways.
Speaker A:Some people learn visually, some people learn audibly, and some of them have to actually read and, and, and do it.
Speaker A:So my thought was when I was doing this book is I wanted to reach them in whatever way they best learn.
Speaker A:That's why there's so many formats giving out my message.
Speaker A:That's it?
Speaker B:That's beautiful.
Speaker B:That's powerful.
Speaker B:No, you're fine.
Speaker B:I mean, we're here learning from you, so don' bad about doing all the talking.
Speaker B:We're here learning from you.
Speaker B:And, you know, it's interesting because I did read some of your book.
Speaker A:Oh.
Speaker B:And this one, I didn't really have a question for it.
Speaker B:It just spoke to me.
Speaker B:And this is from chapter one from Crickets.
Speaker B:And this portion of a paragraph, it says, because human interaction can be messy at times, and often with those closest to us, there will always be things that need to be said, things that at times only a lyric or a poem can say or dare to say.
Speaker B:Language with the necessary reach and penetration.
Speaker B:And yeah, it just spoke to me.
Speaker B:I really didn't have a question.
Speaker B:But it's what you said and how you formatted your.
Speaker A:Your.
Speaker B:I don't even know if you want to call it a book, a project, or just an education by you formatting this in so many different ways for people to.
Speaker B:To.
Speaker B:To grasp.
Speaker A:Well, for me, this.
Speaker A:This may where you think I'm really out there, but I truly believe that music is the language of the spirits.
Speaker A:Music says things that you cannot say with words alone.
Speaker A:And if you listen to the references to angels, there's always singing, there's.
Speaker A:There's hallelujahs, there's trumpets.
Speaker A:David used a harp.
Speaker A:Music transcends what words.
Speaker A:Just words alone can't.
Speaker A:I wrote my first song, believe it or not, when I was 5 years old.
Speaker A:My entire life has been built around music.
Speaker A:My degree in college is from is in music.
Speaker A:The only reason I ever left it in the first place, and then I still stayed in with, you know, working for an audio company was to take care of my family.
Speaker A:That was the only reason I ever left Nashville the first time, and I do not plan on leaving it again.
Speaker B:That sounds like you knew your purpose.
Speaker A:I'm learning it.
Speaker A:Believe it or not, I. I told someone the other day that I can remember being in my bed at night praying to God that.
Speaker A:That my music be heard throughout the world.
Speaker A:It always has been a part of me.
Speaker A:And I felt like every good thing that happened, every trial that happened, every up, down bump along the road led me to this book.
Speaker A:And I. I don't know if it's only going to reach one person, if it's going to reach millions of people.
Speaker A:I dream big that it's going to go out throughout the world, but even if it.
Speaker A:Well, I already know it's affected a couple of people.
Speaker A:They've.
Speaker A:They've written me, they called me.
Speaker A:And I feel that that's my purpose right now, is to get this book out there.
Speaker A:Not the book, the message.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, I. I would agree.
Speaker B:There is another part because you said something and then it's.
Speaker B:It's leading me and I'm like, oh, I gotta hold on to this question because it's not something that I wrote down, but where are you.
Speaker B:I'm looking at my notes.
Speaker B:I gotta take a step back because it.
Speaker B:It's touched.
Speaker B:Something that you said has triggered my spirit.
Speaker B:So I.
Speaker B:What you wrote for a song to emerge from this stew will demand trial after trial, experiment upon experiment, some hits and some misses.
Speaker B:And I had a thought in my mind because as we are talking about, because there are a couple of things that you said that.
Speaker B:That touched my spirit as far as reaching to God, talking to God.
Speaker B:You know, when you made prayers, you felt that it wasn't going beyond the walls.
Speaker B:And at the moment when I read this, I.
Speaker B:My thought was, I wonder if David had to do some edits in Psalm, you know, because Psalm is one of the most powerful books in scripture, just because we can feel his emotion.
Speaker B:And sometimes, like, I'm thinking as a songwriter, and then David, I'm like, you know, how.
Speaker B:How of a warrior he was, but he had this great talent for words.
Speaker B:And I just.
Speaker B:It just made me wonder, like, for the first time, like, did David edit his psalm guarantee?
Speaker A:He did.
Speaker A:As a songwriter, not.
Speaker A:This really is the kind of where the title came from.
Speaker A:When you start writing a song, you never know what's going to inspire.
Speaker A:Like here in Nashville, if you get together to write with someone everyone comes in with.
Speaker A:Most people call them titles, we call them hooks.
Speaker A:Something that is the inspiration for what it is.
Speaker A:And then you will literally.
Speaker A:You'll put down lines, you'll get rid of them, you'll change one word, you'll move this to there.
Speaker A:And it's.
Speaker A:It's almost like it.
Speaker A:If you're.
Speaker A:When you're into the zone, it tells you what to go.
