The Akins: Singing To The Heart

David Akin, a man called of God, is a preacher, musician, singer and father of three boys. His journey started 30 years ago when God called his name while he was leading praise and worship from a piano at his home church, Harp’s Crossing Baptist in Fayetteville, Ga.. For a few years, he worked with preaching evangelists, leading choirs and singing special music. When his boys became three, five and seven, God laid it on his heart to go out on his own and form a family ministry. The Akins immediately started singing, never had any stage fright, and never looked back.

Some years earlier, David had been with a friend who had lost his dad, a well-known evangelist that had traveled worldwide. That night, as he watched the tears run down his friend’s face, he felt compelled to go to his room, where he fell on his knees and asked God not to let him be the one who travels the world and doesn’t get to spend time with his children.

“I believed that I could win the whole world to Jesus, but if I didn’t have time for my own, I would have messed up on the most important thing that God put me here to do,” David says. “That night, I know that God heard a brokenhearted dad’s prayer. My boys began to show interest in singing and playing musical instruments and began to flourish at an amazing rate. Only God could have done what was done in our family, and I give Him all the glory.”

In 1990, the Akins sang their first song in public. David performed with his sons – Davey, who played bass, Nick and Eli. After 19 years, God called Davey and led him to leave the ministry and go to New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

“I always want my kids to be exactly where God wants them to be,” David says. “Davey was feeling that God wanted him to work with men hooked on pornography and (warn) young men the dangers of pornography. We don’t feel like we lost a bass player but that we gained another minister going out from our family.”

The Akins’ ministry continues with David, Nick and Eli, singing and playing many instruments, leading revivals and concerts. Eli and his wife write almost all of the original songs that the group records. Their latest recording, “Eyes on the Road,” includes 10 songs written by this talented couple. It is scheduled to be released on Aug. 27 at the Akins Harps Homecoming at Harp’s Crossing Baptist Church in Fayetteville.

David confesses that with all of the concerts the group is doing, there is always an embarrassing moment on stage. At one concert, he realized in the middle of their first song that his fly was open. He couldn’t even turn around because the choir was behind backing them up. He finally found the perfect opportunity to accidently-on-purpose drop his mic so that he could quickly close his zipper.

“I don’t think that it was successful, people noticed anyway,” he admits.

If God hadn’t led them into the ministry what would they be doing?

“Who knows … I am a do-it-yourselfer,” David shares. “I love taking on a project, doing research and completing it. I’m sure there would have been plenty of things that I might have tried if God had not chosen me for this.”

Nick would probably record other people in their recording studio. God has really blessed him with an amazing ability to hear things in the mix-downs that no one else can hear. He would continue writing songs also.

Eli is a jack of all trades. He not only plays almost every instrument that he picks up, but he has built several guitars that he plays on stage and is an amazing photographer. He also would like to have his own restaurant some day as he loves cooking and smoking meat.

David is currently writing a book entitled “You’ve Brought Us This Far.” It is about his life and family and all the miracles that God has performed over the years to bring them to this point. He hopes to finish it someday. Nick records young artists from time to time, and Eli and his wife Whitney shoot photos and videos for realtors in Atlanta to assist with home sales.

Being Bill Gaither fans, they would like to sing on a Gaither video and share a meal with him. Dave said he would want his kids and the world to be able to say that David Akin was the same off stage as he was on stage, like their song, “My Stage Was an Altar.”

“I recently had the opportunity to share a conference with the Akins,” Dr. Jerry Vines says. “My, what a blessing this talented father and young men are. They play many instruments and sing beautifully. But, most important, they sing to the heart. We are in great need of musicians who are not only musically superior, but (who are) also spiritually sensitive. The Akins are both. If you ever have the opportunity, please hear them and use them in your meetings.”

Photographs courtesy of the Akins and Robert York.

By Robert York

First published by SGNScoops Magazine in August 2017

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