Tag Team OA
Some background on this one: Dan is the music director at this church and Omar plays on the worship team with him.
I have an OA that I got to be a part of. Omar (one of the drummers at our church and the drummer for Paul Revere and the Raiders for 30 years) had noticed a man he recognized as one of the former drummers for the band White Snake at church last Sunday. Omar went over to him, introduced himself, and then spent some time listening to his story. Besides being pretty drunk, this man was also pretty depressed. Apparently some of his band mates (from one of the bands he is in) ripped him off, taking everything he had, so he had to start all over from scratch. He showed up to church because he didn’t know where else to go.
Omar called me the next day to see if I could find some drumsticks for this guy, to get him started playing again. I told him to have the guy meet me at my office. When I met him later that week, I asked him how things were going. He told me his whole story…and I was able to give him some drumsticks to start playing again. I told him as he was leaving that I would pray for him, and after he left I said a prayer.
Dan
February 25th, 2008 · 2 Comments
Categories: OA Stories
Ken said
am February 25 2008 @ 10:44 pm
WOW! You let drunks into your church? What kind of a church are you? What … are you trying to be like Jesus or something?
Great story. way to go!
Randy said
am February 26 2008 @ 12:52 pm
Since Dan hasn’t chimed in yet, I can tell you that this church does allow drunks in on Sundays…as long as they don’t cause trouble with anyone else. Most of the time they are ok, but once in a while we have to escort them outside.
They also have support groups, both Christ-centered and semi-neutral (AA, NA, etc.) on Tuesday nights…over 23 groups meet in the building that night, eat dinner together, etc.
The website is outdated and hard to navigate, but you can check it out at http://www.scf.net if you want.
I would point out that what Omar and Dan did was an “ordinary” attempt for THEM, but may not be for others. This is the world they are acquainted with and, for Omar at least, listening to a drunk and despairing musician is sadly a rather ordinary event. I say this because the story does lean a little into the dramatic for most of us…but it really is rather normal for these guys.
For example, I might stop and listen to an outlaw motorcycle club member who was in obvious distress. I have relationships with these guys and they trust me (I have done several biker blessings over the years with them…and I ride the right kind of bike). That would be an ordinary attempt on my part, but not for most people. The point is, just do what’s doable for YOU. Be who YOU are and notice, pray and listen to the people you ordinarily come into contact with in your ordinary routines.
Don’t perpetrate the addiction to drama by trying to be brave (if you’re not normally brave, anyway). Just be yourself and God will show you what He’s up to in YOUR world.
Ok…I’m done preaching.