Touch Heaven Everyday          

I can remember sitting in my room of the fraternity at UCLA as a college freshman.  I was a new Christian.  I was reading the Bible and it was like someone was sitting there talking to me.  Up until then, my ‘story’ consisted of loving sports, playing guitar and being a good student so I could eventually get a good job.  Then I became part of God’s story.  The adventure was just beginning and it was exciting. 

I grew up playing the guitar as recreation.  Then it became truly re-creational.  The creative Holy Spirit was renewing me through the creative act of making music.  It was like going from black and white to full-color with surround-sound.  A fourth dimension opened up.  As I kid, I only wanted to play guitar.  I wasn’t interested in singing.   Then music became a vehicle for expressing adoration and being with a Person.  I finally had a reason to sing.  I was singing to a person.  Through the gift of music, the Holy Spirit opened the eyes of my heart to see Jesus (John 15:26). The worship-life is all about knowing a Person. 

My wife Linda describes her conversion: “Meeting Jesus was like coming to life; I was dead then I was alive; I was totally blind and not aware of being blind and suddenly I could see.  Like a baby being born, moving from one world into another.  I love singing about this transformation.” 

In a sense, every time we worship God, we are re-living our conversion experience.  We don’t always have a great epiphany, but when we reach for God’s kingdom that is near us, we touch heaven.  For this reason, I try to worship through music at least a little bit everyday.  I often don’t feel like doing it, but when I worship, I am always refreshed, even if only gently.  I need to touch heaven everyday.

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