CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2022 WVIU MUSIC AWARDS NOMINEES AND WINNERS

WVIU Music Awards

  As I was going through the list of nominees for the '22 WVIU Music Awards, I found the list for female fronted bands. Included were Divine Martyr, Reclaim The Day, Saving Jackie, and Undefeated. Do those names sound familiar? And why is each one underlined and in blue? That means they're links to interviews I've done with these four bands. So which one do I vote for? Not an easy decision. Same thing with Rock Song for the year where two of the nominees were my two favorite songs from the past year - "Fear" by Divine Martyr and "Sentenced To Life" by Reclaim The Day. 

I smiled when I saw these four bands and Samuel Day on the list of nominees. I also saw several artists I was unfamiliar with. Some of them I have since interviewed (Brave Worship, Crystoria, Toni Lashaun, and Yung Priest Da Preacher), and others I have contacted and hope to have their interviews soon.

So allow me to start with congratulating the past and hopefully future interviewees.

SONGWRITER ON THE RISE: CRYSTORIA!  I had the honor of interviewing her last month.

VOTING MEMBER'S CHOICE - WORSHIP PROJECT OF THE YEAR: BRAVE WRSHIP (NICOLE DRENNAN). Her interview was just a couple of weeks ago, plus I had the opportunity to hear her at Get To The Point Festival with Reclaim The Day, Divine Martyr, Tempus Unum, Hush Harbor, and Inarticulate Bones.

LISTENER'S CHOICE - SONGS THAT REMIND US OF OUR PURPOSE: "YOU CHOSE ME" BY TONI LASHAUN. Well deserved! That song has been a blessing to me.

 

FEMALE FRONTED BAND: UNDEFEATED! 

 

BASSIST OF THE YEAR: LOGAN MOREHOUSE OF RECLAIM THE DAY!

LEAD GUITARIST OF THE YEAR: MARCUS SUGG OF RECLAIM THE DAY!

ROCK SONG OF THE YEAR: "SENTENCED TO LIFE" BY RECLAIM THE DAY! (I don't sound excited, do I?)

Left to right: Logan Morehouse, Becca Sugg, Marcus Sugg.

Congratulations to both all the above and those listed below, as well as to the well deserved nominees.

• Gospel Singer of the Year- Carrie Davis
• Contemporary Artist on the Rise- Appointed
• Worship Song of the Year- "REFINER" by Jesseca Toovey
• Industrious Women in Music- Tiffany Coleman aka: MIZ TIFFANY
• Best New Artist- TORI TELLEM
• Inspirational Song of the Year- "HOPE FOR THE WORLD" by Daniel Evans
• Favorite Christian Rap Duo- Bro. Glenn & C.O.G. (WayyMakker)
• Gospel Singer on the Rise- Lisa Johnson
• Drummer of the Year- MASON BEARD
• Inspirational Artist on the Rise- MATTHEW ELIAS MCQUEEN
• Pop Artist on the Rise- KATELYN DOYLE
• Solo Acoustic Artist of the Year- BRIAN HOFFPAUER
• Poetic Lyricist of the Year- "QUESTIONS" by B/CHRISS
• Americana Artist of the Year- GREG ALLSUP aka: FryKatz
• Male Rap/Hip Hop Artist on the Rise- JOSHUA SCALES
• Contemporary Song of the Year- "CALL OUT HIS NAME" by Brooklynn Nicole
• Male Rock Vocalist of the Year- JARON COX
• Country Artist of the Year- MELISSA LEIGH
• Favorite Female Rap/Hip Hop Artist- MS. LAVISH
• Listeners Choice~ Christian Rap Song of the Year- "BRIGHTER" by SKY feat. 1kPhew
• Song of the Year- "THERE SHE GO" by Tori Tellem
• Favorite Male Rap/Hip-Hop Artist- SKY
• Album of the Year- "HEART ON MY SLEEVE" by Tom Taylor
• Favorite Christian Pop Song- "CHILD OF GOD" by Katelyn Doyle
• Songwriter of the Year- MATTHEW ELIAS MCQUEEN
• Worship Vocalist on the Rise- ANGEL VEGA
• Songs on Repeat- "SIDE STEP THE DEVIL" by Bro. Glenn & C.O.G.
• The Future Generation of Music- GULLY MARK

SUNDAY HYMNS, PART 17 OF 22: O COME, O COME, EMMANUEL (ADVENT OF HOPE)

Angels, live nativity scene, Castleton United Methodist Church, Indianapolis

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who orderest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory over the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, great Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times once gave the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Root of Jesse’s tree,
An ensign of Thy people be;
Before Thee rulers silent fall;
All peoples on Thy mercy call.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
 

NOTES ON HYMN 

• Raise your hands if you realize we're in Advent season? The last 16 weeks I've shared songs in, with one exception, alphabetic order. For the next four weeks, I'll be dealing with the four weeks of Advent, which will be followed by Christmas and New Year's Day.
• What is the difference between an Advent Hymn like this and a Christmas Hymn like "Silent Night?" The former anticipates the coming of the Promised Messiah, the latter focuses on the event of Christ's birth.
• There are different ways of looking at Advent. Some break it up into various actors in the Christmas story (e.g. Prophets, Angels). Others look at various things Christ has brought into our lives. This week, I chose "O Come O Come Emmanuel" for the Sunday that's the Advent of Hope.
  
