2007
June
The Wedding
Anyway, I've been witnessing all the preparation going into this wedding. The flowers, the decorations, the reception, the food, the tux's and oh we can't forget "the dress." Oh my, what a beautiful dress it is! It's just gorgeous! It's been altered to fit just right. I was shown how to lace up the back and I've been instructed to make it tight! The bride is the center of "the wedding" no doubt. And Liz will be a picture perfect "bride."
With the wedding just hours away, my mind often slips back in time to days of her childhood. The little things that stick in your memory. I am so blessed to have been given the opportunity to raise this wonderful young lady. She is a real gift in my life. Gracious sacks alive, kids grow up way too fast!
Anyway, something came to mind today as we were decorating the church. Am I making preparations for "THE BRIDEGROOM"? Have I made sure I've got my dress just right? Is it altered to fit? Have I looked over my reservations to make sure everything is lined up just right? Time is passing by so quickly, I need to be ready when those heavenly wedding bells ring. Don't you?
Matthew 25:5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
Are we so caught up with the hustle and bustle of our life to neglect this grand event? Lord please forgive me for putting off what I should do today. I need to be alert, prayed up and ready!
Matthew 25:10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
That's it for this month, I have a "WEDDING" to get ready for! MINE!!!
Until next time, Chin up... journey on!
Many Blessins,
Sharron Kay King
Songs of Sharron Ministries
430 Kinsey Street
Richmond, IN 47374
Sharronkayking.com
King’s Heralds - Jun 07
This month it is our priveledge to introduce our senior member. He sings the first tenor and has been with the King's Heralds going on 26 years! He has several nicknames such as the "golden oldie" and "the vintage one" to name a few. His real name is Don Scroggs and he is origianally from South Bend Indiana. Don went to college in Texas were he studied voice and became an accomplished opera singer. When The he was offered the first tenor position with the King's Heralds back in 1982 he accepted the position and has been a tremendous asset to the group, not only vocally but behind the scenes as well. To learn more about Don Scroggs you can log onto http://www.theheralds.org. Next month we will introduce another member of the quartet for you to get acqainted with.For those of you who have been asking if we have a new dvd, the answer is yes and no. No we don't have it yet but yes it's coming. The video has been shot and will be edited within the next few weeks. We should have the finished product by mid-June if everything goes according to plan. The new dvd will contain performances of the songs on our recording "I Just Can't Wait." It was shot in Dickson, Tennessee. In addition to the performance, there will also be some added features such as interviews with each of the group members.
Our Single "I'm Prepared" is doing quite well. We are very pleased at the airplay we are receiving. We are making so many new friends across the country. If you haven't heard our new song call you local radio station and request it.
King's Heralds
http://www.theheralds.org
June 07 Reflections
Dad came from a musical family. He and his siblings learned to play and sing at an early age, using their talents in the Eldorado, Illinois Church of God Band. Somewhere there’s an old faded black and white photo of dad with the band, circa 1934. He could read those funny shaped notes and I was impressed. Music was important to him, and he made sure each of his five kids had an opportunity to find their musical place. He bought a trombone, a trumpet, a clarinet, and as long as I can remember we had an old upright piano in the dining room. Mom and dad sang together at church, and at some point in the late forties or early fifties they and my older brothers and sister made a recording. It was a chunky 78 rpm, and although it was old news by the time I came along, I loved to listen to it.
On Saturday night dad would put a stack of 78’s on the big old Philco in the living room and we’d listen for hours to the Statesmen, the Blackwood Brothers and a group called the All American Quartet. (I wonder whatever happened to them.) Even as a young child, I was caught up in the rhythms and the harmonies of the songs that are now considered classics. Get Away Jordan was my favorite, and when that fat old 78 dropped down and bounced and scratched out my favorite song, I was in heaven.
Dad was happy that I was interested and I was happy to be learning. Of course, there was that one incident in the hottest part of July when he made me play “Jingle Bells” for our insurance man. I finally forgave him for that. (Maybe that’s why we started mailing the premiums in.)
Although dad taught me to EMBRACE the music, for which I’m very grateful, he gave me something even more valuable. He taught me to FACE the music.
