When I Hear The Praises Start

I have a confession: I'm a youtuber. I (sometimes Josh too) will think of some obscure clip and of course we don't have it on hand, but there's always the sure answer: youtube.

Approximately three hours ago (yeah, that's how long I've been youtubing) I looked up clips of Bob Dylan live and somehow wound up watching an hour long set of clips documenting the life of Keith Green. I'm really thankful I did! I had forgotten how much that guy and his music meant to me.


Growing up, Keith Green was practically iconic in my home. My parents had a ton of his tapes. I even knew him by name and recognized his face in pictures by the time I was five. That's how important he was to people.


Keith Green was Jesus to me. I can remember the first time I heard and really understood who Jesus was and what He did - it was because of Keith Green. I was in the first or second grade, my mom had his tape playing while she was cleaning. It had some live stuff and in between a set of songs Keith Green just started talking about Jesus. I don't remember what he said exactly, all I know is that my heart understood. It was real to me.


He radiated. Even when he sang, you could feel the depth of his love for God. I find myself wanting to find and see that energy. I've met people that had that same spark - the Holy Spirit. I've had moments when I felt that peace and presence. It's calming and memorable.


I miss having people around like him. He was so in-tune that he created a connection. He definitely wasn't perfect; he had his faults and personality flaws like everybody else. But he was just real. I'm just really thankful for the time he spent here. He was really instrumental in helping people experience Jesus, especially for me.