Mark's Testimony

Let me touch up on what I have learned from Pastor Bob Beeman's teaching today and what God has done in my life. We all say "Could've, Would've, Should've". Even myself up til recently. Back in 1983, I gave my life to the Lord and accepted Jesus as my savior and started my journey of being shaped and molded into what I am today and am still learning day by day new lessons. New life events happen every second of our walk and we do become challenged and motivated and encouraged and discouraged, ETC... The list is endless. In May of 1985, I started my band Amethyst. I was only 19 years old and still extremely wet behind the ears as a Christian and even as a musician. I saw all of the big Christian Metal bands doing things. Bands like Stryper, Barren Cross, Saint, Shout, Bloodgood, Saint, Rez Band, Petra, Holy Soldier, Deliverance, Tourniquet, Sacred Warrior, ETC... That list can go on a very long time... Any way, I saw all of them and they even influenced our music as well and motivated us to do what we were doing, yet as a younger kid I wanted to get signed on any record label back then. I believe that hindered me and my true focus! In Mark 16:15 The Word tells us to "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature"... I took my eyes way off of that. I let trying to get signed and become big burden my true calling to simply preach God's word. We went on for 11 years and around 1996, without even realizing it, I just sorta gave up. I didn't really see it. I stopped writing new songs, I stopped playing my guitar, I stopped singing. I still walked my walk, but my calling to preach just kinda was placed on a shelf and I just lived life each day.

 

Almost 30 years after the birth of "Amethyst" at age 48, I sit around wondering what to do. I am older, weaker and doing absolutely nothing to spread God's Word. I am still reading, praying, learning and doing whatever it is I need to fulfill my growing into a Man of God, but I am not being a witness or an example to others. Wow, I backslid and didn't know it? Yupp that's it I became Complaciant with myself! Well a couple years back and 3 marriages into my life, I made contact with my bassist and I have been hanging out with my guitarist from the original foundation of our ministry. We have been working on a new CD with a very strong message of salvation. At 47 years old I realized, I aint getting any younger!!! And the Word of God never stopped saying "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature"... Over the years they never removed that scripture, or any of the others either. So the plan to preach and spread God's word is still very much in his scriptures!

 

Now as far as the "getting signed" thing... Never happened. But, I realized that all the big bands like Stryper, Bloodgood, Living Sacrifice, Etc... Are out there doing what they're called to be doing, which is what I am supposed to be doing as well. But I stopped because I let "MYSELF" get in the way. There are millions, even billions of people that need to hear God's Word. Those big bands can reach quite a few of those people. Now what about the other hundred or thousand or even millions of folks that their music doesn't reach? What about people right here in my city and surrounding states and cities they may not get to hit on tour, or that their records don't get bought... What about them? I can be writing, playing and singing this great and awesome gospel of Christ to all of those people and encouraging the youth that I hang with here to go and do the same and I could be fighting the enemy right here without a recording contract!

 

Isaiah 40:8 says "The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever". There's yet another scripture that is still in my bible after all these years of silence... Amazing how that works! So if I get signed, Praise God, If I don't get signed, Praise God! I am not getting younger. I am a little bit weaker and can physically not do as many energetic things as I did back in 1985 or even 1996. But I am still alive! I wake up each day and am still breathing! My heart is still ticking. So while I have this life and this energy and I am still able to, I will still go on and do what I do best and use this gift and this talent that was given to me to "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature"! I still have "Spiritual Energy"! I may be weak in the physical, but I can get my workout and exersize in spiritually and be a spiritual "Arnold Schwarzenegger"!

 

Not only am I working on the new Amethyst CD, but I am working on 2 solo projects. A CD compiled of love songs for my bride to be and a Worship CD tentatively to be titled "Seasons Change". The latest amethyst recordings titled  "Back From The Dead" will be done and ready to release. I will make it available to as many people as I possibly can so those people can hear God's Word and be saved or simply encouraged. There are messages of salvation for the unsaved, messages of encouragement for the saved, messages of what life has taught me for everybody... I hope it's a blessing to every ear it falls upon and I hope it encourages everybody. Please keep me in prayer as I continue doing a great work for an awesome God! And keep the band in your prayers as well to continue focusing on the true calling and not getting steered off in any other direction!

 

GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

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