Top 40 Weekly Chart

TW	LW	#WK	TITLE	ARTIST	PEAK
1	1	13	You Would Think He Would Learn	Dove Brothers	1(4)
2	2	12	Three Rugged Crosses	Freemans	2
3	3	7	I Want to Thank You	Karen Peck & New River	3
4	10	16	A Miracle Today	Mike & Kelly Bowling	1
5	9	7	What Salvation's Done For Me	Booth Brothers	3
6	7	7	I Want to Know That You Know	Greater Vision	6
7	12	19	That's When God Steps In	HisSong	2
8	5	24	Hello After Goodbye	Legacy Five	3
9	4	16	I Cast My Bread Upon the Water	Gold City	1(5)
10	6	12	Big Mighty God	Mike LeFevre Quartet	6
11	8	17	Jesus Gave Me Water	Mitchel Jon	4
12	13	23	The Journey	Crabb Revival	12
13	15	15	Reason Enough	Ernie Haase & Signature Sound	14
14	17	24	The Old White Flag	Triumphant Quartet	6
15	14	24	The Potter Knows the Clay	Perrys	2
16	11	22	When God Ran	Kingsmen	5
17	16	10	Cinderella	Misty Freeman	16
18	25	12	Between a Rock and a Hard Place	Driven	15
19	23	6	Loving the Lamb	Mark Trammell Trio	19
20	22	8	Count It All Joy	Shiloh	20
21	18	27	That's Enough	Talley Trio (with Jake Hess)	3
22	24	13	Joshua's Song	Jeff & Sheri Easter	22
23	29	10	Eternity Has Two	Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver	19
24	20	22	Step Back On the Rock	Three Bridges	8
25	19	22	The Rose	Inspirations	17
26	*	1	It's a God Thing	Browns	26
27	36	9	He Never Sleeps	Mark Bishop	27
28	28	10	I'd Walk This Valley Again	Sharron Kay King	28
29	31	6	God Knows	Southern Brothers	29
30	32	4	Strength	Aaron & Amanda Crabb	30
31	26	16	Get Up In Jesus' Name	Gordon Mote	12
32	34	9	The Dove	Hoppers	22
33	39	6	I'll Do the Miracle	Ivan Parker	33
34	33	9	The Past Is a Promise	Whisnants	28
35	30	4	Ready For Wings	Daryl Williams Trio	29
36	*	1	Through the Valley	Isaacs	36
37	38	14	I'll Love You With My Life	Nelons	29
38	**	3	Foolish Things	Galloways	38
39	40	2	Jesus & John Wayne	Gaither Vocal Band	39
40	27	19	Jesus Made a Believer Out of Me	Kingdom Heirs	16

TW - This week on the chart	LW - Last week on the chart	#WK - Number of weeks on the chart	#1 For the Week
Indicates 1st Week on chart	Greatest Gain on Chart	On chart the longest	Highest on chart after dropping off

“Best Convention Ever”. Those words and sentiments were echoed again and again at the close of the Mid-America Gospel Music Association’s Ninth Annual Convention held November 7 and 8 in Farmington, Missouri. The Centene Center played host to a packed house and proved once again to be an excellent venue for MAGMA’s yearly event.

MAGMA is an organization dedicated to the preservation of southern, country and bluegrass gospel music and currently boasts artists from Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa and Tennessee, with inquiry and membership growing steadily each year.

This year MAGMA was proud to add to their roster of great artists the “Wanda Mountain Boys” of Wood River, Illinois, “New Reason” of New Edinburg, Arkansas, “Full Circle” of Risco, Missouri, “Jericho” of DeSoto, Missouri and “One Voice” of Marion, Illinois. What tremendous additions to an organization already swelling with talent!

It was an excited and anxious crowd that lined up at the ticket window on Friday evening and their excitement carried over into the concert hall as they welcomed Marty Moreland, the evening’s first emcee. Marty wasted no time introducing The Wanda Mountain Boys who took us down memory lane with Squire Parson’s “I’ll Have a New Song” and brought the crowd to its feet with “Long As I Got King Jesus”.

It was a bittersweet evening for country gospel group Heartfelt as they said goodbye to road warriors Randy Barron and Gary Dean. At the close of their performance MAGMA presented them with plaques for 30 years of dedicated service to Heartfelt’s ministry and they will be sorely missed.

