When I was just a child I had the desire to be an astronaut. There was something about flying through space that just thrilled my mind. Then I rode the Spindle-top at Six Flags. I don't know if it was the moving around real fast around in circles or the hot dog I ate beforehand but something told me that it just wasn't in the cards for me to be an astronaut. When I was a little older I wanted to be in the NBA or the NFL. There was only one problem with my desire. My brothers will tell you that instead of Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" it was more like, "I'm dreamin'". I actually tackled our tree once while trying to tackle the youngest brother. I had all the heart in the world to play football or basketball but I lacked something necessary to qualify for those sports: ability. My dreams now crushed in the athletic world I sought solace in the guitar. If you have seen us lately, you now know that it is the middle brother playing the guitar and not myse lf. Something about coordinated fingers on the neck of the guitar didn't work with me. I then turned my desires to being a youth minister. After all, I wanted to do SOMETHING for the Lord. Why not play havoc with the lives of teenagers. However, this too presented a problem for my desire-calling ratio. It had a little something to do with my disdain for impetuous behavior amongst teenagers. I love teenagers, I just don't deal well with teenage behavior. This led to my inability to get along with the “blessings” and consequently the crushing of my final dream before settling in my true calling, music.

Can we all agree on something? Just because we have the desire to do something doesn't necessarily mean it is something we should do.

Not everybody is called to be a pastor. Not everybody is called to be a youth minister. And, not everybody is called to be a singer. David played before King Saul because he was skilled. King Saul could have had anybody but he chose the best, the soon to be King David. Even David wanted those skilled with the instruments to play for the Lord.

Ransomed is not qualified to sing before every congregation. Some congregations will prefer a more contemporary sound than what we have. As we have talked amongst ourselves it has occurred to us that the following successful people in SG have had standards. Bill Gaither for one. He does not let just anybody stand on his platform. Consequently, people travel many miles and pay serious money to see the Gaither Reunions. Singing News has a very high standard to be on the cover of their magazine. While I think it is a bit over stated, I cannot argue with the success. Well that's the national people. Fair enough. Let's take a look at one of our own from North Texas, Harold Marshall. While Harold and I have not always seen eye to eye, I still cannot deny the success. He sold 1700 tickets to a gospel concert in north Texas? Are you kidding? How did he do it? He has the good sense to have a high standard. Even His Call has had some success with their concerts because they insist on us ing the best local talent and bringing in solid talent from outside the state. People don't pay to see poor talent.

These people were successful because God has given them an idea and the common sense to pursue those ideas to their fullest. The argument that I really like is that Moses had a stuttering problem but God used Him. Whether he had  a stuttering problem or not is debatable. He was raised in the house of Pharaoh and had the best education available, including public speaking. More than likely Moses was seeking an excuse to get out of doing God's will. The reason this argument gets me is because with Moses, David Ring, and Joni Tada we are talking about handy-capped people. The people that I am talking about are not handy-capped unless the inability to carry a note with a beat qualifies. These people have an anointing that defies explanation.

Speaking of anointing, why is it that we were part of a group a few years ago and nobody was talking about an anointing? However now we hear this about an anointing quite a bit. Chris and I are the same people, probably a little more worn. May I present an argument that we have refined our sound and now people may "hear" an anointing because it can get past their ear drums and into their heart.

Please understand that it isn't that I think we are the best group out there. I chalk that up to personal taste and personalities. Quite honestly, I don't even view myself as having the best voice in Ransomed. I have, however, been a music minister for about 20 years and taken voice lessons for another 10 years. I would think that would qualify me a little bit as to what is good and what is bad. I also allow room for personal taste before I decide whether something is good or bad. Some of the sweetest voices that I have heard in the area tend to sing praise and worship.

If you disagree with what I am saying then by all means offer your reasoning as to why the crowds in the metroplex are so small. I look forward to hearing your response.