• How many hymnals have eight verses to any hymn? Not many. Most hymns are trimmed to four or at the most five, and what gets trimmed is fairly uniform. But not always. This hymn, as well as "Crown Him With Many Crowns," "Anywhere With Jesus," and to a lesser extent "Take My Life And Let It Be" often have varying verses, with different hymnals having a different list of verses. So I went to Cyberhymnal and posted all eight verses (which was more than I thought - for some reason, I thought it was seven!) By the way, there are other hymns that have that many verses - "Soldiers of Christ Arise" have 16 long verses.
• This song is what's called plainsong. In those days, a lot of music was sung in unison aca pella without large jumps in the melody.
• Anybody start trying to figure out the meters after I talked about them? If you have, you'd notice the verses are long meter (8,8,8,8). You can take another long meter song (e.g. "All Creatures of Our God and King", "When I Survey The Wondrous Cross", or the Doxology), and sing it to this tune, adding the chorus.
  

WHAT I'M THANKFUL FOR ON THANKSGIVING '22

From Vision Beyond Borders 2022 calendar, Nov. 24 

 You can celebrate Christmas all year round if you like, but I'd prefer celebrating Thanksgiving all year round. (I'd also celebrate Resurrection Day, Pentecost, Reformation Day, All Saints Day and maybe Groundhog Day all year round, too, but that's for a different blog!) So allow me to start by wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving.

So allow me to mention some things I've been thankful for this year:

• Of course, top of the list is the Triune God: Our gracious Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Because without God, there wouldn't be anything else to put on the list, or a meaning for what's on the list.
• My wife, Rebecca (aka Becky). We celebrated our 39th anniversary this year.
• My church, Northside Baptist Church: for senior pastor Jeremy Couture; for Joel Johnston and Eric Billin, who have filled in while we were looking for a new worship leader, and for Alex Darnall who will be joining us in that role; for my Sunday School class (taught by Jim Myers, Glen Christie, and Tim Schlotterbeck), my men's Bible study, my D-group, and the men's prayer breakfast, and missionary friends Bob Henninger and Rowland Mondal.
• For other friends that have been part of my life, either in-person or on-line (and sometimes off-the-wall?): Richard and Trish Walton and Arlington Avenue Baptist Church, Bill Scott, Mel Brown, Joshua Jacobs, Gary and Amy Wixtrom, James Lawson, Mark Mirza, Kerry Jackson, Kerry Nietz, Donna Fletcher Crow, Steve Sering, Mike Cassady, Dan Schafer, Andrew Horning, Russell Brooksbank, Grady Loy, Lonnie Atkeson, David Patton, David Huddleston, Dave Hope, Tod Moses, Robert Roberg, Dwight Liles, and Monte Baker. (Of course, I'll probably miss someone.)
  
• For other fellowships: a three-time-a-week phone-line men's prayer time; involvement with mission groups Voice of the Martyrs, Child Evangelism Fellowship, Spirit of Martyrdom, Vision Beyond Borders, Medical Ambassadors International/Community Health Evangelism, Ethnos 360 (I'm wearing their T-shirt as I'm typing), World Venture, International Mission Board, and North American Mission Board; Facebook groups Discussion Board for Jesus Music 1969-1989, Female Christian Rock & Metal, Calvinistic Dispensationalists Unite!, and The Daniel Band, and Libertarian Christian Institute and Mere Liberty.
• For my employer, where I've been for 22+ years now.
• For getting familiar with some Christian musicians (always a joy), especially members of Divine Martyr, Reclaim The Day, Undefeated, Hush Harbor, Brave WRSHP, and True Revival.
• For the interviewees on this blog I've dealt with this past year. I have had 51 interviews since starting this blog July '20, and 35 have been since last Thanksgiving. I enjoyed all of them, but some stand out by how much the interviewee blessed me during the process and some by how much the interviewee was blessed by being interviewed. One story about the latter: Usually, I ask for an interview, tell them I'll send questions in a week, send them questions in a week or two or so, in some cases getting the answers without a reminder (though not all). When I contacted Divine Martyr and told Woody Hughes about interviewing them, it was 3-4 days before Woody was checking up on getting the questions! That made my day.
• Last but not least, thank you to anyone who reads this blog. 

Again, happy Thanksgiving.

 

BOOK REVIEW - MISSIONS: HOW THE LOCAL CHURCH GOES GLOBAL (9 MARKS: BUILDING HEALTHY CHURCHES) BY ANDY JOHNSON

What is the purpose of missions? What should the relationship between the missionary and the supporting local church be? Should the local church have missionaries they support all over the world to show their commitment? Are short-term missions trips a blessing or a trial for the long term missionaries?

Andy Johnson, author of "Missions: How the Local Church Goes Global"  (Part of the 9Marks: Building Healthy Churches series) starts out with the various views Christians have about missions. He does an excellent job looking at how missions was done in the New Testament, and how to apply those principles.

I'm in a Southern Baptist, where technically through their Cooperative Program every SB church supports every SB missionary. Johnson suggests it may be better for churches to have a smaller number of missionaries to support and then give substantial support to the few.

On the subject of short term missions, Johnson questions if those trips are more for the benefit of the short-termer than the field missionary or the mission field. He suggests a long-term relationship between the local church and the missionary so that the short-termers are doing what helps the missionary. He gives an example of a short-termer from his church in D.C. taking care of baby sitting (including diaper changing) while the missionaries go through training. The missionaries were in tears when they learned the regular job of that short-termer was being on the White House staff.