Speaker A:And it's created out of chaos.
Speaker A:So if you think about that, no way out but through my life was chaos.
Speaker A:And I had to.
Speaker A:Not I.
Speaker A:God and I working together, had to piece these things together.
Speaker A:And out of this chaos came an understanding.
Speaker A:And don't get me wrong, it's not.
Speaker A:My life's perfect right now.
Speaker A:I struggle, you know, got some issues going on right now.
Speaker A:But I know that in this chaos, if I can get through it, there's God.
Speaker A:He's there.
Speaker A:He's going to be there even.
Speaker A:And I say that, but I will still doubt sometimes when, when it gets so bad and then I have to cling to that little grasp of faith that I have.
Speaker B:Yeah, that's very powerful.
Speaker B:That's very powerful.
Speaker B:I'm, I'm digesting what you just said because you were just giving me nuggets and my spirit is like, it's like a warm pie, you know, it's just got to sit in the belly.
Speaker B:You know, it's just gotta say you can't, you can't get up after eat the pie.
Speaker B:You just, just gotta let it sit in the belly for just, just a hot minute before you, before you do something.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:Oh man, it, it, it's really interesting when what, what my brain is trying to iron out is that at every stage and of life that we all go through, I want our audience to understand that God is still working through us at every stage of our lives.
Speaker B:And to feel, because my brain still gets back to God didn't hear me past these walls.
Speaker B:And that, that how you felt in the beginning after you went through the four stages of the five, that one year and then you're back at a friend's house and renting a room that sometimes that you know, he has just part of the chaos is stripping what was to get to what should be.
Speaker A:Yeah, it's not always pleasant.
Speaker A:I wish that there was another way.
Speaker A:But sometimes, you know, I'm, I'm stubborn and I make, I daily, I make mistakes and you know, there's a couple.
Speaker A:What you're saying is, reminds me a couple different stories in the book.
Speaker A:I'm gonna throw one out there.
Speaker A:So we, we go, God, why'd you do this?
Speaker A:Why'd you do this?
Speaker A:So one of the stories in the book is about when I went to college.
Speaker A:I originally went out as a mechanical engineering major.
Speaker A:I took all these tests and they said that's where my skills were and, and also my family of origin, you know, that was more respectable than being a musician.
Speaker A:So I go to college and I did okay for the first three years, but I just about that third year, I just, I don't want to do this.
Speaker A:I really didn't.
Speaker A:So being the pragmatic 20 year old guy that I was, I just didn't go to class.
Speaker A:I sat in my dorm room playing guitar and writing songs.
Speaker A:So at Christmas time, I came home.
Speaker A:A couple days later, my report card came.
Speaker A:My mom opened it up and she said, why can't you've been kicked out of school on a 4.0 GPA.
Speaker A:I got a 0.50.
Speaker A:So what I tell people is, you don't get one of those, you earn them.
Speaker A:And I.
Speaker A:Every bit of mine.
Speaker A:So I knew I was going to die when my dad got home.
Speaker A:There's no doubt about it.
Speaker A:So I go to the bedroom, and I have three sisters.
Speaker A:And each one of them came in one at a time.
Speaker A:Yo, it's going to be okay.
Speaker A:It's going to be okay.
Speaker A:My mom came in, brought me my last meal with tuna fish sandwich.
Speaker A:The dog came in, licked my face.
Speaker A:Everyone was going to tell me it was okay, but I knew it wasn't going to be.
Speaker A:So I heard the garage door open, my dad coming in.
Speaker A:And there was a pause out there.
Speaker A:I'm sure he was getting the story.
Speaker A:Then he comes into the bedroom, and I'm sitting on the bed, my head down, knowing he's going to kill me.
Speaker A:And he walked over and he said, looks like you had a little trouble in school this year.
Speaker A:I said, yes, sir.
Speaker A:He said, well, I didn't actually kill it my first year in school.
Speaker A:Now we'll see what you're made of.
Speaker A:And he walked out of the room.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker A:I will.
Speaker A:I try not to cry.
Speaker A:I will never forget that.
Speaker A:Because what my dad told me was I was responsible for the situation I was in.
Speaker A:He wasn't going to fix it.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:But he was going to be there with me.
Speaker A:Yeah, I. I know some people that I love dearly.
Speaker A:One of them lost their son to a drug overdose, and he's lost his faith.
Speaker A:Why would God do this?
Speaker A:You know, there cannot be a God.
Speaker A:And I can understand his pain.
Speaker A:But when we blame God for a choice that we made, I mean, I. I can go to so many different examples.
Speaker A:If you drink all your life and you lose your left liver and God doesn't rescue from.
Speaker A:Is that his fault?
Speaker A:But that doesn't mean he's not there loving you, holding your hand, making you feel, you know, letting you know that he loves you.
Speaker A:So some people call me, you know, a.
