INTERVIEW WITH WOODY HUGHES, BASSIST OF DIVINE MARTYR

https://www.divinemartyr.com
 

Divine Martyr; L-R Jason Hyde (Guitar), Olivia Guetle (Vocals, Cello), Mark McKowen (Drums, Keys), Woody Hughes (Bass)

"The music of Divine Martyr reflects life. A life of struggle, and yet one of hope. One of importance, bringing forth the message of our Messiah through trial and tribulation, and remembering those who have given all for their faith. For life is not without struggle, and yet through struggle we persevere. So we run but do not grow weary, playing to an audience of One..." - Jason Hyde, from the heading "Mission" on Divine Martyr's webpage.

I enjoy all my interviews. There are some, though that I'm absolutely excited when I research the interviewee and read their answers. I'm excited about this one. So be sure to check out their webpage below.

JR: Welcome to the blog. When and how did the band get started, and how did you decide on your name? Who's in the current line-up?

WH: I really felt there was a need to minister to those who didn’t feel comfortable going to church. Maybe because they didn’t feel “worthy” to walk into a church or maybe they didn’t even feel worthy of God’s love. So, I placed an ad on Craigslist in 2016, got a reply from Dan Klinger, a guitarist who was from the Indianapolis area, and he and I started to jam in both of our garages. About a month into it, our current drummer, Mark McKowen, answered the ad and we all started practicing together and putting together ideas for songs. Shortly after, Dan left the band, and then a few months later Jason Hyde auditioned for the role of guitarist, and we figured out quickly how awesome he was and asked him to join. I knew our original vocalist, Darlene Parson, from the Vineyard Church in Greenwood, so I asked her to join us and that’s how the band started.

The name, Divine Martyr, came from Dan. I instantly loved the name because I believe that we as Christians should be willing to be martyred for what we believe in because the Bible says that in the last days we must choose between God and man when we are persecuted. Dan was gracious enough to allow me to use the name after he left.

Our current line-up consists of Mark on drums, Jason on guitar, me on bass, and we have a new vocalist and cellist, Olivia Guetle. We’re really excited about Olivia. She’s got an awesome voice and she’s a great fit to the band. The fact that she can add cello to our songs adds yet another layer of ambience and ether to our songs that really continues to define the “symphonic” aspect of our music that we’ve always envisioned.

JR: Could you tell us about your latest project?

WH: We’re releasing three new songs here shortly. We will be releasing our new song, "Fear," on June 10th, the day before our Get to the Point show. We will then be releasing a first ever instrumental entitled "Mystique" on June 24th, and finally, a cover of a popular CCM song by Kari Jobe called "Forever." We have a date in mind for the release, but it may slip due to some scheduling in all of us getting it tracked with Marcus over at Reclaim the Day. He’s our tracking and mixing engineer by the way and we’re excited about Fear so we’re using him for the other songs as well. We’ve developed an excellent relationship with him and his wife Becca. They’re pretty cool.

JR: As I looked at your website, I was impressed with your Mission. Would you like to share it with us? How did you develop it?

WH: To add to my first answer, I think that in the last six years that we’ve been together we all have seen a real need in the Christian community for outreach to those who don’t feel comfortable in a church setting. To be honest, the church in America has grown stagnant. We’re not afraid to say it. Its message has been watered down. We don’t believe that the church is doing a good job in reaching out to people and meeting their needs. It’s time for a change. It’s long overdue. So, it’s time for us to get out there and go where the Lord leads us. We don’t care where we must go. If we can do it financially, we’ll go anywhere.

JR: What would you say were the most memorable moments of your ministry as a band, such as recording, concerts, after-concert pizza raids, etc.?

WH: We always talk amongst ourselves about the opportunity to open for Disciple, but where I think we were able to minister the most effectively was at the Water Bowl in Muncie Indiana on Easter weekend in 2019. We were the only Christian band among about five other bands with one of them being an outwardly Satanic band. Those are the places where we need to be. And what’s interesting is that that show was where we felt the most welcomed by the fans. We’ve found that the secular community is more supportive of our religious stance then the Christians who think ministering using heavy metal is “sinful”. And that’s another issue of ours – The church in America doesn’t want to support those of us who are using traditionally “alternative” means to celebrate God, i.e. heavy metal. The church doesn’t seem to want to be involved unless it’s standard CCM worship.

JR: If you could address the American Church, what would you say we need to be doing to return to our First Love? Related, when you all are discouraged, where do you tend to find encouragement and inspiration?

WH: The church must teach the Bible with no reservations but in complete love. Right now, churches are teaching love, but with reservations on what exactly to discuss on Sunday mornings as to not offend people. To be frank, if you go to a church and they’re preaching the Bible and it offends you, then you need to hear it. Church leaders need to ensure that its member’s needs and their family’s needs are met. More things like feeding the hungry and visiting the sick needs to happen consistently and on a regular cadence. Not just on Thanksgiving and around Christmas.

JR: Thank you for your time. I know you'll be at the Get To The Point Festival in Greenwood, IN, June 11th, and the following Friday (I believe) you'll be at Kingdom Come Festival in Kokomo. Anything else on the horizon? Do you have any webpages to find out what's going on with your ministry?

