From the hearts of babes

Yeah, I know...it's been awhile.

Sometimes, the things involved in living life can be distracting and time-consuming.

It's another one of those pitched battles for me, where virtually my entire days and nights are taken up with dealing with unforeseen obstacles...suffice to say, the last two weeks have been no fun at all..

Could I have had SOME fun during this time? After all, I DID receive a number of divine blessings, and surely I could celebrate THOSE.

And after this past weekend, thanks to a little angel, I am more convinced that I should be.

It's no secret to anyone who knows me that the last few weeks have been very stressful for me, so much so that I can't even bring myself to comment on my beloved gospel music.

But the love of my life has a 4-year old niece, Evangeline(a most appropriate name, as you will see). And Evangeline has been very sick of late...she has been diagnosed with and is being treated for ecoli. This is debilitating for ANYONE, not to mention a 4-year old girl who lives mostly to play and have fun. The pain and discomfort she feels keep her from having fun and playing as a 4-year old girl ought to.

Yet, when Evangeline got the word she would be sent to a Vancouver, BC hospital for treatment in a helicopter, that was enough to make her smile and shriek for joy...what little girl WOULDN'T have fun riding in a helicopter?

When I was told this, the first thing that came to my mind was what the Bible says our attitude should be when coming to Him and living our lives, and coping with discomfort(which is almost ALWAYS temporary). I have been going through financial hardship(which is not nearly so oppressive physically as ecoli), and no matter how many small, important blessings come my way(and they have), I can't seem to get my mind off my bank account.

Yet a young girl four and a half decades my junior is excited in the midst of extreme debilitating physical discomfort! Why? Because she gets to go to the hospital via helicopter!! Cool!!!!:-)

I think it's because Evangeline is too young to know that she's supposed to be WORRIED about those kind of physical health problems....after all, isn't that's what all we adults do when things get really tough?

Yes, we do...at least I know I do! But the Bible mentions that we should come to Jesus as children, to trust absolutely, and not focus on things we have no control over, but praise our Lord for the many blessings He gives us. He does it every day, you know. For Evangeline, it was a chance to ride in a helicopter for the very first time. That alone was enough to take her mind off her discomfort for a little while. And for me, it's hearing encouraging words from good friends. I wish I could say I allowed those words to take my mind off my concerns. But I'm too much of an adult...I've had the ways of the world pounded into me since I was young...and consequently, I've learned to think about things, and sometimes thinking can rob you of the simple yet profound joys that our God has in store for you. And sure enough, I've let that happen.

But thanks to Evangeline and her simple appreciation for the blessings she has, despite her struggles to be pain-free, I now understand God a little better. And I have Evangeline to thank for showing me, the smart guy who knows all about the joy of knowing Jesus, how to cope and live during times of struggle. And who among us isn't struggling from time to time, at least a little bit?

"And a little child shall lead them..."...I now am more understanding of exactly what that means.

If and when I meet Evangeline, I'll surely thank her for what she taught me about how to live in Christ in October of 2009.

I pray she did that for some of you, too.

Much ado about nothing, Part 2

Whew...I'm relieved! It's safe to be an NFL fan again!

You didn't hear? Famous radio talk show host and media icon Rush Limbaugh was a minority partner in a group trying to purchase the NFL's St. Louis Rams football team.

Well, put the economy to one side! Hold off on that health care reform! Rush wanting to be part-owner of an NFL football team? Now, THAT'S a national emergency!

Or at least from the way some discussed it this week, you'd have thought so, anyway!:-)

And the reasons why should be obvious...if you're a regular listener to and follower of Limbaugh, you know that he attacked Philadelphia Eagles' QB Donovan McNabb in the all-too-brief time he spent as a football commentator for ESPN. We all know that Rush hates people, is a bigot, and is just the WRONG kind of person to be allowed into the NFL fraternity, right?

Uhh...well, no, we don't.

First off, Limbaugh's infamous 2003 remarks about McNabb were not so much directed at the QB, but at the media coverage McNabb was getting at the time. And he WAS struggling(McNabb, that is)at certain portions of the NFL season. And besides, Limbaugh was hired by ESPN as a COMMENTATOR...to give OPINIONS....so, whether his analysis was correct or not, Limbaugh was only doing what ESPN supposedly wanted him to do! And taken in context, neither McNabb nor his race were issues in Limbaugh's remarks.

Second, who says the NFL fraternity is full of upright, moral people anyway? As I type, pop music personality Fergie is part of a group trying to buy the Miami Dolphins. Fergie's songs(if they can be called that)are often vulgar, coarse, and advocate behavior that I don't believe the NFL would like to endorse. Yet there is no outcry about her, or whether SHE is fit to own a team or not.

Isn't this the same NFL thatlooks the other way at the likes of Plaxico Burress? That is giving Dante Stallworth essentially a year off after it was discovered that he caused the death of a pedestrian in the middle of the night(ALL this stuff happens in the middle of the night! Why?)while driving drunk? That has tolerated Oakland owner Al Davis for decades even though Davis has repeatedly sued the league to get his way in business deals?