The male quartet, Jericho, made their first appearance as MAGMA artists and did themselves proud. Singer/songwriter Janice Crow delighted the audience with three brand new songs. The crowd came alive as she gave them a taste of what an all Janice quartet would sound like, singing all four parts on “Thank the Lord”. After hearing the reaction, MAGMA President, Gary O’Neal teased Janice that she should consider reapplying next year in the group category!

Ralph Green, one of 2007’s Lifetime Achievement Award winners, and his trio Southern Tradition introduced their new tenor, Terry Reynolds as they sang their mellow, laid back harmonies as only they can and it was beautiful as always.

Friday night’s Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to long-time media personalities Slim and Zella Mae Cox of St. Louis for their 60 years in gospel music. They were joined on stage by their children and grandchildren as the award was presented by MAGMA Board member Martha Warren and her son, Roy. Martha and Roy Warren are veterans of St. Louis’ own Gene Warren and The Glorylanders. Bro. Gene passed away last year and would have been thrilled to present the award to his friends and colleagues. It took only a little coaxing to get Slim and Zella Mae to sing a few bars of their old radio theme and the crowd loved it.

MAGMA again provided a Green Room coordinated by Redemptions alto Robyn Mackey, soloist Karen Carr and a steadfast crew where they served up roast beef and all the trimmings, hot dogs, chili, and an assortment of pies, cakes, and cobblers for weary artists in need of a nutrition break or just a hot cup of coffee. Thanks, ladies, for a wonderful job!

Then it was back to the auditorium where Justin Hoagland took over the emcee work, introducing One Voice, who made the most of their MAGMA debut showcasing their smooth, tight harmony on the song, “I Will Go On”. Kathy Atkins is always a favorite and her version of “Hello in Heaven” would make anyone look forward to what awaits for the Christian. MAGMA was proud to welcome once again the Southern Brothers, singing their Top 40 song “God Knows.”

Singer/songwriter Karen Carr inspired the audience with her spiritual anthem, “It’s Time We Pray”, and The Redemptions, although last on the evening’s program, proved they were well worth sticking around for as they took the stage to sing Kevin Womble’s charting song, “This Time”, cut by the Mark Trammel Trio landing Kevin a #20 spot on the January, 2006 Singing News chart. The Redemptions’ appearance at the MAGMA Convention marked baritone Justin Hoagland’s final weekend as a single man. Congratulations Justin and Sara!

At the close of Friday night’s concert singers and fans alike headed on over to a local all-night restaurant to share a good meal and swap road stories into the wee hours of the morning. It was a great opportunity to get reacquainted with old friends and get to know some of this year’s new MAGMA groups.

Saturday evening The Rivermen took the stage with their old-time convention songs “I’m Living in Canaan” and “The Dearest Friend I Ever Had”, always classic. They were followed by N’Praise and Dave Davis’ emotional ballad “Prodigal’s Dad” and “Wall of Prayer”, which featured the buttery rich alto voice of Norma Beatty.

Saturday’s emcee work was shared by Marty Moreland and Carol Sanguinette-How. Carol did an excellent job, despite feeling a bit under the weather, and the crowd rose to their feet on her patriotic gem, “God Bless the USA”. Crown of Joy brought a little bluegrass flavor to the evening and then just before intermission, The Heritage Boys from Rolla, MO brought their sweet harmony once again to the MAGMA stage.

After a touching video tribute, emcee Marty Moreland was presented with Saturday’s Lifetime Achievement Award and there was perhaps no one more surprised than Marty himself. It was no easy task keeping the secret from someone so involved with the convention. Marty Moreland has been a mentor to many young, aspiring gospel singers through the years and one such young artist, Bob Davis of The Heritage Boys, had the distinct honor and privilege of presenting the award. There were tearful greetings as Marty’s old group, “The Singing Disciples”, marched across the stage and took their places before the microphones just like in the old days, favoring the cheering audience with several Singing Disciples favorites such as, “I’m on My Way”. What a reunion!

The Lifetime Achievement Award presentation was a tough act to follow, but newcomers New Reason had no problem rising to the occasion. This Arkansas-based mixed trio with their Hinson style excited the crowd with an old favorite, “Ain’t That What It’s All About” and proved to be a great addition to the MAGMA roster. “As newcomers to MAGMA, we are so excited about being a part of such a great group of Christians. Not only do we have the opportunity to sing the Gospel Truth, which is our purpose, but we gain new friendships with fellow ministers and go out in greater force to spread the Word of God in song. We really enjoyed the MAGMA Convention and are excited about coming back next year”, remarked Captain Smead, the group’s front man.