Speaker A:A sadist or something like that for what I'm saying.
Speaker A:No one wants pain.
Speaker A:No one wants it.
Speaker A:But sometimes it's our own choices.
Speaker A:Other times it's not our choices.
Speaker A:But then we have to look through and see what.
Speaker A:What is the lesson here?
Speaker A:Yeah, what's my choice?
Speaker A:To get a divorce?
Speaker A:But what was what.
Speaker A:You know, what was the lesson?
Speaker A:And I. I don't know if I should say this one, but I.
Speaker A:Will you never.
Speaker A:I don't have A filter.
Speaker A:I tell people that.
Speaker A:If you can imagine this, the day of my divorce was the single worst day of my life, and simultaneously the single best day of my life.
Speaker A:Because one thing died and a new beginning, a better beginning opened up for me.
Speaker B:You know what?
Speaker B:No, that wasn't a bad thing to say.
Speaker B:And as a matter of fact, I'm going to say that this clip.
Speaker B:And because I have somebody in mind, I think would.
Speaker B:Would great needs to hear those words.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Somebody that I know recently went through a divorce.
Speaker B:And I think they.
Speaker B:Those words will be powerful for them.
Speaker A:I hope that they help someone.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Forgive me for taking over your podcast.
Speaker A:I'm not trying to.
Speaker B:No.
Speaker B:I'm here to learn.
Speaker A:To learn.
Speaker A:But I've got all these stories.
Speaker A:I'm gonna show you another one.
Speaker A:And this one, to me, is.
Speaker A:Is.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:I think it's important for a lot of different reasons.
Speaker A:The only reason anyone ever know pays any attention to me is because I know Garth Brooks, and I wrote some songs with him, and I got a gold record out of it.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:The very first.
Speaker A:And if that hadn't happened in my life, you'd never known me about me.
Speaker A:So people say, how did you meet Garth Brooks?
Speaker A:So I'm gonna give it to you in two halves, Okay?
Speaker A:I used to work at Circuit City.
Speaker A:So I was.
Speaker A:The store that I was at, we used to get, for lack of better word, vagrants that came in and they would destroy business for us.
Speaker A:So I'm the biggest guy in the store.
Speaker A:I'm six, seven.
Speaker A:And so my boss would come over and say, escort this guy out.
Speaker A:So one day he comes up and there was this.
Speaker A:I'm gonna say it.
Speaker A:He looked like a bomb.
Speaker A:He filthy clothes, oil stains.
Speaker A:Hair hadn't been washed in a month.
Speaker A:And he sat on this end cap.
Speaker A:So my boss said, get him out of here.
Speaker A:So I go over to escort him out.
Speaker A:As I get closer, I look at him, and he looked familiar.
Speaker A:And I said, do I know you?
Speaker A:He said, randall Tex Cobb.
Speaker A:Damn glad to meet you.
Speaker A:And I don't know if you know who he is.
Speaker A:He was a boxer that fought for the World Heavy Heavyweight Championship.
Speaker A:He was an actor.
Speaker A:So we started talking, and he's from Abilene, Texas.
Speaker A:I grew up in Midland.
Speaker A:So we were talking.
Speaker A:He says, well, what's an old Texas boy like you doing out here?
Speaker A:I said, well, I'm one of those songwriters, really.
Speaker A:Well, my wife's a songwriter, and she's across the store.
Speaker A:He says, come on.
Speaker A:So he takes me over, and I meet.
Speaker A:Her name was Sharon.
Speaker A:And we started talking and I ended up selling them a stereo.
Speaker A:And they said, we'll buy this stereo if you'll come put it together.
Speaker A:I said, okay.
Speaker A:So I go out and I said, well, I told him, I said, I'll put it together if you'll listen to my songs.
Speaker A:Trying to get a break in there.
Speaker A:And they said, okay.
Speaker A:So we go over, I put the stereo together and I put my.
Speaker A:My tape in.
Speaker A:She listens to it.
Speaker A:She says, you know, you're pretty good.
Speaker A:Why don't you call Bob and tell him that I sent you?
Speaker A:So they gave me a name for Bob.
Speaker A:Bob was at ascap, they said.
Speaker A:So I called ASCAP and I said, I need to speak to Bob.
Speaker A:They said, well, he doesn't work here anymore, but since you're a friend of Randall and Sharon's, I'll give you his number, you can call him.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:So I call up Bob and I say, randall, Sharon Cobb told me to get hold of you, that you could help me with my songwriting career.
Speaker A:He says, well, I really don't do that anymore.
Speaker A:But since you're a friend of Randall and Sharon's, come on, I'll listen to you.
Speaker A:So I go in, bring my tape and play it.
Speaker A:He says, no, you're pretty good, you know, I quit doing.
Speaker A:Working for ASCAP because I was going to manage this new act.
Speaker A:His name is Garth.
