The anticipation was building. I could not wait. While at the fair I could hardly eat anything or concentrate on the rides. There was only reason I was at the fair. Petra was in concert. I remember finally having the chance to walk through the crowd and find my seat the first time I would see them live. I nearly tripped over people in front of me because all I could stare at was the stage. Why was this concert so important? I never could understand why, but the style of Rock and Roll music had always been appealing to me. This is ironic because I come from a home where this was not tolerated, at all. In the fourth grade I went to my friend's house down the road. He was playing a Kiss record. Innocently, I liked the sound of the music. I came home and told my older brother I liked Kiss. He, of course told my mom. Mom’s response, “No he doesn’t!” I didn’t like this style of music out of rebellion. I liked the sound, always have. I loved the sound of the crunchy guitar and the hard-hitting drums. The difference now was Petra. My cousin was the first one who introduced me to Petra when I was thirteen. The term used at the time was Christian Rock- Rock music put to Christian lyrics. I instantly became a Petra fan! I borrowed his cassette and played it for my parents. They were very concerned. What made the difference for them was when I played the live album, “Captured in Time and Space.” When they heard the altar call at the end, they understood this was something different. Now I was allowed to listen to Petra. Being a fan of something for me isn’t listening from time to time or enjoying a concert or two. It meant buying every album I could afford to buy and memorizing all songs. It also meant seeing them in concert 16 times throughout high school. In my music class my senior year I did my final report on the history of Petra. They became a MAJOR part of my life. There was something else Petra meant to me. You see, while growing up I was never really accepted. I was uncoordinated and not athletic. I was picked on a lot as a kid. In high school, I wasn’t accepted by my peers both in school and youth group. I will never forget the moment in the eighth grade when someone made a joke about me in front of everyone (a common experience). My youth Pastor laughed along with everyone else. I never really understood why this was the case. Of course, this brought A LOT of insecurity my way. Even as a Pastor, father and husband, insecurity still raises its ugly head at times. (Kinda like whack-a-mole). Just ask my wife. But, it was Petra who was Jesus to me. Here is how God used them:
If you have a ministry of any type, I would challenge you to use these four pillars as the foundation. Accept the outcasts. Be Biblical. Be Bold and use your ministry to teach others how to accept and follow Jesus. I thank God He used Petra to sustain me in my walk. What ministry or person has meant the most to your walk with Christ? Respond in comments below or reply on twitter- @wildman1996 -Wild Man Petra- I Am On The Rock Video
6 Comments
|
Weekly PodcastI am The Wild Man...
I am a... Husband, Father, Christian, Pastor, Pastor Coach, Leader, Preacher, Guitarist, Political Junkie, 80's Christian Rock/Metal Fan I blog about all the above....simply put what interests me... Archives
September 2019
Categories
All
|