“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. (John 6:44 NIV)
One of my favorite church hymns comes from this passage--I Am the Bread of Life! Reading this verse takes me back to the first time I realized what that song meant. God opens people to Jesus. He first opened my heart to Jesus as a young boy--most memorable to me was when I was about ten. I had begun playing the guitar about seven or eight months earlier when our pastor visited the house to see about baptizing my youngest brother. As we talked, I remember telling him, possibly speaking out of turn, that I wanted to join the folk group and play music at Mass. Shortly after that, I remember meeting the group's director and strumming a few chords for her. She invited me to play, and I did that for 28 years! If we measure our lives in milestones, I mark much of mine against the backdrop of this ministry, which I was fortunate enough to bring to many parishes through the years.
But the music was never the point. Praise was always the point. Helping others worship more deeply was the point. What a gift this was to me, a happy unblemished gift--being called as a boy to be in my father's house!
Today, I will reach back and try to remember a few more of my first experiences with the Lord.
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