ALL IN – Friday June 30, 2016

REVERBERATIONS  FROM DAVID’S PSALMS

Psalm 9 -  “I will praise you, O Lord, with ALL MY HEART; I will tell of all your wonders.  I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.”

ALL IN                                                  

With David, nothing is held back…”no holds barred…” my dad used to say when he meant doing something with all you’ve got, with all your strength.  Hmmm… sounds like a certain commandment!

In Psalm 9 he talks about the Lord reigning forever and how He judges with righteousness and governs with justice.  David loves to write about God’s greatness and his care for us, his creation, so finally he just says, “Sing praises to the Lord enthroned in Zion, proclaim among the nations what He has done” (v. 11).  I have spent my life doing just that… proclaiming God’s salvation among the nations with music.  David would have been a great Continental.

He normally spends a little time asking the Lord to rescue him from his many enemies, but this time he is just praising the Lord because his enemies are on the run.  It’s a good idea for us to praise the Lord, too, when He takes away the stresses and pressures we all seem to live under.

Because the Lord will judge “the nations that forget God” (v.17), he follows that news up with “…but the needy and the hopes of the afflicted will not always be forgotten.” (v.18) So when nations are being judged and are embattled and at war, even the hopes of the displaced people are still alive.

The big promise we can hang on to then is this: “Those who know Your Name will trust in You, for You Lord, have NEVER  Forsaken those who seek you.” (v.10)

        

TAKE A LITTLE TIME TO SEEK THE LORD…TODAY

                         

(Sing a little praise, too!)

A DESERT WELL AND A COOLING BUCKET OF WATER – Wednesday June 28, 2017

RECOLLECTIONS  OF A CONTINENTAL DIRECTOR

By Mike Harcrow

(Mike Harcrow has toured with The Continental Singers 15 times, twice as a horn player for the orchestra in Europe, seven as an Assistant Director all over the world, and Director of five groups in Asia.  He was founder of The Japanese Continental Singers and their first Director. He also led tours in Korea and Singapore.)

Mike Harcrow

The Sahara Desert                   Mauritania, 1985

(edited)

It was 130 degrees at 7:30 a.m.  We bounced along over ruts and rocks of a Nomad’s trail for 11 hours in our Land Rover, windows rolled down, hot air in our faces.  Six thirsty Continental Singers from Tour W, directed by Jim Schmidt. We were here for World Vision to check on the condition of existing wells at a spring-fed Oasis to determine the need for new water projects during one of the severest droughts in recorded African history.

About 6:30 p.m., the driver pointed out some shriveled weeds with little woven fences that were really bean crops planted by the resident.  There were no beans on the sunburned stalks.  As we drove over a hill, we were astonished to see palm trees that stretched eastward to the visible horizon.  We parked in front of a group of huts, each about eight to ten feet in diameter with domed roofs made entirely of palm fronds.  The inhabitants were out tending their goats among the palms and would return in about three hours, around sunset.

We had passed a well near the first stand of trees, so while the gals and driver rested, us four boys, with bandanas over our faces and collars turned up over our necks, went to explore the little oasis.  It was a three-foot open pit, stones marking the perimeter, and a coil of rope attached to a dirty plastic bucket lying in the sand.  We lay on our bellies and looked down into the well.  As the leader and assistant director, I said, “Give me a hand”, and I took the rope and dropped the bucket into the well.  Up came a half bucket of water!  And there in the sweltering Saharan sun, I lifted it high and poured some of the cool, gray-brown water over my head.  We passed it around and each of us cooled our heads.  I eagerly lowed it a second time and again we drenched ourselves.

A third time, though, brought up nothing.

No one said a word as we plodded back to the huts.  The girls were dozing and we sat in silence waiting for nightfall.  Just as the sun was disappearing, two dozen adults and a few children appeared covered head to toe in long, dirty white robes driving some scrawny goats ahead of them.  They greeted us warmly offered some fresh goats milk and prepared a meal of roasted goat and stewed dates.

After dinner the women and children left to sleep and we exchanged pleasantries with the men over hot cups of sweet mint tea.  We inquired what their real needs were and how World Vision might help.

