It is a privilege to share through the ministry of writing this remarkable life with others. The life of Tom Tipton begins as a child in segregated Washington, DC; travels through the powerful music world of jazz, gospel music, and the old hymns; reaches into politics and the struggles and hopes of desegregation; explores worldwide evangelism; and is still being lived out in 2013 in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. It would be a mistake to suppose that Tom Tipton's biography is just one more in the array of books that represent the cult of personal exposure. His is different in kind. His message is one of encouragement to the thousands of people who are now discouraged. His story belongs in one sense to the literature of witness, but in a far deeper sense, it belongs to the literature of hope. It is my hope that those who read these words will have their own lives enriched, in the same way that Tom Tipton has enriched so many lives through his ministry of music. He is an amazing man who has the gift of bringing out the best in others. Prepare for a spiritual experience.