[Andrew] It lifted my spirits a lot to see that me stuff like, “The last person that was in here in scripture when the Israelites were walking,
these people took so much time, and they was Eric Clapton” and all of these major names, they had these stones they would put down as
know what I’ve been through and they wanted and they were treating me the exact same as marks to remember God and what He’s done,
to do something about it. The fact that all of my they would treat those people. I love talking and His great works, I kind of think that’s what
friends and family were there supporting and about guitars and specs and all that stuff, so it my Martin can be.
cheering me on, and they got nothing out of was just like paradise there to talk to everybody this, but they were just happy and celebrating and see that they really care, it was awesome!
seeing me get something I really wanted. That
No one likes to think about cancer, but as a
saved person I can tell you right now that I’ve
just kind of put into perspective how much [WM]
these people care for us, and care for me, and Martin guitar?
Tell
us
about
your
signature
never been closer to God then I have been
during this trial. I’m telling you this now because
all of these people showing, just like Christ,
every time I pick up that guitar it reminds me
love and compassion toward me was just [Andrew] So the Martin that I had built is an of the whole reason why I have this guitar in
really cool. HD28E, it’s got East Indian Rosewood back the first place. Just like those stones that the
and sides with a Bearclaw Sitka Spruce top. Israelites put down it helps me remember that,
[WM] Can you recount the feeling of driving to The finish on it is probably one of my favorite “Yes, I went through a trial, but God saw me
the C.F. Martin factory and walking through the parts because you can’t buy it off the shelf. I through it and I’ve grown closer to Him through
door of the custom shop? actually combined two finishes together with it”. I think about it a lot, if I could ever go back
the help of the custom shop workers. I didn’t in time and take the whole cancer thing away,
[Andrew] We flew in to Nazareth, Pennsylvania really know what I wanted but I was able to talk and just live my life as a normal kid. I can tell
and woke up the next morning and drove there to them and I remember this one guy sprinted you with confidence that I would never change
to the Martin factory, and I remember walking down the staircase to grab this guitar, and ran a thing about it, because I would not be the
in those doors and just kind of standing in back up and was like, “Here’s what it would same person I am today. I don’t even know if I
the lobby. They were like, “Oh, you’re Andrew look like!” It was really awesome. So, it has would want to lead worship without this whole
Laney, we’ll be with you in a second”. Then all of an Ambertone stain with a teardrop pattern experience, because you really see how good
these major Martin executives were just asking sunburst. And I had them not put a pick guard your God is. When everything else around you
me a ton of questions and shaking my hand, on it because I wanted to get that wear-and- fails, and people don’t have answers, God just
and getting to know me. They opened up the tear look. It’s a guitar that I will literally keep for gives you peace and comfort. Those are all the
factory doors and I got to walk through where the rest of my life, and one of those guitars I’ve things that run through my mind when I pick up
these guitars are being made, walked by a ton always been dreaming of having. that guitar.
through the museum tour, and there were these Everyone wants a Martin dreadnought and [WM] You want to a worship leader,
bulletproof glass cases, and the guy just turned I just remember looking at all the magazines, ‘vocationally speaking’. How has your journey
off the alarm and grabbed the key, unlocking and the ads, going into the guitar shops… I’d affected how you lead worship today?
all of these massive chests and handing me always pick up the Martin dreadnought, every guitars. The very first Martin guitar that is still time. The fact that now I pick it up but it’s in my [Andrew] It has affected it quite a bit. I had
in existence today, he let me hold that. They let house, and has my name on the inside of the been helping out leading worship at my youth
me hold a D-28 and the first guitar of my model, sound hole, is just crazy to think about! group about a year before that, when I was in
of famous people’s guitars. I remember going
that was pretty cool! They just rolled out the red
the seventh grade. I was the youngest person
carpet, I didn’t see them look at their phone or [WM] There has to be a ‘God relationship’ on the team and they needed someone to play
their email once. The fact that they gave all their between you and this guitar if that makes acoustic guitar, so I was like, “I can do that…
attention to this kid that they didn’t know was sense. Can you unpack that for us? kind of!” I would go up there and play, and I’m
just really cool.
not saying that my worship wasn’t authentic,
[Andrew] It’s definitely kind of like a memory but I will say that through these trials and
I remember walking into this door that read point and a turning point I can think about struggles I’ve really realized what worship is all
“Custom Shop” on it, and I’ll never forget that. every time I pick it up. Whether that is going about. It’s super easy to go up on a platform in
They opened up the door and let me sit down really deep and thinking about how great our front of people, and get off the stage and go sit
and they were talking about guitar specs, God is that when I was going through these by your friends in the seats and ask how you
wood, and tone. They let me hand pick these dark times, there was this storm in my life and did, how you sounded. That was a lot of what
selections of premium woods. They were telling God just got me through it. You can go look worship was for me, I was concerned with how
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April 2019
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