The next few months will be exciting ones for Butler Music Group and Family Music Group. Artists have been busy selecting music for new recordings and we know that God is at work in the lives and ministries of these folks. Among the artists who have either recently started or will very soon start new projects are The Glovers, Living Waters Trio, The Morris’ and Sondra Burnett. We have some new custom productions in the works also and we believe exciting things will come from these.
I have something on my heart that I want to share with you. I realize that this is not really a public forum, but several incidents in the past month have really brought this to the forefront of my mind.
Eventually it comes to all of us – the certainty that God is calling us to do a great work. Sometimes the certainty comes to pastors in small churches. They “feel God leading” to a larger church with a larger salary.
Often it comes to those who have become discouraged dealing with the every day problems of being a pastor. “If all I had to do was preach the sermons,” they think, “I would be happy.” So they hang up what they perceive as shackles and become evangelists.
The certainty comes to lazy young men who think that being a preacher is easy work. “A preacher only works one day a week,” sticks in their mind. They never see the hard labor that is involved in a successful ministry.
That sort of reminds me of the old story about the young man who preached his first sermon and did a very poor job. An older pastor who heard him said, “Are you sure God called you to preach?”
“Oh yes,” replied the young man. “I was laying on my back in the grass watching the clouds and I saw it just as plain as anything – ‘GPC’ – Go Preach Christ!”
“I think you misinterpreted that message,” said the older pastor. “I believe the correct meaning was Go Pick Cotton!”
Because this is a column on a website that is about Southern Gospel music, you may be wondering where all this is going. Well, I’ll tell you – it’s going to deal with a subject that can be inflammatory but I’m willing to stick my neck out because I’ve been there.
I have been a singer all my life. I sang solos in church, I sang in the church choir and I sang with special groups and ensembles in school. I love to sing. There are times that I feel if I couldn’t sing, I couldn’t breathe.
Several years ago I did a special presentation of Christmas music at the office Christmas party and nearly everyone there said, “You should record an album.” Well, I did. As a matter of fact, I enjoyed doing it so much that I recorded two of them. I was on my way to a career as a solo artist.
I had great aspirations of singing to huge crowds, spreading the Word of God in song and seeing people touched through my ministry. I knew God was calling me to a career as a singer.
One day, reality came calling. My voice is pleasant enough but it really isn’t strong enough to handle the rigors of singing in concert venues night after night. My range is very limited. I’m not comfortable singing certain styles of music. While I can be “Miss Personality” when I really try, I am not an on-stage entertainer.
In the face of all this reality, I realized that God did not call me to a career as a singer. He used my love of music as an entrance into this industry and then gave me a different direction. I am so thankful that I realized early on in my “career” that I really didn’t have the “equipment” to be a solo artist.
Our industry is inundated with soloists and singing groups who fit my category. They love the music! They see opportunities to spread God’s Word in song. They see the “glamour,” if we can call it that, of being on the stage in front of adoring audiences. But is that really the task that God has set before them?
I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that if God had called me to be a singer, He would have seen to it that I had all the necessary “equipment.” When I sing in my church and people tell me that they have been blessed or touched by my music, God whispers to me, “This is the place I have chosen for you.”
Before you quit your day job, take care to examine yourself to make sure you have the necessary equipment. Ask opinions from those who know what they’re talking about. Don’t depend on your family, your church family or your friends to guide you in your decision.
Is God really calling you to a great work as a singer? Has he really put a bus in your future? Or does He want you to be faithful to use your talents and abilities where you are – in your local church and community?
Thanks for listening. See you next month!
Henrietta Brown
Media Director
BMG/FMG
http://www.familymusicgroup.com
Author: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Written: 04/01/2005
| 
Category: Monthly ArticlesFamily Music Group
Comments: 0
RSS Feed
| (What's an RSS feed?)
Ads Sponsored by Southern Spin
