(via Daniel Mount – www.southerngospelblog.com)

This is a huge blow to the airing of Southern Gospel music all around the world!  Sirius/XM management has made the decision to remove enLighten from the satellite service of both XM and Sirius, as well as Dish TV, effective Wednesday, May 4th, in the mistaken belief that’s its listenership is miniscule. (However, enLighten will continue to be offered via the Sirius/XM OnLine Internet service (Channel 805) and via the Sirius/XM SmartPhone App.)

For your information, this action has been taken because – as part of the merger agreement – the Federal Communications Commission is requiring Sirius/XM to make a group of channels available for “community-service” programming produced by minority and special-interest groups, which requires the removal of other channels due to limited bandwidth.

The only opportunity to reverse this decision requires immediate action by everyone who will be impacted by this action. Make a telephone call, send an E-mail, write a letter or do all three!

If you wish to voice your displeasure, here is contact information:

Telephone calls –   If a Sirius subscriber, call Sirius Customer Care at 1-888-539-7474 or 1-866-635-2349
If an XM subscriber, call 1-800-XM-RADIO or 1-877-291-5304
In either case, comment on fact that enLighten is to be removed from the satellite service and, if it’s removed and not restored, you wish to cancel your subscriptions (if you do). (Do not be deceived by a rep telling you “it’s only moving to a new channel.)

You can send E-mails to customercare@siriusxm.com.

By mail — send a letter or postcard (now 29 cents) to one or both of these gentlemen:

Mr. Scott A. Greenstein
President & Chief Content Officer
Sirius/XM Radio
1221 Avenue of the Americas, 36th Floor
New York, New York 10020

ALSO – you might send a copy of your letter to:

Federal Communications Commission
Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau
Consumer Complaints
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, D.C. 20554

Remember… while you can be firm in your statements, always be Christ-like in what you say and write. And… pray, pray, pray!

Again:  to cause this action to be rescinded, a rapid and massive outcry is necessary!

Even as I’m writing this post, Bridget and I are watching the Weather Channel.  Seems like that has become a common thing around here these days.  Right now, damaging storms and tornadoes are covering Arkansas and will probably be here by midnight!  She doesn’t know that I’m writing this, but Bridget just said “I hate this feeling of helplessness”.  The weather is just one of the many things in life over which we have no control!  Whether it’s the weather, finances, health, politics, or anything else in life… these words can provide us the comfort that we desperately need to hear!  This is the first verse and chorus of the title song of our new recording, God Is In Control.

Does it seem, like the world is chaotically turning?
Sin and shame, unarraigned, and Godly men are adjourning
Well our fathers warned that it would come to this
But just hold your hat and know that the final truth is…

God is in control, though Godless men conspire
His will unfolds, though mortal minds are sometimes left to doubt
His ways are higher than our ways, so even through the fire
Take heart and know, God is in control

We just put Ansleigh, Bryleigh and Macie in our bedroom to sleep tonight.  They are not big fans of thunder!  When we were saying our bedtime prayers, Ansleigh asked God to  “just let it rain… not thunder.”  We’ve told them that the rain is what God uses to help the flowers and trees grow and sometimes it storms and thunders when it rains.  Now that I think of it, Ansleigh’s prayer sounds a lot like most of ours!  But God sometimes has to send storms and thunder with the rain in our life… so that we will grow!  But even in the storm, take heart and know that God is in control!

It’s here!  All pre-orders were mailed yesterday and if you’ve been waiting to order your copy… now’s the time!  Below are some of the comments about the project that we have already received!  After you get a chance to listen, we’d love to hear from you too!  Click here to order your copy of God Is In Control!

The album has grown on me – a lot!!  I am really enjoying all of the songs – and I have found that I enjoy them more at home rather than in the car (where I first listened) so I can concentrate more.   Great, meaningful songs! – Diana – Kennesaw, GA

I think this latest release is one of your best yet – Marcella – Louisville, KY

The new CD is amazing!  Great job! – Jonathan – Brownsville, TN

You can listen to short clips of all of the new songs below!

As promised, I took a few more pictures from the stage this weekend!  The first set is from Cloverleaf Baptist Church in Louisville, KY.  I think everyone gets a kick out of getting their picture taken.  This week your challenge is to find out where Shawn is sitting in the crowd!  I thought that he was sitting at the piano when this picture was taken… but I guess I was mistaken! 🙂

The photos below are from Winton Road First Church of God in Fairfield, OH.  These folks have become just like family to us.  We have been there every year for the past 4 years… and I think it gets better every time!

We always seem to have a lot of pictures of us on our website… but I thought it would be a good idea to show you what we get to see!  We don’t always get a chance to take a picture from the stage, but we will make a strong effort to make that a priority.  These pictures were taken at Grace Baptist Church in Lagrange, GA!  Were you there?

Do you want to be one of the first to hear our new project?  That’s right!  We are so excited to announce that our new recording, God Is In Control, is finished!  Although it will be a few weeks before duplication is completed, you can order your copy today and receive a FREE mp3 download of the entire project immediately!  You could be listening to the new tunes this weekend… or even sooner!  Click here get your copy today!

