KCNW, Michael W. Smith, And a Cross of Gold
In a nostalgic mood today and asked my Alexa device to play Michael W. Smith’s “The Big Picture” album. Once that was through I asked her to play his album “Change Your World” – the album that came out just a couple of years after I gave my life to Christ, so it was a big influence on me musically at the time.
I got into Christian radio about that same time, made good friends and lifelong memories, and one of those memories is heading to Michael W. Smith’s concert where he was the headliner and opening for him was this unknown rap/hip-hop group nobody had ever heard of by the name of DCTalk. (I hear they had some success later on with their “Jesus Freak” album though.) I have to say it was quite possibly the best concert I had ever been to, factoring in the musical expertise, the light show, the choreography, the live horn section (whoo hoo!), and even a floating walkway on the stage. They pulled out all the stops. One of the songs from Smitty’s “Change Your World” album that really struck home with me though was “Cross of Gold” (video below).
It was at a time when I was wearing Christian t-shirts, jewelry, the license plate on my car was SING4JC (I was an aspiring singer and songwriter at the time), I had Christian music posters in my bedroom, Christian rock music on cassette tape in my boom box and car stereo, all all the other cliches you might have expected from an on-fire born-again Christian in the early ’90’s.
But hearing this song again today just reinforces the message of “Cross of Gold” for me once again. I don’t wear the religious t-shirts anymore, my cross necklace is in a box on my dresser – rarely pulled out, but I am more open and honest about my faith now than I think I’ve ever been. It’s one thing to wear the identity of a Christian… it’s another to actually live as one. Thank you, MWS for the gentle and melodic reminder this evening.
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