It Is No Secret

Among the songs that Trust Quartet recorded on Classics Made New was It Is No Secret. What a great song! To realize that God's love, shown to us through His grace, is enough to save us from a sinful nature; and to know that it does not need to be kept a secret, but spread to anyone who is willing to hear and accept it! The writer of that great song was Stuart Hamblen. Mr. Hamblen is known throughout Gospel music as being a prolific writer of many great songs. In addition to It Is No Secret, he also wrote Until Then and This Ole House. Why do I bring it up in a blog, you ask? Mr. Hamblen's grandson, Bill Lindsay, lives in FL these days and he contacted us about our singing the song. He told us he'd be at FGMA this year and asked if we'd sing It Is No Secret. We couldn't resist and certainly enjoyed meeting Mr. Lindsay and visiting with him some during the convention.

This is Bill after we sang It Is No Secret at FGMA.

Dee Cooper

Over the years, Dee Cooper was a friend of Trust Quartet. He was a founding member and original FGMA board member. He went home to be with the Lord this past year. He was remembered before the concert tonight.

Our sympathies go to his family and friends who are left behind. But as Trust Quartet has sung many times over the last couple of years, Because He Lives we can face tomorrow and know we'll be reunited to sing with him and all those gone before us in Heaven's choir.

Breakfast at FGMA

Trust Quartet is enjoying fellowship at breakfast this morning. We are about to go to our morning chapel service where Randy and Mary Perry lead us in worship.

Last night some 400-500 gathered to listen to some of the best southern gospel music in the state. Then several gathered at the local Denny's for a late night meal. Can I tell you that this singer slept good last night!

I hope you can make plans to join us for the rest of FGMA. Also, plan to stay connected with Trust-Worthy News.

FGMA Reminder

Here's a reminder of the FGMA Convention Labor Day weekend in Wimauma, FL. Lots of Southern Gospel music and preaching by Randy Perry. Trust Quartet will be singing on Sunday night at 6 o'clock. For complete information, click here. We'll look forward to seeing you there!

Trust Quartet Celebrates with New Day Music Ministries

Trust Quartet spent a great (albeit, LONG) day Saturday. Together with Simple Faith Trio, King's Royal Heirs, and comedian Hoss McLeod, Trust Quartet celebrated with our friends, New Day Music Ministries at their 6th Anniversary concert. First Baptist Church of Eagle Lake, FL was the site for the three-hour concert and those who attended were treated to a night full of music and comedy. Trust Quartet would like to thank New Day for inviting us to be a part of the celebration and congratulates them on six years of ministry. We wish for them many more years of spreading the Gospel and building the Kingdom through music. Here's a picture of Trust during our sound check before the concert. You'll notice we're wearing TRUST T-shirts. Those are the very ones that are available at all our concerts and via our website for only $15 (plus S/H if ordering from trustquartet.com).

Schedule

The e-mail inboxes have been busy! That means you should check our website and go to our 'Schedule' page and see the updates. We are booking early and often, friends! If Trust Quartet is going to be near you, please make plans to come by and say hello. Speaking of our schedule, let me remind you about a couple of things coming up quickly. Saturday night, August 11, we will be at First Baptist Church of Eagle Lake in Bartow, FL. We will be helping our friends, New Day Music Ministries celebrate their anniversary. There will be four groups plus a comedian there ~ it's gonna be a big night, and LOTS of fun! Then, Labor Day weekend, the Florida Gospel Music Association will have our annual convention at the Church of God Campgrounds in Wimauma, FL. There will be concerts on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. There will also be a church service on Sunday morning with Randy Perry (formerly of the family singing group, The Perrys) doing the preaching. You can see all the details for both these concerts on the 'Special Events' page of our website.

Prayer Requests

Please be praying for Mark Joiner. Mark is Rhonda's son (Buzz and Beverly's grandson) who was involved in the boating accident earlier this spring. He had returned to work and was progressing, but took a fall at home Thursday night. He has significantly reinjured his surgically repaired knee and will require more surgery Monday. (This past sentence was brought to you by the letter 'R'!) Also, a dear friend of Trust Quartet, Ernie, in the Daytona area has suffered a heart attack and is now scheduled for open heart surgery. Thank you for praying with us for these friends and family of Trust Quartet.

New Products for Trust Quartet

I wanted to let you know about some exciting new products now at the Trust Quartet product table ~ and soon to be available online! Those of you who have been to our concerts lately already know about our selection of Christian T-shirts and caps. We now have TRUST T-shirts! Be watching this blog and our website for some photos of them and how to order them. I can tell you that the shirts are $15 plus $3 shipping / handling. If you're like me, and need that extra size (3X and larger) to be more comfortable, those are $17. But hey, even though there's more material involved, if you order online, we'll still only ask for $3 to ship it to your doorstep ~ or your post office box ~ whichever will get it to you faster. (What can I say ~ we aim to please!) More news will be coming soon so keep watching. Thanks, friends!