WH: Yes, we’d love for everyone to make it to the Get To The Point Festival in Greenwood. That one is special to me personally since that’s my town. Also we’d love to see everyone at KCF in Kokomo.  And check out our Divine Martyr website (https://www.divinemartyr.com) to get a listing of all our shows and any new updates on what we may be doing. We have the month of June covered (the festivals mentioned above, and Mercy Jam in Jeffersonville, IN, June 25th), one show on July 3 (Audiofeed Music Festival 2022, Urbana, IL), and one on September 3 (Mosey Down Mainstreet, Lafayette, IN). Please spread the word. We’d love to do more shows this year. Thank you so much for allowing us to share our mission with you!

REMEMBERING PEOPLE I WISH I HAD KNOWN BETTER

  

Bill Bean (left) with Sam Goldstein, working at the LP booth at the Irvington Festival, October 29, 2016

 

This is Memorial Day weekend. Usually, Memorial Day is just a day off. As usual for the Sunday of this end-of-May weekend, the Indianapolis 500 is being run on the West end on town. So? If you gave me a choice between the 500, the Kentucky Derby, and the annual Zoopolis race between Galapagos Tortoises ... I'd say the 500 would be in distant third place. It also would lose out to the Chihuahua race each year in Chattanooga, and the lizard race in Lovington, New Mexico.

As far as the real reason for the day off, I applaud us taking a day to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. But that is an ideal. I am at least a third generation non-military. I do not personally know anyone who died in a war. Thus, the holiday doesn't really get close to me.

I do think that there's a place for the Church to remember the martyrs who went before, both in church history and those who are enduring persecution here and now. Should Christians hijack Memorial Day for this? All Saints Day and International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church - the former being the first day of November, the latter being the first Sunday of November - come close, but All Saints Day recognizes all saints, not just martyrs, while the other focuses on those who are living. 

But that's not the point of this blog. Instead, I'd like to take this time to remember three people who I knew for a short period of time who died before I could get to know them better.

The first was Chris Finchum (left). In 2009, I was putting together the second annual festival at Arlington Avenue Baptist Church in Indianapolis. He contacted me at a point where I had all the slots filled. Four years later, he again contacted me, and we had a spot for him that year. He also was asked to share in music the following day. He made an impression on me and on pastor Richard Walton, who thought he would be a good choice to fill in whenever he and the family went out of town for worship (his wife, Trish, does the song leading).

Less than a week later, he was in heaven, after going on 43 years here. Yes, it was unexpected.

The second was Bill Bean (above). I met him at the annual Irvington Festival, working the booth for the Libertarian Party with him. I also saw him a few weeks later at the election-eve party at Scotty's Brewhouse. He later became the  chairman for the Marion County branch of the Party.

Early 2018, he called and asked me to join him for breakfast, which I did. My first thought was he wanted to ask me to run for office. No. The reason was that Bill realized that the Libertarian Party and the Church were suspect of each other and wanted to work on ending the divide. I was honored for him to ask.

Then, in July, he got ill, and he went home to the Lord by the end of the year. How I wish I could have known him better.

The most recent is Christopher Pole. He was one of three gentlemen who took turns teaching the Living Stones Class at Northside Baptist Church. Becky and I just joined Northside early last year (2021), and started attending the class in the fall. Early this year, he was diagnosed with cancer. He's now in heaven too. I wish I had the opportunity to have more fellowship with that beloved brother.

One joy for a Christian is to believe death is not the end. I WILL have opportunity to know them much better in heaven. And I can praise the Lord that none of these had a prolonged time of struggling with their illnesses. 

And so I remember these brothers this Memorial Day.

INTERVIEW WITH TERRI ARGOT GORE OF THE CHIGGER HILL BOYS & TERRI.

  

The Chigger Hill Boys & Terri, left to right: Ricky Gore (upright bass), Jack Kincaid (guitar/mandolin/BGV), Terri Argot Gore (lead vocals), Jim Britton (guitar/banjo/BGV), and Mike Richards (mandolin/guitar)

JR: Welcome to the blog. Could you tell us about the musical and spiritual roots for the Chigger Hill Boys and Terri?

TAG: All the members have come from a different musical back-ground and we all arrived at Gospel Bluegrass at a different time and a different way in our journey. For example, Mike’s family played good old mountain gospel bluegrass out on Chigger Ridge in KY, but he was part of a rock-and-roll band in the 80s, and heavy influenced by classic country music. Jim and Jack played traditional bluegrass with folks like Larry Sparks and Jim and Jesse. Ricky and I met in a studio in Memphis being part of the rock-and-roll and country scene back in the 90s. It might make us a bit different, but somehow, the Lord brought us all together to make use of the tools He provided us with, even though some of the tools may have been acquired before we started doing the music for Him. We love music, we love the Lord, and we hope that comes through in what we do. 

JR: Would you like to tell me about your latest project? 

TAG: Our last project was "Songs Like Those For Days Like These;" it was our first project in about 10 years and our first on a new label, Great Escape Records (due to a longtime relationship with the owner, Gary Walker, who was probably our biggest fan). I feel like it is the most solid project we’ve done to date, but it definitely has its own sound. We had the opportunity to work with some really gifted musicians that we hadn’t worked with before, such as Ben Rochester and Darrin Vincent. We were blessed to have multiple charting singles from that project, and it is a treasure to me. 

JR: I fell in love with the song “Tell The World That Jesus Saves” the first time I heard it on a bluegrass program, and the host replayed it a half hour later. What would you say is your fan favorite song?

