I will readily admit that I am flawed. Some would describe me as 'a flawed character'--a description that carries a rather negative connotation. And in some ways I suppose I am indeed a 'character.'
But a more accurate description would be that my character is flawed. This does not suggest that one is rotten to the core, or totally bad, or lacking in distinct positive qualities. But as a human being my character, regardless of how upstanding or admirable it appears to some, is still quite flawed.
I know very few Christians who attempt to pretend that they don't have faults. I will admit that I have met some, though. That is a big mistake. Sincerity, genuineness, and honesty demand that we readily admit our flaws, our tendency to sin, our mistakes and impure motives, and our weaknesses.
When a person of faith approaches other people with the attitude that he or she is better than those with overt flaws or fails to acknowledge his or her own failings, then those outside the faith can see right through such denial and come to the conclusion that the person is a fake.
And indeed to a great degree such a person IS a fake. That is one of the worst things that can be said about a Christian. If people do not believe us to be sincere, then we will be severely hampered in our efforts to spread the good news of Christ.
The Bible says, 'If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and the truth is not in us.' That verse is written to Christians, and not those outside the faith.
To be sure, some individuals are going to believe all of us are fake. Their skewed picture of Christianity leads them to conclude that all of Christ's disciples are not to be trusted and are totally lacking in any true sincerity. It is very hard to change such thinking when it is based entirely upon a knee-jerk emotional reaction rather than rationality.
But most people will appreciate the fact that a Christian can admit his or her mistakes, own up to their flaws, express regret, ask for forgiveness, and openly remind everyone around them that we all are just sinners saved by grace.
When I was much younger I thought that I had to live in such a way that I kept all of my flaws carefully hidden lest anyone think that I was a fake. As I matured, however, I found that the more I attempted to cover up my flaws the more I appeared to be exactly that--a fake.
Now I don't try so hard to pretend anything. I will openly admit that I am a flawed servant of the Lord. I have never claimed to be perfect, and I am not about to start. I can only say I am working on my failures as God continues to mold and shape me into what He wants me to be.
But remember, that work will not be complete until we reach our final destination--home with Him forever.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Great Men Teaching Great Things
When famed gospel singer Glen Payne was in a hospital in 1999 dying of cancer, his group, the Cathedral Quartet, was scheduled to embark on their much-publicized farewell tour prior to their retirement after 35 years together.
Little did Glen know when they announced their retirement and tour that he would be diagnosed with cancer, which would prevent him from appearing with the group.
Doctors and medical personnel did everything they could to help Glen but their efforts were to no avail. And when it became apparent that Glen would die within a few short weeks, a shaken George Younce--bass singer for the group--went to see him in the hospital.
"You know, Glen," said George, "We've been out there night after night singing the Gospel for 35 years. You have not only been my business partner in this group but my best friend. I don't think I can go out there, or ask the rest of the guys to go out there, and do this retirement tour without you. It just doesn't seem right to me."
In a weakened voice, Glen responded, "George, in 35 years we've sung no matter what. Our promoters and our fans depend on us. We sang when we were sick. We sang when there were family emergencies. It had to be done. We never let our supporters down, not once. You go out there and sing for the people. Keep our commitments to the promoters...all of them."
Reluctantly George did as Glen had asked.
I went to one of the Cathedrals' farewell concerts in a large southern city. They were the only group on the program, but it had been sold out weeks in advance--all 20,000 seats.
When the group walked on stage, George came to the microphone and stated somberly, "Friends, we are happy you all have come out to see the Cathedral Quartet tonight. We love you, and you know that. But I have to tell you right at the outset some bad news. Glen Payne died this afternoon at 3 PM."
You could hear one, big collective gasp in the audience. You could see women begin to cry and men reaching for their handkerchiefs. I admit I shed quite a few tears myself. Glen had been one of my heroes since I was a boy.
But once the announcement was made and the grief was expressed, the group sucked it up and did the program as never before...just for Glen.
They sang their hearts out.
