Some moments in our lives can cause us to reflect and realign our priorities. Such a moment touched me in August of 2014.. While flying back and forth from Atlanta to New York City every other week for work, I occasionally felt a burning tingling sensation in my arms. I had ignored it thinking I had a pinched nerve from the heavy back pack I was using. As the sensations became more frequent, I finally decided to make an appointment with my doctor while I was home.
The following Monday, my doctor agreed it was possible that a pinched nerve could cause these sensations in my arms. But to be safe I would take a stress test that same week. I was scheduled to be back in NYC the following week and then on to Hawaii for a long overdue vacation. On that Thursday, much to my surprise, the stress test put me into a whirl wind chain of events that quickly culminated into a 5 way heart bypass surgery.
While I was shocked, I was assured that all would go well because I was strong, not over weight, ate well, exercised, did not smoke and had not suffered damage to my heart from a heart attack so I was a perfect open heart candidate. Fortunately, all went well with the surgery and my recovery process.
As I became far more informed about my true condition in the weeks ahead, I discovered I had been a ticking time bomb. I had to accept that I had heart disease. Had I known all I know now, I would have been far more fearful going into the surgery. I began to reflect on how naïve I had been. Slowly I began to take in the miracle God had given me. Except for His mercy to circumvent an imminent heart attack I should not be alive today. He also surrounded me with exceptional doctors and a wonderful medical staff. One of the fruits of my reflection was the birth of this album “For His Good Pleasure”.
After my recovery, I decided that I needed to record some music as a legacy for my family and for my grandchildren. This music is about the messages I wanted to convey to them. As the recording project progressed, I felt deep stirrings of inspiration flowing into new melodies, fostering a deep awareness of God’s favor and His pleasure with the music. I felt the same emotion as was scripted by Colin Welland in “Chariots of Fire” attributed to the great Olympian runner, Eric Liddell, “God made me fast. And when I run I feel His Pleasure.” At one point in the project, I suddenly understood that the compositions were far more significant than I had originally conceived. I knew why I must continue. Within the level of giftedness I was given, for as long as He blesses me with melody, I will continue to create music, “For His Good Pleasure.”
Rod Wilson