TAG: "Are You Prayin’ Hard (Or Are You Hardly Praying)" has been a fan favorite for years. We’ve found a ton of folks covering it on YouTube/online. Doctrinally, it’s not the deepest song we have recorded, but it’s fun with a sort-of profound message. "Face To Face With Amazing Grace" is another fan favorite; It blesses my heart to see folks singing along. We recut this song, which was our very first charting single back in 2002, on our last project in 2020, so it seems to have stood the test of time. Both of these songs were written by our own Mike Richards and our original guitar player, Rodney Lay Jr.  

JR:  Performing all these years, are there any concerts you did that stand out? Any venues when you shared the stage with other artists that had been a blessing, either expected or unexpected? Any times you’ve performed at an event that you were on stage with artists that had a different audience than you all did? 

TAG: Our audience is what makes any event special. The icing on the cake is when the Lord shows up; every and any time that happens, it’s a blessed time! The past two years have really made live events different. There have been several times when not all the band members could show up, schedules got pretty crazy, and most of our regular events got cancelled or moved. Through this, I have learned that God will open the right doors and as long as we always sing and play for His glory, it’ll work out fine. We’ve had times where only four members could make an event, and the Lord would show up and produce a blessing for that audience; to God be the glory. One unique event stands out; years ago we opened for VanZant, a southern rock band (some relation of the famous Ronnie, Donnie, and Johnny Van Zant); surprisingly, we got a really enthusiastic response from the audience.  

JR: Did you all have any idea when you started as a group two decades ago what things would be like today in our country? Me neither. What do you all do to keep rooted in this world of change, and what do you believe God is doing through the group to strengthen, encourage, and challenge the church in these days? 

TAG: Well, nothing surprises God! We’ve got to keep on keepin’ on and not grow weary in well-doing as the Word says. Praise God, He does not change, and He told us in His Word that all of this was coming. Our goal as a band is to be a blessing to the saints and to direct anyone who is lost to the only Saviour, Jesus Christ. In times like these, people are searching, and we want to remind them about His Saving and sustaining power. He is a great comfort in times like these and we all need to be praying for America. 

JR: Thank you very much for your time. What is coming up for you all? Any big tours (hopefully coming to Indianapolis)? Any new projects? And any websites where we can keep up with what you all are up to? 

TAG: We are excited to be working on a new project for Morning Glory Music (MOUNTAIN FEVER MUSIC GROUP)! We don’t have a date yet, but we are closing in on getting a new single out. We hope to be able to share some more definite news in the coming months. You can click here to get to our web page The Chigger Hill Boys & Terri. I am extremely excited about a new opportunity to create and release some new music. Hopefully, once the project is wrapped up we’ll have time to do more live events. We love to play and are grateful for each opportunity to do so. Thank you for your time! We are so blessed by the good folks that God puts in our path that show us love and support! God bless!

BOOK REVIEW - DEACONS: HOW THEY SERVE AND STRENGTHEN THE CHURCH BY MATT SMETHURST

I've been in churches where there are elders and deacons. I've also been in churches where the deacons take the role of elders. Which is the Biblical pattern, or does it matter?

In this excellent installment of the 9Marks series, Matt Smethurst challenges churches to realize that deacons serving their role well can strengthen a church. He also is good at realizing how some less than ideal patterns exist and how to work around those issues.

One Amazon reviewer criticized this little book for being too long, and criticized Smethurst's informality and approach. I could not disagree with that reviewer more. This may not be the most scholarly book written on the subject, but it's not written for solely the scholarly. I enjoy his sense of humor, such as his list of prospective deacons (including Veto Vinnie). The part that moved me the most was chapter 5, which gives several stories about what effective serving (that is, deaconing) looks like.

In conservative circles, some question whether women should serve as deacons. Smethurst wisely saves this as an appendix, and does an excellent job dealing with it. In fact, he changed my mind on the subject.
 

BOOK REVIEW - COLD CASE DOUBLE CROSS BY JESSICA PATCH

 Cold Case Investigator Mae Vogel has good reason not to trust Cash Ryland, and no reason to believe his abusive brother didn't murder his ex-wife. So why did Cash get stabbed when he sought to prove his brother's innocence?

Yes, I'm a male reader of Love Inspired Suspense by Harlequin, and this is the 50th one I've read. I will admit that I find these stories to typically escapist, as you enjoy being at the edge of your seat. Some, however, do bring up issues for you to think about, and I doubt it can be done more effectively while keeping the suspense pedal to the metal than Jessica Patch has done in Cold Case Double Cross, the second of her Cold Case Investigators trilogy. The physical danger threat is there, but this is just as much a psychological thriller as an adventure.

One interesting subplot is that the male lead, Cash Ryland, is dyslexic, as well as wishing he had been a better role model to his younger brother.

I mentioned this is part two of a series. For me, the rule of thumb is that every part of a Love Inspired Suspense series can stand on its own, and that's true here. Mae had a supporting role in the first story (as did the other two members of the Cold Case Investigation team), and her boss Colt McCoy has even less of a role in this book (while the other two members aren't really mentioned by name).

I definitely am a Jessica Patch fan, and I'm looking forward to the third part of the series.

BOOK REVIEW - EXPOSING A KILLER BY LAURIE ALICE EAKES

 

 The good news is Jack Luskie has helped his fellow PI, Megan O'Clare, find her missing car. The bad news is someone is driving it in their direction.

