My Father Gave Me Life and My Favorite Hobby

I don’t have very many hobbies or things that I absolutely love to do for fun.

I do enjoy a video game, but I can’t say that it is something that I would miss if I didn’t have a gaming system. It’s just something I use to decompress.

I used to decompress in healthier ways. My favorite hobbies that I used to decompress were drumming and lifting weights.

For years I would play music on Sundays, Wednesdays, and on random days that my friends wanted to practice. I have pulled all nighters playing music at our local church with friends from the youth group.

I was introduced to drumming by my father, who is a drummer, but didn’t really play until I was a teenager. He put the sticks in my hands for the first time and he and I would eventually play worship music at Westbrook Christian Church. He would play music with the adults, and I would be a part of the church’s first youth worship band.

The cool thing is that a few of us eventually grew up and toured with bands.

To be honest, I never had a strong desire to tour, but I loved drumming. I would go on to drum during my few years at Saint Louis Christian College, going on short tours around Illinois and Missouri.

Eventually I stumbled upon Christian Rock festivals in the midwest. I ran into a group of Australian missionaries called JaeL.

I had a pretty cool opportunity to try out for the band.. Made the band and left the midwest to go to Florida.

I toured with those guys and gals for a few years. It became a job for me… We didn’t make a ton of money but I had some great experiences.

I looked it up and it has been about 14 years since I last played music with that group, and about eight years since I have played with a band of any sort.

A few weeks ago I was able to play a couple of worship songs with the McKenney’s and Isaac Helms. The couple of practices and the actual performance brought back memories… I guess it was sort of like riding a bike.

I have memories of blood, sweat, tears, and sickness behind the drum set, and in that moment at the 2024 MHS Baccalaureate, I was reminded of the countless hours of drumming that I have done during my lifetime.

I still remember my father grinning at my brothers and myself when he would call us up to watch him play the drums.

The most recent time was when we visited him and my stepmother at their house. He had the same grin on his face I saw as a child as he was playing on his new drumset in front of my sons and I a year or so ago.

My dad put drumsticks in my hands and thanks to his love of the craft, I was able to see and do some amazing things. My only regret was not finishing college first… But things still turned out well.

I found a video the other day that my father took of my old band, and shared it. I still remember seeing the pride in his smile as I got to perform in front of my hometown at my old church.

Since that video was posted my band has been talking about a reunion. I am ashamed to say that I am not in shape, like I was in 2010… But I am working on it.