Marcus Redding Sings

David Redding was sitting on a bench in the foyer. He looked at the time on his cell phone. 8:15! Sunday evening services were over at 7:00, but there were still three or four groups of people talking in the foyer. It didn’t bother David at all. He remembered Acts 2:44, “All who believed were together…”

Marcus and Lauren were talking with Armando and Terry Lilly. They had a lot in common, both young couples that really wanted to do God’s will. David was glad his son had friends in the church. He’d seen it over and over again. Kids who grew up in the church but didn’t form any real close friendships with other Christians…they fell away when they went to college and had trouble getting back.

Armando had to get up early for work so they said goodbye. Marcus told his dad and mom that he didn’t bring his guitar, but if they still wanted to hear his song they could come by the apartment and have a bite to eat, only he and Lauren would have to stop by the store and pick up a few groceries first. David said that was fine, he’d have to stay a while to lock up anyway, meet them at the apartment in a little while.

Lauren picked up milk and eggs and paper towels. Marcus got a frozen pizza (supreme) to share with his folks. As they drove back to the apartment Lauren turned and looked at her husband, “You still haven’t let me hear this song of yours, Mr. Shy Artist.” “More like Mr. Wannabe Artist,” he replied. “There hasn’t been anything to hear. It’s a work in progress.” Lauren looked back out the window, “You don’t give yourself enough credit.”

Marcus liked to play the guitar and he liked to sing, but he was always a little embarrassed about it. He knew music. Tunes just came to him. But he struggled with lyrics and he was hesitant to let people hear him sing, even his mom and dad, even Lauren. He was always worried his songs would sounds silly, too poetic, overdone.

But his dad knew all that and wanted to encourage Marcus to work on songwriting, a positive way to spend his time. It would be easier to fall back into his old ways if he wasn’t busy doing good things.

“Let’s hear it buddy.” His dad sat on the couch across from Marcus who sat on the floor with his guitar. “Okay, but don’t laugh.” First he played the chord progression without singing. Then he went through the tune again, this time picking out the individual notes, still without singing. Lauren sliced up the pizza and handed it to Marcus’s parents on paper plates. “He’s good, isn’t he?...there’s tea on the kitchen counter,” she spoke quietly so as not to interrupt Marcus.

When he finished playing through the second time, he said “Cirrus Highway,” and sang these lyrics:

Little brick house, big backyard, “Come on dad, let’s go outside”
Gray clouds roll in, starts to rain, they run and hide
Sun breaks through, the clouds burn off, “let’s go play”
They toss the ball back and forth, underneath the cirrus highway

Chorus:

Horizons dissolve/distress disappears
Cruising along the cirrus highway
Gravity’s gone/no more fears
Riding high on a cirrus highway

Another house, big gray bars, no place to play
Clouds roll in, thunder rolls, storms today
It’s dark and getting darker, no light, no day
Can’t see through to the cirrus highway

Number 203 on the door, coffee steaming in my cup
She walks in, let’s go outside, before the sun comes up
It’s bright and getting brighter, look to the west
Thin clouds on high, on high, cirrus highway at its best

He strummed the last chord and the room went quiet. A small round of applause. Lauren asked him, “Where did you get the idea for those lyrics?”

Marcus said, “1 Thessalonians 4:17.”

More about Marcus Redding’s journey of faith next week.