Story by Julie Trzeciak & Rob Wilkins
Photos by JJ Jackson
At the age of 14, David Crist wrote his first song while he worshiped God on his acoustic guitar in his bedroom. Today at the age of 31, Crist continues to create musical art at Grace by leading a worship band.
Every month, the process repeats itself. A full week out from the weekend services, sometimes earlier, the band is slotted to play. In a shared collaboration with other members of the team, they begin to pick songs, arrangements, and rehearsal times. On the Wednesday evening before the services, the band rehearses for three hours. Additional practice time for individuals follows during the week. On Saturday evening and Sunday morning, the band meets early to work out any kinks.
When you tell David that sounds like an awful lot of effort, he will simply smile. He begs to see it differently.
“This life is so very short,” David says, “For me, all of the discussion, all of the preparation, and all of the delivery distill into the communication of one essential truth- God’s beautiful and undeserved merit towards a broken and fallen world.”
As a songwriter, he focuses on God’s loving pursuit.
“My lyrics focus from the perspective that we are not alone. We can trust that our Heavenly Father will always be there to help us,” says Crist, who is married and a father of two young children.
“My father was a great role model of the Father heart of God, and he gave me unconditional love. His example helped me trust God in my life, which gave me the desire to instill this trust in others,” says the musician, who plans to become a Nurse Practitioner.
One of Crist’s recent songs echoes this message in the following lyrics:
And I am falling away, deep into this place
Where I need you to find me each day
This is where you find me
This is where you save me
You are not an audience, my broken heart to find
I can trust my heart in yours
I want to run into your arms
His service, he says, is no sacrifice. It’s part of an ongoing song, one that he feels privileged to share with others. “It really feels more like an ongoing story of Christ pursuing me into the broken and messy places I’d rather not admit even exist. Grace Church consistently acknowledges this reality and proclaims Christ ‘alone’ as our salvation. So I guess, ultimately, I am involved because God’s grace leads me to the Cross. I am involved because that ‘song’ continually stirs within my soul.”
Faith and service, he says, share many of the same elements. Both are rewarding and messy at the same time.
“The Gospel drives the philosophy behind worship at Grace,” David says. “From choosing songs that purposefully connect and harmonize with Josiah or Dave’s teachings, to exploring new and exciting ways through which to reflect Christ’s beauty in worship, I am always in an authentic, collaborative relationship with so many talented and gifted people. Consequently, it becomes next to impossible to rest upon my own ideas or efforts. Don’t be fooled, though. This process is not always easy. In fact, it is quite often a challenging and frustrating experience, which is exactly how I know it’s real.”
Could you find me and take me home
I can’t fall like this again
Even through I know I’m not alone
I can’t wait for this day’s end
And if I answer the questions you gave
And swear it won’t ever happen again
To walk in faith, to fear and to fail
Just say that You’ll never, ever let me go
He has also learned a good deal about how God reaches out to him, often through the people he serves with.
“I can truly say the people within our worship group are some of my very closest friends,” David says. “This has been an unexpected gift in my life. We pray together, care about each other’s lives’, and support one another in difficult times. I am so grateful for these friendships, and I will always treasure these people profoundly.”
For David, the focus of service at Grace is unique to other environments. “Grace is a place where you can really be honest with yourself, and it’s quiet enough, so you can think for a second, “ says Crist, who has attended Grace for nine years. “Wrapping up a song with a pretty bow is not where I’m at. I think a little melancholy within a song feels real.”
So take me up, for just a while
I need to see you smile and say
Everything’s all right
There’s still time, so hear my cry
Sleep’s pursuit will quickly end and find this day again
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