When we arose the next morning, the villagers had already gone for the day.  We were sure they already knew there was nothing in the plastic bucket for them except some damp sand.  The driver took us on a half-mile walk through the palms and then, we left before noon without having seen another well.  It was a two-day trip back to Atar, our mood somber; yet the ever generous Mauritanians welcomed us sincerely as we completed our World Vision surveys over bowls of goat’s milk and cups of syrupy mint tea.

The rest of the time in Africa I could not shake the guilt of my taking the most precious thing that this afflicted community had and wasting it.  I learned lessons about my own greed, respect for others’ possessions and about suffering, both real and imagined.  The long term lesson for me has been about grace.  Some of the poorest people on the planet showed us tremendous kindness and generosity in spite of their hardship.  They served us with smiles, laughter and heartfelt joy.  And they never once mentioned their drained well.

Dr. Mike Harcrow

Mike considers it a privilege to have spent over a decade playing horn in the Korean [National] Symphony Orchestra in Seoul following his final tours as a director in the Far East.  "Living in a culture I had visited twice on U.S. Continental Singers tours was an unspeakably rich blessing that set the course for my  current position as a professor of music at a Christian college in Pennsylvania, and this, too, would not likely have come about without the experiences of my several tours with the Continentals."  Aside from the many challenges and adventures of touring (and there are numerous great stories there), Mike  learned that high musical standards and faith are not at all exclusive.  "God's creation inspires man to create, and believers will reflect their artistic gifts back to Him in worship.  This is a high and worthy goal, and it is foremost among the skills and beliefs I trust my students take with them into their careers." Mike currently lives in Pennsylvania with his lovely Korean wife, Namjoo (who he would not have met had it not been for Continentals), and beautiful daughter Johanna, another accomplished musician.

HIGH HOPES – Monday June 26, 2017

REWIND… THE CONTINENTAL SINGERS OPENING NIGHT JUNE 1998 

HIGH HOPES                              

Our album that year was called “Give ‘Em Hope”.  There were three rehearsal camps.  This talk is from one of them:

We, the leadership of The Continental Singers, have High Hopes for you this summer.  This could be the best summer of your life if you decide you want it to be, so get your hopes up… we are heading up…way up, over the top!

Here’s what happens when people have high hopes:

1.   When athletic teams have it, they win and keep on winning.

2.   When students have it, studies show that their grade point average goes up.

3.   When artists, writers and inventors have high hopes, they get more creative.

4.   With high hopes, we will see our dreams fulfilled and we will be able to press on through any situation, even when it seems impossible.

5.   Hope is the wind beneath our wings.

Hope is a gift from God.  David said in Psalm 62:5 “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone, my hope comes from Him.”

And we all find hope in the promise God made in Jeremiah  Chapter 29, Verse 11,  “For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you HOPE, and a future.”

Our High Hopes for you are captured in three things:  First, we pray that you have put your personal trust in the “Hope of the Universe”, Jesus Christ, and that His spirit lives in you.  Second, we hope and plan that you will have the opportunity to bring hope to someone else through your music ministry this summer.  And third, we hope that this experience of a lifetime will give you hope to follow the call on your life for the future.

My friend, Tim Hansel, wrote, “On one side is the message of hope.  The scriptures say the righteous shall flourish like the palm tree.  Remember palm trees grow in the desert, not in beautiful forests.  And we are called to bear fruit and fruit trees grow in the valleys, not the mountain tops.”

So you have to just remember that you can do anything through Christ.  He is your real hope.  Paul said it best in Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may OVERFLOW WITH HOPE, by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

                   

SO JUST OVERFLOW WITH HIGH HOPES

HOW MAJESTIC IS YOUR NAME IN ALL THE EARTH… - FRIDAY JUNE 23, 201

REVERBERATIONS  FROM DAVID’S PSALMS

PSALM 8 “When I consider your heavens, the moon and stars which you have set in place…”

HOW MAJESTIC                           

                                       

David is excited!  Words of praise fly out of his heart and onto the page. It’s how you or I would feel, too, if we had just experienced the biggest, most dramatic opportunity, or crisis, in our lives.  We trusted God!  We put all our hopes and dreams in His lap, and WHAM-O, it all happened perfectly!  All at once, success… victory!

