Results From The June Bible Drive
Dave Andrews • July 23, 2020
Helping Others See Clearly Through God's Word
When the staff at KJOL first considered a Bible Drive this year, it was before COVID hit the country. It was originally dreamed up at the start of 2020 as part of our theme for our April 2020 Friendraiser. Ken Andrews recommended a Bible Drive, as part of our theme, 2020 Vision. The staff as one loved the idea and were immediately drawn to it, but we didn't want to sideline the Bible Drive for the Friendraiser, and visa-versa, so we decided to put it off until the following month, May 2020, to put more effort into it and do it right.
Then came March. COVID hit, and we started to realize God had been strongly leading us in our theme, in our goal to get others into God's Word, and the necessity for God's wisdom in the days we are living in. With that indication of His leading, we went ahead and held our April Spring Friendraiser. He came through. We had one of the best Friendraisers I can remember (and during COVID no less). But when the lock-downs came in May, we decided to let things lay over for a month, and try it in the month of June. It was just the right timing! The COVID rates had stabilized quite a bit in June, variances had been granted to several counties in the area, and we could finally accept walk-in donations.
We were blown away. God called and His people showed up. In total, we estimate around 1800 Bibles
were donated. Think about that. Potentially 1800 lives changed for the Kingdom of God. Thank you so much for answering God's call. Here's the results:
- An estimated 750 Bibles were donated on site at the KJOL Studio, Looney Bean in Montrose, and Ridgeway Community Church.
- $2612.00 was donated for purchasing Bibles for the Bible Drive.
- From funds donated, and because of bulk deals, approximately 1,050 more Bibles were purchased!
- An estimated total of 1800 Bibles donated.
As a result, 7 main ministries were recipients of 100% of the Bible Drive donations. It went farther than we expected too. An eighth ministry was also later added, as we also ended up with roughly 75 extra small New Testaments, which will now be handed out at the Canyon West Food Bank. Please pray for the following recipients, as these Bibles go forth.
American Bible Society- $400, or 80 Bibles donated for various projects, including someone who has never had God’s Word in their language before, an orphan or at-risk child, patient Chinese Christians, people suffering for their faith, and/or a U.S. military member who is defending our freedom.
Bible League International- $400, or 80 Bibles where needed most. Program locations include in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and the US.
Father 2 The Fatherless International- $400, for purchase of native language Bibles on site in Uganda, Africa. They also received several boxes of your donated English language Bibles for staff in Uganda and local evangelism in the Western Slope.
Gideons International-$400, or 333 Bibles, donated to the Faith Fund, to purchase Bibles for people in countries where they are unable to purchase their own.
Good News Jail & Prison Ministry at the Delta Correctional Center- $400 worth- (6 cases or 144 Bible shipped to ministry). They also received two more cases of Bibles from local on site donations. They just ran out of Bibles and there has been a need for Bibles for inmates.
Love Packages- $225, or 3 cases of Spanish Bibles and 2 cases of ESVs (144 Bibles). Love Packages also was recipient of approx. 50% of the local on-site donations, mailed to their location in IL, and will go out all over the world.
Mesa County Jail Ministry- $400, or an estimated 144 Bibles shipped. MCJM in addition also received some of the the on-site donated Bibles. These will all be used to fulfill inmate requests and for prison Bible studies.
Pictures and testimonies are already starting to come in, including someone being led to the Lord in the Grand Valley this week, and who at the time was given one of the used Bibles donated to this Bible Drive. This new believer promised to read it! Praise God! Just think, one of those used Bibles you donated, which was likely no longer being used, is now going on to play a part in the spiritual formation of someone who just found Christ! Praise God!
Thanks for walking through this door with us. Let's look for more opportunities to serve our King together, because of our mutual our love for Him, and For His Kingdom!
-Dave Andrews
KJOL 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
