Cristconnect.com is a website designed to promote communication between ourselves and our fans, as well as to link our fans together. Rather than posting “news” stories about The Crist Family and our happenings, we want to share with you what YOU think is interesting. If there is something you would like to know about us, or a story you would like us to tell we would like to know about it. Please help us repair this short-circuit and get connected with you. Thanks so much! We look forward to hearing from you!
The Creation of a Song: Part 2
March 18, 2009 – 1:40 pm
Once we have selected all of the songs we are gong to put on our new project, we meet with our producer Jeff Collins at Crossroads Studios for pre-session.
During pre-session our group, along with our producers decide what shape we want each song to take. Pre-session is a very important part in the creation of a song. We choose what key we will do the song in and whether or not there will be any mods (key changes). We arrange the song and choose what style or feel we want the song to have. The group and the producers work together to come up with creative and original ideas on what to do with the song. We then gather around the piano and sing through the song to see if we like what we have come up with. Once we have decided on what direction the song is going, Jeff writes the charts for each song.
Here is a video clip from our pre-session for our upcoming CD titled DECLARATION. In this clip we are working on the song “My Heart Knows” from our last post: The Creation of a Song-part 1.
Creation of a Song Part 2 from Crossroads Entertainment on Vimeo.
Once charts are written, we are ready to begin tracking.
As always we look forward to your comments and or questions.
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Hey Guys,
Thanks for the e mails. I was able to get to hear the new song on here and I thought it was awesome. I had been wondering what you guys have been up to and I hope to see and hear from you guys sometime soon.
Mark Booker
Reply to Mark Booker-
Mark,
Reply to John Starkel
Thanks for visiting the site. We have been out of town for some time traveling and singing up in Canada, over in Washignton and back! It was a great trip and God really moved in some amazing ways. Perhaps we will be able to see each other at the Mull’s sing in May in the 16th down in Seiverville. Hope to see you there.
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Hi guys.
Just wanted to say that I luv the new song for the new album.
Can’t wait to get the new cd along with a couple of the other cd’s I dont have.
Keep up the good work.
God luvs u and so do I.
YOur brother in Christ
Lester “Tiger” Lasher.
Reply to Lester "Tiger" Lasher -
The song sounds beautiful. Can’t wait to hear the whole thing!
Love ya,
Reply to Karen Todd
Karen & Mike-
Hi Karen and Mike,
Great to hear from you. You will just die when you hear the song! Jackie does an increadible job! Can’t wait to get back up to Bluffton. See you then
John
Reply to John Starkel
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Thanks, Crist Family, for the insight into the CD process. Most of us think of performers all dressed up in front of a microphone, singing to an audience, and we’ve learned that’s not how the CD’s get recorded. A lot of hard work and repetitive vocals and music to bring it all together in a final product. We love this song-can’t wait for the CD! God Bless!
Reply to Ed and Nancy Schrader -
Hi Crist family! We just saw you in concert, (”home”) here at Canyon Hills Community Church in Bothell, WA., last night! You were just awesome! Your sound, as usual, is just great! Can’t tell you how much we enjoyed each and every song you sang! And Church services Sunday morning were wonderful, too! We remember you from Overlake Community Church, in Kirkland, WA.! Bless you all! Frances & Ben Hanson
Reply to Frances Hanson -
hey guys!! i havent talked to u in a while. hope all is well. Im afraid im not going to be able to make it to Rutherford thursday.
Reply to Mark Cahoon
I am very upset, but i just have too much to do with only 2 weeks of school left and just cant spare the time to get away. I love you guys and im still waitin for my cd!!! God Bless!!! -
Sorry we missed you last night…but we totally understand. CD will be there soon!
Reply to Rich Crist -
Hey guys,
Reply to Kevin Phillips
I heard your group last week at Copeland Hall in Bowdon, Ga. You where great. I was able to meet Jackie and her sister. I’m sorry I couldn’t find Tim for them. He has a great voice. I will keep you all in my prayers and please keep me posted with new things going on with you guys? -
Hi Kevin,
Reply to John Starkel
Thanks for coming to the concert. We sure had a great time worshiping with you all and the Whisnants! I hope we get to come back and see you again. God Bless. -
i truly enjoyed the concert at New Hope.. and was quite taken by the story your bass singer told of him and his wife returning that morning from the loss of their Grandson…. and that the power of God gave them the strength to be there….. and i approached him at intermission and said …. I had Lost a son 35 years ago and i truly understood his pain and loss … and was quite amazed at how well he was able to handle that …His comment was , ” When I started telling that story 5 months ago I was amazed at how many people came up to him and shared their stories “”"” Now i understood him to say during the concert That happened and they just got here that morning ….. I also ask my wife after soul searching for 24 hours… if she heard the same thing I did ….and she said yes…. I understand the Glory of God…… but do we have to stretch the truth to glorify Him…people searching for the truth have trouble when those who seem to be in the forefront with God who have to embellish the truth .. .Do we share those stories to make us look like we believe more than those sitting out there listening to the message ?? Darryl
Reply to Darryl plueddemann -
Darryl, i was not on that concert or heard that particular story from the stage, but i do know abou the incident and have seen The Crist Family a total of 7 times in concert. I have also had personal talks with all members including Tom Joyce, the bass whos character you seem to be questioning, and I will testify that Tom is one of the most Godly, humble and honest men I know. It would seem you are much older than i so i do not mean to be disrespectful but i can assure you that you that Tom Joyce would not intentionally stretch the truth. He doesnt have too. whether today or 5 months ago, the grace of God is still awesome. And furthermore, if you truly felt like you had been wronged, then you should have said something to him personally or emailed him. this would be the Biblical method rather than posting for all to see. Again, i mean no disrespect, but I consider Tom Joyce to be a personal friend and i have no doubt in my mind that this is a simple misunderstanding. God Bless. Mark
Reply to Mark Cahoon
PS. Tom, Carol, Rich, Lisa, John, Tami, Jac, and Bre…I love you all and miss you very much!! -
Darryl,
I will reply to your comment as Tom is unable to respond at the moment. Tom and Gail just arrived back in Knoxville at the airport where I picked them up the same day as the Mull’s Concert. They had just flown back into town after having a burial service last week for their grandson who died shortly after being born on Easter Sunday. The family was unable to have services until last week so Tom and Gail had to fly back to Washington State for the burial services on May 13th. The baby died(as I heard Tom mention from stage) on Easter Sunday. The parents (Tom’s daughter and son-in-law) were told about 5 months ago (as you heard Tom mention)after the first ultrasound, that the baby did not appear to have kidneys or a bladder and was expected to go full term and then die shortly after it was born.
