Southern Gospel Night at Higher Ground...

Hi Everyone:

Quick update - Higher Ground would normally NOT be open on April 30th, since we are opne on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of every month (30th is an additional Saturday night); HOWEVER - we WILL be open on the 30th for SOUTHERN GOSPEL NIGHT!

If you like Southern/Country Gospel music, the 30th is a night for you! Please join us for some great southern gospel entertainment, good food, and quality fellowship at Higher Ground Christian Coffee House on 4-30-05 from 6:00 P.M. to 10:30 P.M. We will have a number of local performers providing some great entertainment!

Please share with your church and friends -- and visit us on April 30th! ...BR

Show on 4-16!

Hi all:

The show on the 16th was, as always very good! The Higher Ground House Band started things rolling in usual fashion. The interesting thing is that HGHB played a version of "Sweet Home Hosanna" a la Eddie Day! It was awesome...lot of fun. We will continue to play that one...it really got folks on their feet.

VISION was fantastic! What a great job! They did about 25 minutes at the statrt of the show and blew everyone away. I like to describe VISION as "power praise" -- super job, guys! The sone "Every Day with You Lord" is definitely my favorite. Jeremy Dotson, Tim Short, and Derek are awesome musicians with a great spirit. I can't recommend themm enough. We want them back as often as posisble!

Garments of Praise - oh my...What an anointing. Their act was incredible and moving. The spirit in the room was overwhelming. Every single had an impact on every person in the room. We want to lift these folks up. They interpreted for Mercy Me on Sunday, yet took time to visit Higher Ground on Saturday night prior. TERESA! THANK YOU! GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR GROUP!!!

Lisa Jones of Crackedpot ministries was great! She reached out to everyone with her powerful testimony. She has experienced a huge challenge and brings it to life with her ministry and anointing. AWESOME job! Check out her web site at www.crackedpotministries.com.

Be sure to pray for an individual who raised his hand during the invitation to Christ. This young man needs Christ...we need to join in prayer that he will commit his heart to Jesus.

HOUSE BAND! REN, TERRY -- AWESOME JOB, GUYS! What fun!

More later, everyone! BR

Higher Ground - Tonight's Show - 4-16-05

'Sup?!

Hey! Don't forget....Higher Ground will be in full swing tonight at 7:00 P.M.! Bring a friend and visit us!

Tonight's entertainment will include:

• Garments of Praise - this interpretive praise group has a powerful anointing and does some great music...very anointed and very entertaining!
• Lisa Jones - Lisa is with "Cracked Pot Ministries," and is a stand-up comedienne who shares life experiences in a positive and hilarious way. See her web site at www.crackedpotministries.com.
  
• Jeremy Dotson/VISION - Jeremy and the band VISION have visited Higher Ground before...if you were there you will definitely show up tonight. If you weren't there last time VISION played...well, you definitely want to be there tonight!
• Of course, the Higher Ground House Band will be playing...and we've got a surprise for you ;) -- well, you gotta be there to see what it is!
  

Well, in short, I would say it is going to be AWESOME! Come see us! Don't forget to visit our web site for directions at www.geocities.com/ofghigherground. Later! BR

Personal Story, Part II -- A BLESSED ANSWER...

Many of you read my post a few days back regarding my friend who was killed in an auto accident. I have been very burdened since I failed to witness to her upon seeing her for the first time in many years. My prayer that someone else had been placed in my shoes and took that opportunity to witness to her WAS ANSWERED!

I learned that my friend was approached by a local pastor 2 weeks before her death and that she dedicated her life to Christ! I was shocked and amazed when I learned this...not to mentioned relieved. She gave her heart to Jesus and was baptized just 2 weeks before she was killed.

God does move! Our God is an AWESOME GOD!!! I am so thankful that someone was obedient to the spirit, and that they did exactly what God wanted them to do! My friend -- SHE MADE IT TO HEAVEN ;)

My lesson from this situation is to be certain that I am sensitive to the spirit. I have also learned that God places us in certain situations for a reason. We are charged with sharing our faith...and this might be a life and death conversation for someone. Life is precious and it is a gift that can dissipate in only a moment. However, we have the option of choosing eternal life; and again, the responsibility to share that option with others.

Praise God! My friend was saved! Pray for her children and family...but at least they (and now, I) know that she was okay to go.

Godspeed...BR

A serious story and a personal note…

I do not normally write anything personal on the blog, outside its specific relationship to Higher Ground…but I think I need to share something. Obviously, I am tremendously blessed to be having such a great time with Higher Ground and with each and every performer who has visited as well as all of the folks who have come (and will come in the future) to have an awesome time. We HAVE HAD AN AWESOME TIME! Each show seems to get better, and better.

