Tomlin - The way i was made: words and music for an unusual life

T HE W AY I W AS M ADE
published by Multnomah Books
2005 by Chris Tomlin

Italics in Scripture are the authors emphasis.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from:
The Holy Bible, New International Version
1973, 1984 by International Bible Society,
used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House
Other Scripture quotations are from: Holy Bible,
New Living Translation ( NLT ) 1996. Used by permission
of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, New King James Version (NKJV)
1984 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Isaiah 26:8 reference adapted from
the New International Version.

Photos of Chris Tomlin in concert on
by Chris Thornberry. Used by permission.

Published in the United States by WaterBrook Multnomah, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House Inc., New York.

M ULTNOMAH and its mountain colophon are registered trademarks of Random House Inc.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout prior written permission.

For information:
MULTNOMAH BOOKS
12265 Oracle Boulevard, Suite 200 Colorado Springs, CO 80921

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Tomlin, Chris.
The way I was made / by Chris Tomlin.
p. cm.
eISBN: 978-0-307-56365-1
1. Christian life. I. Title.
BV4501.3.T655 2005
248.4dc22

2004021425

v3.1_r1

To my mom and dad,
I love you.

Preface
THE PAGES AHEAD

Y ou take some wood and wire, you make a box (sort of) in the shape of a figure eight, then you play it.

Sounds simple, but a guitar is a mystery of creative genius. Who was the first to imagine the music it could make? Who discovered that if you use Brazilian rosewood on the back and spruce on top, your instrument will resonate with richness? Who determined the exact width and tension youd need for a wire to ring out a clear F-sharp?

Im not sure who first created this wonderful stringed instrument, but I think the worlds a better place for it. From classical concertos to rock and roll anthems, from a campfire on the beach to Carnegie Hall, the guitar might just be the most versatile and dearly loved instrument of our time.

Wait. No, I think there is another instrument that is definitely more important and dearly loved than the guitar. Its the instrument you see every morning when you look in the mirroryou. And although I dont know who created the guitar, I do know who created you. Almighty God, formed you with His hands. Psalm 139:1314 testifies:

For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mothers womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.

Youre not some lucky combination of molecules that happened one day to crawl out of the muck onto dry land. Every cell and system in your being has care, purpose, and genius written all over it. Listen again to Psalm 139:

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!

How vast is the sum of them!

Were I to count them,

they would outnumber the grains of sand. (vv. 1718)

And you were made for more than this world sells. All that this world has to offerno matter how appealing it is at the timeis temporary. It leaves us still hungry, wanting more, because we were made for something greater. We were created to shine the spotlight on Godto spread the fame of God everywhere we go.

I wrote this book to encourage you along your journey.

In the pages ahead, Ill tell some stories and share some truths and life lessons. And Ill introduce you to some of the people whove encouraged me the most along my road. People like:

When you finish, I hope youll decide, Wow, if God can use that Chris guy, then I am way ahead of the curve! And even more, my prayer is that youll discover in these precious days that you have been created for a great lifea life that tells the story of God.

YOU HAVE BEEN CREATED FOR A GREAT LIFE

A LIFE THAT TELLS THE STORY OF GOD.

T hat sound you hearthe music thats changing our generationwhere did it come from? If you were asked to find its roots, reproduce its sound, what would you do? Where would you go?

I wonder.

You might reach for an upright piano or a Stratocaster.

You might tell me about a man in black rocking the house at Folsom Prison.

You might want to pull out some vinyl from those great old labels like Blue Note, or Motown, or Sun Records.

You might want to take me back to the mountains of eastern Kentucky. Or to the little white churches of New England. Or to the slave ships and cotton fields

If I could, Id take you all the way back to the music of King Jehoshaphat. It was 800 B.C . or so, huge enemy armies had lined up against King Jehoshaphat, and he knew he was in big trouble.