White Pond Baptist Church

“To Everything, Turn, Turn, Turn

There Is A Season, Turn, Turn, Turn

And a time for every purpose under Heaven”

Many of us listened to this song by the “Byrds” not realizing they were quoting (mostly) from the book of Ecclesiates Chapter 3. There is indeed a time and a season for many things in life. Good and bad, happy as well as sad. And, of course, there are sometimes mixed blessings. We are experiencing a few at our house.

Our youngest son, Joshua, just graduated  high school. We are very proud of what he has accomplished and the fine young man he is becoming. But, at the same time we will miss him when he goes off to college. He will be majoring in Music Industry.

Our older son, Ryan, will graduate in a few weeks with a degree in commercial graphic arts. He has a bright future in his chosen field. One week after he graduates college he will wed the love of his life and our future daughter-in- law Paige. We are also very excited about this. “Sunrise, Sunset……….uh-oh, better not go there!

So there are joys and a little sadness but mostly joy. There will be, I’m sure many blessings to come and reasons to be proud all over again and again. God has been good to us.

So go the seasons in life. This is not new and many of you have experienced these things or will in the near future.

So, as St. Frances once said: Lord, make me an instrument of Thy Peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love, where there injury, pardon

Where there is doubt, faith, where there is despair, hope

Where there is darkness, light, where there is sadness, joy

Oh, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

To be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand

To be loved, as to love,

For it is in giving that we receive, It is in pardoning, that we are pardoned

It is in dying, that we are born, to Eternal Life

Well said, friend Frances

Bro. Richard

I would like to thank some folks:
WPBC choir, for their faithfulness in presenting the Gospel through music in singing “It Is Finished, Paid In Full” on Palm Sunday. We have still been enjoying singing these songs in subsequent services. You all did a great job! Same goes for our narrators Sonny and Pat Chavers, you are sweet folks. And also for Daniel Jones. Daniel is a faithful young man and did the sound production even though he wasn’t feeling all that great.

Let’s all keep up the good work and remain faithful in practice and attendance in services.

There will be other opportunities for special music events to be announced in the near future.

Lately, I have been really enjoying a TV show on Sunday evenings called “Undercover Boss”. If you have seen it, you know that the CEO of a major company goes out disguised as a common worker. He goes to sites or stores and finds out about how well things are going in the field. Many times these guys find out that they have tremendous and creative people working for them and also any needs they may have personally and professionally. After about a week of this the CEO goes back to corporate HQ and discusses what he has found out. The people with whom he has worked are summoned not knowing what is up. Then it is revealed to them who this guy really is, and they are usually rewarded for their good work and/or helped with some need they have.

It is a heart-warming show and I recommend it. It is hard nowadays to find anything on TV that is recommendable.

Let’s see now. Someone from a lofty position comes down to people that don’t really know him and works and interacts with them. Then he goes back and makes life significantly better. It sounds kind of familiar, doesn’t it?

I love you with the Love of the Lord.

Brother Richard

Most of you at WPBC know that I grew up around New Orleans. I can’t really say that I have been an avid Saints football fan. Here in the last couple of years and especially this year I’ve looked at a few games and checked scores. Now this is a team that not long ago had fans calling them the “Aints” and people coming to games wearing sacks over their heads. But all that has changed. I’m glad for the team and for the city of New Orleans because this is a bright spot in liu of the recent disaster (Katrina) that had befallen the city.

Of course, the Saints get their  name from the song “When The Saints Go Marching In”. It is usually played in a jazz style with most every one in the band taking a “ride” or improvising. It is played mostly in jazz clubs and festivals and I personally have seen a funeral procession in the city (N.O.) as it was played. The “funeral” band  plays a dirge going to the grave site and then plas something upbeat like “Saints God Marching In” on the way back.   This is actually a gospel song that kind of got “highjacked” into the jazz idiom. I have to admit that growing up I played it that way, not thinking too much about its meaning. The words are built around end times prophecy when God’s people with be with Him at last after the Final Judgement.

“Oh When the Saints, Go Marching in” (repeat)

Oh Lord, I  want to be in that number

When the Saints go marching in

There are other references from the book of Revelation in the other choruses

“Oh when the sun refuse to shine” etc. and “Oh when the moon turns into blood” etc

There are some verses also, here are a couple: (the tune is different)

We are trav’ling in the footsteps, Of those who’ve gone before

And we’ll all be united, On a new and sunlit shore (chorus)

Some say this world of trouble, is the only one we need

But I’m waiting for that morning, When the New World is revealed

Well, I hope you have enjoyed this little trip down memory lane. There is a lot more to the “Saints” song than you may have realized. That could be said about the team as well.

Hope you all have a blessed week

Bro. Richard

I am resolved: to blog more. Well it is a month in 2010 and I have blown that one!

I really do intend to become more active in the weblog(blog) but I  usually don’t want to write unless I have something to say. So this time will be mostly some information.

Choir rehearsal times have been changed to 4:45 pm on Sunday afternoons. The purpose of this is to try and accommodate more people with hectic schedules. We will try this for February and then evaluate to see how workable it is.