The Berry Brothers did a great job again this year and even brought a hint of Christmas with the Gold City cover “That Little Baby”. But sorry, guys, the family stole the spotlight when Boone played his heart out on his little guitar. Soloist Andy Russell also gave us a Christmas preview with his song “Give the Gift”, before he turned the stage over to MAGMA freshmen, Full Circle. They proved to be anything but freshmen, rather a fresh sound for the MAGMA audience. Crimson River did a great job on their set with their latest radio release, “He is the Life” and then finally, Golden Street Quartet stepped out on the stage and reminded gospel music fans how old-time quartets used to sound…tenor so high, bass so low, and the crowd loved it all.

Special thanks to Danny Rhoades and his sound crew for a terrific job, “Video Man” Dave Luebbers, Larry Huber and his crew who headed up the concessions this year and all those “background” folks who worked so hard to make the MAGMA Convention a tremendous success. Sunday Edition of http://www.sogospelnews.com, The Wallens, Crimson Gold and soloist Kevin Kappler were unable to attend this year due to scheduling conflicts, but we hope to see them again for the 2009 Convention. Dates for next year’s convention will be announced soon so make your plans to be with us for MAGMA’s Tenth Anniversary! It’s sure to be the Best Convention Ever.

Visit MAGMA online at
http://www.midamericagma.com

Crystal River is a brilliant new group who has recently taken over the name of a previously existing group.Tell us a little about your history prior to taking on the new name. Did you sing together before this effort?

Yes, we have been singing together for about eight years now. We started all the way back in high school in Chorus. After Chorus we started practicing together and singing at festivals and such under the name of Perfect 4U. After a couple of years we all started feeling a calling to sing Gospel Music. We had all been around church and Gospel Music our whole lives, but never sang in church together. One Sunday we got the invite to go with Randy's parent's group, whom he played drums with, to sing. We remember thinking of all the Gospel songs that we all knew from growing up and picked "Amazing Grace" to sing at the service. At the service is where we really got our call to sing this great music. The Holy Spirit touched us as we sang and we knew that Gospel Music was our calling. Soon after, we changed our group name to Chozen and went on singing and writing our own songs. Now we are blessed to be Crystal River.

How did you come together in the first place? Introduce yourselves to us individually.

We've been close friends thru grade school, middle school and high school--and we're still together! We grew up together! There was a time when Randy Gober, the baritone, wanted us to become the next Backstreet Boys and talked Ben Mooney, the tenor, and Tony Churchill, the lead, into it. However we all agree and are thankful that did not happen.

How did you come to meet Glen Bates and assume the name Crystal River?

Well, our business manager, Cecil Hodge, went to a Promoter's Banquet a few months back, where he found himself seated next to Glen Bates. Sometime during the evening, they got into a conversation about the young group that Cecil was helping. Cecil asked Glen, "what would be the possibility that BSA would consider taking on another artist?" Glen told him about the possible changes in the Crystal River Ministry. After some conversation between Glen and Cecil, we found ourselves with an invitation to go to Nashville and meet with Glen Bates and his wife, Beckie Simmons. A few days before going to Nashville, we performed with Michael Combs and after the concert, Michael's wife, Denise, got us all together backstage and called Glen and Beckie on their cell phone and had us sing acapella, Glen's song, "Our Souls Will Fly". That broke the ice and we felt like we knew each other when we got to Nashville. We really connected with the special messages in the songs that Crystal River had been doing. After a couple times in the studio with Glen producing us, it all just seemed to come together. Now, we are Crystal River.

I know that you are now singing a lot of Glen Bates' songs. While he is a terrific songwriter, does this change your style in any way? Speaking of your style.... describe it for us.

Well, the biggest change for us is that before becoming Crystal River we sang all acapella and now we have music. Other than that, the style of singing is the same. Great lyrics plus great harmony equals great songs. We love having Glen in our lives. He allows us to be ourselves with this music and he always says, "Boys, make it yours". The funny thing is that even when we make it our own, we are so similar to the former Crystal River that sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between us. The only difference is we allow Randy "B-Box" Gober to do his thing when he feels it. So, we would say our style is Southern Gospel with a lot of excitement and spirit.

Suddenly you have been dropped upon the Southern Gospel scene with a fairly well known name and a very respected booking agent. What has the transition been like?
Amazing! Just amazing! We never dreamed that we would be where we are today. God has blessed us tremendously and we are just holding on for the ride. Beckie is great! She's such an inspiration. Any questions we have about anything, she knows the answer. Beckie and Glen both have made this transition great for all of us.

