Hang Together or Hang Separate
Dave Andrews • August 2, 2021
A call to unite and to work together.
At the founding of our nation, when the Declaration of Independence from England was being signed, Benjamin Franklin reportedly said “We must hang together or surely we shall hang separate.” Whether Franklin said it or not, British power indeed did rise up to take back what they thought was rightfully theirs, and to crush the rebellion. But in the end, the underdog, the tenacious forces of the Continental Army would prevail. They were not perfect. They had their weaknesses. But they hung together at great expense to themselves, they stuck it out, they had their eyes on the prize, and fought the fight to secure a legacy of freedom for many generations to come.
After considering all the events of the last year and a half, it is with no hesitancy that we can easily say our nation is under attack at the very core…the heart. Politics have failed us, medicine and science have failed us, goods and services have failed us…all the things that we have gloried in as a nation have failed us. Those empty guides have left us wondering who we are, what happened to the heart of our nation, and when did it leave.
The failures of our recent way of life is not entirely a bad thing…if we can revive our heart as a country…a heart that was founded on Christ. You see, our founding fathers were clearly not alone (no matter what the modern history books say). God was with us. The last stanza of the Star Spangled Banner demonstrates what our founders knew…for a nation to succeed, we must have God’s blessing.
“Blest with vict'ry and peace may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the power that hath made and preserv'd us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto - "In God is our trust,"
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.”
As believers in Christ, we know that the Holy Spirit is the only one who can really change a heart. So if we want to see God’s blessing return, for the rampant immorality to wane, and for our nation to be greater than ever before, it is time for God’s people to mobilize with the message of Christ. It is a time to live boldly…speaking truth and proclaiming redemption, the Gospel. We are His servants and representatives in this nation…we may be the minority now, but the resources of the church are still vast…certainly vast enough! We CAN turn this nation around…if God is with us, and if He is proclaimed for the salvation of souls.
Ecclesiastes says there is a time and season for everything. There is a time to rest absolutely...but some of us have forgotten to do anything but that. There is also a time to work. Sunday is commonly our day of rest, but there are 6 other days of the week! In 2 Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul warns us against being lazy…he goes so far as to tell the Thessalonians to not associate with the believers who are idle and disruptive. May we not ever be found among their number.
Just as we work, we should work together. KJOL has been encouraging ministries and churches to work together all year long…we are just crazy enough to think God’s people are stronger together. God's Word is our common ground. As the hate for Christian principles ramp up in our nation, we may just find that if we don’t hang together, we will hang separate. It happens in this day and age in other countries...and if God has removed His blessing...it can happen here too. We need to stick together.
This last week we started hearing reports of ministries and a few churches doing just that. And in addition, we had an amazing time seeing that in action, as various churches and ministries came together to put on a foster kid appreciation day for Project 127. I saw churches active, and a number of ministries doing what they do best. It was a major blessing as the local unreached were introduced to some hard working Jesus lovin’ Kingdom centered Christians!
Are you ready to sign Declaration 2.0? Are you ready to unite, to work hard, to live boldly, and to serve together? Our nation cannot succeed much longer without God’s rejuvenation. We are His servants. We stand on His Word. No more hiding. It’s time to get to work for the Kingdom.
-Dave Andrews
Station Manager
Michael W. Smith is getting ready to release his first new studio album since 2018. Smith says “This whole record starts out with a bang... I don’t think I’ve had this many upbeat songs on any record that I’ve ever done. Those are really sort of hard to write.” But Michael says it’s not all “pop stuff.” I have a song about communion. I don’t think we have enough communion songs. And there’s a couple worship moments that are pretty powerful, too. The first three singles may remind you of his earlier sound from the 1990s, which some of us consider a good thing! The first single, “ Arms Around The World ,” features Jesus on the drums! Well, it’s Jonathan Roumie, to be precise, the actor who plays Jesus in “The Chosen” series! Michael says his “musical hero” is movie composer John Williams . I went and saw Raiders Of The Lost Ark 28 times in 1981 and it changed my life. I went “Why do I keep coming back?” And it was the music. That was the year I began to write cinematic music. That cinematic flare is included in his second single, “ Your Love Is A Flood ,” which has a 30-second counter-melody that sounds like it could be from “Jurassic Park.” That same cinema sound also opens his third single is “ Kingdom Come ,” which Michael says is his personal prayer . This one is so close to my heart, born out of the prayer I’ve prayed daily: ‘Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.’ It’s a bold anthem of hope, healing, and God’s presence breaking into our lives. At the end of November, Smith will join Amy Grant and CeCe Winans for a nine city tour, followed by his Christmas tour in December with special guest Riley Clemmons. But unlike Laura Story (who will be in Grand Junction for a free Christmas concert, courtesy of KJOL), you’ll have to go to Florida to catch Michael’s Christmas tour .
