"He's in for a pleasant surprise.
I was a rock guitar slinger since the late '60's, but for the last eight years or so, have played strictly in evangelical churches' praise and worship teams.
It is then......and ONLY then.......that you come to realize exactly why the Good Lord gave you the musical gifting that you have. I get to use almost every lick I used in rock and blues, but the purpose and the aim of the music is SO different.
I could never, ever go back to playing clubs, bars, dances, whatever. Never. I've experienced way too much playing that Les Paul Custom for God's purposes to ever go back."
Amen to that...my church's worship leader just sent me this:
You guys are too nice.... you know, and I'm just now learning this myself.... I know, and ya'll know, that it is all God... God gives us the talent to play these things.... but, I've come to accept, or understand that, for the last 30 or so years of my music life, God was preparing me for what still is to come.. and the last 8 years of my life has just been another stepping stone to get there... I don't know how to describe the feeling of walking down a venue hall backstage. the lights a down low, you can hear the crowd's anticipation as they know you are about to take the stage. You climb the stairs in the back of the stage, you faithful guitar tech hands you your instrument. As you walk out to your position and the crowd starts to rev up, "The Feeling" hits you and you're ready for that first down beat. One follow spot lights up, and at the front of the stage a man you are all too familiar with walks up to the Mic and says "Ladies and Gentlemen, the guitar army, The Outlaws" the lights snap on and the place is flooded with colors, the crowd erupts into a roar, and the drummer clicks off the time, and you explode into the first song. You look out into the crowd and 50,000 people are standing to their feet, like robots, each one bobs their heads in time with the wall of sound coming at them. "The Feeling" hits you again and you know you are in control......
What's my point, "The Feeling" ain't
CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
compared to taking the stage with you guys and SERVING GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and that's the truth...
You were in The Outlaws?
I was about to say something like "how cool" but I realized that completely went against the spirit of your post. :) So instead I'll say
You've been serving Christ musically for 8 years - wow, that's awesome. May God continually bless your efforts. Speaking of "what still is to come," have you ever thought about how music will be in heaven? I can't wait to see the amazing talent here perform in their richest capacity there. I can't even imagine.