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!

Website Issues

Hey Trust friends, I wanted you to be aware that our website is a bit under the weather. I'm aware of the problem and I'm working to get it fixed as quickly as possible.

Here's a few things you need to know since you can't find it at trustquartet.com.  We have concerts coming up Sunday morning in Homeland at the Homeland Baptist Church. The concert is at 10:30 AM and you can find the church at 208 Church Street in Homeland.

If you're into advance planning, the following Sunday, November 9, we'll be at the Okeechobee Church of God at 10:30 AM. The address for that church is 301 NE 4th Avenue in Okeechobee.

Again, I apologize for the inconvenience regarding our website, but hopefully sooner rather than later, it will be back up and running at full speed! Thanks so much for understanding!

Trust Quartet Welcomes the Altmans

Last week I posted that Trust Quartet would have some BIG news to tell. One person asked if we were about to release a new CD. Not quite, but hopefully we'll be back in the studio to record another one soon.

Ernie and Sandy Altman

We have a personnel addition to tell you about. The Trust Quartet family is welcoming Ernie and Sandy Altman to the family. Ernie and Sandy live in Okeechobee where they each work for the school system. Ernie will be our new keyboard player and will also be working as a vocal coach and occasional vocalist in the group.

More will be published soon on the website, but we wanted to let you know what was happening and invite you to come to a Trust Quartet concert near you soon to meet our newest additions to Trust Quartet. Welcome to the family, Ernie and Sandy! We're glad to have you aboard!

This is BIG!

One of my favorite episodes of The Andy Griffith Show features a scene where Andy and Opie are at the pond fishing and Barney comes running toward the bank screaming, "Andy, Andy! Andy, this is big!! Oh, this is really big!!" As it turned out, there was a shipment of gold that was supposedly coming through Mayberry and the local law enforcement was needed to help escort this gargantuan amount of money through town. It was supposed to be kept secret, but leave it to ole Barn, word got out and a whole parade of folks came to see the money truck.

I have some BIG news of my own! But I'm not going to release it just yet. Trust Quartet has some big news that we'll announce in the next few days that is probably some of the biggest news we've had in a few years. Yes, I said YEARS. I'm having a hard time suppressing it, but I wanted to send a little teaser to keep you wondering! I mean, this is BIG!

Be sure to watch our website and this blog in the next few days. Oh, it's BIG!

Prayer Request Updates

At the risk of sounding whiny, I've been hesitant to write a lot this summer. It has been a trying summer to say the least. Through various struggles and difficulties, life goes on. In the midst of trials and tribulations, we're called to remain joyful! Sometimes I wonder why James had to include that in his letter to Christians so many years ago!

Having said that, I was on a phone conversation with Beverly earlier this week and she was telling me she had just completed an e-mail to me and wanted me to pass it along. Some of you may remember some prayer needs she brought to us last spring. Here is an update on some of those needs:

"Back in May of this year I had asked for prayer for a few of my cousins. There was Ricky that was very ill with cancer, and when he received a call from God to come home he was already prepared for that journey and is now resting in the presence of Jesus with no more pain and no more worries. Another cousin, Joe, suffered a heart attack and has also gone home to be with the Lord. The families miss them tremendously, but they are at peace by the assurance that Ricky and Joe are happy and they are at peace.

After all the sad news we have a PRAISE THE LORD! I received information that my cousin Tommy, who had been placed on a top priority list for a heart and kidney transplant (I can hardly type this because of the excitement) NO LONGER NEEDS A HEART TRANSPLANT! The doctors, after extensive testing told him his heart has improved to the point that he can be removed from that list. Praise God! However, he will remain on the top priority list for kidney transplants so please do not remove him from your prayer list. The family continues to covet your continued prayers. As you read this rest assured that God is still in the healing business and “He is still in the Listening business” so we should never fail to pray when someone asks us to do so. Let’s keep on keeping on!"

Yes, We Need To Still Hear From You!

