“Every song has a story and, every story…a song.”
He Touched Me
“Oh yes He touched me, with His heart and hands. He touched me and now I think I understand that to live, I must die…”
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He Touched Me
In 1974 I went on a four day Men’s Retreat called Cursillo. It was an extraordinary experience that profoundly changed my life. I left feeling called by God to be an Apostle and to “bloom where I’m planted.” It was the beginning of my music ministry; songwriting, youth & young adult ministries, retreat work, conventions, and the list goes on.
It was also the beginning of a deep interest in Theology and Psychology and how the two are woven into the fabric of our being. I sought out many authors, speakers, and teachers but one resonated in me right away and I ended up reading and listening to everything he produced. His name was Fr John Powell, SJ.
Theology and Psychology, in the eyes of the Church, can be at odds with one another. The simple question becomes do I believe in an unconditionally loving God or is my psyche feeding me what I want to hear.
The first book of Fr Powell’s I read was called “He Touched Me.” It is a simple little paperback that reflects on the various ways God interacts with us each day in every way. His storytelling amplified his messages and his references to Scripture made for a whole new world of insight and reflection.
One Saturday afternoon, having just finished reading “He Touched Me” I went out to mow the lawn. I thought of the book, the suggestion that God is touching us at every moment and it is for us to recognize it. I asked myself, “Is the God of all creation reaching out to touch me as I mowed the lawn?”
I actually heard the answer as being, “yes.” During my 35 – 40 minutes of mowing the lawn my song “He Touched Me” sang in my head; fragments at a time depending on how tricky the lawn work was. But once I was finished; I went in and sat with my guitar and “He Touched Me” was finished later that day.
Was that God singing to me as I mowed the lawn? Was my own psyche regurgitating what I had read and the questions I was asking? Was I imagining that God was speaking to me and that, especially in the little things of life; He Touched Me?
To be honest; I really didn’t care? I was thrilled to have written a song that reflected what I was wrestling with.
What do you think?