The Difference with Matt & Kendal Hagee – “From Military to Music”
The best stories have twists and turns…you don’t know what happens next, but God does. To follow God is to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. God’s at the wheel and we’re along for the ride! Today on The Difference, we’re visiting with singer/songwriter Nathan Sheridan who shares his story of how God used the military to bring him to a music career.
the best stories have twists and turns
you don’t know what happens next but I
assure you God does to follow God is to
embark on the adventure of a lifetime it
means he’s at the will and we’re there
for the ride today on the difference
we’re with singer songwriter Nathan
Sheridan and he’s got a story to tell us
of how God used the military to bring
him to music you’re watching the
[Music]
difference Welcome to the difference
joining us today is contemporary
Christian artist Nathan Sheridan welcome
we’re so glad to have you Nathan is
honored to have you here with us
absolutely you know a lot of people know
you for your music uh they’ve heard you
share your testimony and and God’s grace
in your life but here in San Antonio you
know we’re kind of known as military
City USA and uh you have a military
service background tell us about that
yeah I uh believe it or not I I kind of
started getting into music when I was
around 15 16 years old but I just never
could IM
that I could do something like that as a
career um and I didn’t even know you
know Worship Christian music could even
be a path way uh to actually you know
have a career and I I loved music and I
loved playing but it was kind of at you
know spearhead where I was getting out
of high school 17 years old graduating a
little early so I had a friend that said
hey man you should join the National
Guard with me and he sound like a good
idea sign me up and I said yeah you know
I’m I’m interested you know we talk
free outs yeah he he talked he talked it
up and everything and funny enough he
actually ended up kind of pulling out at
the end and I’m like well I’m going to
continue on going and so at 17 years old
I had to get my grandparents who raised
me uh to to sign me up and they let me
go and kind of took me on a whole new
Journey uh and went through basic
training went through AIT and uh
actually was deployed to a camp air of
John Kuwait for a year so it it was a
very interesting Direction uh of how I
was I I kind of got started in music but
didn’t really see that God was pulling
me full force into that yet and I needed
kind of a new adventure really well and
you know gave you the opportunity to
understand uh a lot about different
areas of the world and and what real
needs are you know I think a lot of
times as I talk to people who’ve worked
in military service they had no concept
of you know one how blessed we are in
the United States until they saw the
rest of the world and then two what real
structure and order was they thought
they had things together but the
military really kind of gives you a
different perspective on on how to get
things done yeah absolutely and that was
really uh that was really impactful for
me mainly because uh you know early on
in my life I didn’t really have that
structure with my parents um because of
their um their kind of vices and
everything that was going on with them
uh you know drug related things and it
was a really it was a really uh tough
upbringing and you know with my parents
being in the mix so which is why my
grandparents had to raise me so I really
craved that structure I think secretly
cuz I was a bit of a rebellious teenager
too so I kind of craved that structure I
craved that um camaraderie and I was
really just looking for something to
kind of change me I think and I was
looking for something else something
something you know bigger than myself
something that I could really be a part
of which I had never had before so in
the military did you get involved with
your music did your music come with you
how did that enter it kind of entered
back in so uh I had started like I said
161 17 playing music just uh you know 15
I got a guitar 16 I’m learning chords
and and learning my first worship songs
ever and kind of in youth group playing
some stuff at uh Evans Creek Baptist
Church down in perver shout out to them
but uh you know home folk yeah home folk
and uh you know more or less when I
joined the military all that kind of
stopped because you don’t really get to
bring a guitar to basic train with you
say so them Elvis movies aren’t real you
didn’t
stand well I know that was a different
time you know that was a different time
so there was a whole different thing but
yeah it’s a little more strict now so
they they didn’t let me R my guitar or
anything like that uh but when I got to
advance training kind of Midway through
that believe it or not uh we had a lot
more freedom So a family member shipped
me an old Alvarez guitar and it was all
out of whack but I got to like stuff it
in my locker and I played that uh for a
while and then actually when I was at
this was at Fort Gordon Georgia and I
actually had an opportunity to start
leading worship on Bas uh once a week uh
we would just go in we had no idea who
the other players would be we would just
kind of meet up like you’re a drummer
you’re a bass player you’re a guitar
player we’d meet up pick three or four
songs go for it and sometimes it would
be awesome and sometimes not so awesome
but uh we you know we honored the Lord
and it was great and that’s really where
