2007
March
God Has A Plan
This article is pretty extensive so please be patient as I share with you the history of Brothers Forever and how that God has proved that he has a plan for us. I have always felt in my heart that God had given me the gift of music in order to share it with the world and so Brothers Forever was formed in February 2004 by me and a close friend named Chris Churchwell. We got our name from the Crabb Family song “Brothers Forever.” We felt it best described our and every believers eternal friendship. Kevin Adams and Jody Pierce joined the group in March 2004. With Chris’s insistence we started recording and singing songs that I had written. I was not real sure about this because I wasn’t confident in my song writing ability, but Chris believed in it and so our first recording titled “Just Getting Started” was recorded at Windrush Productions in Greenville, TN. http://www.windrushproductions.com
We sent our first single to radio called “A Better Place” and we got a lot of airplay. Our second single was the song that really opened a ton of doors for us. It was a song that my wife’s uncle had written called “You Alone Are Worthy”. I knew from the moment that I heard this song that it was special. This song was released in March 05 with Susan Whisnant of UIA and Shane Ferrell of Lighthouse Promotions. The song broke the Singing News Top 80 in July 2005 debuting at #77. I remember Susan Whisnant saying that if we had been around for awhile that this song might have went to #1. A very nice encouragement from one of Southern Gospel’s greatest Altos. I know that’s not very high in the charts but I was reminded that airplay is the most important thing and we sure got a ton of that. This song was being played four and five times a day in stations all over North and South Carolina as well as Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and Kentucky. We were even blessed to be played on XM Radio. Remember the bible says that “God desires the praises of his people. “You Alone Are Worthy” was a song that did just that. It gave God honor and praise. In just a little over a year God had given us a Top 80 single, bookings almost a year in advance and we were selling CD’s in bookstores within our regional area. It was more than anything we could have ever prayed for.
With success sometimes comes change. Its seems like most gospel groups go through singers as much as they change clothes. Our schedule had grown so fast and I don’t think any of us were really ready for life on the road. Working full time jobs and singing every weekend does get exhausting. Kevin our bass singer was praying about becoming the youth pastor of his father’s home church, so he left in April 2005 to spend time at home with his family and be the new youth pastor. A few weeks later Jody our tenor singer also left to work on his family life. So there Chris and I were with no bass singer and no tenor singer and appointments that still expected us to come. I am sure there are many groups that have been in this same situation and I now sympathize with any group that loses or changes members. It’s a tough transition.
We both felt that God still wanted us to continue and so we pressed on. God sent us a new bass singer in July 2005. We were both attending First Free Will Baptist Church in Church Hill, TN and Buford was running sound for the church. We knew Buford had sang Gospel Music for over 50 years and now he was retired. He had sang with The Crusaders for many years and also with Wallace Nelms and The Landmarks. We often joked with Buford hinting that he should come back on the road and start singing with us. Buford recalls that God was dealing with him from the moment we first mentioned it. He joined the group in July 2005 and so we continued singing with a lead, baritone, and a bass singer. We continued to pray for God to send a tenor and we tried out many of them but we never could seem to find the one that fit.
Then in March 2006 Chris decided to step down to spend more time at home with his family. I have to be honest, I thought about calling it quits myself. I was so discouraged. We had tried out so many tenors and we honestly couldn’t afford to pay for a great one at the time. I was looking at where God had brought us from in such a short time and now everything as far as I could see was pretty much over. Buford encouraged me to stick it out and he assured me that “God had a plan” and that he would send us some other people to make Brothers Forever complete again. After much prayer I decided to stick it out for a little while longer just to see what God had in store.
