Without question the most moving experience in this life has to be ones first encounter with the Spirit of the living God. Sometimes this comes with a call to service – preacher, pastor or evangelist perhaps. For others, as was my case, it can have a more interior focus.

It was 1971 and I had just turned twenty. I had a beat up old guitar that I hadn’t looked at in years, yet for some reason I picked it up and began to play, not only to play, but urged from some place deep within, began to sing and praise the Lord. A little embarrassed about what was happening to me I would go out on the bank overlooking the railroad tracks in back of our house and pour out my heart to God.

My experience of Church music up until this point consisted of pipe organs and dusty old hymnals. This was something different. My friend Steven was involved with a group of bare foot long haired hippy freaks who had discovered Jesus. They got together Saturday evenings at a meeting they called “Celebration.” He invited me along. 

They were neither sophisticated nor trained in doctrine. In fact they were outcasts in the local religious community. The formal church sent them away telling them to not come back until they got haircuts and shirts and ties. Yet the Spirit of God was with them. More importantly to me their music clearly flowed from the same source that I was drawing from in my own private worship.

So I kept coming back and it wasn’t long until I identified myself as a member of the community. My faith grew as did my experience with and understanding of worship. I complied a song book. The guitar died and was replaced by an autoharp. We acquired a building and it had an area reserved for dancing in the spirit. I admit that sometimes I was found among those who, as David did, “danced before the Lord.” (2 Samuel 6:14)

Sometimes got to lead music. This was way before worship leaders and praise bands were invented. Nothing was rehearsed. Everything flowed out of your own intimate times with the Lord. You stood up in front of everybody with your instrument and worship began to happen. It wasn’t uncommon to spend 45 minutes to an hour in praise and/or worship. When everyone was full and the Spirit indicated that he was finished we all sat down and the word was opened.

I recently came across the autoharp in the closet. On a whim I took it out and ran my finger along the strings. Something long forgotten inside stirred. I had been looking at my life as mostly over, yet I had not counted on this one thing from God that had lain hidden in the background for years. Now I am rediscovering it as I did when I was twenty, only now there is a lifetime of experience and contemplation on the things of the Lord to more fully inform what is coming forth.

To tell the truth it would be most comfortable for me to keep this all to myself, yet I know that the good things that come from God are never meant exclusively for one individual. I am not a professional in the worship arena, but I have a box fully of CD’s that often bring me to tears. I share these with you hoping you will find them helpful along the journey. May they serve as an opening of of a door to deeper relationship with the Lord of the universe. He is waiting for you beyond the cares of the day.