February 27, 2023 - Good Morning! It's Monday, February 27.
On this day, ten years ago, Texas lost a favorite son. Van Cliburn was one of the greatest pianists of the modern era, and easily the most famous. In 1958, at the tender age of 23, and at the heart of the Cold War, he won an international piano competition in Moscow. The tall, lanky Texan became the toast of Russia and a worldwide celebrity.
And he wasn't even a Texan! Van Cliburn was born in Shreveport, Louisiana to an oilman father and a concert pianist mother. His family soon moved to Kilgore, Texas and Van (at the age of three) began to take piano lessons. His fame made him a citizen of the world, but as an adult, he made his home in Fort Worth.
Van Cliburn was a longtime member of the Broadway Baptist Church, which was often the venue for concerts presented by Fort Worth's Southwestern Baptist Seminary. I was singing in one of those concerts, as a seminary student, in 1987. A buzz began backstage . . . Van Cliburn was in the audience! To use a basketball metaphor, it was like standing at the free throw line and seeing Michael Jordan sitting in the stands.
After the concert I got to meet the maestro and he was very gracious. I'll never forget shaking his hand. I've always thought that my hands were larger than average, but when we shook, Cliburn's hand swallowed mine up. I can manage the stretch of a 10th on the keyboard, that's two steps past an octave - pretty good. Van Cliburn could play a 13th - freakish! Next time you see a piano keyboard, start at middle C and take 13 steps. You'll be amazed.
An amazing talent, an amazing career, an amazing life. And a man that had been gifted by God with hands that were perfectly designed for the purpose he was born for. God made you unique, as well. And He made you for a unique purpose. Life is all about finding that purpose and embracing it.
Meet you back here tomorrow,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
