March 17, 2003
Saxophonist breathes praise to God in music
___By Leann Callaway
___Special to the Standard
___CEDAR HILL--Some people call saxophonist Cliff Hackler a "Christian Kenny G," but the Texas Baptist musician shuns such a label.
___"I have never really considered myself a performer," said Hackler, who is a member of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Cedar Hill.
___"The saxophone is merely a means for me to converse with my Creator on a very intimate level. It never occurred to me that
God would want to use that to encourage and bless others."
___Hackler, who now performs about 100 concerts a year, began playing the saxophone in the sixth grade.
___As the youngest of five children and the son of a Baptist pastor, he found music, especially church music, an integral part of family life.
___"I played in an empty church for a long time before I ever played in front of people. My parents explained to me that they were spending a lot of money on the saxophone--$15 a month--and I was to practice for 30 minutes every day. Not long after, I became faithful in the discipline of practicing.
___"Apparently, the family took a vote, and my dad handed me the keys to the church and suggested I practice there."
___In time, though, others took note of Hackler's musical ability, and he was asked to lead the music for Vacation Bible School.
Then, he was offered a more prestigious role.
___"When I was 16, our song leader moved," he explained. "Being one of the few people in my church who could read music, I was asked to fill in until they were able to find someone else. Two years later, after having started a graded choir ministry, the church asked me to be their music minister."
___After graduating from Lancaster High School in 1985, Hackler received a music scholarship to Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, where he earned a bachelor of music education degree in 1989.
___From there, he studied music ministry at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and completed the master of music degree in 1992.
___Along the way, he served as minister of music for Baptist churches.
___"I enjoyed it immensely and found it very fulfilling," he said. "I assumed that God wanted me to be a minister of music for the rest of my life."
___But during this time, Hackler realized God was preparing him to use his musical gifts in other ways.
___"While serving as minister of music, I would find the most remote room in the church, and that would become my practice room. I practiced all my school music there, but I always ended up playing the songs of our faith. Every now and then, I would play something during the worship service."
___He remained self-conscious about these performances, however, because he found them to be a "personal and intimate experience between God and me."
___In time, he determined the saxophone was "the vehicle through which I could express all the things in my heart when words were inadequate. Music is no doubt my heart's language."
___So he and his wife began to think about missions work. They struggled with the call over an 18-month period, while he worked on his first recording, intended mainly for family and friends.
___The title song on that album was "I Surrender All," which turned out to be appropriate, Hackler said.
___Even after moving into an itinerant music ministry, the saxophonist still gets the jitters.
___"Being in front of people is very uncomfortable for me when I think about it. Talking in front of people really scares me. I am very fidgety before I walk up and pick up a saxophone.
___"As soon as I begin to play, my mind goes back to those remote rooms where I practiced. Then, I pour out my heart before God, and I enjoy playing for him."
___At his concerts, Hackler interperses his testimony and talks about the experiences that make each song special to him.
___"In being transparent with my personal anecdotes, I have found most of us struggle with the same things," he said. "We are able to see the ways God packages his grace for each of us uniquely and individually. ... All of us have different backgrounds, we talk differently, we have experienced different successes and failures. Yet when we kneel at the foot of the cross of Christ, we are shoulder to shoulder. I marvel at this."
___Hackler plays soprano, alto and tenor saxophones. His concert venues range from churches to coffee houses, book stores and prisons.
___His songs also have received air time on eight radio stations, including KCBI in Dallas.
The Baptist Standard
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