Speaker A:Would you like to write with him?
Speaker A:Sure.
Speaker A:So the point of that story is we think miracles happen.
Speaker A:Like that water turning into wine.
Speaker A:Miracle God hides in little things we don't know.
Speaker A:And that random things of events that took place got me the biggest break of my life in terms of music.
Speaker A:Now let me.
Speaker A:Forgive me, I'm gonna talk some more.
Speaker A:But that really is only half of the story.
Speaker A:I was in Lubbock, Texas, and where I graduated from college.
Speaker A:And my girlfriend and I broke up.
Speaker A:And so when we did, a couple months later, I called her and said, is there a chance we'll get back together again?
Speaker A:She said, nope, why don't you just go to Nashville?
Speaker A:I thought about it and that.
Speaker A:And I.
Speaker A:And I met her at the church, actually.
Speaker A:She.
Speaker A:I started dating her.
Speaker A:She took me to this church.
Speaker A:It's the only reason I went to that church.
Speaker A:So I went to that.
Speaker A:To the college kids thing.
Speaker A:And I was talking to a friend of mine there and told him what she said, says, well, my in laws live there.
Speaker A:You could stay with them a couple of nights.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:So I go out to Nashville.
Speaker A:I stay with These people for a couple nights, and I didn't have a church.
Speaker A:They said, why don't you go to church with us?
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:So I go to church with them.
Speaker A:Well, a couple months later, I get a phone call from this lady I met at the church, and she says, circuit City's hiring.
Speaker A:Why don't you go down and apply for a job?
Speaker A:So that's how I ended up at Circuit City.
Speaker A:Now, the night before I left loveup, I promised the group I was in that I would finish making the album we were working on and I would finish the shows that we had scheduled.
Speaker A: ,: Speaker A:She goes and sits on the front table, sits in his lap, and starts hugging and kissing on him.
Speaker A:So I'm standing up on stage and I'm thinking, gosh, I'm up here.
Speaker A:I'm standing up here dying.
Speaker A:You're sitting down there acting like a fool.
Speaker A:That scene stuck in my mind.
Speaker A: That was: Speaker A: started writing with Garth in: Speaker A:And that's the song Garth and I wrote that Gary Allen recorded that got me my gold record.
Speaker A:So again, all these little events, it's like.
Speaker A:And you don't.
Speaker A:God, you don't sing sometimes.
Speaker A:Yeah, he's just working in the.
Speaker A:In the background.
Speaker B:Well said.
Speaker B:Well said.
Speaker A:I got all these stories and I.
Speaker B:Can listen to all day long.
Speaker B:You know, it's funny with you talking about your.
Speaker B:Your songwriting career because you wrote.
Speaker B:You call God the songwriter and you.
Speaker B:The song you wrote.
Speaker B:A song has a hidden life of its own.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And through your lens, what was hidden in your song?
Speaker A:I'm not sure I quite understand your question.
Speaker B:Yeah, that's.
Speaker B:That's okay, because when I was writing it, I knew, I understood, and I didn't understand at the same time because I was kind of struggling how to write it.
Speaker B:Okay, in your life, what do you feel that was hidden from you as far as you didn't notice it, that God was telling you?
Speaker A:I'm going to say it.
Speaker A:I don't know if this is accurate, but when I was.
Speaker A:My first summer, when.
Speaker A:When I went to college, a couple of friends and I started playing guitar together and playing it in churches and I had a.
Speaker A:A vision or a dream.
Speaker A:Then I. I thought, man, this is what I want to Do I want to go around to youth camps and youth groups and sing and play songs and witness?
Speaker A:And I didn't.
Speaker A:So my career took all sorts of different things.
Speaker A:College, there's a whole nother story there about the music program.
Speaker A:And I went in and out of music for years.
Speaker A:I mean, when I went to work for that large audio company, I never been on a plane in my life until I was 24 years old.
Speaker A:When I got this job with my next company.
Speaker A:I ended up being in 46 of the 50 states by flying and then overseas in countries that I would never seen.
Speaker A:But again, I go all these different directions, and I lost track of this dream, I guess you would call it this not something necessarily dream, but this thing that was placed in my heart.
Speaker A:And after all these years, this book and the music that goes with it has offered me a platform to witness.
Speaker A:And I want to make sure I say the word witness when I do a presentation.
Speaker A:I do some at churches.
Speaker A:I do some at, you know, youth gatherings, divorce groups.
Speaker A:I tell them, I am not a pastor.
Speaker A:I am not a theologian.
Speaker A:Paul even says, you know, those who teach will be.
Speaker A:Have a higher standard.
Speaker A:They're going to have to.
Speaker A:I can't stand the lowest standard on it.
Speaker A:So what am I called to do?
Speaker A:You are.
Speaker A:Jesus says you are to be witnesses.