One day dad drove down to the Tri-City Grocery store to pick up a few items. He let me tag along and I rode in the front seat next to him. Dad worked as a welder through the week, but on the weekends he worked a second job in the produce department at that very store. We walked in together and suddenly I was the center of attention. Dad walked around glad-handing, laughing and talking and introducing his shy first-grader to his co-workers.
He eventually got down to the business of shopping and after he’d picked up a loaf of bread and a roll of braunschweiger, we got in the check-out lane. He continued to laugh and make conversation with the red-haired lady behind the cash register, another co-worker. While he was occupied, I noticed a row of “Little Golden” type books right at kid’s eye level. I tapped him on the arm and asked if I could have one. He said, no, I didn’t need it. I had story books at home. He talked on. I kept fingering the books and finally pulled on his shirt and again asked if I could have the book…Henny Penny I think it was. “No”, he said again and went on with his conversation, mostly bragging on me.
To this day, I’m not sure how I did it, but I managed to help myself to a book and somehow get it out of the store and all the way out to our old “54 Olds without anyone seeing. Dad unlocked the car and I said, “I wanna sit in the back.” (That should have tipped him off.) He opened the door and I got in. Dad had just settled in and got ready to take off when I dropped the book. “What was that?”, he asked, to which I replied, “Nothing.” Apparently I didn’t sound convincing, because he turned off the engine, got out of the car, and opened the left rear passenger door. There lay the book. He looked surprised and then he looked at me and shook his head.
“Come on”, he said, taking my hand to cross the busy street. “Where we goin’?”, I asked. He marched me back into the store with the book and took me to Leroy, the manager, to whom he had just proudly introduced me. He made me tell Leroy what I had done, give the book back, and ask forgiveness. How humiliating it must have been for my dad to discover that his “shy” little daughter was really a “sly” little daughter. Come the weekend, he would have to face those people again.
I was embarrassed, of course, but at that moment more sorry that I was caught than for my action. Dad took me home and told mom what I had done. They explained to me that what I did not only broke the policeman’s law, but more importantly it broke God’s law, and that it broke Jesus’ heart. When I realized that I had hurt Jesus, I couldn’t bear it. I felt like my own heart would break until I prayed and asked Jesus to forgive me. I was so ashamed. Never again did it cross my mind to take something that didn’t belong to me…..for any reason.
I’ve often wondered what would have become of me had dad taken the modern day approach to discipline. What if he had just let me keep the book and make excuses for me? What if he had protected me from the consequences and the embarrassment? What if he had just enrolled me in some “I’m okay, you’re okay” therapy like they do today? Likely I would not be writing and singing gospel songs or sharing my testimony from the stage, and it’s likely that I would have been a totally different kind of mother to my own children, probably to their detriment.
I want to take this opportunity to say thanks, Dad, for introducing me to the music that forever shaped my life; but most of all, thanks for the lessons that shaped my character. And while I’m at it, thanks to ALL our Godly dads this Father’s Day. We still need you.
Janice Crow
It really is worth it…….
Well, everything was going great until we hit traffic just north of Springfield. What should have taken us just minutes to travel about five miles, now turned into over an hour. Finally, we made it to the station, recorded the liners and hit the road, again. No time for dinner so it was McD’s drive through. Nutritious and delicious!! Once back on the highway, another traffic jam. It was now 5 pm, we are suppose to be at the church by now to set up sound and we were still at least an hour away. Yikes!! Onward Christian Soldiers! We’re traveling down the interstate and Brenda, my sister, gets a phone call. It’s Duane Garren! He’s the emcee for the Brumley Sing. He and his family are traveling to Arkansas for the weekend and they have come up behind us on the highway. So my sis has a great talk with him and once we take our exit as he passes us they all give us a big “wave”.
