By Rob Ginter - Staff Writer
A nationally known blues singer made a tour of Morehead recently.
Glenn Kaiser is a blues/rock artist who ministers in the inner city of Chicago and formerly was the front man of Resurrection Band. Kaiser played at the United Methodist Church at its Wednesday night dinner café, the Adron Doran University Center, and the Baptist Student Union, and spent time at the Morehead Inspiration Center while in town during the week.
“It went excellent (here in Morehead),” Kaiser said. “People are very respectful. It's that southern hospitality.”
“Through their ministry, their music, their lyrics they helped to disciple me to follow Jesus Christ as Lord and not just accept him as savior,” concert organizer and MSU Wesley Foundation Campus Minister Drew McNeill said.
“It was a period of my life as a Christian where I knew a lot of the music that I'd been listening too was not feeding my soul,” McNeill said. “It wasn't increasing my relationship with God; if anything it was a detraction. Some people have a book, a movie or an experience that changes their life, but for me it was a record that just changed my life and I found out that Resurrection Band was fronted by Glenn Kaiser and his wife Wendi.”
“I had made a commitment as a Christian I was doing my best to follow Jesus, but these guys and their ministry-they were doing stuff with all the blues/rock intensity of Zeppelin but with the integrity of people who have studied the scriptures in their lyrics,” McNeill said.
“Back then their were only like three hard Christian rock bands who were doing it full on…loud Marshall amps and big drums and not afraid to be loud and blow people away but also live it out off the stage as well as on,” McNeill said. “That's how I got turned on to Glenn's ministry.”
Kaiser brought his message of hope to Morehead inspiration center with coming from a background of poverty with drug and alcohol abuse and receiving Christ at the age of 18.
“When I overdosed three times and I tried to kill myself that it became really apparent to me that I wasn't God,” Kaiser said. “The reality is we don't have control and we never did. I was the center of my life making my choices. You don't have to feel like junk and live in that mess. You don't have to live like that. You can continue to pretend but one day you're going to meet the real one. There is plenty of room for people to face up to the fact that they aren't God or we can continue to pretend and play that game. We can continue to be addicted to the worst addiction ever and that's ourselves.”
“It was powerful,” McNeill said. “And half those guys (from the inspiration center) came again (to another show) for a second dose.”
Kaiser has been working at the Jesus People USA church in the inner city of Chicago for 30 years doing mission work.