I kind of got bit by the bug again
really wanted to get back into it came
home and got
deployed and that kind of leads to the
next section of my story well and you
know as you talk about getting together
in those military church services one of
the things that I’ve heard you know I’ve
never been in one and and that wasn’t a
formal setting you know right but in
those you know kind of uh makeshift
environments everybody who’s there wants
to be there absolutely yeah you know
every Sunday that we have church at
Cornerstone there’s a group of people
that want to be there and there’s a
group of people that get brought right
you know but when when you have that
kind of environment where it’s not real
formal there there’s you know no real
plan but we want to worship right you
know what I hear so often is how special
it is when the presence of the Lord
shows up because you know everybody who
was there wanted to be there and he
honored that well yeah it’s definitely
uh a want to be there kind of thing and
the main reason is because you’re s
under so much stress and you’re under so
much uh you you have you have so much
anxiety going on I mean when you’re away
from your family uh when you don’t know
what’s going on back home when you don’t
know what tomorrow brings and you’re
you’re just in this place and every day
feels like months you know I mean it
really does and you you get to this
point where you almost feel like you’re
not going home like this is like where
you’re going to be forever it really
truly feels that way so getting to go to
church is a huge escape and we actually
had a lot of unbelievers that would come
to church not not only in basic training
uh something to pass the time yeah just
something to go and like they they like
the music or they something different
yeah something different to uh and of
course maybe there’s free Refreshments
after something but just a place to go
uh to just you know get away from get
away from command get away from their
their job get away from uh you know
because when finally it in service it’s
really where you can kind of stop being
a soldier for a second yeah and of
course there’s still decorn and whatnot
um but you can kind of just be free for
a second and be a civilian so to speak
and just be a normal person for a change
yeah well and and you know those are
opportunities that you cherish on the
one hand and then on the other hand
you’re kind of glad that they’re behind
you right you know you like doing it the
way you’re doing it now when did you
decide I’m done with this part of my
life I want to go back and and pursue
Music full time so when I when I was in
Kuwait I I mean it was incredible how
the Lord just opened doors over there
that’s really when I um started leading
worship I mean probably at least twice a
week usually um we had built the whole
Chapel service back up we saw soldiers
coming in getting saved it was just an
amazing experience how much uh you know
Ministry we were really doing overseas
and it was really impactful for me
because I didn’t know why I was there
like you know what your job is you know
that there’s a chance of getting
deployed but ask any Soldier they’re
like why am I here why am I doing this
and that was me so uh I just receiv
received so much encouragement from
fellow soldiers and uh different people
that were just saying man this is your
calling like worship is your calling
like we know you’re in the military but
you need to get on out of here and say
which I I you know in a way I I still
miss the military uh at times and I was
in the National Guard so I could have
stayed in probably uh but I really uh
felt the Lord calling me just into
full-time uh you know music and I just I
really do believe that heent you know
he’s sending us signs and there was just
so many people in my life that were just
speaking so much life over me speaking
so much encouragement that I just
couldn’t possibly ignore it and when I
finally got home and a friend of mine
wanted to record me and he was setting
up a studio I just felt like there’s too
much Providence here for it could just
be coincidence uh there’s a line for you
too much Providence to be coincidence uh
but that for me that was uh you know
that was my sign like I think once my
tenure is up here I’m just going to go
full force into music well serving the
United States and and you know being a
soldier on the front lines to sering in
the body of Christ and and making sure
that the Battle of light and darkness is
something that’s uh you know being
engaged in on a daily basis they’re very
similar but when we come back Nate’s
going to tell us more about how God
opened up doors to take him in a
direction he never thought his life
would really go but here he is by God’s
grace you’re watching the difference
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[Music]
welcome back to the difference we’re
with singer songwriter Nathan Sheridan
and the last segment you described how
your grandparents raised you tell us a
little bit more about that yeah so
around uh four years old uh you know I
was being raised by my biological
parents and they just had so many issues
with drugs and uh just different
lifestyle choices they were making so
more or less my mom called my
grandparents up and said you know you
need to come get your grandkid because
we can’t raise them anymore and they
drove all the way to Pensacola Florida
and they came and got us middle of the
night and more or less after that night
I didn’t see them again for I didn’t see
my my mom again for over 10 years so uh