As is typical for the 9Marks books, I highly recommend this short book.

SUNDAY HYMNS, PART 16 OF 22: TAKE TIME TO BE HOLY

Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center, Conservatory, Nashville TN

 

Take time to be holy, Speak oft with thy Lord;

Abide in Him always, And feed on His Word.

Make friends of God's children; Help those who are weak; 

Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.

 

Take time to be holy, The world rushes on; 

Spend much time in secret With Jesus alone;

By looking to Jesus, Like Him thou shalt be;

Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.

 

Take time to be holy, Let Him be thy Guide,

And run not before Him, Whatever betide;

In joy or in sorrow, Still follow thy Lord,

And, looking to Jesus, Still trust in His Word.

 

Take time to be holy, Be calm in thy soul; 

Each thought and each motive Beneath His control;

Thus led by His Spirit To fountains of love,

Thou soon shall be fitted For service above.

 

NOTES ON HYMN

• I find it interesting comparing this song with "More Holiness Give Me" (see Part 9). Both songs have a 6,5,6,5 double meter, which alone means they can be interchangeable. Not only that, but both are in 6/8 time, and have the rhythm of dotted quarter note, three eight notes, two dotted quarters, repeat, with the even lines combining the two dotted quarters at the end. And is it coincidence both talk about holiness?
• I mentioned my pattern of going in alphabetic order, and made a slight variation of moving "Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus" forward a couple of weeks so it would be posted by Reformation Day/All Saints Day. This song happens to fall on the week before Thanksgiving. But isn't there a connection between gratitude and holiness, especially if that gratitude is to God for all He does? If we are truly grateful, wouldn't we separate ourselves to Him and His purpose?
• I mentioned doing the first sixteen hymns in alphabetic order (again, with one variation). Yet there are half a dozen more installments! What will I be doing with those? Well, you'll find out next week!   
  

FRIENDS, ENEMIES, ELECTIONS, AND PRAYER.

Brad Klopfenstein interviewing Libertarian Senate candidate Lucy Brenton at post-election party at Scotty's Brewhouse, Indianapolis on Nov. 8, 2016.

Watching the returns election night in 2016 was a unique experience. No, it had nothing to do with the Presidential race between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. My focus was on the scroll on the bottom of the screen, going through the other races, such as Indiana governor and U. S. and State House and Senate.

Usually, I'm sitting at home or work (more usually the latter), but in this case I was at Scotty's Brewhouse during the post-election party for the Libertarian Party. Instead of quietly sitting in a chair by myself, I was mingling with various members of the state party, most of whom I met during the year. 

Among the cast was U.S. Senate candidate Lucy Brenton and Congressional candidates Steven Mayoras, Rich Turvey, and Drew Thompson, all part of the Compact for Liberty signing a couple of years ago. Also in the mix was Mark Rutherford, who would be the LP's Secretary of State Candidate in '18 and who I met at a local Libertarian meeting, Donald Rainwater who had a successful campaign (for a Libertarian) for Governor in '20, and Sam Goldstein and the late Bill Bean who I worked with at the LP booth during the '16 Irvington Fall Festival.

As I looked at the results, I saw other names I was familiar with. Long time friend Andrew Horning, who was at the Compact for Liberty signing, along with Donna Dunn, Pepper Hulette Snyder, and Russell Brooksbank, all of which were running for office. Rex Bell and Karl Tatgenhorst, who were the Governor and Lieutenant Governor candidates. I spent the summer and fall that year promoting those candidates and sharing their posts on Facebook.

Then it hit me. I was watching the results in a way I never saw them before. Typically, I'd look at interest at people I was rooting for and see how they're doing.

That Tuesday night, I was watching to see how my friends were doing. 

When I posted three days after that election, I suggested a radical concept: Shouldn't our Congresspeople and Governor candidates, etc., be our friends? Wasn't this to some extent what the Founding Fathers had in mind, for us to be represented by our peers, as opposed to being ruled over an aristocracy that is out of touch with the populace?

That was six years ago. Around the time of the '22 elections, Becky made a comment that she needed to be praying for our President, and that it is basically praying for our enemies. 

Is she far off? 

When 2023 starts, Becky and I will have a different U. S. Representative, State Representative, and State Senator than we do now, all due to the post-census redistricting. Two of the three are ones we think share our interests. Not any more.

But here's the bottom line - We're to pray for our leaders (1 Timothy 2:2), whether they're friends or enemies. (The NT epistles were written when Nero was Caesar.) We're to honor and give thanks for all people (1 Peter 2:17; 1 Timothy 2:1). And just as important, we're not to put our trust in princes but in the Lord (Psalm 146:3-5).

 

INTERVIEW WITH NICOLE DRENNAN, AKA BRAVE WRSHP

Nicole Drennan (Brave WRSHP), with Becca Sugg of Reclaim The Day (right).

Have I told you I had the honor of going to Get To The Point Festival this June? Repeatedly? Maybe because I've had the privilege of interviewing individuals from four of the six participating bands/soloists. Well, I'm happy to add a fifth: Brave WRSHP. And for my 300th blog, no less!

JR: Welcome to my blog. I’d like to hear about how you came to Christ. 

ND: Thank you so much for having me! Well, I came to Christ back in 2009. I spent some years of my early childhood in the church, but never really knew Jesus until I was 14 years old. At the time, I had been involved with drugs and alcohol while being influenced by some of my older high school friends at the time. 

