Sharing my calling

Yesterday, I was invited to Point Loma Nazarene University here in SD to play and speak about my "life journey" to a meeting of 50 music majors and faculty members. I often find myself in situations like this (last month I had the opportunity to speak and play at Pepperdine), although I have no idea what qualifies me to speak to a bunch of very impressionable college students and was pretty nervous about the whole thing beforehand.

So I played a few pieces (Verano Porteno by Piazzolla and Elegy by Mertz) and then began to speak. Basically, how did I find myself as a free-lance classical guitarist living in Southern CA? There was a very pivotal moment for me in which I decided to become a musician. It was in 2003 when I went to the Crescendo annual conference in Basel, Switzerland. With the encouragement of some CCC staff, I flew to Basel by myself in the middle of midterms during the fall semester of my senior year in college. (Crescendo is a network for Christian classical musicians that has had a lot to do with my development as a musician and a person.) At the conference, the speaker shared this verse from Song of Songs: "My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places of the mountainside, show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely." (2:14)

Upon hearing this verse and the accompanying message, I knew that there was something that God delighted in in my playing and in my struggle to use my talent- something in which only I could bring to him. I had a voice on my instrument that was special and important to Him, which could bring beauty and truth to his ears and to those around me. I felt a strange sense of peace as I realized that this was a sort of "calling" for my life- to make the most of the talent given to me and to give glory to the Creator in the process. I shared this with the class and then closed by playing a few of my arrangements of "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord," followed by "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" and a beautiful arrangement of "Day by Day" by Oscar Ahnfelt, which will forever remain an old friend in my repertoire.

Well, I'm paraphrasing all this here, but the reaction of the class was pretty overwhelming. A few people were in tears, including a piano professor from the school who came up to me and told me that my playing was somehow "anointed" and that she could sense that it was an act of worship from start to finish. One girl said that she loved my playing, but loved even more that she could sense my spiritual journey in the way that I played. A few asked if I had a CD. Others asked questions about grad school, about living in New York, about their various struggles as musicians. As I walked back to my car later, admiring the ocean view of the campus, I couldn't help thinking- Wow, what just happened? It was all God, that's for sure. I hope there will be many other opportunities to be a mentor and blessing to music students in the area.