Tom knew of the potential problem 5 months ago and began sharing in concert some of the the pain and fears that the family was going through with this news. They prayed for a miracle but God had other plans and took the baby home on Easter Sunday.
All of this to say…Tom did just come home that morning of the concert from burying his grandson, and Tom has been sharing over the last 5 months the pain of knowing he may have to bury his grandson. This must be where the confusion is.
One thing is for certain….Tom would NEVER intentionaly attempt to “stretch the truth” for any effect. His hope and prayer in sharing something this painful would only be for two reasons. To encourage someone else who may have gone through or may be going through a simalar experiece and or to give God glory for helping him through his own experience.
Reply to Rich Crist -
Praise the Lord He’s with us in the valleys too. Hey, After this summer, i will have seen you 10 times!! cant wait! i miss u so much, i havent gone this long w/o seeing u since i met you! anyway, see you o June 7th!
Reply to Mark Cahoon
The Creation of a Song: Part 1
March 7, 2009 – 12:23 pm
Without a songwriter there is no song, and without a song there are no singers. As artists one of the most important groups of people to us are songwriters. We have just finished our upcoming CD titled, “Declaration” and are anxiously waiting to receive the final product from manufacturing. We were blessed to have some incredible songs from great writers. In the next few posts we would like to take you through the process of how a song is made, from the writing of the song all the way to the finished product.
I got in touch with one of the writers, Gary Coolbeth, who wrote the beautiful song “My Heart Knows” on the upcoming CD. I asked if he would share how the song came to be and what the song means to him. Here is what he had to say:
“The writing of MY HEART KNOWS was like many songs. As songwriters we always have a lot of ideas floating around but what we need is a good line or a title that expresses that idea. Once you get that, the lyric is usually not that hard to write. I was thinking about the joy that we have in Christ even when circumstances make us unhappy and the fact that we are still saved even though we may not feel saved at times. God’s word is always true, I’m sure glad about that. I always pray that God will work in the hearts of those that He would have sing my songs. I’m thankful for the Crist Family. God is just so good to us.”
–Gary Coolbeth/ Merryall Music/ ASCAP
A song demo is what the songwriter uses to pitch his song to the artists. Here is a clip of the demo that we received from Gary.
As we take you through this journey of the creation of a song we welcome any questions or comments you have along the way. Maybe some of you are aspiring songwriters and would like to share what inspires you to write a song. Perhaps there could be others of you who would like to share how certain songs have touched your heart.
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Hi Breana, the song is great. Are you going to be singing this song? Will you sing this when you come to our church in Vancouver April 3rd? That would be great. Heart touching! We are anxious and looking forward to your visit.
Reply to Gary Hagan -
Hey Gary!
Reply to Breana Crist
This song is actually a trio with my sister Jackie singing lead, my dad on the tenor part, and me singing alto. I’m sure I could convince my dad to let us sing it for ya
Look forward to seeing you soon! -
Thanks, Bre, for a great song!! Great radio single choice! Looking forward to the new cd! =)
Reply to Andrew S. -
Hey Breana the song sounds awesome, can’t wait to hear it as a trio.
Reply to Shane Sparks -
Great to hear that your group is going so well we know Gods hands are in it all please be blessed remember Fire, Ems, Rescue for god so love the world that he gave us a friend to take care of us all think of a song that has to do with the folks who put there life on the line while still serving christ, it gets hard sometimes they would love to hear about them other than when something baddddd happens thanks folks love chaplain Gerald Roe
Reply to Gerald Roe -
i cant get the song to play.
Reply to Mark Cahoon but it sounds like its exactly what i need. cant wait to here it and see u next month. 6 weeks today!! Have a good trip to OH/PA. are u going home after that or going on to your tour? God Bless you all. I am still praying for God to use u greatly in this time of transition.
Prayer Request
October 4, 2008 – 2:38 pm
Let’s join together in prayer.
There are so many things going on in our world today which are a great cause for concern. Often times I sit and try to figure out what am I going to do if “X” happens, or what can I do to make this situation in my life change. It’s in these times that I’m reminded that there is absolutely nothing I can do without God. I must fall to my knees and acknowledge that I need Him. We need Him in this world and we need Him in our lives to help us with the struggles we face. Let’s join together in prayer and lift up the needs of our country and the needs in our own lives.
This post is for you to voice your requests, for yourselves or for others needs or for our country. Please use first names only when lifting up a request for someone (other than yourself) whom God has laid on your heart. Let’s use common sense in posting these requests so that privacy is not threatened. I would ask that you visit this post often to lift up a prayer for each new request.
We will start by asking that you all pray for our upcoming CD project. We are scheduled to go into Crossroads Studios on November 17th and 18th to start tracking (recording instrumentation). The hardest part of the recording process for me is song selection. It is so important to select songs that touch people’s lives and meet their needs as well as choosing songs that lift up and glorify the name of Jesus. We don’t take this process lightly and will listen to over five hundred new songs in the process of choosing about Ten. Please pray for wisdom and God’s direction as we select the final songs for the project. Also, please pray that God would anoint the players, producers, engineers, singers and all the others that are a part of making it happen.
“And pray in the Spirit on ALL occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints”. Eph. 6:18
Please post your requests and let’s all be in prayer for each other.
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Hi Guys!! Just wanting to keep in touch and tell you that we are praying for you, and we’re so proud of you!
We are blessed to hear all that God is doing through your ministry.Keep us in your prayers as we keep moving ahead with our foster/adopt plans. We just started our PRIDE class (state mandated training) and will go from 9-5:00 every Sat. in October! One class down, and three to go! It’s great information~ but a long day after working for five. So, pray for our stamina, and for God to stretch our strength and endurance this month.