I remember sharing a class with Rebecca Sugg from Reclaim The Day. She had invited me to her youth group and there was one week I had gone, and the youth pastor had shared his testimony. He had also been involved with drugs and alcohol when he was my age and he began to share how Jesus had saved him and changed his life. That night I went up to him and told him all that I was doing and how I wanted Jesus to save me. He encouraged me to share my story with the other kids in the youth group and the following week, another kid came to me and opened up about how she had also been doing the same thing and knew Jesus was calling her to repentance. I remember being so astounded that even then, Jesus was using my testimony to help others in my life.  

JR: Could you tell us about how you got into music? When did you start focusing on worship music, and what’s the origin of your artist name Brave WRSHP? 

ND: I grew up loving to sing and write music. As a little girl, I would never sing in front of anyone, haha. I would sit in my bedroom with headphones on and just sing for hours. I kept multiple notebooks of lyrics I would write and hope someday get the chance to share the songs. Music has always provided a safe place for me to escape. 

Around the time I started going to youth group, my parents had bought me a guitar so that I could start learning to play and be able to put chords and melodies together for the songs I would write. One night at youth group, my pastor heard me singing and approached me about joining the Sunday worship team. I was so nervous, but said yes I would join. My now best friend Miranda Brown from “Inarticulate Bones,” was also on the worship team and had invited me for a sleepover so that we could practice all the songs. She taught me how to harmonize and eventually we would sing duets on Sunday mornings. 

When I was 18 I heard the call from God to serve in music evangelism. I had no idea what that would look like but I had never been more confident in my life. I had told my parents I was going to take a year off before college because God was calling me to do this and they agreed. 

The next 5+ years were a rollercoaster of following God’s plans. I joined a post hardcore/ progessive metal worship band called Within Thy Walls and wrote and recorded a 3 song EP. Shortly after that my bandmates had merged with A World Apart’s bandmates to form a duel vocalist, hard rock/worship band. A year or so later Becca Sugg (i and I stepped away from the band and started a worship project called The Upright. We began serving as worship leaders for a church in Indianapolis called The Upper Room. A couple years later, we were asked to join a band called Waiting For Ravens. I played auxiliary guitar for about 3 years. In 2019 I stepped away from the band because God was calling me back to focus on solely worship. 

The name Brave WRSHP was rooted from that moment in my life. I had a lot of difficult decisions to make that left me with deep wounds that God is still healing. He spoke to me and called me to be brave which has become this sort of mantra for the project. I wanted to create a project of worship that was rooted from that place of being in deep pain, suffering etc. I have learned over the years that worshiping God can be easy when things are going well. It is when you choose to worship him in the midst of suffering, addiction, pain, abuse etc., that it is difficult and honestly more intimate. I once heard someone say that these moments in our lives are the only times we get to choose to worship him in spite of suffering etc., because when we get to heaven we won’t endure such things. 

JR: Congratulations on being nominated for “Worship Vocalist on the Rise'' and for Worship Project of the Year with the WVIU Radio Music Awards. Would you like to tell us about that project?

ND: Thank you so much! It is quite the unexpected honor, and I am so grateful for the nomination and all that WVIU Radio does to help independent Christian artists. With Brave WRSHP, I have been given a vision for writing throne room worship songs for the king. There are a lot of amazing worship artists and groups out there, but I feel like the songs that God has given me are a bit different from the normal worship songs on the radio and such. A mentor of mine, encouraged me when I had started this project, to spend time away from the stage and focus on just worshiping him in my secret place. I spent a couple of years taking time off to focus on this and my relationship with him. I learned that my worship and the songs he had given me to write, were more intimate than anything I could have ever imagined. I look forward to getting the chance to share them soon!

JR: I had the honor of hearing you at the Get to the Point Festival along with other bands I’ve interviewed on this blog (Reclaim the Day, Divine Martyr, Tempus Unum, and Hush Harbor). Are there any venues that you sang at which that stood out?  

ND: Yes! I have had the privilege to play at a few different venues over the past couple of years, but The Point Church and Community Center, where Get To the Point Festival was hosted, is my favorite. The Point Church and Community Center was my home church for many years, the place where it all started for me. It was an honor to get to lead worship again there and be able to see and reconnect with so many friends and family that had come!

JR: What are the greatest challenges you face in your ministry? Who has God used- those you know personally (friends and family) and those you don’t (radio/TV ministers, other musicians, authors/novelists)-to encourage you?

ND: The greatest challenges I face are rooted in past mistakes. There was a period in my life where I had fallen into sin while in ministry and I had to take a step back to repent and refocus. Unfortunately, there were people who had tried to tell me I should never be in ministry again and that I was no longer qualified. These comments hurt me deeply and led me to believe that God could no longer use me because I was too broken, too damaged, too dirty to be able to serve him and his kingdom. 

There were some amazing friends in my life who have prayed with me and encouraged me for years to get back up and keep going. They remind me that God can use any circumstance for his good and that he makes beauty from ashes. I have learned that God does not call the qualified, but qualifies the called. Chris Bossum, Becca Sugg, Miranda Brown, my parents and my significant other are just a few of the many people who have fought by my side and encouraged me relentlessly. Tullian Tchividjian, the grandson of Billy Graham, is one of the pastors I have been influenced by. He shares a similar story to mine and has encouraged me greatly in his sermons.  

