“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.” (1Corinthians 2:9)
This is a remarkable story that gives account of a monumental feat God performed in Keith's life. Through this miraculous experience, Keith learned, without a doubt, that God was "looking for him". Much like the apostle Paul after his life-changing encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, Keith realized that God is SO big, and His ways are SO great, that words can only BEGIN to describe Him. The events of which you are about to read took place before Keith had become a member of a local church, before he attended bible school classes, and even before he had a real, personal relationship with Jesus Christ. As a matter of fact, you'll see that, at the time of these events, Keith explains his blatant life of sin!
Testimony as shared by D. Keith Shealy (excerpt from Keith's book XII SMOOTH STONES) ...
Just a short time after the experience you're about to read, I wrote the song
Take My Life that was inspired from this testimony. One line of the lyrics says, “Looking back on time, I can plainly see, all of the things You had done for me, even though I was walking far away from You.”
“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commends His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6-8) So, the reason we can enjoy the privilege of knowing God personally is only because — even while we were living in sin — He loved us so much that He sent His only Son to show us! “We love him, because he first loved us.” (1John 4:19)
In 1977, I was on tour with a secular rock band when the Holy Spirit began gently tugging on my heart. Of course, I did not know at the time that it was Him, because it took place before I had learned who He really is. (I thought the Holy Spirit was some mysterious heavenly gas.) Needless to say, my rock-n-roll lifestyle was diametrically opposed to the ways of God.
However, in the eyes of the world it looked like I had it made. I was doing what I was passionate about — playing music and getting the attention and praise of people everywhere we went. As far as I knew, things could not have been better. I always had plenty of money in my pocket as well as an abundant supply of everything else that came along with doing rock concerts. Truth be told, I was having a blast! In fact, it was down-right euphoric for the first few years while I was touring.
Our routine went something like this: Travel to the city where we were scheduled to perform; Check into the hotel; Load our equipment into the venue; Set up the equipment; Do a sound check; Get a bite to eat; Get showered and dressed in our stage clothes; Perform the show; Break down all the equipment and clear the stage; Pack everything up; Load it into the truck; Go back to the hotel; Party until about 5:00 AM with a group of “New Friends” we met during the concert; Sleep for about six hours; Get up; Get dressed and packed; Eat breakfast at lunch time; Check out of the hotel; and Get on the road to travel to the next town where we would do it all over again.
I had been on tour for about four years when I started to sense my affections begin to change for the whole thing. The life that I had been enjoying so much was becoming a drudgery. Instead of looking forward to the next gig, I began seeing it as a “here we go again, only in a different city" thing. I even coined a little phrase: “Same old thing — only the faces have changed!” The realities of road-life were finally starting to wear on me and, instead of getting high for fun, I found myself getting high to break the boredom and the painfully monotonous routine. It was getting older with each passing day. And, while I could tell that something was happening to me, I couldn't put my finger on what it was.
What puzzled me more than anything was how the guys I was traveling with, who had been touring for much longer than I had, seemed perfectly contented, while I was growing increasingly unhappy. I wanted to know why because, from the time I was very young, all I ever really wanted to do in life was to have a career playing music. I was living my dream, yet it didn't feel the way I expected it would. I felt like I was losing everything. I was starting to see the lifestyle for what it really was — a dead end. It was a fruitless and lonely road and I wanted to get out of it.
So, there I was, constantly surrounded by talented people who were attractive and financially well-to-do, and who admired me greatly, yet I felt isolated. I began to skip the nightly “New Friends Party" with increasing regularity and, instead, would go back to my hotel room and watch TV — a thing that I hadn't done much of before that. Shortly thereafter, the band hired a new bass player named Larry Tamazo.
Larry was a quiet guy and one of the most talented musicians I had ever worked with. Larry and I hit it off pretty well and started hanging out together. By this time, I was well into my rather confusing conversion, and Larry noticed that I avoided partying with the rest of the band. You will soon see that it was God who had brought Larry into the picture.
One morning, around 4:00 AM, I was in my hotel bed trying to make sense of everything I was feeling. What was I supposed to do now? Was I supposed to stay with the band, or go back into sales, or what? For the first time, I began thinking back to when I was about eight years old sitting with my Mom and Dad in church. I remembered when I went to the altar and gave my life to Jesus Christ. I especially remembered how great I felt for the whole week afterward. Even though I was only eight at the time, it was the best I had ever felt in my life.
Lying there in that hotel bed, I suddenly knew what I had to do! I had to call out to Jesus! I was overcome with the reality that I needed to confess my sins and repent, just as I had done in church many years before. I slid off of my bed onto the floor, bowed my head, and asked Jesus to forgive me for everything I had ever done that had hurt Him or anyone else. I then said "Amen" and crawled back into bed. I immediately felt a peace and joy unlike any I had experienced since going to the altar as a child.
