Thank you, Randy Matthews

Thank you for playing that concert at the Jesus House all those 28 years ago on July 7th. You were a big headliner for us and it was super-exciting to have you there.

Thank you for singing what you sang. I don't even remember what it was, but I know that it somehow played a part in the course of events that night.

Thank you for saying what you said at the end. You said Satan wanted us to believe we had more time than we did. You counted backwards from ten. My heart was pounding like a bongo in my chest.

Thank you for pushing the issue. You surprised us all by stopping the countdown at two. I hadn't had time to stand. You made your point. I ran to my dad, in tears. He asked me why I'd wanted to stand.

Thank you for being available to the Holy Spirit. Thank you for being the catalyst that brought me to a decision to follow Jesus. I was baptized after your concert that night. I was almost 10 years old. I had no idea what I was in for. I had no idea He would never let me go, even when I thought He should.

Thank you, Randy Matthews, wherever you are. Thank you for going ahead of me on this journey and knowing that it was worth it. Thank you for being part of the most important night of my entire life. I can't wait to hang out with you in heaven.

Turns out a decision you make when you're not quite 10 years old can really stick. Turns out that even though there is a boatload of stuff about life that you don't know yet when you're 10, it doesn't really matter. All you really need to know is that you need a Savior, and that there's only One.

And Randy Matthews might say you don't have as much time to decide as you'd like to think.

Ten, nine, eight . . . .