Jay DeMarcus - Shotgun Angels: My Story of Broken Roads and Unshakeable Hope

Jay DeMarcuss story will strike a chord with everyone who reads it. I can certainly relate to many of his trials and tribulations. However, its not where weve been but where we end up that counts. I firmly believe that my own faith has also brought me to where I am in this journey called life. I hope that when you read this book, you will be as encouraged, enlightened, and uplifted by my dear friend Jay as I have been.

Todd Chrisley, entrepreneur and star of Chrisley Knows Best

When I moved to Nashville to start shooting the ABC show Nashville, Jay DeMarcus was one of the first artists to befriend me and make me feel welcome in the town he knew so well. Like countless others, I was already a big Rascal Flatts fan, which continues to this day. The difference is how blessed Ive been since getting to know the guysperhaps especially Jay. In Nashville, some people are said to be a good hangwhich means that any time spent with them always seems to be time well-spent. Jay is the definition of a a good hang. Hes hilarious and heartfelt. And with such an incredible career under his belt, hes got stories thatll make you laugh, stories thatll make you cry, and a whole bunch of stories thatll make you do both. So if youre about to read this book, buckle up and get ready for a good hang and a great read!

Chip Esten, actor and singer/songwriter

We all get asked at one time or another, How did this happen for you? Usually our answers are uncomfortably awful. But Jay DeMarcus has dug deep inside to look not at his career but at himself. Such a rare look inside has created a rare book. Enjoy.

Cris Collinsworth, NBC Sports broadcaster and former NFL wide receiver

ZONDERVAN

Shotgun Angels

Copyright 2019 by Jay DeMarcus

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, 3900 Sparks Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

ISBN 978-0-310-35503-8 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-0-310-35815-2 (special edition)

ISBN 978-0-310-35518-2 (audio)

ISBN 978-0-310-35505-2 (ebook)

Epub Edition March 2019 9780310355052

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.Zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

Any internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

The events and experiences detailed herein are all true and have been faithfully rendered as the author has remembered them, to the best of his ability. Some names, identities, and circumstances have been changed in order to protect the anonymity of the individuals involved.

Art direction and cover design: Curt Diepenhorst

Cover photo: Jeremy Cowart

Interior design: Kait Lamphere

Printed in the United States of America

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Please note that endnotes in this ebook may contain hyperlinks to external websites as part of bibliographic citations. These hyperlinks have not been activated by the publisher, who cannot verify the accuracy of these links beyond the date of publication.

To my wife, Allison,

and our two precious babies, Madeline and Dylan

CONTENTS

F irst things first. You may have seen my picture on the cover of this book and thought to yourself, Huh, I know that guy. Hes in that band that sings the song my cousin got married to. Something... Broken, da-da-da, something. Gods Broken Road... No. Wait. Ugh. Ah! God Bless the Broken Road. Thats it!

So you decided to pick up a copy, and here we are, beginning our journey together. By now you might be patiently waiting for me to start getting to the good part and dishing on all things Rascal Flatts, but thats a story for another time. Im sure at some point it will be told, and the three of us will do that together.

This is the story about me and my journey. The story of how a most unlikely kid from Columbus, Ohio, ended up in this crazy place. I have found myself many times, while writing this book, marveling at the stories again. Some of them seem too far-fetched, too hard to believe. But they happened. Theyre real. And it still blows my mind.

Of course, Gary and Joe Don are some of the most important people in my life. As such, to think they wont be mentioned here and there in this story, well, thatd be just silly.

When I think about the road that led me to where I am today, I cant help but ask myself, Why? Why was I the recipient of such an extraordinary life? Its a puzzling question. I can get turned around on it if I think about it too much.

But heres the deal.

I believe we are all recipients of extraordinary lives, if we choose to live them. Ah, but therein lies the challenge, the proverbial hard part. Sometimes getting to live out your extraordinary life takes sacrifice, patience, tenacity, some roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty grit, a dash of luck sprinkled with some faith, and all of it covered with hope.

But what keeps us from choosing to roll up our sleeves, to do the work needed to reach our goals? I believe the number one thing that keeps so many of us locked into that safe and familiar place is the fear of failing.

Well, I hate to break it to you, but heres something thats not a big secret:

You are going to fail.

If youre like me, youre going to fail miserably sometimes. But how you deal with the failurehow you learn from it, how you move on, how you let it make you smarterthats what counts. Not the failure itself.

So, are you ready? Are you ready to figure out whether youre the kind of person who will get knocked down and keep getting back up? Or will you fold like an accordion under the pressures that life is sure to bring your way? I believe you and I can choose to be one or the other.

But we need help.

We cannot do it alone.

Trust me, I know. Because Ive had a lot of help. I couldnt have made it to this point without it.

Ive had loved ones encourage me when I was ready to quit.

Ive had pastors counsel me in my darkest days.

Ive had friends send me a text or an email just to let me know they were thinking of me.

But Ive also had one thing that supersedes them all, and this is that story.

Thanks for coming along for the ride.

If you want to walk on water, youve got to get out of the boat.

JOHN ORTBERG

T he show was supposed to start in thirty minutes. There was only one problem: the band couldnt make it.