I notice that you guys have the same unique style on some of your songs as the old Crystal River. Where does Randy "B-Box" Gober fit into the program? Do either of the other guys have any unique talents?

The B-Boxing always seems to capture the young kids. We have had so many parents come up to us after a singing and say " my kids won't usually sit still for anything, but when Randy does that "B-Box" thing, it just sucks them in. We want to thank you!". We have found out that the kids are not the only ones who love it; we have people of all ages come to us and tell how much they love it. As for Tony and Ben, well, Tony does a great bass guitar with his mouth and then Ben does a mean mouth trumpet. When you put it together, it makes a great live man-band.

You guys certainly have a Southern Gospel sound, but your dress is a little different than the average group out there. How is the newer fashion that you guys dress in going over with the SG crowds?

Well we haven't really thought about that. We dress like we always have. We hope we're not offensive to anyone. We don't mean to be. We do a lot of moving around when we sing. We're just young people being young people; loving the Lord with all of our hearts and following the road that He is paving for "us". Plus, with our unique song styles, the outfits kinda match.

You've just finished a big concert and you are headed down the road, who's the guy that you have to make sure made it back into the van or bus after the first snack stop? Who is the practical jokiest of the group? Who is the worst guy to clean up after when the trip is finished?

Definitely, Tony! He is the hardest to pull back on the bus after a snack stop. Tony always tries to get a whole meal out of a gas station! Skittles for the fruit group and beef jerky for the protein! We all do a great job of playing jokes on each other. I think we all get our fair share of pranks! The worst to clean up after would definitely be "B-Box"! He loves to make himself at home! Socks on the lap and dirty clothes on the floor. However, it works out okay because Ben is a neat freak, so he's always cleaning!

What can a Pastor or Promoter expect to see when Crystal River performs for them?

They will see three young guys who love for the Holy Spirit to work through them to deliver the words of our songs to the hearts that need to hear these special messages. We love singing for the Lord and so many people tell us that it shows every time we get up to sing. We are truly blessed.

How can a Pastor or Promoter book Crystal River?

Just contact Beckie Simmons Agency at 615-595-7500 or go to http://www.bsaworld.com . We would love to come and worship with you.

Visit Crystal River Online at
http://www.crystalriverministries.org

Top 40 Weekly Chart

TW	LW	#WK	TITLE	ARTIST	PEAK
1	1	12	You Would Think He Would Learn	Dove Brothers	1(3)
2	2	11	Three Rugged Crosses	Freemans	2
3	6	6	I Want to Thank You	Karen Peck & New River	3
4	11	15	I Cast My Bread Upon the Water	Gold City	1(5)
5	7	23	Hello After Goodbye	Legacy Five	3
6	8	11	Big Mighty God	Mike LeFevre Quartet	6
7	18	6	I Want to Know That You Know	Greater Vision	7
8	4	16	Jesus Gave Me Water	Mitchel Jon	4
9	3	6	What Salvation's Done For Me	Booth Brothers	3
10	9	15	A Miracle Today	Mike & Kelly Bowling	1
11	10	21	When God Ran	Kingsmen	5
12	5	18	That's When God Steps In	HisSong	2
13	16	22	The Journey	Crabb Revival	13
14	13	23	The Potter Knows the Clay	Perrys	2
15	14	14	Reason Enough	Ernie Haase & Signature Sound	14
16	17	9	Cinderella	Misty Freeman	16
17	24	23	The Old White Flag	Triumphant Quartet	6
18	12	26	That's Enough	Talley Trio (with Jake Hess)	3
19	25	21	The Rose	Inspirations	17
20	15	21	Step Back On the Rock	Three Bridges	8
21	20	31	I Believe God	Brian Free & Assurance	1(2)
22	26	7	Count It All Joy	Shiloh	22
23	32	5	Loving the Lamb	Mark Trammell Trio	23
24	22	12	Joshua's Song	Jeff & Sheri Easter	22
25	19	11	Between a Rock and a Hard Place	Driven	15
26	27	15	Get Up In Jesus' Name	Gordon Mote	12
27	21	18	Jesus Made a Believer Out of Me	Kingdom Heirs	16
28	30	9	I'd Walk This Valley Again	Sharron Kay King	28
29	23	9	Eternity Has Two	Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver	19
30	29	3	Ready For Wings	Daryl Williams Trio	29
31	31	5	God Knows	Southern Brothers	31
32	39	3	Strength	Aaron & Amanda Crabb	32
33	35	8	The Past Is a Promise	Whisnants	28
34	34	8	The Dove	Hoppers	22
35	36	5	Gospel to the World	Kim Hopper	34
36	**	8	He Never Sleeps	Mark Bishop	33
37	33	15	Gabriel	Pathfinders	30
38	**	13	I'll Love You With My Life	Nelons	29
39	**	5	I'll Do the Miracle	Ivan Parker	34
40	*	1	Jesus & John Wayne	Gaither Vocal Band	40