my grandparents took me and my sister in
and really I just never almost never
really knew any different uh
than you know than them and it was a
really kind of old school upbringing and
there was that real generational Gap
there and there was a lot of trauma in
my life because my sister that I just
mentioned she actually ended up passing
away from uh cancer and it was a really
really uh there was just a lot of
turmoil in my life I mean there was a
lot of instability a lot of instability
I mean my parents had had really
abandoned me they had um you know they
weren’t dead but they weren’t there so
it was it felt the same and then my
sister passed away and that was really
the only friend I ever knew so combine
all that those insecurities that
abandonment and combine that with the
fact that I’m being raised by my
grandparents who have you know a totally
different way of thinking than maybe I I
do and there’s so many different things
or even your peer group exactly like
culturally speaking there were so many
different things happening at school and
when I tell my grandparents about it
they like they couldn’t believe it you
know cuz they’re starting all over with
a fresh kid you know so and all their
kids were grown so it was a a huge I
mean they were a huge impact on me
because I felt like I was really just
getting something other kids were not
getting I was getting a totally
different point of view in life I was in
a positive way though I really do feel
like did you see it as positive at the
time no not at the time not at the time
of course because say my dad was born in
1940 all right so I’m I was born he was
38 when I was born wow wow wow so when I
would go to school and all of my friends
were talking about conversations they
had with their dad it was like they had
Michael J fox for a dad and I had I had
General George Patton you know because
you know they had my my friends had
these weird things called opinions yes
and they could share them with their
parents and their parents would be like
well that’s interesting let’s discuss
that my dad be like what did you say you
know that exactly the same way I always
laugh when uh kids you know and as new
parents will say well I just want my
kids to be able to tell me everything I
was like I wouldn’t dare my first of all
I don’t want them to tell you everything
because it’ll scare you and I I knew I
couldn’t tell my grandparents everything
God bless them you know but they were
just from a different time where I don’t
think they bonded with their parents in
that way where it was kind of you were
seen but not heard right you know
do not speak unless you are spoken to
right and luckily for me it wasn’t that
bad but my grandfather would tell me
stories about his upbringing and his
grandfather and it was a whole different
level and there was like a just a lot of
discipline that went on and there was a
lot more uh structure involved and I ne
I didn’t always feel like I had the
opportunity to be a kid around them but
that was really just a lot of uh I I
really do feel like it was a lot of lies
that the enemy was telling me at the
time because I just didn’t know who I
was I didn’t understand why i’ had been
through all the things i’ had been
through I didn’t understand when my
sister passed away I didn’t understand
when my parents had ran out on me so
there was so much identity crisis there
and combining that with them but what I
will say is they were praying
grandparents and I mean dragged me to
church every time the doors were open
tuning in to John haggy I’m telling true
true story true story we’re all
recovering in some measure it’s a
recovery session that’s it but even in
that you know your dad was my dad in a
way I get it well and and that’s one of
the reasons I relate a lot more to
people who are 20 years older than me
yeah than I do my peer group or people
who are younger than me because I’m like
th those are not normals in my Dynamic
right you know but at the same time like
you’re mentioning your grandparents I
think it’s important for people to
understand nobody gets perfect right
nobody gets the perfect parent nobody is
the perfect parent right nobody has the
perfect upbringing but if you have the
right priorities right then God can work
it and as you mentioned you know my
grandparents were tough and my
grandparents weren’t necessarily the the
the the thing I would have picked right
but they prayed and they took me to
church they had these right priorities
and and God used those to to reach you
in spite of exactly and and it was one
of those things where you didn’t you
don’t realize it till later on in life
all everything they were doing for
everything they were doing for me at the
time was in my best interest and I
honestly if it wouldn’t have been for
them really intervening in my life
taking me to church uh showing me the
word of God telling me who Christ is I
mean and not living it in their life as
well I mean cuz my grandfather was a
deacon for a lot of my life and my and
my grandmother you know uh she’s you
know she wouldn’t tell you but she could
play some piano and she she could you
know hum a little bit and she knew some
of the himels every now and then she’d
pull it out and do that uh but you know
she just uh she has always you know son
it’s all about Jesus it’s all about
Jesus it’s all about Jesus and she just
kept praying for me kept you know
speaking life over me kept uh kept
putting me in a position to discover
Christ for myself and I think finally at