School has been a stretch for me this past month. I moved to our new campus this year, and moved from 4th to 6th grade (which I may have mentioned earlier). Well, learning the new curriculum, learning how to tackle sixth graders (which are FAR different from fourth!), and moving to the new classroom have all been pretty draining. In addition, I have 29 students!!! So, the room is a bit cramped, and they talk~ literally~ all day! It’s hard to get their focus sometimes, so I have to be real creative, and the constant creativity can get wearing!!! So, pray for my tolerance and wisdom!! (Do NOT pray for patience!)
Well, I have to go and spend some time in the classroom today~ so love to you all!!!! From Bobby and I, Vicki xoxoxoxoxo, xoxoxoxo, xoxo, xoxo
Reply to Bobby and Vicki Crist -
Thank you so much for your prayers. I don’t know what we would do without them. Thank you also for sharing with us how things are going and how we can pray for you. I am so excited for you to get a child. They are such a blessing. After hearing about the size of your classroom, it makes me very thankful I only have one student. You are my hero. Love you both lots and lots.
Tami
Reply to Tami -
Just a note to the entire Crist Family to let you know what a blessing you were to our community with your gift of the concert Saturday night. I have had so many wonderful comments from folks throughout the community who were touched by your ministry to us. We are smiling a little more, walking a little taller, and feel much closer to our heavenly Father since your visit! May God continue to bless you as well. Keep up the great work!!!
Reply to Glen Singer
Glen Singer-
Thank you so much Glen. We had a wonderful time with you.
I want to again thank you and Dee for being such a “class act” as promoters of Gospel Music. You are doing it right. What a great venue and wonderful bunch of folks to sing for.
We will be spending the day with our dear friends the Talley Trio today just eating and fellowshipping. I will be sure to talk to them about you and let them know what to look forward to when you have them out there in Iola, KS next spring.
We love you and are looking foward to seeing you again.
Reply to Rich Crist
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Hey guys just wanted to let you know I enjoyed you all at richland baptist a couple of weeks ago. You guys get better and better everytime I see you. I cant wait to see you all again.
Reply to Joshua Collins -
We were so very blessed to be able to hear your family in concert yesterday afternoon in Sheboygan, Wi.
Reply to Darwin & Bev Stellmacher
It was also good to visit with some of you.
God Bless all of you in your ministry. Last night we watched your DVD and enjoyed taking the Journey with all of you. This certainly was a good way of getting to know you better.
Thanks again for coming to Sheboygan. Guess we won’t see you again until the NQC, but we will visit your website often. Bev & Dar -
Enjoyed the concert very much at Sheboygan. Expression was very good and the harmony was great! May the Lord continue to bless you as a family. Jim and Donna Lont
Reply to james lont -
What a blessing you were to my daughter and me Sunday evening in Fergus Falls, MN. God bless you as you travel sooooo many miles and continue to bless others with your singing and positive ways. Diane
Reply to Diane -
wow, i just got through talkin to Rich about the new project and let me just say to all my fellow TCF supporters, we are in for an amazing experience with this new recording! I would encourage all of you to pray daily for the whole family as i am attempting to do. I am proud to be a part, through prayer, of a ministry that is so focused on lifting up the name of Jesus. Thanx for all you do and i look forward to seeing you on the 28th! love you all!
Reply to Mark Cahoon -
Greetings to the entire Crist family. Hope you are planning a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. My wife and I went to a secular concert Saturday night at the Bowlus in Iola, Ks and still had many people who came up to us to let us know what a blessing it was to have the Crist family in our community. One gentleman who has sung barbershop for years indicated that he particularly appreciated the wonderful harmony and blend; he had never been to one of our SEKCAS concerts but remarked that it was such a tremendous blessing to him and he would be back for more — and hoped you were planning to return. Your concert was a wonderful blessing for all of us. Keep up the great work!
Reply to Glen Singer
Glen Singer -
Dear Crist Family,
Reply to mr tracy mercer
I really love your singing and the song, “If The Rocks Could Talk”. That song really blesses me and I haven’t heard any of your other songs but I know that they are good also. I love your singing…it’s beautiful and yall are talented! I always love it when the radio station plays music by the Crist Family. -
Thank you all for the wonderful comments. We really appreciate hearing from all of you!
We are still in the growing phase on this new site, but we are excited to announce that
we have been working on some new things for Cristconnect.com that we are planning to unveil at the first of the year. We think your really gonna “dig” some of the new stuff!!!Until then, please continue to visit and post your comments.
Love ya’ll!
Reply to Rich Crist-
Great news Rich! I’ll be anxiously awaiting the new content.
Reply to Wes Burke
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lookin forward to that! i set this as one of my home pages now, so i check it every time i get on. cant wait for the new stuff! ill be here! love u guys and still prayin. Have fun in OH tonight and tell SO i said hey. sry i cant be there.
Reply to Mark Cahoon l8r -
It is a bit after 6 AM and I have just ready your recent newsletter. I wish we were in a position to help you financially. My mother will soon be 101 and we are having to help with her support. The end of life for her is not far off and she continues to attend worship and our Care Group weekly. I have to pick her up physically to transport her to places other than her chair. It is interesting to see the roles change. I am stopping right now to pray for the Crists. We love all of you and pray that God will continue to make a way for your ministry to thrive. Jim & Virginia
Reply to Jim & Virginia Sinclair-
We love you too! I am sorry to hear about your mom. We will keep you in our prayers. God bless you both.
Tami
Reply to Tami
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Hello, Dear Crists!
Reply to David and Debra Shelton
SO excited to get your new CD in the mail.
We continue to pray for you, rejoice with you and be ever so proud of our NW friends turned Southerners!
Love from an “Okie” to you Nashville-ites,
Deb Shelton (for David)-
Hey ya’all! Great to hear from you! So your an “Okie” now. We sometimes get out your way. Maybe we will see you again. Love you both!
Reply to Tami Crist Starkel
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Sorry this comes a little late, but back on our friend day at Central Baptist Church at Thanksgiving, you came and just blessed our church family. We’re so glad families can still prase GOD together. It has been busy to say the least with our Christmas program just after that, keeping us busy in the work of our Lord. Looking forward to your next vist and praying your safety on the road and good health while traveling. Keep your voices strong and your praise to Him stronger!
Reply to randy ingram
brother Randy-
What a great day that was. It is always a blessing getting to spend the Holidays with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Hope your Christmas program went well. We look forward to seeing you again. Happy New Year!
