THE BEGINNING PHASE OF A SONG WRITER

The Baylor revival team had conducted a revival in the First Baptist Church of Laredo, TX. It had been a difficult week and everyone was discouraged. Dick Baker returned to his room after the service one night, "longing for a fresh glimpse of anything holy." The yearning in his heart cried out for answers.

"I had a longing for Jesus," Dick said. "I had never written a song, but I got out of bed, turned on the light, and wrote the first stanza and chorus. It was so simple, " he added, "I didn't have the nerve to even introduce it or to say anything about it there in Laredo. But I kept working on it, and the following year at Ridgecrest, NC, I finished another verse and put it down."

Months later, Dr. B.B. McKinney, head of the music department for Southern Baptists, visited Baylor University. Dick approached him and asked what he needed to do with the song. Dr. McKinney took the song and carried it back to Nashville. He had it set on a metal plate, free of charge, and sent it back to Dick.

"That great man encouraged me," Dick said," and he personally began to promote and use what began as a 'longing' in Laredo," The song, a favorite with old and young alike has been translated into Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish, and German hymnbooks. Since then, Dick Baker has written over 400 songs and choruses, but none speak to the heart better than "Longing for Jesus."

Incidentally, it was Dick Baker who first published one of Sue's songs entitled "Giving You Back to Jesus."