You would also think of mountains and the heavens with billions of stars beaming down past our moon.  Your spirit would be lifted high in praise!  Your trust in our Heavenly Father, Creator of all you can see, just came through for you, too.

David had just walked into a lonely valley, paused at a small stream, and suddenly faced the biggest, strongest, most well armed giant in the whole world, and this monster was out to get him.  He trusted the Spirit of God who controlled his life and he overcame the behemoth.  He hadn‘t heard Paul’s words yet, “If God be for us who can be against us?” But, he certainly acted on that belief.

When God delivers, words of praise pour out easily from our hearts just like they did from David’s.  “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your Name in all the earth.”

It is so great to know the Lord is right there with you all the time, isn’t it?  And when you trust Him, the giants that come against you will fall face forward to the ground!

AMSTERDAM ’86 AND THE BILLY GRAHAM CONVENTION – Wednesday June 21, 2017

RECOLLECTIONS OF A CONTINENTAL DIRECTOR

(By Bob Feller, toured with Continentals for 11 tours 1977-1987, Director of The Continental Brass and Singers 1980-1987, currently Full Professor and Head of Winds and Percussion at Biola Conservatory of Music, 29 years)  

AMSTERDAM WITH BILLY GRAHAM               

              

Bob Feller

The Continental Brass and Singers (Tour H) in 1986 were very strong and hit it out of the park every night!  The band was loaded with some very talented players who could “really” play, including a couple from Eastman School of Music!

During our stay in Holland, we were invited to be the “house band” for the Amsterdam Billy Graham Itinerant Evangelist Convention for 5 days.  Every night, we performed an instrumental opening special, and then another feature with the choir in the middle of the evening program.  The last night of the convention, one of the organizers came to me in the afternoon saying they were going to open the evening with a procession of flags from every country the evangelists represented.  They wanted a long fanfare!  Well, we didn’t have a fanfare per se in our repertoire, long or short, but we couldn’t turn down an offer like that!

The year before, there was a great fanfare introduction to one of our songs, “Sing to the Lord.”  But, we did not have a copy of it. Checking with our Dutch hosts (Continental Sound) we found a cassette tape copy of last year’s program.  No written music of course!

I approached Todd Beany, our piano player and a fellow student from the Eastman School of Music who was working on his Masters Degree in piano performance.  Todd was brilliant and had piano and arranging chops galore!  I explained the situation to Todd.  He stood there for a few seconds and then quietly said, “I need a cassette player, a piano and two hours in a quiet place.”   Two hours later, Todd showed up with the fanfare and the instrumental parts all copied out by hand.  We slammed them onto the music stands and began to rehearse.

That night, as The Continental Brass blistered out that opening fanfare from “Sing to the Lord” for 26,000 people, and flags began to fill the entire convention hall, I looked over at Todd sitting at the piano with tears streaming down my face.  It was a thrilling moment for all of us.  I knew for sure that this was another reason God had brought Todd on this tour.  I would venture to say that very few people who ever toured with The Continentals could have done what he did for us that day.

(Music tours, performances and productions often had their all-nighters and last minute challenges.  We had no choice but to find a way to solve and make happen.  It’s part of why we all loved every minute of it!... Cam)

Bob lives in La Mirada, California with his wife Sue and their 3 children. In addition to Biola Conservatory, Bob is also Head Instrumental Clinician for Disney Performing Arts Workshops (over 4000 recording session workshops to date) and works as a Freelance Trumpet Player in Los Angeles, including recital performances in Southern California and tours to China, Hong Kong, Japan, and Indonesia. Recently, Bob has taken 5 tours to Romania with the Biola Symphonic Winds ministering to orphans and abandoned babies.