Reply to Tami Crist Starkel
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Merry Christmas to all of the Crist Family and friends. May this Christmas be truly about Christ and not ourselves. If i have learned one thing from TCF, it is that life is not about us; its about lifting up HIS name. So this Christmas, lets lift up the true meaning of the holiday, JESUS.
Reply to Mark Cahoon-
AMEN! To God be the glory!
Reply to Tami Crist Starkel
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our father is admitted in INTENSIVE CARE UNIT FOR LAST 18 DAYS DUE TO A PARALYSIS FOLLOWING AN OPERATION IN A BLOOD VESSEL TO BRAIN.he HAS A CLOT ON BRAIN.please pray for him to disintegrate the clot and recover fast and 100%.his name is thankapan.k
Reply to vineeth -
Hi Daddy Crist and the rest of the gang. The Hardy family wants you to know that we are praying this will be your best year ever. Our prayer is that the Lord will bless your ministry more than you are able to concieve ! We enjoy your family so much. You have blessed us this past year each time we were able to see you guys.
We love all of you in Christ,
John, Wendy, Lauren, and Nick
Reply to John Hardy -
Dear Rich and all the Crist Family:
Just wanted to drop you all a line to say hi and that my email address changed from les16731@verizon.net to ump650_99@yahoo.com.
Can’t wait to hear from you again. Hope all is well with you and the gang. I miss you all very much and am trying like crazy to get you to our church in Eldred, PA but am running into some snags. But with God’s help, I know He will see to it that we get you to our church so our congregation can experience God’s love thru your music like my family did last summer in Dubois PA.
Keep in touch.
Your Brother in Christ
Lester Tiger Lasher
Reply to Lester "Tiger" Lasher -
havent heard from ya’ll in awhile. u must be busy with ur recording. so how is everything going for you? im still prayin for ya! i love u guys! ttyl!
Reply to Mark Cahoon-
Hi Mark,
I’m actually sitting in the studio as we speak mixing our new CD. I will be here all week. We are all doing great. Keep an eye out, we plan to start posting lots of new stuff on the album. We are putting all of it together. Should be lots of fun. Thanks for hanging in there with us as we finishing building the site.
Reply to Rich Crist
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oh, dont worry. i aint goin no where! im hangin! did u ever come up with a name for the project? it looks like i wont get to see u until april!
Reply to Mark Cahoon Oh well, gives me somethin to look 4ward 2! -
Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
Psalm 30: 4-5Hello Crist Family,
Reply to TERRY JESTILA
Your concert in Kearney on Feb 19th was fantastic! Thanks so much for glorifying Jesus through your music and powerful testimonies. Thanks again so much for the blessing you were to my wife and I and our friends!
God Bless,
Terry -
Thanks Terry!
I got the lyrics to the song as well. I appreciate it.
Reply to Rich Crist -
I would like to ask for prayer for these headaches I have been having. Today marks 6 weeks non stop. 3 weeks ago I was diagnosed with migraines. The medicine I am on only temporarily makes the pain smaller but does not take it away.
Reply to Sheila Beck -
Sheila,
I am so sorry to hear about your headaches. I know how immobilizing they can be and can’t imagine what 6 weeks of that would be like. I will keep you in my prayers. Please let us know if anything changes.
Reply to Breana -
I’m asking prayers for my brother Watie, Doc says he’s at stage 4 with prostate cancer. Also my wife Mary Ellen Henson, she’s waiting for the hospital to call for a biopsy ASAP with her breast. Thank You guys, We just love you and your music.
ROY HENSON.
Reply to Roy Henson -
Roy,
Reply to Lisa Crist
We will definitely be praying for your brother and all those that support him. I have been praying for your wife too, especially since I can personally relate to the “wait for results” on breast lumps. I have been praying for her comfort and trust in the Lord for her future. He is in control and He knows her and loves her more than anyone – please take comfort in knowing that. Please let me know what results you receive. Thanks. -
Dear brothers and sisters, Please pray that an unknown person who had threatened , my brother would never call again in JESUS NAME , That he would be so filled with THE HOLY SPIRIT THAT he would not say or do any thing which JESUS would not say or do ,That the Precious BLOOD of THE LAMB may Totally engulf us so that this person sees the BLOOD and passes over us in the same way that the angel passed over the isrealites who had the blood smeared over there door posts and that this person would be so surrounded by THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB THAT HE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO STEP ONE INCH TOWARDS US ,that the heart of the king is in the hands of the LORD , that this person would be diverted away from us , that he would lose and forget any details he may have pertaining to my brother ,that he would never call us again.That GOD’s and man’s favour would rest on my brother, That we seek HELP in THE NAME OF THE LORD!!! That GOD would answer this prayer exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think of Eph. 3.20 .That GOD would turn this darkness to light that a bruised reed HE will not break , smoking flax HE will not quench , we are the smoking flax and the bruised reeds .GOD PLEeeeeeeeASE HAVE MERCYYYYYY & compassion on us in the same way that you had on the crowd which was hungry for 3 days !!!!!!! sincerely , dave
Reply to dave -
I would like to lift up a brother in Christ from my church who has just learned that he has prostate cancer. He goes to the Dr. tomorrow for more testing, please pray for him that the cancer hasn’t spread. His name is Danny.Also include his family in your prayers, they will need Gods strength to get through this. Mike
Reply to Mike
NQC…A Special Week For The Crist Family
September 20, 2008 – 6:38 pm
As I sit here still trying to recoup from the long week at the National Quartet Convention, I am amazed at all the opportunities God blessed us with while in attendance. Between singing five different times, visiting with old friends and making new friends, we kept busy the entire week.
On Wednesday afternoon we were a part of the Artist Spotlight Showcase along with Double Portion, Heirline, Tim Lovelace, and Mercy’s Well. Then that night, with butterflies in our stomachs, we were blessed to be a part of the main stage event! We sang “The Eastern Gate” and finished with “The Great Beyond” and an encore. It was a lot of fun in spite of our nervousness!
