The Aroma

I love to tell the story of how I met my wife, Christi. It is a story of true love inspired by the first time I laid eyes on her.

I had graduated from high school the year before. Our school had an annual talent show, and some of the acts needed musical support from a band, so they asked me to come back and play drums. Christi and her sister had recently moved to Decatur, where her dad pastored an Assembly of God church. I had never laid eyes on her until that night of rehearsal.

A few things grabbed my attention.

• One, there were two beautiful girls on the stage.

• Two, there was one who especially had my attention.

• Three, that “one” kept looking at me.

• Four, they were singing a Christian song that seemed out of place with the rest of the show, but like me, everyone in the room stopped and listened.

Both Christi and her sister had a solo in the song. When Christi sang, she had me. She had this beautiful, low, controlled voice that filled the room.

Not too long before this happened, I had given my life to Christ. I was a baby Christian, coming from the party scene and still a bit rough around the edges. I didn’t know what an anointing was. The Holy Spirit was still introducing Himself to me. All I knew was that I was sitting there listening, and beyond the beauty of the woman standing on stage, there was something captivating me.

This may have been one of the first times after salvation that I heard God’s voice or felt His presence. I didn’t shake or fall on the floor, but inside I could hear a voice say, “This is your wife.” Later, I realized that through her life and the message of the song, I was attracted to the anointing and the message. The messenger wasn’t too bad either.

I thought that was odd since I was dating someone else at the time, but I never forgot what I heard. After the rehearsal, I was loading my drums into the car when Christi drove by slowly, stuck her head out the window, and yelled, “You play the drums good!” I knew then I must have made an impression. From that day forward, Christi Summers was in my head, but there was also something going on in my heart. Oh, and I needed to get rid of the girlfriend too.

Lots of years later—36, to be exact—I have grown in Christ and in ministry enough to understand what was happening way back in the late ’80s. Long before I was anointed to preach the Word, Christi was anointed to sing it. It was evident in how she lived among her peers. She followed Christ, and that walk with Him filled the room. She and her sister didn’t have to sing a Christian song, but they did. And as they sang, something came out of them that was different from everybody else.

The beauty I saw was not only in her appearance; it was also in her heart. Winsome. Not perfect, but available to God to be used. Her attraction was more than skin deep.

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 2:15–17 that we are the aroma of Christ to others. We are an attraction. It isn’t us, but He who lives in and through us. It is the fruit of the Spirit. It is the listening ear. It is the uncompromising life among peers. It is not about being better; it is about being beautiful inside and out.

Scripture declares, “How beautiful are the feet” of those who bring good news (Romans 10:15).

Your life in Christ brings an anointing among those God is speaking to—in the office, at that meeting or school event, on the golf course, and certainly at home. Think of it kind of like an air freshener. Can people smell you, or do you need a refill?

That night back in September of ’86, my eyes locked onto my bride. It was an attraction that included the anointing. It was beyond skin deep. It was a soul in love with Jesus calling out to a heart God was speaking to. I am so glad I heard His voice and saw His work in Christi.