Today, I am reflecting on a missed opportunity and my heart is heavy. I saw an old friend a month or so ago. She and I had not seen each other for, oh, probably 15 years. It was nice to talk to her and catch up in the few minutes we had. I told her about Higher Ground, but I am not sure I invited her. I didn’t invite her to church. But -- you know, my true failure was not witnessing about Jesus to her. I saw her again yesterday morning in passing at the school as I was dropping my kids off – we passed each other on the bridge and waved…she smiled.

My friend was killed in a car accident last night. She was young, by most standards. She had 2 kids. I don’t know if she knew Jesus.

I am very, very regretful. I am filled with sorrow for her family, children and friends. It is unimaginable that this tragedy has occurred. Now, I am faced with the reality that I might have failed her. Oh, how I wish that I could take back that few minutes and have spent it witnessing about the love of Christ! God placed me there for a purpose…I just know it. I pray that God placed someone else there.

It is true, I do not know my friend’s heart. She might have been saved. But my responsibility to Christ and to others is to show them THE way…to tell them about HIM.

While I am praying for my friend’s family, I am praying for a renewed boldness. I am determined to mention Jesus to everyone in every conversation. As Christians, this is our first charge. We MUST bring the love of Christ to life and give our friends, family, loved ones – and here is the kicker – with TOTAL STRANGERS. I have purposed in my heart to make EVERY effort to mention Christ to anyone who will listen at every opportunity.

Please take this seriously. I have been given a wake-up call. Cherish every opportunity God gives to witness and then GRAB IT! Carpe Diem! (Seize the Day!!!). Don’t let an opportunity to mention Christ get away…you could regret it.

If you do not know Jesus Christ, please get to know Him. Ask Him to forgive you of your sins and believe and you shall be saved. If you do know Christ, share Him with someone ...TODAY.

Godspeed my brothers and sisters…BR

Cracked Pot Ministries...

Hi Guys:

We have verified that Lisa Jones will be joining us from Cracked Pot Ministries. Should be a funny show! Her web address is www.crackedpotministries.com. Check it out! We will be adding her web address to th elinks section of our web site soon, er, well, I think the page is called "Performers." Talk soon! BR

April 16th - Who's Playing Higher Ground!

Hi All:

Wanted to catch up! On April 16th, Higher Ground will be hosting 3 great acts. These are:

"Garments of Praise" - Garments of Praise is a dynamic interpretive dance group with a live vocalist who have opened for Third Day, Toby Mac, NASCAR (Bristol Races) and others. They are scheduled to interpret for "Mercy Me" this month! They are very anointed and are awesome to watch. Garments of Praise will do about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Lisa Jones - "Crackpot Ministries" - Lisa is a Christian comedian from Bristol who draws from life experiences to create a laugh a minute.

Jeremy Dotson - Jeremy has visited Higher Ground in the past and does an outstanding job with contemporary praise music. Typically performing with teh band VISION (who might accompany him this week -- fingers crossed, here!), Jeremy performs powerful praise and contemporary music! Great show!

Of course, the HIgher Ground House Band will perform and might spring some new stuff ;)!

Come join us on the 16th! Be sure to tell your friends to visit Higher Ground! Godspeed...BR

A soul touched by Higher Ground...

Hi Guys:

Here is a comment that was posted on the Blog following the March 19th show. I was really moved by this once I found it and I wanted to share it with all of you. God truly blesses us and we are thankful that our work at Higher Ground (and Oakwood Full Gospel) is benefitting the Kindom of Christ. "Matt" is all I know as far as this person's identity. He is referring to the performance on 3-19-05 by Harold Kinder. Check this out...

matt said...

hey guys, i had a great time at the higher ground coffee house and the entertainment was all really great. it has made a big change in my life. the guy who sang the anchor holds really made me think, god has never left me. Vision was really good too. i have been praising god ever since and threw out my old cds.

New Photos from Higher Ground on 4-2-05...

'Sup?

New photos have been posted on the web site from the show on 4-2-05. Check them out by visiting the web site at www.geocities.com/ofghigherground, click the "Photos" link, then the link on that page for the show on 4-2-05. Pretty cool! See you on the 16th!!! Godspeed! BR

Higher Ground - Show on the April 2nd ;)

Hi Everyone:

If you were there, you were blown away!

If you were a guitar player, you were giggling like a school girl! (usually saying something to the effect, "watch that!" I had the privilege of jamming with Eddie Day for 10-15 minutes before the show and I have to say, it was a privilege to stand onstage with him.

Eddie and Mary Day performed at Higher Ground on Saturday night and they were absolutely great, ...no, awesome,....uh, no, ...OUTSTANDING -- wow....I am actually speechless! Eddie is a fantastic guitar player, their music was unique and exciting, and their spirit truly bore witness to the love, patience, and forgiveness of Christ.