This year for the first time we hosted a Regional Artist Showcase on Friday afternoon. We really enjoyed it and it gave us an opportunity to get acquainted with some groups we’d never met. As soon as we finished up with that showcase, we rushed over to Freedom Hall for the Songs of A Lifetime showcase hosted by Phil Cross. I speak for the entire team when I say that it was the highlight of our week. Although we were only able to watch the second half of it, we were overwhelmed by the sweet spirit in that place. For those of you who have never experienced the Songs of a Lifetime showcase, it is a showcase for some of the great songwriters of Gospel music to share stories about their songs and how they were written. We were so honored to sing Mosie Lister’s song “Where No One Stands Alone” after he told how he came to write it. It was one of the most incredible moments I’ve had singing in my four short years in the ministry!
After a few short hours of rest, we woke up early on Saturday morning to sing for the Southern Gospel Promoter’s Association (SGPA) Riverboat Cruise on the Ohio River. Although there was no air-conditioning, we thoroughly enjoyed the cruise visiting with different promoters and partaking of the delicious catered meal. The Singing News Fan Awards, which was a blast to be part of, was held on Saturday night. We were so happy for all our dear friends who won awards and wish big congratulations to the Booth Brothers for the Artist of the Year award!
We are excited to see what next year holds — we should be just about rested up by then! Thanks to all of you who were there and stopped by to visit. We love you!
Breana
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For all of you who were not able to go, you missed a wonderful blessing. I was fortunate to be able to see all of the Crist Family performances except for the cruise (i wasn’t invited!) They did remarkable as always and that is what I love about the Crist Family, they performed the same on main stage @ NQC as they do in a church with 100 people in it. IO had a great time. I love you guys and I am still prayin’ for you. God bless.
Reply to Mark Cahoon -
Nice meeting some of you!
Reply to Daniel J. Mount -
Sounds like a great week. Congratulations on the main stage appearance, you guys deserve it!
Reply to Wes Burke -
Hi ya’ll,
It was a pleasure to see ya’ll up close and personnal and to chat with you. This is our 9th yr. attending NQC and I believe it was the best one ever. The spirit of the Lord filled Freedom hall from morning till evening. Keep on keepin’ on. God bless & keep you safe.
Love to all,
Reply to Judy
Ralph & Judy -
Thank you for your wonderful ministry & music. Look forward to seeing you again.
Reply to Shirley Kummer -
It is amazing that by God’s grace you have moved “on up” in the music business. We first saw you at Memorial Baptist Church about 3 years ago and look how God has grown your ministry since. We hope to see you at Dollywood, 10/5.
Reply to Lyle and Shirley Simons -
It was great seeing and meeting all of you as well! As far as God moving us up in the music world, praise be to Him (God). He really has blessed us and we do realize that it is all because of Him. It might be tempting at times to take credit for what has happened, but if I am honest with myself, I had very little to do with any of it. I can say that I am glad to have been listening, when the Spirit called me to serve Him. At least, occasionally, I do some things right.
Reply to John Starkel -
Hey Guys,
Reply to Larry Allen
I met you back stage at the Mulls singing this past weekend and I checked out your web site. We didn’t talk much but it was nice to meet you all! I haven’t heard you until I visited your site. You have a great talent. Keep up the good work! I am also in a gospel group. I would appriciate it if you could visit our web site and give me an honest opinion of what you think. It is http://www.locustridge.org We always need improvement!! Once again, nice meeting you and maybe I’ll hear from you in the future or we can cross paths again!
-Larry Allen
Welcome to CristConnect! Are you ready to get plugged in?
August 28, 2008 – 9:22 pm
Hello friends and welcome to our new site!!
We are so excited that you decided to join us here. This is a place where all of us to get to know each other better. We will be talking about all kinds of fun topics, as well as sharing video, pictures, music and more. One of the first things we will want to get you involved with is our next recording, which is scheduled to begin production in October of this year. We are inviting you to be a part of helping us decide song selection, photos, cover art, album title, radio singles and many of the other things that go into making a CD. You will also be able to watch video of us recording in the studio and get free samples of what we are doing in the process.
We ask for your comments, and those whose comments are posted will receive a FREE mp3 download of a brand new, can’t get it anywhere but here, Crist Family song! You will be asked to provide your email address, and an email will be sent to you with a link and password through which you will receive the free download.
We hope you enjoy your free song download. It was recorded special just for you as a gift for joining CristConnect.com. Make sure and read the story about where the song came from and why it is so special to us.
This is going to be an awesome place for all of us!! We welcome your questions as well as your suggestions on topics to post. Thanks again for getting plugged in to CristConnect.com!
Rich Crist
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I love the new website. I will be bookmarking this as one of my favorites. Look forward to seeing you hopefully in the near future.
Reply to Lynn -
I am just so proud that I have used the Crist Family and will continue to use and support their ministry. The Crist Family is a total breath of fresh air in the Southern Gospel Music World. They communicate, entertain, sing, and minister to the people in attendance. The congregation here in South Carolina just loved them. There is not a Sunday that goes by, that someone does not ask, when are we going to have that “good family group” back to sing for us again. Blessings on all of you as you travel and minister…C/Ya….Paul
Reply to Paul W. Shannon -
MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL! THANKS FOR INVITING ME!
Reply to Gale Rittenhouse -
I really enjoy hearing you all sing the gospel of God. You all really are the best and keep up the good singing!!
Reply to Trent Stooksbury -
We are not sure if you received our first message. The gremlins are in our computer again it would appear. For some reason the message disappeared!! Will not type it again in case you did. Just know that we will see you October 5th in Dollywood and can’t wait!!!!!!
Reply to Raeford & Bobbie Wagner-
Hi guys, I look foward to seeing you too. God Bless and see you soon.
Reply to John Starkel
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Looking forward to watching this progress. If this next recording is as good as the last one, we’re all in for a treat! God Bless and you guys stay safe out there.
Reply to Wes Burke -
i really enjoy the CRIST FAMILY every time i hear them in person, or radio, or having the cd, itself i have never heard a family harmony so great in long, long time.
i will LORD willing see the group again on THANKSGIVING night at MULL’s singing in sevierville, tn.
GOD BLESS YOU AND MAY HE ALWAYS KEEP YOU SAFE in traveling SPRAENDING THE WORD IN SONG.GOD BLESS ALL YOU
geri richey
knoxville,tnlike the website too!!!!!!!!!!
Reply to geri richey -
go get’m @ NQC!!!
