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I'm writing this a few days before Christmas, so it will be short. My mind is focused on cleaning off the mess known as my desk, getting our Crossroads January 2005 Airplay Sampler in the mail, and heading out the door. We have a little time off between Christmas and New Years and praise the Lord, I'm ready! I'm sure you are, too. More precisely, we had a little time off" by the time this gets posted . But right now the calendar reads December 22nd and I haven't even been Christmas shopping yet. Maybe I'll see some of you other "late bloomers" in the mall today and tomorrow!

Time, being the fleeting bird it is, now has us approaching the midway point in the first decade of the third millennium. Whoa, wait a sec! That's too many numbers and way too confusing. Let me start over.

Hello and Happy New Year! That's somewhat better, though not very original. Truthfully I should have left the first two paragraphs off, but I'm trying to fill up some space.

Speaking of happy year's 2004 was a memorable one for this Southern Gospel record company. Believe me, we are grateful to God for His many blessings and for allowing us to do the work we're involved in day after day. That gratitude is expressed often around the conference table during our weekly scheduling meetings, and always in the prayer that precedes each one.

I'd like to take a moment and thank Deon and Susan Unthank for granting me the opportunity to write Crossroads Chronicles for SoGospelNews. I also thank those of you who read it on a regular basis. I appreciate the comments you make. Writing CC has been fun, since I began it in July. Although it can be a little tricky getting something together by the deadline, amazingly the time always presents itself. I'm thankful, because writing the article lets me use the "pen" a little versus the phone a lot. Ask any radio promoter and they'll tell you…the telephone is our main tool. Or should we call it a weapon? No, never! But some deejays may occasionally feel that way. They're "assaulted" by an army of us on a monthly basis. All in all, deejays are a gracious lot, thank God!

I wanted my closing comments of the old year and first column of the new to be dedicated to the men and women who send Gospel music over the airways 365 days a year. Record companies would be "up the creek" without 'em. As record company employee I can't stress strongly enough how vital music directors and deejays are to us. I'm thankful for the many warm friendships I've formed with hundreds of radio people. I value these relationships highly. Deejays are special people as far as I'm concerned. I believe every song promoter feels the same way.

Here's the point of all this: from all of us at Crossroads Music - thank you very, very much for making 2004 a successful year for this company and the artists we represent. You played a huge role in making it end up so we can come back and do it again next year!

Above all may God bless you abundantly for sending Gospel songs into the highways and the hedges, homes, hospitals, businesses, factories, trucks, automobiles, and most importantly - into the hearts of the precious people who tune you in. Only Eternity will reveal how many of them were introduced to Jesus Christ by you and your radio station. Or how many were wounded and found a little healing ointment when they found your frequency. Or how many felt rejected and lonely, but discovered they had a friend right there on the dial where you're located. Your station, your voice, your words of encouragement, they all made a big difference to someone. Many someone's.

With all my heart I believe it. What we're doing is eternally significant, more than we could ever begin to imagine. That can be said of all workers and aspects in the Southern Gospel Music industry - websites, publications, artists, writers, retailers, group newsletters, booking agents, bus drivers, record and video producers, band members, graphic artists, sound technicians, recording engineers, tape and CD manufacturing companies operated by Christians…every facet of it.

Let's press on together for as long as the Lord grants us the strength and ability to do so.

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