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"Dear God, We know Your eyes can see Barney even though we cannot right now. We ask that you watch over him until we find him to bring him home. We pray Your will be done. If Your will is for us to find him, we will thank you. If your will is to take him to your house, we will give you thanks because you have made him better than he is on earth. Thank you for your Son who died on the cross for me. In Jesus name, Amen (Kayla and Kelsey Holland's prayer about their border collie, "Barney"- lost July 3, 2003) This simple prayer was a huge part of my family's life over the July 4th holiday. Our dog, more accurately my husband's dog, "Barney", wandered out of an unlatched pen on July 3 while we were enjoining a holiday fellowship of ice cream and fireworks at our church. Our lives changed dramatically in the Holland home. Barney has been a member of my husband's family for nearly 12 years and our nucleus for seven. We experienced a collective heartache on multiple and very different levels. But God is good (all the time!) and through this difficult trial, He showed me how to use this opportunity to instill a very valuable lesson in my girls. I taught them to pray - unselfishly -for peace during this trial. Karen Peck Gooch, Susan Jackson and newest member Jason Jackson have pooled their collective vocal talents in combination with the production expertise of Phil Johnson and Michael Sykes on a brand new collection of songs. Titled For His Glory, you can find this new CD in stores August 26. During this recent valley that my family faced, I had been previewing songs on the new recording for radio potential. Or so I thought… God ALWAYS shows up just in time. Even though I was living through a very tough personal hurt in my family, I found myself being ministered to by the songs on this new release. I am not surprised that this record touched a very deep place in my heart. Music has always been a form of therapy for me. Elements like lyrics, the production of a song, and the voice of the artist- all weave together to mend a hurting heart or lift a fallen spirit. These same elements can also create a mood or excitement in the listener that can bring a smile or tear. Karen Peck & New River have always had a very profound affect on me personally. While reviewing this CD, I felt the spirit of the Lord calm, lift and encourage my soul as I tried to educate my daughters and support my husband through a very emotional ordeal. It makes me even happier to be a part of their ministry because I have this story to share about their new endeavor. For example, on the third day of our search when my husband slumped into a low because he felt responsible for Barney's escape, I remembered the chorus of the very compelling power ballad called "The Past" which states: You need to let go of the past Jesus forgave you the moment you asked It's finished, forgotten, over at last You need to give Jesus… the past. Then there was the day when my girls and I combed the neighborhoods with flyers about our missing Barney. I tried to keep the mood light and the mission fun so they wouldn't get too down in the dumps, so we listened to and sang the words to this little song "Here is Where It Starts": Here is where it starts With a conviction of the heart Making a change right where we are Until we see the Heaven's part We're on a journey to forever and Here is- here is where it starts That helped them on the surface, but I knew deep down they were missing their dog. So that's when we skipped to the song "God's Gonna Make A Way " which states: God's gonna make a way for us to cross the stormy sea He's not gonna leave us here, He cares too much for you and me When you find that it's a struggle just to get from day to day Keep your eyes on the sky 'cause I'm tellin' you - God's gonna make a way Later that same afternoon, I was talking on the phone with a friend explaining our search and the heartache I was feeling for my girls and my husband and the lyrics of one of the songs Karen sings leads on kept repeating itself over and over in my head: If you wanna talk of struggles in your mind I can talk about it 'Cause I been there How you question "why" at least a thousand times I can talk about it 'Cause I been there I know how it feels to lie awake at night and long for sleep to fall upon your eyes I know how it feels to wear a smile, just to hide the pain you feel inside If you wanna know just what my God can do If you wanna know if He can bring you through I can talk about it 'Cause I been there (Lyrics from "I Can Talk About It"- From the For His Glory CD) By the morning of the fifth day of our search, my husband was resigned to the fact that Barney was gone. I kept telling him that it's too early to give up. You just cannot give up… The middle of the afternoon of July 8 proved to be bountiful. Someone had seen Barney and our flyer and called. I received the call and phoned my husband. He was in the woods looking for Barney. He rushed to the location I gave him and the reunion was one of tearful joy! As hard as it was, I am so grateful for this experience. My children and husband now have a very real and working knowledge of how powerful prayer is. My understanding of how God uses ministries, songs, people and faith to the good of all is so much stronger. And once again, music is my therapy to heal a hurting soul and lift a wondering spirit. I HIGHLY recommend this new Karen Peck & New River CD, For His Glory. It is a perfect collection of songs that reminds us that our God never lead us to the trial, He leads us THROUGH it! Until next time, God's richest blessing on you and yours, Buffi Buffi J. Holland National Radio Promotions Coordinator Spring Hill Music Group

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