Just a Note of Greetings!

I wanted to stop by the Trust-Worthy News blog today to just basically say hello. I talked to Buzz a few minutes last night and while we don't have any concerts in July, there are some exciting news happening in the next few weeks. Some of you have noted in the past few months a special sign at our product table about a paint job for the bus. Praise the Lord, the bus will likely get that needed paint job in the next few weeks! Thank you to those who have helped make this possible! The group also continues to work hard to learn some new music. While a date for a recording has not been scheduled (so please don't get your hopes up for a new CD next month), we are striving to get back to see ole George before long. Please keep us in yoru prayers as we endeavor to make that happen. Keep an eye on our schedule and be sure to come see us when we roll into your area. Remember the New Day Music Ministries anniversary is coming on Saturday, August 11 in Eagle Lake. Also, FGMA Convention is Labor Day weekend in Wimauma. We're so looking forward to seeing a lot of our friends at these places. Thanks for your continued prayerful support!

Trust Quartet Events

I got home a few hours ago from a Trust Quartet rehearsal. We got together at the Okeechobee Church of God and sang for a couple of hours. Then, we went invaded Golden Corral and feasted a little while. It was a good rehearsal. There are some of our friends who have been so kind to us during our last few concerts ~ listening to us sing some songs that are brand new. Please understand, most of the time when we put a new song in a concert, it's just that. A new song ~ singular! Some of our recent concerts have had three and four brand new songs in 'em! And guess what? They sounded brand new! But our friends have been SO kind and encouraged us along the way. THANK YOU!! This rehearsal was focusing more on those songs and trying to get them where you can enjoy hearing them without cringing while you do it. Can I be honest with you? Music rehearsals can be monotonous. They are hard work. Sometimes it's hard to concentrate and focus for that length of time. But honesty compels me to also tell you that it is some of the most rewarding and enjoyable time as well. We are able to bond as a group, as a family. Speaking of family, we were honored to have little Braylee with us. (Rhonda, if I spelled her name wrong, let me know and I'll correct it!) She is the two year old great-granddaughter of Buzz and Beverly. OK, she's Rhonda and Jeff's granddaughter. She had her first ride on the bus, too! Good grief, I just looked at the clock on the bottom of the computer. I think it's time to get some sleep. Church starts in just a few hours!

Concert at New Hope Baptist in Moore Haven Is Postponed

Hey friends ~ I wanted to let you know that the concert at New Hope Baptist Church in Moore Haven, FL has been postponed. It was supposed to have happened this coming Sunday morning (June 24) but due to overwhelming sickness throughout the church, they've asked if we can reschedule. Obviously, we will do our best to accomodte the good folks there. Please remember to lift them in prayer and for their good pastor as he shepherds the flock there.

Here's An Update on Rhonda's Son, Mark

A couple of weeks ago, Trust Quartet put our friends and family on high prayer alert. Rhonda's son (Buzz and Beverly's grandson), Mark was involved in a serious airboat accident. He was life-flighted to a hospital where he underwent emergency surgery. Another young man was killed in the accident and everyone was obviously very concerned about Mark. We asked our friends to pray and you did. We are so thankful for friends like you and for a God who lovingly and graciously heals. I asked Rhonda to give me an update to share with you, so she talked to her daughter-in-law, Mark's wife, Brooke. This is what we've learned. He only has to use his crutches when he walks long distances and the swelling is doing good. He has an appointment with an orthopedic doctor later this month and hopefully will be put into a lockable brace to allow bending his knee just a bit. She went on to say he's trying to be superman! The extent of the injuries to his knee were scary. His knee essentially had to be rebuilt. He also had numerous facial lacerations requiring stitches. Grandma Beverly added, "He looks amazing compared to 2 1/2 weeks ago!! God is good!! Stitches are out of his face and staples are out of his leg." The Trust Family thanks you so much for your prayers and ask that you continue to pray for Mark and Brooke . . . as well as mom and grandma.

The Reason I Sing!