I will admit that the back cover gave me expectations that the story did not match. It sounded like it was about a pair of rival Private Investigators trying to solve the same case. Instead, it was the more typical format of the lead characters, who at the beginning didn't completely trust each other, running for their lives as they try to figure out who the bad guys are.

Does that mean I did not enjoy this story? NOT ON YOUR LIFE! If you want a thrilling romantic suspense, this succeeds. The characters are a pair you care about, both of which are dealing with not meeting the expectations of their families.

The setting succeeds in giving a unique feel. A lot of these Love Inspired stories take place in small towns or vast wilderness. This takes place in Chicago, with the El being the main form of transportation for our heroes (helpful when the bad guys have the heroine's car).

I highly recommend this story.

A FOUR DAY MISSION TRIP

 

On May 1-4, 2022, I had the honor of joining half a dozen other members of Northside Baptist Church in Indianapolis on a four day mission troop at Ethnos 360 in the Ozarks in Missouri.

Are you familiar with Ethnos 360? Some of you might be more familiar with it by its former name, New Tribes Missions. Two of my college friends, Tony and Lauren Finch, joined New Tribes when they graduated. I remember Tony writing to me in the '80's and excitedly mentioning he was going to a place where "Jesus" isn't even a swear word. We learned Ethnos 360 is the third largest missionary organization, behind Wycliffe and the Southern Baptist's International Mission Board.

We came right after the missionary trainees spent a three week period of time in shelters they constructed during the first week and lived more off the land (they also learned how to butcher their meat). A billboard company gave them used billboard tarps which they used for shelter. We helped collect the used tarps and tools. Me and one other friend helped grind up pork for sausage.

The grounds were quite large and have a lot of things going on. For example, they had an auto garage, where they seemed to store everything. We also had a presentation on working with solar energy and water purification, and saw where they were growing plants hydroponically (without soil, using nutrients in water).

One thing we did was construct a place where they kept some of their supplies. We first put a couple of billboards up and then covered it with plastic to protect the structure from wind and rain. They decided to put the billboard with the pictures facing in, so anybody in that building could see a gigantic Jimmy John sub sandwich and this guy advertising truck driver training.

One blessing was finding out the grounds crew leader had served in Mexico with the Finches previously, and one of the other grounds workers who also headed up working with volunteers spent a semester at my alma mater, Southwestern Conservative Baptist Bible College.

We spent time with Ethnos Missionaries Dennis and Monika Farthing. Dennis and his family used to attend Northside. We had dinner with the Farthings, their children, and Dennis' parents, and Monika, who's from Germany, fixed us Wienerschnitzel. Another evening, we took a boat ride on the Lake of the Ozarks, with a former missionary piloting the vessel.

It was a blessing to spend some time on working with Ethos 360 and with my co-laborers at Northside Baptist Church.

 

 







 

BOOK REVIEW - ARCTIC WITNESS, BY HEATHER WOODHAVEN

  

Why is Survivalist Ivy West targeted by a murderer? Can she keep her foster child safe from the relentless killer, or her heart from the greater danger of her ex-husband, State Trooper Sean and his K-9 partner Grace?

This is the sixth book in the series Alaska K-9 Unit, written by Heather Woodhaven. No, you don't need to read the series in order to enjoy this story. This novel is well written, keeping you guessing who to trust. For those not familiar with Akitas, the dog breed dealt with here, you'll know more about the breed as well.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, as I have this entire series, and I can't wait to read the next installment.

INTERVIEW WITH SINGER/PRODUCER/ACTOR SAMUEL DAY

 

There are times I wish I was retired. Kingdom Come Festival is coming up (you may remember my interview with Angie Leyda last year?), starting Thursday evening June 16 on one stage and having two stages all day Friday and Saturday. Starting things off is Samuel Day, followed by another former interviewees, the band Undefeated. Unfortunately, I'm at work both Thursday and Friday, and considering the trip is over an hour each way, I'll have to miss them! 😭 Of course, I doubt many retirees are planning on camping out at Kingdom Come Festival, but did you expect me to be a normal retiree?

Samuel is also a member of the band Reclaimers, which makes me wonder: If I'm a fan of both the Reclaimers and former interviewees Reclaim the Day, would this make me a Reclaimer Fan Squared? At my age, probably. 

Okay, enough of my bad jokes. Let's get into this interview!

JR: Welcome to my blog, Samuel. Allow me to start by asking how you came to Christ and how you got interested in music.

SD: Thanks for having me Jeffrey! I came to Christ as a child, raised in a Pastor’s house. That being said, as I got older I really had to decide what my faith was based on, I knew it couldn’t be just because of what my family believed. My relationship with Jesus and with the Word of God had to be my own. The background I came from gave me a healthy ground to approach a lot of “tough questions” and even tougher situations from, but most importantly it reminded me of the power of knowing the Word for myself and making my own choice.

I always knew that music was going to be a big part of my life - I really don’t remember ever NOT being interested in pursuing it. Some of my earliest memories are of watching Carman on TV and being inspired at 3 and 4 years old. So I started piano and and voice lessons at 7, and moved all the way forward to being a music major in my college Undergrad work.

JR: My impression is that your latest single is "Warrior Spirit." Could you tell us about that song?

