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After 25 years in the business, Randy Travis is an American music legend. But only over the past decade has his signature bass gone beyond his country music roots and into gospel territory. The winner of three Grammys and seven Doves with his gospel recordings alone, Travis recently spoke with Christian Music Today about his new best-of album, Three Wooden Crosses: the Inspirational Hits (Word), about his conversion experience, the difference between church and country audiences, and why he's been bitten by the acting bug (he blames Andy Griffith!).

Three Wooden Crosses: the Inspirational Hits

The title track of your new album is a song that presents a story of redemption—of once lost, now found. Is this story symbolic of your own conversion?

Randy Travis: I came from a background that was heavy with drugs and alcohol and arrests. I've heard people speak about how a vision or something hit them, like a light turned on, right then and there. For me, I was into my early twenties, and I went to bed one night and just started reading the Bible. That's how the slow process of coming to understand that I needed to know more about the Word of God began, and then coming to the point of accepting Christ and water baptism.

Did faith in God dissolve the drugs and drinking immediately, or was it a process?

Travis: Because of my background, I really had no fear of anything or anybody. But I came to a point in my mid-twenties where I thought, The only thing I'm really afraid of is that if I died now, I know I would go straight to hell. I would hear, "Depart from me worker of iniquity, I never knew you," not "Well done, good and faithful servant."

That was a sobering thought. So the drugs and alcohol, I stopped that cold turkey. The drinking, running totally wild, running around getting locked up for driving under the influence, trying to outrun police and many, many fights—all that stuff stopped by my mid-twenties. The marijuana lasted a couple more years, then I finally stopped that too.

Randy Travis

From a spiritual perspective, change is a lifelong process.

Travis: You continue to grow. As you study the Word of God more and more, you find that more is continually revealed to you from the Bible. On top of that, there's the relationship we have with God, with Jesus, and with the Holy Spirit. That relationship is the most important part. And I'm amazed what things we have access to through prayer. As Jesus said, "Where any two of you agree as to anything, ask in my name and it will be given to you" (Matt. 18:19). The fact that I've seen that work is just an awesome thing.

Did you ever guess gospel music would be the avenue to amp up your career?

Travis: Heck no! [Laughs] My wife and I started working toward getting signed to a record label in the country genre about 30 years ago. If you had asked me back then if I thought we'd have a career in gospel recording, I would've said, "I doubt it." When we did "Forever and Ever, Amen" [in 1987], I thought we'd never have another song that would have that kind of crossover appeal. "Three Wooden Crosses" [2002] came from a gospel album, became a No. 1 record at country radio, and "Song of the Year" at four awards shows. It was a huge hit.

The gospel recording turned into a totally different career. It's like we were given a gift.

What differences are there between church and country audiences?

Travis: When you are singing to a country audience, the big difference as opposed to when we're working at a church is you're probably not doing an altar call. We see a lot [of people accept Christ] at the performances within churches because I will usually do a question and answer with the pastor. It's a wonderful thing to watch the altar call after we've finished and see people accept Christ. It is the thing we are all supposed to do. What does the Word say? Something to the effect of, "You are saved by the blood of the cross and your testimony."

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