Personal Music History

Music is a major part of my life. It has been so ever since I was a little kid sitting on the floor with my ear to the console stereo speaker cover, listening to the Sound of Music soundtrack on real vinyl. I was thinking about different music milestones, some of which were boulder size, some pebble, but all having some level of meaning in my music life...

*singing solos in church when I was 5, complete with leg braces
*piano lessons starting in second grade, complete with a crush on my piano teacher at age 9
*first album ever purchased...Lynn Anderson
*first rock album ever purchased...Deep Purple, Machine Head
*started teaching self guitar
*first 8-track purchased....The Grass Roots, Greatest Hits
*first (and still) favorite group - The Eagles
*joined first garage band playing bass
*ripped thumb open bleeding all over the place while jamming on Free Bird - the next day started learning to play using fingers LOL
*quit concert choir at Garfield High School
*bought my Yamaha G100B212 combo guitar amp and 15" bass speaker cabinet
*actually made some money for college playing in a group for 3 years
*helped a guitarist friend make a successful demo tape for admission into East Carolina University School of Music
*other stuff happened, actually ended up dropping out of music for a while-sold guitars for seminary money, but kept the amp stuff :-)
*saw various concerts of pioneers in contemporary Christian music...Amy Grant, MW Smith, Dallas Holm and Praise, Don Francisco, Sandi Patti (sp)
*started playing again
*blah blah blah more stuff blah blah blah.....

Now am involved in music in three environments...play Bass in Worship Band for Lifepoint Church, play acoustic guitar with an acoustic country/bluegrass gospel group, play keyboard with a country gospel group.

Lesson learned as I look back on all this and more...God can use all kinds of non-Christian influences to help bring us to Him in a more real, personal way. He can use all kinds of talents, interests, hobbies and abilities that we have to help us draw people to Him when we turn, or REturn to Him. As you look back, what are you allowing God to use out of your talents, interests, hobbies and abilities? Or, in other words, are you being a good steward of what was His to begin with?

Later...and be careful out there.