Every guitarists cherishes their first guitar, even if the guitar is an off brand piece of junk that plays and looks like crap. These guitars steal our hearts and most of the time we at least wish we held on to them forever. My story is no different.
The past year has brought on many changes for me. The birth of my first child, stepping down from leading worship at my local church, and managing an ever growing online worship magazine. Throughout all of these changes in my life I have been forced to look at why I am doing all that I am doing. Am I running at the speed of light to bring glory to God or am I just busy for the sake of being busy? Am I supposed to continue leading Worship at my local church? Am I supposed to continue managing this magazine? All valid questions that any new father or mother faces during such a huge transition in their life. For me it came back to one guitar in a small 8’x8′ room and a guitar teacher allowing the Holy Spirit to speak. This is my story. This is what started it all.
I was a sophomore in high school at Central Christian High school in a small town in Northeastern Ohio named Kidron. I was an avid basketball player and since the age of 4 was all that I wanted to do. No one in my family had every played music, nor where they consistent church attenders. During my basketball conditioning I was in the middle of a 2 mile run and I felt a pop in my right knee. It wasn’t terrible and I finished the run and the rest of conditioning that day but the pain continued to increase. After multiple X-Rays, MRIs and tests there were no ligament tears but they found that both of my knee caps were not tracking properly. They were sliding from side to side freely and in a sense dislocating. After supplements, therapy and strength training I came back a few games in the season to try it again. After a few weeks my knees gave out again and I knew I was done. I finished out the season and was only capable of playing a few minutes a game because of the pain. The season ended and more X-Rays, MRIs and tests were run and I was left with only one decision. Walk away from organized basketball. Possibly forever. I was devastated. I remember being angry at God and wondering why all of this was happening.
That summer our youth group went on it’s annual summer camp outing and I became great friends with a fellow high school guy who played guitar and I always looked up to my youth pastor who also played guitar. Still in denial, I was rehabbing and getting ready for the next year of basketball, but God had a different plan. That week at camp the Lord took a-hold of my life and spoke like I have never heard before. He said to my during morning devotions one day, “Stop playing basketball and pick up the guitar.” I was dumbfounded. I never thought of playing guitar. I didn’t want to leave basketball behind but by the power of the Holy Spirit I submitted.
The next year at school I signed up to take private guitar lessons at school, but finding a guitar proved more difficult than I thought. The schools music director Tim Shue gave me an old Silvertone acoustic that had an action the height of the Golden Gate bridge and looked like it game out of an episode of American Pickers. But I was so thankful and excited to get started. There was no case for the guitar so I lugged it back and forth from my locker, to lessons and to my car.
I started lessons with Mr. Dan McCreery who also managed a local music store in a neighboring town. I remember the first lesson quite vividly. I walked in and he asked me what I wanted to learn. Which most teachers do not do. Most teachers have a set curriculum and want to teach you foundations. This guy was different. I believe to this day that this was just another step in the process God had already planned. I had printed a few chord sheets out and handed them to him. They were “God of Wonders”, “Every Move I Make” and “Lord I Lift Your Name on High”. Now, now. Don’t laugh. Those were kind of in at the time!
We quickly got to work learning the different chord formations on that beat up old Silvertone. I was hooked. I practiced every night learning all of the chords to those three songs. That fall I stumbled upon my first Musicians Friend catalog at a friends house. I was like Ralphie on Christmas morning in A Christmas Story. The worship leader at my church had a sunburst Aria guitar and it was gorgeous. At the time all I understood about guitars was that sunburst guitars were pretty and I wanted one. A few months later I saved up enough money to purchase a $189 Samick dreadnought acoustic guitar.