“TESTIFY TO THE TRUTH” – Monday June 19, 2017

REWIND… The CONTINENTALS OPENING NIGHT, June 2000

TESTIFY 2 TRUTH         

                                              

We had just finished a new album in 2000, our program and record were both called, “Testify 2 Truth”.  Delivering the truth of the Gospel, and wanting people to believe it, has never been a slam dunk. Armed with some great truth songs like, “Take You at Your Word”, “All in Favor”, “Can’t Live a Day”, and even one called, “Testify the Truth”, we still knew The Continentals needed more than just the songs to be the “Truth Deliverers” we wanted them to be.  Here is my simple, Biblical message to them that opening night:

I am going to give you five statements, all starting with “YOU”, and all based on the Bible, that will identify you as a “Continental” who is a “Truth Deliverer”.

FIRST, YOU CAN TESTIFY THE TRUTH WITH CONFIDENCE about Jesus because the Bible says, in the Gospel of John, Chapter One, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He, Jesus, was with God in the beginning.” A little later it says, this “Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us…the One and only Who came from the Father, full of grace and TRUTH”.

Everything about Jesus is the Truth. The problem is that a lot of the people you will sing to this summer will not believe you. But, it’s not your responsibility to make people believe.  You just get to deliver the truth.  That same chapter says that though He created the world, He came to His own creation and they did not recognize Him. But, in verse 12 it says, “Yet to all those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become Children of God.”  That’s the truth message we are singing and talking about. People can become Children of God by believing and receiving Christ.

SECOND, YOU WILL SET PEOPLE FREE by telling this truth.  Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then, you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”

Fantastic! You are His musical disciples and at the same you will be setting people free. How good is that!!

THIRD, YOU WILL SHOW PEOPLE THE WAY to eternal life.  Jesus said, “I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.”  After the music is over, and you have earned the right to share with people one on one, whether right there after the concert or in a hosts home or some other location, you will get a chance to show people that Jesus really is the only way.  You will learn how to share and pray with people who will want to know the truth and pray to receive Christ.

FOURTH, YOU WILL BE ON THE SIDE OF TRUTH.   People say there are many sides and many truths, but just before He was crucified, Jesus said to Pilot, when asked if He was a king, “… for this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world, to TESTIFY TO THE TRUTH.  Everyone on the side of truth listens to Me.”  Good to know whose side you are on!  Good idea to listen to what Jesus said.

LASTLY, YOU ARE IN A BATTLE FOR THE TRUTH.  The Bible says that you are more than conquerors through Jesus.  The dark enemy is a liar and will refute you at every turn.  But, we are told in Ephesians 6, to “Put on the full armor of God so that we can take our stand against the Devil’s schemes.  Our command is to “Stand firm, then, with the Belt of Truth buckled around your waist.”

The Belt of Truth buckled around you will do more than keep your Continental outfit on you.  It will be your strength, it is your power, and through the Holy Spirit, will make your message of truth clear and strong.

It’s the best message of all, and each of you will get to be a Deliverer of the Truth as a Continental this summer.  It has to be exciting to know you get to perform your music and TESTIFY TO THE TRUTH at the same time.

GUILTY/NOT GUILTY – Friday June 16, 2017

REVERBERATIONS FROM DAVID’S PSALMS

PSALM 6 “O Lord, do not… discipline me in your wrath” (v.1)

PSALM 7 “Judge me, O Lord … according to my integrity.” (v.8) 

GUILTY/NOT GUILTY                                

                      

These two Psalms would be reversed if written in the order of their experience.   Psalm 7 happened first and is beautiful!  In this one, David is pleading for Justice because of his righteousness and his integrity. (v.8)  He is telling the Lord that he is innocent of whatever he was accused.

