Reunion of Friends

This weekend was a blessing! Some dear old friends and I had a sort of reunion. Back in 1980 all of us were in a Christian rock band together that we called "Malachi" (which means "My Messenger"). Malachi went through four or five transformations, different musicians and singers. I still have a cassette tape (which I hope to transfer to MP3 and share a portion of here) of us doing a song I wrote called "Gotta Light". That song really kicked. It was one of the first songs I ever wrote and my theology was poor. I had Jesus growing up in Jerusalem (not Nazareth), and the Holy Spirit was an "it" not a "Him". But my friends later corrected those lines. Most of us were in high school when we performed as Malachi.

The guys in the photo are (from the left):

Mike - He was a really excellent lead guitarist. When he joined us we became a rock band. Before that we sounded pretty lame usually. He's cut off a little in this picture, but it was his son who took the photo. He's managing an IT department now and still playing guitar when he can get a gig.

Next is me, Chip. I filled various roles in Malachi: really bad lead guitarist, o.k. acoustic guitarist, vocalist and - when we really rocked - I was the drummer.

Next is Billy. He was already out of high school when we played in the band together. Billy was a really good Bass player. He was also the tow truck driver who pulled me out of my first wreck as a 16 or 17 year old. How many tow truck drivers have you had to give you a hug and say a prayer for you? Billy is now a pastor and owns an auto body shop.

Next is Greg. Greg was our Steve Perry - his high tenor soared as well as Mike's lead guitar. He could really belt it out. When I first met Greg in high school he invited me to a Christian concert, gave me a ride, and sat by me as I raised my hand during the alter call. We used to sing and pray together a lot. He's a pastor now, too.

Finally there's Donny (who goes by Don now). When we rocked with "Gotta Light", Don was running sound, cranking us up. Later he played acoustic guitar for the band. I met Don when we were both 14 years old. We stuck together from the eighth grade through high school graduation and then through a year of community college. He's a true friend. He came up for the reunion from Atlanta with his wife and three kids.

We also enjoyed a call from our keyboard player, Lewis (who now goes by his first name, Calix), during our lunch gathering. We passed my cell around and said hello. He's out in L.A. now learning to be a screenwriter.

This get together started when I found Mike on MySpace. We planned to have lunch and catch up. He suggested that I invite Greg. Then I called Billy to see if he could come. When Don heard about it, he grew nostalgic and decided it was worth a six hour drive to be there, too. Great stories, loud laughter, sweet memories...

Thank You, Lord.