Speaker A:So what I'm doing with this book, with this music, and what I'm trying to do with my life now is witness.
Speaker A:And a witness is someone who saw something firsthand, experienced something firsthand.
Speaker A:So I'm telling what I witnessed and what I learned out of it.
Speaker B:Wow, that's good.
Speaker B:I'm thinking.
Speaker B:I'm digesting.
Speaker B:That's another good piece of pie.
Speaker B:I'm gonna have to make some pie later on.
Speaker A:I appreciate you letting me talk so much.
Speaker A:I really do.
Speaker B:I mean, you got.
Speaker B:So you have some really good nuggets.
Speaker A:Well, I appreciate that.
Speaker A:A lot of scarred knees on the way to get there.
Speaker B:Oh, my goodness.
Speaker B:Listen, you know, it's interesting that.
Speaker B:That.
Speaker B:That you say that as far as scar knees, because, I mean, my.
Speaker B:In order.
Speaker B:In order to live right, you know, we have to learn how to walk, right?
Speaker B:You know, and.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:And that.
Speaker B:That takes time.
Speaker B:You know, you learn how to crawl and then you got to learn how to walk, right?
Speaker B:And then, you know, because in the end, we want to be able to.
Speaker B:I wouldn't say run, but to be able to, I don't know, just move, be happy, you know, live happily, live in peace, live in joy.
Speaker B:But, you know, it.
Speaker B:It takes a minute for us to even get to the right path in order to have that joy and have that peace.
Speaker A:Well, I don't want to give you the long wrong impression that I'm a happy go, lucky guy and that I, you know, see rainbows and unicorns.
Speaker A:I, I fight depression.
Speaker A:A lot of times.
Speaker A:I fight worry and anger.
Speaker A:I.
Speaker A:If there's a.
Speaker A:If, if.
Speaker A:If I'm not worrying about something, I'm worried that I should be worrying about it.
Speaker A:I mean, and.
Speaker A:But it's throughout all these shortcomings, there's an awareness.
Speaker A:And that awareness pulls me, drags me through.
Speaker A:I don't know what else it is.
Speaker A:And there are times that I've.
Speaker A:I've.
Speaker A:I just, I've crawled on my hands and knees and thinking, this is it.
Speaker A:Yeah, but he's been there.
Speaker A:There's a place here in Nashville.
Speaker A:It's a little protected wildlife reserve and has this beautiful little lake called Radner Lake.
Speaker A:It's my sanctuary.
Speaker A:I talk about it in the book a little bit, but I can remember when I was first moved back and it's happened time since then, but when I was going through this divorce situation, wondering what I was going to do with my life, I was walk.
Speaker A:Walking through the area and praying to God and wanting him to answer.
Speaker A:I was wanting to hear that big bass baritone.
Speaker A:Then this little wisp of the breeze blew across my face.
Speaker A:Now, some people will say it was my imagination, but I tell you, when I felt that I felt like he was telling me, I'm here, it's okay.
Speaker A:So let them say what they want to.
Speaker A:I, I know what I felt and I choose to believe.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:You know, that makes.
Speaker B:That takes me back to the story about you said about your.
Speaker B:Your dad.
Speaker B:Do you think he knew what your purpose was before you did?
Speaker A:No, my.
Speaker A:I, My dad, I. I'm sure that I kid.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:My bedroom was right by theirs.
Speaker A:There was a thin wall, my mom and dad's.
Speaker A:And I hear them at night arguing about whose kid I was.
Speaker A:They say, well, he's your son.
Speaker A:I, I frustrated them so much because I am what I am.
Speaker A:I think like I do so.
Speaker A:And that does not mean my dad's a bad guy.
Speaker A:I, I tell in the book that my dad was more authentic than any human being I've ever known.
Speaker A:Now, did I agree with him?
Speaker A:No, but.
Speaker A:But what he believed was true to soul.
Speaker A:There wasn't a bit of hypocrisy in him.
Speaker A:Yeah, he was a good man.
Speaker A:Not perfect, but a good man.
Speaker A:So I had a great example but having said that, I. I'm sure there was things about me he wished that he could have changed or influenced he didn't know.
Speaker A:He doesn't realize how he did influence me because he influenced in ways that he didn't want to, so.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Because you dedicated the book to him, right?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Did I?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I don't know why I stopped on that page.
Speaker A:He was a good man.
Speaker B:I. I don't know why I stopped on your dedication page and.
Speaker B:And kind of sunk that in.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:And I guess I say that because we all have dad problems.
Speaker B:Sorry, dads, But a lot of us have dad problems.
Speaker B:So her dad problems are different than her mom problems.
Speaker B:But I don't know, it's just something special when I see something dedicated to a father.
Speaker B:Because that.
Speaker B:That is a type of relationship that is a gem, if I'm using the appropriate word.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I.
Speaker A:Again, I think pretty much every relationship is complex on some level.