The reason? It was not just for Glen but for the purpose for which they sang. Glen had always said from the beginning that when they started this quartet they wanted to do it for the right reasons and do it the right way--straight up, sincerely, honestly, and with integrity. He wanted the group to be a vehicle by which to spread the Gospel.
Both Glen and George had blemishes from their past, and they were the first to admit it. I don't know how many times I heard George give his testimony about how his drinking got the best of him in his early years in Gospel music. But God had a way of changing all of that. Both men came to see a better way. And in time they were molded and shaped by the Master Builder who turned their failures and sins into shining examples of what a life can become when Christ is the focus.
The lessons I learned from Glen Payne are numerous. Vocal technique, a love for quartet singing, how to present oneself on stage, a dogged determination to do what God had called you to do no matter what the obstacles, the need to give God the credit for whatever success comes your way, and, finally, how to die.
Great men teach us great things if we pay attention. Glen Payne is part of the reason I am who I am today.
Little did Glen know when they announced their retirement and tour that he would be diagnosed with cancer, which would prevent him from appearing with the group.
Doctors and medical personnel did everything they could to help Glen but their efforts were to no avail. And when it became apparent that Glen would die within a few short weeks, a shaken George Younce--bass singer for the group--went to see him in the hospital.
"You know, Glen," said George, "We've been out there night after night singing the Gospel for 35 years. You have not only been my business partner in this group but my best friend. I don't think I can go out there, or ask the rest of the guys to go out there, and do this retirement tour without you. It just doesn't seem right to me."
In a weakened voice, Glen responded, "George, in 35 years we've sung no matter what. Our promoters and our fans depend on us. We sang when we were sick. We sang when there were family emergencies. It had to be done. We never let our supporters down, not once. You go out there and sing for the people. Keep our commitments to the promoters...all of them."
Reluctantly George did as Glen had asked.
I went to one of the Cathedrals' farewell concerts in a large southern city. They were the only group on the program, but it had been sold out weeks in advance--all 20,000 seats.
When the group walked on stage, George came to the microphone and stated somberly, "Friends, we are happy you all have come out to see the Cathedral Quartet tonight. We love you, and you know that. But I have to tell you right at the outset some bad news. Glen Payne died this afternoon at 3 PM."
You could hear one, big collective gasp in the audience. You could see women begin to cry and men reaching for their handkerchiefs. I admit I shed quite a few tears myself. Glen had been one of my heroes since I was a boy.
But once the announcement was made and the grief was expressed, the group sucked it up and did the program as never before...just for Glen.
They sang their hearts out.
The reason? It was not just for Glen but for the purpose for which they sang. Glen had always said from the beginning that when they started this quartet they wanted to do it for the right reasons and do it the right way--straight up, sincerely, honestly, and with integrity. He wanted the group to be a vehicle by which to spread the Gospel.
Both Glen and George had blemishes from their past, and they were the first to admit it. I don't know how many times I heard George give his testimony about how his drinking got the best of him in his early years in Gospel music. But God had a way of changing all of that. Both men came to see a better way. And in time they were molded and shaped by the Master Builder who turned their failures and sins into shining examples of what a life can become when Christ is the focus.
The lessons I learned from Glen Payne are numerous. Vocal technique, a love for quartet singing, how to present oneself on stage, a dogged determination to do what God had called you to do no matter what the obstacles, the need to give God the credit for whatever success comes your way, and, finally, how to die.
Great men teach us great things if we pay attention. Glen Payne is part of the reason I am who I am today.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Come Home
Ever feel that you lost your way? That all your hopes and dreams in life have been dashed and lying in ashes?
Have you felt that you are basically alone, wandering as a ship with no compass, frantically trying to find direction in this crazy, mixed up world, but never really finding it?
Perhaps you grew up in a family where you were grounded in great, eternal truths that are timeless in that they have withstood the ravages of eons of human history. And yet, somewhere, somehow along the way you lost track of those truths, wandering off into some uncharted territory where the glitter that attracts you turns out to be nothing more than fool's gold in the end.