SD: That’s right! Warrior Spirit was really inspired by my return to the world of martial arts. I did a lot of it as a teenager and wanted to come back and pick up where I had left off. The song itself is a big, pumping anthem meant to get people motivated. Lyrically, it’s really about maturity and balance. Learning any combat-related skill reminds you of how important it is to have ferocity and a warrior spirit in life, but to also balance that with loving peace and not having anything to prove. I think that’s a really interesting subject, and it made for a total bop of a track.

JR: Looking at your web-page, I notice you do a lot more than sing: you do behind the scenes work both in videos as well as audio, such as MillyAnn's "Save A Life" and "Incarcerated" by Tiffany Anderson of Theophany Poetry. Not only that, you also blog and act. Have I left anything out? How do you prioritize between these various activities?

SD: The truth is that right now I’m really trying to simplify my life. I’m interested in so many things and I believe the they are all supposed to work together for me, but I’m still just one person. Music, video, visual art, acting, film making, and writing (although I don’t really blog anymore, I keep that more in the realm of YouTube videos) - all of these things compliment each other. There are a lot of folks who dabble in all of these areas because of how interconnected they are in today’s world, but I’m learning that “just because I can, doesn’t mean I always should”. So I’m getting better at either hiring folks or working with others where appropriate.

That said, I also do a fair amount of ministry work with my church, Faith Christian Fellowship of Trenton, and aside from teaching, I’ve gotten to use a lot of those skills there as well.

I’d like to get more into various aspects of filmmaking moving forward, but I’m at a place right know where I’m figuring out a more healthy balance for myself, which has been challenging, but also really good.

Note from Jeff - photos of artists Samuel helped produce are at bottom of this blog.

JR: I remember William Shatner commenting that he had a different mindset when he was directing Star Trek V than he did as an actor. Do you find yourself in different roles from your own singing and when you're working for another artist?

SD: Sitting on “both sides of the table” helps to open your eyes, and ultimately makes you better at your craft. When I’m doing work for another artist I’m able to be really objective: “If you want this song to have a better shot on the radio, you don’t need to repeat that instrumental intro” or “I know what you’re trying to say here, but that’s a lyric that’s kind of been done before.” I always tell people that they can throw my advice out the window too - at the end of the day it’s their project. But what’s great is that I can take those experiences back to what I’m working on and be more effective and more efficient instead of overthinking my own creative decisions.

JR: Thinking again of your song "Warrior Spirit," we're definitely in a time of Spiritual Warfare. What do you see as primary battlefronts today? What are your sources for encouragement? Any mentors or, for lack of a better term, heroes that have inspired you in this area?

SD: A big battle today is the enemy trying to get believers to just accept the curse in their lives. I love that people want to be humble, but some folks have been told that the calamity, poverty, or sickness that they are facing is somehow God’s will for their lives. How is the church supposed to be effective and do what we are called to do if we are constantly rolling over and just letting the enemy hit us over the head, crippling our lives and ministries? If God has given us big dreams, then it’s going to take big fuel to accomplish it, and that takes his blessing and a fighting spirit on our part to not “just take it” when the enemy attacks.

I really want Christians to know that Jesus has redeemed us from the curse. Galatians 3:13-14 tells us that, and Deuteronomy 28 clearly shows us what the blessing is, and what the curse is - what we’ve been redeemed from. But we have a part to play - our free choice, and standing on the faith of God within us matters. To quote Star Trek, we’re a lot more dangerous to the devil when we “live long and prosper”. That doesn’t mean “be lazy and greedy”, but it does mean having our vision elevated to the next level, even if we get criticized or persecuted for it.

Some inspirations for me in this area have been the ministries of Keith Moore, Kenneth Copeland, and Joseph Prince. Look, I don’t believe things just because “the minister on TV said it”, I really do endeavor to search things out in the Bible for myself. That said, I have to give credit where it’s due. In some extremely hard times one of the biggest helps was knowing that NOT everything that was happening to me was God’s will, and that there were some things that I needed to stand against and not “blame God” - instead, I needed to pull closer to Him. That made a huge difference, and those ministries often reminded me of those things. I’ve especially enjoyed the way the Joseph Prince manages to teach so much of the Old Testament and show its connection to the New, despite so many people seeing them as disconnected.

JR: Thank you for your time, Samuel. What's coming over the horizon as far as music or other things? How can we keep up with what's going on with you?

SD: I’m really looking forward to playing at Kingdom Come Festival with my full band on June 16th - I’ve been trying to get connected with that festival for years, so it’s great to be able to come and bring the full live experience! We’ve gotten a lot more cool opportunities like that recently, such as playing SonFest last summer with artists like Jordan Feliz, Corey Asbury, and our friends in SafeKept (shout out to Jeremiah!)

I’ve recorded some new music these last several months, and even shot a video that I hope to be able to talk about soon - it’s a really nifty concept, and something visually different for me in a lot of ways.

Folks can keep up with me on just about any social network - Instagram, YouTube, Spotify, TikTok, and really anywhere people stream music. They can get to all of those places from my LinkTree or my website below, or even just by Googling “Samuel Day”

https://linktr.ee/powerspyke    http://samueldayofficial.com

Onward and Upward!

NOTE FROM JEFF: Below are artists Samuel's produced, with his comments beneath.You can check any of them (as well as Samuel) out on Spotify. I've been blessed by them.

