Two years after writing WHEN THE SHAKING COMES, this song came along. And what eventful and challenging years they had proven to be! It could easily be argued that a radical “Shaking” was transforming the lives of my entire family during this time period. If I had only known that the most violent tremor was right at the door at this time,I probably would have run and found some rock or cave to hide in. At the end of 2003 we had started Kingdom Kids Preschool Center. We closed our large license home daycare to devote ourselves completely to this endeavor. We had partnered with some family members and thoroughly proved the adage “never mix family and business.” The financial struggles started right away, and we put our home in El Cajon up for sale. We got a good price and were able to pay off all our debt, and found a rental just off Pepper Drive on a street called Somermont. By late 2004, the preschool center was really starting to take off and we had around forty families enrolled. Just when things seemed to be turning around for us financially, the church we were affiliated with decided they no longer wanted a preschool in their building and terminated our business arrangement. We were devastated! The contract we had with them was legally binding and we could have sued them for a lot of money. But I felt that was not the “Christian” thing to do and after much prayer and contemplation, decided to let it go and put the whole fiasco behind us. In early 2005, we purchased the house on Bundy Drive in Santee. We were extended to the max, and shortly thereafter the housing market collapsed.On a positive note, during this season I spent more quality time with my three boys, doing wood working projects, car and airplane models, and we read together every night at bedtime. I began teaching Kaleb guitar in 2004 on a baby Taylor, and bought him his first electric while we were living on Somermont.
After we had moved to Bundy, one day Kaleb came to me with this riff he had come up with. He asked me to help him turn it into a song. I was thrilled to be songwriting with my son! He played the riff and I figured out chords to go with his melody. Then we flipped through the bible and Kaleb chose Isaiah 2:5 for our subject matter. This was our first song written in the Bundy house and unfortunately the only song we ever wrote together. I suppose I raced ahead too quickly and hammered out the chords and lyrics.Kaleb came up with a few lines, but I think he felt as though I stole the show. Initially he said he loved it and we were both happy and proud of what we had accomplished together. Robin Morante had a small recording studio in his house, and at the time lived just a few blocks away. He offered to do some recording for me and we knocked the song out in a couple of sessions. I tried to get Kaleb to join in but by this time he was disinterested. Shortly afterwards, he said he hated it and accused me of stealing his idea. Here’s the lyrics:
HOUSE OF JACOB
© 2005 Words & Music by Kaleb Michaud and Reggie Michaud
Ref: Isaiah 2:5
O house of Jacob, come let us walk with the Lord
For our hearts have forsaken His ways for the ways of the world
O house of Jacob, come let us walk in His light
To be filled with the power of His Name and the strength of His might
And we shall not forsake You; we’ve come to this place to repent
Cause You fill up our hearts with the beautiful love You have sent
And we shall not reject You; we’ve come to this place to rejoice
With our hands in the air we will lift up Your Name with one voice
In times of trouble, You have restored us with grace
For the power of Your Spirit has broken down chains in this place
O God of Jacob, Come lay your hands on our eyes
To reveal the deception of Satan and strength of his lies
And we shall not forsake You; we’ve come to this place to repent
Cause You fill up our hearts with the beautiful love You have sent
And we shall not reject You; we’ve come to this place to rejoice
With our hands in the air we will lift up Your Name with one voice