We will be presenting  “It Is Finished, Paid in Full” and Easter musical arranged by Marty Parks. This is the same arranger who produced our Christmas presentation. The date the choir will sing it is March 28, on Palm Sunday in the morning service. This will give more time at Easter for preaching which I consider very important.

Bro. Woodie and I have consulted with a contractor for church sound systems and I am very excited about some of the possibilites and improvements to be made. More to come on that later.

Choir members please continue to be faithful in rehearsal times and service participation. You are needed more that you’ll ever know.

It is a great privilege to minister in God’s Kingdom with you through music.

In Christ’s Love,

Bro. Richard

And also, what has happened?

I want to say again a big “Thank You” to everyone that was so sweet to me at last month’s Minister Appreciation in October. The gifts, food, practical items, goodies and fellowship are always an encouragement to my soul. It is a great privilege for me to be able to serve God with all of you at WPBC. I know that I speak for Bro. Woodie and myself in saying that you all are a great blessing to us!

Speaking of blessings. Last Sunday around 5:30 am was the debut of Eva Marie Turner. Congratulations to Bro. Woodie, Kylie, Will and Preston for this beautiful addition to the family. I know you will want to do all you can to make welcome this precious gift to our church family.

I am really enjoying using the new edition of  the Baptist Hymnal. One thing I have always liked about our church is that most everyone is open to learning new hymns and praise choruses. For many years I was very traditional in selecting music for worship. Songs like “God is So Good” and “Pass It On” were about as contemporary as it got. With the urging of a former pastor here I learned to use and love many of the newer praise and worship songs. Now, I can’t imagine not having them. Of course, I will still sing and honor the time-tested hymns of the ages. We practice what many now call “blended music” for worship. I enjoy all of it. I hope you do also.

As of this writing the adult Christmas musical “A Christmas Offering” will be presented on December 20th at the morning worhip service. I ask the choir for continued faithfulness in regular Wednesday rehearsals. There will also be a couple of “bonus” rehearsals on some Sunday afternoons. I know this will be a great time of music as worship as the choir presents this musical.

May all that we do in word or in deed be pleasing to the Lord our God, in Christ Jesus and for His Glory.

Amen

I love you all

Bro. Richard

Need I say more? Most of us are really into it this year. High School,  College, and the Pros. Some of you may have played the game. I did, in my senior year of high school. I just went out for it not knowing why. I just wanted to try it.

Football can teach you things about life. The most obvious is when you get knocked down (sometimes really hard) get back up and keep going. Sounds rather trite until you are out there with pads on and trying to stay in the game. Coaches endeavor to “inspire” you with their philosophy. I’m sure many of you remember the coach on Two-A-Day a couple of years ago. One day one of my coaches said, “Harrison, God created that shoulder of yours, now use it to HIT SOMEBODY!” Not exactly great theology but it worked.

Another thing I will never forget is when my buddy Frank was goofing around and coach saw it and said, “Nihort, (Nihart) get over here with Harrison.” He made both of us get down in a stance and start blocking each other. I got the best of him and my buddy walked off. I turned to the coach and said, “Coach, that really wasn’t fair, I outweigh Frank and am much stronger than him”

“OK, Harrison. Joe Glenn, come over here and get down on a stance with Harrison. “Well Joe was tall, thin and wirey. He ate my lunch. I was laid out on my back trying to get a breath and Coach walked over and bent down and questioned me “Now was that fair?”   “Yea, Coach” I gasped “That was fair”.  Football can teach you when to be quiet.

We all have life experience good, bad and funny that help to shape who we are.  We trust God that he will work the outcomes for our good. That’s His promise.

Many thanks to the people who made “Homeward Bound” such an enjoyable blessing. We will probably try it again next year about a month earlier.

Keep getting back up,

Richard

A couple of weeks ago we had a special guest, Jim Mahannah and his wife, do a concert of music for us on Wednesday night. I was also priviledged to be able to “sit in” on a few songs that they did. What a great experience to hear such wonderfulj talent and testimony. I enjoyed  being able to play along with a musician of that caliber. Also, I was impressed with the sweet spirit of those folks. This gentleman has amazing talent in so many ways and yet has a humble and generous way about him. I’m very thankful to see and experience people like this. We have wonderful people in our midst who exhibit such qualities.

It also encourages me in what I so for a living. I help parents and students get band instruments for the school year. Most will play for a few years or even a few months. But, some will really excel and move on to great things in music. It is my prayer that many will use their talents for God and will glorify Him in their music and lives. I will never know where all that will lead but God knows.

He knew what Jim and his wife would do to bless others. And he knew what I would be doing with music in church even when I didn’t have a clue. I thank the Lord for the ministry He has given me in this church.

Remember that September 12th we will have a special presentation of Gospel music “Homeward Bound” with special guests “Blood Bought” quartet. This will be a great night of music and fellowship.It starts at 6:30 pm. Please bring some ice cream or other dessert for the fellowship afterwards. We will enjoy the participation of other church choir members there as well as our own home folks.

