“Hey!  Do you have any idea how to get in this place?”  The speaker was a young man, long hair, ragged jeans shorts, and he was yelling into the window of my van.  “No, but hop on in and we’ll see if we can figure it out,” I replied.  I didn’t know him from Adam!  “Hi, I’m Jeff [not his real name].  I’m with Earth, Wind and Fire,” he said extending his hand.  “I’m Les,” I responded, grabbing his hand.  “I’m supposed to play keyboards with Cissy Houston.”  I didn’t dare tell him I had no clue who Earth, Wind and Fire was. 

     We were driving around the Omni Coliseum in Atlanta, Georgia, looking for a way to get in.  I had been contacted by a drummer-friend, G.C. Coleman, who asked me to be part of the back-up band for Cissy Houston.  All I knew about Cissy Houston was that she had recorded the original track of “Midnight Train to Georgia” before Gladys Knight covered it and made it a hit.  I now know that she is a gospel singer, has a sister named Dionne Warwick and a daughter named Whitney.  The headline act was a singer by the name of Jerry Butler.  Cissy was the second bill and the third was a band who had just released their first album, Earth, Wind and Fire.

     We finally found an open gate and drove into the massive basement of the Omni complex with the equipment truck, from which Jeff had disembarked, following.  Eventually, my friend, G.C., and I and the rest of the back-up band managed to hook up with Cissy and her manager and we had a short rehearsal/sound-check.  I had never played in a coliseum before and it was a bit intimidating.  At the same time, it was exhilarating because this was the moment I had worked toward for almost ten years. 

     After rehearsal, G.C. said “C’mon, let’s go get high!”  G.C., the guitar player (whose name I don’t remember) and myself went out to G.C.’s suburban and proceeded to make waste of several “joints” and our collective brains.  From that point on, I remember almost nothing of that night.  I remember sitting on stage behind the B3 organ and that’s about it.  I couldn’t tell you if I played good or bad, how long we played, what songs we played, whether the audience liked us, or even leaving the stage.  This was supposed to be my “night to remember.”  Instead it became my “can’t quite remember!”

     From that point on, my life began a downward spiral.  Drugs, bar bands, more drugs, wife had an affair, more drugs, no money, more drugs, wife had a baby, more drugs, divorce, more drugs, thoughts of suicide.  Then I met Des.

     At first we were friends.  Des listened to my sad tale of infidelity and divorce and we split a couple of “joints.”  Eventually, we fell in love and got married.  Almost immediately we became embroiled in custody battles for my daughter.  We left Georgia and moved to California in the hopes that if we put enough real estate between us and our problems, they would go away.  Guess what?  They followed us.  About 9 months after we moved to California, my ex-wife showed up and kidnapped my daughter off of the street.  Because we did not have California papers, the police did not want to get involved.  The situation was totally out of our control.  Des began praying, “Lord, if you’ll just give her back to us I promise we’ll get back in church.”  You see, to us, God meant church; church meant God.  We now know that God is interested in relationship, not religion. 

     To make a long story somewhat shorter, He did and we did!  At that moment, He knew what it would take for us to turn our hearts to Him.  Over time, He showed me that music was my god.  He also showed me that music could not fulfill me the way that only He could.  I totally gave up music for a period of about 10 years and had no thoughts  of ever picking it back up again.  When it came time for Him to use my musical training and ability for His glory, He spoke a single sentence to me.  He said, “Music is not the ministry; it is the avenue to the ministry.”

     Since that day, music is no longer a means of entertaining.  It is now a way to express my love, adoration, and worship of Him for all that He has done in my life.  He has saved me, healed me, delivered me, protected me, prospered me and placed me in a position of ministry where I have been privileged to see Him do the same thing in hundreds if not thousands, of other’s lives.

     What He has done for me, He will do for you.  No mater who or what your ‘god’ may be, the living, breathing Creator of the Universe desires to fill and fulfill you today.

     He said “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock:  if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”  (Revelation 3:20)

     Won’t you ask him in today?