14 years old thankfully I did that and
accepted Christ at 14 years old and if
it wouldn’t have been for their guidance
I really I really truly don’t know where
I’d be and that’s the you know the God’s
honest truth they could have ended up so
differently wow and in that moment of of
acceptance you know you’ve got this
relationship with Jesus Christ doesn’t
make everything better all at once no no
it doesn’t and I even at 14 years old I
mean yes I knew it was a huge like it’s
like a Head Rush right you know when you
accept Christ you you’re like well I’m a
Christian now you feel and like in a way
I felt different but I hadn’t I didn’t
grab hold of that identity in Christ you
know I didn’t understand being co-seeded
with him I didn’t understand that being
a new creation being a new creation
having a new story and that’s that’s
really what I I’m not a preacher but you
know that’s what I just speak for but
You’ watched John hey you can preach go
ahead I can you know I I really do just
I tell people from the stage every
single night that I you know I’m allowed
to do so tell people that you know they
have a brand new identity in Christ
there’s a brand new story that awaits us
there’s a brand new destiny that awaits
us and when we finally grab hold you
know of that identity and realize that
the dead man is gone and the new man has
risen it just changes once you accept
that you have to accept that and once
you do it’s almost like it just shifts
your whole perspective of life and
that’s what it’s done for me so it’s
it’s why I’m not I can really sit here
and say I’m not bitter about anything
I’m not I don’t hold grudges against my
parents or anything you reconciled with
parents you know yes and no I mean
there’s been times of that I I got to
reconcile with my mom a little bit later
when you know I was about 15 16 and
she’s kind of you know she’s you said
you didn’t see him for 10 years so
you’re four when you’re picked up yep
you’re 14 when you give your heart to
Christ so somewhere around that time Mom
and Dad either showed back up or just
Mom or who yeah well just my mom you
know she came around for um you know a
birthday or Christmas or something like
that and kind of you know went kind of
went back to her old ways in and out
sending me messages here and there but
it’s one of those things where I I
finally realized and told myself I can’t
be in control of their behavior I can’t
be in control of what they’re going to
do with their life but I just reassure
myself that you know and I pray for them
and I reassure myself like just like
there was Redemption for me at 14 years
old there’s Redemption for them now um
and I and I pray that wherever they’re
at they you know they know Christ loves
them and they know that you know at at
any point you know they can reach out to
him and for me that’s a that’s a hope
that I need otherwise it I think it
would just create bitterness and it
would create a grudge that doesn’t
really need to be there so well what
God’s grace did for me God’s grace did
for you and God’s grace can do for
anyone the thing that each of us have to
individually decide to do is take God’s
grace that’s the gift exactly and unwrap
it exactly you know and and so for
everybody who has yet to receive him as
Savior it’s just a matter of taking what
he’s given and unwrapping it to say wow
right and I this is for me and I tell
and it’s it’s the beauty it’s the
Simplicity of the Gospel really because
there’s been so much over complication
of it there’s been so many different you
know bylaws put into place that tell us
processes yes that well you’re saved but
we need to go through this three-step
program and i’ I’ve actually heard
pastors tell me that before well we
believe that you know we don’t want you
to do an altar call tonight because
that’s not really how we believe people
get saved I was like well you know I
truly do believe though that when
somebody calls on the name of Jesus
Christ and believes on him as Savior and
believes that you know he died on the
cross so them raised and three it I mean
I believe that there I mean I hate to
call it a formula but that is you know
the Simplicity of the gospel because you
know we ask what God’s will is all the
time lord if it’s your will Lord if it’s
your will what really his will is that
all should be saved and none should
perish so if that’s really his will why
would he create so many barriers that’s
right you know I don’t believe there’s
all these barriers to the gospel to
Christ uh and I know there’s not because
I’ve experienced it in my own life you
know really the barriers come in the
natural you know the barriers come in
the natural individuals wanting to
qualify or disqualify right exactly yeah
well you’ve got a song entitled do you
know and uh when we come back I want you
to share a little bit about that and
then maybe share some music with us
before we get off the difference today
absolutely you’re watching the
difference with kall and I we’re going
to be back with Nate cheridan when we
[Music]
return I’m so grateful that I chose
differently I’m so happy that I chose
you
I get to see you become the person God
intended you to be I’m grateful for
sanctuary of Hope For Preparing Me for
guiding
me most importantly sanctuary of Hope is
my safe place it’s where I can lay my
baby’s head down and know that God has
his shield of protection over us thank
you heggy Ministry Legacy partners
because of you my baby has a chance
because of you I had the option to
choose life there has never been a
better time to share the love of Christ