God bless,

Bro. Richard

It seems to me that this summer has had more rain in this area than the last one. Last Sunday night it rained while we were having service. It reminded me of something I experienced in my college years.

In Louisiana the Dry Creek Baptist Camp was considered hallowed ground. It had very “spartan” accomodations. The bunk beds in the cabins barely had mattresses on them. But students from all over the state would go there for retreats, conferences and such. There were great moments of worship, teaching, music and fellowship.

One Fall when it was almost time to go back for a semester, a friend of mine was involved in an event that was named “Youth Evangelism Festival” He invited me to go and play in a music group that would play during the meetings which were held in an open air tabernacle . Nowadays a group like this is known as a praise band. Anyway we rehearsed and learned several “contemporary” praise songs of that era. The main speaker every night was a pastor from First Baptist Church of Beverly Hills CA. He was a fantastic speaker and the Lord used the music and Barry’s messages. Several young people were saved that week. I remember the last service we were singing praise to the Lord for what He had done that week. We all sang “Sweet Sweet Spirit” and about that time it started to rain.  We didn’t get wet but you could sense this was God confirming His presence to us.

Fast forward about one year. There was another evangelism conference held at Dry Creek this time with more “local” personalities. There was still a sense of expectancy in the air as the year before. I remember watching a young guy who was also asking  kind of challenging questions to some of those leading in small groups. I began to pray for him and God spoke to his heart. He came forward to receive Christ at the very last service. We sang the last song and guess what, yep, it started raining. What a blessing of confirmation it was.

I pray that God will send His “rain” on us, as a people, individually and as His church. I love you all very much.

Richard

In recent weeks Linda and I have been privileged to participate in two wedding events. What a precious time it was! First, I enjoy working closely with my wife  in music ministry. God has blessed her with great talent in singing and playing the piano. She accompanied me on some saxophone solos for preludes and in the service , some of which I plan to share in the near future. For me, it is a wonderful thing to minister with her in this way.  We also played some lighter selections for both receptions. Great fun.

Secondly, watching these precious young adults commit to God and to each other to share their lives and begin Christian families just blessed me in knowing what a great institution marriage is. It also reminds me that marriage is a model of what Christ is to the church. One day, as His bride, we will be united with Him with joy that is unspeakable. What a grand and glorious day when we see our Savior face to face!

Please note:  September 12th is the night of  “Homeward Bound” a presentation of choir music in the grand old Gospel style. We will invite choir members from other churches to participate with us. Make  plans to be there and invite others.

I love you with the love of the Lord,

Bro. Richard

One of the hymns we will sing on Sunday 6/14/09 is “Wonderful, Wonderful Jesus” It is one of my all time favorite hymns. I have mentioned in services that the tune for this hymn was written by Ernest O. Sellers (1869-1952) while he was dean of music at New Orleans  Baptist Theological Seminary. It is no surprise that he named the tune “New Orleans”. As many of you know, the tune has a name as well as the title of the hymn.

This brought back many memories for me.  I grew up in the New Orleans area in a town just south of N.O. in “Belle Chasse” (the town name means “good hunting”) This area has a lot of diverse people and culture and there are good and bad elements. The founding fathers of  NOBTS knew this would be a great mission field and proving ground for ministers to apply what they learn in the classroom.

At seminary I encountered some very fine people. Many of them had a profound effect on my life. Some names that come to mind are:

Harold Hancock- He was a graduate student at the seminary and music/youth directory at church. Harold was my first “mentor” He saw some possibilities in me when my friends and I started showing up at youth functions. He immediately started me playing guitar in services and on missions excursions to the city. He even took the youth choir to a coffee house ministry on Bourbon St. He also just befriended me and made me feel like I was important and a person of worth, which was something I had not experienced much in my young life. Thanks, Bro. Harold for being a friend.

Genter Stephens- Here was a great old man who further encouraged me to pursue church music. At the time I first encountered him, he was a retired music professor at NOBTS. His encouragement and friendship had ment much to me over the years. One time, he looked me straight in the eye and said “Richard, I covet you for the Lord” That was a profound moment for me. When I was at a church in Montgomery, AL he came and did the revival music for a week. One of the highlights was a fellowhsip where he dressed up in full Scottish regelia (kilt and everything) and sang old Scottish ballads. He could really work the room, you could say. One time He played  “Amazing Grace” on a saw with a bow.

At school I had some great classmates. We became sort of a family in the music department. Many teachers and fellow students helped to shape what I would become as a minister of music. One of my classmates, Chris Machen and his wife Diane, went on to be successful songwriters and recording artists. Our choir has sung “Bow The Knee”, one of Chris’ most notable songs. Al Fike became a Christian comedian and speaker. Many of you remember Frank Nihart, who brought his youth group from Troy to sing for us. Frank and I go all the way back to Belle Chasse High School. He is now Minister of Music at FBC Deridder LA.

All of us have people that have helped to make us who we are today. Thank the Lord for family and friends who blessed you over the years. If they are still around, be sure to tell them about it.

Yours, in the Lord

Bro. Richard