2008
February
Where Do Broken Hearts Go?
I Corinthians 13: 4 - 8 ~ Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.
Throughout the beginning of time human beings have suffered from "Broken Heart Syndrome." I have never figured out why this has not been classified as an illness! Ha ha (or maybe it has) I dunno? Well, just think about it. There is an illness for nearly every single ache and pain in our bodies and Doctors will tell ya, " here, take this, it will make you better." You all know what I'm talking about.
Needless to say there are no drugs, no therapies and no alternative procedures to fix a broken heart. But ... JESUS! Jesus is the ultimate "Handyman" for broken hearts! He is, Doctor Fix It! Jesus can take a broken heart and make it new again. Jesus can take a face heavy with burden and give it a smile! Jesus can do it all.
There is nothing my God can't do ... AMEN!!!
If you are suffering from "Broken Heart Syndrome," give Jesus a chance. He has an amazing way of picking up all the broken pieces and with tender, loving hands, He puts all the broken pieces back together again. No scars either!
So, during this month of Valentine's, sweethearts & roses if you find yourself alone or broken hearted, let Jesus hold you in His arms awhile. He will never hurt you or break your heart! He is faithful! He is your friend! Jesus is Love!
I Corinthians 13:13 ~ And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Remember this: The love Jesus gives ~ surpasses any chocolate fix!
Valentine Blessin's,
Sharron Kay
http://www.songsofsharron.com
Music From The Heart
Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the lamb, and by the word of their testimony;
It’s All About Perspective
Isn’t it funny how we always seem to remember the bad stuff better? We’ll remember one negative comment a lot faster than we think of the nice things that are said. Phillipians 4:8 says, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of a good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” If it was so easy to automatically remember the good things, we wouldn’t have been given an instruction that tells us to “think on these things.” It is presented in a way that shows our thought process for the good does not happen by osmosis. It takes an effort to take every thought captive.
I’m happy to say that Tim is long past the days of getting reprimanded for his behavior as a young GI. He began reading a book by John Eldridge called The Wild Heart. It is supposed to be a real good book about being a godly man, husband, etc. I’ve noticed he has been trying to do little things like dry the dishes and fold laundry. He even brought me roses yesterday. I responded with, “What chapter was this?”
Well, I’ve decided that the best way to peace of mind is to “think on these things.” That’s exactly what I plan to do. I thanked Tim for the roses. “Tim, I still expect something good for Valentine’s Day…”
till next time…
Sally
We now have a way for you to order music from The Quicks online with your credit card using Pay Pal. Visit http://www.thequicksonline.com to get your CD today!
To contact The Quicks:
Phone: 615-459-5119 / 615-403-0047
Write: The Quicks / P.O. Box 581 / Smyrna, TN 37167
E-mail:
http://www.thequicksonline.com
February Reflections ‘08
Sitting here now I can hear the eerie wind howling through the big maple and whistling through the fireplace chimney. It vibrates the windows and heaves the doors in and out as if the house is inhaling and exhaling. I hear the house creaking in ways I never have before and I occasionally pick up the faint scent of wood ash left over in the fireplace from Christmas Eve’s fire. (Yes, I know it needs to be cleaned out.)
Ice pelts the windows and makes me very glad to be inside, warm and dry. I ‘m sure we all take controlled temperature for granted these days, but I can recall a time when it wasn’t the case. I can remember as a kid being buried under heavy quilts and coverlets and literally having to push the covers up to turn over. I didn’t envy my dad, stepping out onto the cold linoleum floor at 2:00 a.m. to stoke the old coal furnace. Some mornings were so cold we could scratch an eighth inch of frost off the single pane windows…on the inside. There are just times you feel chilled to the bone and you wonder if you’ll ever get warm.
I began to think about what happens when we’re faced with bitter cold in the physical world, those days like today when the wind is fierce and threatening and it’s all you can do to walk into the wind and keep your balance. You draw your coat around you and zip all the way up to your neck and then you pull that little-used hood over your head. Gloves are no longer a style statement, but a necessity and any pair is better than nothing…even last summer’s gardening gloves. You put your head down and pull yourself against the wind with all your might. It’s hard to catch your breath. Then you seek shelter, even if it’s temporary. You duck into the corner coffee shop or just be glad to hop into your car…anything to escape the wind and the cold. You may draw your mate or your child close to you and huddle together for warmth. At that moment, all that matters is getting warm again any way you can.
