It’s hard to believe, but I’ve been writing and sharing this blog for over 12 years now.
It began in January 2014 in our farmhouse as an idea to try to capture with a camera and journal the big and small moments that were about to happen. And to share them with anyone who might want to follow along online.
We had a baby due in a few weeks, and we were taking a year off to be with her and learn how to simplify our lives and homestead.
Those things happened, and then… much, much more than we could’ve ever imagined.
The story, as they say, took on a life of its own, and it has been and continues to be, filled with lots of amazingly beautiful moments, along with some incredibly heartbreaking ones.
But through it all, God has continued to be faithful. He has never given us more than we could, with His help, handle.
Over time I began to realize that I wasn’t just capturing and sharing these personal moments, I was processing them. The writing of the stories in each blog post was helping me to understand what it was that I was thinking — what I was feeling — and even more, what bigger purpose God might have in all of it.
It is now 2026, and I’m still here and sharing life as it’s happening. The blog has gone through many different iterations and forms through the years. The blog led to a book with the same title, and lots of videos, and even to a television program for season in 2020.
Our journey has recently led us to take another step of faith — to leave the farm and the life we’ve known for the last 27 years, and come here to Texas for a season — having no idea what lay in store, or even how we were going to make a living.
There was a time when I was a full-time songwriter and that’s where my income came from. Then when Joey and I made records and sang together, we traveled around the country and made a living doing concerts and selling CD’s and merch. But those days and most of those income streams have long passed for me. Some residuals still come in, but they aren’t enough to sustain us into the future.
Writing, for the last decade or so, was something I used to do for fun, alongside what I actually did for a living. But in the last couple of years, it’s become what I do.
I’m getting older, and I don’t want to travel the way I used to. Honestly, I don't feel called to do it anymore — at least not for the same reasons. The only non-church event on my calendar for the rest of this year is next month at a festival in Oregon, and that’s mostly because I love those folks and they’ve been such a blessing to so many… I want to be a blessing to them.
The truth is, my heart isn’t in music anymore. It’s in ministry. And it has been for a long time. It’s in sharing what God’s done and is doing in my life, and what He wants to do in all of our lives. And from that larger mission... the new music I write, stories I tell, and videos I make are just different ways of sharing the testimony He’s giving me.
It’s why my family and I are here in Texas for this season. I have felt a call from God and we’ve been stepping into it. Immersing ourselves, not just into a new and different culture and way of integrating our faith into our daily life but, we’re also learning how to follow the cross of Jesus, and even more so, how to truly live for God. And also, how to share the new hope we’ve found with others.
A dear friend of mine told me a few years ago, when I shared with him the calling that God was beginning to put on my heart… “Rory, you already have a ministry. God’s just waiting for you to step into it.”
Amen, brother Paul. I’m stepping into it.
One of the things I’ve working on is launching a new blog all about the spiritual journey I’ve been on — sharing the stories, observations and insights about living for God that He has, and is giving me, in real time.
I’ll keep writing and sharing stories from our life here at This Life I Live. But alongside it, the new blog will let me turn my writing outward, where it’s not just about me and my family, and my life… but mostly about you and your life. That’s something completely new and different for me, Something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time, and I’m very excited about.
The plan is to launch the new blog on August 1st. When I do, I will send the first story or two to everyone who follows This Life I Live, and you can choose to receive updates from the new blog too, or simply keep following this one.
For years, people have been asking me how they can help — whether there’s something they can do to support us and the work we’re doing . And for a long time, my answer was, ‘just keeping reading, and keep praying'‘.
But recently, another dear friend told me “you’re actually robbing people of the chance to be helpful, who would find it a blessing to be a blessing to your family”. And I think she’s probably right.
So here’s my answer now: yes, there is something you can do to help.
My blog and my stories have always been free, and the Lord willing, they always will be — with no paywall. But if this writing is going to become how I make my living, or a good part of it, then it will be because readers like you choose to come alongside it. Your support goes toward one simple thing: making it possible for me to keep writing and sharing the stories full-time, as a ministry.
From here on, I’ll include a link at the end of my posts for anyone who’d like to give.
Please don’t feel obligated. But if This Life I Live has been an encouragement to you and the life that you are living, I’d be grateful.
Thank you so much.
- rory
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.