Motown music echoed down the hall where Bob lived in South Central Los Angeles. He and his friends loved Motown music, including Diana Ross and the Supremes. By the age of 11 Bob’s love of music and singing was cemented and would influence his life forever.

Bob was baptized at the age of 15, but did not know exactly what he was doing. He had little opportunity to learn and understand the Bible, so he went back to being a typical teenager. He lived his life, hung out, and partied with his friends.

Ten years later in 1980, Bob was invited to his first Christian concert at a church. He was not aware of the strides Christian music had made through the years. He had not heard any contemporary Christian music and was surprised to hear how it had progressed. He was also about to take great strides in his relationship with God.

At the church the minister told Bob he wanted to spend time with him. Although hesitant at first, Bob finally agreed to go to a restaurant with the minister and the members of the band who had performed that evening. At the restaurant, a man named Leo said the Lord indicated to him that Bob would rededicate his life that night. Convicted by the Holy Spirit that he did not know Jesus as the others at the table knew him, Bob broke down and gave Jesus his heart. He wanted Jesus to be not just Savior, but also Lord of his life.

Life would never be the same for Bob as he began to grow in a deep relationship with the Lord. He started singing with the band that had performed the evening he gave his life to the Lord.

Bob got married, had children, and began working for Federal Express. Although he loved singing and knew he would always sing, he also needed to pay the bills. His job with Federal Express provided a way to do that. Bob has been working as a courier for 19 years and will retire in June.

As a Christian working for Federal Express, Bob has dealt with his share of challenges. He encounters workers with many different types of faith and belief systems. He must be careful not to make his faith conversations confrontational. Following the release of his current CD, Bob asked if he could put up flyers at work. The company said no. Recently Bob was asked to sing at a prayer rally at the state capitol in Sacramento, California. His excitement quickly turned to disappointment when he was not permitted to take the day off from work to attend the event. Although Bob has made many concessions to his music career while working at Federal Express, he also has had many opportunities to share his faith.

In addition to living out his faith on a daily basis in front of his peers, Bob has opened up his home to the drivers he has worked with. Over the last eight years he has invited his coworkers to his home on Saturday morning to learn about his faith in Christ and to answer their questions. Over the years several of his coworkers have become Christians or renewed their commitment to Christ. Many of the men who entered his home were single and he has enjoyed watching them get involved in church and find Christian wives. Bob is grateful that God has been able to use him to share his faith in the workplace.

Bob continues to perform as opportunities arise. Because he is retiring soon, he looks forward to singing for the Lord full-time. Currently Bob is the worship leader at his church and facilitates Sunday morning worship. His wife Kathy is the director of music at the church. In addition to ministering to people through music, Bob and Kathy also work with people who are dealing with divorce. Bob and Kathy originally met long ago while singing in the band wth whom Bob rededicated his life to the Lord. They fell in love, but chose not to get married. Because of their racial difference, they were not prepared to deal with the challenges that came with that issue.

After going through divorces themselves, they got back in touch with each other. They have now been married nine years and are dedicated to using their musical talents for the Lord. |L

OTHER COLUMNS:
June 15, 2008 - A time saver who knows the soul saver
May 18, 2008 - Working by faith 24/7
March 23, 2008 - Be One Sportswear
February 24, 2008 - Fighting for the faith
January 27, 2008 - Healing for the Healer
December 30, 2007 - Parenting faithfully
December 2, 2007 - Building physical and spiritual strength
November 4, 2007 - Taking Christ into the classroom
October 7, 2007 - Changing lives through music
August 12, 2007 - Strategies for business and life
June 17, 2007 - Finding fulfilling work
May 20, 2007 - Faithful to his calling
April 22, 2007 - An unstoppable witness
March 25, 2007 - The perfect plan
February 25, 2007 - Teaching with faith
January 28, 2007 - Changing a community—one event at a time
December 24, 2006 - Business by the book
November 26, 2006 - Growing through life’s storms
October 29, 2006 - Giving God his best