Tag: music

Posted on

THE SINGING CONTRACTORS: BUILD, SING, SHARE HOPE

Two ordinary guys from Indiana… boyhood friends, husbands, fathers, skilled carpenters,  experienced contractors… blessed with God-given talent using their voices to sing Christian gospel songs and hymn classics accapella on job sites… cell phone video has gone viral with millions of viewers!

Maybe they don’t sound like ordinary guys at all. The story of the musical journey of Josh Arnett and Aaron Gray really is remarkable.

Two ordinary contractors singing to share hope and almost immediately gaining a following of thousands of fans (of whom I am one) is more extraordinary than ordinary. Theirs is a true story, and they are real… real in their song choices, real in their Christian faith, real in their ordinary roots.

What else would singing contractors call themselves except The Singing Contractors? If you haven’t heard them yet, then go to youtube.com or their official website at thesingingcontractors.com.

“I am a little overwhelmed by how good God has been to us,” admitted Arnett.

Gray added, “As far as the fame, it’s never something we wanted or asked for, it’s just something that God has placed in our laps, and we’re just trusting that we can get His message of hope out there.”

Responses have been remarkable and indicate their music and message offer more than mere enjoyment.  At least one life has been touched in a real life-and-death way, as indicated by the following communication they received.

“Thank you so much for singing that song. It’s made me question myself and stop myself from committing suicide….” (unnamed source)

The Singing Contractors agree that is a wonderful story and say if they have done nothing else in this world and saved one life, it is worth it all to them!

It seems The Singing Contractors are good at building more than homes. They are building an important legacy of hope as they share the message of their music.

Maybe Gray and Arnett are two ordinary guys from Indiana, but they trust an extraordinary God. That makes all the difference.

 

“By wisdom a house is built,
And by understanding it is established; And by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.” (Proverbs 24:3, 4)

“Sing to the LORD a new song;
Sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, bless His name; Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day. (Psalm 96:1, 2)

Posted on

JAMES MERRITT: GIVE THANKS to GOD of HOPE

Today’s blog is a reminder to give thanks to our great God of hope. Let’s be thankful everyday not just one day each year as we celebrate a national holiday. If we Americans ever doubt there’s much for which to be thankful, then let’s consider the following.

We will eat more today than most people in this world will eat this week. We drive our air conditioned or heated vehicles while billions will never own a car.

We will sleep tonight in our heated or cooled bedrooms while most of the world will sleep shivering or sweating.

If we have more health than sickness today, then we are more blessed than the one million who will die this week.

If today we aren’t facing dangers of battle, loneliness of imprisonment, suffering of torture, or hunger pains of starvation, then we are better off than 500 million people.

If today we are not afraid of being harassed, arrested, tortured, or killed, then we have it better than 3 billion people.

If we have food in our refrigerator, clothes on our backs, a roof over our heads, and a place to sleep, then we are richer than 75% in our world.

If we have any money in the bank or even spare change in our pocket, then we are in the top 8 percent of the richest people in the world.

If we can read a paragraph in a book or sign our names, then we are better off than 775 million who can neither read nor write.

Dare we doubt that God has blessed us? Do we have any reason to thank Him everyday? He deserves our thanks, and He wants it. What will our thanksgiving do for God?

Pastor James Merritt stated eloquently, “Thanksgiving is the music that brightens the face of God. It is the spark that warms the heart of God. It is the love that kisses the hand of God.”

Let’s communicate with God today, but let’s not ask Him to bless us. Instead let’s give Him thanks and bless Him; He deserves it. The Bible instructs, “Enter His gates with  thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.”(Psalm 100:4)

I want to thank James Merritt for the reminder to give thanks to God everyday and for the numerical info that I gleaned from one of his messages. He is Pastor of Cross Pointe Church in Atlanta, Georgia. For years I have been blessed by his televised sermons.

Visit the website @ touchinglives.org for info about a ministry that is truly touching lives… including mine.

Posted on

CHILDREN’S CHOIR: VOICES of HOPE

“Founded in 2015, Voices of Hope Children’s Choir is a non-profit program made up of over 70 talented children, ages 5-17, of all backgrounds and levels of experience. In an effort to make music available to all children despite social or economic barriers, this program is entirely tuition-free. Singing inspirational music, the goal of the choir is to uplift the spirits of all who listen and to learn positive self-esteem and teamwork along the way. We hope to change the world one song at a time.

Our vision is to awaken a love of music in our youngest generations and to share the message of hope with our local, national, and international communities. We seek to educate young people in the art of collaborative singing and performing and to teach them to embrace their unique God-given abilities. We aim to enrich children’s lives through artistic excellence and to develop their personal and spiritual growth, self-confidence, and musical experience in a safe and supportive environment.”

(Source of above info: voicesofhopechildrenschoir.org)

I think this choir’s young voices certainly fulfil their mission statement to share hope as well as beautiful music. I congratulate the choir members and all involved for being recognized as worthy to advance to semi-finals on “America’s Got Talent” in September 2018.

The music of Voices of Hope Children’s Choir leaves me smiling and exclaiming, “Encore!” May they continue to use their God-given talents to brighten our world with their musical message of hope!

Posted on

DENNIS JERNIGAN: A STORY of HOPE

In countless churches and worship gatherings across the planet you are likely to hear the song, “You Are My All In All” and other songs by Dennis Jernigan. He is a song writer, an author, a worship leader, a husband for more than 30 years, a father to 9 children, and a grandfather.

Dennis and Melinda Jernigan call their story a story of hope. Jernigan has experienced freedom from his former homosexual identity since 1981, and in sharing his story he shares God’s love and grace. His heart’s desire is for others to embrace their true identity in Christ.

If you are hurting… are needing freedom to live as God intended… are seeking His love and grace, then I invite you to visit Dennisjernigan.com for a story of hope!