Trust Quartet will not be quite as visibly active for the next few weeks. There are quite a few items that are on our agenda, though. We're looking to repair and maybe even replace some equipment, learn some new songs, and spend some quality time with our families. I'll still keep you as updated as I can. In fact, you may want to keep checking our schedule on the webpage to make sure when we'll be where. For the record, I just got an e-mail today about a couple new concerts that I've not had a chance to put on the web yet (as of this writing).

We do value your prayers as we continue working to improve our ministry. We'll still be logging miles and working hard to represent Christ in the best way we know how.

And lest I give a false impression, if you're interested in having Trust Quartet in your area, please do contact us! This is not a complete shutting down by any means. While we have scheduled some time off, we are more than willing to fill some of our open weekends to spend with you! You can find our contact information at the website, too.

Trust Quartet Welcomes Chaylee

Mamaw (Rhonda Mohr) with grandbaby #5
Chaylee

Our Trust friends and family needs to meet Chaylee! She finally arrived June 5 and we are thankful that everyone is healthy!

Trust Quartet welcomes Chaylee Ricky!  Chaylee was born June 5, measuring 20" and weighing 8.1 pounds.

Both mommy and baby are fine ~ and Mamaw and Papa Mohr are ecstatic and Grandma and Grandpa B (Buzz and Beverly) are as well.

Trust Concerts in Georgia

Trust Quartet is about ready to board the bus and head for Georgia. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it! All three stops this weekend are in churches that are very special to me.

Saturday night, we'll be with Cedar Springs Free Will Baptist Church just outside Blakely, GA. My dad pastored this church back in the 70s, and I was fortunate to pastor the church at the turn of the century. The concert is scheduled to begin at 7 PM. Please pray for the pastor, Keith Horn and his family. I received a call from him earlier Thursday and he will not be able to attend. He is on his way to conduct the funeral of his uncle in Ohio.

Sunday morning, we'll be with the Bellview Free Will Baptist Church outside Colquitt. This is Bellview's annual Homecoming Day and it traditionally is a huge day for them. My dad pastored this church back in the 60s-70s and they've graciously asked me to come back to preach Homecoming 2014. They wanted Trust to come provide the music. What an honor to be able to be there for this special day! Their current pastor, Royce Horne was a college classmate of mine, so I'm looking forward to visiting with he and his wife as well. The quartet will be singing at 10AM in lieu of the Sunday School hour and I'll be preaching during the 11AM Worship service.

Sunday evening, we'll be with the Midway Free Will Baptist Church in Moultrie. My dad grew up in the Moultrie area and there are still lots of family here. In fact, this was the first church my dad pastored when he graduated Bible College. I wasn't around then, but I did work at this church back in the 80s when I was very young in the ministry as well. I led the music and youth here, so I'm looking forward to going back.

Since these churches are all close to our family's heart, it will be good to see lots of family members this weekend. Some will be driving great distances to help celebrate. Please pray that God would do a mighty work in these three concerts!

Please help us pray

Pat sent a prayer need to me and asked that I pass it on.

Edna Howard is a friend in Ohio battling congestive heart failure. She is 86 years young and is in the hospital for the second time in the past couple of months.

Thanks for praying!

Would You Please Help Us Pray?

From time to time we are asked to share prayer needs from our friends and families. It is our honor to pray for these needs and when asked, we certainly are privileged to pass them on to you, our Trust Quartet friends. Please, do take these requests seriously and take them to the Father during your quiet time with Him.

These particular requests came to me today via e-mail from Beverly. Most of them are members of her family. I'll pass along the specifics as we're able, but please remember, each of these are very real needs to these people.

Please pray for Ricky, Edward, and Lee. Edward and Lee are brothers, and each of these are cousins of Beverly. Each of these are facing medical needs. Also, remember Jeff in Texas. He is a kind of adopted son of Pat. He's in the hospital with a serious infection in his foot. He is improving, but still has a ways to go.