Reply to Brownie -
What a neat idea. Thank you. You already know that my wife Shirley & I believe your music & words touch us deeply. We attend southern gospel music concerts as a hobby. Being retired, we have the time to travel & enjoy wonderful music, inspiring words, & worship God, all at the same time! From the first time we met you, we fell in love with your family. We consider it an honor to enjoy your friendship. We love you & will see you again when we are in your area or you are in ours, Ron Kummer
Reply to Ron Kummer -
Hi Rich… Sounds like you “kids” are having fun. We wish you the very best as you venture into new things that will help get the really “Good News” out to a very needy world. Be sure to greet your folks for us. Our love to all of you Crists!
Jim
Reply to Jim & Virginia Sinclair-
Hello Jim & Virginia,
Reply to Pam Crist
Thank you for the hello. We are having a great time living in Tennessee near the team. We have been enjoying getting to some of their concerts. God has done so many miracles in the short four years they have been here. We are excited to attend NQC and experience the ministry in song and preaching. Praying all is going well with you. God bless Pam
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A big thanks
Reply to Donna Moreland -
Thanks for letting us do this , I know will be fun and also rewarding thanks again
Reply to Gene Welsh -
love you guys
Reply to daniel erwin -
This is the greatest idea ever! We can’t wait to see you at NQC. Love to all.
Reply to Claude and Nancy Revis -
Can’t wait to see you all in person again. God bless all of you.
Reply to Andy Beeler -
We love seeing you in Shipshewana!! Thank you for the invitation to cristconnect!
Reply to Thone and Shirley Hall -
If I had my own computer, this would definitely be my homepage! I love it and I love you! I can’t believe that in one week I will be watching you onstage at NQC! I got the tickets today and was showing them off to all my classmates! see ya there!
Reply to Mark Cahoon-
Hi mark, Thanks for your enthusiasm. I appreciate seeing you at so many of our events lately. It’s great to see a familiar, smiling face!
Reply to John Starkel
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Hi Everyone,
Reply to Carol Smith
This is Carol I’m the young lady that met you all at Mull’s singing I use a wheelchair to get around in. I just want to say that being in a wheelchair can be a lonely life.I’m so thankful there are people like you all that sing, I love and enjoy gospel music it has helped me through many of a dark hour. I’ve been going to the Mull’s singing since I was three years old.I really enjoy your music. I can’t wait to see you again Thanksgiving night. You all are in my prayers. keep up the good work. keep spreading the gospel in song.Thank you so much for singing for Jesus.He is the best friend we can have.He said he would never leave or forsake us. thanks for inviting us to be part of CristConnect,we love you all. My prayers are with everyone. Carol Smith-
Thank you so much for your prayers. Your encouragement means a great deal to all of us. We all enjoyed visiting with you at the table and look forward to seeing you again. God bless!
Reply to Tami Crist Starkel
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Would love to have you folks back down for a concert…we left “your month” blank. Jim
Reply to Jim Harkins-
Thanks Jim, We will have to see how things work out. God Bless!
Reply to John Starkel
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The Crist Family is such an inspiration and so genuine. Your voices are truly blessed by God. Thanks for the blessings you give to all of us.
Reply to Mike & Inga MacArthur -
Loved seeing you guys at the Gatlinburg Gathering!! It’s always an awesome time!!! Love all the music and wonderful Spirit that is always felt in the Convention Center. Glad you got the bus and can at least travel the highways a little safer. You are all wonderful. Just can’t get enough of the Crist family!!! God Bless & keep you in His service.
Reply to Brenda Latham -
Awesome — another way to connect with you cross country! Good luck at NQC (wish we were there!)
Reply to Aunt Becky -
Great idea for a website. Can’t wait to see more. The Crist Family is definitely a blessing. I hope that you come back up to PA some time soon.
Reply to Bill Smith -
Dear Friends,
All of your comments are wonderful!! We love you too! I can already see how much fun we are going to have in here. Feel free to comment as often as you wish and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Your questions and or ideas for conversation are one of the ways we will know what topics to post. Another thing I want to mention is that the entire Crist Family will be envolved, so feel free to address your post to any one of us. Also, if you happen to read a post from someone and want to comment, you can reply right in their post so that your conversation will remain inside the original post. We encourage you all to get to know each other as well. If you don’t see your post right away, please be patient because all posts are monitored. This site is for you, have fun!! Thanks again for joining cristconnect.com, keep em’ coming.
Reply to Rich Crist Jr -
Your music is such a blessing. This website is a great idea. I look forward to following what you guys are doing through this site. God Bless all that you do!!
Reply to Susie Rice -
I enjoyed the Talley Tree-O Website project, and I look forward to participating in this site.
Reply to Daniel J. Mount -
love you all! Looking forward to seeing you at NQC!
Reply to Judy
God bless & keep you safe! -
Hey Guys,
Reply to Mitzi Evans
So glad you’re doing this…ya’ll are such a blessing to us! Hope things went well at the Gatlinburg Convention…and hope you got your bus and enjoying it. I’m using ya’lls song, “Don’t Look at the Storm,” in my email this week, so be sure and check it out! Thank ya’ll, love you,mitzi -
We are so glad you have this website- can’t wait to get more and more info about the Crist Family! God bless- see you in Kentucky!
Reply to Ed and Nancy Schrader -
cool, glad you have this new site….let us know if you are coming through PA again…..thought maybe some of the group were considering bear-hunting in PA the few days prior to Thanksgiving, have fun @ NQC
Reply to Valerie Mitchell -
hey rich! this new website thing is awesome!!! very cool! see ya next week!
Reply to tanner stahl -
Wow! What a neat idea! This is soooo cool. We really enjoyed having you at our anniversary concert a couple of weeks ago. I’m looking forward to NQC this year! Congrats on making it to the main stage. God just continues to bless your ministry. May you always be the blessing that you are now.
Reply to Caleb Allen-
Thanks Caleb, We had a great time with you and your family in kalamazoo! Man O Man can your family sing. I am so impressed with you and all your siblings. (yes I am also impressed with your parents) Wow, what a two year old, he should be singing in mainstage!
