Barry and I talked over the next few weeks. At one point, he asked if he
could hear me play. I just set the phone down, and simply played on the guitar a few bars of a jazz chord progression. Barry liked what he heard.
Even as a little guy, I’d always loved music. My parents had bought me some children’s songs on 7” 45-rpm records, and I carried them around wherever I would go. During grade school, I sang in the school choir and church choir. When I was six, my mom began to teach me piano. But I really wanted to play the guitar.In 1971 while in high school, I took a summer guitar class. I loved the guitar so much that I played it for hours at a time. A few months later, I gave my heart to Christ. Shortly after that, I had put some songs together, and began to sing with guitar in churches throughout northern California. I loved using my talents to sing about my new found Savior!
On the high school campus, my best friend and I led worship for a group of Christian students. We would even go into the cafeteria, and sing Jesus songs while our classmates ate lunch. We had become such a part of the campus culture that we were asked to sing at our Senior Class Farewell Assembly. So he and I sang before the whole school a gospel song that I had written.
In 1974, I started at a Baptist college in southern California. I got involved in as many music ministry opportunities that I could find on campus and at church. Three years later, a friend introduced me to the Crownsmen, a gospel group on Manna Records. What followed was a busy time of being a full-time student during the week, and playing guitar for 3 to 5 concerts on weekends throughout California.
Eventually, I had felt that it was time for a change. I moved to an oil town in the California desert. It was shortly after the move that I got the call from Barry about playing for Bridge.
Barry asked me what kind of guitar I owned. The electric guitar that I had at the time was an unbranded guitar that was given to me by a small church in northern California. Barry offered to lend me the money to buy a Fender or Gibson guitar, and I could pay him back from my performance revenues. He offered me a plane ticket to Nashville to attend music camp that September. I told him I would pray about it, and get back to him.
I couldn’t have asked for a sweeter deal! I was offered a golden ticket to play for a national touring group. I almost jumped at the chance! But something didn’t feel quite right. So I called Barry, and told him I wasn’t going to Nashville.
After that, I continued to look for ministry opportunities. I bloomed where I was planted, wherever that happened to be, whether overseas or stateside. I played guitar or bass for worship; sang special music; worked the sound-board; led worship from the piano; wrote choral arrangements and orchestrations; recorded rehearsal and accompaniment tracks; whatever the need was, if I could do it, that’s what I did. I was content to simply serve with my gifts.
When I married my wife in 1989, the pastor referenced my calling to music ministry. He spoke of how my bride and I want to work together to bring people to Jesus through music. I’m so grateful to have the support of my spouse in my ministry calling!
As the years went on, I felt that there was more that I could be doing. I wanted to become better at what I do, and to have more impact than I did. But I had become so disconnected from my old music world that I was left to figure it all out myself. I became discouraged, and began to look back at missed opportunities from decades ago. It was an awful feeling to consider that perhaps I had missed my time many years ago.
A couple of years ago, somehow I found it in me to give myself another shot. There was still music inside, and things I could do. Just about that time, I
received an email from Tami Rowbotham at Incubator Creative Group. Her email said that she was looking to add to her roster, and asked if we should talk. I responded, but was honest. I suggested to Tami that perhaps her time might be better spent with an artist who is not so advanced in years. But she was very kind, and said that my time is never “past.”
I kept in touch with Incubator for about a year through prerecorded chats at the Vista Café. We got to know each other pretty well, and developed a relationship. Through the application process, Incubator asked me to be teachable, and to take a ‘ministry first’ approach as I’m faithful with my gifts. I had already seen the need for someone to show me the ropes. And ministry had always been more important than notoriety from Day One. Both Incubator and I agreed it was a great fit, and we signed an Artist and Repertoire Development Agreement.
As I look back at my life, I’m finding that God has been there all along, preparing me for such a time as this. My time has never “come and gone” – my time is now! And I’m excited about what God is going to do now, and in the months and years that are ahead!