My heart has felt that way before. Has yours? Chilled and icy cold from hurts and hardship and you wonder if it will ever warm up again. I’ve felt as if life’s circumstances were literally sucking the air out of my lungs. It’s hard to maintain focus and balance in your life when the winds of adversity blow so hard against you. I’ve wondered at times what purpose it all served.
Maybe God allows those cold, lonely days and storms to suddenly come our way so we will pull our spiritual garments around us and push forward with determination. He wants us to take shelter in Him. Maybe He just wants to draw His child a little closer. I realize it’s hard to think of it that way when you’re knee deep in sleet, but trust me, God has a way of revealing Himself in our lives. We may not understand His methods and you may not see evidence that He’s working, but as the writer said, “When you can’t trace His hand, trust His heart.”
And that advice is good for any month of the year…even Febtober.
Janice Crow
January
Resolutions and Do Overs!
For one, when we moved into our new home this past year, the builder told us to make a list of things that he may need to come back and fix. My wife heard him say it, I heard him say it, but for some reason I kept hearing my wife say to me, "This isn't a big deal, surely you can fix this". To me, that's like a dare. Needless to say, if you read the article a couple of months ago "It's A Good Thing We Can Sing", you know where this is going.
It's just been a few weeks ago that our builder came out and not only fixed the little things that weren't exactly right, he also fixed the little things that I turned into BIG things. That is just what happens when I pick up a hammer or a wrench. I could tell by the look on his face as he was patching some holes in the wall that he was thinking "It's a good thing this idiot can sing".
Let me tell you something else that I'd "do over" if I could. I have a Dodge Ram, Quad cab, really cool looking truck. Everyone knew that I bought it a few years ago, because as soon as I signed the paper work on that V8 power house truck, the price of gas went to $3.00 a gallon and hasn't come down since. I would do this over for many reasons. Let me count them for you.
1. I absolutely despise buying a car from a car lot. As a matter of fact, I'm selling my cool truck to buy a minivan to hold all my youngins. It's not that my quad cab monster truck won't hold them all, it's just that my wife doesn't like having to lift the car seat up so high to get our youngest in it. I feel this would be the appropriate place for a big, Tim Allen ARGGGGHHH!
2. What's worse than getting rid of my cool truck and replacing it with the most uncool vehicle on the road? You guessed it, having to deal with a car salesmen about a minivan. I'd rather take a bullet than deal with a car salesman. If you are a car salesman and this offends you, then you need to reevaluate what you do to people when they walk into your office. Their job is to make you feel like your vehicle (if you have a trade in) is worth a fraction of what it is really worth and that their vehicle is worth double what it is really worth. I don't really know what I would "do over" on this, but this just weighs so heavy on my mind I had to mention it. I guess what I would do over is 3 years ago, I would have resisted the urge to buy a big man truck and save the nation tons of money. If I had stayed in my economy vehicle in 05, the price of gas would have never had a reason to go so high.
3. Did I mention that I'll be driving a minivan?
I know I'm rambling and I have no idea how to make the transition from my car buying experiences to something everyone can relate to, but here goes. No matter what you've done in 2007, no matter how bad you've messed up anything in your life, God says that today in 2008, you can take a life time of regrets, bring them to Him and he gives you an eternity of "do overs". It's called Grace! When we come to him with a life we've broken, he forgives and forgets it all and gives us a clean slate to start over. If you want more details on this, please go to our website http://www.lefevrequartet.com and click on the "Why We Sing" icon. You will learn how you can start all over again!
David Staton
LeFevre Quartet
http://www.lefevrequartet.com
Don’t Ever Miss the Chance
There were so many things that we wanted this recording to accomplish, and we believe that we have done all that we have set out to do. As with all past Shiloh recordings, we wanted this recording to be unique, unpredictable, and interesting not only musically but also lyrically. Our desire was to find songs that would deeply impact folks and cause them to pause and reflect. However, we also wanted to record songs that really hold strong personal feelings for us. We have found several songs that do just that. However, there is one that I hold a personal affinity for that is entitled “Don’t Ever Miss the Chance.” It is an incredible song written by our friend Jim Brady of The Booth Brothers.