Ok, so we think, great, this isn’t too bad, concert is at seven and it’s now six, but, we’re close to the church. Oh no, you’re not so close when you take a wrong turn. Did I mention I was driving?? Anway, after the road turning to gravel, crossing two low water bridges and passing people standing in their yard watching us go by we come to the “2nd” fork in the road. That’s where we decide to try out for a T Mobile commercial to see if anyone can hear us now! No luck. We turn around, see a truck coming towards us, I flag them down. Needless to say we are in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by trees, creeks and I’m sure ticks! The guy driving the truck looked like he had just walked off the set of the movie Deliverance! We were a little nervous! But, all was ok. He proceeded to give us directions back to the church by giving us several landmarks, including his house, to look for.
We finally made it to the church with fifteen minutes to spare!! Did I mention it was a little country church? Well, I think everyone in the county sang that night before we did. As we sang you couldn’t really tell by the expressions on their faces what their thoughts were. But, after the concert was over the young pastor stood and started talking about how all week he had been discouraged by the enemy and many times had been attacked. He went on to say how our ministry had encouraged him so much that night and he was so happy that we had been there. That lifted 2nd G’s spirits! Our mission is that whenever someone is in one of our concerts they leave encouraged and uplifted. Sometimes the mission seems impossible but God always comes through and every journey is worth the trip! Keep on singing!!
2nd Generation
http://www.2ndgenerationministries.com
Are You Pregnant?
I've had 3 children. As my babies grew inside me, I grew! I grew daily until I not only noticed that I couldn't button my jeans but it was obvious to the rest of the world that my waist had expanded. I couldn't hide what was inside me. The first trimester was the hardest for me. I knew I was pregnant but no one else could tell. I couldn't feel the baby. I couldn't see the baby. I didn't look any different, but yet, I knew conception had taken place, so I was different. My name was about to change from Karen to Mom. Just like Abram and Sarai became Abraham and Sarah, Jacob became Israel, and Saul become Paul. When God births a dream inside you, He not only changes the way you view yourself but He changes the way others view you. Just the knowledge of that conception changed me. I couldn't go on with life as normal. Sure, I got up, brushed my teeth, and ate my Froot Loops. But I found myself preparing for this child (mentally and physically). I was picking out names and buying baby clothes. I wasn't doing that prior to conception. And It wasn't all excitement. I had fears and anxieties to deal with too. I thought, "what if this child dies inside me" and "what if I'm not a good mom." You might have these same questions about the dream God has placed in you. What if it doesn't come to pass and what if it does and I can't handle it? He placed it there so it would grow and emerge and He wouldn't have placed it in you if He didn't trust you with it... By my last trimester, I didn't need a big t-shirt with with an arrow pointing to my mid-section. Children, dogs, and even chimps knew I was gonna have a baby. I was the size of a trailer (a double-wide). That baby had taken over my body. I looked different, acted different, and walked different. My conversations were different. People didn't talk to me about the weather anymore. They asked about my baby. They treated me different. Have you ever noticed that there is special respect shown to those who are pregnant? People will go out of their way to open a door for a pregnant women or give up their seat at a bus stop or help them carry groceries. There is an unwritten law that says, "what they are carrying is important." What you are carrying is important....not only to you and God but to those that will be affected by your dream, your "calling." Don't be surprised if people start looking at you different and treating you different. Don't expect everyone to be excited about your promise but others will be drawn to you because they see it in you.
You might only be in the 1st trimester and maybe, only you and God know it's there. You may not feel like much is happening but I assure you that it's still in there and it's still growing and so are you. It has not been aborted but it must be nurtured to keep it alive. The word of God will feed that promise and bring it to full maturity. Keep praying, keep believing, and pick out names and buy some clothes because it's real.
You might be in the 2nd trimester, where you see some growth, it's just not obvious to anyone else. You even feel some movement but no one else can feel it and that delivery date seems a million years away. You're tired and frustrated because you can't wear your old clothes cuz' they're too small but the new clothes are too big. Nothing fits! You don't look like you did but you don't yet look like what you're gonna be. This is a critical stage because we are tempted to give up on the promise and lose faith that it will ever arrive. But that baby, that promise, was designed to grow and emerge. The time between conception and delivery is absolutely necessary. No one wants to give birth to an underdeveloped fetus. The child needs ears, eyes, legs, internal organs, and everything else to survive. And the mother needs time to prepare for this child emotionally and physically. The baby will need clothing, blankets and a bed. The mother needs time so her body will produce milk so that she can feed this baby once it's outside of her womb (oh, that could preach!) Be patient. His plan is to make sure that the dream is not only fully developed and delivered at the right time but that we are fully prepared for it.
