John Hallett G

Continuing in
John Hallett: From A to Z

G = God is Good

One thing that John Hallett knew was that God is a good God! When he dedicated his life to Jesus (read below), he began an amazing journey. As he went along in his “faith journey” he learned what Psalm 23 stated was true: “surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” The psalmist David also wrote, “O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who take refuge (or trusts) in Him.” (Psalm 34:8) Taste, in this sense, would mean to experience. He knew through first-hand knowledge that God was good. The following is an article that John wrote (un-dated). This is a wonderful testimony of God’s goodness.

John wrote:

“When I was 8 years old my Dad told me about a great evangelist who was coming to our home town. Binghamton, N.Y. His name was Billy Sunday.

One cold, blistery Sunday afternoon in January, my mother. Dad and I went to hear the famous evangelist. As we entered the tabernacle, dad said, “I want you to sit down front so you can listen to this outstanding preacher without distraction”.

The mammoth tabernacle was alive with anticipation. Walking down the isle, I felt the excitement of hundreds of people around me.. Two grand pianos were on the platform placed on either side of the podium. Homer Rodeheaver stood to lead the singing.

Alfred H. Ackley known as A.H., sat to the right and accompanied Mr. Rodeheaver as he played his trombone and sang. Alfred’s brother. Bentley D Ackley, or B.D. sat at the other piano. These two brothers wrote over 5500 hymns, many of which we sang today.

Listening to the Ackley brothers embellish the music with beautiful chords, watching Mr. Rodeheaver’s lively song leading and being swallowed up in the sea of a huge choir, enthralled me. As a little kit just 8 years old, it became the desire of my heart to play the piano like those two brothers, to be a song leader like Mr. Rodeheaver.

At the first part of the service, Mr. Rodeheaver yelled over to the pianist, “the song is a little too high for me, would you transpose it to a lower key?” The skilled accompanist switched to a lower key and played awe-inspiring music, just as if it were written out for him. Tears welled up in my eyes. I knew I wanted to become a musician.

I prayed. Lord, help me to be able to transpose music for soloists one day”.

I listened to Billy Sunday as he preached a message, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house.”

The message was simple and I understood I needed a Savior At the end of the sermon Billy gave an invitation. I was the first to go forward and be greeted by Mr. Billy Sunday.

“I want to be God’s boy,” I told him. “I want Jesus to come into my heart”

He shook my hand with and encouraging smile, and then a counselor waiting near by led me to Christ.

The Lord did call me to use my musical talent in his service, the greatest work in all the world. I received most of my training as a young boy in Binghamton Conservatory of Music. I started piano lessons about the age of six. I had a wonderful teacher who also taught me theory, keyboard harmony and ear training.

I went to Binghamton Central High School, one of the few high schools offering a music course. Ray Hartley, known throughout the Triple Cities as a fine musician, taught the music course.. He took an interest in me and inspired me to write my own music. It was a privilege to take ear-training, harmony and composition during my high school years, a student of this great teacher.

In my early years, I was most interested in baseball. Music too, of course, and I was the substitute pianist and organist at Calvary Baptist Church in Binghamton.

I was always impressed with the music of the late Jimmy Davis, a trumpet soloist, pianist and superb tenor soloist. He and Evangelist Harry Vom Bruch were conducting Revival Meetings at our church. Jimmy usually accompanied himself at the grand piano. One day. Jimmy called me and said, “I hear you play piano. Come down to church and let me hear you play.” I accompanied Jimmy for several hours that afternoon. He showed me a lot of interesting things about accompanying. I had never accompanied anyone of that rank before.

I played for my Dad and a few other soloists but never anyone so talented and prestigious as Jimmy Davis. I was thrilled and excited to accompany such and outstanding singer and trumpeter. Jimmy asked me to play for him the remainder of the campaign.

I had heard the Yankees were coming to the Triple Cities for an exhibition game with the “Triple Team”. It was the Yankees farm team. I had a try-out with the Yankees when I was l6 years old and made it. I received a scholarship to go to Columbia University to play baseball. I loved baseball so much. I played short-stop and 3d base.

It just so happens I had Twilight Baseball games every night of the two weeks of meetings as well.

I would finish Twilight baseball just a few minutes before the meeting and would ride my bike from wherever we were playing, got back to the church and never bothered to change clothes. I took off my spikes, put on my slippers, took off my cap and shoved it into my rear pocket, brushed my hair back, then played the piano for Jimmy Davis mid Dr. Harry Vom Bruch. Years latter, I traveled with them as pianist, conductor of Youth and Children’s meetings.

One day, about 15 years after that blustery Sunday afternoon of my conversion, I received a call from Mr. Homer Rodeheaver who was in Evansville, Indiana at a large evangelistic center. “I am going to be giving a concert tomorrow night,” he explained. “I wonder if you would be able to come down and play for me.” I went down to Evansville and accompanied Mr. Rodeheaver, thrilled that God had allowed me to accompany the gentleman I admired so much during the time of my conversion. During the concert Mr. Rodeheaver yelled over to me at the piano, “Johnnie, the song is a little too high, would you please put it down a step?”

As I transposed the song, tears of joy spilled down my face. To think God would answer my prayer so precisely, using the very man who inspired it in that cold, Sunday afternoon in Binghamton. New York.

I composed a chorus: “I will give you the desires of your heart”

God has been so good to us through the years and has given us the desires of our hearts, the things we hoped for!”