I love comedy. I have a strange sense of humor (thanks Mom and Dad). I go around sampling Christian comedians all the time. Others have their particular favorites, but I always have trouble picking a favorite because I can appreciate each comedian’s unique style. There’s nothing I love better than a truly hilarious joke told well. Unless… it’s off-color. Those kinds of jokes turn me off. I simply don’t find them funny or appealing. If you’re on a good clean... Read more
It’s Green and Greene, in Spanish! Ran across this gem a while back and wanted to share it. Buddy was doing the ethno-harmonica thing even way back then! My Spanish is severely limited, but I can make out “Buddy” and “harmonica” in Steve’s intro. 😀 Also, check out this quartet performance of “Leaning On the Everlasting Arms,” featuring Buddy on tenor, Steve on lead, his brother David on baritone, and a singer I don’t recognize named John G. Elliott on... Read more
Has it really been over three years since Signature Sound released a full album of all-new material? It’s hard to believe, but it is a fact. Their last so-called “mainstream” project was Dream On, released in October of 2008. That project opened up some doors for the group, but it received mixed reviews. Some thought it was the weak link in their discography thus far, while others called it their best and most mature project. Although it contained some songs... Read more
Yesterday I wrote a hastily worded response to Jefferson Bethke’s viral video on Jesus and religion. Now I realize that had I taken more time over my thoughts, I probably would have written that response differently. It might have looked a little bit like this: “If you want a real discussion of Christianity, don’t look on the Internet. Go read Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis. Or the Summa. The whole thing. In Latin.” WORD! LYRICS Religion is . .... Read more
There’s been a lot of discussion recently over whether God divinely intervenes in Tim Tebow’s football games to help him win. Does God even care about football? I was inspired to re-watch and post the coach’s “new team philosophy” speech from Facing the Giants. In my opinion, it really hits the nail on the head. It answers the question so well I can’t add anything to it. (Actual speech starts around 2:55.) Coach: I think football is just one of... Read more
Here are my top five southern gospel songs of the year. 5. The Crossing, Crabb Revival (written by Gerald Crabb) — First time I heard this, I thought “Instant classic.” Others have agreed with me. 4. We Will Stand Our Ground, Kingdom Heirs (written by Dianne Wilkinson) — Chalk yet another one up to Miss Dianne. She keeps churning out great stuff, and this is one of her best yet. A tremendously needed message for our time. Read the story... Read more
2011 was a good year for Southern Gospel, with many excellent new songs. Even with my (I gather unusual) policy of limiting my top ten list to songs first introduced in 2011 (i.e. excluding covers of previously recorded material), it still took some thought to assemble. But first, I’ll make a little, separate list of some outstanding covers from 2011, and my readers can see whether they agree with the choices. (I’m also aware that there were songs from 2010... Read more
A few years ago, country super-group Diamond Rio released a greatest hits album. As a bonus track, they included the patriotic “In God We Still Trust.” Naturally, it wasn’t a favorite with many critics, but it quickly became a fan favorite. It was my introduction to the group, not having heard of them before then (this was before I really knew much about specific musical artists at all, just what I happened to hear and like). Since then, I’ve discovered... Read more
I know the twelve days of Christmas officially are about to end, but I’ll try to get up to five before the week is out so I can’t say this year’s installment of the series was a total flop. We’re moving right along with the one and only Christmas album by one of my favorite groups: 4Him. I didn’t enjoy everything 4Him put out, and I only really enjoyed about half the group’s voices individually, but dang, they had a... Read more
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NQC 2012: My Thoughts
–I for one actually enjoyed the pairing setups for emcees and am sorry to see the shift to solo. There was some fun chemistry in 2011. I particularly enjoyed Brian Free and Sheri Easter, Michael Booth and Susan Whisnant, and Gerald Wolfe and Karen Peck. –Yay for all quartet night. Someone was listening. I notice that Paul’s Journey is getting a slot—good for them. They impressed me last year. –Am I the only one who’s actually sad to see the... Read more