 

Screen grab from "Incarcerated" from Theophany Poetry

MillyAnn - I produced her first two singles "Let it Rain" and "Save a Life"

Dominique Horsley - I produced her first single "Psalm 10"

 

"Fight" by Reclaimers, my other band that focuses on hard rock. Last year we had a #2 single on the CMW Christian Rock Charts with "Say What You Will"

 

 

 

BOOK REVIEW - FROM EVERY PEOPLE AND NATION: A BIBLICAL THEOLOGY OF RACE, BY J. DANIEL HAYS

Do the people in Scripture look like they do in the paintings of European artists? How much racial diversity is there in the Bible?

The main title, "From Every People and Nation" makes one think of the promise in Revelation that God will gather people from all languages and ethnicities around the world. The subtitle, "A Biblical Theology of Race" reveals the focus on race, aimed at the divide between black and white in American Christianity.

Author J. Daniel Hays points out the importance of the Cushites (also known as Ethiopians) throughout Scripture, going from Genesis to Revelation looking both at the mention of black Africans as well as the teachings on unity of God's people throughout the Bible. In addition, he deals with how commentators through the ages ignore the importance of the Cushites and often consider them slaves when the Biblical text doesn't state that.

This is the second book I've read in the series "New Studies in Biblical Theology", and I am hooked. I highly recommend this book, especially to confront some of the prejudice and racist interpretations of Scripture. For example, he makes it clear the Bible does not condemn inter-racial marriage - the only prohibitions deal with faith and religion, not on ethnicity.

WHAT WOULD THE GIFT OF PROPHECY LOOK LIKE TODAY? - A LOOK AT PROPHECY, PART 5 OF 5

The Prophet, woodcut by Emil Nolde

 
Let me repeat this for those who have followed this series: What would the gift of prophecy look like today? 

So why are you looking at me? Do you expect me to have the answer?

Yes, I believe God still can use the gift of prophecy. Have I ever seen it where I'm convinced it is God speaking to us? No. Do I have the gift? No.

There have been times I've been in churches that fit in the Charismatic/Pentecostal category that I have heard someone give what would be called prophecy. Each time, though, it is a positive affirmation that sounds like a blending of Scriptures. Could they have opened their Bible and read a verse with the same message? Yes. As the cessationist rationale I mentioned previously in this series says, "If it agrees with Scripture, it isn't necessary." If it was from God, I believe it would be given for a specific purpose, and I'd sense a power. In fact, my opinion is that the true gift of prophecy would either be rebuke to a disobedient church that they don't want to hear, or a clear promise to those who are suffering something specific. Likewise, I didn't remember what the message was. I think I'd remember if God clearly spoke through a prophet/prophetess.

One thing we need to remember - God chooses the prophets, not the other way around. Some, like Isaiah, say, "Here I am, send me." Others, like Moses, say, "Here I am, send Aaron." (Some may remember this was the title of a 1984 book by Jill Briscoe.) 

Not only that, but remember Jesus saying to the Priests and Pharisees, "Which prophet did your fathers not persecute?" Let me put it a different way: ALL the true prophets were persecuted. Not only that, but they were persecuted by the people God sent them to. If that is true, wouldn't we expect the prophets of the church to not be the most popular members of the congregation? Would you invite a prophet to a party?

My opinion - some people want the gift of apostle or prophet because they want to be considered a spiritual authority. Cessationists have been given ammunition by those who claim these offices. But more often than not, true prophets are ignored. Remember when the remnant from the fall of Jerusalem asked Jeremiah whether they should go to Egypt or not? When the prophet told them to stay there and not go to Egypt, he added that they already made up their mind to disobey. And the remnant said, "God didn't speak to you," and did what they wanted to do.

Would I want the gift of prophecy? To be honest, I'd rather have the gift of encouragement or teaching or helps (to support a brother in the Lord), or maybe the gift of discernment of spirits (though that may not be any more popular than a prophet would be). But if God gave me the gift of prophecy, I'd have the heart of Isaiah. But to me, it's not the gift that matters - it's a desire to be obedient to God.

You have my thoughts. You might agree. You might disagree. I'd like to hear your thoughts on the topic.

P.S. I mentioned in the first blog of this series that most churches operate on two or three of the gifts listed in Ephesians 4:11 for the equipping of the saints (depending if you consider pastor and teacher to be one or two gifts). I made the case for us having a place for prophets. But didn't the gift of Apostle die out in the first century? That's one of three views I've seen dealing with that gift. Church growth specialist C. Peter Wagner defined that gift as being a pastor's pastor, a gift for a denominational leader. A more likely view of that gift is that of a church planter, particularly those who do pioneer missions work and bring the gospel to a people who never heard. If you define the gift of apostle as a church planter, I'd accept it. Because in those case, it's people wanting to fulfill the Great Commission, but not wanting to be considered an authority.

IS THERE ROOM FOR THE GIFT OF PROPHECY IN A CLOSED CANONICAL WORLD? - A LOOK AT PROPHECY, PART 4 OF 5

 

Bishop Blesses a Church, by Marie Ellenreider.

 I've heard of a church that collected the prophetic utterances in the congregation, and consider them equal to Scripture. I noticed a similar thought with Sarah Young's devotionals in the Jesus Calling Study Bible. A new phenomenon? No. The Montanists had the same thought about their "New Prophecy" in the 2nd and 3rd century, encouraging the formation of an official canon.

Let me start by saying that I believe the canon is closed. There is no new Scripture being written today. What is included in the Protestant Bible is sufficient for us.

So is there room for special revelation today? More to the point of this series, is there a place for the gift of prophecy even though the canon is closed?

