Influencer

The term has become quite the buzzword as our culture has shifted to online. The ability for someone you have never met to influence your position on virtually any subject is commonplace. Everything from your beverage of choice to your candidate for political office is open to influence, often without the benefit of a genuine pedigree or factual context.

But this term means something different to me. I often spend time thinking back on the incredible number of people who invested in me. I don't understand it, but I am so grateful for it.

One of the things I intend to do in this space is share some of those insights. The individuals and times that have shaped me. Most often I wasn't aware this is what was happening, I was just living my life, but the truth is they were influencing, investing, in a skinny, aloof kid.

Joy & I often sit on our back porch and talk about life growing up and those people, and even after the years we have been together there are times she will say, "I never knew that about you. Did you ever tell that person about that influence on your life? They should know!"

Joy is right. Often.

So, let me tell you about Robert Fenn.

I grew up in a small church in Springfield, Missouri. Glenstone Baptist Church. This church had a profound impact on me. Our domestic situation was less than ideal, so every time the church doors were open, I was there. Be that Sunday morning, Sunday night, Monday visitation, Wednesday night church or even church league softball. Every chance I could be away from the house was a good thing, and my parents were happy if I was at church.

I was in awe of Robert Fenn from early on. He was a few years older than me, but the youth group in that church had a wide age range from 7th grade through college. As a result, most of the individuals I was around were older. Robert and I participated in many of these activities together. We weren't close, but that makes this story more important to me.

I remember a specific point when I saw Robert sing the Andre' Crouch song "My Tribute" at church one sunday morning. I was mesmerized. Knowing Robert, the song meant even more to me.

Robert was a cutup much of the time. A razor wit and often self deprecating. It made the lyrics more important to me. He wasn't singing from a place of having it all together. We were all just TRYING. We were trying to work our faith out for ourselves. It was profound to me.

Fast forward a few years and I began a journey in music. I began singing with a couple other young men and shared some incredible experiences for that time. The group was called Trilogy, and it was the early days of CCM (contemporary christian music). I am confident I will share more about them in the days ahead, but this is about Robert.

One of our first public performances was at Glenstone Baptist. Robert was serving as an interim music director for the church at that time and took a chance letting these three young high school graduates share their newfound passion.

We performed a couple of Imperials songs, "Eagle Song" and "Be Still My Soul".

Later that week I received a card in the mail from Robert Fenn. It was a red greeting card that looked like a theatre curtain, with a cartoon character in Shakespearian attire taking a bow and daisies being thrown at his feet. The word BRAVO ran across the top of the page.

Inside there was a note from Robert praising the performance and encouraging me to continue on.

I kept that card until a house fire took it a few years ago.

I still see Robert from time to time around town. He is always kind. Any time I see someone from that far in the past, who knows the journey and has witnessed my many mistakes and still extends kindness to me, it speaks to me.

But I never told Robert thank you for that card in 1982. I never told him how profound his one song was to me years before that card arrived, and how his performance was better because he was REAL on the softball bench and in the blue bus on choir trips.

When I told Joy about this she just smiled that smile and said, "you should tell him."

I want to do one better. I want to tell the world.

You see, Robert Fenn does not consider himself an influencer in today's terms. I guarantee it. But I tell you he is a most profound influencer, because we all are. You get to choose the seeds you sow in the world as you pass through it. I promise you this, you ARE sowing seeds. You just have to be intentional in deciding what you throw,

For me, I want to sow kindness and acknowledge the goodness of those that have influenced me. There will be more, but for today, thanks Robert.