Hey everybody! Can you believe it’s already well into October?! I never fail to have a moment or two of panic when I flip that calendar over to October each year. It means that Christmas is coming. I’m not sure why that should make me panic…but it does. With no more kids at home, and no grandbabies to spoil completely, insanely, ridiculously rotten yet (and don’t read more into that “yet” than is there!), the Christmas season has actually been relatively calm around the Harris home these past few years. Look at me, rushing into talk about Christmas already! Christmas may be coming but Fall is here! Oh, how I am loving these cooler temperatures!! And on Sunday, God finally sent us a rain that lasted all day. We went to church Sunday morning in the rain. We went to church Sunday night in the rain, but I didn’t hear anyone complaining. We desperately needed every drop. Thank you Jesus.
As I write this, I’m listening to our new tracks playing quietly in the background. My trip to South Carolina a few weeks ago was a huge success and a great experience for me. I got to witness some extremely talented guys bring our new songs to life. I walked in there that day with twelve songs on paper and walked out 14 hours later with some amazing tracks that I can’t wait for you to hear! It was a really long day but those guys gave it all they had all day long. They literally sat there and played music for 14 straight hours. It was just an incredible day and I am thankful that God allowed me the opportunity to be a part of it. Now our real work has begun…learning all these new songs. We are making progress and the more we learn them, the more we are loving them! I recorded several videos in the studio that day of the guys at work. Click on the video/picture to hear the first song they cut. I took this on my phone from the control room. The song is called, “Jesus Changed My Life.” It is quickly becoming one of my favorite songs on the upcoming CD. I can’t wait for you to hear it with words one day, but here’s a preview of the track (that knocking is a little annoying and will not be there in the end. It was just to keep the players on beat…this was “work in progress” happening here!).
I want to say a public thank you to a friend of The Harris Family’s….his name does not need to be mentioned, he knows who he is. This man called us last week. He’s a former inmate at one of the prisons we minister in. Upon his release, about 3 years ago, he moved out of state to be near family. Shortly after his release, he sent us the sweetest email encouraging us in our ministry work in the prisons. He wanted us to know that God really used our music, our witness, and our testimony to make a difference and a lasting impact on the men there. He keeps up with our ministry online and contacts us every once in a while to let us know how he’s doing and to encourage us. In a ministry like ours, so many times we wonder if what we do really makes a difference. You see, as much as we love to sing and love the ministry work God allows us to do, we know that it’s Jesus who changes lives…not our words and not our music, but only Jesus has the power to change a life. If the power of Christ is not working through us to do something bigger than ourselves, we need to reexamine what we are doing. So it encourages us more than you could possibly imagine when someone takes the time to let us know that God is at work through this ministry.
Let’s make it a great day! As the holidays are quickly approaching, I am reminded that this is not a happy season for everyone. I am praying that God will open my eyes to the needs of others that I can help or encourage with even something as simple as a kind word or a listening ear. I know that I am surrounded by hurting people every day and I don’t want to miss an opportunity to make a difference.
Love to each of you, Sue
