April 1

We got back at midnight last night from Texas. What a great day it was at the North TX festival there on Saturday. Over twelve hours of gospel music, great food, and great fellowship. I'll put up some pictures as soon as I figure out how - videos, too.

Great Festivals

We just finished a whirlwind week with a festival on each end. Both were blessings to us and others, I think. In each case the weather could not have been better and listeners filled all the stages.

In Arizona we even had people listening on Super Bowl Sunday, right up until 5 pm. And that was when the Cardinals were already playing. All the bands were super and a new one joined in on Saturday that we had not anticipated - The Shuler Family. Our contact there wants to add one in the fall. This seems to be happening lately. It happened in TX, too!

In Colorado at the Winterfest we had a great time, too. There were lots of new people who had never attended our events before. God brings exactly who He wants to be there and I'm always astonished. The mix of music was very eclectic and very good.

We love our GospelGrass family!

Post Election Thoughts

I guess since this is my blog I can say whatever I like, so I'm going to do that.

The good that has come to me from seeing how things went in this election is to once more affirm that I am a pilgrim and a stranger, as Peter called us. The rest of that verse is to abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul. We are never to let our trust and love for a leader or even a country be more than our love for God. As Christians we all know that.

I do feel more and more like a stranger. I just went into a Target store here in Dallas and the signs were all in Spanish. I don't speak Spanish so had no idea what they meant. They weren't translated. I don't mind bilingual signs - but - unfortunately, I don't speak Spanish. I took it for two years in high school. Not enough. I have a sister-in-law from Mexico who speaks very little English. I love her but we can't converse. We smile and make hand motions a lot. She makes the best tamales ever.

I honestly did not think Obama would win at first until I realized all three of my children were voting for him, and two of them worked on his campaign, and one just came back from the inauguration. A light went off and it occurred to me that what I had been preaching for the past twenty years had come about - the total transformation of their generation through the media and public schools. This has all been planned. Don't tell me it wasn't. It's a done deal now. One world government, etc. etc. Conspiracy? Of course. Who is the biggest conspirator of all time?

So - I could stick my head in the sand and say 'Poor me. I have failed'. Or I could say, "I'm a senior now and I deserve to just fade away, veg, and sit in a rocking chair on the porch of my log cabin high in the Rockies". That is my first preference. I felt like doing that and thought "You made your bed and when it hits the fan you'll come back, saying, Mama told us this would happen." But, the fact is, they won't come back. It may or may not hit the fan. Probably will. But it won't be this administration's fault. It will be somebody else's fault. Maybe the Christians'.

I just received this blog from a friend and I like it: Following the election of Barack Obama, many Christians have been sadly confused as to what their attitude should be, in light of verses like Romans 13:1-7 and 1 Timothy 2:2, toward this liberal and socialistic incoming Administration. Some erroneously think that since he won a democratic popular vote, that he is somehow God's "choice," i.e., the best for our Nation. This is 'wacky' theology*. God permits evil; He doesn't endorse it. The will of any majority is NOT, de facto, the will of God on earth.
The passage in 1 Timothy instructs us to pray "for kings and all those in authority." However, it doesn't explain 'how' believers should pray. Should believers pray for the "success" of an ungodly leader? Of course not! We should pray (and vote if living in democracy) that the ungodly never achieve positions of power, and if they do, that they are deposed as soon as the next election.

He goes on to say, Many believers today have defaulted back to something that resembles the Middle Age dogma of the "divine right of kings".

So, my response is to not back down. I will continue to say that killing babies is wrong. The "Mexico City policy" has already been overturned. I have a little baby that I look foward to seeing in heaven. Maybe she will be grown. I don't know but I know that child will forgive me and we'll spend eternity together.

I will say that special rights for the LGBTs is wrong. I honestly had to go look up that acronym. I thought - "What is wrong with this picture? I'm a citizen here and I don't know what this means". I went to the White House website which was changed immediately after Obama was sworn in. Look under Civil Rights. For anyone else who does not know it means Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender. The Bible doesn't have these words. It says sodomite and vile affections.

So, I'm not politically correct anymore. I never have been, so that doesn't matter to me.

I will continue to take the Good News to the world who so desperately needs it. Jesus is our only hope. The only way. The only one who loves us so much that he is offering a free gift. We can become a new person and we can live forever. We don't have to do anything for it. Nothing. Well, I guess we do. Accept it. Just accept it. Reach out and take the gift.

A Full Quiver in Dallas

Last night we had the pleasure of seeing A Full Quiver (The Grubb Family Band) at a concert series in Balch Springs, TX. The Texas Bluegrass Network sponsors jams every Monday in Mesquite and decided to start monthly concerts. Since we are in Dallas at my parents' house we were able to see them. They are an incredibly talented family. All seven children participate, playing and singing. Dad and the women are fabulous singers. We didn't hear the boys but I think they are beginning to sing and maybe we'll hear them at the North TX fest in March. They'll be there then and they will be coming to Colorado in June. Wherever you are - keep on pickin'!

Richard Rutledge's Passing

I jut wanted to let you know that Richard Rutledge, former pastor of Ward Road Baptist Church of Arvada, CO passed away of a massive heart attack Dec. 26 in FL. He was going to fly back to CO to be with his family the next day. He was 63. Richard was instrumental in helping us start the festivals because in the late 90's we started The Old Country Church with him as a church plant under the Colorado Southern Baptist Convention. I had always wanted to put on a bluegrass gospel festival and he said, "Let's do it", so we started the first one the summer of 2000. After a few years we decided not to be affiliated with The Old Country Church. It was an amicable break - not made out of frustration. Bing and I just wanted to concentrate on the festivals. But without Richard I'm not sure we would be here ten years later still doing what we do. It was a wonderful bluegrass service with musicians who had played with Richard over the years or had been members of his band "Ralston Creek". We played before and after the service, and during it we sang "Just Any Day Now", "I'm Using My Bible As a Roadmap" and ended with "I'll Fly Away" joined by his two daughters Amy and Kim. As the doors to the driveway opened behind us (it was 60 degrees in Denver!) I noticed the 2 drivers had huge grins on their faces and kept inching closer to hear the music. Kim says her dad was dancing up in heaven right along with the music. This summer the scholarship instrument will be given to a young person in memory of Richard. From now on we will call it the Richard Rutledge Memorial Instrument Scholarship.

2009

So far we are having a great New Year. We'll be leaving Denver for Texas on January 10. Please pray with us for travel safety. Let us know your prayers for the New Year. Just in today. There will not be an Oklahoma GospelGrass in March. We would like to have a weekend festival there so if you know of a site, let us know.

We had a wonderful time at the Old-Fashioned Christmas Celebration in Louviers, CO on Sat. night. The room was comfortably full. If there were more people it would have been too crowded. We had a carol sing, jamming and music by My Three Sons Plus One (The Wachtlers), For That Blessed Hope (The Brouillettes), and SouthWind (Suzie & Gary Solomon, Michael Rudolph and Lee Patterson). The cookies were wonderful! Thanks to all of you who came and brought them. We hope to see everyone at the same place - the Village Club - on Feb. 7 for the Winterfest.

New Blog

Hi, everybody!

We're going to try this blog to keep in touch with our GospelGrass family. The bulletin board on the website didn't work out too well - nobody ever posted anything!

So, we'll try this to share ideas, prayer requests, announcements, questions, praises or just your thoughts.