We immediately put ads in The Singing News Classifieds and got a lot of responses. But still not the one we felt God had planned for us. If we are not careful we can rush God and settle for less than what he has intended for us which is his best. In June 2006 we were doing a bookstore tour in North Carolina. I couldn’t find Laurinburg Christian Bookstore in Laurinburg, NC. I was lost. Imagine that. A man that has gotten lost. LOL. After driving up and down the same street about five times this lady pulls up behind our bus and starts flashing her lights. I pulled over and she comes up to the side of the bus and ask if we are lost. She introduced herself and told me that we had passed by her church “Lauringburg Church of God” about five times and she figured we might be lost. I assured her that we were and she offered to lead us to the bookstore. Once we arrived at the store I gave Penny a CD to say thank you. Little did we know what God was planning through all of this. Penny went back to her church and she gave the CD to her close friend David English. David was from Wallace, SC and he had been singing with his family “The English Family” for quite a few years. He had been praying about singing in a full time southern gospel group and had even tried out for Souls Harbor in Michigan. After Penny gave him the CD he recalls that God began dealing with him about Brothers Forever. He didn’t know that we needed a tenor singer but he just felt drawn to the group. He called Penny and asked her if she knew if we needed a tenor singer. Penny made a phone call tome and ask me if we needed one. I will never forget that phone call. I was in Dollywood in Sevierville, TN with my family when she called. I got so excited when she said that she knew the perfect guy and that she wanted to give me his phone number. Remember friends nothing happens by chance. Everything that happens in our lives is a divine appointment. I called David and from the moment that I first talked to him I knew that God was doing something so special. David lived five hours away and with our busy schedule it was almost impossible to set up a tryout. In just a few short weeks we would be in Pembroke, NC doing a concert with Ivan Parker. Pembroke is not too far from were David lives and so I mailed him some CD’s so that he could learn our songs and do a tryout when we got there. We arrived in Pembroke on June 10, 2007 and David stepped on the bus about 2hrs before the concert was to start. From the moment he started singing I just started crying. I knew in my heart that he was the tenor we had been looking for. He voice was so anointed. Every note of every word that he sang felt like that he knew what he was singing about. David has been with the group ever since.
That night following the Ivan Parker concert I lost my voice. Imagine that. I accounted it to Satan but I think we give him more credit than what he deserves. LOL Once again discouragement filled my heart; however I was so thankful that God had sent David. He knew all of our songs well enough that he could sing the lead on everyone of them. So that Sunday morning went ok. Sunday night was the highlight of our weekend. We had been to Annease Drive Praise and Worship Center a couple of times already and I was excited about going back but I didn’t know how it would go without my voice. I began to pray to God all the way to the church that night. I told no one of my prayer. When we walked into the church to set up this lady met me at the door. I had never met her before that night. She was a member of the church but I had never been introduced to her. She politely looked at me and smiled and she just said “there is something wrong with you”. I knew what she was talking about but no one had told her anything. She asked me to come over to the where the pull pit was and she got out a bottle of oil. She rubbed a little dab on her fingers and then rubbed her hands together. Honest before God it looked like she had covered her hands in the stuff. She laid her hands on me and began to pray. Others in the church began to come around and pray for me. I could feel the Holy Spirit moving all through my body. It was like nothing I had ever experienced. God healed me at that very moment!!! When they finished praying for me I went out to the bus. I fell on my knees and just began to weep before God. He had touched me like only he can. The first song that came to my heart to sing was “You Alone Are Worthy” and he truly is. I was able to sing as if I had never lost my voice. Like I said before “God has a plan”
God used this experience of healing to bring our new baritone to the group “Gary Ballew”. I first heard from Gary through email on July 11, 2006. I’m getting ahead of myself. Gary later recalls that he and his family had felt the Lord leading them to Tennessee a little over a year and a half ago. Gary says “Cyndi and I felt the Lord leading us to Nashville where I would pursue my love of music.” Gary and Cyndi began to make preparations to move to Nashville on faith that God would direct them where to go. They sold their house in California in three weeks, “which was Cyndi’s fleece before God”. They loaded up everything they had, put it in a U-haul trailer and were preparing to leave on Monday July 17, 2006. Gary recalls “I had checked the Singing News website many times and had found nothing. The day before we were to leave we were having a barbeque and I felt the Lord leading me to check the website one more time. I was very hesitant but I went upstairs to check it. The first ad at the very top of the page was the ad from Brothers Forever. It simply read, “Anointed group seeking anointed baritone”. It immediately caught my eye. I wrote an email to Curtis “January 11, 2007” in response to the ad and left it at that. About 10 minutes later my cell phone rang and it was Curtis.”
