He was ill at ease and out of his element. At one time in his life, this would have been tame, but that was before he met Christ and everything changed. He had been a rising rock star in his native country in Eastern Europe, but a trip to America had brought him in touch with Christians and Christian music and the idea of singing for something much bigger than himself took hold, launching him and his group into national recognition as one of the premier Christian rock bands in the country.
But the lure of his homeland made him long to return and test his newfound faith in the marketplace. Christian music is a separate market only in America. In Europe and Eastern Europe there is only music. Popular music. And he knew a strong album could re-establish his presence in that country’s pop market, giving him an opportunity to influence young people from the vantage point of his music. So he had gone to one of the best producers in the business in London, England, and during the recording process the producer had taken him to a punk club where one of his bands was playing, and that’s when his struggle began. The environment troubled him. “Should I stay or should I go,” was the question on his mind when God spoke to him in an audible voice.
Now if I didn’t know the man, I would wonder about his claim about hearing God speak. He told me this story personally and had no reason to make it up or embellish it. And it’s also what he heard God say to him that convinced me it was true. For as he was deliberating whether he should stay or go, he heard a message from God, “It’s okay, you can leave if you want to, but I’m staying.”
This is one of the more powerful pictures I have in my memory bank of what a Christian worldview is and is not. It is not a retreat from the world. It is not fostering a righteousness that sets itself over and above everyone else. It is not living in isolation, but entering into the risk of relationship and compassion.
And I can’t help but think that if God said He was staying in this harsh and painful world, then He has been there all along. While the whole Christian world panicked and left the world, He stayed – and He’s still in it, waiting for us to join Him.
John Fischer The Catch 
I love it. Being a weekend musician, for years, I decided not to play, other than in church. I felt the tug to go out and play again, but the church frowned on secualr music and places. Finally we moved onto a another church . I played on their worship team, and their leader, an accomplished musician , andI became friends. We talked aobut playing out, but I was hesitant. I kept feeling the pull and finally auditioned with one of his bands. Well, I am having a great time, playing and walking my faith out in front those I play with and meet while playing. This might not be for everyone . wisdom and discretion, and seeking counsel is needed. I now have a field that would never have been available. Having a seige mentality will never touch the world, most times, it turns off those who need it most. These is a scene in Jesus of Nazareth where Jesus goes to Matthews house, full of prostitutes, etc. Peter has a fit, but in the end Peter and Matthew are joined. That is the power of the gospel. not in pews, but where the lost are
This is our life – no difference between the sacred and the secular! If we can learn to recognize that, imagine the impact that the church (a body of believers) can have in the world today!
After graduating with a seminary degree, I made a choice to go into full-time ministry – in the career that I was already in. My full-time ministry is not within the 4 walls of a church, but in the business world.
How many others need to make that decision?
I am from Europe and I pretty much grew up on secular Heavy Metal. I still listen to it, in fact I hardly listen to anything else musicalwise. Maybe this is also why I have the impression why secular music, particularly secular Heavy Metal, is so underrated amongst Christians from the USA. Yes, okay there are problematic bands and problematic songs, but my favourite bands have a tendency to not only sing about social issues here and there, they also sing about inner struggles, about questions of morality and also sometimes about matters of faith. It is as if most of these musicians are enduring a struggle, a struggle they express in their songs and which is often very familiar to me. This struggle can be risky in more than one way of course, but sometimes I wonder how faith can grow without such a struggle. I guess it is possible, but many people, myself included, need this struggle.
Couldn’t agree more.
I love this story. Thank you so much for sharing it, John! I will hear, “You can leave, but I’m staying”, over and over again from now on whenever I’m tempted to escape the real world.
so, who is he??
I would also like to know who the guy/band is?
I was brought up in a church that taught we should be ‘separate’ – but how do we win souls if we shun/stay away from others that don’t believe exactly as we do??? I enjoyed this email!
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