Well let me start by saying that I’m glad it has warmed up a little around here. Spring is my favorite time of year. Not too cold, not too hot. I would like to think that we brought some of the warm weather back with us from Florida a couple of weeks ago, but from what I heard, it warmed up when we left. Imagine that. Speaking of Florida, we had a great time seeing a lot of friends that we’ve made over the past several years. We sang for the people where mom and dad spend the winter and we got to worship with our friends at Crossroads Christian Fellowship in Sebastian. It’s always good to see Mike and Diana Lyle.  It was also our third year in a row to worship with the wonderful folks at the First Church of God in Winter Haven! After an extremely busy weekend in Florida, we got to spend this past weekend at home… which is nice every once in a while.

Those of you that follow us on Facebook already know some of this, but Kaela plays softball for JCS here in Jackson. We received a call last Tuesday afternoon from Kaela’s coach that her knee had been injured. She’s doing fine but we’re waiting on the swelling to go down and a MRI to be done. Hopefully she won’t have to have surgery but we’ll keep you informed.

Keep all of us in you prayers as we travel singing for Him. Be sure to check out the pics and try to come worship with us if you can.

God bless,
Shawn

P.S.  Don’t forget to Spring forward this weekend.

Wow! We had such an amazing time this year on the 2011 Singing At Sea cruise! The weather was awesome, the food was delicious, and the singing and fellowship was fantastic!

We want to thank everyone that signed up to sail with the Dills and allowed us to be their “host group”. We absolutely loved getting to know you all better and we will always treasure the memories and laughs we shared! We have posted lots of pictures on our photos page so be sure to check them out.

The dates for the 2012 Singing at Sea cruise will be February 13-18, 2012 so please make plans NOW to join us as we sail to the Bahamas again next year! This is the world’s largest gospel music cruise and it will, as in the past, sell out soon! Click here to get more information!

In June of 2009 I began a journey that has now come to completion. In the months prior to that, a lot of prayer and searching of myself transpired that led me to the decision to quit my job and go back to school to fulfill another lifelong dream. Have you ever been in a place in your life where you were just comfortable and it was time to make a move? Well, this is where I found myself so when the opportunity presented itself I moved. I applied to the Union University Accelerated Bachelor of Science Nursing program. This program took two years of nursing and placed it into ONE. I had a few classes I had to take in order to start in January so in June of 2009 I began those classes. In August I received the letter that stated I had be accepted into the program. I was absolutely thrilled. Little did I know I was about to endure one of the hardest years of my life. I finished my classes in December and January 4, 2010 I started the program! This was a full time program Monday – Friday. Needless to say there were a few dates I was going to have to miss. The first, and most difficult, one was the cruise. Wow… there are no words to describe what it was like for me to leave my family in Florida to fly home. Thanks Jonathan for the ride home! That week was very tough for me. I remember finding this verse that I continued to hold on to throughout the program, “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised” Hebrews 10:36 NASB. I relied often on this verse to remind me to keep on even when it seemed impossible. There were several times I wanted to throw in the towel so to speak but I kept on. I had the opportunity to confide in one of my good friends, Pastor Mike and his wife Diana. He told me that some times not everyone understands the things we choose and what we choose might not be easy to accomplish, but to persevere because in the end it would be worth it. I can now honestly say he was right. I could not have done this without the prayer and support that you all have given over the past year and a half. I graduated on December 11, 2010. I took my boards on January 12, 2011. I have passed my boards and look forward to starting work on March 21 at Jackson Madison County General Hospital. I will be working on the orthopedic floor. God Is Good! There are a few people I would personally like to thank for standing by me during this time. Shawn, I could have never done this without you. You were constantly encouraging me to keep pressing on and you were always there! Logan and Kaela you never complained and you helped out here at home so much! Lastly to my Mom and Dad, Pat and Gerald, you were always there when I needed you. Thanks for always praying and supporting me 100%! I love you! I would like to share some pictures of my time in the program. Hope you enjoy them. If there is ever anything I can do for you, do not hesitate to write… I’m only a click away 🙂

LeeAnn

This Sunday morning we will be singing at my home church, Hillcrest Baptist Church in Jackson, TN. I began attending this church with my mom at the age of 12 after my parents divorced. This church reached out to me in my time of need and brokenness and nurtured me with God’s Word. I remember eventually singing my first solo at Hillcrest. I was scared to death, but I wanted so badly to sing. These sweet people loved me, endured my nervous delivery and encouraged me to sing again. The kind words from my church family strengthened me to do that which God was preparing me to do. Little did I know what God had in store! I’m especially honored that I now have the opportunity, in turn, to reach out, nurture, strengthen and encourage these wonderful people that have so unselfishly blessed me. I love you, Hillcrest family and can’t wait to worship our God with you Sunday!

We also will be singing Sunday night at First Baptist Church at Adamsville, TN.  We are looking forward to wonderful day of worship and praise! Make plans now to join us at 10:30 am in Jackson or at 6:15 pm in Adamsville!

Blessings!
Bridget