Gary and I had no idea what God was up to. When I first talked to Gary I began to share with him the healing that had taken place in my voice the week earlier. I didn’t want to do an interview I just wanted to share what God had done for me with someone else. I explained to Gary that we were very ministry minded and that I was just looking for someone to minister with us. We talked about Gods power and how awesome he is and we decided that he would call me a little later and that we would discuss meeting each other. We took a trip that following week to Yonkers, NY were we sang at a 7th day Adventist Church. While on the New Jersey Turnpike I got a call from Gary. He said that he was in the Grand Canyon. I remember thinking “What is he doing in the Grand Canyon”. I didn’t know that Gary was moving to Tennessee that week. I assumed he was going to fly out and meet me. Gary wasn’t flying. He was already packed up and ready to move to the place that God had called him too. Just like Abraham. LOL. Gary told me that they would be in Tennessee by the following week when we got back from NY. I told him that we could meet then. Gary recalls “I told Cyndi that we would just go to Gate City, VA, meet this guy named Curtis, have a good meal with his family and if things don’t work out then we have made a good friend in the Lord.” Just like the first time I met David in North Carolina, from the moment I heard Gary sing I knew that he was the one God had intended for us. I just wept as he sang. In the email he sent me I had overlooked the fact that he had won the Western Quartet Convention Male Vocalist Talent
Showcase in 1999 and that he also was the top overall new talent soloist and winner at the Southern California WSGMA showcase. I guess God didn’t want me to see that till later. LOL. All I remembered is that he was the music minister at his fathers home church in Tracy, CA and that his email said that he loved The Lord with all his heart and that his dream has always been to sing full time Gospel music.
If you made it this far then I thank you for reading. It’s a very long testimony of how God started and continues to keep Brothers Forever together. We have recently recorded a brand new CD titled “Side By Side, Live in Illinois.” We felt that this title best described what God had done for us in that he has placed us side by side just like a giant jig saw puzzle. In just nine short months together David, Gary, myself and Buford have been traveling the country sharing what God has done for us this past year. We have recently been nominated for Favorite Male Quartet at Southern Gospel Music Fan Fair and we have been working on a brand new CD with some of gospel music’s best musicians and producers. Only God could have done all this. Remember friends that “God has a plan”. Make sure that you run the race with patience because it is sometimes required in order to see Gods plan unfold.
Till next month,
Your Brothers Forever
Curtis, David, Gary, and Buford
http://www.brothersforever.net
The Shepherd or The Hireling
On occasion, Tim will sub at one of the local schools. At the end of a school day, he drives home, comes up the back steps, and shuffles through the door with all the energy of a Bassett hound. Since a substitute isn’t the regular teacher of a class, some students may not be as willing to listen to the sub as they would their normal teacher. And the fact that Tim doesn’t look (nor sometimes act) his age doesn’t help either!
The tenth chapter of the Book of John tells about the shepherd and the sheep. The sheep follow the voice of the shepherd because they know his voice. Christ is the Good Shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. (Verse 11) Praise God!
Pastors are appointed to be shepherds over the sheep, the congregations in our churches today. The sheep depend on the pastor to protect them from harm – to guard the gate. There is a thief that wants in to steal, kill, and destroy. They have a grave responsibility to guard the sheep according to the word of God.
Sometimes a “substitute” comes in – this person is referred to as a hireling. The scripture goes on to tell us that a hireling will let the wolf come in to harm the sheep; the hireling flees because he doesn’t care for the sheep. Not like the shepherd does. (John 10:12)
When we are invited into a church to sing, we also have a very important responsibility. I don’t believe we should go in as a hireling. We should recognize that since we have been given temporary authority over that congregation, we should be as responsible as the shepherd. The good shepherd that cares for the sheep; that would protect them; the shepherd that the sheep follow because they know his voice. The church doesn’t need some “song and dance” that gets them hyped up emotionally with no real substance. And I am not referring to any singing group who uses choreography in their program. We use a little in our own program. I’m talking about being a person of faith and integrity. I want people to know that I spend time with the Lord. Not because I told them, but because they recognize His presence in my life just like the sheep recognize the shepherd’s voice. It’s easy to say,” The Lord told me this, or the Lord told me that” and successfully convince some people that one has a walk with God. That kind of talk may get you a platform and some success, but it is useless to the church as we approach the last days. Not only is it useless, it is harmful to the flock. I guess the question now posed to us is, “Are we going to be the real thing or are we simply going to be a substitute?”
till next time…
Sally
Our new album is nearing completion! This has truly been a labor of love. Keep checking back for the release of our new recording, “THE WORD IS OUT.”
