January 2024 Archives
Michael Helwig Passes Away
On December 24, 2023, Michael Helwig lost his long-time battle with ALS, also know as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
For those who don’t know Michael, he was the lead singer for the legendary Blackwood Brothers Quartet from 2012-2017. It was during that time that he discovered he had ALS. After he stopped traveling, he continued to appear occasionally at large events such as the National Quartet Convention. He had to be wheeled onto the stage, but he didn’t miss a chance to share about his journey and bring people to tears as he sang, “I’d rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today.” I never had the opportunity to meet him, but I look forward to doing so in Heaven. I hope you enjoy this powerful song.
A Tribute to Peg McKamey Bean
It was the late 1980s when I first heard the name The McKameys. I had been a Southern Gospel fan a few years by that time, but when asked if I was familiar with them, I had to admit that I wasn’t. (I secretly wondered if my friend was confusing them with The McKeithens, another group that had some radio songs at the time.) It wasn’t long after that someone gave me some Southern Gospel cassettes, one of which was the McKamey’s live recording Gone to Meetin.’ I believe it was in 1992 that I requested (and received) Sing Praises, and my love for this group grew. Although Carol sang many of their chart-topping songs, it was often Peg’s songs that caught my attention: songs like, “The Blood Covenant,” “Between Twelve and Thirty-Three,” “I Prayed for You,” “Roll That Burden on Me,” and of course her signature song, “God on the Mountain.”
Peg was fun to watch with her larger-than-life personality, but what people appreciated the most was her genuine love for God and others. As I watched her family on stage with her, they showed her nothing but respect. That says a lot about a person in my book. Peg will be missed, but her legacy will live on. My prayers are with her family.
Read the Word
The burden of my heart for at least a year now has been to encourage people to read the Bible. If you’re already reading, take time to study. God told Hosea, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). It occurred to me recently that the reason many have become soft toward sin is that they don’t know what God thinks about it, but He has told us if we would take time to open His Word.
Morals aren’t determined by what we think or what we want them to be. God has given us a strict plumb line by which to measure ourselves. It is not always easy to walk the straight and narrow path, but it is the only way to please the Father.
If you knew the true God, you wouldn’t doubt Him; you wouldn’t waver in your faith; you wouldn’t deconstruct; you would hold on to Him as though He were life itself, because He is!
For those who read the Bible but have never read it in its entirety, this is a good time to start. I am constantly reading my way through slowly as I want to glean every morsel that I can. But there are also read-through-the-year Bibles and programs. If you’re auditory, the YouVersion Bible app has several programs you can choose from.
Often, people start reading in January and by mid-February, they taper off. I used to be one of those. If you struggle to stick with it, ask God for help. You may want to join an accountability group such as the Daily Bible Podcast Community on Facebook. Or ask a friend to read with you so you can discuss what you’re reading and ask questions as they arise.
As I read through Proverbs, I am reminded of the importance of wisdom, which only comes by hearing from God through the pages of His Word.