Here is just a piece of the song…
Don’t ever miss the chance to say I love you
Show the ones you love how you feel inside
Cherish every moment while we still have time
We don’t always get to say goodbye
So don’t ever miss the chance to say I love.
These words are so true. Time passes so quickly and life is full of unexpected changes that happen at a moment’s notice. Many times we get so busy just being busy that we sometimes take for granted those close to us. As many of you are already aware, my mother passed away at the age of 54 back in 1995 with cancer. Then, back during Thanksgiving of 2006, my father passed away at the age of 66. God blessed me and my family by allowing us time and opportunity to share all our feelings with our loved ones prior to their going home. As we start this new year, I would hope that each of us would make a true effort to never miss the chance to say I love you to our family and friends around us.
Shiloh
http://www.shilohnet.com
Another Year Another Blessing!
Just this morning, I had the privilege of indulging in a lengthy phone visit and conversation with one of my favorite performers over the last fifty years plus. Not only is he still a great performer, arranger and producer, he is included in my list of very special friends. I often find myself indulging in some activity that brings me pleasure, when memories and thoughts of his brother comes to mind. As I partake of whatever pleasure it is that has made me appreciative of the moment, moments that I must admit I sometimes take for granted, I think of him. Oh yeah, I forgot to identify the parties to whom I am referring, Ben Speer and his big brother (and one of my hero's) Brock Speer. Now back to the blessings I was describing. I am not thinking of anything "spectacular" or record setting, just some of life's little pleasures that we have all taken for granted from time to time such as going for a walk on a sunny, autumn day and holding my beautiful wife's hand, as our Lab, "Snickers", trots along beside us or eating a hot dog or singing a song that ministers to a receptive heart… and you know it has because you see the tears flowing down their face or you witness the joyous expression they exude.
I remember traveling with the Speers and observing all these things and more with Brock and Faye. How he loved to take a walk while holding his sweetheart's hand, his favorite food was a good hot dog and he never stopped loving to share his talent and gifts in song. I still miss him terribly but each time I think of the legacy he left behind I am thankful that God has allowed me yet another year to take the walks, eat a hot dog and sing the songs with Elliott and Scott in Three Bridges.
We saw 2007 come to a climax joining in a unified effort of praise with the Damascus Road Trio, Jerry Smith and the Smith Family and Three Bridges at the Glory Land Church Of The Nazarene in Carroll, OH. What a wonderful way to usher in the new year. We then enjoyed a noonday celebration of the new year at the home of our wonderful friends, Rick and Leah Curnutte. A wonderful meal of northern tradition was prepared and presented for our dining pleasure, consisting of pork loin and sour kraut. I now understand why I have yet to experience abundant financial prosperity, I've been eating the wrong food on New Years Day. In Texas we always had to be sure and partake of a goodly portion of black eyed peas and hog jowl for prosperity. The Ohioans didn't prepare even a meager helping of those southern traditional foods. How is it they have failed to be educated on something of such importance and necessity? Don't they know? Remind me to let you know how successful the new fare proved to be, when I reflect on my accomplishments at years end.
We continued kicking off the new year in a great way at Jersey Baptist Church in Pataskala, OH with the help of a great promoter and dear friend, Dave Long, a fairly new quartet, Side By Side and The Andy Brannam Family Singers on the 5th of January and then at the Pinkerington Church Of The Nazarene in Pinkerington, OH on Sunday January the 6th. We extend a special thanks to the dynamic married duo of pastor Phil Manson his bride Kathy along with their wonderful staff, for the gracious hospitality and spirit of love extended to Three Bridges.
We believe that God has many wonderful things in store for the ministry team of Three Bridges in 2008, one of which is sure to be the completion of our first recording together. We are diligently searching to find the right songs for this presentation and we fully intend it to be Three Bridges best offering to date. We are excitedly awaiting the day that we can announce to our friends and family of fans that the recording is available to them, be listening for the good news of it's release.
As we exalt your name in praise, we thank you God, for another year,,, another blessing.
Eddy Bolton
Three Bridges
http://www.threebridges.net
Page 1 of 1 pages
Now Playing
Artist Articles Archives
