Answering The Call - Based on a true story

 I’m Rev. Jay Stuart Glover and you are listening to Faith Talk

Today I want to share a brief testimony from a portion of my lived experience. 

From a young age, my life was immersed in music. I fondly recall a machine in our home when I was just 4 years old  that recorded our voices, and produced vinyl records we could play back. This early experience ignited a passion within me for creating and recording music. This interest only intensified when The Beatles arrived in America, and their album, "Meet the Beatles," became the first record I ever purchased.

At around thirteen, I picked up a guitar, and soon after, we formed a band, playing local talent shows and eventually securing gigs. Like many young musicians, I dreamed of becoming a rock star. This pursuit led to a period of significant success; as a young man, I had the privilege of playing guitar for the Grammy Award-winning R&B group, The Delfonics. Sharing the stage with original members William Hart, Wilbur Hart, and Randy Cain was magical. They  performed their timeless hits like "Didn’t I Blow Your Mind," and "La La Means I Love You,"  And yes many a night I stood behind them playing guitar. On and off stage we had memorable moments.  I cherished my time with those brothers. We   shared the stage for hundreds of shows with legendary R & B groups like The Dells, The Stylistics, The Chilites, Blue Magic, Black Ivory, Chuck Brown, Major Harris, Kool and the Gang and Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes with Teddy Pendergrass and Sharon Paige. Those were wonderful years. Sadly, William and Randy and Major Harris have passed, leaving Wilbur as the sole surviving member. Despite the excitement, and the dream come true nature of it all, the music industry failed to bring the lasting joy, peace, and fulfillment I had anticipated. I felt an undeniable inward pulling  towards a different path.

Recognizing this void, I prayed for a stable job to support my family. I then transitioned into the international banking sector, where I spent thirty years working for institutions like First Chicago, Bankers Trust, Bank of California, and Deutsche Bank, specializing in international trade finance. I was able to earn a good living, build a home, and actively participate in my church. But I  still felt a strong calling to a greater purpose beyond the world of global trade finance. It was during my time at Deutsche Bank that my call to ministry became undeniable. While I was grateful for my job and income, I sensed I was spending too much time on something other than what God intended for me and what I wanted to do. My involvement in the church deepened over the years, from serving in the music ministry,  sound engineering to teaching Sunday school, serving as a trustee, and being ordained as a deacon. This eventually led me to enrolling in New York Theological Seminary, where I earned a Masters in Religious Education, and was licensed and ordained as a minister in the Baptist tradition. Today, I serve in my local church and as a Chaplain at a Jesuit University. My journey illustrates that God can transform lives for a greater purpose. He doesn’t choose perfect people, but He uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things.

So the question for us today is: To what is God calling or inviting you to and are you willing to answer that call?  

My prayer tonight is that Gods will be done for your life.

God Bless you I’m Rev Jay Stuart Glover and you are listening to Faith Talk. These episodes are available on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, YouTube and other podcast platforms. Please share with family and friends and most of all continue to pray for one another.