Published Monday, June 30, 2008
Loss of leg, hand can't keep Arnold from sharing his faith
The Times-Herald
Brian Arnold has only one leg and the use of one arm, but -- with God's help -- he has a wholeness of spirit that enables him to minister to others.
Arnold will be at New Lebanon Baptist Church on Sunday. At the 11 a.m. service at the Wagers Mill Road Church, he will share in ministry -- including playing the piano. A love offering will be received.
Arnold is an evangelist, a singer, a songwriter and a musician.
Arnold, 41, was born in Maryville, Mo. while his parents were in college. The family soon moved to West Plains, Mo., his mother's hometown. "West Plains has been and always will be, my hometown," he recalled.
When Arnold was 6, he was injured while visiting his grandparents. The family was on vacation at the time.
"I slipped under a riding lawn mower driven by my father, Bob Arnold. My left leg was severed below the knee. I nearly lost my life because of so much blood loss," he related.
"This accident forced me to wear an artificial leg. My father was a basketball coach at the time, so having a leg missing caused me to feel inadequate," the evangelist remembered.
Arnold's mother, Shirley, decided her son needed a new adventure in my life, "something that didn't require running," he recalled. In the newspaper, she found an advertisements for a piano. The price -- $25.
She "bought it sight unseen," he said. That experience put Arnold's life on a new track.
He got a scholarship to study classical piano at Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield. He began working in the entertainment business -- first on Osage, Mo. -- then in Branson where he joined the Wilkinson Brothers Show in 1989.
The following year, he became part of the house band at the Roy Clark Celebrity Theater in 1990. As part of the band, Arnold opened for such performers as Roy Clark, Tammy Wynette, Ray Stevens, Jim Stafford, Loretta Lynn, Ricky Skaggs, Roger Miller and Conway Twitty.
In 1991, Arnold went to work at Silver Dollar City, a theme park in Branson. There he played in the Time Machine Band for the Branson Brothers in the Echo Hollow Amphitheater.
During that time, Arnold started a part-time gospel trio called Chosen Few with a longtime friend, Ashley Ellison, and Terry Kaufman. By 1993, Chosen Few was a full-time gospel quartet working at Silver Dollar City.
On Jan. 16, 1994 -- his father's birthday, Arnold was hit by a semi-truck while he was on his way to a church singing engagement. "This accident left me with a broken neck and paralyzed left arm. This dramatically changed my life again," he said.
"My life took a completely different course with the loss of the use of my left arm. I fought bouts of depression and anger over my situation. I continued on though, trying to work my way through it all. Eventually I went back to playing the piano with one hand," he said.
A week after his accident, he married Diane Kukal. They have four children -- Kelsey, Austin, Justin and Kerrigan.
"God continues to open doors I never dreamed possible," Arnold said. "My heart is to serve others, helping them to see that with God's help and His help alone, they can be overcomers."
Arnold amazes audiences with his one-hand piano playing, making one hand sound like two. His smooth vocals and his inspirational songwriting take listeners on a musical journey. Arnold does a mix of the old and new songs -- along with adding a touch of humor. He is also an accomplished motivational speaker.
His father is a Baptist minister, and Arnold is an ordained minister with Christian Ministries Church in Hot Springs, Ark. He and his family are members of the First Baptist Church in Kimberling City, Mo.
Arnold has traveled all over the United States, singing and preaching. He has also held revivals in various places.