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It was at the urging of my husband, having witnessed the loss and resulting trials I
endured, answered prayers, and the blessings God bestowed upon me
that I recorded these songs. As you read the testimony
below, I'm confident you will understand that we
continuously
praise His Holy Name for His mercy upon me. He could have
left me on the shelf but instead, He allowed me to play
again. Each song holds a special meaning to me and my prayer
is that as you listen to each selection, the music will be a
help and encouragement while bringing glory and honor to our
Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
I remember sitting for hours at our kitchen table when
I was young, a piece of cardboard about 24 inches in width
placed in front of me. On the cardboard was drawn the layout
of a piano keyboard, three octaves only. I practiced for
hours learning the keys by sight. My dream was to one day
have a real piano! That dream became a reality in 1966 when
my Grandpa bought my first piano from the Bland Piano
Company in Winston-Salem, NC. An old upright piano, once a
self-player but cut down in height, scratched, and dented,
it had an unbelievable sound.
I began formal piano lessons three months later and I
practiced diligently for hours on a daily basis. Though
still a relatively young man, my Daddy’s health was failing.
While relaxing in the evenings, I remember him saying
“Susie, play so and so for me.” I’d do my very best and he
would brag on how good the song sounded, but looking back, I
can only imagine how atrocious it must have been. In June
1967, my world crumbled when my father died from a massive
heart attack.
More than ever, I wanted to continue my music studies as I
ached to play the songs that my Daddy always wanted to hear;
“Til the Storm Passes By,” “Ill Have a New Life,” “I’ll Meet
You in the Morning.” My mother allowed me to continue with
the lessons after Daddy’s death for approximately three
months; a total of nine months of formal lessons.
Continuing to practice daily, I would play for our church
youth group once in a while. My high school sweetheart, now
my husband of 35 years, helped me with chords and such as he
played guitar and bass. I would listen to other pianists
intently in an effort to emulate their styles, and I
earnestly prayed for talent.
In April 1996 my husband surrendered the Lord’s call to
preach the Gospel. I knew that I would serve beside him in
whatever ministry he entered. Retiring early one evening as
I wasn’t feeling well, I was listening to the radio when I
head a piano solo of “How Great Thou Art.” It was simple
piano music yet so eloquent. The Holy Spirit gripped my
heart in such a way, I will never forget. I knew how I was
to help my husband—through my music. I completely
surrendered my hands and my talent to the Lord that evening,
promising Him that given the opportunity, I would play for
Him.
The Lord began to bless me and my playing in ways I had
never experienced. Songs that I had never played before came
easily. He provided the financial means for a few months of
formal lessons. Soon afterwards, doors of opportunity to
play for Him began to open. However, as the doors were
presented, the “nerves” increased! I soon found myself
shying around from opportunities to share what talent the
Lord had provided me with. I was taking the Lord’s blessings
for granted and had forgotten my promise to Him.
I have heard my husband deliver many sermons about the
rebellious child and how God would place that child on the
shelf of service if they continued to disobey. I had no idea
that by using my feeble excuse of “too nervous” to play was
in effect a disobedience to God.
As in my Dad’s case, as a relatively young woman, my health
began to falter as I began to deal with some serious health
issues. Previous strokes had long since affected my ability
to memorize music; sight reading was a must if I was to play
at all. In May 2005, I suffered a stroke that affected my
hand and eye coordination. After regaining some physical
strength, I sat down to play a few weeks later; I could not
play. I could read the music but my hands were not in sync.
It was as if all the years of playing had never occurred. I
was devastated. No longer did nerves stop me from accepting
an invitation to serve; God had taken my talent and ability
from me.
As the weeks turned into months and I realized that it was a
possibility that I had been removed from His service. I
found myself begging God to restore just an nth of the
talent He had given to me, promising Him that I would use
it, and without hesitation, for His glory and honor.
Forced to resign my public job, I began to work here in the
home office full-time in the ministry. However, I continued
faithfully to practice daily while still petitioning my
Heavenly Father to restore what I had taken for granted.
Ever so slowly, He began to answer my prayers. My strength
returned as my hand and eye coordination improved. No doors
of opportunity had been presented to me but as with our
human parents, I never stopped asking.
Finally, almost 11 months following the stroke, a door was
opened. Asked to substitute for our church pianist during a
worship service, I humbly and tearfully accepted. As I sat
behind the piano, I fought back tears of elation and
answered prayers. Though fighting nerves almost to the point
of physical illness, I remained determined to serve. As I
imagined my Jesus sitting on the front pew, it seemed that
the crowd totally dissipated. I was playing for Him and Him
alone, and He was playing through me.
I am His vessel, broken yet restored to serve again. The
open doors are not as frequent as they once were, but I
stand ready and willing to serve, fully conscious of how
precious His talents are to me, how gracious He is to allow
me to use them, and how quickly He can remove them, if He so
chooses.
Mrs. Albert
G. Pollock
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