And we're worried about a radio host who HAPPENS to love football, and HAPPENS to have a great deal of money, and HAPPENS to have a national forum to EXPRESS HIS OPINIONS(which we used to have the right to do), and do so more effectively than any media personality in history?

Well, Al Sharpton sure is...as is the Rev. Jesse Jackson. Ahh, NOW it's becoming clearer....

For the sake of pure partisan politics, the ownership group that wanted to include Limbaugh in their effort to buy the Rams was pressured to either drop Rush, or drop their bid. So, in the name of friendship, loyalty, and good business ethics, what do you think that group did?

Unfortunately, you're right. They asked Rush to withdraw, then cut him out of the group.

Now the NFL has every right to approve or not approve of who owns their teams. But instead of hiding behind a hypocritical veil of public interest, and circulating out and out lies about what Limbaugh has SUPPOSEDLY said over the years, they took the cowards' way out and bowed to the pressure of those moral beacons of light Sharpton and Jackson.

And amybe it's all for the best...after all, we're now officially delivered from any latent racism Limbaugh might express as a minority owner of a football team.

And besides, why would someone like Limbaugh want to be part of a group like the NFL owners, anyway?

For what?...indeed

Many who, like me, were very proud and pleased that Neil Enloe of the famous Couriers was officially inducted into the SGMA Hall of Fame this past week might be surprised to learn that this was not the first time he was so nominated.

Neil's first opportunity to join the SGMAHOF was four years ago, in 2005, the very year that I first met him, and our friendship began.

Those of us who know Neil well will not be surprised at his first reaction to his initial nomination. When told he had been nominated for the Hall, Neil characteristically replied, "For what?"

For what, indeed. I'm not on the SGMA board(if I were, Neil would have been put in then), but I'll put forth some reasons here why Neil Enloe deserves to be in the SGMA Hall of Fame.

To me, a Hall of Fame ought to include the following types of people:

1)Someone well-known(read "famous").

2)Someone who is among the most accomplished individuals in his/her field.

In addition, for someone involved in gospel(Christian)music, the following factor would be important, IMO:

3)Strong adherence to and faithful expression of one's faith.

Upon closer examination, it's hard to understand why Neil wasn't inducted four years ago. His name might not come to the lips of many playing word association games when the term "gospel music" is mentioned, but Neil was a featured and highly visible member(as lead singer and pianist)of one of gospel music's most renowned and acclaimed groups. And as the writer of many of the better gospel songs of his era, he was well known to artists in other groups and many of their fans as well. And Neil's engaging and unpretentious stage manner made him memorable to many gospel music fans who saw the Couriers in concert. His easy way of making friends made him not only,popular, but well-liked in the gospel music field. Certainly Neil qualifies under point #1.

And under point #2...well, as already stated, Neil was among the leading songwriters of his time. He was not as prolific as writers such as Bill Gaither or Mosie Lister(his total output is still less than 100 songs), but a number of those songs became standard ones in the repertiores of many gospel artists, not just the Couriers. To name just a few: "Statue of Liberty", "He's More Than Just A Swear Word", "The Joy Of Knowing Jesus", "Give Me Jesus", "Who Can I Turn To", "From A Star To Stripes", "You Won't Scare God Away", "Lost, Searching, Found", and many more. The albums of many a quartet of the late 1960s and early 1970s had many a Neil Enloe composition on them.

In addition, he was considered one of the best arrangers of his day. He was(and still is)a very good singer and a quite underrated pianist. No less an authority than Brock Speer called Neil one of the best musicians in the entire gospel music field. He is equally proficient at music on paper and in his head, and he was one of the first gospel singers to become expert in understanding sound systems and the mechanics of making and recording music. Clearly, he has excelled at a consistently high level musically and professionally...to this day respected as one of the very best.

All that alone is sufficient to me to earn him HOF consideration, but what puts Neil over the top for admission into a gospel music Hall of Fame is number 3 above. And I am a personal witness of the quality of Neil's walk with and absolute fidelity to God and living that in his life. As our friendship developed, not only did I learn a lot about music and gospel music history from Neil, but he has served as a mentor and friend to me, and simultaneously influenced and challenged me to be a better person, and a better witness to Christ. I am fond of telling some of my friends that I want to be like Neil when I grow up.

And significantly, Neil was also praised at the ceremonies this past week for being not only a gospel music legend, but as a mentor and friend. It was appropriate that the Mark Trammell Trio was selected to sing "Statue" as the official tribute song when Neil came up to accept his honor, because Neil is a primary influence on Trammell as a singer and person. There are many, many other people(including yours truly) who will gladly say the same thing.

So as singer, pianist, composer, arranger, "quartet man", faithful disciple, witness, mentor, and friend, Neil Enloe certainly deserves induction into the Southern Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame, for gospel music as we know it would be much worse off if Neil Enloe had not been a part of it.

For what, Neil? For all that. For once, take a bow. And yes, here you can come forward and give all the glory to God if you'd like. I know you do, and the other people who know you best(including many of your gospel music peers)know you do, too.

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