If you are in the 3rd and final trimester, you know that this baby is all you can think about night and day. You know you are about to deliver when you are consumed with the dream God has placed in you. You not only feel and see the baby kicking and turning in you but others can now see and feel it kicking and turning. You are tired from months of carrying this promise. Your back aches, your feet are swollen, you can't get comfortable, the nights are restless and that baby feels like it weighs a ton....BUT you are up to the challenge. I can testify to the fact that there is a special, unexplainable strength that kicks in when labor hits. A strength that I didn't think I had, suddenly showed up. I clinched my teeth, gripped the side of my bed and pushed until that child came forth.
Don't give up!!! It's coming. Go ahead and get the nursery ready. Your dream is worth planning for, believing in and waiting on. And when the time comes to push -- give it everything you've got.
God bless,
Karen
http://www.darylwilliamstrio.net
we are excited about our new project "Marching" to be released this month on the Sonlite label......be listening for our brand new single "A HOMESICK ANGEL"
Why Things Happen The Way They Do
The greatest story I have for this scenario is the first weekend of this month. The Quartet had one date for set for this weekend, and nothing else worked out, so I made the decision to move this one date to another weekend and just take off the whole weekend. Chad had to move into his new home, Alex is preparing for his wedding in July , and the fact that we are getting ready to go out West and to Canada for a couple of weeks I thought it was a fitting week to take off for some family time. I had planned on doing things around the house myself and just take it easy, until... Thursday afternoon my Dad (Danny Funderburk) called and said Greg Day could not make some dates for his group Mercy's Way so he asked me to fill in. Of course I said yes, this would be the original group that started Mercy's Way about 6 years ago.
We left out on Saturday to do a date in Spartanburg South Carolina that night. Things went great, and what a thrill to sing with my Dad again.We packed up and headed to the hotel. The next morning we were loading up and leaving for the church when Dad told me he was not feeling so well, and could I go find out where there was a 24 hr. emergency facility. By the time I got to the vehicle Dad was pale and not doing so well, and he asked me to drive. And when my Dad asks you to drive you know something is wrong. Without hesitation I jumped in the drivers seat and started towards the Hospital. On the way he began to feel worse and I do not think his Navigator had ever been pushed that hard before. He was able to mumble out the words,"don't blow this thing up" but I paid no attention. I got him to the emergency room and escorted him inside.
Later that morning we found out he had suffered a mild heart attack. I tell you all of this because if I would have not went he would have been there by himself. So it's not that we couldn't get dates booked and Greg Day just happened to be called away, it was the fact that God knew what plans were going to be long before we did. A lot of times we think we have mastered planning or accomplishing something, but ultimately like I said in the beginning, God is still in control. If you try to do something yourself and and it does not work out the way you planned it, just look for how God uses you then.
And just to let you know Dad is doing great and while in the Hospital he witnessed to everyone he saw, oh and also tried to "plan" an escape route! Until next time continue to be "Driven".
In Christ
,
Jason Funderburk
http://www.drivenqt.com
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Homecoming Time
I remember well, my mama getting up at the crack of dawn, on Sunday morning preparing things like ham, fried chicken, potato salad, butterbeans, and her speciality, homemade chocolate cake. And you know, the great thing about all of this cooking that mama was doing, the other ladies in the church were doing the same thing. And just think about when all this great food was served at one time.
All of these great memories of days gone by, gave me the inspiration to write a song, called "Homecoming Time". This song is what I call a fun song that reflects back to wonderful memories of our church homecoming.
This song, "Homecoming Time", is currently being released to Gospel radio by the Rick Hendrix Co., Nashville, Tenn. It reflects on great memories. You know God gives us many gifts through our life and I think one the greatest gifts is memories. Call your local radio station and ask for "Homecoming Time". I hope it will be a blessing to you.
Harold Massey
http://www.haroldmassey.com
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