Allow me to give several points on why I believe in a "yes" to the above.

1. We have the Holy Spirit in us directing us. That is special revelation. 
2.  Not everybody has access to our closed Canon. There are many people groups that have no Scripture, no knowledge of who Jesus is. I have no problem with the sign gifts (including prophecy) being used by God to establish His word now as He did for those who have access to God's Word.
3. Canon comes from the Hebrew word quaneh, which means cane or measuring stick.  Whenever we hear a sermon or a Christian song, let alone what someone is prophesying, I need to compare it with the Canon, just as the Bereans did when Paul and Silas taught the Gospel in their synagogue (Acts 17:11). We should NEVER take someone's word that they're speaking God's truth without comparing it with Scripture.
4. What about those who say that if it agrees with Scripture, it's not necessary and if it disagrees, it's unbliblical? No disagreement about the second clause, but concerning the first: well, does God ever need to repeat Himself? He does in Scripture. The Ten Commandments are given in both Exodus and Deuteronomy. Psalms 14 and 53 are basically identical, the final five verses of Psalm 40 are repeated in Psalm 70, and Psalm 108 is a mixture of the endings of Psalms 57 and 60. There are prophecies that appear in more than one prophecy book. And of course there are two sets of the history of Israel's monarchy and four accounts of Jesus' life. Maybe God wants to remind us of something we should know but have forgotten (either unintentionally or not).
5. Could your pastor be forthtelling God's Word as he preaches? I once filled out an application for pastoring, and it listed a set of preaching styles including one titled "the prophet." They defined that style as one who focuses on contemporary issues and applies God's Word to those items.
6. I mentioned a couple of days ago that spiritual gifts are meant for the local church. Is it possible God has a message for an individual or a local congregation that is more specific to specific circumstances, such as property purchase, a planned ministry, etc.? 

You may agree with me, and you may not. You may have a batch of Scriptures used in context to refute me. But hopefully, I've given something to think about.

SANCTIFIED DEISM, ENTITLEMENT AND LOW BARS - A LOOK AT PROPHECY, PART 3 OF 5

Joseph Interprets Dreams, by Friedrich Wilhelm Schadow

"But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills." 1 Corinthians 12:11, NKJV

Raise your hands if you believe this verse concerning Spiritual Gifts. Okay, looking into this computer screen I see everybody's hand raised. But do you know what God's will for gifts for the church? Ah, I think I see some hands start wavering. They probably should.

The focus on this series is the gift of prophecy. We need to remember, though, that prophecy and tongues are the gifts primarily focused on in the debate on Spiritual Gifts today, because of their mention in 1 Corinthians 13:8 as failing and ceasing.

If you paid attention to the title, you'll notice my first mention is "Sanctified Deism." Most of you will know that "sanctified" means "set apart." I have a hunch that some of you may not be as familiar with the term "Deism." It is a view that God got this world started, then sat down and watched what will happen. A popular version of that is the song "From a Distance."

I know enough about cessationism to not put everybody in the same box. There are cessationists that believe God is still at work, that the Holy Spirit directs our lives, and that while some gifts have ceased because they were for a sign to the 1st century Jews, God still gives spiritual gifts today. 

However, I've heard some who basically believe the Holy Spirit isn't doing much today. Related - one book pointed out that the Spiritual gifts that haven't ceased (e.g. giving, helps, mercy, administration) can be exercised without the Spirit's activity.

Cessationism puts God in a box. But are Charismatics guilty of the same thing? Yes, it is a bigger box, and God is allowed to do more, but it's still a box. 

I've heard some ask why the early church had gifts like prophecy, tongues, healing, and miracles but we don't. They probably think it deals with not limiting the Spirit, but I hear something else: Entitlement. That we're just as entitled to the showy gifts as they were in Jesus day.

Really? Yes, God is capable of giving those gifts. But is He obligated to? 

One other thing I've noticed from both continuists and Charismatics is setting a low bar on defining the gifts. With prophecy, it is drawing a line between Old Testament prophecy and New Testament prophecy. That line cancels the test of true prophecy in Deuteronomy 18:20-22, where it states that if the prophecy does not come to pass, it is not of God.

I have a friend who has a reason why Deuteronomy 18 was applicable to the Old Testament but not to the New: because we're no longer under Law but under grace. Interesting point, but why did God have that stipulation? Because God's Word is to be trusted to be true, and errant prophesy undermines that image. Has that changed between the Testaments? No. The reason for Deuteronomy is because the word of God, whether written or spoken by a prophet, is truth. 

Believe it or not, I believe that the bar lowering for the gift of tongues is allowing it to be a non-human language. But isn't that allowing heavenly languages? Ah, but how do I know it's a heavenly language? But if, as in Acts 2:5-11, tongues are known languages, then you have a means of verification, just as the listeners at Pentecost knew what was being spoken. 

Related, allowing the speaker of the message in tongues to interpret is another means of lowering the bar. But wouldn't it make sense if God wanted us to have a message, He'd speak it the first time so we all can understand it? 

To me, nothing would be more of an evidence of the Spirit at work than for this guy with a southern drawl to speak in a different language, followed by a Asian lady struggling with English to interpret it, and then this bewildered Hispanic say that the first guy gave a message in the dialect of the South American tribe his parents grew up in, and the lady accurately translated it. 