Obviously, Psalm 7 was written in David’s youth, probably when he was still strumming for King Saul and after killing Goliath. The rumors were flying around that he was out to take the throne from the King.  He has so much honesty, he simply says to the Lord, “If I have done this and there is guilt on my hands, then let my enemy pursue and trample my life to the ground.” (v.3-5)  Ok, we believe he is innocent of the charges! He knows God sees the heart, so he adds, “O righteous God, who searches minds and hearts, bring to an end the violence.” (v.9)

But, Psalm 6, oh my!  In this one, he is guilty of something he has not faced yet.  It shows the agony of guilt without repentance, so the consequence rages in his body.  All he can do at this point is appeal to God’s loving kindness (mercy). He chides the Lord with a reminder that he needs to be delivered because God is a God of love and “no one remembers you when you are dead, and who praises you from the grave?” (v.5)  He is “worn out from groaning and weeping…” (v.6)

Scholars believe these are David’s writings the year after he sinned with Bathsheba and had Uriah killed.  He hadn’t yet been fingered as guilty of anything, and he has not asked for forgiveness or received any.  Yet, in verse 9, he does say, “The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer.”

Nathan, the prophet, shows up as God’s answer and the judgement follows.  David is now forced to face his sin, repent, ask for forgiveness, and face the consequences.

My Bible teaching dad once said to me, “I thought you were perfect until you were 30!”  Meaning, I had to face some serious confessing and changing once real life happened in order to get back on the straight and narrow.

Our lesson here is to realize that when we are pretending something is ok and right, and we know it isn’t, and we fail to face our sin or guilt, it will eat away at our insides, too, like it did David’s.

Forgiveness is cleansing… think about that.

“OUR GOD IS YOUR GOD” – Wednesday June 14, 2014

RECOLLECTIONS BY A CONTINENTAL DIRECTOR

(By Bram Floria, toured and directed with Continentals 1982-1995, 14 tours, 

currently President and Host of “Compassion Radio”)

OUR GOD IS YOUR GOD                                       

Sandi and Bram Floria

1983 was a relatively calm year in the Middle East, and I was touring Israel as a vocalist on Bob Feller’s tour “I”.  It was the first year of “DREAMER”  and we wondered how this stylized American re-telling of the old Genesis story would go over.  The reception to the program had been very warm as people instantly recognized the characters and themes. From secular theaters to Evangelical churches, we’d performed all over the country.

Our director had done his homework, and brought the history of Israel alive for the tour.  Standing on the ancient ruins of Megiddo, we surveyed the valley of Armageddon below us where the blood of many nations has been spilled-and will be spilled again according to prophesy.  The awesome weight of history and purpose was seared on my mind.  The experience has never left me.

A concert in Nazareth and a tour of the miracle sites along the Sea of Galilee brought us back to Jerusalem and the kibbutz where we would perform our last concert.  Expecting some sort of hostel or compound we were stunned to find ourselves in expansive gardens, patios, galleries, museums and concert halls.  This kibbutz focused on the arts, and we were to be the highlight of week.

During set up we could see people coming and going from various classes and lessons and performing in small instrumental ensembles.  Some, I noticed, had small tattoos on their forearms.  From the mix of generations, and the zeal for the arts, it seemed that these people were perhaps defining modern Jewish culture.

It was in this context that we worried most about how our program would be received.  There were rabbis and experts in Jewish literature that would be attending that night.

And then, it began…

From the downbeat the audience was at full attention.  It was not a large concert hall and hundreds were packed into it.  I’ve rarely felt such energy and enthusiasm from a crowd.  They laughed along at the antics of Joseph’s brothers.  They howled as Mae East pouted her way to vengeance.  Then they sucked in their breath as Joseph was thrown into prison.  Tears were already flowing.

By now the whole tour was beginning to get it- these people were fully invested in the story.  It was their story.  Personally and collectively, they seemed to be watching their own family movies.  Through their eyes, we began to see the lives of Jacob and his sons.  The brokenness, the desperation, the hope, the forgiveness, the reconciliation – all of it took on a whole new reality for us.  By the time Joseph embraced his long-lost brothers, we were weeping.  A surge of new energy came through us on the reprise of “Praise His Name and See It Happen.”  The response was huge!  Even with half the audience over the age of sixty.

When things settled down, Bob wrapped up the theme and explained how we were the “new shoot” that had been grafted into the old “roots.”  He deftly introduced Jesus into the presentation, showing how this Messiah had been our wellspring of hope and joy.  He led in a prayer that bridged the two faiths.  After he finished, the audience was silent for a long moment.  Finally an elder gentleman rose to greet us and then turned to speak to the audience in Hebrew.  There was vocal responses, nodding and affirmation from the crowd. 