Another cousin of Beverly is Tommy. He has been on the waiting list for a heart and kidney transplant for quite some time, but due to some recent problems, has moved to the top of the list. Please pray that God would provide for him and his family during these days.

Thank you so much for allowing us to share these needs with you. As you pray, please do remember to take them to the Father.

What Its All About

God has been so good to Trust Quartet! Over the course of the last few weeks, we've seen the incredible hand of God working in our services.

There have been several people showing interest in becoming Christ-followers. We're sure hopeful they are following through with those desires and commitments to Him. This past week, in a sparsely attended setting, a young lady, 18 years old, decided she needed to recommit her life to Christ.

I'd met this young lady at a previous couple of concerts, and have been impressed with her openness about serving God. She was involved in a pretty serious auto accident the Sunday before we were at her church. When she showed Spence and me the pictures of her vehicle, and heard her say she only got one little piece of glass in her finger, I was amazed! It was only by the grace of God that she simply walked away from that accident!

As we sang that morning, it was hard not to watch her. As I mentioned, the crowd was a bit low. It was easy to watch everybody! When the invitation was given, there was no response ~~ at first. We were just about to pray the benediction, when a voice behind me spoke up. "I know we've already gone past it, but can I still rededicate my life to Christ?" There were more than a few sobs I heard from those sitting around me as this young lady got up from her seat and went to the front of this little church and recommitted her life to Christ. My throat was getting a bit lumpy, too!

After lunch, I had the opportunity to sit and talk with her. I had driven my own car to the concert due to the location, so I had the time after the loading work was done. Listening to how this young lady is responding to her life situations encouraged me. I'm looking forward to going back to that little church outside Okeechobee and seeing how this young lady is continuing to respond to God's plan for her life.

That's why we do what we do. For Trust Quartet, it's far more than singing a few songs and packing up and going to the next place. We know God can do incredible things in the lives of His people. We simply want to be used by Him to encourage those with whom we come in contact to lock in to His purpose for them!

Will you help us pray for more people like this young lady? Will you help us point people to Jesus? This, friend, is what it's all about!

A Needed Respite

I've stood in front of lots of people to give presenations of all sorts. Whether preaching a sermon, singing a song, teaching a lesson, moderating a business session ... I've seen lots of people from a platform. The legendary bass singer, George Younce of the Cathedrals Quartet said it when I heard it first, and I've quoted him a few times, "Some folks just look back at you like a mule looking at a new gate!" I've seen quite a few of mule-like people in my day. I'm thankful that's not the majority, though!

One particular concert, we'd had a bit of a difficult time and the communication was harder than most. We've all experienced it at some point or another, but it doesn't make it any easier. Normally, when we look for a restaurant after a concert, we gravitate toward Golden Corral, Sonny's Bar BQ, Steak n Shake, etc. If we're in a bit of a hurry or money is really tight, we'll head to a McDonald's or Wendy's. You get the idea.

After this concert, though, we didn't have a particular place in mind, we weren't finding one of the above named restaurants and we had a little time to kill before getting to our next stop. On the bus, we were seeing all kinds of restaurants and just naming them one right after the other. Someone said, "There's an Olive Garden," about the same time I pointed out the Outback. The Olive Garden was on the right hand side of the road, and Buzz made a bee-line for it.

Rhonda and Jeff were on the couch across from me, and our eyes met and I could feel my eyebrow raise up. Sure enough, that's where we went. Buzz must have known something we didn't know! Buzz parked the bus as we went into the restaurant. We were seated before he even got to the door. They sat us in a little alcove to ourselves. It was much quieter and we were set a bit away from much of the restaurant.

William was our server and he did an incredible job! In fact, when the manager came around to ask about our experience, I told him that I didn't know what he was paying William, but it wasn't enough!

After the difficult concert, it was so nice to be able to have a room all to ourselves where we could re-energize ourselves for the next concert. We were extremely thankful for Olive Garden that day. Oh, and lest anyone think we're financially set since we ate at a nicer restaurant, we each ordered off the special menu ~ got full for less than a meal at Golden Corral!