So my family and I watched this raw and poignant documentary (see movie trailer above) about gospel singer and songwriter, Russ Taff. Such a moving and candid story about six GRAMMY® awards and nine Gospel Music Association Dove Awards talented singer, hailed by Billboard Magazine as “the single most electrifying voice in Christian music.” YET, when one would consider him at the top of the world, he struggled deeply with depression, emotional pain, and despair in many ways.
NEWS FLASH: No one is perfect except the Lord God Almighty! I have NOT arrived, and neither have you! As Christians, we ALL have a cross to bear, working out our salvation with fear and trembling, fighting the good fight of faith. You may be at the top of your game, but I bet you have a struggle, a needling if you will, in your decaying flesh you wish you could overcome – yesterday! Well, don’t stop praying and believing. We work out our salvation by going to the very source of our salvation—the Word of God—wherein we renew our hearts and minds … daily.
In viewing this movie, I appreciated Russ Taff’s honesty and he never tried to gloss it over. He spoke about his religious, strict upbringing (talk about legalism), his own personal shame, and debilitation guilt in struggling with an addiction he tried to bury and hide. He loathed himself. So, if we struggle with our earthly parents, will it not be difficult to see our Heavenly Father as loving and forgiving of our own flaws? And if we loathe ourselves, then how can we comprehend and accept God’s perfect love for us?
When you look at yourself in the mirror, what do you see? Some of us are gonna have to open our eyes by faith here!
At the end of this movie, I took away a lot of golden nuggets.
But one interesting term (I had just never heard before): Covert Incest – it is also known as emotional incest, a type of abuse in which a parent looks to their child for the emotional support that would be normally provided by another adult. Wow! I know now what I wished I had known regarding my own childhood so long ago. Such a revelation for me!
I highly recommend this inspirational film – do not miss it!
Thank you, Russ, for your candid testimony about your life as a Christian. And thank you for coming to Texas and visiting our church, The Freedom Center, in 2012. I also thank you and your precious wife, Tori, for not giving up on God and on each other. I love you guys!
The best comment was from Tori herself, “Russ is a grateful recovering alcoholic, saved by grace!”
My all-time favorite song by Russ Taff:
© M.A. Pérez, 2018, All Rights Reserved
Reflections From the Heart 