For bookings or product, simply call 615-459-5119 or email us at for more information.
To find out more about The Quicks, visit us on the web at http://www.thequicksonline.com.
To contact The Quicks, Phone: 615-459-5119 / 615-403-0047
Write: The Quicks / P.O. Box 581 / Smyrna, TN 37167
E-mail:
Every Little Lamb Needs A Shepherd
It seems that where Satan is at work in this world causing turmoil and destruction, the children are usually the innocent victims caught in the midst of the hurting.
With that in mind, I began asking God if I could record something for the kids. I wanted to tell them about His love, but needed confirmation that He was leading me to do it in this way.
So, I asked Him to give me a new song. Now, this is no small request. I have written songs, but I don't write songs every day, not every week, not even every month. Though I'd love to! No, my songs are few and far between. If God could trust me to write one whenever I choose, I'd probably get a bigger ego and start taking all the credit. Whatever the reason, I can't just sit down and write a song any time I please. I am thankful that God has helped me to write a few. How? Well, it goes something like this: I get inspired with a special idea for a song, I ponder and scribble, and hum and scribble, and make a lot of mistakes, and by a miracle He lets it turn out to be a song with a message for someone dear to Him. I love the way God works!
Well, this particular night, He gave me a song about a little sheep wandering, shivering and lonely, one of the Shepherd's own sheep whom He loves!
The next day, I went into the studio and began singing it for my husband, Bobby. He began playing along with me on the piano. That evening, I invited Mom and Dad to come and hear it. The Spirit was so sweet that first day with this song! I noticed my mom had tears, and that made me cry.
Two weeks later, Mom told me her story concerning the song. She said that I had written the song she had started to write a month before. This was the first I heard of it. It was during one of those times, like many Christians will go through, when she just felt lost and helpless. She began writing "Lord come find your little lost lamb..." She didn't finish, but this was the plea in the song she had begun. It was a sheep calling out to the Shepherd.
How awesome of God, and just like Him, to answer Mom, his little sheep, with another song which he gave to me to sing for her. It was if God were saying "Yes, I'll carry you. Don't worry. You can trust your Shepherd!"
It may seem unbelievable, but it is true! We serve an amazing, loving God who speaks to His Children!
I took the song as confirmation, and recorded a project just for kids.
The title song is "Every Little Lamb Needs A Shepherd"
Little lamb why do you wander, All alone, so hungry and cold
You seek to find a resting place
Little lamb why do you roam? Little lamb why do you roam?
Don't you know the Shepherd who loves you?
Don't you trust in the strength of His arm?
He will lift you up on His shoulders, And He'll keep you safe from harm
Every little lamb needs a Shepherd
There is One Great Shepherd I know
Jesus is the One who loves every little lamb
And takes care of His own, He takes care of His own
Stay close, little lamb, to the Shepherd. Follow in His steps every day
Listen to the voice of the Shepherd.
His every word obey, His every word obey
Though danger may be all around you, Don't let fear trouble your heart
For He'll lift you up on His shoulders, And He'll keep you safe from harm
Every little lamb needs a Shepherd
There is One Great Shepherd I know
Jesus is the One who loves every little lamb
And takes care of His own, He takes care of His own
--Jennifer McCallister
The Bradleys
http://www.thebradleys.net
Mike and Kelly Bowling - Mar 07
Kelly Bowling
Mike and Kelly Bowling
http://www.mikeandkellybowling.com
King’s Heralds - Mar 07
The month of February found us in Florida in the middle of a 25 day tour. Right in the middle of that tour we had to fly to Idaho for three dates. The funny thing was that when we got there it was warmer in Boise than it was in Orlando. We wound up in Alabama where we worked with our good friends The Old Time Gospel Hour Quartet. If you have not heard these guys lately, do your self a favor and go. They have never sounded better! It was good to see and work for G. Pat Adkison. Pat and Linda are dear friends and have done so much to promote Gospel music in the Birmingham area.We Love you guys!! We then worked for our good friend in Atlanta Bobby York. We had a wonderful time there with a very talented group alled Enlisted. Bobby and his wife Carol promote in the Atlanta area and Carol makes the best cookies in the world!! They have all of their concerts at Metro Technical College auditorium in Ackworth, Ga.