JR: Thank you for your time. What is coming up on the horizon? How can we keep up with your ministry? 

ND: Thank you again so much for having me! I am currently in the studio working on releasing an EP for next year. I am also joining “For His Purpose” which is another amazing up and coming worship project founded by Trent Russell from The Persuaded. I am so excited to be able to release these songs that God has laid on my heart! 

With Miranda Brown (right). Photo courtesy of Jeanette Yoder.

The best way to keep up with Brave WRSHP is by following the page on Facebook and Instagram @bravewrshpofficial, to keep up to date on any upcoming shows and single releases!

SUNDAY HYMNS, PART 15 OF 22: SPIRIT OF GOD, DESCEND UPON MY HEART

 

Dove statue, Peace Garden, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

Spirit of God, descend upon my heart;    

Wean it from earth, through all its pulses move;

Stoop to my weakness, mighty as Thou art, 

And make me love Thee as I ought to love.

I ask no dream, no prophet ecstasies, 

No sudden rending of the veil of clay,

No angel visitant, no opening skies; 

But take the dimness of my soul away.

Hast Thou not bid us love Thee, God and King? 

All, all Thine own, soul, heart and strength and mind.

I see Thy cross - there teach my heart to cling; 

O let me seek Thee, and O let me find.

Teach me to feel that Thou art always nigh; 

Teach me the struggles of the soul to bear,

To check the rising doubt, the rebel sigh; 

Teach me the patience of unanswered prayer.

Teach me to love Thee as Thine angels love, 

One holy passion filling all my frame;

The baptism of the heaven descended Dove, 

My heart an altar and Thy love the flame.

NOTES ON HYMN

• This song is in the Worship and Service hymnal that was a major part of my life (used by two churches I attended while growing up and at chapel at Bible College) and probably in others also which I was unaware of until we sang it once at Arlington Avenue Baptist Church no sooner than 2018. It has become a favorite.
• The end of the song is called "modal." Typically, a verse/song ends on the root note of the key. For example, this hymn is in the key of C, and thus the root note is C. However, this song ends on the G note; it still ends with the notes of a C major triad (C,E,G), but not the root note. This is called a modal ending, and you'll notice a different tone because of it.
• The meter of this song is 10,10,10,10. Becky and I sing this to the tune of "Abide With Me." You can also sing it to the tunes of "Search Me, O Lord" (aka "Cleanse Me) and, if you want to add trumpets or not, "God Of Our Fathers."
  

INTERVIEW WITH SOUTHERN GOSPEL SINGER/SONGWRITER/PRODUCER JIM WORTHING

I'll admit that I've more into rock and pop, but when I moved to Nashville in '88 and worked at Opryland in a restaurant right next to where the Cumberland Boys performed, I became a Southern Gospel fan. I remember the tenor Depp Britt introducing the band including the lead singer, and I was sure his name was Jim Worthy.

Fast forward 25 years or so. My wife Becky was part of the prayer team for the State Convention of (Southern) Baptists in Indiana, and we were setting up for the State Convention. The cheerful gentleman who was doing the music stopped by and prayed with us. The next day, I looked at the program and the singer, and realized that I heard his name wrong! It was a pleasure to get to hear Jim Worthing after all those years, and it's a privilege and honor to interview him.  

JR: Welcome to my blog, Jim. How did you come to Christ, and what got you interested in music? Also, if I remember correctly, you're originally from Pennsylvania; how did you end up getting into Southern Gospel music?

JW: Hi Jeff, thank you for taking the time to interview me.  I asked Jesus to come into my life when I was a young boy: I was upstairs in my Grandparents guest bedroom playing church by myself, following a church service at my Grandparents church, and realized that I needed to ask Jesus into my heart and life and to repent of my sins. A couple of years later, at age 12, I made my profession of faith through believer's baptism at my home church in Altoona, PA. 

Music has always moved me on the inside for as long as I can remember. I started playing the alto saxophone at age 10 and played it all the way through High School, but I loved to sing, too, so I joined the adult choir at church in my early teens. My brother in law, who was also in the choir, noticed I had some singing ability and asked me to join a community German men's chorus called the Altoona Mannerchor. The director of the Mannerchor thought I had a unique gift and led me to a regional private vocal teacher named Martha Roberts to help hone my craft. She helped open some doors for me in the area as well as prepare me for what was to come.  

Near the end of my senior year of high school a college vocal group named Re-Creation performed at my high school. At the end of their performance, the director of Re-Creation said they were looking for some new members for the upcoming school year. I loved what they did and was excited about the possibility of auditioning for them, and in just a few short weeks I auditioned for Re-Creation and was selected to be their high tenor in a mixed group of 4 guys and 4 girls.  

Re-Creation was based out of Penn State University my first year in the group and then moved to a smaller school called Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, PA the following year and I moved with them. I spent a total of 7 years with the Re-Creation organization; they provided an awesome place for me to grow as a performer but more importantly as a servant of God.  I received a full scholarship while we were associated with the Universities - for all of us members being a full time student and performing over 300 performances a year became almost impossible to navigate. After my fourth year the group decided to go full time into performing and touring.  

Re-Creation was/is a singing group made up of Christians that perform family style secular shows as well as Christian music programs. Its main focus over the past 37 years has been to provide entertainment for Veterans in VAMC's (Veterans Affairs Medical Centers) and state Veterans homes across the country. Of course, we sang in many other venues and churches to help raise funds to be able to perform in VAMC's, prisons, nursing homes, children's hospitals, state homes, etc. It truly was a great way to learn my craft and serve. 

