It is easy to get wrapped up in the things of God, such as a home church, singing, and other things that are used to benefit the kingdom of God without ever really having a genuine relationship with God. It is not until you reach the realization that God is all you need, and that He needs to be the King of your life that you can truly be used as a vessel for Him.
This is a hard realization that John Keaton had to come to after several years of service in churches throughout his life.
John grew up in a very musical world. He played in high school band and enjoyed the benefits of experiencing his father play Country Music who was himself a popular entertainer in the 1940's. Keaton himself joined several rock bands while in high school playing the guitar.
John utilized that musical knowledge, and after high school, he joined several country bands to fulfill the need for music in his life. Around the same time, John decided to move to Florida to be closer to his father.
Not long after, John felt a major impact in his life: the loss of his father. John's father was his biggest fan, and soon he no longer had interest in playing music.
It seems that God had bigger plans for John's musical abilities. In 1988, John's wife accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Savior, and soon after, John found himself joining church as well. During his time at the church, John started in Music Ministry, and continued ministering in churches throughout Florida and Ohio.
After several years of music ministry, John realized that his heart was not right with God.
"There were many years that I tried to live on 'both sides of the fence," said John. "I was trying to fool everyone around me that I had it all together. In all reality, my life was still a disaster."
John made a genuine decision to be a Christ - follower in February of 2003.
"Ever since that one day, I have become a brand new man," expounded Keaton. "I made the necessary changes in my life and my schedule to put God and the things of God my top priority in life. God's precious mercy and grace allows me to deal with the problems in this life."
After that special day in his life, John felt God was calling him even deeper into the music ministry. Soon, John found himself recording a CD. The recording has been used to minister to people on multiple occasions and circumstances.
One such occasion was when an older gentleman in John's church became ill with several medical problems. John visited the man several times, and he was able to give him an advance copy of the CD that John had just recorded.
"His wife let me know that right before he died, he would ask to put that CD on," said John. "She said the only thing that gave Brother Howard any comfort and took his mind off of his pain was my music. I cannot tell you how honored I was to have my ministry work in such a way."
"The Lord has inspired me to write many songs with His message. I will go the distance for Him wherever and whenever he leads," John recalled.
"As long as there are lost people in our world who does not know about the saving grace of Jesus, and as long as there are fellow believers who need to be encoraged and lifted up by one of those messages, we will always have a job to do," said John. "So we must press on."