with a mother and a child then right now
when you partner with heggy Ministries
your legacy impacts lives and transforms
a nation call today or go to jhm.org
partner tell us about your song do you
know is that what it is yes do you know
I uh got sent this song by a good friend
of mine named Luke neelson uh he’s out
in Canada and he just sent this over
like pitching it to me and my team and
uh over at ampo records and when we
first heard we were’re all just sitting
in the room and we heard the it was just
a verse and Chorus at that point and we
were just just all struck by how much it
resonated with my story because I’ve
just I and I know so many people have
felt this way but I have felt like the
prodal son over and over and when you
listen to this song it’s really uh what
it’s about just not knowing who you are
are not not understanding that God loves
you so much and it’s kind of a cliche
because we say well Jesus loves you but
there’s still so many people out there
that don’t know that that don’t know
that Jesus loves them and it’s a you it
really just brings home the Simplicity
of the Gospel it really just reminds
people that they can come home at any
point that there is you know Redemption
for them right now that Christ loves
them he knows their name he’s in the
details of their life and it’s just
really really encouraging in that way so
for me uh I when I first heard I said
this needs to get finished I want to I
want to do it so well the song is
finished and Nathan is here to give us
an opportunity to hear it I want you
guys to get ready because we’re going to
hear Nathan sing do you
[Music]
know to the way world
and distant
daers and desert
lands and troubl Waters do you
know do you know there’s a way
[Music]
home no matter what it is that hurts
inside you no matter where you been he
will come and find you do you
know he’ll carry you all the way
home do you know he dances at the sound
of your name do you know he longs to
bless you over and over again yeah he is
for you from beginning to end if you’ve
ever wondered if it’s really
true he loves
you
more to all the lonely
dreamers and broken
hearted you’re not
forgotten you’re not discard
hearted every whisper and prayer every
desper you’ve cried he’s B near all
along he’s never left your
side do you know he D is at the sound of
your name do you know he longs to bless
you over and over again he is for you
from beginning beginning to end if
you’ve ever wondered if it’s really
[Music]
true he loves
you yes he
does so don’t wait another
[Music]
me and Come Just As You
Are and lay down no oh your heavy
burdens he’s waiting for
you with open
arm do you know he dances at the sound
of your name do you
know he longs to bless you over and over
again he is for you from beginning to
end if you there wondered if it’s really
true there’s nowhere he won’t go there’s
nothing he won’t
do cuz he loves
you he loves you
[Music]
that was awesome Nathan thank you so
whenever you hear a song and you want to
you know consider it as as part of the
the repertoire your catalog how
important is it that there’s a part of
you in it that that you can say you know
what I can share that story with with
some sincerity I think it it’s might be
the ultimate thing I really do feel in
this day and age it’s not enough anymore
to just if you’re if you’re not
necessarily you know writing the song
about yourself it it it it’s not enough
for it to just be a good song you know
you really have to bring an authent
authenticity to the table uh that cannot
be replicated really it has to be your
story because I think people just see
through it more and more in a day in an
age where there’s so much kind of clout
chasing and there’s so many ways people
are trying to get famous and they’re
doing all these things trying to see
what sticks when really I think what
draws people in is just seeing the real
version of you seeing the real story and
for me uh I I’ve noticed that just every
single time I’m able to put that across
in a song that’s that’s what sticks for
people well and it fits with what the
Bible says that we overcome by the blood
of the lamb and the word of Our
Testimony amen if that’s not part of you
know what you’re sharing then you know
it it’s a great way to encourage people
but you’re not really giving God the
opportunity to tell others if I did that
for Nathan exactly if I can help him I
can help you if I can reach him I can
reach you if I can touch his life and
change it I can touch yours and change
that which I think is something that you
know if I was going to encourage you and
what you do moveing forward don’t ever
lose that you know make sure that the
story you tell I is the great grace that
God has demonstrated in your life
because that’s what he’s going to use to
touch thousands amen Nathan thank you
for being on the program today you so
much it was a buessing you know when it
comes to God’s plan for your life it’s
going to take lots of twists and turns
it’ll take you directions you never
thought that you would ever get to go
some places might end you up overseas
serving in the military learning how to
lead worship other places might be
places you never wished you’d visit but
God can use every one of those steps
Bible says that he takes all things and
he works them together for your good
because we have a purpose in Christ and
that purpose is to shine his light and
his love to others showing them the
difference that he can make thank you
for joining us today we’re so glad that
you’re part of this program