There are so many people that I wish that I had the opportunity to meet and spend time with before they were gone. I think that walking a day with Christ during His time upon this earth would have easily been the greatest day I could ever imagine. I would have liked to have heard Peter preach and would have enjoyed the opportunity to interview Job in the midst of his struggles and asked him, “How are you holding so steadfastly to what you believe in? How can you do it?” It would have been nice to spend a short time with Thurmon Munson, Pete Maravich, and C.S. Lewis, to talk about baseball, basketball, and writing.

Though not given those opportunities, we can learn so much about them through their work while they were here and the memories of those who did get to know them. As I write today, there is another person who has been added to that list, a man I never got the opportunity to talk to, but wish that I would have had just one chance. His work, though, has impacted my life and I recently had an opportunity to speak with his wife about his life and the ministry that is still touching lives now that he is with the Father. His name is Rick Goad and he is our Men of God spotlight for this issue.

His Life

Rick’s father was an evangelist and his mother a piano player. Rick and his siblings would travel and sing with their parents and were basically, as Jackie told me, “similar to the Partridge Family”. His mother would be killed in a tragic accident when Rick was twelve years old and his father died when he was eighteen, but their faith lived on in Rick.

Rick would be involved with Goad International Ministries for over two decades and would live a life of service to the Lord and a life of service to those who came into contact with him. His wife, Jackie, talked about how giving he was during his time on this earth and told stories about the acts of charity that were a foundational part of Rick’s life. He couldn’t give enough as he realized that His Savior had given everything for him. The heart of the Savior overtook his heart and made a new man out of Rick, giving off the reflection of Christ to everyone who came into contact with him.

In 2006, Rick Goad learned that he had pancreatic cancer. In the face of the news that he had received, Rick immediately went to his faith, turning to the only source of hope that existed to those who had been diagnosed with the illness. He called in his family and friends and they prayed together and studied the Word together. As Jackie said, “He was planning his future, not his funeral.” The doctors had given him about three months to live after he had been diagnosed, but God would begin to work miracles that day.

Not long after his diagnosis, Rick felt God leading him to write songs of worship about what he was experiencing through his trial. Rick had been filling Himself with the Word each day and connecting in prayer and communion with the Lord so as he felt God leading, he began to write, pouring out his heart and emptying his soul before the Lord. He would sit at the piano as long as he had the strength and then would lie down until he had recouped enough energy to start writing more music. He knew what God wanted in those moments and it was as if he understood that the result would be more than he could ever fathom.

God appointed for Rick to exceed the three months that the doctors had given him to live. When people would call to check on Rick after his sickness began to worsen, he would respond to each one “Bless my God.” It wasn’t a surface faith that existed in his life; it was rooted deep within the soul and flowed throughout the heart and the mind. Rick would finish the CD and his words to Jackie were to “give them away”, as he hoped that one million people would receive the CD. The details about how to fund such an endeavor was not the concern, as faith told them that God would provide a way for it to happen. As of today, over 100,000 copies have been distributed and God is working through Rick’s life and through these CD’s, as He continues to reach more people with a message of hope from a man who was struggling through a time of incredible darkness.

Rick’s CD is aptly named My Miracle. Though Rick was not healed in the physical sense, Rick did experience the miracle of life for his time on this earth. He experienced the miracle of being a father, and incredibly, he experienced a miracle even in the midst of his sickness. Though cancer had taken over most of his body, he never felt pain, a miracle that could come only from the Great Physician. He went through chemotherapy and would not need medication for pain or for nausea. Finally, Rick is now experiencing the miracle that only came through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Rick is in the presence of our Creator.

His Music

Rick’s CD, My Miracle, is one of inspiration and of hope. As I listened to the lyrics, after hearing the story of his life from Jackie, I could attach the lyrics to the man and see the great faith that he had even in the midst of turmoil. It is reminiscent of the faith of Job, not allowing the sickness to overtake the realization of the blessings that God continually provides. His song, “My Miracle”, the second on the album, is a cry for God not to delay the miracles that He has promised. In the midst of the song, the listener can feel the passion and the heart’s cry of Rick, as he pours out his emotions and his faith before the Lord.

Each song is rooted in Scripture, breathing the Biblical principles and the faith that this lost and wandering generation has needed to hear for some time now. He sings as if the songs are prayers only between he and God, giving us an insight in what God is saying to him and the feelings that he is expressing to the Lord. It is a source of inspiration for the listener, reminding us that we can keep pushing forward in life, regardless of the obstacles that we are facing, realizing that Rick was facing more than most of us will ever have to endure.

Another powerful song is “Angels”. He talks about the angels watching over him and he says that they are pouring out the oil upon him, crying “more, more” all the time. He knew that he was not alone in this struggle, so tightly interwoven with God that the presence of the Lord was with him. He could sense the presence of angels there, even in those darkest hours; it was another reason that Rick continued to praise God. His faith could not be limited to the prosperous times in life nor the times that were beside the quiet and peaceful waters, his faith had to continue in the valley of the shadow of death. He wrote the song following a night of prayer and devotion with friends and family. He was preparing to go back for another exam, and he was told by one of his prayer warriors that God was going to bring him peace. He wrote that song in the moments following that declaration.

The power of the music is something that I found so overwhelming. I cried as I listened to his voice and to the words as I drove down the interstate listening to the CD. I cried, not in desperation for Rick, but in the realization that he sang and lived with a faith that I, myself, have not yet attained in this life. He didn’t create the music for monetary gain, but to advance the kingdom of God through the talents that he had been blessed with by the Lord, a rare act in our materialistic world today.

Rick has now experienced the ultimate healing in life, singing praises to Christ as he absorbs all that heaven has to offer. He stands in the presence of the One who can do all things, just as He is doing with Rick’s ministry. He is living out our dreams of being I the perfect presence of the Alpha and the Omega. I can honestly say that I would give almost anything to have spent one day with him while he was here, but not having that opportunity, I am glad that he gave everything he had to the Lord because it is impacting my life and will impact over a million around the world. He knew how to praise God in any circumstance and through the trials that he faced, he is teaching us how to do so as well. It is an amazing God that we serve when we see how He can produce such wonderful things from what appears to be such tragic circumstances. The miracle continues even today. It is the reason He tells us to not lean on our own understanding.

* - If you would like a copy of Rick’s CD, please go to the web site www.rickgoad.com. You can order one there on the website and when you order one, you will receive ten copies to share. It is a great witnessing tool and an opportunity to help this miracle continue to be experienced all over the world. Please check out next week’s ministry spotlight on Rick Goad Ministries. Also, please remember Rick’s families and friends in your prayers and lift up the ministry at all times.

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