Robert is the only one I did not have the pleasure of interviewing. I met Robert during a meeting with his church’s pastor. At the time, I had an assistant the same age as Robert. I sent him to record Robert’s story.
Robert’s earliest memories of New Orleans are images of church classrooms filled with fidgeting children memorizing Bible verses. Of all the verses he memorized, he was drawn to Proverbs 3:5-6: “Tust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
The devoted Sunday school teachers never failed to invite their young students to talk about faith and about knowing Jesus in a personal way. At five years of age, Robert accepted the teacher’s invitation and prayed for Jesus to forgive him for his sins and to lead him through life.
“Accepting Christ at such a young age sounds bizarre. How much could I have understood?” said Robert. “But Jesus talked about having faith like a child. Faith is cut and dry, simple. Even a five-year-old child can comprehend who Jesus is.”
Robert’s parents reinforced his salvation experience when they asked him if he understood the commitment he made. He assured his parents that he did. “That experience was a defining moment that convinced me God would guide my life,” said Robert.
He entertained thoughts of entering the ministry as he walked onto the campus of Clifton Ganus, a small Christian high school, but lacked clear direction. God used Carol, the school’s choir director, and her husband, Jerry, to give Robert the direction he needed. After hearing Robert sing “Amazing Grace”, Carol exclaimed, “God has given you a gift, and I’m going to help you develop that gift if I have to give you singing lessons for free.” Jerry joined his wife’s crusade and gave Robert piano lessons. When Robert’s interest in music lapsed, Carol and Jerry gently prodded him back onto his God ordained path.
Robert was admitted into the honors program at Palm Beach Atlantic University after graduating as the valedictorian of his class. He entered as a voice major, but remained unsure about becoming a music minister. Traditional church music did not connect with Robert, who considered it a classical foundation for the contemporary styles he favored. An internship at First Baptist West Palm Beach gave Robert the direction he needed. By the time he finished the internship, he knew God had called him to music ministry.
After Robert’s graduation, North Phoenix Baptist Church hired him to be its associate minister of music. He became a member of the Phoenix Chorale (formerly the Phoenix Bach Choir). In 2008, the Chorale’s album, Grechaninov: Passion Week, was nominated for four Grammys. The album (a collaboration between the Phoenix Chorale and the Kansas City Chorale) won a Grammy for the “Best Engineered Album” in the Classical category. The following year, the Phoenix Chorale won a Grammy for the “Best Small Ensemble Performance” in the Classical category for its recording of Spotless Rose: Hymns to the Virgin Mary, conducted by Charles Bruffy.
Robert’s ministry and musical career were flourishing, but his destiny did not lie in Phoenix. The Sunday before Hurricane Katrina’s landfall, Robert’s heart was drawn to New Orleans as he watched reports about a massive storm in the Gulf of Mexico. Nine months later, Robert led a mission trip to New Orleans to gut houses. “While driving around the city, I said to one of the leaders, ‘I can’t imagine leaving North Phoenix, but if I did, I think God would call me to New Orleans. My heart is in this city.’”
More than a year later, Robert and his wife, Juliet, were praying for God’s direction when a representative from First Baptist New Orleans called to tell him about the position of Associate Pastor of Worship and Music. The Comeauxs’ were offered the position and they moved to New Orleans in November 2007. His office at the sprawling 17-acre campus of First Baptist gave him a view of downtown New Orleans, the city where he came to Christ with an unwavering, childlike faith.
“I’ve always trusted God,” said Robert. “I don’t lean on my own understanding, or trust too much in what I know. I have acknowledged him in all my ways, and he directed me back to the city closest to my heart.”
The Bible concludes with the city closest to God’s heart descending from heaven, prepared as a bride for her husband. Robert’s experience gave me hope that God can bring us safely to the city he loves, if we trust in the Lord and lean not on our own understanding.
Leave a comment