The House band kicked off at around 7:15...our crowd was down significantly due to the snow (and, I think, the youth lock-in the previous night, ASL's awards banquet, and the Bristol race). No matter! We had a great time with everyone who came! Eddie and Mary took the stage and did two sets of mostly original Southern Rock/Blues/Country/Gospel that moved everyone in the place. They kicked off their set with "Second Chance" an original boogie tune that really cut loose. Eddie absolutely wailed on guitar - and once teh first song started, we KNEW the night was going to be special. The crowd's favorite song was a rendition of "Sweet Home Hosanna," a song to the tune fo Sweet Home Alabama - everyone loved it. In fact, it was requested (and Eddie & Mary graciously agreed to perform it) twice. Eddie's testimony and powerful witnessing really came through and reached those in attendance. He and Mary have a sweet spirit and a heart for people. We will definitely schedule them again for early summer! If you missed them this time around, you REALLY MISSED SOMETHING GREAT! Be sure to check them out on the web at http://www.eddieday.org.

Jeff Arwood and J.J. again harassed the crowd ;). Those two need to be corralled or something. Jeff provided the comic relief that was (and always is) hilarious. We played "the Numbers Game" and had several folks win some cool stuff - of course several others had to do something stupid in front of everyone....which is always funny!

Next show is on Saturday, April 16, 2005. The agenda includes "Garments of Praise," an intepretive dance team with an incredible praise vocalist, and stand-up comedy by Lisa Johnson of Crackpot Ministries in Bristol, TN. SHould be fun...put it on your calendar!

I will get photos of the 2nd up on the web site ASAP! Godspeed my brothers and sisters! BR

Higher Ground and the Buchanan County Youth Lock-In

Hey everyone:

We had the privilege of participating in the 2005 Buchanan County Youth Lock-In last night. The lock in is an all-night event put on for the youth of Buchanan and surrounding counties. It was AWESOME! Belinda and Allen Honaker coordinate the event at Twin Valley High School and I want to say, the did a SUPERB job! The entertainment was great and there was excitement in the air. I think there were around 400 in attendance. This event is an outstanding asset to our community....GREAT JOB BELINDA AND ALLEN!

Belinda graciously allowed Higher Ground to put an information table in the lobby. We communicated with a ton of people and put promo materials in everyone's hands. God truly blesses with opportunities!

It was great to see Reverend Ronnie Ward and his team from St. Albans, WV! What a long trip! We hope to have them at Higher Ground soon. The New Life Drama team performed - all I can say is "WOW!" I literally laughed to tears at some of their work. These teens and young adults are so committed to Christ. They performed last night, all night loing, then were booked to drive all the way to Chesapeak, VA (about 9-10 hours) to perform today - pray for them! Higher Ground will host them some time this summer....so keep watching the schedule.

I want to offer a special shout out and a BIG THANK YOU to Tiffany Watson, Ren Harman, and Emily Ratliff! You guys are the BOMB! Tiff, Ren, and Em really pressed toward the mark of the high calling of Christ by talking to people, giving out information and generally promoting Higher Ground and promoting Jesus Christ...Thank you!!!

Tonight at Higher Ground we will have Eddie and Mary Day, the Higher Ground house Band, Jeff Arwood, The Numbers Game, and maybe ZeroGravity. Should be fun....see you there! ;)

In Christ...BR

Higher Ground and the Buchanan County Youth Lock-In

Hi Guys - this was a duplicate post - sorry! BR

Buchanan Co. Youth Lock-In & Higher Ground

Hi All:

Higher Ground Christian Coffee House had the privilege of attending and setting up a table at the Buchanan County Youth Lock In last night. The event was fabulous! I was in awe at the level of organization and the great events that were going all throughout the night. Belinda and Allen Honaker have truly done an outstanding job organizing the volunteers, entertainment, food, and fun. We want to especially thank Belinda for allowing us to set up a table and spread the word about Higher Ground. Great job Belinda! You are providing an incredible service to our community!

We had a great time at the event and I have the opportunity to see some old friends - in particular, Rev. Ronnie Ward and his team from St. Albans, WV! It was great to see you Ronnie! We also met some new friends in the New Life Drama Group, who performed some incredibly funny stuff. We hope to have both Ronnie's group and New Life visit Higher Ground in the near future.

I really want to recognize Ren Harman, Tiffany Watson, and Emily Ratliff for working tirelessly on Friday night at the Lock-In. You guys ROCK! Your perseverance and ingenuity were awesome - you guys actually think while you work ;) REALLY - Ren, Tiffany, and Em worked the crowd and talked to folks until 1:30 in the morning (at that point, the old guy -- yours truly -- had to quit, go home and get some sleep). Awesome job guys...

Okay...HIGHER GROUND TONIGHT! Eddie and Mary Day will be there...should be cool! BR