From a listener's perspective, the world of radio
might seem like a place where all you do is listen to music, go to concerts,
and meet superstars. Well...you're right
:)
Earlier this week, Evan Duran and I attended a press
conference with some Toronto area pastors, Christian bookstore owners, and some
media. I guess there were about 30-40
people all together. It was very
intimate. Michael was around to promote
the release of his upcoming worship album called Sovereign. It will feature a studio cd and live
DVD. He took a few minutes to talk about
the album (coming out May 15) and also took some questions from the
audience. One of the guests asked him
about his definition of success. Here is
what he has accomplished in the last 30 years:
A three-time Grammy Award winner, has earned 40 Dove
Awards. Over the course of his career, he has sold more than 13 million albums
and recorded 29 No. 1 Hit songs. He is
an American Music Award recipient; he was also named one of People magazine's
"Most Beautiful People."
Needless to say, I was curious to hear what he had
to say. He reflected on an early point
in his career when he had not yet been signed to a record label. He was tired, dejected, and discouraged. He prayed a prayer that basically said, God,
if you don't want me to do music, I am ready to do something else. It was at that point of surrender when
Michael's career began to change. He and
Kathy Troccoli were the first two artists signed to Reunion Records, and the
rest is history.
Over the past 30 years Michael believes that God has
taught him to view success in a unique way.
Here it is:
1) God's Grace - By definition, grace is the love
and mercy given to us by God because God desires us to have it, not because of
anything we have done. Michael doesn't
know why God picked him to travel the world and sing, but he is grateful for
the opportunity.
2) Humility - James 4:10 says, "Humble
yourselves and He will lift you up."
Michael said he has enough stuff.
He doesn't want anymore. He wants
to give away as much as he can and let God use him as He sees fit. (Side note: Michael said you if you went to
his house it would be tough to find his 40 Dove Awards. Most of them are hidden away in a cabinet).
3) Isaiah 58 - His new calling is to serve the
poor. He has worked with Bono to try to
eradicate AIDS in Africa, he is heavily involved with Compassion International,
and started Rocketown in Nashville, (www.rocketown.com). It is essentially a drop-in centre for
youth. He visits often and knows many of
the regulars by name. He told the story
of one teenage girl whose mom is a drug addict and her father is in jail. Michael's exact words were, "Who is
going to take care of her? You don't
have to go across the pond to find the mission field. It is where you live."
What a great challenge. For a guy who could probably retire and just
play golf everyday for the next 40 years, I was inspired to learn that his work
is not finished. In fact in many ways,
it has just begun.
wonderful!
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