Me And Jesus

A large part of my childhood centered on going to church or related activities. Sunday school, morning services, training union, Sunday evening services, and Wednesday night services were a given. My parents also made sure we attended our fair share of revival services around the area no matter where they were. While I am exaggerating a little here, I used to think that I had been inside just about every local church within a fifty-mile radius of Chattanooga.

Once I even remember the family loading up and spending a couple of nights in a motel room in Atlanta so we could see one of the biggest evangelists of the time, in a venue there. Even now, I remember being fascinated at seeing a man who preached around the world on television every week, there in person. As I got older that same evangelist disappointed a lot of people with his own indiscretions, but even through that I learned that we are all sinners and while God uses men to proclaim the wondrous Gospel, reality is they are only men.

However, one of my fondest memories was of a tent revival we attended in Dalton Georgia, one hot summer. The tent looked like an old circus tent and was set up at the local fairgrounds. Inside was what one might expect, sawdust on the ground, old metal chairs in a semi-circle, and a hand built platform. Sitting on that stage was a piano, a Hammond B3 organ, several guitars as well as tambourines, all ready for the beginning of a spirit-filled service, and when the music started, it sounded like the heavens had opened with shouts of praise, all building up to the anticipation of the evangelists’ message each night.

While the man of God preached a typical southern fire and brimstone message, what I remember most was when he would pick up his guitar and play and sing. To me, he was as good as the country singers recording in Nashville at the time. With a distinctive southern country twang, he sang each night prior to bringing the word of God to those gathered in the heat of that old tent. Even now, I remember my fascination as some little old lady would start dancing in the sawdust, as the evangelist would sing. Naturally being curious, I took in all of the action, and I was certain that the praises from the saints under that old canopy were heard for miles around.

It would be a lie to tell you I remember every song that he sang, or even the words from the messages, but I do remember one. One night he tore into a song that at the time I had never heard, sometime later I heard this song again. Then I would learn that Tom T. Hall, that great Grand Ole Opry member and storyteller wrote and recorded “Me and Jesus”.

Throughout my life, I have found this song of redemption and praise for a simple Gospel, one that comes to mind occasionally. The chorus reminds us that we should all have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Sometimes even now when I feel pressures of the day I can hum that chorus and know that “Me and Jesus got it all worked out”.

The second verse reminds us of the words of Jesus, that he would never leave us nor forsake us. I believe these to be true; “Jesus brought me through all of my troubles. Jesus brought me through all of my trials. Jesus brought me through all of my heartaches. And I know that Jesus ain’t gonna forsake me now.” It would do us all good to step back in time to a service where there was sawdust on the floor. On the other hand, maybe we should do like the old drunk in the song and go out and make “an alter out of a stump”. Me and Jesus really do have our own thing going!