The next morning, or actually the next afternoon, at breakfast, I couldn't wait to tell Larry what had happened. He sat there and smiled. At that moment, an older waitress walked up to our table, looked straight into my eyes and said, “Son, you are a Christian, aren’t you?!” As simple as that may sound, it was a HUGE confirmation that God was indeed living in my heart. Each night after that, I could not wait to get back to my room to hang out with Jesus!
As the weeks passed, the Holy Spirit was making it increasingly evident that I was not where God wanted me to be. I was feeling like a total stranger to everyone that I had once felt so close to. One day as I was in my room getting ready to do a show, I had an interesting thought, "Since music is what I do best, why not do it for God instead of doing it for the devil? As far as I was concerned, that was a radical, cutting-edge idea, because I thought the church only had gospel quartets and choirs. As much as I disliked the thought of playing that style of music, I hated the thought of not serving God even more. So that night I kneeled beside my bed and prayed, “Lord, if you want me to play in a quartet or church choir, that’s what I’ll pursue.” My making a commitment like that meant that I had truly surrendered my life to God. My music was my Isaac and I was placing it on the altar that day.
After I had prayed, I paused for a moment, and had another crazy idea. I remembered hearing somewhere that God would grant us the desires of our hearts, so I thought, if there was ever a time to go for it ALL, it is now. Why not ask God for my heart’s deepest desire? Why settle for something that's NOT one of my passions? I immediately went back to God and threw in a different prayer request that I, truthfully, thought would be so far-fetched that even God couldn’t provide for it. Being raised listening to and admiring British bands and musicians, I grew up dreaming of, one day, playing in a British rock group. Remember, I thought the only groups a church ever had to offer were gospel quartets and choirs — I was sure of it. So I stepped out on the limb and asked God for the impossible, "Please, God, allow me to tour with a Christian British rock band." Amen.
Two days later, after a show, I went to my room, turned on the TV, and was stunned that the program that came on had a Christian rock band playing. I could NOT believe my eyes! It was a late night Christian concert show called “Larry Leigh’s Concert Ministries.” I sat on the end of the bed and watched the entire show without hardly moving a muscle. I can remember thinking, “Wow, there is a whole world out there that I didn’t know existed!”
As the program was ending, I reached for a piece of paper and a pen to write down the contact information that was on the screen. At 3:00 in the morning, I wrote Larry Leigh a letter explaining much of what I have just shared with you, asking if he knew of any Christian bands who might need an experienced drummer. I put the letter in an envelope, sealed it, put a stamp on it, and took it straight to the mail box at the hotel’s front desk. Incidentally, while on the road, I used my Mother’s mailing address. So I called to tell her that I had sent Larry Leigh a letter and asked if she would keep her eye out for an envelope from him. She said she would call me if anything came in.
Two cities and six days later I got a call from Mom telling me that I had received a letter back from Larry Leigh. She asked if I would like her to read it to me. With great expectation, I said, “Please!”
The letter read, “Dear Keith, thank you for your letter. I do not know of any Christian bands looking for a drummer at this time, but I have enclosed two pages of Christian booking agencies for you to check out. Maybe one of them will help in your search for God’s plan for your life.” My Mother said there were twenty four agencies on the list. I asked her to mail the list to me at the next city where we were scheduled to play. She said she would send it first thing the next morning.
As soon as I received the list of agencies, I knew what I had to do. (I jokingly tell people that my major in college was football and my minor was business.) I drew up my resume, wrote a heartfelt cover letter, and took them both to a quaint little print shop across the street from the hotel. I asked to get thirty copies of my cover letter and resume, and a matching envelope for each set. The clerk told me they would be ready the next day.
When I returned to the print shop the next day, I was greeted by the clerk and a very classy-looking, middle-aged lady. The clerk introduced the nice lady to me and told me that she had read my cover letter and was really blessed by it. At that, the nice lady said, “Keith, the owner of this company and I want you to know that we are not going to charge you for the work that we have done on your resumes. Your consuming desire to serve Jesus Christ has touched us all deeply and we would consider it a privilege to give these packets to you free of charge.”
Wow! I must have thanked them at least twenty times before I said goodbye and headed straight for my hotel room to prepare the packets for mailing.
Once I had finished, I grabbed them, held them up to the heavens, and asked God to receive them, and my life, as my gift to Him. (Isn’t it interesting how I knew to do that without being taught? The Holy Spirit is wonder-full!) I drove to the nearest Post Office, prayed over them once again, and dropped them in the mail box. Each day and night I continually prayed that just one of them would make it into the hands of the right person.
