Friday June 6th Castings Crowns

From: Gary West
Sent: Fri Jun 06 10:21:13 2008
Subject: Allen and "Casting Crowns"

Andric,
I want to relay the following so that you may somehow grasp the meaning
that the Casting Crowns CD "Altar and the Door" meant to Allen and
therefore to me.

Allen said da-da before he said momma. He was always a Daddy's boy. When
he would be in trouble or even under medication (broken shoulder) he
would call for me. We were tight.

I always knew how to spin him when he was headed in the wrong
direction. I would make sure we needed to do something together that
required a longer time span in the truck. He loved me and even when he
ran from God he never ran from me. So I would get him to go with me and
I would play music that would prick and prod his spirit.

On one such occasion I had him with me and I inserted the Casting
Crown's CD (Altar and Door) in and put it on 4, I had been listening to it and felt led
to start there.
I turned it up (we were always like teenagers regarding the sound)
and I didn't say a word. The song played and the spirit moved on him
like a flood. Tears welled from his eyes and he began to shake. He tried
to look away but I could see what was going on.
When the song finished he looked around with a fierce determined
look and said that is me dad, that is me and he punched the deck and
repeated the song. This continued for miles and so did the tears.
God moved through music to soothe the beast that would try and take
my son from me. It had always been a help but I really felt a
breakthrough.
We shared a lot of music together, a lot of new songs, a lot of
dreams, memories and future hopes.
I know he is with God now.
He made it home to God on May 30th at +/- 9:45. We had talked just
a few minutes before.
He hit a tree head on at a solid 62 mph, went into a spin and hit
another tree that was about 30" in diameter. Wrapping the truck around
it and knocking it out by the roots.
His brother-in-law was a fine man and straight as a piano wire.
True blue. He dies also.
On June 5th I took all three families to the site (my sons wife,
sister, mom and dad) (my wife and daughter) (my son-in-law's father and
mother)
It was a tough day but my wife while looking at the truck had
crawled into its remains and looked at the cd player. The motor had been
driven back the frame had been broke the right side roof support was
crushed down into the center console. The passenger door was gone the
tail gate was gone the tool box was gone,
The steering wheel was warped up the roof was like a tent, the truck
dash was pulverized.
....But sticking out of the cd player that had been loosened from the
dash was that same casting crown cd.
We listened to it and it didn't have a scratch on it.
Allen had gotten to a point that he would use music as a ministry
tool for the guys that rode with him. Trouble was he couldn't get the
changer to eject properly and had to use a paper clip to get it to
eject. So he left one cd in there.
Perhaps this doesn't mean anything to others but I know in this
world, in this universe, in this day, in this time it does.
God is at work, the work and change that occurred in Allen's life
was performed by the Holy Awesome Spirit of God but
music opened the door.

Let everyone know,
Gary Allen West Sr.