As of this writing the group is gearing up the head out for a couple weeks to Alabama and North Carolina.Please keep us in your prayers and come see us when we are in your area. If you don't have anything better to do you can log onto our website http://www.theheralds.org to see where we are going to be. We'll catch you down the road...
God’s Love Never Fails
Writer: Shirley Bradley
A lady who always attends when we have a concert in her area, spoke to me often about her mother. She had terminal cancer so I was always given an update along with a prayer request when she came to our table after we sang. Then one day she informed me that her mother had passed away. She gave me a letter she had written about her mother and asked if I would consider writing a song about her. Since I depend on God to give the inspiration for the songs I write, I explained that I couldn’t write a song unless HE gave me the message, but I said that I would pray about it. The letter really touched my heart. She explained that her mother was a devout Christian who had endured many years of poverty and persecution from her alcoholic husband (the lady’s father) because of her faith, but she had kept a sweet spirit and remained true to God through it all. She walked to church every Sunday in spite of his objections and abuse. In later years when she was in and out of the hospital battling cancer, her daughter said that when she went to visit her with the intent of cheering her up, her mother would end up being the one who lifted everyone’s spirit. Her faith and joy in spite of her circumstance was quite astonishing and inspiring to them all. During the short periods between hospital stays, she would insist on going to church, although she was so weak near the end that she had to lay on the pew. When I read this, I thought how different it is with many so-called Christians who look for any excuse not to attend church. I asked God to put the words in my mind if He had a song he wanted written about this beautiful life. Several weeks later, I found myself penning the song entitled "God’s Love Never Fails".
Hope you enjoy!
verse 1 My mom had no wealth to leave to her children,
But she told me of treasures that could always be mine
Now, I’ve found the source of a joy never-ending,
And the peace that brought Momma
Through those dark troubled times
verse 2
She walked every Sunday to the church in our village
She loved to hear about Jesus, and sing the songs of His love
She never complained of the hard road she traveled
‘Cause Momma’s affections were set on things above
Chorus
She’d say, God’s love, God’s love never fails
Sin wages a battle, but mercy prevails
Though I walk through a valley,
All is well, all is well, for God’s love
Never, never fails
verse 3
I was holding the hand that once rocked my cradle
As she walked through death’s valley,
She smiled through her pain
I marveled once more at how her faith never wavered
As she fought her last battle, again she explained
chorus
She said, God’s love, God’s love never fails
Sin wages a battle, but mercy prevails
Though I walk through a valley, all is well, all is well,
For God’s love never, never fails
tag
Though I walk through a valley, all is well, all is well,
For God’s love never, never fails
The Bradleys
Good Morning Lord
This song was written by John Lemonis & Marty Funderburk. When they sent us the song, I loved the message and the beat of the song, so we put the song in the ‘I think so” pile of songs to be recorded. Well, it made the cut. The bad thing, as much as we liked the song, I still didn’t see much ‘ministry’ in it. We recorded it and sent it out to radio, with me still feeling the same way. Just about 2 weeks after the release, I received a call from a lady in North Carolina. Here was the conversation: “My husband and I were married for many, many years. Every morning when we awoke we always said good morning to each other. He passed away just a month ago and I have found myself in a deep depression. I was so alone now. This morning as my alarm woke me up with good ole gospel music, I heard your song, Good Morning Lord. It was today, for the first time that I realized I wasn’t alone. GOD was here with me and now I am waking up with HIM! Thank you for your ministry. Your songs mean more than you could ever imagine!”