Reply to John Starkel
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Hi Crist family! We remember you from Overlake Christian Community Church in Washington State and we are now at the Canyon Hills Community Church. We love your music and we love hearing all about your activities and music! When will we see you again at CHCC? In Christ, Ben & Frances Hanson
Reply to Frances Hanson-
We are looking to put a tour together in the spring of next year. Keep looking at our schedule on our cristfamilymusic.com website to see what happens for next year. We hope to see you then.
Reply to Rich Crist Jr
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Hi Guys, I just love to hear you guys sing. I sing with my family, The Hager Family. It consists of me my wife, Vivian, my son, Chuck and his wife, Connie. We have a great newphew who is 8 that sings with us also, his name is Jermiah Elswick. I am glad you let us be a part of your life. I don’t have a website but I still follow you with your emails and your website. Thanks again and love and prayers to you all.
Reply to Rick Hager
Rick -
Hey great site, keep on sharing the gospel and God bless. Have a great week at NQC!!!!!!!!!!!
Reply to Nathan Stainbrook -
Good luck with the new album. Look forward to hearing you at SGMA Day.
Reply to Alan Kendall -
Great music! Your singing is great too! Hope you have great success on your upcoming album!
Reply to Andrew S. -
Hi all,
Luv the new site. Keep up the good work.
It was a blessing and a pleasure to meet all of you. You all are truly a blessing.I would luv sometime to sing with all of you someday. I really do enjoy all your music. I especially like Heaven To Me. Would luv to get the background cd of this song.
Take care, my friend.
Your Brother-in-Christ.
Lester “Tiger” Lasher.
Reply to Lester "Tiger" Lasher -
if your going to NQC, all of us TCF fans should get together. this is my first time going so does anyone else that’s going have any ideas on where we could meet? We could plan a meal and have a special prayer time or something. Anybody else have any ideas? Rich, what do u think? I would lopve to meet all the other TCF friends/fans out there.
Reply to Mark Cahoon-
With as busy of a week that convention is, my suggestion is that any of you that want to meet each other can meet at our booth on Thursday at 5pm. That would give us a chance to greet all of you at the same time as well as give you a chance to get to know each other. Then you will be able to put a face to a name. What do you think?
Reply to Rich Crist Jr
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Your music is so inspirational and we love coming to hear you whenever you are in our area. We watch carefully to be sure we don’t miss you. I will be going to our Church of the Brethren Northern Indiana District Conference on the 19th and I am a delegate. But…you can be sure Lee will be there if at all possible.
Hope you finally have your HOME ON WHEEKS by now and are loving it.
May God continue to bless each one of you and then also, as you spread God’s music in word and song together.
Reply to Deana Markley
Love, The Markleys -
Great website. I’m so proud of you. My prayer as always is that your hearts will be sold out for our precious
Reply to Lora Mae Pilcher
Lord. He deserves our very best. He has blessed you so abundantly. It’s hard to take in. I love you all.
Grandma B.-
Hi Grandma Bourland!
Thanks for your encouragement. It brings me a bunch of joy knowing you are praying for us. I agree it is hard to take in all the blessings the Lord has poured out on us! praise God for his faithfulness, goodness and provision.Love you Grandma, Johnny
Reply to John Starkel
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Hey,
Reply to Jackie Crist
I just wanted to say a big thanks to everyone who has been a part of this new website so far. It’s so encouraging to see comments from people who love and support our ministry. I look forward to getting to know you better.
Jackie Crist-
Jackie, I am your number one fan. I can’t wait to get the new dvd and cd. hmmm. I’m so proud of you guys and miss seeing you all. Praying for you daily.
P.S. Go on hitch a ride in the bunk of a tour bus, if all the butterflies are busy, just get to me.
Reply to J Love
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i love the new website yall have made for us fans to enjoy
Reply to clay naylor -
Hello, Crist Family!
When you first described what this new website would be a few weeks ago, I thought that it would be a wonderful addition to your ministry. Now that I am visiting the site for the first time, I am definitely IMPRESSED!!!!
By the number of comments preceding my visit, I can tell that lots of other folks are impressed as well. We all LOVE you and appreciate the sacrifices that you have made to follow your call. You bless me every time I am privileged to hear you sing.
I am honored to have had the opportunity to spend time with your family and look forward to seeing you at the National Quartet Convention next week. I am currently enroute and am very excited about your fist opportunity to grace the Main Stage there to allow many, many people who do not yet know (and love) you to hear your wonderful sound and message contained therein.
Travel safely –Enjoy that Bus!
God Bless all of you as you “Journey for Him”.
Ruth Frew
Reply to Ruth Frew -
Hi Crist Family,
I hope all of you guys are doing great ! I love the new site. Also, I hope to see you guys again sometime very soon.
Mark Booker
Reply to Mark Booker -
This is one of your best Ideas!! I love it. Now I can really keep up with you guys. Thank you so much for making my Birthday one of the best. I always love coming to visit you. My birthday book is the BEST!! Hearing you in Gatlinburg topped it all though. I love where God has taken you! LOVE YOU ALL.
Reply to Robyn -
hey guys, I really enjoyed your new DVD and CD that i purchased back in May. I cant wait for you guys to come to concert back home in knoxville since your last concert at corryton. It was exciting to have lisa and breanna come and talk to me. I love you guys and your music lifts me up everytime im down. I cant wait for your new cd and im sure it will be another excellent project.
God Bless your ministry,
Reply to Joshua Collins
Joshua -
Being able to stay plugged in makes me feel better about never getting to see you since your on the road all the time! What I would give to be sitting in your living room on a Saturday morning listening to you practice! You all are such an amazing family! God Bless and take care!
Reply to Hannah B. -
hey guys…great idea for a website.
Reply to zack knudsen -
Hello there, Crist family. I love seeing your concerts. I think that the first time I saw you all was up at Grandfather mountain. I was out walking, and we talked before you set up. I am glad that you have a great website. please keep in touch, love that Southern Gospel Music!! Love, Dotty from N. C. now in Fl.
Reply to Dotty Elliott -
i had a blast @ NQC and you guys were awesome. look 4ward to seeing u again whenever that may be. l8r
Reply to Mark Cahoon -
You guys rock! We love your music and your personalities and enjoyed every minute you were included in the NQC in Kentucky. Your singing is such a blessing! Looking forward to hearing you again soon and until then, will enjoy our CDs.