When this gentleman finally turned to us, he explained in a rich Eastern European accent, “When I came here this evening, I was not sure what to expect.  What could American Christians tell us of our forefathers?  How could you understand the depths of our struggle as a people and as a nation?  Many of us are survivors of the Concentration Camps of World War 11.  I was nervous of what my friends might think.”

Here, the gentleman swept his arm back toward the crowd, taking a moment to look at them before turning back to us.  He continued.  

“As I have watched you all this evening, I have become convinced of this:  The God you worship is the God we worship.  OUR GOD IS YOUR GOD.  This story is as much your story as ours.  Thank you for sharing with us tonight.  We will never be the same.”

When it was all over, most of us had no words.  We just stood at the wall, looking over the lights of Jerusalem.  I imagined the day when Jews and Gentiles would worship together in “Spirit and in Truth,” in the courts of the Jerusalem to come.

Bram and his wife Sandi currently live in Texas with their 4 children. With his work at “Compassion Radio” Bram continues pursuing stories of the Great Commission as it’s happening. This year, his travels will take him to Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa.  

Mission of Love – Monday June 12, 2017

REWIND… THE CONTINENTALS OPENING NIGHT… JUNE 1999

                                          

MISSION OF LOVE                                    

                     

Avalon had just had a big hit in the CCM world, “Testify to Love” and we had to use it.  It was 1999, and we used it all that year, along with Michael W.’s “Cry for Love”, The Martin’s fun country gospel song “Out of His Great Love”, and Greg Nelson and Bob Farrell’s “Cross of Love”. The words “…  Jesus what a sacrifice to reach us, it must have been a cross of love”.  And a lot of other great songs on the “love” theme.

We always viewed the ministry of The Continental Singers as a mission, when I spoke to the new Continentals at rehearsal camp that summer I talked of FIVE missions - listen in….

1.   God’s mission of love… was to send us His Son.  The reason is written so clearly in 1^st John 4:9, “This is how God showed His love among us, He sent His one and only Son into the world, that we might live through Him.”

2.   Jesus’ mission of love…is all of you Continentals sitting out there tonight.  Paul wrote that God demonstrated His own love for us in this, “That while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  Speaking to His disciples, and to us as His friends, Jesus said these famous words, “Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”

3.   Your mission of love… is to love each other.  Jesus said, “My command is this, love each other as I have loved you.”  As a Continental that means to be an encourager not a complainer.  Do something nice for one of your tour members every day.  Love on the people who come to your concerts.  Be grateful to your host families.  Those are easy things that make a difference in the attitude of your whole ministry.When things are tough and maybe you have a long, late Saturday night concert, and the tear down is in a gym a long way from the bus, and you just heard you have to be at a church by 6:30 for an 8:00 o’clock, 9:30, and 11:00 a.m. morning performances.  Be loving… have a good attitude and pray our booking department did not also book a Sunday night like I told them to!!

4.   The Continental Singers mission of love is in three parts.  First, we want this to be the greatest experience of your life.  We call this growth time for you, “a life changing experience”.   And that years from now, you will look back and remember this time as just that.  Second, we want people to know about Jesus and to ask Him into their lives.  You will be our evangelists and Jesus’ ambassadors through your testimonies and the words you sing. And thirdly, we just want to inspire and bring joy to your audiences.  I want you to give them the best night they will have all year!

5.   Cam’s (My) mission of love… is to be a world changer.  Before there was ever a Continental, this was my goal.  I want to make a difference in everything I do, in your life and everyone’s we come in contact with.  I have always believed The Continental Singers could be a part of bringing hope to a world that needs Jesus Christ.  I believe we did.  I believe we still do.  And, I am counting on you to carry our mission of love to the whole world this summer.

Right now though, I want to take a minute to bless you… I bless you in Jesus name.  I believe in you.  I believe in your success and I pledge I will pray and stand strong for you, no matter what, until I see you again at the end of your tour.

