Two down…one to go…

…in the obstacle course that is my current housing situation.

As I posted earlier, my landlord has had a change of heart as far as asking me to evacuate my current dwelling place due to a nasty mold problem that has existed for months. Thanks be to God(I truly believe), he has consented to allow me to remain here(as I have for nearly 13 years), and is sending a contractor my way to repair the unit.

And today, God acted again in this matter…he has provided me with a place to lodge while I await the repairs. The person who is renting the room in another house that I almost moved to is allowing me to stay there while my apartment is being repaired…does that sound like a God thing, or what? You can’t convince me otherwise.

Now, my lone concern is removing my possessions from the apartment to empty it and allow the contractor the space he needs to finish his work. I have done some of that already, and it’s been backbreaking. And by this time tomorrow, I intend to be done with that too, and I know God will help me do it. He’s taken me this far. I know I’ll be sore tomorrow, but it’ll be the best kind of sore there is.

Doesn’t it seem that it’s always easier to see God at work when we know we need Him than it is when we’re just sailing along, and things appear OK? This whole episode in my life is another valuable lesson in just how God works in the lives of those who rely on Him, and not just when we’re paying attention, but ALL the time! He must shake His head often at me for my obliviousness to His presence, but surely He knows that when it all comes down to the bottom line, He knows I’m there. Maybe there’s hope for me yet.

I can hardly wait to move my things back into what will be virtually a brand new home..all of this will be worth it then.

Because my access to computers will be sporadic for the next two weeks, my posting here may be inconsistent…but you’ll know that if I’m not here, I’m tending to His business.

All is well.

God is good…again

An update on my housing situation…

I thought I was going to have to leave the humble little hovel I’ve been living in for the greater part of the past 13 years. Mold had set in, and for all the world, my place looked like one of those places damaged in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina.

My landlord had given me a 30-day notice, and I have been looking all week into my housing options.

My neighbor, who’s lived in front of me for about 7 years now, didn’t want me to move, so he suggested I write my landlord and tell him that I would assume the responsibility for the repairs if I could just stay there. Since my rent here is as cheap as one could imagine it to be in this day and age of inflating housing prices in the city where I live, it seemed to be worth the effort.

I wrote the letter yesterday, and faxed it to the landlord. In my prayers, I specifically asked for some closure one way or the other…would I have to move, or could I stay? This of course depended on the answer my landlord would give me.

For some reason, I had no trouble giving this to God…I really felt inside that He would take care of me, regardless of what the decision was. Far too often, although I know in my mind that God is faithful that way ALL the time, I tend to forget and get anxious instead.

Well, this morning, my landlord called…and he decided to allow me to stay on the condition that I allow the contractors he would call to do what they needed to do, and vacate my home for however long it would take them to get the repair done.

I was overjoyed and thankful…I didn’t know what to expect, but certainly this was a definite answer to my prayers. And it never fails to get me…with God’s 100% track record on this kind of thing in the 30 years I’ve known Him as Lord, why don’t I always trust Him like that? Why do I always wonder “if” and “when”? Why can’t I just turn it over to Him like this every time?

I know why…because although I profess undying faith, that faith gets put to the test whenever I’m not in contol of the situation(as if I’m ever REALLY in control)…it shouldn’t, but it does. But as this example shows, when I put my trust in God and don’t think about the outcome, it’s amazing how He works everything out.

As Dottie Rambo wrote…”if that isn’t love…then heaven’s a myth…there’s no feeling like this…if that isn’t love.” Do I deserve that kind of love? Absolutely not! I always tell people I know that one should trust God with all we have…and 19 times out of 20, I’m a quivering rock of Jello when it comes to practicing what I preach! Yet He overcomes my unbelief with love I can’t fathom or describe, in spite of how I receive it.

I bet a lot of you can say the same thing…is it any wonder why we Christians sing so passionately of God’s amazing grace?

Anyway, in just a few weeks, I’ll have what amounts to a brand new home…because of that amazing love and grace, And I’ll have learned another important lesson in the ongoing education of a believer.

Yes, God brings these periodic challenges to us to teach us His ways…will we recognize his presence and learn, or will we miss Him again?

Everytime I relax in my upgraded dwelling in the days ahead, I for one will have a constant reminder of that amazing love and grace.

Making the case…

I’m back…did you miss me?:-)

Today, an often discussed topic arose again on the SGN message boards, namely, “Who Is Your Favorite Quartet, And Why”?

Well, as you might imagine, I have a definite bias in this case. Although I ordinarily stay out of such discussions(I don’t like to step on the toes of anyone else’s favorites, after all), I couldn’t resist today. So here was my answer to that seemingly eternal question…

Well, I have been a gospel quartet fan almost all of my life. I’ve always liked all kinds of music, but ever since my ears latched on to gospel quartet singing at the age of 7, I have been hooked. Amidst all the top 40 music I loved as a kid, the country music I also experienced, and the jazz and classical music I grew to love come my high school years, quartet music has always been there…and never failed to move me.I grew up on a steady diet of the Blackwood Brothers, the Statesmen, the Rebels(w/their great bass, London Parris), the Oak Ridge Boys, the Harvesters, and the Stamps…but through it all, one quartet always has and continues to stand apart from the rest.
Without a doubt, the Couriers Quartet composed of Duane Nicholson, Neil Enloe, Don Baldwin, Dave Kyllonen, and “Little” David Young is the best and my favorite quartet of all of them I have ever heard.

And yes, I’m very familiar with the Cathedral Quartet, Gold City, the Kingsmen, and all the rest. Why the Couriers?

For openers, they were one of the most musically skilled quartets that ever sung. With two of the best musical minds in gospel music history doing their songwriting and arranging(Enloe and Young), one of the finest pure tenors in history(Nicholson), an exceedingly versatile and gifted lead singer(Enloe again), one of the most naturally gifted and expressive baritones(Baldwiin), and a often overlooked but competent bass(Kyllonen), not to mention one of the greatest pianists in gospel history(Young again), who was also an outstanding singer, the Couriers had the bases covered musically.

And in that regard, they had the universal and complete respect from almost every other group in the business….but they were always(to paraphrase Bill Gaither)about “more than the music”!

For, as Cliff(Cerce) said, they became gospel singers in obedience to a higher calling, and they have been faithful to that calling for some 50 years now. And their wives are all the helpmates one could ever hope for.

When I became a Christian in 1976, it didn’t surprise me to learn that the very men I grew up with whose singing I loved so much were such dedicated followers of Christ…if the message of their music is true(and it is), then that should be expected.

After I finally got to meet and know these heroes of mine, the really important thing about them to me isn’t that they were among the greatest gospel musicians of all time, but that they loved God with their hearts, souls, and minds…and were(and are)my friends.

So the question of who my favorite quartet is is a “slam dunk” to me…musically, no one was better.
As people, they are everything I want to be.

And while they may not get the most recognition of any gospel group, where it really counts, they are true “hall of famers”.

A thousand pardons!

Sorry I’ve not posted in a few days.

I am being forced to move from my current dwelling place(home just doesn’t seem to fit at this point)because a lot of Hurricane Katrinaesque mold has developed on the walls. The landlord sent an inspection crew out last week to give it a good look, and the day after, posted a 30-day notice for me to move out.

So for the next couple of weeks or so, my posting may be very sporadic as I attempt to secure a new place to hang my records and CDs.

If I come up with anything worth posting about, I will certainly do so…in the meantime, bear with me and pray for me as I attempt to deal with this latest curve in the road called “real life”.

How I made a million dollars just by wishing for it…

Just kidding!

Check your calendars….if you don’t get why I posted something like this here today, then this day was named for you.

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