Reply to Ed and Nancy Schrader -
We had an awesome week at NQC. Every opportunity God gave us was a great blessing. It was fun to meet so many new people as well as see many old friends. My favorite part of NQC was the Songs of A Lifetime Showcase — it really touched my heart. What was your favorite? See ya’ll sometime soon!
Reply to Tom Joyce
Tom Joyce -
Sorry we didn’t get to Dollywood to see you folks. As usual we really enjoyed you folks at the NQC. We have a preacher friend who pastors a Church of God Church in Blount County TN., about 40 miles from you folks who is interested in finding out if there is some kind of list a church can get on where groups are trying to get home or get to an engagement where they have a day in that particular week that has a non-scheduled day where they call these churches on this list and say we have a date that is not booked in your area and we would love to come and sing on this date for a love offering. Tom there may not be such a thing but we have heard it talked. Phillip is interested to find out. They have about a 350 seat church which they feel they could pack for Southern Gospel music.
Yours In Christ,
Jerry Van Hoozier
Reply to Jerry & Martha Van Hoozier -
We are so happy to read the great news of how the Lord has so blessed your families on your musical adventure! It has been a long while since we have seen you at Canyon Hills in Bothell, WA. Been keeping track of your schedule and are wondering when the time will come (thinking positive here!) for you to make a special appearance on the west coast??
Thanks for making some of your music available in soundtrack format. Am waiting for “Lift Up the Cross” – what an awesome invitational song for Easter.
May God continue to richly bless you all!
Reply to Phil & Lucy Hayes -
Your “thinking positive” might have paid off. We will be heading out your way in March of 09. We look forward to seeing you. I agree with you on the song “Lift Up the Cross”. We just released it to radio so keep an eye out for the track.
Reply to Tami Starkel -
Am making a note on my calendar!! We moved down to Longview almost 2 years ago so will have to keep an eye on your schedule to see what churches you will be at!
Reply to Phil & Lucy Hayes -
I first heard you sing “Lift Up The Cross” on XM Radio while at work. From hearing it for the first time, I was overwhelmed by the words and the blending of the voices. Hearing it only once led me to your web site for more. As I listened to each cut, I had to have more! My family accuses me of getting your DVD and CD’s as presents for myself at Christmas…I have no answer.
I do not need to tell you how good each of your cd’s are nor how good the DVD “Live at Branson” are. But what I beg of you…please, please, PLEASE release “Live at Branson” on cd too!!! I’ve watched the dvd so many times that I can tell you what hand will hold the mic and when, who will lick the lips before joining the group to sing. What I can’t do is put your dvd in my car cd player and listen to you as I travel.
Thank you for taking the time to sit down and share your story. It is a tremendous blessing to hear how God is working in your lives, using your talent, to touch the lives of others through song.
May God Continue To Bless You!
Reply to Ken Hull -
Hi guys! It was so great seeing all of you again on Sunday March 15th. I was so excited when I found out that you were coming back to my church in Butler again. I’m sorry that I had to miss you guys last year when you were here, but I was determined to see you guys this year. It was great seeing all of you and catching up and I look forward to seeing all of you again. Keep up the great job of spreading Gods message of salvation through your music and may God continue to richly bless your ministry as he already has.
Ron.
Reply to Ron Yockey
Anything about The Crist Family is interesting! Out here in the West we are so disconnected with the South that we like to hear all about the concerts we cannot attend. Like when you went to the Amish country, how did that go, when you went to Dollywood, that is always interesting and we Love to hear about the Smokies, Gatlinburg and all of the places we cannot just drive to like you can. And of course we like to hear about your ministry and how it is affecting your audience and fans. Anything personal about your lives is always interesting too. We Love you all and really enjoyed your short visit here in Vancouver. We hope we will always be friends and you will come back to the Pacific Northwest!!
Reply to Gary HaganThanks Gary! Those are great ideas! You’re right, there are so many neat places we get to see and I think sometimes we take it for granted. We always love coming back to the Northwest and visiting and singing there. Hopefully we will get back soon! Love you guys too! Hope you’re enjoying your springtime
Reply to Breana CristWould love to hear more about how the Lord has worked in and through your ministry, including testimonials from “after the concert, a woman came up and…” stuff like that or… “we got a letter recently from _____ who shared that our family testimony had turned him back to God…” I know stuff like this happens ALL THE TIME to you guys and would love to see it both via email/e-newsletter and live in your concerts!
Reply to Deb SheltonExactly!
Reply to MelanieI’m happy to read whatever you post, but I’m particularly fascinated by posts about the CD recording process, from selecting songs (I loved hearing the demo that made you pick “My Heart Knows”) to in-the-studio video clips, etc.
Reply to Daniel J. MountI would love to hear clips of your music from studio videos and stories from your concerts and just life stuff that happens in your families
Reply to KerriHi Guys! I am so excited to see your page and to know I can contact you. We see where you will be in our area (Cartersville, Ga.) this Sunday but we will be ministering in Dalton, Ga. and won’t be able to see you. (Shoot!) Anyway, maybe next time you’re any where nearby we will get to be with you. You are one of our very favorite groups and we love seeing you. God bless and we hope to see you soon.
Reply to Wilma & Chuck SmithHonestly, I signed up because I WANTED to hear news about the Crist family. You have unique opportunities, experiences, challenges and joys – I love to hear about them and them commit them to the Lord in prayer. Even little things like “my sister is driving me crazy today” or “the boys have exams soon” are big to our God! Help me stand in the gap for you…
Reply to MelanieHey Melanie!
Thanks so much for letting us know… That is why we asked. We will be working on posting more concert and day-to-day stories in the future since it sounds like that is what most of you want to hear about. We actually had a very special time last Sunday in Georgia that I will be posting about in the next week or so. Thank you for keeping in touch with us and for your prayers! And… My sister is not driving me crazy today, thankfully
But I’ll be sure to let you know when that happens!
Reply to Breana Cristhi im 21 yrs old and just announced my calling to preach i just wanted to let yall know you did an awsome job at the georgia mountain center i was on the second row and have never heard a more awsome testimony than your familys to drop your life in seatle and follow god its great to se someone who really beleives what they are singing about my prayers are with you and your family god bless you
Brett
Reply to Brett Erwin