EXPECTATIONS – Friday June 9, 2017

REVERBERATIONS FROM DAVID’S PSALMS

PSALM 5  …”In the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.” (v.3)

EXPECTATION                                                           

The difference between how David talked to the Lord and how I hear so many others pray is that word, “expectation.”  He really believed what he asked for was going to happen.

Refreshing!

Reminds us that Jesus said the same thing many times to His followers and His words reverberate on down to us as well.  “My Father will give you whatever you ask for in My Name…Ask and you will receive and your joy will be complete.” John 16:23-24.

Guess what.  David’s Lord and the Father that Jesus was talking about are the same Heavenly Father we pray to.  And the same Father who Jesus said would give us whatever also gave David his whatever’s!  That’s awesome!

David was asking God to lead him (v.8) He wanted the Lord to make his way straight.  That’s something you and I need to pray for as well.  It’s so easy to get off the path.  Jesus said the path was narrow.  He was right.

David called himself a man of prayer and he was.  We can be too and in chapter 3 of my little book, “David’s 7 Secrets” I called it, “Live in the Moment” because we need to understand the presence of the Lord is there every minute and we can talk to Him all the time and anytime we want to just like David did.

David ends this Psalm with some really positive shouts for us who love the Name of the Lord.  He says we will be “glad and sing for joy, be protected and rejoice” (v.11) and best of all we will be “blessed and surrounded with favor.” (v.12)

     

     THAT’S SOME GOOD STUFF 

WORTH EXPECTING

“DON’T LAUGH!” – Wednesday June 7, 2017

RECOLLECTIONS OF A CONTINENTAL DIRECTOR

(By Gonzalo Gallardo - a Chilean Continental for 3 years and director for 10 from 1992 to 2001)

PLEASE DON’T LAUGH OUT!                    

                     

Gonzalo Gallardo

It was 1992 and I was in my junior year as a music major at the University of Playa Ancha, in Chile.  I attended the Catholic Church and I thought that because I lived in a Catholic country, that fact made me a believer.  That summer I was invited to a rehearsal concert of the Chilean Continental Singers, directed by the missionary, Michael Mahoney.  The Evangelical Christian music in Chile was known to be of low quality and geared toward the lower social class.

Based on this impression, when I went to the concert with my two friends I said, “This is a concert of an evangelical group, so please, out of respect for the people, don’t laugh out.”  As the concert started, the singers ran through the aisles and onto the stage.  The sound quality was incredible!  The energy displayed by the group was something I had never seen in any choir or musical group.  My mouth was literally hanging open.  I couldn’t believe my eyes and ears.

The program was called “Set Them Free.”  At the beginning I was so impressed with the vocal arrangements and the instrumentalists, but then the words of the songs filled my mind and heart: “Free in Christ, leave your burdens on Him, freedom in Jesus….”  When the director asked to see the hands of those who wanted the empty space in their heart to be filled with Christ, I felt the need, but I was worried what my friends would think.

The next day I found out where their concert was and as I neared the church I heard the music and my heart responded.  I entered the church and I just couldn’t stop crying.  When the invitation was made I fought the urge to respond, but I felt as if someone physically raised my arm.  I am convinced it was the Holy Spirit.

Despite the darkness of the church, Michael Mahoney sent one the singers to pray with me.  At that moment Christ accepted me as His son.  The heaviness in my heart was lifted.  I felt different, I looked at things in a different way and even my friends said that my expression was different.

I wanted to use music in that way, so mid-year I applied to the Chilean Continental Singers.  Only one year after I had received Christ in my heart and now as a Continental myself, I was praying with people to receive Christ in the very same way that I did.

The Continental Singers was my “church” during the tours I participated in.  It was in this ministry where I grew spiritually and became part of a new family.  Since then I have led Continental tours throughout South America, Mexico and even Cuba and actually spent one summer directing an American tour in the States.  I am so thankful for what God has done through the Continentals here in Chile and in reaching people like me all over the world.

