Richard Robertson knew he wanted to pursue music. Growing up in Gadsden, he was mesmerized watching his cousin's band practice. At 14, he bought his first guitar. It was an old acoustic and "the strings were off the neck a mile," but it was his guitar.

By the age of 16, Robertson started playing in bands, too, and they weren't always stuck in the garage. They traveled throughout the Southeast, opening for acts like the Allman Brothers, Doobie Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd. They even played backup for B.B. King at one point.

But the dream of playing rock 'n' roll ended in August 1977 when Robertson was 23.

"That's when everything around me crumbled." It was at that time that a young man simply invited him to church.

Two weeks later, in the early Sunday morning hours, Robertson returned home from a concert in Birmingham and decided to quit the band.

Robertson drank and he realized that the alcohol was no longer providing the satisfaction he wanted. Performing was no longer satisfying, either. He felt alone. "I didn't have anything real."

That Sunday morning he began thinking about the young man who talked to him before, and he decided to visit that church.

When he got to Louis Street Baptist Church in east Gadsden, he saw a 75-year-old man standing outside the church. "That was the happiest man I'd ever seen in my life, and I thought, 'What? How can you be happy at age 75?' But he was happy!"

The man didn't make a comment on Robertson's "hippie" appearance; he only welcomed him. Just before Robertson walked in the church, the man called him back.

"Boy, I forgot to tell ya. The most important part is that Jesus will be here today," Robertson recalled.

Remembering, Robertson whispered through tears, "That's what changed my life. I got saved that day."

John 3:16

Soon after giving up rock music, Robertson was invited to join a quartet. The group not only introduced Robertson to gospel music but also to his future wife, Wanda, who often went to their performances. They married in 1993.

Since he couldn't live off weekend gigs, Robertson had to find a full-time job. He met some guys in the masonry business who taught him how to lay brick.

Robertson owned his own masonry company for 21 years, performing with the quartet on the weekends.

Despite success with his work, Robertson felt God was calling him to do something else. After praying for a year, he closed down his business and left the quartet in 1998, not knowing what his next step would be.

Within two weeks, Rollie Morgan, one of his former employees, bought his masonry equipment. Soon after that, he met musician Ivan Parker and began playing guitar for him. Robertson then found himself touring with Parker on the Bill Gaither Homecoming concert series.

He played with the Gaithers for six years, averaging 240 shows a year. He enjoyed the tour. "I could see the purpose in it."

While on the Gaither tour, Robertson and his wife had often talked about doing their own gospel music ministry full-time. They thought about how great it would be to travel to small and large churches, playing for free while relying on donations, meeting people and sharing their testimony.

They brushed it off as an unobtainable dream.

Yet, Robertson once again felt something tugging at his heart to do something else. "What else is left?" he thought.

Then one night in 2005, an elderly man approached Robertson after a show with Ivan Parker. Robertson noted the man's appearance, saying he could "see his chest through his shirt. I could see his socks through his shoes."

Robertson recalled him saying, "'Richard, I love what you do with that guitar, but you've got more to do. This is to help you get started.'"

The man held out some money.

"Sir, that's not necessary."

"Oh, yes, it is. God told me to do this. What you do with it is going to be between you and God, but I've got to do this."

Robertson accepted the money and put it in his pocket. When taking out "that dollar" later, he found a $100 bill.

Driving that night, Robertson prayed for guidance. The Lord seemed to respond, '"How many times do I have to tell you?'"

Robertson realized God was calling him to start his own ministry. So the next morning, he turned in notice that he was leaving the Gaither tour. Robertson and his wife moved to Alexandria.

Robertson bought a bus before the first gig was booked. In the summer of 2005, after a lot of phone calls to churches trying to line up gigs, they were finally on their way. They even found a sound system two days before the first show.

Psalm 40:3

Shortly after starting the ministry, Rollie Morgan died in a car accident. His death upset Wanda, who couldn't understand how this could happen.

"You could see Jesus with Rollie, just by the way he lived," she said.

Through her grief she realized, "You can't rely on other people to do your witnessing."

Instead of maintaining a low-key presence in the ministry, Wanda decided to sing and give her testimony.

Part of their program is an altar call, inviting people to come forward to pray or to dedicate themselves to Christ. The Robertsons decide how many songs they'll do before having the altar call and giving their testimony, but sometimes it happens sooner.

If people start walking forward on their own, then Richard will transition into the testimony. And even the testimony is up for changes.

"If we're in the middle of a song, if we're in the middle of singing, if we're in the middle of a word, it does not matter. If the Lord's tugging at your heart that you need to do something, you need to say something, you get up and do it," Wanda said.

Psalm 150: 3-6

To learn more about the Robertsons, visit www.richardrobertsonministry.com