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I know many of you are preparing for NQC and the fall to usher in another changing season. I have been busy this month finishing some of the American Idol audition cities and fighting a lot of setbacks in our Nashville office. We recently were attacked by a hacker. All of our data and systems were infected and destroyed. I wasn't sure how to handle this kind of attack. I am use to verbal abuse, financial, family and even physical abuse from the music business. But, I have never felt the violation of someone coming into your world through an email and wiping out thousands of letters from your dying mom, letters from your kids, pics of your family, and hundreds of thousands of documents and pieces of your life. We tried desperately to save our personal information. But, it was already under the attack of a online predator.

It wasn't as tragic as when my house burned down in 2001-it just had similarities of that loss. I spent some time crying and yelling. But, with every setback, I try to understand things are just things. And God is God. He has a real purpose for everything. He has a way of rebooting our mental computers and life.

I was sitting in my bedroom all night one evening reading over something someone wrote about me. I laid it down and asked God,"Why are people so mean? Do they intentionally hurt others to somehow compensate for their own failures?" I tried to quickly move on to something more positive. I have learned in the music business, we are all victims to the rise. We are all casualties of everyone else's success. Whether we like it or not. When someone wins, someone loses. And that's reality. But, we can't feel like losers. We have to stay focused and fight the fight. We can focus on winning the fight and lose the war. The war?? Lives, souls, dying people, hurting people, that is the war we need to win.

I remember driving in my uncles car while he was trying to get me to make better choices and listening to the old am radio in his car. The disc jockey was playing a song called "Live for Jesus" on his preaching program. I felt like I could make it, like I could get out of poverty, the gangs and drugs and be a man God would smile down on when he heard my name. I told my Uncle to drive me to the radio station. As we pulled up, I went in and the guy told me to get out they had a live show. They laughed at me. The preacher/DJ told me to crawl back down the hill to the trash I was born in. I felt as a teenager, stupid and little. I looked at my clothes and as I started to leave tripped on my shoestrings and fell. I was devastated. I know I looked like a rebel and gang member. But, I wanted God too. I couldn't imagine why the words and spirit I felt on the radio was met by such a mean and uncaring person. Why did he turn me away? Was it because my hair was long and my clothes were old and ragged? Or was it that he was spiritually numb? I got back in the car with my Uncle and told him what had happened. He immediately got out and offered to drag the guy out of the station. Oh My Lord. I knew that was far from spiritual.

I wanted to feel the feeling I had in the car when God was using the singer and song to reach me. I learned many years ago, even before God brought me into the music world, the words and spirit are not forgotten by a publicity scam, the blood is not over shadowed by a hot press kit or edgy album cover, and his presence is not abolished by hypocrisy or arrogance of artist and industry people. HE is present. He is alive. HE is listening. HE is in every word we promote and sing. HE is what we do. HE is what we need to focus on. Not us and what we lose. But, what we gain.

Everyday that we wake up. We have gained. Everyday we see our kids smiles, we have gained. Everyday we can put food in our mouths and go to bed in a safe country with 911 near by, we have gained. We have won. SO, even when family breaks our hearts, work wears us down to nothing, and we are attacked by the world's new weapons. HE is allowing us to still be apart of life. HE is letting us live, breathe and experience.

Billions behind us are finished with their journeys. But, we are in ours. And thank God he has placed so many of you in my life. So, even if I have lost all your information. I still remember all the letters and smiles you have placed on my life and heart. So, never let anyone take the song out of your heart. Never let anyone stop your joy. I wish I could hug every heart and soul God has let me be apart of over the last 20 years as a promoter of HIS music. God has given my company over 3000 National hits and nearly 100 # 1 songs since that DJ told me to go away and back to the trash I would always be.

So, in your life remember some of our greatest obstacles are steps up to be a better person for him. In the good years in our lives we learn very little. But, the years we struggle and are tire, we are being molded to never hurt that bad again, to never make those mistakes, to know who we are and to really feel. So, hold on in the storm. He is just around the corner, with an umbrella and smile.

Reader Comments

We are praying for you, Rick. You are a good man - and we thank God for you. You have been extremely kind to us.

Cliff Cerce
The Cerces

Cliff Cerce
The Cerces, PO Box 8525, Springfield, MO 65801
417-863-8440
http://www.thecerces.com

Rick, what a wonderful article. Praise God the prediction of that DJ was wrong, wrong, wrong! God had a plan even then for you.

God is good all the time & all the time God is good. 

Elaine Harcourt

Rick, like our brother Cliff said, you've always been kind and encouraging, to me as well. I wouldn't be writing southern gospel songs right now if not for an e-mail you sent me back in 2004, encouraging me to keep on writing.

For those of us who come from "the wrong side of the tracks" it's so sweet to know that Jesus loves... and USES... the poor and despised things of this earth. Hallelujah! To paraphrase our Lord Jesus: Woe to you who think you have it all together... you're gonna be surprised.

I'm proud to call Rick Hendrix my friend and my bro.

Chris J. Becker
Cedar Rapids, IA

I am crying...what a beautiful article.
God bless!

Becky
Lord, keep Your arm around my shoulder and Your hand over my mouth!

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