I played that guitar until it literally fell apart. That’s a story for another day. 6 months later I was getting really good at chords and strumming patterns when I became enamored with electric guitar. Everything about it. The amp the guitar. I looked through Musicians Friend catalogs what seemed like every day dreaming of a Les Paul. I remember saving throughout the winter for one and having around $350 saved up when spring hit. I told my guitar teacher that I was looking for a guitar and that I had found one that I liked at a local music store. It was an off brand Eleca Les Paul copy. It was gorgeous. It probably was a really crappy over priced guitar but at the time I had no clue. I arrived around 10am on Saturday morning to play the guitar again and negotiate the price. The manager and I decided on a price and I left to go get my money. Back at the store a half hour later someone was at the checkout purchasing the guitar. I was devastated. I walked out frustrated and defeated.
That Monday morning at my weekly lesson my teacher greeted me with a huge smile. He had an older looking hardshell case laying on the ground beside him and he asked if I was able to get the guitar. I told him the story and he said, “Well that is okay. You will find another one. I brought one of my guitars if you would like to give it a try.” He opened the case and it was like Indiana Jones and the Covenant of the Ark. A bright light hit me when I opened the case. My heart pounding I bent over and picked up the 1980’s Washburn WP-50 (Les Paul Copy). I fell in love immediately. There were a few dings on the body but the neck felt incredible in my hands.
I played the guitar for my entire lesson and then returned it to the case. My teacher gave me my homework for the week then proceeded to ask me how I liked the guitar. I told him that I loved it that it was way better than anything I had played recently. It was in this moment that my life was forever changed. I knew at this time that God had a bigger plan for me than I could have ever imagined. Mr. McCreery handed my the case and said “I am glad you like it because, It’s yours!” I was taken back. I didn’t know what to say. Here was the dialogue that followed.
Me – “No I can’t take this it’s too much.”
Dan – “God told me last week that I was to give you this guitar because you were going to do amazing things with it.”
Me – ” I still can’t take it. It’s just too much.”
Dan – “Aaron you are the only student I have ever had that only wanted to play Worship songs. This is my gift to you.”
Me – ” Well I have to give you something for it.”
Dan – “Okay what do you have?”
Me – “I don’t have any money on me.”
Dan – ” What do you have?”
Me – “A pick.”
Dan – “Okay that will work.”
He took the pick handed it back to me and said. “Okay we traded a pick for a guitar and I am gifting you this pick.” I was blown away. In these short 2-3 minutes I experienced the love of Christ. I experienced grace and generosity in a way that I had never before. I played that guitar for the next couple of years until I graduated. I played at youth group, on Sunday mornings, and anywhere I could. When times got rough and I felt like I was struggling to learn something new I always looked back at that guitar and the words that Dan spoke into me.
Fast forward to graduation. I was playing bass in a band and really wasn’t playing guitar at all anymore. I needed a new bass and recently found out that the Washburn had a problem with the fret board. It was raising up and the fix was going to cost $375. I ended up trading in the guitar for a new bass. It wasn’t until a few years later that I realized my mistake. It turns out that Washburn only produced a few hundred of them before they were sued by Gibson for copyright infringement. I had parted with a guitar that was near impossible to find.
From a sentimental perspective I had to have the guitar back. I set reminders on auction sites, I scoured forums and even offered tons of money to people I found on forums to give up theirs. It was no use. Then in winter of 2013 I get a ding on my iPhone. One popped up for sale on eBay. It was just like mine and even had the same hardshell case with it. I bid up as high as I could go and was still outbid at $800. I was devastated but being a Dave Ramsey fan I was not going to offer what I did not have. I had all but given up when I get an email from the lady who was selling the guitar. The highest bidder backed out and she was offering it to me. I sent payment and the guitar arrived safe and sound a few weeks later.
While this guitar is not the exact one my teacher gave to me and I regret parting with that one, this guitar is still a constant reminder of God’s promises and his plan for my life. A lot has changed in the past few years and while I am no longer on stage playing at church, God has granted me the incredible privilege of managing this magazine and it is my prayer that this article will encourage you in your ministries. We all hit down times as guitarists. Times when we want to walk away. Look to these signs and promises of God in your lives and persevere. The actual events will likely look way different than you can imagine but as I look back on the last few years of my life I see God’s plan being fulfilled in a way that was outside of my understanding and wildest dreams.