Speaker A:And, you know, even you're married to someone and you love them with all your heart.
Speaker A:But then there's other things, like why in the world?
Speaker A:And there's that flash of anger or how could you do that?
Speaker A:How?
Speaker A:You know, you obviously don't love me or care for me.
Speaker A:All those things come into play.
Speaker A:I mean, your kids.
Speaker A:My gosh, it's like someone once told me it's like having your heart out of your body, running free around the world, and that's really it.
Speaker A:And why you want to correct them, but they're doing their own thing.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And they hate you and all you can do is love them back no matter what they do.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Just.
Speaker A:Life is complicated.
Speaker A:I wish it would.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Well, what did your dad think about your career afterwards?
Speaker A:I never really knew.
Speaker A:I. I know that when I was a trainer, he came and saw me train once and he.
Speaker A:My dad was not anyone to give you compliments that mean.
Speaker A:And I think, and I say this in the book, it's not that he wasn't proud of us, it's just that we were doing what he expected it of us.
Speaker A:So why congratulate someone for doing what they're supposed to be?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:But he went to me when I was training once and didn't tell me the thing, just.
Speaker A:That was dad.
Speaker A:And he went home.
Speaker A:I didn't find this out.
Speaker A:Now, that happened, gosh, back in the.
Speaker A:The early 90s after he passed away.
Speaker A:I was talking to my mom and she told me that he came back and he said he's really good at what he does, but he never told me that so being, you know, relationships are, are difficult and you never know what it is.
Speaker A:You know, he came out of the depression.
Speaker A:You never know what it is that shapes that part of someone.
Speaker A:And we each interpret things differently.
Speaker A:Like yeah, I may mean something with this and you, you receive a different way.
Speaker A:And then once I find out, oh, that's not what I meant.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:So sometimes you've got to give people the benefit of the doubt.
Speaker A:I think.
Speaker A:I don't even remember what the original question was.
Speaker A:I apologize.
Speaker B:No, it's okay.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:It's okay.
Speaker B:I mean, you know, when you talk about that and that's just with relationships with, with our parents and our loved ones, I just, I should just say loved ones because you know relationships call.
Speaker B:Come in different forms and, and, and, and it also, I want to also include God in this as well as part of the relationship is the one thing that we all, all crave the most is the acceptance and to know that we, we are living to someone's expectations.
Speaker B:You know, to, to, to, to hear that I am pleased with what you are doing.
Speaker B:I mean that is one of the most things that we crave the most.
Speaker A:There's a, another chapter in the book where I talk about there's going to have to be forgiveness for any relationship to work.
Speaker A:And the opening sentence is something to the effect of that.
Speaker A:Forgiveness is the key to a self made jail.
Speaker A:As long as you don't forgive someone, you are bound to them in some form or fashion.
Speaker A:You have to let go of that.
Speaker A:Now that doesn't mean that you have to go out with them, that you have to, you know, send them flowers or whatever, but you can.
Speaker A:Or that you trust them again even, but you forgive them and move on.
Speaker A:There's.
Speaker A:And there's a song that goes with it that's called Forgiveness.
Speaker A:And I, I illustrated one of the points in it with the line that it's a couple that were fighting or having troubles and says they just can't get along, but both agree the other's wrong.
Speaker A:That's kind of what happens on them.
Speaker A:You know, you're wrong, I'm wrong.
Speaker A:And the battle lines are drawn.
Speaker A:At some point in time you have to come to the point of okay, I know you love me.
Speaker A:We just don't see eye to eye on this one.
Speaker A:And forgive the.
Speaker A:Sometimes they do something just absolutely heartless to from your point of view and you're wounded.
Speaker A:You can choose to be.
Speaker A:Have that distance for the rest of your life or you can choose to forgive them and Be cautious about things, but just move on.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Make different rules for how you go about them, but you really have need to forgive.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:There'S a. I had another one.
Speaker A:I learned this in a group that I was at.
Speaker A:There's a guy, and I'm gonna have to say a bad word.
Speaker A:Tell the story.
Speaker A:Someone.
Speaker A:There's a guy sitting on a park bench, and there's a bird above him in a tree and shits on him.
Speaker A:And the guy gets all mad about it.
Speaker A:And then someone says, why are you getting mad at the bird?
Speaker A:He's just doing what birds do.
Speaker A:And that's kind of.
Speaker A:We're all human.
Speaker A:We're going to do what humans do.
Speaker B:Yeah, that's a good one.
Speaker B:Oh, man.
Speaker B:I don't know why I'm laughing at that.
Speaker B:I mean.
Speaker B:Yeah, it's very valid.
Speaker A:Then you learn that, you know, here I'm saying I'm a Christian.
Speaker A:Then I say a word like that.
Speaker A:My dad would tar and feather me right then and there.
Speaker B:Listen, don't feel bad.