TW - This week on the chart	LW - Last week on the chart	#WK - Number of weeks on the chart	#1 For the Week
Indicates 1st Week on chart	Greatest Gain on Chart	On chart the longest	Highest on chart after dropping off

This is the first line from our newest radio release, “I stand amazed that I’m standing here at all!” These words are so true for us. We used to listen to Crystal River on the radio and Internet and loved their songs and ministry. Now we are the ones chosen to carry on this ministry! God works in mysterious ways! From fans with a dream to being blessed to carry on the ministry of Crystal River, we truly stand amazed.

God has been working so fast and blessing us these past couple of months that we are still left with our heads spinning, wondering what is going to happen next. The way that God has brought us together with everyone at BSA and BSA World Records is only something that can be described as a “God thing”. Our producer Glen Bates says, " Boys, when it is a God thing you better just get ready for the journey because He is going to take you places you’ve never been". We truly believe that! From churches all over the US to Dollywood, seeing young and old come to give there lives to the Lord, to being able to share the stage with artists we have listened to and looked up to all our lives. We are truly blessed to be in this place and this season of our lives; and we pray that God will continue to work through us. Thank you to everyone who has helped us get to where we are today and let’s keep going!

Call your favorite radio station and request our newest single, “I Stand In Awe”. You can also request our brand new Christmas song, “Every Day Is Christmas”. If you would like to book Crystal River in your area, contact Beckie Simmons at the Beckie Simmons Agency (615-595-7500) or http://www.bsaworld.com. We appreciate your support.

God Bless

Crystal River
http://www.crystalriverministries.org

I have been reading some Classic literature lately. Probably not many of you have read this great book, but it has some outstanding common sense between its pages. It's "God In My Corner," by George Foreman, the two-time heavyweight champion of the world. Ladies, that means he's a boxer. You might be wondering what ole George has to do with Southern Gospel Music. Well, in the seventh chapter, titled "Appreciate Today", on page 81, George makes the following brilliant statement. "Although it's fun to recall good memories, I never forget the past is what it is ---- gone forever! I refuse to get trapped there. Nostalgia is thinking that yesterday was better than today. But, if I spend too much time reminiscing about "the good old days", I'll miss the fun of today. I don't want to sit around and think about how good life used to be. I like to think about how good life is right now."

You know, when you sit around and listen to ole George talk, he's just saying some pretty simple things, yet they are quite profound. How in the world does that translate to Southern Gospel Music you're asking? His last two sentences say it all. Let's just change the word life for music. I don't want to sit around and think how good Southern Gospel Music USED to be. I like to think about how good Southern Gospel Music is right now. Are you starting to see where I'm going with this?

Go back and check out many of the old threads on our message boards and you will see that much of the discussion lends itself to how great our music USED to be and how lacking it is today because we use modern techniques in our recordings and performances. We get so wrapped up in what used to be that we miss the great performers and writers of today. I have been so blessed to have lived long enough to have seen some of the great groups of yesteryear. I have great memories of seeing the Statesmen with Rosie, Jake, Doyle, Big Chief, and Hovie. I remember seeing the Blackwood Brothers singing in the Arthur Godfrey Show. (I was really young then, but I can remember it.) I am especially fond of seeing the Oak Ridge Quartet when they were Little Willie, Smitty, Ron, Herman, and Tommy. Those were the groups that put the love of this music in my heart to stay.

Now let me give you some very sad news. I will never get to see any of those performers sing in those lineups again..... ever. Thank God for my memories and my old 33s.

