Taking a little pride

As some of you who know me best know, these last few days have been really hard on me.

It's in times like those one grabs on to any pleasure, no matter how small, to reassure oneself that there is still some sort of sense or order in this world.

Tonight, when going out to dinner to help ease my mind, I happened to walk into our local Christian chain book and music store, and I paused there to do some browsing.

While looking at the books in the biography section, I saw staring at me plain as day, a copy of "The Faith Of America's Presidents", by my good friend Daniel Mount.

It was the first time I'd seen the book, so I scanned through it just to get a peek. I didn't really read it right then to get a feel for it, but what was inside impressed me...obviously Daniel did a lot of research into the writing of his book.

But the overwhelming feeling I got, as I left the store and went to eat, was pride. Yes, pride.

For one of my friends had the fruits of his hard work sitting there for sale, in a bookstore in MY city.

I am always proud when someone I know is able to share his talents with our world, and be available to make a difference in the life of someone who, like me, was looking for something to buy for a friend...or buy for himself(or herself), to edify one's own life.

Seeing those kinds of triumphs for friends of mine motivates me to get off my lazy duff and do the same.

For what purpose do our lives have if we don't use the gifts that God gave us to contribute to the edification of those around us?

Thanks, Daniel...I needed that.

With Sand In Their Shoes, And A Song In Their Hearts…

...was how the Florida Boys Quartet was introduced for many, many years in concerts and on television.

In what is seen by some as a sad bit of news, that venerable quartet will finally retire from the road in a month or so.

It might be sad if you're a fan of the traditional southern gospel quartet...there aren't that many of those left these days, as the industry is in search of possible new directions to take the same basic sound and message. And if you're one of those people who have become used to the Florida Boys always being there, and night after night in concert seeing them give their loyal fans and whoever else might be in attendance a solid night of good gospel quartet singing.

Which they've done for some 60 years(!)...that's a generation before I was even alive!

But time marches on, and although the message the Florida Boys sang about is eternal...they(and we)are not.

So call it bittersweet, then...a touch of sadness on noting the retirement of one of the undoubtedly great names in gospel music...but finally a chance for legends like Les Beasley, Glen Allred, and Derrell Stewart(Hall of Famers all)to finally rest from their seemingly endless journeys across our land and taste home cooking on a regular basis for the first time since THEY were young men.

And that should be celebrated, I think.

After all, they go back to the days when quartets went from concert to concert in cars(some without AC, no doubt)...the days when artists would be glad to have a place to sing, period! Days when the whole mindset on why one sang gospel music professionally were so different from what they've become today. And they survived...which in the period of time they started in, was no small feat! For there were LOTS of groups vying for a relatively small number of venues to sing in...and just stay alive.

The Florida Boys survived that...and survived the era of "the Team"...an era when if your name wasn't Blackwood, or you weren't close friends of either James Blackwood or Hovie Lister, you had a tough time getting good bookings to sing at.

Along the way, they were television pioneers...with shows like the "Gospel SoundShp" and of course, their lasting legacy, "The Gospel Singing Jubilee", a show that STILL hasn't been surpassed today in terms of professionalism and quality production among gospel music television shows.

And they carried the quartet banner high, through the 70s, 80s, and 90s, when the gospel music business was going through a number of rocky transition periods. They never were at the very top of the ladder among gospel quartets in any of the decades they dang in, but they were always close enough to it to smell it.

And now, they're finally calling it a career. Why not? Now's as good a time to go as any, and they can certainly look back on their accomplishments in gospel music, and be proud.

But as you might expect in this day and age, there are those picky few out there who will not be satisfied by anything. There has been criticism of their lack of marketing their farewell in a fitting way...what does that mean? Haven't these fellas earned the right to retire on their own terms? They got where they got by doing things that way...and now, all of a sudden, they have to do a Gaitheresque "production" of their retirement? One would think that with all the misplaced but well-meaning sentiment attached to the farewells of the likes of Bob Barker, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, and Michael Jordan that it would be considered refreshing if someone just announced they're quitting, and just DID IT!

And we hear carping about how bad their website is..come on! One would think that after all they went through to get to where they got in gospel music, certainly a website would be rather low on their hierarchy of priorites.

They were a big part of a cherished remnant of gospel music history that should be celebrated for what they were, not carped at for what they're not!

So long, Florida Boys...you've earned your time to yourselves. Thanks for the songs...and the memories.

UPDATE: I read this morning that the Florida Boys will not only honor their booking commitments(but would you expect anything else?), but during many of those concerts, former group members will join them on stage. Also, Saturday night at this year's NQC will feature a final farewell appearance. So there WILL be something relatively "big" for those wishing for it.

Time out from the frontlines

Yeah, I know it's been a while since I've been here.

