A Special Surprise!

Gary Franklin, Steve Faison

When I went to the Tribute Quartet concert in Vero Beach recently, I ran into a buddy of mine and immediately stopped at the pew where he sat and visited a while. It wasn't long into the conversation that I pulled out my phone and asked if he minded a selfie with me. Of course, I told him then it would find its way to the web.

 

Former Trust Quartet tenor singer, Gary Franklin was in the house! It was good to see him and spend some time catching up. He, of course, was forced to leave the group in 2011 due to health issues. There are still some struggles, but he is getting those things under control.

We were able to reminisce about some of our friends we made while traveling together and just had a good visit. I guess the only thing I forgot to ask him about was whether he'd had pizza lately! For those who don't know, Gary and I were known to speak up on the bus in favor of stopping for pizza while on quartet trips.

I'm sure Gary would appreciate your continued prayers.

Circle the Date!

I love football! In fact, sports in general is pretty high on my priority list. Especially when I have a chance to go to a game and watch it live. The local high school football team is undefeated this season and Friday night opened the first round of the playoffs - at home. I'm not sure who sat in my seat on the 48 yard line, 12 rows up for Round 1, though. Friday night, November 14 had been circled on my calendar for quite some time for a different reason. Tribute Quartet was coming to town!

The first time I went to a Tribute Quartet concert, I was not in the best of moods. I remember sitting in the back of the auditorium with my arms folded, as if to say, "Bless me if you can." I went away that night impressed. I went back the next year, and the next. This is at least the fourth or fifth Tribute Quartet concert I've attended at the little Baptist church just down the street from my home. This time, I was on the front row!

Gary Casto, Josh Singletary, Steve, Anthony Davis, Riley Harrison Clark

Tribute Quartet brings an infectious energy and enthusiasm to their concerts. After the concert was over, and I was talking to lead singer / manager Gary Casto, I told him how sometimes as a minister you are constantly in the giving mode during a service. Whether singing or preaching, it can be very emotionally draining. Tonight, it was so good to be able to be ministered to! I left the concert rejoicing that God is still God! God hasn't changed; He's still in control and He's still on the throne! It seemed like over and over with the songs that were sung or the testimonies that were shared, God was speaking directly to me with His still, small voice, "It's OK. I've got your back. I'm going to carry you through the difficult times. I'm going to help you carry your load."

It was so good to be able to visit with Gary, Josh, Anthony, and Riley tonight. If Tribute Quartet is ever anywhere close to you, you owe it to yourself to go hear them. You absolutely will not regret it!

Encouragement Through The Slumps

Athletes sometimes go through difficult stretches in their game. Hitters go through slumps in baseball. Sometimes a receiver drops a few easy passes in a football game. Or maybe its the basketball player who can't seem to buy a free throw. Similarly, any honest pastor will tell you that some Sundays he just doesn't feel like he's done a good job presenting his sermon. Singers are the same way. There are times when we fight discouragement from forgetting words, or sound system issues. Satan tries his hardest to come between God's man and his best intentions.

I think it would be safe to say that through the excitement of the good things happening with Trust Quartet right now, Satan has tried his hardest to throw numerous monkey wrenches into God's good work. I'm constantly amazed at how God works. I'm amazed at how He is always right on time with His encouragement and confirmation of events in our lives. And the thing that amazes me the most is HOW He continually accomplishes that!

At a recent concert, God's presence was very obvious. It seemed each song we sang was used to meet the needs of the people there. Whenever we have the opportunity, we try to have a rehearsal before our first concert of the weekend. This past Saturday, as we sat together for prayer before practice, Spence talked about how God had been ministering to him this week. Although not feeling well, this recent concert had just not left his mind. We prayed. We began to sing.

We had prayed that God would first minister to us so that we could be a full vessel, overflowing to the people who may hear us. The more we sang and worked on implementing new segments to our concerts, the more God began to deal with our own hearts. Our hearts overflowed with the reminder that our God is still on the throne! He is still the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Christian friend, maybe you need to be reminded of that today. Maybe you have been in sort of a spiritual slump. Maybe you feel like you've hit a brick wall of sorts. Be encouraged that God is still on the throne. He has not kicked you out to pasture and left you to wander aimlessly through this life. He is very much alive and active in your life! Paul reminded the Philippians that He who began a good work in you will complete it! Trust Him to do His work in your life today!

Trust Quartet Website Makeover

The silver lining of the cloud is getting a bit brighter! Last week, our website  had some major issues. OK, actually it just essentially disappeared! After initially being in panic mode, we went to work to at least get a website back up and functioning. Although there are still some loose ends to repair, we're proud to unveil a new and improved trustquartet.com!

Feel free to click the link above and check out news about our newest family members, Ernie and Sandy Altman. Go to our schedule page and find out where we're going to be and when. If you're hosting Trust Quartet and need a couple extra posters and time is running short, check out the media page and print one there. You'll also find a press release with an accompanying photo that's also suitable to use on a power point slide. You can also check out some videos from past Trust Quartet performances in the video section of the Gallery page. And if you've not gotten your copy of our latest CD, Going Home or our Trust T-Shirts, check out our product page. You can also listen to a sample of the CD there! You haven't connected with us on Facebook? You can click our page from the new website, too!

Thank you for your patience. It's truly amazing how God works in the little details, even when we initially fret about them and are concerned while entering the unknown. Now, go . . . go visit the new and improved trustquartet.com!