OH MY! This was awesome to hear. I just love how GOD does what HE does. When you stop and think that when the writer was allowing GOD to use his pen and his heart, GOD was preparing for this ladies need. AMAZING! Through this event, I learned that all songs that are lifting up HIS name are ministry, if we will allow them to be! THANK YOU GOD!
Here are the words to the song, Good Morning Lord
I verse:
I woke up this morning, with a thankful heart,
I could hardly wait for the day to start.
Now I never know what you have in store,
cause everyday is better than the day before.
Chorus:
Good Morning Lord, I see you’ve kept me through another night
Once again the sun is shining bright, it’s going to be a glorious day
Good Morning Lord, this is another day you’ve given me
I’m believing that it’s going to be, a Good Morning Lord
II verse:
I find brand new mercy, with each new dawn
You give me daily bread, so I can carry on
Before the day is done, I love you even more
That’s why I wake up singing, Good Morning Lord
Johnathan Bond
Young Harmony
http://www.youngharmony.com
Revival
As Christians, we often talk about revival and/or the need for it. We seem to be looking for it or we schedule it at our churches for a few days or a week. During this time we will go to church night after night and then for a week or two after, we are on fire and God is all we can think or talk about. After the time passes, however, we tend to go back to our normal mode of thinking and talking about God; mainly, just when we are at church.
Might I say I have been guilty of that - if guilty is the right word? I am sure most of you could and have experienced the same thing. It is not necessarily bad but I don’t believe that is what true revival is all about.
Before I get in trouble, let me explain. Back at the beginning of the year we, The Imperials, decided to begin a time of agreement in prayer every day. Don’t get me wrong. We all prayed before and when we are on the road we do pray together, but when we go home we hardly ever see each other. So we decided to make a time of day, every day, that all of us would stop and focus in prayer on the group and what God wants. During this time we ask God to “show up” in our lives and in the group so we can touch others! Although we do ask for the things we need, we focus mostly on His presence in our lives and on what He wants. All of a sudden things began to happen! Attitudes, desires and motives began to be more God focused and less “us” focused! We began to see God move in ways that we have only touched on before. What we used to think of as an unusual or abnormal move or work of God has become the usual and the normal! We’re starting to expect Him to do great things in us, through us and for us!
This is not the first time this has happened in this group! We found an old newsletter of The Imperials from the early 70’s and it clearly tells of a time that the group was experiencing an incredible move of God! During that time group members were seeing things happening that could only be from God. They were in unity through the Spirit of God and we know when there is unity, then nothing can stop it! (Gen. 11:6; Psalm 133)
Over the past couple of months we have seen significant growth in every area of this ministry. Literal miracles have been and are happening! Don’t think that the devil has let this go unnoticed. We have seen him try to disrupt and harass us. On a recent Sunday night a demon possessed man showed up to try and disrupt the service. Before it was over, the demon was the one that got disrupted!
You know what? All of this was to be expected! Both the victories and the challenges. The Word and history tells us over and over what happens when people come into agreement, in prayer, wanting the presence of GOD! This word is simply called, Revival!
Using some words from “Holy and Acceptable”, a song on our new CD; we want to encourage you to “pray and seek His face” and invite His “glory to fill your life”. Not just so you’ll know what it’s like to experience His glory but so that you’ll be able to share His glory with everyone around you!
March 07 Reflections
There is no gift-giving commonly associated with March, and I suspect if it weren’t for St. Patrick and the wearin’ of the green, there would be little commercial impact whatsoever. There will be some, like Bruce and I, who will do a ceremonial viewing of Maureen O’Hara and John Wayne in “The Quiet Man”, and then spend a few days practicing a pathetic Irish accent. But other than that, March will barely register a ripple on the pond of emotion.
It seems to be just a stringer filling the gap between Valentines Day and Easter. The wind is harsh and the weather is unpredictable. Should I pack the sweaters away? Maybe. No, wait. Winter seems to drone on while spring teases us with an occasional fifty-ish day. Trees may bud only to be blanketed in snow a day later. I’m tired of the cold, gray skies and dead grass. I want to see daffodils and peonies. I want clear, blue skies and smooth sailin’. I just want winter to end and spring to take hold - now.
