After 15 Years of Trials, Former Marine and Minister Marks One Year of Music Ministry Born from Two Words: 'Yes, Lord.'

After 15 years of trials, minister Curt Brickley reflects on the surrender that launched a global music ministry reaching listeners in over 100+ countries.

RUSSELLVILLE, AR, UNITED STATES, July 12, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- After 15 Years of Trials, Former Marine and Minister Marks One Year of Music Ministry Born from Two Words: "Yes, Lord."

Fifteen years in the wilderness changed everything.

What began as a season of testing became more than a decade marked by four heart attacks, nine heart procedures, a right frontal lobe brain hemorrhage, chronic kidney disease, divorce, separation from his children, and an unexpected medical retirement. One trial after another stripped away the life Curt Brickley thought he would continue living.

Looking back, Brickley doesn't see fifteen years of punishment. He sees fifteen years of preparation filled with opportunities to witness in unlikely places.
"I gave the Lord my ‘death’ when I was 14-years old," Brickley says, "but ever since then, I’ve been surrendering my ‘life’, one piece, one decision, one moment at a time. And it’s funny how we can use unexpected trials as justification for acceptable sins”.

One year ago, God sat him down, and gave him an ultimatum, “choose”! “If you want to serve me, I need you to let “that” go. Choose!”
He wasn't asking for another ministry, another accomplishment, or another plan.

"He simply wanted my obedience; He wanted access to a room in my heart where an off-limits, no-entry sign hung on the door."
There wasn't much left to say except...
"Yes, Lord."

That single prayer marked the beginning of something Brickley never imagined.

Just days later, he sat down with one of his old devotionals and attempted—once again—to turn it into a song. For years he had tried unsuccessfully. This time, the words came effortlessly. That first song became Coming Back Is Sweet. Then another followed. Then another.

For the next two weeks, Brickley wrote twelve to fourteen hours a day as more than forty years of Scripture, ministry, missions, suffering, victories, repentance, grace, hope, and God's faithfulness poured into song after song. He wasn't chasing inspiration. He was simply trying to keep up with what God was doing.
One year later, that unexpected act of surrender has grown into Music with a Mission—a discipleship-centered ministry using original Christian country music, devotionals, Bible studies, and gospel-centered resources to point people to Jesus Christ around the world.

During its first year, God has already done far more than Brickley ever imagined.

• More than 50 original songs written and released.
• More than 50 songs now featured on CurtBrickley.com, many accompanied by in-depth devotionals and "Story Behind the Song" Bible studies.
• More than 250,000 streams across SoundCloud, Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and other digital platforms.
• Listeners in more than 100 countries hearing the Gospel through music.
• A rapidly growing online ministry community reaching thousands through social media, video, and biblical teaching.

Yet Brickley is quick to point away from the numbers.

"The streams aren't the mission. The followers aren't the mission. The songs aren't even the mission. Every number represents a person—someone searching for hope, someone opening God's Word, someone hearing the Gospel, or someone taking another step toward Christ and letting God into those keep-out rooms inside each’s heart. That's why this ministry exists."

Over the past year, listeners from all over the world have embraced the music. Many have responded not simply to the music, but to its biblical message. One listener wrote, "Your music makes me cry because it's real." Another simply said, "Your music soothes my soul. It draws me closer to Jesus". For Brickley, those responses affirm that the mission has never been entertainment—it has always been discipleship.

Unlike many independent artists, Brickley's ministry extends well beyond the music itself. Through CurtBrickley.com, listeners are invited to explore the biblical foundation behind each song through devotionals, Scripture studies, personal testimonies, and reflections designed to encourage spiritual growth and equip believers to walk more faithfully with Christ.

"I don't think of myself as being in the music business," Brickley says. "God called me into ministry decades ago. Music just happens to be the vehicle He’s now chosen for me. If these songs entertain someone for a few minutes, that's fine, but entertainment has never been the goal. My prayer is that every song points the listener to Jesus Christ, encourages people to open God's Word, and helps make disciples. The music is simply the messenger."

Looking back, Brickley believes the greatest miracle wasn't paradoxical creativity from brain damage and the ability to write songs.

It was learning, like Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, Mary, Peter, and Paul, that God never calls His people to accomplish His work in their own strength. He calls them to surrender. The same God who calls also gives His Spirit to dwell within us, empowering us to accomplish what He has already prepared for us to do. He comes to live in us, to enable us, to do everything He asks of us.

It begins with surrender.

It begins with your "Yes, Lord."

Curtis Brickley
Music with a Mission
+1 406-531-3945
email us here
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Curt Brickley Who Are You? Who Are You is a song about identity, trauma, shame, grace, and the question every soul eventually has to answer.

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