So let's get back to the verse. Both the cessationist and the one who believes all gifts need to be in exercise today are imposing their will on God. One is convinced God has limited Himself from using the sign gifts today, or in the future for that matter. The other believes God is required to allow the same gifts as He did in the Apostolic Age, and simplify things so it's easier to credit the Spirit for what could be done in the flesh.

SOME GENERAL THOUGHTS ON PROPHECY FROM SCRIPTURE - A LOOK AT PROPHECY, PART 2 OF 5

Belshazzer's Feast, Rembrandt

As we look at prophecy, I'd like to start off with certain observations of prophets and prophecy from the Bible. After all, we need to see what the Biblical record points to as far as prophets if we want to know if prophecy is a part of the church today.

So here are my observations.

1. Prophecy is not a synonym of foretelling. Yes, prophets do have prophecies in the future, but their ministry is at least as much forth-telling. 
2. Deuteronomy 18:20-22 gives an indicator that a prophet of God would have a 100% record in foretelling, and if it fails to come to pass, he's not of God. (Jeremiah 28:7-9 is similar, focusing on prophets of peace.) However, fulfilled prophecy is not proof of the prophet being of God: Deuteronomy 13:1-5 mentions a prophet whose prediction is true but whose message is false.
3. There's a difference in the book orders of the Jewish Tanakh and our Old Testament. The former divides the books into the Law, the Prophets and the Writings (or the Psalms, which is the first book of the Writings); the latter has the Law, historical books, poetic (wisdom) books and prophetic books. The Tanakh classifies some of the books we consider historical to be written by prophets (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings). Also, Daniel is placed in the Writings. Why? While Daniel's book was prophetic, he did not exercise the role of prophet to Israel as the other prophets did.
4. No prophet ever applied for the job. God called them. Some didn't want the job (Moses, Jonah), and Jeremiah wanted to quit, but God was the one who called them. There were schools of the prophets, but nobody from those schools were named, and only one actually did something (1 Kings 20). Likewise, the prophets were not authorities themselves, but spokespeople for and servants of the ultimate Sovereign.
   
5. God chose women as well as men, though they were a minority. However, there was Deborah (Judges 4-5), Huldah (2 Kings 22:14-22; 2 Chronicles 34:22-28), Anna (Luke 2:36-38), and the four daughters of Phillip the Evangelist (Acts 21:9). The prophecy of the coming of the Spirit in Joel 2:28-32 says "Your sons and your daughters will prophesy." 
6. Approximately one fourth of Scripture was prophetic when it was written. Much of that has been fulfilled; the rest is yet to be fulfilled. How does this compare with holy books of other religions? Well, none of the others have future prophecies. It's like God was saying that fulfilled prophecy was a test of the speaker being of God, and then giving a lot of items to test and say the Bible is of God.
7. The purpose of Spiritual gifts is primarily the local church
   

INTRODUCTION - A LOOK AT PROPHECY PART 1 OF 5

The Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog by Caspar David Friedrich

Are there modern day prophets? 

Has the gift of prophecy ceased? 

How do we determine if a prophecy/prophet is really of God?

Today, I'm going to be starting a series on prophecy. These questions and others will be dealt with.

Concerning the issue of Spiritual Gifts, which includes prophecy, there are three views. These are:

1. Charismatic/Pentecostal - not only are all the gifts still in operation today, but are also an indication of God being at work today.
2. Continuist - while not emphasizing them as much as the Charismatic, they believe that all gifts still exist, as God chooses to use them.
3. Cessationist - believe that some of the gifts were given for the purpose of establishing the church and have ceased upon the completion of the Biblical canon and the death of the apostles. Examples of those are tongues and prophecy.
   

Which am I? Good question. Though my theological training is primarily cessationist, I'm not convinced. I'd probably fall into the continuist camp, though I believe God can according His will cause a gift to cease in a region/local church or for a period of time or permanently.

What reasons are there for prophecy to have ceased? Primarily, because prophecy involves special revelation. I've heard some state that if a prophecy/new revelation is in agreement with Scripture, it's unnecessary, and if it doesn't it's unbiblical. One reason for this view is the belief that the Canon was closed with the completion of the New Testament books and the death of the Apostles. But does that mean that God never uses the gift of prophecy?

Do I see someone raising their hand? Do I hear someone asking if I believe the gift has ceased? I guess I haven't seen or heard the above, partially because I'm typing this in a room I'm occupying by myself, and partially because you're guessing I have my doubts. You'd guess correctly. If prophecy has ceased, then:

• Why is it included as one of the four or five gifts given to help equip the saints (Ephesians 4:11)?
• Why does Paul spend a whole chapter (1 Corinthians 14) to convince us one ceased gift is more preferable to another ceased gift? 
• Why is prophecy one of two gifts mentioned in all three lists of spiritual gifts (Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12; and Ephesians 4:11) if it is going to be absent at least 95% of the church age? (The other gift is teaching, which is not considered a gift that will cease.)
• Why does Paul tell us not to despise prophecies (1 Thessalonians 5:20) if there aren't going to be any to despise?

While this study will not ignore other gifts, my focus is on the gift of prophecy. Part of it is that there are, as there always have been, those who claim to be speaking for God who are merely claiming their opinions are God's. The other part is that we may not be listening for God when we should. 

Now, some of you already have made up your minds and are already outlining the many ways I'm wrong. Hey, I could be. Or I could be right. Why not let me continue and let you decide where I've got a point and where I don't based on what I write, not preconceived notions?