Speaker B:I'm gonna move over just so I can show you what's at my office desk.
Speaker B:See here, somebody knew somebody and they crocheted an F. And this is supposed to be a bomb.
Speaker B:And then there you go.
Speaker B:It's a crochet F bomb.
Speaker B:It's so cute.
Speaker B:And so when we get upset, you know, at work, you know, there's a.
Speaker B:There's about like six, seven of them, you know, that they made.
Speaker B:And, you know, they're different ones that each of us, like three of us have.
Speaker B:And so, you know, when we get upset, you know, we just throw or crochet F bomb.
Speaker A:I really find that I'm not, you know, we.
Speaker A:Who knows if what I said or you said, it's right or wrong.
Speaker A:Oh, there.
Speaker A:I had a. I had a thought that I was going to share with you.
Speaker A:And at my age, these things just go flying through.
Speaker A:He'll come back to me tomorrow.
Speaker A:I'll call you back.
Speaker B:Okay, that's fine.
Speaker B:That's fine.
Speaker B:So, yeah, don't.
Speaker B:Don't feel bad about cussing as a Christian, because, you know, I remember what.
Speaker A:I was gonna say.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker A:Want to hear it?
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:Most of the time, I do not refer to myself as a Christian.
Speaker A:It's not that I am not.
Speaker A:I have chosen.
Speaker A:Most of the time, I will say I'm a follower of Jesus.
Speaker A:And I've made this decision because so many places the word Christian has taken on a bad connotation.
Speaker A:And it has.
Speaker A:Because we have sinners that live in the building.
Speaker A:And they are fighting over whether or not you dunk someone or dip them.
Speaker A:Whether or not the wine is just grape juice or whether it can be grape juice.
Speaker A:Is it blood?
Speaker A:We fight about all this stuff rather than looking at and then you know, that's just, that's this building on earth.
Speaker A:But what we really need to be focused on is the Teacher, Jesus.
Speaker A:So I don't follow him perfectly, but that is my goal is to be a follower of Him.
Speaker A:And as this other stuff, I'll make the decisions that I can as close to what I think he is saying.
Speaker A:But I'm a follower of Jesus.
Speaker B:Yeah, well said.
Speaker B:You know, in scripture, Christian really isn't written a whole lot.
Speaker B:Disciple is used a hell of a lot more over 200 times.
Speaker B:And I think, and I could be completely wrong, but I don't think he intended a, a name for us.
Speaker B:Quite, quite honestly.
Speaker B:I think we're, you know, to praise him and to follow him and to obey him.
Speaker A:Yeah, I, yeah I, I, man is able to mess up most anything.
Speaker A:We are sinners just to, just to get through.
Speaker A:And I'm gonna have to have God forgive me for some of my misbeliefs.
Speaker A:I mean I, I am totally at the mercy of Him.
Speaker A:It's all there is to it.
Speaker A:I'm not going to get there on my own.
Speaker A:Yeah, I just, I, I'm told He loves me.
Speaker A:There are times I feel it like you wouldn't believe.
Speaker A:There's times I doubt it.
Speaker B:Yeah, that's a, that's a very, that's a very, that's a nugget right there.
Speaker B:Misbeliefs.
Speaker B:Because as we grow and learn who he is, the Bible doesn't change.
Speaker B:But how, the way we read it does.
Speaker B:And it becomes revealed who God really is.
Speaker B:And learning through by reading, that's where a lot of misbeliefs can be transformed.
Speaker A:Yeah, I mean when it comes down to somewhere along the line you'll get to a point where you have to make the choice.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And I believe that I, by the grace of God, he's come to me, he's rescued me.
Speaker A:I still have problems.
Speaker A:Some of them I don't think are my fault.
Speaker A:Some of them are.
Speaker A:I live in a sinful world.
Speaker A:I just do the best I can and rely on grace.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker B:Time is slowly leaving us.
Speaker B:And so before I give you my last question, which will be a light hearted question.
Speaker B:Yeah, it's all right.
Speaker A:It's nothing to develop a sense of humor.
Speaker B:But before I give you my last question, I just Want to thank you for your time, your vulnerability, and for teaching us today.
Speaker B:This journey was hard.
Speaker B:And writing a book is.
Speaker B:Can be harder because, you know, a lot of times we.
Speaker B:I know for me, you know, you don't want to revisit the pain, you know, because it's pain.
Speaker B:It doesn't feel good.
Speaker B:So why revisit it?
Speaker B:You know, it's pain for a reason.
Speaker B:But reading your book, I do want to say it was well written and I learned some new things.
Speaker B:And just to see God differently, most importantly is.
Speaker B:Which is what I. I seek for, is to see God differently every day.
Speaker B:So I want to thank you.
Speaker A:Thank you for having me on the show and your kind words, fellow journey journeyers and strugglers.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:Yeah, I look forward to seeing you again.
