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Lyle Schoon, lead singer
At 25, I was married with two
children, making a good living in drywall, paying my bills on time.
My parents hadn’t taken us to church much; but, I remember seeing my
grandmother kneeling beside her bed praying. It was spooky to me;
and, I asked Kim, “What’s Grandma doing?”
At 16, I was on my own, earning my way. No
one had to give me anything and didn’t. Then, at 25, Kim came to
see me. Now, understand that we Schoons
were tough. We were taught not to be crybabies and not to
tattle. Boys and men don’t cry. As I visited with Kim, his
eyes clouded up with tears. It was strange to see my brother cry,
that really got my attention, more than anything that he said that
day. Kim told me that trying to be as good as I could was
not enough for God. He told me that I needed to be “saved” from
my sins. That salvation was a free gift from God if I would only
believe that Jesus Christ died for my sins. He said all of that;
but, I remember his tears the most. When he left, once again, he
asked me to come to a church meeting at his girlfriend’s garage.
I did not want to go to church. My life was all right, I
thought. Since I was making pretty good money as a drywaller, I
figured that this struggling church just wanted my money. When I
finally went, the church members did not appear to be struggling.
They seemed happy and so nice that it made me sick. I knew for sure
then that they wanted my money. Everyone seemed different than I was.
Even though I didn’t feel like I had much in common with
the other church goers, my brothers, Kim and Don were attending
regularly. So, I continued to attend services. They sang songs.
Most of them I had never heard. It was really strange to me. I heard
the messages preached by an evangelist. One Sunday, the Holy Spirit
convicted my heart of my sin. It didn’t take long. I started to
shake so bad that I had to put my songbook down. I just had to go
forward to accept Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for my sins.
After I gave my life to the Lord, I felt so clean, as
white as a dove on the inside. I understood Kim’s tears because I now
had tears in my eyes. They are tears of remorse for my sins, tears of
thankfulness to God for His love and grace, and tears of joy. Singing
in the quartet gives me the chance to tell my story of how Jesus
Christ changed my life. God continues to mold me into the person that
I never knew I wanted to be. Lyle Schoon, lead singer, Basalt, CO
Jacque Schoon, alto
At the age of 15, I went forward to accept the Lord;
however, I had just wanted to be included. At 20, I was already a
member of a church, married with two children. Sitting in church with
my family, I heard the pastor preach from Matt 24:36-42, on Jesus’
return for His people. Jesus said, (verse 40) “Two men will be in the
field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be
grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left." The
Lord spoke to my heart and I realized that I was going to be one of
those left behind. I realized that my sin separated me from a personal
relationship with God. I knew that it wasn’t enough for me to just be
sorry for my sins. Knowing and admitting my sins were not all that
God wanted from me. I needed to turn from my sins, repent, and turn
my life over to God. That day, Jesus took my guilt away; and, I began
a new life in Him. Now, God could finally do something with my sins.
In Psalm 103:12, as far as the east is from the west, so far has He
removed our transgressions from us. I’m so grateful to God that He
sacrificed His Only Begotten Son on the cross so that I can be free
from my sins and live a life in His love. I followed the Lord’s
commandment to be baptized. I was baptized in the Roaring Fork River.
Jacque Schoon, alto, Basalt, CO
Don Schoon, bass, songwriter
As a kid growing up
in Basalt, Colorado, all I wanted to do was fish and hunt animals with
my BB gun. Then, I got a bow and killed my first elk at 13. After
that, I pretty much lived for hunting and fishing.
Life was school, recess, hunting and fishing until my Dad died
suddenly of a heart attack. He’d had a heart attack before so I
thought that he’d make it through this one. After that, I just
wanted to go down to the river every chance I had. I was really
sad because the strongest man and greatest hunter, fisherman, and
storyteller ever had died. I kept my sadness, grief, and fear to myself. A guy in
our family couldn’t show that kind of emotion.
My soul wanted to understand what was really going on with
the world. My rock had been my Dad; and, now he was gone. What
happened to him after he died? Would I ever see him again? Was there
really a heaven? Something inside me knew that there had to be more
to life than hunting and fishing, although I couldn’t imagine being
happy without them.
My brother Kim had met a girl that he wanted to date. He
had to go to church to date her; and, he wanted company. We met in a
garage so it wasn’t a stuffy church meeting. I was curious about what
the preacher had to say because I wanted to get answers to my
questions.
At the end of every service, an invitation was given for
anyone who wanted to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. One
evening when the Lord’s Supper was taken, I realized that I needed to
give my heart and life to the Lord. I don’t remember what the
preacher said; but, I knew that I needed the Lord. I wanted
forgiveness of my sins and to know that I would go to heaven when I
died. I knew that I could never be good enough by myself to be
acceptable to God.
I’m so thankful for my new life in Christ. My new life
has been an adventure. God has allowed struggles, trials, and hurts
in my life just like everyone else; but, with the Lord, I am able to
still have joy and love through it all. Some of my songs tell what
the Lord told me during those trials. I’m so thankful that God is
always there for me, in good and bad times.
Don Schoon, bass, songwriter, Silt, CO
Kim Schoon, tenor
My
Dad died of a heart attack when I was 15, a freshman in high school.
It seemed impossible that my Dad could be gone so suddenly. At
school, I was so sad that I sat alone at the noon hour. A junior girl
came up to me and told me that she was sorry that I’d lost my Dad. We
talked and eventually she asked me out. The only problem for me was
that her Dad would allow her to only date Christian guys. I thought
that I was a Christian. I was an American, I prayed, I had always
believed in God. This girl began telling me that I had to be “saved”,
not just believe that God exists. I began going to church with her at
her father’s garage, where he had started a worship service. One
night, when we had the Lord’s supper, I realized that Jesus Christ had
died for my sins and that I needed forgiveness. I asked Jesus into my
heart and asked him to forgive me of my sins. By faith, I believed
that He paid the price for my sins. That same night, my brother Don
also received Jesus as Lord and Savior. My life was never the same
after that. I began seeing people, events, and things differently.
There have been many struggles in my life from not being raised in a
Christian home. But God’s grace and mercy have seen me and my family
through those tough times; and, I am so grateful. I’ve tried to
never take for granted what Jesus did for me. And, by the way, I
married that lady that witnessed to me in high school and we’ve been
married 30 years now. Kim Schoon, tenor,
New
Castle, CO
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