1974

For me, nostalgia has always been a beast. A big beast of sadness and depression. When I think back on something, nostalgically, I’m usually sad. And, the most interesting part is, I also look back on it through rose colored glasses. There’s a part of me that knows the truth, but my heart seems to remember everything about my past as having been the best time of my life.

And when it comes to nostalgia, there’s nothing that gets me more nostalgic than music. My wife is the same way. In fact, there’s certain music that she won’t allow me to put on her mp3 player because it will remind her too much of home. Amy Grant happens to be one of those artists. And she happens to be the artist that I was listening to today. Furthermore, I was listening to a song of hers called 1974, a song about she and her friends at a time when they were young and on fire for God. The song tells of an ambiguous event that took place in their lives that changed them forever. And, of course, I got to thinking back on those times in my own life, and the people who shared them with me.

When you move around as much as I’ve moved around, you make and leave a lot of friends along the way. As a ten year old, I moved 1200 miles from West Virginia (no jokes please) to Oklahoma. From the age of 18 to 27, I served in five different churches around the State of Oklahoma (don’t do the math, it will just depress you). Then, at the age of 27, my wife and I moved 1200 miles to Pittsburgh to work with The Salvation Army. And then, two and a half years ago, we moved to London to work with the Army here. And I’ve made some amazing friends along the way.

From my classmates in the Christian high school I attended, to the tiny youth group I was a part of, my teen years were surrounded by people who could easily be described by 1974. People who spurred me on, who sharpened me, who challenged me to set my spiritual standards higher. Those people meant the world to me. And still do.

Then came my twenties as I moved from church to church, trying to find a pastor and a group of deacons that I could get along with. I never really did find one (shocker), but I met and befriended people along the way who changed me. People who I admired so much that I took bits and pieces from their character and tried desperately (and am still trying) to emulate them in my own life. You people know who you are, AND YOU SHOULD BE WRITING YOUR OWN BLOGS (rick)!

During this time, two guys came into my life whom I still consider to be my brothers in the ministry. To this day, when people ask me, “if you could assemble any staff to start a church, who would they be?” I always answer with their names. These guys are WAY out of my league and, as I travelled with them, leading camps, retreats, etc. I knew that I was blessed to be teamed up with them. They are men of God and I admire and adore them both. They also happen to be true examples of guys who married way out of their league, but that’s another post. I love you both and I should be reading YOUR blogs, not the other way around.

Then came a group of young people who restored my faith in youth ministry. They made me believe again that, first of all, I still had something to offer and that, second of all, there were young people out there who were interested in more than just themselves. These young people are all at University now and I watch wide eyed at how God is moving in them. (this is a perfect example of looking at something through rose colored glasses because, though most of that paragraph is true, I also came close to committing group murder on many a hot July night…WE CAN ONLY HEAR ONE PERSON AT A TIME!!!) You guys are fearfully and wonderfully made. And God loves you just the way you are. : )

Each of these people, and places, and events, and groups have a song or artist associated with them. But I’m wondering, what yours are? What song takes you back to a specific place, or time or person? Please share as specifically as you’d like.

And in the meantime, I miss all you guys and leave you with the closing words of 1974 as a prayer…

Stay with me.
Make it ever new,
So time will not undo,
As the years go by,
How I need to see
That’s still me.