Perhaps you once lived as one who believed in the Lord with all your heart. You prayed to Him. You sang songs about Him. You read the Bible. You went to church.
But someone or something so severely disappointed you that you felt there was no alternative but to give up on it all, rejecting the very foundation of your whole life due to the misguided sins of some of the people of God.
And now, maybe you are feeling hopeless, that God has abandoned you and that you are beyond help.
Is there a message to you, just for you?
Yes. Come home!
The door is always open. You know where to go and what to do. The very same Lord you once claimed stands with arms wide open. The very truths that once gave your life purpose and direction are still there, waiting for you to claim them once again.
There is no need to hesitate or to wait, acting as if you are an outsider. You are not. You are one of His sheep who went astray. And the Bible tells us that He never abandons His sheep. You are His, no matter what you've done or how far away you have strayed.
Come home. This is where you belong. Those who love you wait with great anticipation. The Lord stands ready to throw His arms around you. All you have to do is walk through the door.
Your life is not over. You still have a chance. Turn back to Him. Let Him love you. Let God's people love you.
Come home, my friend, come home.
Song: "Come Home" by the Cathedral Quartet.
Have you felt that you are basically alone, wandering as a ship with no compass, frantically trying to find direction in this crazy, mixed up world, but never really finding it?
Perhaps you grew up in a family where you were grounded in great, eternal truths that are timeless in that they have withstood the ravages of eons of human history. And yet, somewhere, somehow along the way you lost track of those truths, wandering off into some uncharted territory where the glitter that attracts you turns out to be nothing more than fool's gold in the end.
Perhaps you once lived as one who believed in the Lord with all your heart. You prayed to Him. You sang songs about Him. You read the Bible. You went to church.
But someone or something so severely disappointed you that you felt there was no alternative but to give up on it all, rejecting the very foundation of your whole life due to the misguided sins of some of the people of God.
And now, maybe you are feeling hopeless, that God has abandoned you and that you are beyond help.
Is there a message to you, just for you?
Yes. Come home!
The door is always open. You know where to go and what to do. The very same Lord you once claimed stands with arms wide open. The very truths that once gave your life purpose and direction are still there, waiting for you to claim them once again.
There is no need to hesitate or to wait, acting as if you are an outsider. You are not. You are one of His sheep who went astray. And the Bible tells us that He never abandons His sheep. You are His, no matter what you've done or how far away you have strayed.
Come home. This is where you belong. Those who love you wait with great anticipation. The Lord stands ready to throw His arms around you. All you have to do is walk through the door.
Your life is not over. You still have a chance. Turn back to Him. Let Him love you. Let God's people love you.
Come home, my friend, come home.
Song: "Come Home" by the Cathedral Quartet.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
A Prayer for 9/11
"Our Heavenly Father, as we remember the horrific events that occurred on this day 10 years ago, we humbly ask for your comfort as memories come flooding back into our minds like bad dreams. And in remembering may we honor the legacy left behind by the brave souls on United Flight 93, the fire fighters, police officers, and emergency medical personnel, and hold as sacred the lives of all of the victims in the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. We confess to you our collective failure as a nation to keep the truth alive concerning what happened that day, allowing the misguided, and the duplicitous, to revise the sacred history of 9/11 and cloud the national vision of who and what perpetrated the attacks. Renew our sense of national unity in fighting the good fight against the forces of evil. We ask that you, O Father, would also open the eyes of the spiritually blind, even those who are engaged in terrorism around the world, so that they may recognize the wickedness of which they are a part, repent of their sins, and come to the truth. Be a special friend to those who mourn this day. And in their deep sense of loss let them experience your loving presence and find solace. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen."
Thursday, September 8, 2011
The Season of Woe
In the history of the Hebrew people, who became known as Jews, a theme arises that would become a means of describing the polarity of their experience and their relationship with God--'woe or weal.'
Weal is a word that denotes a period of great prosperity, happiness, fulfillment, well-being. Woe, of course, is the opposite--a period of poverty, despair, abandonment, and distress.