Now back to your question on how I ended up in Southern Gospel Music. Hugh Brooks the Director of Re-Creation was from the south and sang in a quartet during his college years and had us four guys in the group sing a number of Gospel Quartet standards as a part of our program. I fell in love with the quartet sound and started listening to gospel albums by the Oak Ridge Boys, the Imperials and many others.  Knowing I wanted to further my music career and my love for quartet singing, the man who did the vocal arranging for Re-Creation, Jan Esterline, heard about the Cumberland Boys search for a lead singer. Jan had moved to Nashville and was a ghost arranger for the famed music arranger David Clydesdale. He knew of the Cumberland Boys and told me he thought my voice would work well with them. I auditioned and was blessed enough to be hired by them. So, I put everything I owned in my little Ford Ranger pickup truck and moved to Nashville! As you can see, God worked through many people, especially my parents, to encourage me, to help me, and to seek out opportunities for me to grow musically. I am BLESSED!  

JR: What was it like performing regularly at the park? What were your memories of working with the group?

JW: The Cumberland Boys was an opportunity and blessing of a lifetime. As soon as I joined the group (not because of me) we signed with Daywind Records, and had a built-in audience of around 2 million people each year at Opryland. We toured throughout the country during the off season, appeared on the Grand Ole Opry every few months, and regularly performed on TNN (The Nashville Network),  major local TV shows and CMT (Country Music Television). Additionally,  we were nominated for many awards and had hits on Gospel radio. Also, we did a bunch of studio work including singing backup on Ricky Van Shelton's Gospel album "Don't Overlook Salvation" which went Gold. There were so many wonderful opportunities we enjoyed, but honestly the best part was seeing how God used us, in spite of ourselves and failures, to encourage and bless people with our music! Opryland was an awesome place to share the Gospel through music to thousands (possibly millions) that may have never heard it before. It was grueling at times - doing 5 shows a day outside in the heat of the summer - but we loved it, and I think it showed.  
 

JR: Becky and I had the honor of seeing you at the State Convention of Baptists in Indiana years ago. My hunch is that it is a blessing to be able to take part in conferences and revivals and the like. Can you confirm this hunch? What were your favorite events that you had the privilege of ministering at? 

JW: Yes, I love singing at Church Conventions and Conferences. It's a great opportunity to try to encourage and challenge those who are normally the ones trying to encourage and challenge others at their home church or area.  I also love Revivals, when you get to share for 5 days or more and be a part of an area coming together to pray for revival you can really dig in a little deeper than you normally can during a one time concert visit.  There are so many great events and conferences that I remember including the one you attended in Indiana, but I have to say the one that stuck out to me was during a Lifeway conference for church librarians. I started singing and they all were sitting in desks with their pens and notepads ready to take notes. Well, I finally got them to loosen up a little and have some fun, but hopefully still encouraged and challenged them as well. I had to work a little harder but it was real blessing in the end. 

JR: Your Facebook page mentions you're a songwriter and producer as well as a singer. Who has had the honor of you producing them? How do you select the songs for a project (either your own or for others)? What differences do you have between thinking as a singer and as a producer? 

JW:  It's always an honor and a blessing when I get to produce for other artists and for my own projects as well. I've had the pleasure of working with some of the best musicians, sound engineers, and studio singers in the business,all working together in concert to make an artist's project the best it can be. Most of the artists I've produced are independent artists, but all have had a real desire to share the Gospel through song.  

When I choose songs for my projects or when I help other artists choose I always ask myself and/or them - "Does this song minister to you?" I believe a song has to minister to you first if you're going to be successful in conveying the message of that song to others.  Another thing I try to establish in each project is to select songs that collectively display the different aspects of the Christian life - such as Prayer, Worship, Service, Witness, the Gospel message of Salvation, Faith, Encouragement, Challenging ourselves and others to be a better Christian, Giving and God's abundant Love. 

The difference between thinking as a singer and as a producer is kind of like the difference between being a player on the field and a coach on the sideline.  The player (singer) has the freedom to create and perform to the best of their abilities within the framework or playbook of the coach (producer). When you have to do both at the same time like when I produce my own projects. I step away from the producer role when I'm singing my part in the studio and allow others to critique and guide, but when I finish singing I go back into the control room and resume my producer role.  I've learned early on to have a successful project as a producer that you have to put together a good team, a good game plan and explain your expectations and then get out of the way and allow them to create, much like a coach.  

JR: Let's say you have an opportunity to write and record a song that you are convinced the American Church needs to hear. What would you be writing about?

JW: I believe the American Church needs to get back to the basics of our faith - Preach the truth from the Bible, concentrate on Service and witnessing and most of all preach the Gospel of the saving grace of Jesus Christ.  In fact, I'm currently writing a song called "Only One," which hopefully I'll be able to convey that there is only one God, one Truth, one Grace, one Savior, one Spirit, one Way, etc.  I've heard too many in our current world talking about speaking their truth; well there is only ONE TRUTH. That's what I'd like to share.

JR: Thank you for your time. Any projects coming up? How can we keep up with what's new with you?