Forrest Frank has been everywhere this year. He even broke his back and wrote a song about it ( God's Got My Back ) while lying on his back! But one place Forrest Frank won't be this year is the Dove Awards . He announced that he will no longer attend any of the awards shows, including the Doves and the Grammys. “As Christians, it’s hard to know where the line in the sand is between being in the world and not of the world,” he said . Pondering where to draw the line between being in the world but not of the world, he said, “I’m convicted, personally, that a line that I can draw is that I will not receive a trophy for something that is from Jesus and for Jesus.” Frank added, “I was wrestling with this last year. I even said that on stage at the Dove Awards. I said, ‘I’m still struggling with the concept of receiving this award, but all glory to Jesus, every name will fade away, including mine, except for one name.’” So he decided "to go even a step further and say, ‘I don’t know if I even want to step on the stage. I don’t know if I want to step in the room.’ So I will not be attending the Doves and the Grammys.” “I hope to be an example to the youth that the trophy is our salvation ,” he added. “The trophy is that my name is listed in the Book of Life and I get to have eternal life . What good is a piece of metal going to do compared to that?” His absence at the Dove awards will no doubt be a problem for them. He’s nominated for four major awards: Song of the Year (Composer): Good Day Recorded Song of the Year: Your Way's Better Album of the Year: Child Of God Artist of the Year He is almost certain to win at least one of those awards. UPDATE : The Dove ceremony was broadcast Friday, October 10. Forrest Frank won three major awards! Artist of the Year Album of the Year (Child of God) Recorded Song of the Year (Your Way's Better)
We are so blessed to have a number of new listeners lately; and we are blessed to have some listeners who have been with us since the very start! If you were a listener during “the old days” before the KJOL radio network was sold...
Laura Story never set out to be a songwriter . She didn’t even know she could sing until she was in college. In 1996, while a student at Columbia International University in South Carolina, she met Shane Williams from the band “Silers Bald.” (Silers Bald is a mountain peak in Tennessee. It’s called a “bald” because it is not covered in trees.) Shane recruited Laura to join the band – as the band’s bass player! Then she began writing songs, and in 2002, she recorded her first album, Indescribable . But it was Chris Tomlin who made the song “ Indescribable ” a huge hit when he recorded it in 2004. Laura remained largely unknown until she released Great God Who Saves in 2008. Besides the title track, it included “ Mighty to Save ,” “ Bless The Lord ” and “ Immortal Invisible .” In 2011, she released the album “ Blessings .” The title song was born out of the difficult circumstances surrounding her husband Martin’s brain tumor (a story for another time). “Blessings” won a Grammy and a Dove for Best Contemporary Song. Most recently, Laura Story joined the Keith & Kristyn Getty Worship Conference, where she performed her latest song, “ Psalm 27 (The Lord Is My Light) ”.
Our August drawing is of course over, but congratulations to our three winners of couples registrations to the Weekend To Remember Conferences. If you missed out, I want to let you know, that underway through September 15th, the Family Life Today Weekend to Remember Getaways are half off…so be sure to use the group nam
Big Daddy Weave released their new album “Let It Begin” in May. It was their first album in six years. There’s a reason for that. Most bands release new albums every two or three years, but on January 2, 2022, Jay Weaver died from COVID. He was Mike Weaver’s younger brother (hence the “Weave” in the band’s name). They spent the next three years processing the loss and putting their grief into song. In 2023, they released the duet with Katy Nichole, “ God Is In This Story .” God is in this story, God is in the details Even in the broken parts, He holds my heart, He never fails Later that year, Big Daddy Weave released “ Heaven Changes Everything .” In the light of eternity I have this hope Thank You, Jesus, Heaven changes everything In 2024, they released “ Let It Begin .” Mike Weaver said he had been intensely grieving the death of his brother and would cry every time he told the story on stage, until one night the healing began. Meanwhile, Matt Maher had written this song without knowing that Weaver's healing that had started. Mike remembered, “He reached out to me and was just like, ‘Man, I’ve had this song that has been on my heart for you guys.’ I read the lyrics, and it’s what I couldn’t say.” If my wounds could tell one story, Let it be a testimony That You don’t leave me where I’ve been. If this is healing, let it begin Their new single is “ I’ve Just Seen Too Much .” Listen for it on KJOL. Some days it feels like I’ve been losing more than I have found I won’t tell you that I’ve got it all together, If you know me, then You know my faith has wavered If you ask me why I trust Him When it feels like everything has come undone All I can tell you is, I’ve just seen too much