What’s going on anyway? Transition. Oooh, that’s a scary word. Slow, gradual, painstaking change. Nature is readying itself for the growing season. And although I want winter to end, change frightens me because then comes the stormy season.
Anyone that’s known me longer than a week knows I really don’t like change. I have a comfort zone and I don’t like it disturbed. I go to the same restaurant nearly everyday for lunch where the same waitresses know within two or three choices what I’ll have and how I’ll have it. They see me walking across the parking lot and go fill a glass with iced tea, plop a lemon in it, and take it to “my” table. When Bruce and I go to our favorite steak place, I can leave the room and he knows what to order for me right down to the croutons. One evening we were both surprised at our old Chinese restaurant when we were greeted by a smiling Oriental hostess who pointed first to Bruce and then to me and said, “Okay. You have Hunan chicken wit mushroom and exra bean sprout and you have Moo Goo Gai Pan and I-tea.” Were we that predictable? Apparently so.
I guess you could say patience is not a strong suit either. I’d rather drive five miles out of the way than sit two minutes in traffic. I want to keep moving. I’ll bob from one checkout line to the next to find the shortest line, only to be inevitably trapped between the price check in front of me and the screaming “I want some candy!” behind me. Please, Scotty, just beam me up. (But then even matter-energy transport takes time.)
I would never have made it on the farm with my mother. I would have planted the little seedlings and come back ten minutes later and said, “Okay, where’s my tomatoes?”, and then walk away muttering, “This farming stuff doesn’t work.”
Although I know patience is a virtue, I’ve never quite gotten there. I remember an evangelist coming to our church when I was younger. He asked how many of us would like mercy and we all dutifully raised our hands. He asked how many of us would like to be kind and we all raised our hands. He asked how many of us would like to have patience and we all raised our hands and then some, including me, quickly jerked them back down. It apparently occurred to us simultaneously that “tribulations worketh patience”, and I had all the tribulations I could stand at that time.
The Christian walk is all about change, patience, and growth. It’s about transition and process. Transition literally means passing over or passing through from one state to another. It’s not always easy. It can be uncomfortable, unpredictable and downright scary. We like our paths clearly marked. Had the Lord asked us like He did Abraham to leave our homeland for a place He would “show” us, we would say, “Nope. I want the itinerary. I’ll need to make reservations at the Dromedary Inn.” We would have missed the blessing God had in store down the road.
It takes patience to endure the process and become what we’re supposed to be. We can’t rush through the processes God has set in motion for us anymore than the butterfly can rush metamorphosis.
I think David would have liked to skip the part of his life where he continued to watch sheep after he was anointed to be king, and I’m certain he would have preferred to just ascend to the throne God promised him instead of continue to elude Saul. Joseph spent years in captivity when he was destined to be a ruler all along. Moses spent years on the back side of the desert when it was God’s intention to make him a deliverer. Why all the waiting? God has lessons planned for us along the way to teach us, strengthen us, and ultimately help us become the people He intended us to be.
The apostle said in 1 John 3:2, “Beloved, now we are the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”
His intent is to complete us, to perfect us, if we will be patient. We are being transformed into His likeness and we have God’s promise that, “…he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
I’m getting better about the whole issue of change and I’m still working on the patience thing, so if you hear me singing Joel Hemphill’s song, “He’s Still Working on Me”, don’t be surprised.
Wishing you joy for the journey. Happy Transit.
Janice “O’Crow” (Just one of the Illinois Irish)
Taking Time
I wonder, have you ever put something off until tomorrow only to find that it is now another month? I certainly have. It's as though the older I get the less time I have. By the end of each day I set and think of all that I didn't get done. Am I the only one who does this?
What's that old saying? "Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today"? I have heard this all my life. Only now do I comprehend the real meaning of this cliche'. I have to remind myself that unimportant things can wait. It's calling Mother to say I love you that shouldn't wait. Being a witness to a friend. Or what about taking time to read the Bible and pray? These are some of the things I shouldn't put off until tomorrow.
Today I stopped to see my brother whom I haven't seen since before Christmas. I have passed his house several times going back and forth to Mothers, but by the time I take her to town and run her around all day then haul her groceries in, all I want to do is get back home. Well, today my heart said stop. So I did. We had the nicest visit. You see my brother is very much a loner. He hunts a lot and doesn't ever depend on anyone for anything. As we began talking I saw a side of him I hadn't seen since we were kids. It was wonderful to see him smile!