JW: I'm not working on a project currently but I've been writing quite a bit and hope to do a new one soon!  Folks can keep up with me on my Jim Worthing Music Facebook Page or my website at ReverbNation.com/JimWorthing where they can listen to a lot of my music for free.  

Thank You, Jeff for interviewing me and for your interest in my music and my ministry. May God continue to bless you and your ministry!  

INTERVIEW WITH GOTHDAD OF SILENT WITNESS RADIO

Jeff (aka Gothdad) of Silent Witness Radio. For those curious about Gothdad's T-shirt, Les Carlsen is the lead singer of Christian metal band Bloodgood.)

The other day, I noticed a playlist for Silent Witness Radio posted in one of the FB groups I'm in (Female Christian Rock and Metal). I was excited to see a couple of my favorite bands on that list (which I'll refer to in the interview). So I thought about interviewing the program, and am honored to interview Jeff (aka Gothdad). 

JR: Welcome to my blog. What are the origins of Silent Witness Radio? When did you get started, and who all is a part of this ministry? Is it on a local station, or is it available on-line (or both)? 

GD: Silent Witness Radio started as an idea from a high-school kid (Chris Stamper) in 1987, since there was a total lack of Christian rock and metal airplay on Christian radio in the greater Cincinnati, Ohio area at the time (there's a long story behind that, but I won't bore you with that at the moment).  He found out that the local community radio station WAIF 88.3 FM had an open time slot, and he submitted a proposal for the show.  He won that time slot (Thursdays 2 – 5 AM), and the show was set to begin in December of 1987.  Chris knew he needed someone with actual radio experience to do the show justice, so he called a friend/contact he had who was living in Cincinnati, and his name was Jamie Carper.

A lot of folks came and went over the last 35 years (Chris left the show to Jamie in order to attend college and take a different direction than radio, and Jamie passed away in 2018, there were many other crew supporting Jamie over the decades, and I came in as co-host in 2008), but our present complement of crew consists of Jamie's two sons, Jeremy (J-DAWG) and Caleb (DJ Chicken Nugget), Caleb's wife (The Lovely and Gracious) Katie, and me.  Caleb and Katie are more occasional crew these days, leaving the normal weekly duties to Jeremy and me.

Jeremy, aka J-DAWG

Silent Witness Radio is still broadcasting on WAIF 88.3 FM in Cincinnati, and WAIF has online streaming as well as a traditional FM transmitter.

JR: How do you decide which artists and songs to play? 

GD: That's a question that is somewhat difficult to answer, given the proclivity of some Christian radio hosts in my circles to overplay their gatekeeper status with artist/label submissions, not to mention how the music industry and how artists have adapted to the changes in the music scene and in technology.  Perhaps the answers will illuminate the context:  We try to have a semi-broad interpretation of what is Christian art: 1) is the artist Christian, and 2) if we're not sure, is the art Christian nonetheless?  

Example: we've been known to play Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and we still include their shows on our concert calendar.  The late mastermind for the project, Paul O'Neill, was a person who battled his own demons, I am sure, but by the lyrics used in so much of TSO's Christmas work, it was obvious that he “got it”--he understood, and may well have believed, the Gospel.  

Conversely, there are times the art itself isn't Christian by pure lyricism (example, Christian artists/bands covering more mainstream/secular artists' work), but the artist doing the cover (or coming up with material that definitely has mainstream/commercial appeal) is Christian.  In either of these exceptional cases, we'll likely include it.  

In between those exceptional cases will be songs which are decidedly/overtly Christian by the lyrics (or at least an articulation of/from the worldview of the artist), and if the artist has been at least somewhat earnest in publicly professing faith, and if the genre/style of the song fits our format (which is usually the various forms of hard-edged music, hard rock, punk, Goth, Industrial, extreme metal and metalcore, plus old-school hair metal, EDM, and hip-hop), then we'll likely play it.  We tend not to care what the artist's political viewpoint is, as that's not a consideration for us—I tend to look at our show as an extension of the legacy of the Jesus Movement, which was the revival amongst the hippie counterculture of the late 1960s and into the 1970s.  It wasn't a political movement—it was a movement solely looking to present Jesus in a fashion relevant to the target audience of the day. 

JR: Do you ever plan any events with the featured artists? Any memorable stories from those events?

GD: We do have in-studio guests from time to time, though there's an already-acknowledged difficulty in bringing artists into the station to do a live radio show during a key night for performing (Saturday 8 – 10 PM).  We usually have to catch an artist during “off” time in order to make it happen.  Back in the day when the equipment was available, my predecessors often hit the local Christian music festivals, doing live remotes with other crew still at the station to manage things.  Having artist/band guests at the studios will often be “party time”, and I can remember some great craziness that ensued especially with 3 Days Under on-air live with us.  They were extremely funny, and yet very on-fire for God.

JR: On the other side, what response do you have from your listeners? How has God used your ministry in their lives? 

GD: When you use the show with the idea of “planting seeds”, you don't always know what impact you've had on your listeners, so we don't hear very often from those who find our signal, except in the usual interaction about “What did you just play?  That was amazing!”.  However, some new listeners (at least, new to us) would tell us how the music from the show had changed their lives, and how they went back to church and got involved.  

JR: The first time I saw a play list from you, it included two of my favorite bands: The Daniel Band, which I've listened to for 40 years, and Divine Martyr, who I've listened to for 40 days. (The latter is exaggeration, though I just discovered DM this year; no exaggeration with the former.) Things have changed a lot in this world. But what about Christian music in general and Christian rock specifically? Is there any changes musically besides what parallels the evolution of the genre in the mainstream market? How much has varied lyrically?