Gonzalo is currently Director of Career of Phonoaudiology (Speech Therapy, Vocology and Audiology) on faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, Andres Bello University, Chile

The Grace Odyssey - Monday June 5, 2017

REWIND OF AN OPENING NIGHT SPEECH…SPRING 2001

                                   

THE GRACE ODYSSEY                                              

All my Christian life, I’ve heard that we are living in the Age of Grace.  The world out there would say that “grace” means “free of charge” or “no strings attached” or “It’s on the house”.  C.S. Lewis was asked what he thought was Christianity’s unique contribution among the world’s religions. “Oh that’s easy,” he said, “It’s grace.”

We “say grace” before our meals, we have “grace notes” in our music, when addressing royalty we say “Your Grace”, England declares that a pardon is an “act of grace”, we receive “grace issues” when our subscriptions run out, and even a “grace period” when we are late on our bills.

On the negative side we say that someone great has “fallen from grace”, or someone may act “disgraceful” or is an “ingrate”, or perhaps has “no saving grace”.  But grace is a Christian’s last and best word.  Grace truly is “Amazing”.

How Continentals look at grace is critical to our real ministry.  Think about this: the Bible says, “Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ”.  And, it is His grace we are taking out there to the world through our music this year.  Your tour could actually be called “The Grace Race” as you tour from city to city and sing from church to church.  And, hopefully, your bus will be called “The Grace Place”.  It’s in there we plan to practice 1^st Peter 3:18 which says, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ”.  You will spend time in prayer there, and before your concerts, as you go to “the throne of grace”, expecting God to do great and fabulous things in your life and on your tour.

It’s kind of like “Grace Expectations”.  And if any of you good looking gentlemen think that means meeting and spending special private time with some lovely Continental lady, well, I have to let you know we will have to crush that expectation! Tour will end eventually…

Oh, and by the way, your Director is a Dictator.  Tour is not a democracy!  It doesn’t mean you have to call him or her “Your Grace”, but we do expect you to respect and obey their words and actions, on your behalf.  Our directors understand that the decisions they make are never for themselves.  They are all for you.  We all want of this to be a life changing experience for you.

We are sending you out in a bus.  You will have a comfortable seat, and a little space up above to cram in some things you need for the day, but you will need to show a little grace for your tour partners.  No one will have quite enough space.  It is good to remember the verse that declares, “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble”.  The best way to survive on tour is to be just that.  Be humble in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up.   If you do that, your tour members and all of us will lift you up along with God!  Just be graceful to each other.

In one of your songs is the phrase, “Let me introduce you to a friend called Grace…” That’s what you will be doing.  Gracing people by introducing them to Jesus Christ through your music and then, again, after your concerts and even in the hosts homes.  Take advantage of those opportunities.

Please know that we love and value you. And all the Continental staff here tonight and all the other directors will join me in praying for you that the Lord will give you an absolutely fabulous Amazing Grace filled tour.

Give Me Relief - Friday June 2, 2017

REVERBERATIONS FROM DAVID’S PSALMS

PSALM 4 

 “Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer.” V.1

GIVE ME RELIEF                                                 

Poor David was praying for some relief.  Armies he had trained were preparing to come against him led by his own son Absalom.  But he was sure God would answer his prayer because he knew God had set him apart for His own purposes. He knew he had a calling, a destiny, and he didn’t feel it was over quite yet.

So in the midst of his personal disaster, he simply lays down on his bed and meditates on it (v.4). He thinks about it, and adds for our benefit, to do what he was doing, “search your hearts and be silent!”  Listen to what God is saying.  In times of stress, this is something we also need to do.

The result for him was to realize, once again, that he just needed to put his total trust in the Lord. Then his prayer changed to “let the light of your FACE shine on us, O Lord.” (v.6)   And, it was then that relief spilled over his heart and brought with it a smile and genuine excitement.  “You have filled my heart with a greater joy!”

The situation has changed significantly from extreme distress to a quiet heart.  “I will lie down and sleep in peace” (v. 8) Whew!   Now that is really putting your trust in the Lord in a tough situation.

Interesting what a little soul searching, while lying on our beds in the midst of turmoil, will do once we realize the Great Lord of the universe has our back. 

So just relax, this too will pass!