During my visit I felt as though he was hurting. I sensed a great deal of pain in his life. I never said anything to him but God said a lot to me. I want to win my brother to Christ. I want to see him saved and living for God. My desire is for us to be in Heaven together. So, from now on when I pass his house, I will take time to stop and just say hi. I will make it a point to tell him that I love him. I don't want to put off until tomorrow anymore.
So in closing, might I put you all to a challenge? Try doing something today that you have been putting off until tomorrow. Let us all do something today that really matters; For none of us have the promise for tomorrow.
Till next time ~ Chin up... Journey On!
Many Blessin's,
Sharron Kay King
Songs of Sharron Ministries
For product or booking please call :
765-966-3057 or 765-993-6986
Sharronkayking.com
Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the lamb, and by the word of their testimony;
Anywhere But Backwards
Not everything in my past is negative. I've had a pretty good life. I'm sure most would agree that we have good and bad memories. Reflecting is not only unavoidable but helpful. Remembering bad choices help us make good ones. Recalling fond memories bring a smile to our face. The problem lies in "dwelling" on the past. We move from remembering to "setting up camp" in that time of our lives. God created us to store memories to benefit our future. In Joshua 4:3-9 God commanded Joshua to get 12 stones out of the Jordan river to set up as a memorial of that great day when they crossed over. We are constantly setting up memorials in our mind -- the day we were saved, when we were married, when our children were born, when my husband took me on a romantic cruise (oh, that's right, that hasn't happened yet). God created our minds to retain significant events. The good and the bad. I have a friend from highschool that is so discouraged about her life that all she ever wants to talk about is when we were 17. And yes, we had a blast cutting 1st period to go to Dunkin Donuts, eating chocolate éclairs and trying to figure out who was cuter -- Sting or George Michael. My point is, George Michael was "way cuter." My other point is, I love those memories too, but I don't think of them often. My friend is still there, stuck somehow, because she was happy then. Dwelling on negative things in our past is blatantly wrong, especially to the Christian. If we dwell on past abuse, rejection, or terrible choices we made, it will obviously hinder our self-value, our relationship with God and with others. But dwelling on "good times" too long can also be destructive. Because then we create a mind-set that says, "things will never be that good again," "that was the best time of my life," "I wish I was there again." Satan will use the good and bad to distract us from our future. He's not afraid of where we've been but he's terrified of where we might go if our focus is forward. He knows that if you ever get a real glimpse, a real vision of what God has in store for you there would be no stopping you from attaining every destination or goal that the Lord prompts you to achieve.
We tend to consider "living in the past" to be 20, 30, or 40 years ago. But the last 4 months is your past. February of 2007 is your past. An hour ago or ten minutes ago is your past. Are you still there drudging up old worries or fears or maybe, wishing you were still there so you could feel good again?
The average driver drives approximately 12,000.00 miles a year. Only, approximately 700 of those miles are in reverse -- yet most accidents occur while backing up. Why, because the primary focus should be on what's ahead, not on what's behind. This is why our windshield is so much larger than our rearview mirror.
Sometimes, moving forward means saying goodbye. Look at what you are tied to. Are you hanging on to something that is no longer functional but once served a great purpose in your life? It's important for us to recognize closure so we can recognize the Promise Land. We have to constantly re-evaluate where we are and line it up with where we're headed.
We will always be influenced by our past but we have to be led by our future.
Lord, help us never get so attached to the past that you can't lead us into what's ahead.
Karen
http://www.darylwilliamstrio.net
THANKS FOR REQUESTING "MERCY OF THE BLOOD" ON RADIO
THE TRIO IS RECORDING VOCALS NEXT WEEK.....PLEASE KEEP US IN YOUR PRAYERS
2nd Generation - Mar 07
“God uses suffering to transform ordinary, dust-clay people into vessels that are strong in faith, vessels that are fit for His use.” Anne Graham Lotz
I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. Phil 4:13
2nd Generation
http://www.2ndgenerationministries.com
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