Story by Jon Stalnaker AKA The Studebaker Dude
Last night I watched the Songs of Faith night on American Idol. I know I have written stories about my side work as a Karaoke DJ, but I don’t remember ever writing about the period of time that I spent singing songs of faith in church and in college. As a reminder, I think I need to address my testimony and how and when I made a decision for Christ.
As a youngster, I was invited to church by a friend’s parents, and we typically sat in the back and horsed around. I’ll never forget the Sunday when I was drawn to come forward during an altar call. It was a legit move on my part, even though I didn’t really understand why I did it. I was ushered to the back, prayed over, and given a bible. That was the end of it for more than a decade. I finished school and served my country, came back home, and took some music classes at college. I was singing in several choral groups, mostly Early Music Ensembles and the Stockton Chorale, where we sang with the Stockton Symphony. We sang a lot of songs of faith, but it was Handel’s Messiah that moved me to seriously accept Christ. We sang it in an old Cathedral, and the music overwhelmed me so much that my heart was crying out for a true relationship with God. I started going to church and I went forward once again in the same church. This time I knew what I was doing.
Even though I was a little older than the church teen group, I ended up singing with them as more of a lead singer. The youth paster liked my singing and told me I would be singing during the services next week. I was quick to say, “wait a minute, I don’t even know what to sing”. He told me that God would provide and he wasn’t going to let me back out. God did provide and I became one of the regular soloists at that church. I was also invited to other churches in neighboring communities along with a young pianist that was awesome to work with. I remember his name because you can find it posted at the dock of most big box stores. His name was Will Call.
I was moved deeply with this music. I would tear up and had to struggle sometimes to keep from losing control, but people would come up to me after the services and tell me that it just showed how much I felt the lyrics in my heart; and they liked it. The church also did some big Christmas shows, and I once had the lead role. I was fresh out of college and was very active in the music programs.
During this period of my life, I lost my father. He had a stroke and was not expected to live much longer. His favorite hymn was “The Old Rugged Cross”, and I wanted to sing it for his funeral. Being afraid that I might not be able to finish the song without breaking down, I recorded it. Good thing I did because I was a wreck at that service. Some years later, I came to the same situation with my mother. I had a bit more experience singing and so I sang it live. I sang the song “Mamma’s Eyes” by BJ Thomas. I made it through just fine this time.
Singing songs of faith was an experience that I am so blessed to have done. Watching this episode of American Idol brought me back to those days and my eyes poured out tears from my heart, just like it did when I was singing myself. It’s a powerful phenomenon that verifies without a doubt, that Jesus is real and is living inside me. You can NEVER convince me otherwise. It’s a beautiful thing…