The ancient Hebrews, according to the Bible, were schooled by God Himself in the simple concept that if they obeyed Him and lived according to the covenant that they themselves had agreed to, then they would be blessed. If, however, they violated that covenant with God, they would suffer the consequences.
Those consequences were dire.
The books of Exodus, Jeremiah, Lamentations, and others depict how Israel paid the price for its disobedience to God. More often than not they were overcome by their enemies, slaughtered, and the survivors carted off into other regions where they lived as slaves. These were the seasons of woe.
Once having been taught a painful lesson, the remaining remnant of the Hebrew nation would repent of its failure to abide by the terms of the covenant, turn back to God, and eventually be restored. It was then they entered into a season of weal.
In many ways America today is firmly held in the grip of a season of woe. Those who have been running the country have failed us in every imaginable way. Economic disaster looms not only for the U.S. but for the entire world. Civil unrest could break forth at any moment. And war looms on the horizon as terrorist states continue to gain power, particularly the Palestinian push at the U.N. for 'statehood,' which they plan this very month.
Are we suffering the consequences of our failure to abide by the covenant?
To be sure, America as a nation never formally entered into a covenant like the one Israel had with God. The Hebrew nation from the start was a theocracy. The U.S. was never envisioned that way.
But, we have a rich heritage of deeply spiritual people who settled here and believed that this nation was a beacon of hope and the fulfillment of a divine promise to give God's people a place of freedom in a world of tyranny.
In time, however, we have gradually allowed that very tyranny to infiltrate the society. And now, it is ever-present with a fury. Our very Constitution is in danger of being totally negated by citizens--Americans--who no longer believe in its precepts. And their chosen politicians are faithfully carrying out their wishes to change this nation from one of freedom to a Marxist, totalitarian vision of centralized control.
There is a heavy price to be paid for allowing this Godless evil to take such a hold over such a large sector of society. And if God's people do not do something post-haste to stop it, then our 'season of woe' will only continue to worsen, resulting in the most ghoulish nightmare this nation has ever witnessed in its history.
Weal is a word that denotes a period of great prosperity, happiness, fulfillment, well-being. Woe, of course, is the opposite--a period of poverty, despair, abandonment, and distress.
The ancient Hebrews, according to the Bible, were schooled by God Himself in the simple concept that if they obeyed Him and lived according to the covenant that they themselves had agreed to, then they would be blessed. If, however, they violated that covenant with God, they would suffer the consequences.
Those consequences were dire.
The books of Exodus, Jeremiah, Lamentations, and others depict how Israel paid the price for its disobedience to God. More often than not they were overcome by their enemies, slaughtered, and the survivors carted off into other regions where they lived as slaves. These were the seasons of woe.
Once having been taught a painful lesson, the remaining remnant of the Hebrew nation would repent of its failure to abide by the terms of the covenant, turn back to God, and eventually be restored. It was then they entered into a season of weal.
In many ways America today is firmly held in the grip of a season of woe. Those who have been running the country have failed us in every imaginable way. Economic disaster looms not only for the U.S. but for the entire world. Civil unrest could break forth at any moment. And war looms on the horizon as terrorist states continue to gain power, particularly the Palestinian push at the U.N. for 'statehood,' which they plan this very month.
Are we suffering the consequences of our failure to abide by the covenant?
To be sure, America as a nation never formally entered into a covenant like the one Israel had with God. The Hebrew nation from the start was a theocracy. The U.S. was never envisioned that way.
But, we have a rich heritage of deeply spiritual people who settled here and believed that this nation was a beacon of hope and the fulfillment of a divine promise to give God's people a place of freedom in a world of tyranny.
In time, however, we have gradually allowed that very tyranny to infiltrate the society. And now, it is ever-present with a fury. Our very Constitution is in danger of being totally negated by citizens--Americans--who no longer believe in its precepts. And their chosen politicians are faithfully carrying out their wishes to change this nation from one of freedom to a Marxist, totalitarian vision of centralized control.
