1984 - Back in California now, it was still summertime and I was on fire! The world looked like such a different place- it felt like I was seeing the culture I had been immersed in for my entire life for the first time. What a rare gift that is; to have a glimpse of a very foreign culture from the inside! Only the mission field can provide that. You can travel all over the world, but you’ll always be an outsider- someone with money in your pocket to be exploited. I was beginning to understand what the phrase “culture shock” is all about. I got right back into my routine of leading worship at the CCCC bible study and a small home fellowship we had started at Peter and Suzanne Featheroff’s apartment. About this time, Point Loma Nazarene College hosted a free Christian concert series they called Breakaway 84. It was a social gathering for many young Christians from all over San Diego, and a large contingency from my church went every week. That’s where I met a nice young lady. At first I didn’t pay much attention to her, I was just very busy with music ministry, Mexico missions, and the new circle of friends I had made at CEBC. The concert series was fascinating to watch as I contemplated how the Lord could use my own gifting in music. It may have been this distracted state I was in that attracted her, because seemingly out of nowhere we became friends and I found myself inviting her over to my little one-bedroom house after church. I remember thinking, wow I have a really pretty girl at my house! Of course the place was severely rustic, wall to wall music equipment- a drum set instead of a dining room table, guitars and amps everywhere. So I was embarrassed, but she was just very sweet and cordial.
After a week or so, our relationship turned romantic and up until that very moment, I had no idea she was actually interested in me. We went to the next Breakaway concert together that weekend, and one of the local musicians who was very well known (his name escapes me) impressed me with his finger picking style. A few weeks later, I came up with a nice finger picking melody that I fashioned into this song. We had talked a lot about our goals in life by this time. I was pretty dead set on going back to the mission field in Venezuela and she had plans to go to SDSU and break into broadcasting. So as short and bittersweet a relationship it was, I attempted to bid her goodbye in this song. I recorded it on my Teac Syncassette and gave it to her along with a bunch of other songs I thought she would like. I remember her reaction- she said, “it doesn't get any better that this!”
BREAKAWAY
Words & music by Reggie Michaud © 1984
Hey listen, I’m happy you’re walking beside the Lord
Your friendship is touching my life
Be patient, be joyful, He’s living inside you now
You’re growing in leaps and bounds
You’ve got the love of the Son shining in your eyes
Break away from the rudiments of the world
You bring the joy of the Lord to the mornings child
Break away in the summer of eighty four
This morning I’m thinking the fellowship that we shared
Has really been blessed by God
I’m leaving, but you’re staying, I reckon that means goodbye
I’ll always remember how…
You’ve got the love of the Son shining in your eyes
Break away from the rudiments of the world
You bring the joy of the Lord to the mornings child
Break away in the summer of eighty four
Hey listen, I’m happy, you’re walking beside the Lord
You’ll always be in my heart