Speaker B:Yeah, same.
Speaker B:So my last question, which isn't.
Speaker B:It isn't a bad question, but it is just a thought provoking.
Speaker B:It's kind of like I wonder and it is.
Speaker B:What is one thing that the general public doesn't know about songwriting?
Speaker A:That anyone can do it?
Speaker A:I. I'm serious.
Speaker A:There was a study done where they.
Speaker A:I don't know how they did it, but they measured the creativity of a child at one year old.
Speaker A:And they had like a whole group of them, their test group of 100 of them, and then they measured it at 4 years old, 5 years old, up to when they're 24.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And in the beginning they said that it's like 90% of these children had what they call creativity.
Speaker A:By the time they got to their 20s, it kept going down to like 20% had what they would call creativity.
Speaker A:And you ask why?
Speaker A:And it's because we squashed it out of them.
Speaker A:In our educational system, you have to conform.
Speaker A:We teach them reading, writing, arithmetics, but we overlook the spiritual part of their lives and the creativity.
Speaker A:God was a creator, and we are made in his image.
Speaker A:We were made to create.
Speaker A:Anyone can create music now.
Speaker A:It may not be on a piano, it may not be a guitar, but you can sing.
Speaker A:You can hear a voice.
Speaker A:You can make up a song.
Speaker A:Walking down the street.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Go write one today.
Speaker A:Follow what's in your heart.
Speaker A:You could do it.
Speaker A:Send it to me.
Speaker B:Oh, okay.
Speaker B:I haven't written a song in a long time.
Speaker A:Do it.
Speaker A:Sing it into a tape recorder or a computer.
Speaker A:Send it to me.
Speaker A:This.
Speaker A:That's what.
Speaker A:That's the most incredible way to communicate with people.
Speaker B:Yeah, it is.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I haven't written this song in a long time.
Speaker B:I enjoyed writing, especially, like creative writing, but as you said, you know, it.
Speaker B:It does.
Speaker B:It does get squashed out of you.
Speaker A:Yep.
Speaker A:You got to conform.
Speaker B:Yeah, it does get squashed.
Speaker B:I.
Speaker B:That reminds me, I remember my brother was pretty good too, because I remember when we were in a car.
Speaker B:Oh, for like, it was like a 16 hour drive.
Speaker B:And he.
Speaker B:He was like the comedian.
Speaker B:He is the comedian, the family.
Speaker B:And he read.
Speaker B:He wrote a great poem about how his butt.
Speaker B:How he had to shift from cheek to cheek.
Speaker B:And it was.
Speaker B:It was classic.
Speaker B:It was classic.
Speaker B:And the sad thing about it was we can't find that poem.
Speaker B:And because it made us all laugh, it was a great poem.
Speaker B:So I know he's a good writer too, so I should call him too.
Speaker B:Of his cheek to cheek poem.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Get to rewrite that thing.
Speaker B:Oh, goodness.
Speaker B:But yeah, that.
Speaker B:That is a good one because, I mean, you.
Speaker B:You have a great.
Speaker B:You had a great career.
Speaker B:And so, you know, when it comes to songwriting and especially, like, you know, when you watch movies and writing, you like, I can write it better.
Speaker B:Like, I can act it better, but I mean, you guys make it look so effortlessly.
Speaker A:Others do.
Speaker A:I'm lucky to be here.
Speaker A:I'm very, very.
Speaker A:I'm very, very glad that I've been able to write songs.
Speaker A:I always want a bigger audience, but I. I can't complain.
Speaker A:God's been good to me.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:That's beautiful.
Speaker B:I don't think there's a better way to end it.
Speaker B:A better way to end it.
Speaker A:I want to thank you so much for allowing me to be here and your thoughtful questions, and I hope this isn't in the end of the road to just keep in touch.
Speaker B:Yeah, I would love that.
Speaker B:So, Kent, for those who would like to be reminded, the book is called no Way But Out.
Speaker B:Oh, no.
Speaker B:My God.
Speaker B:What am I?
Speaker B:I butchered your title.
Speaker B:No way out, but through.
Speaker B:I really butchered your title.
Speaker B:I'm so sorry.
Speaker B:You can find the book on Amazon and also Barnes and Noble.
Speaker B:That's really a great place.
Speaker B:If you want to read a preview of it, it's on my website if.
Speaker A:You want to go there.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker B:And what is your website?
Speaker A:Www.kentmaxson.comm M A X S O N. Oh, yeah.
Speaker B:And that's where you can do the preview of the song too, Cricket.
Speaker B:Yep, yep, I forgot about that.
Speaker B:But anyways, y', all, I want to thank you for watching.
Speaker B:And remember, God is love.
Speaker B:And God wants you to show his love to the world.
Speaker B:Until next time, later.
Speaker B:And.