There is a heavy price to be paid for allowing this Godless evil to take such a hold over such a large sector of society. And if God's people do not do something post-haste to stop it, then our 'season of woe' will only continue to worsen, resulting in the most ghoulish nightmare this nation has ever witnessed in its history.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
There Has to Be a Song
Gospel music mogul Bob Benson once stated, "There has to be a song."
Indeed.
Too many dark, lonely nights, too many painful events, too many days filled with hopelessness and despair, and too many memories of dear loved ones who have passed from the scene necessitate a song. A song is like a balm to the weary soul, giving utterance to the feelings deeply buried within.
When Paul and Silas were bound and jailed for preaching the Gospel, the Bible says that they sang songs to the Lord all night long.
My grandmother suffered from a terminal illness for 7 long years--an illness that eventually took away her ability to breath. Many a night when she needed oxygen, she would get up, put the tube to her nose, and begin to sing. She said it was a great help to her in her suffering.
On the day of the 9/11 attacks I awoke with a song running through my mind. I did not know at the time why I would be thinking about that song, replaying it over and over again in my head. It did not take but a few hours for me to find out. The song was of great comfort and strength to me on that horrific day.
Here are part of the lyrics:
There is never a day so dreary
There is never a night so long
But the soul that is trusting Jesus
Will somewhere find a song.
Wonderful, wonderful Jesus
In the heart He implanteth a song
A song of deliverance, of courage, of strength
In the heart He implanteth a song.
Indeed.
Too many dark, lonely nights, too many painful events, too many days filled with hopelessness and despair, and too many memories of dear loved ones who have passed from the scene necessitate a song. A song is like a balm to the weary soul, giving utterance to the feelings deeply buried within.
When Paul and Silas were bound and jailed for preaching the Gospel, the Bible says that they sang songs to the Lord all night long.
My grandmother suffered from a terminal illness for 7 long years--an illness that eventually took away her ability to breath. Many a night when she needed oxygen, she would get up, put the tube to her nose, and begin to sing. She said it was a great help to her in her suffering.
On the day of the 9/11 attacks I awoke with a song running through my mind. I did not know at the time why I would be thinking about that song, replaying it over and over again in my head. It did not take but a few hours for me to find out. The song was of great comfort and strength to me on that horrific day.
Here are part of the lyrics:
There is never a day so dreary
There is never a night so long
But the soul that is trusting Jesus
Will somewhere find a song.
Wonderful, wonderful Jesus
In the heart He implanteth a song
A song of deliverance, of courage, of strength
In the heart He implanteth a song.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Ask Me to Sing At Your Church?
If you do, I will accept! LOL.
There are some dates left in September, and October is wide open.
I do not charge churches a fee to sing. I only ask for a free-will love offering and the ability to sell my CDs. Sometimes churches want me to sing during revivals or conferences. Others want me to do an entire program. I can do either.
Oh, and by the way, I am also available to speak as well. This can be in addition to singing, or if you wish, I can just make a spoken presentation during which I share the Gospel.
I love doing this sort of thing. I got it in my blood way back in the late 60s and early 70s when I had my own Gospel Quartet. To this day I still love traveling to sing and mingling with 'God's people.' I always have a good time. And I think you will too.
But more importantly you will be blessed. Whenever Christian people share the Gospel through a song or the spoken word, people are blessed. I am glad and thankful to have a small part in that endeavor.
There are some dates left in September, and October is wide open.
I do not charge churches a fee to sing. I only ask for a free-will love offering and the ability to sell my CDs. Sometimes churches want me to sing during revivals or conferences. Others want me to do an entire program. I can do either.
Oh, and by the way, I am also available to speak as well. This can be in addition to singing, or if you wish, I can just make a spoken presentation during which I share the Gospel.
I love doing this sort of thing. I got it in my blood way back in the late 60s and early 70s when I had my own Gospel Quartet. To this day I still love traveling to sing and mingling with 'God's people.' I always have a good time. And I think you will too.
But more importantly you will be blessed. Whenever Christian people share the Gospel through a song or the spoken word, people are blessed. I am glad and thankful to have a small part in that endeavor.
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