SouthernGospelBlog.com

I’ve been part of a group discussion with other Southern Gospel industry members—artists, record label types, etc. One of the things that came up was: What one thing do your fans (or, in this case, readers) most look for from your CDs/blog/etc.?

So I thought I’d ask. Is it…

• news
• commentary
• a certain perspective
• consistency of posts

…or something entirely different?

The free Ball Brothers mp3 download, announced here, ends tonight at 9 PM. Don’t miss your chance to get their latest single, free!

(The download has ended.)

The Ball Brothers will be releasing their first major label project, Breakthrough, with Song Garden in early July. The project will premiere on the Daniel Britt and Friends show on Sirius/XM the week of July 13, 2009.

The project’s first radio single, “Glimpse of Your Glory,” will be available through Saturday night as a free download on this site.

Glimpse of Your Glory (The download has ended.)

A discounted pre-order of the CD is available here.

(A big thank you goes out to the Ball Brothers for offering this free download! I love doing this sort of thing!)

In the dark of the midnight have I oft hid my face
While the storm howls around me and there’s no hiding place
‘Mid the crash of the thunder, precious Lord, hear my cry
Keep me safe ’til the storm passes by

The dark of midnight. We’ve all been there. Those days where we see no light and feel no hope. Yet we know there must be light somewhere. There has got to be a way out of this tunnel. That’s when we cry out, “Almighty God, You know the way. Please show me. I can’t find my way without You!” And just as He promised, He comes through every time.

We hear His voice saying, “My child, fear not. I am here. Didn’t I calm the sea when it felt like your life was out of control? Didn’t I shut the mouths of lions when they threatened to tear you apart? Just as I was with you through every struggle you’ve gone through, even now I am here. Take My hand, and I will lead you to safety. There may be places of danger so stay close to me. You may not be able to see what’s right ahead of you but I can.” Somehow, holding His hand and feeling Him, our fear begins to subside and we relax, knowing that everything He said is true. He has never left us, and He won’t forsake us now.

I wonder why we often wait until the darkness becomes unbearable before we cry out to the One who can remove the clouds and reveal the light. As soon as we begin to see things spiraling downward, He should be the first place we go. We may still enter that dark tunnel but we will be more aware of His presence and His peace. Father, forgive us for taking our eyes off of You. Your face is all we seek.

This is my second off-topic post in as many weeks, but like the previous one, it’s also tangentially related to Southern Gospel.

According to a Fox News report (hat tip, Matt Paasch), San Diego county is attempting to shut down home Bible studies. Apparently, they only want licensed religious gatherings. They want the couple they are targeting to pay thousands of dollars for a license to hold services on their property.

If a move like this holds up under judicial and legislative scrutiny, it would be the beginning of the end of the right to peacefully assemble for church services or Christian concerts—because a system where you must get government approval to meet is only one small step away from a system where the government denies certain applications.

This is only tangentially related to Southern Gospel, but it was too thought-provoking not to share:

Every now and then, the question of the future of the Southern Gospel demographic is raised. This sheds a unique perspective on the subject.

For years, I invariably read blogs by visiting the actual site. Then, about a year ago, I discovered Google Reader and have switched all my blog reading over to their convenient RSS reader. I presently subscribe to 53 blogs there; that would be an insane number to try to visit on a daily basis, especially since many of them are only updated occasionally.

How do you read this blog? And, while we’re at it, how many other blogs do you read on a regular basis?

For those of you who enjoyed Fireproof and Expelled, another independent Christian movie is coming out for a limited one-week release in about a week, (hopefully) to a theater near you.

The Widow’s Might is a film produced by two Christian teenagers in Texas, both recent homeschool graduates. The film is a western musical dealing with (of all things) the issue of property tax, specifically how it can hurt the elderly. The official site, with the trailer and other clips from the film is www.thewidowscry.com, and a list of theaters where the film can be seen is here.

I have seen a DVD of the film, and the technical quality is amazing. The story is interesting, and the actors, especially Gator, deliver good performances. The film also won the top prize, the “Best of Festival” award, at this year’s Independent Christian Film Festival.

This film is worth checking out and supporting.

I was experimenting with augmented chords yesterday, and came across something interesting. Am I missing something or does D augmented = G minor?

Put in a more formal way, does the augmented form of a chord equal the minor form of the chord a fourth above it?

After seeing my April 1 post, a sent me this:

“Guyron, Martin’s Other Boy”