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Speaking of that, you sometimes sing a pretty obscure Rich Mullins song called "Hard to Get." It has such brutal honesty about how God sometimes seems so distant.

Stacey: For those of us in ministry positions, so many times we can't talk about the things we face. It's a risk of losing our job. What if a pastor got up and said, "I'm doubting"? He can't do that. Rich Mullins was probably one of the most influential songwriters because of his transparency. My parents were very good about not wearing masks, and being very transparent with us, but I also got to see a lot of the folks in church that do know exactly how to play church. They know all the right things to say.

But it's encouraging to know that you're not the only one who has to go through that, and God understands what you're going through. It starts early in the Bible and goes all the way through the end. You have to go through a valley to get to a mountain. You surrender your life to Jesus, believing that you've got it all together, you know where he's taking you, but God is unpredictable. He will never take you the way you thought you were going to go.

You're in the Navy Reserve. Could you wind up being like Elvis, called up to active duty and putting the music career on hold?

Stacey: I suppose being called up is always a possibility, but that's what I'm there for. I enlisted not long after September 11. I felt like if I'm supporting the efforts our country is doing against terrorism, then maybe I should put my money where my mouth is. I had just gotten out of college, I hadn't settled on a career yet, and my wife and I both agreed, if we were ever going to do it, that was the time. Now, it's a great ministry opportunity. I think it's important to have a presence around those young sailors. For people who get out of high school and go right into the military, every opportunity for being bad is presented to you immediately in the military. They need to see that life is full and abundant.

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