Behind the Meaning: Close To You (Close To You)

So I've been slacking on getting these out, so I'm going to knock out the remaining three of these tonight.  The first song I will talk about is the title track on my album, entitled Close To You.  The reason I wrote this song (and ultimately decided to name the CD after this song) was because this was ultimately where I stood in my relationship with God.  Now to truly understand what I'm talking about, I have to give you a little bit of history.



I would say as a child, I always loved being in church.  I would willingly go to Friday Night Prayer meeting (even when it was me, my Mom and my Dad).  I would love to read the scripture.  I would love to sing in the choir.  I just loved being in the church.  Although I was always in the church, I never really felt like I had a relationship with God.  I would see people catch the Holy Ghost and begin to speak in tongues and all of that (yeah, I grew up COGIC...holla atcha boi!!).  I always wondered in my head what exactly that meant.   What happened to these people that caused them to go all crazy??

It wasn't until college that I experienced God for myself.  I have to give a special shout-out to Voices of Faith Gospel Choir here.  Thank you for pushing me into a leadership position when I was so young.  You brought me to JESUS!!  Throughout my journey in college, I experienced God more and more.  Then events like Dayton would happen.  We were on tour in Dayton, OH at a Catholic church singing.  I still remember it vividly.  For some reason, I was just in a different place.  Before the concert even started, God begin to just move in me.  I was in tears, I was focus....i felt something on the inside.  And that's when the explosion happen.  I tell you this, I've never since experienced a mighty move of God like that.  Okay...my reminiscing isnt supposed to be a part of this...lol.

Fast forward to the work world.  You know, different environment, different experience.  I still attended church, but I was so worn out from my 4 years of service in the ministry, that I decided to take a break.  That break lead to me just getting further and further from God.  So much so, until I found myself asking the age-old question: "what must I do to be saved."  And God gave me a word.  And it was a simple word.  He just simply said Be Close To Me.  That was the foundation for the song:

I just want to be close
That is where I want to be
If I draw closer to you
You would draw closer to me....

Blessings,

MD