Now let me give you the good news. There are some artists singing today who are every bit as talented and yes as good as those wonderful guys from the groups I listened to in the 50s and 60s. I believe that one of the faults of our wonderful genre is that we live in the past, and we are missing the great music of today. We have groups like Gold City, the Hoppers, Greater Vision, Legacy Five, Karen Peck and New River, and yes even Signature Sound, who are putting out great music that we are letting slip by us, because we are too involved in trying to save what has passed away. We have some up and coming groups like Crystal River, Driven Quartet, Southern Sound, Tribute Quartet, and the Browns who are putting out absolutely fantastic music, but can you tell me what their songs are?

It was as though Ole George was looking right at Southern Gospel Music when he when he was talking about being stuck in the nostalgia era. There have been things come and go in our genre. Anyone remember the fuss when drums were brought on the stage? What about when live bands started showing up? Who can forget the short lived bongo drums, and the synthesizers?

Some things stuck and are still with us today. Have no fear, not everything that you don't like about today's music is going to be here ten years from now. If it's stacks or tracks or graphic equalizers, modern innovations are going to make some things of today obsolete. As new things come on board, make sure that you step back a MINUTE and remember how you reacted to the new happenings in your day.

Southern Gospel Music is is good shape and it's not going anywhere. Let's follow George's advice and enjoy the music of today. Let's stop being so engrossed in the past, that we forget and miss the great music being produced today.

We received the following information from Brothers Forever earlier this week. We agree with the group that this is information that is absolutely crucial to individuals who travel on a bus. We would like you to share this story with as many people as you possibly can. Curtis Hagy of Brothers Forever is also very open to sharing the story in any interviews, live broadcasts, etc. that you would have.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and getting the word out if you can!

Here's a direct quote from Hagy:

"We really want to get radio stations and the whole gospel music community involved so that they can let their listeners and friends know that they need to get protected. Carbon Monoxide is odorless, colorless and tasteless. You don't even know when you are exposed until you show the symptoms. We had no way of knowing. We are just thankful to be alive! Everyone that has a bus, gas logs in their homes, kerosene heaters, etc... needs a detector"

--------------------------------------

By Brothers Forever's Gary Ballew

This past weekend, we went to North Carolina to sing and had no idea what was ahead for all of us. We all went to sleep Saturday night, and at 4:00 a.m., my daughter Alexis woke up with nausea and had to throw up. She tried to wake up her mother who wouldn't wake up at first. Then my wife got up and passed out on the floor. I heard Amy, Curtis' wife, scream out "Cyndi has passed out!" That woke me up out of a dead sleep.

I panicked, jumped out of my bunk, and picked Cyndi up. We walked down the aisle, and she passed out again! At this point, I was really scared. Everyone started complaining of massive headaches and nausea. We got fresh air and aired out the bus, and we all started to feel a little better.

At about 9:00 a.m., an EMT from the church we were at looked Cyndi over and said she needed to go to the emergency room immediately. I missed the concert at the church and took Cyndi and my daughter Alexis to the ER at the hospital. After taking EKGs and many lab and blood tests with 100% pure oxygen for an hour and a half, the doctor concluded that they had carbon monoxide poisoning. They gauge carbon monoxide poisoning on a scale of 1-15 - 15 being the highest at death. Cyndi, after five hours of treatment, was at a level 8.7, and Lexi was at a 6.1. We didn't even realize how close to death all of us were.

The doctor stated, "Your family is very blessed. You should have been a news headline in tomorrow's morning paper. I see that sort of ending in this kind of story all the time."

Lexie, Cyndi, and I all began to weep. God's hand was on all us in that ER room, and we are so grateful to be alive.

That night at our concert, a firefighter came up to me and said, "Did you know that a level 15 is death in this carbon monoxide poisoning scenario?" I told him that I was told that, but he said that I didn't understand. "In order for a person to pass out, they would have to be at a level 13!" That is how close Cyndi and Lexie were to death!

If Lexie had not woke up with nausea, we would all have died in our sleep of carbon monoxide poisoning. I praise the Lord today for so many people who were praying for my family and our group. This could have been a great tragedy in my life - to say the least! The book of James says "Your life is a vapor. Here today and gone tomorrow." We do not know how many days we have left!

Love those around you. Tell them what they mean to you now! Don't wait! God gave the nine of us in the group a second chance, and we are so thankful to be alive. We had an awesome service on Sunday night. Many people were healed and set free at the altar. To God be the glory for the great things he has done!

We love each and every one of you. Thank you again for your prayers. God is good all the time! Remember, read Psalm 91, "God protects his children and covers us"! Meditate on it!

I feel a blessing coming on,
Gary

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For more information on Brothers Forever, visit http://www.brothersforever.net