Jim, Chad, Bruce, and Steve. Two brothers (Jim and Chad), their cousin (Bruce), and the preacher's kid ~ the only one left. That was the first quartet I sang in. We were barely older than toddlers at the time. Back in the late 60's / early 70's in a little Southwest Georgia town of Colquitt. The one thing I remember about that is singing that old hymn, The Old Account Was Settled and all four of us singing the BASS part so we could say 'Hallelujah' in the chorus! My love for music truly started as a very small child. Then there was Billy and George. They were brothers in the next church my dad pastored in Hazelhurst, GA. Yep, we sang together and I remember going to the local radio station and singing back then, too. I suppose that's what gave me a love for radio work to go along with singing Southern Gospel Music. It took me a while to figure out how those quartets made it to all those radio stations like they did! (Incidentally, I did get it figured out in time to play lots of 45s and 33s on the radio before modern technology took over!) My dad, sister, and I used to sing a lot as a trio, too. It was not uncommon at all to gather around our piano and sing when I was growing up. When my sister was visiting with us earlier this month, we reminisced a little bit about those days. I remember before that voice changing thing hit me, I'd sing Johnny Cook's part on Looking For A City ~ and I'd sing it higher than my sister could! Oh, then the voice change. Talk about nasty for a young teenaged boy! Whew! By my junior year in high school, I was able to sing in the Glennville High School quartet. I sang baritone that year and we did OK. It wasn't great, but we did OK. Our bass singer (Felles) graduated after that year, and the other three of us (Jimmy, Greg, and me) were rising seniors. We had another senior (Scott) join us, and I sang bass in the high school quartet my senior year. We won our region and went on to place fourth in the State of Georgia High School Literary Competition. We were excited! There have been other quartets and groups I've been able to sing with through the years. Whether in college, in 'scrap-iron' quartets, or with other family groups, music has ALWAYS played a huge role in my life. Now to be able to sing with Trust Quartet though, has been a dream come true. I've been singing as long as I can remember. It is a passion of mine and I'm grateful God has allowed me to do that. I've learned many lessons and continue to learn. I've met many people and I'm still amazed at the people I meet traveling to various places to sing. Whatever God has given you the ability and the passion to do, be encouraged to do it 'heartily as to the Lord!' He's the reason I sing! And yes, there's a song in there somewhere!

June Newsletter

This is the latest Newsletter that is posted at www.trustquartet.com. Just for information's sake, the 'statement above' is referencing this blog. At least now, maybe you don't think I'm COMPLETELY nuts. (Just maybe SOME nuts!) The statement above is the latest rage from Trust Quartet! Well, maybe not a rage, but it is new and I hope you'll make full use of it. The TrustWorthy News Blog edition will contain these articles plus a lot more! Yes, you can send us e-mails and post on our Guestbook here at our website, and you're encouraged to do that! But the Blog edition will allow you to comment on a post that may be of particular interest to you. It will also feature a few more shorter articles and news items that pertain to Trust Quartet that may not be on this website. You can also subscribe to the blog by entering your e-mail address and each time there is a new article (or post), you will be notified by e-mail. Trust is getting good response from the new songs we're singing in concerts these days. People are being gracious to let us practice on 'em, too! The classics, or should I say, Classics Made New, songs are still received well, and we thank you for your response to those as well. I'll put it this way, as long as you want to come hear us sing 'em, we'll sure be glad to do it! Let me give you a couple of things on our schedule to watch for. Saturday night, August 11, we're looking forward to helping New Day Music Ministries celebrate their homecoming. We'll be with them at First Baptist Church in Eagle Lake. The concert is scheduled to begin at 6 o'clock. Also, Labor Day weekend, make plans to be at the Church of God campgrounds in Wimauma for the Florida Gospel Music Association Convention. We'll be singing on Sunday night this year and we're already looking forward to being there. It is always great to be able to be with our friends from around the state who enjoy singing Gospel Music like we do. You can learn more about each of these great events here. We have one more concert before the summer break in Moore Haven. Check out our schedule and make plans to be with us either there or at another place near you. As always, we covet your prayers for our safety and the ministry. Until next time ~~~ Y'all Keep On Singing!

Steve's Family Visits

It's been a few days since I last posted. That's because it has been a bit hectic! My youngest daughter graduated from High School last weekend, so I spent a good bit of time helping get things ready around home for the company coming in. This week has been spent recuperating from all the whirlwind of activity! It was good to have my family in town for the graduation and they were able to go to Mercy Church of God in Cocoa to be with us for the concert this past Sunday morning. We had a good service, good food, and good fellowship ~ what more could anyone ask for?! This is a picture of my sister, Lynette and me before the concert Sunday morning. Beverly took it and she did a great job because if you look between my sister and me, you'll see my mom sitting with her husband listening to us singing. Be sure to check the website in the next couple of days for a few more new pictures that should be posted. We'll be back on the singing trail in a few weeks but between now and then, I'll try to keep you posted with all things Trust!