GD: I have personally been aware of or involved in this scene for over 40 years myself, and I remember how it was, from a lyrical standpoint, back in the day.  Almost all the known artists/bands back then had overt lyrics in the music in general, and as new genres (such as heavy metal) became popular, lots of songs would be written that followed largely the same lyrical formula.  In metal, for example, “turn or burn” was a very common theme.  It was the sort of thing that made the better artists and bands (from a lyricism standpoint, if not also the musical standpoint) stand out in a very striking fashion.  

While (due either to nostalgia or concerns about how “off the rails” some modern Christian artists have gone in terms of their theology or spirituality) I still have a deep-seated affinity for overt lyrics, I am very, very thankful (in general) for the evolution of songwriting as the Christian music scene continues to move forward.  I think it's great that so many songwriters are pushing into lots of non-overt territory, for the expansion of themes that can then be explored, not to mention adding some lyrical variety to the overall playlist each week. 

JR: Thank you for your time. How do we listen to you all? Any events you want to mention? Any web-site or other means to follow you all?

GD: Thanks for having us! If you have any readers who are in the greater Cincinnati, Ohio area, we broadcast every Saturday evening from 8 – 10 PM Eastern time on WAIF 88.3 FM.  If you're outside of the broadcast area, we keep the “Listen Live” player for WAIF handy from our website (direct link) at http://www.silentwitnessradio.com/swradio.htm for online listening. 

DJ Chicken Nugget & the Lovely & Gracious Katie

We have a web-site that we have kept mostly updated, though the look and feel is still circa 2000, as we never found the time to overhaul it as yet.  The big feature for the site is our Concert Calendar, which has been kept up-to-date.  We'll feature local/regional shows on the calendar as well as summer festivals within a semi-reasonable drive from our area. 

Of course, social media is the real point of connection for just about everybody these days, and (as you've already seen) we have an aptly titled Facebook page called Silent Witness Radio (https://www.facebook.com/SilentWitnessRadio), and that is often the quickest way to contact us.

 

 

 

 

 

A BLOG FOR THE DAY BETWEEN THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER FOR PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS AND ELECTION DAY

From Christians United Church, Indianapolis

Anybody besides me aware that the first Sunday of November is International Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians (IDOP)? I  hope so! But here's the next question that just hit me this week: How many people realize that 6 out of 7 years IDOP takes place two days before Election Day? That's right. Unless Election Day falls on November 2nd (due to it being the Tuesday following the first Monday of the month), it's a pair of days following IDOP.

Coincidence? Is there a message to the timing? Maybe it is coincidental and unplanned, but still something to think about?

I have a friend who tried to convince me that if I voted for Trump, our freedoms and way of life are at risk. He was right. I voted for Trump, and our freedoms and way of life are at risk. 

Okay, am I overstating it? True, I'm not sure our country can survive a Biden Presidency. I also had my doubts of our freedom lasting eight years of Obama, and sixteen years before that, it was Clinton that terrified me. And even if those fears were/are justified, isn't that worry a lack of faith?

But, returning to the theme of IDOP, we have no guarantees we won't face persecution in this country. After all, Russia was a major center of Christianity before the Communist takeover. We also need to realize that Persecution doesn't usually surprise everybody and appear at full strength unannounced. Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) says there are three steps: Disinformation, Discrimination, and then Persecution. Kyle Idleman of Southeast Christian Church (Louisville, KY) had a similar list, with five steps.

Let's look at the VOM list. Is there disinformation going on concerning Christianity? You notice how often there are negative portrayals of Christians in television and movies? I saw a lousy movie where one of the characters was a clergyman. At the end where they revealed who the villain was - a motorcycle riding serial killer with the visor down -  it was ... you guessed it. 

I hear some claiming there's already discrimination. Some may be people with a persecution process. But John MacArthur pointed out that during COVID, many businesses including bars and gentlemen's clubs were essential but churches were not and were told they could not meet or sing. Is this a form of discrimination?

A week ago I reviewed Caesar and the Church by Anthony Forsyth, which dealt with the problem of Statism. Libertarians have focused on that for years. Do I trust our two-party system to fight Statism? You kidding? My impression is that the Democrat Party has an agenda it wants to force on the country, while the Republican Party's goal is to keep the Dems from achieving their agenda without having one of their own.  

The Church, as usual, is facing a three prong human attack (not counting the Spiritual War that's behind the scenes on all three fronts). They are from:

1. From aliens/outsiders. No, we don't need to fear Martians or Darth Vader or little green men in flying saucers. I'm talking about outside the country. Should we feel we are safe from Russia or Iran or NoKo or China from attacking us, either directly or via a new killer virus (some consider COVID19 to be a test) or frying our grid by exploding a nuclear weapon in the atmosphere. 
2. From unbelievers in our own country/family. This includes government. This includes special interest groups. This includes the Media (both news and entertainment). This includes the re-education system. 
3. From wolves in the fold. Yes, a lot of the opposition of true faith is in the church itself. There are those who reject the inspiration of Scripture and have a belief that doesn't challenge the philosophy of the world. There are cults and -isms that oppose solid Biblical teaching such as salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone and the Deity of Christ. There are those who are comfortable in the world and feel threatened by Christians who make following Christ their focus.