About three weeks later, we were setting up to play in Panama City, Florida, and someone from the front office shouted “Keith, you have an important phone call.” When I got to the phone, it was Mom immediately asking me, “Are you sitting down?” I said, “Yes,” and she read this from a letter from a Christian booking agency located in Nashville, TN, “Keith, I received your letter, was very impressed with your credentials, and would like to talk with you as soon as possible. I think I have something that will be of great interest to you....” Mom gave me the phone number and told me I should call it right away.
The agent who answered my call said, “Keith, what I have to offer you is something that is completely different from anything the Christian music industry has ever had the privilege of experiencing in this country. This is going to be huge! As a matter of fact, what I have for you is an audition to be part of a history-making endeavor.” I asked him, rather reluctantly, “What have you got?” Like Saul’s encounter with Jesus, the agent’s answer would change my life forever. He asked me, “Keith, how would you feel about being the drummer for the first ever British Christian rock band to come to America?”
Needless to say, I was stunned! With one phone call, I had witnessed God do something that I just knew was totally impossible! This was one of those stories that you only read about, but I was standing right in the middle of it, in reality!
A week later, I flew to Nashville to audition for the band. They picked me up at the airport, and we headed straight for a recording studio that was located downtown. The studio that they had rented for the audition had been closed down for several weeks, and consequently the drums were not tuned. In fact, the heads on all of the drums were so loose that they were not playable. We looked everywhere for a drum key or even a pair of pliers to tighten the heads, but could not find anything to tune them with. We then tried to play a couple of songs, but it was fruitless. No matter what I played, it sounded terrible. Feeling a bit dejected, we packed up and headed for a local restaurant.
All I could think of at that point was just how much I wanted to play with those guys, and how it all seemed to be falling apart right before my eyes. Why was this happening? The reason would soon reveal itself.
Over dinner, as we were talking, it was becoming increasingly evident to us that God was knitting our hearts together. Even though the audition did not go well, we were all having a great time together. When we had finished eating and headed for the van, I knew I had to do something, if I was going to salvage my dream.
So I stopped the guys and asked, “Where is your bass player?” They said they were auditioning bass players as well. I said boldly, “Brothers, this whole thing is God, I just know it is!” They asked, “What do you mean?” I went on to tell them about my friend Larry, the bass player, and, with all of the boldness I could muster, I said, “You guys need to come to Florida and hear Larry and I work together as the accomplished rhythm section that we are. I guarantee you will like it!” So, while standing on that sidewalk on that cold night in Nashville, Tennessee, they each looked at one another and said, “You’ve got a deal!”
They came to Florida one week later and sat on the front row for our entire show. I must admit, it was pretty nerve-racking to be up on that stage playing while keeping an eye on these three internationally-known musicians talking back and forth among themselves, obviously critiquing our every move.
After the show, I introduced Larry to them, and we all sat down to hear what our new British friends thought of our performance. My heart felt as if it were going to pound out of my chest! Our
new British friends looked at each other very calmly, asking which one wanted to comment first. At that moment I was sweating more than I had all night, even under the hot stage lights. The first to speak was Norman Barrett, a lead guitarist from Liverpool who had played with several of the British bands that I greatly admired. He leaned across the table and said, “I am speaking for all of us when I say this. As long as we've been playing, none of us has ever heard a better rhythm section in all of England!” He continued, “Keith, if you will take it — and we pray you will — the gig is yours!” I then asked, “Larry too?” They said, “Of course!”We all shook hands, hugged one another, and it was done!
To celebrate, we all met the next day to enjoy the sugar white sand beaches of Panama City, Florida. Afterwards, we ate a late dinner, said our good-bye’s, and they went back to Nashville. The band was called “The Alwyn Wall Band,” a Myrrh (Word) Records group! The entire time I spent touring with those guys was some of the best time of my life.
Since then, I have taken the seven basic guitar chords that Alwyn had taught me, and used them to minister to thousands of people through playing and singing my own music, as well as speaking as the leader of my own bands over the years. I have also had the privilege of serving the body of Christ as a youth pastor, speaker, teacher, author, and in many other capacities.
Why have I told you these things? If God would do all of that for me He will most certainly do it for you! “For there is no respect of persons with God.” (Romans 2:11) Yet remember this: God was free to meet me in such a miraculous way, even though I was living such a sinful life, because as a babe in Christ, I believed Him without reservation.
So, if you have prayed endlessly for something and have yet to see it come to pass, examine your heart and your relationship with God, repent of anything that has separated you from Him (namely, the old flesh nature), and trust in His power and desire to perform all things for you. Selah.