How much of a while?

It had been so long, I had to check my old e-mail to figure out how to log back into my own blog!

Now that that's done, hi again!:-)

I'll bet you're all wondering what's kept me away for so long.

Well, keep wondering...I ain't tellin'...not here, anyway!

Although part of what's kept me away has been the insidious depressive state that comes from ongoing discouragement.

Yes, Christians get discouraged, too! We all try to smile and put on a good face for each other and those we know who aren't blessed with the gift of eternal life as we have it, but we have our ups and downs, too.

And why not? Since we're every bit as human as the non-Christians are, are we then exempt from the normal stages of human life?

You'll get some believers who'll say we are...or we ought to be.

I'm here to tell you that if they really believe that, they're lying to you.

There's a BIG difference between joy and happiness.

For one thing, joy is not contingent on life circumstances...joy is a choice we can all make at any time, and there is real, true joy in knowing that we have eternal life as a result of the work of Jesus Christ.

Happiness is more of a state of mind based largely on how well, circumstantially, things are going for you.

Am I happy? Well, let's see...of the top three interests in my life right now, I'd say two are going reasonably well...while the most important one of those is going very poorly right now. It's not quite a wash, so I'd say I'm mostly OK....but I could be a LOT happier.

Am I joyful? Absolutely.

For I have the Lord, and thus I have hope that whatever may be wrong in my current circumstances, they may quickly...or slowly...change for the better. This gives me a decided advantage over those who don't have the joy that comes from knowing Jesus.

Am I discouraged? Put it this way...are summers usually hot?:-)

But will my discouragement end? It's bound to...in the meantime, I keep hoping, praying, and yes, even writing.

A review

Time to publish something new today.

I am heartened by the responses to my response to Paul Jackson's question about where the balance lies for gospel singing groups between "ministry" and "entertainment". That is a subject that always brings out responses in fans wanting to weigh in on that issue....and I had several who weighed in on this latest explanation of my position on the issue.

Thanks to all of you who chose to respond, especially Paul himself, who has done more than his share of entertaining ministry for some time.

I don't necessarily want to perpetuate this discussion forever(and it CAN go on for some time, I've learned!), but I feel led to add just a little more wood to the fire here.

Many respondents speak of achieving "balance" between ministry and entertainment, and I don't understand that. Saying that infers that ministry and entertainment are two opposing forces...two different enterprises. And that, my friends, is not correct(IMHO).

Consider the definitions of each...

ENTERTAINMENT: (amiong others)The act of providing pleasure, diversion, or amusement.

MINISTRY:(again, among others)An act of ministering, a ministration, a service.

Now, I ask you, how are those concepts opposed?

The answer...they're not. Unless you can demonstrate to me how providing pleasure and diversion to people is not a service to them, it's clear we're not talking about opposing concepts here.

I have always maintained that, as far as gospel singing is concerned, the entertainment the singers provide IS their ministry. Music has power that few other things have to inspire and/or motivate people. And well-performed music about the greatest message on earth can drive that message home as effectively as any medium can....not to mention that it can please and comfort its listeners immensely. I can personally testify to THAT!

If that's not the case, why did Billy Graham, among many successful evangelists, hire people like Cliff Barrows and George Beverly Shea to deliver his message in music to complement his preaching of God's Word? Why didn't he just sing the songs and lead the singing himself?

And the answer is because Graham knew the power that well-performed music has to rouse audiences to consider the message in the lyrics to the songs...and he naturally wanted the most skilled and dedicated people he could find to bring his message home to his audiences as possible through music. In short, Shea's singing and Barrows' song leading were much more entertaining than Graham's could be on any day....at least in his opinion, anyway! And as such, it would be a much more powerful use of music to minister to his audiences than anything he could do.

Mike Wilkins brought up in his comment the work of the Couriers...a group that did as much as anyone to erase the false lines that people try to draw between "ministry" and "entertainment". And the secret of the Couriers is that their brand of entertainment WAS their ministry...and they reached millions of people far and wide with not only their musical talent, but the preaching of Dave Kyllonen following their singing. The fact that they continue to do the very same thing they did all those years today as Dave, Duane, and Neil proves the authenticity of their calling.

Back in the day, the Couriers never cared about putting labels on themselves to define their work...they just sang well, touched people, entertained them, and in so doing, ministered to them. Audiences sensed both their talents and their integrity...and they defined "musical ministry" for their generation, and for subsequent ones as well.

So you see, the "balance" is already there, by definition! Good gospel music is the best kind of entertainment there is...and that IS a ministry!

But let's let the people decide the authenticity of the ministry before we start throwing that word around like a catch phrase, and in so doing try to appear as pious as possible to our intended audiences...OK?:-) Because they do!

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