Friday, July 27, 2007
In memoriam: Keith Green, 1953-1982
:::UPDATED UPDATED UPDATED with additional quotes about Keith's legacy in the fifth comment. UPDATED UPDATED UPDATED:::
Within weeks of my first job in the media, in the summer of 1982 at a Gospel radio station, three prominent Christians died in plane crashes, prompting me to coin the smart-alecky remark:
"Jesus said, 'Low, I am with you always."
The three who died were Grady Nutt, countryfied Christian comic and Baptist minister who was on "Hee Haw," Lester Roloff, a fiery fundy radio preacher from Corpus Christi, Texas, and Keith Green, a beautiful pianist, songwriter, singer, believer and person.
There's new news about Keith Green here on the 25th anniversary of his death, which actually is Saturday: His widow, Melody, who has kept every scrap of music he ever recorded, has used new technology to enhance the recordings to release them.
Read all about it in an Associated Press feature about him here.
I rediscovered Keith Green last December. The grace that drips from his music, and the faith that emanates from his voice, the conviction that God is near now, forever and always to those who seek God, helped me deal with my sick Mama ER.
The day I drove to the hospital to say goodbye to her, Jesus rode with me in my truck, as Keith, on the CD, and I sang praises to his holy name. God does, indeed, work, in mysterious ways when loved ones get close to the portal. I should say God led me back to Keith's music; I didn't rediscover it.
Hear Keith Green music (and see some pretty lame videos) here.
Keith Green rocked, in more ways than one.
--ER
Within weeks of my first job in the media, in the summer of 1982 at a Gospel radio station, three prominent Christians died in plane crashes, prompting me to coin the smart-alecky remark:
"Jesus said, 'Low, I am with you always."
The three who died were Grady Nutt, countryfied Christian comic and Baptist minister who was on "Hee Haw," Lester Roloff, a fiery fundy radio preacher from Corpus Christi, Texas, and Keith Green, a beautiful pianist, songwriter, singer, believer and person.
There's new news about Keith Green here on the 25th anniversary of his death, which actually is Saturday: His widow, Melody, who has kept every scrap of music he ever recorded, has used new technology to enhance the recordings to release them.
Read all about it in an Associated Press feature about him here.
I rediscovered Keith Green last December. The grace that drips from his music, and the faith that emanates from his voice, the conviction that God is near now, forever and always to those who seek God, helped me deal with my sick Mama ER.
The day I drove to the hospital to say goodbye to her, Jesus rode with me in my truck, as Keith, on the CD, and I sang praises to his holy name. God does, indeed, work, in mysterious ways when loved ones get close to the portal. I should say God led me back to Keith's music; I didn't rediscover it.
Hear Keith Green music (and see some pretty lame videos) here.
Keith Green rocked, in more ways than one.
--ER
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Powerful book that pushed me to beg for psalmic "revival" (now known in certain circles as the "R word") is Melody Green's No Compromise, about Keith Green.
# posted by 
: 2:36 PM
: 2:36 PM
"Psalmic revival"?
This must be whatcher talking about:
http://faculty.gordon.edu/
hu/bi/ted_hildebrandt/
OTeSources/19-Psalms/Text/Articles/Mays-HermeneuticPsalmody-ATJ.doc
This must be whatcher talking about:
http://faculty.gordon.edu/
hu/bi/ted_hildebrandt/
OTeSources/19-Psalms/Text/Articles/Mays-HermeneuticPsalmody-ATJ.doc
MORE ON KEITH!
^BC-Religion in the News-Glance,0478<
^Glance at the life of Christian recording artist Keith Green< ^With BC-Religion in the News<
By The Associated Press=
¶ A look at the life of Christian recording artist Keith Green, whose influence remains strong 25 years after he died in an East Texas plane crash.
¶ NAME: Keith Gordon Green.
¶ BORN: Oct. 21, 1953, in Sheepshead Bay, N,Y.
¶ DIED: July 28, 1982, in a plane crash at Garden Valley, Texas, 80 miles east of Dallas.
The crash killed 11 others, including two of his children.
¶ OCCUPATION: Singer/songwriter, but he considered himself a minister of the gospel first.
¶ BEST KNOWN SONGS: "Your Love Broke Through"; "You Put This Love In My Heart"; "O Lord, You're Beautiful"; and "There Is A Redeemer".
¶ ____
†QUOTES
¶ "I miss so much about him. I think, more than anything, beyond his musical brilliance and energy, I miss his passion _ his intense passion for life, _ and then when he became a believer, his intense passion for Jesus. I rarely met anyone with that kind of intensity." _ Christian recording artist Randy Stonehill, who wrote "Your Love Broke Through" with Green and Todd Fishkind.
¶ ___
¶ "He wasn't playing the game. He was sincere and genuine in every way. If he read it in the scripture, he didn't see any reason not to do it. When he became a Christian, he saw where Jesus said to feed the poor and minister to those in need, so he opened his home and started inviting people to live with him." _ Jerry Bryant, first pastor for Green's Last Days Ministries.
¶ ___
¶ "They'll say, 'I'm really into Keith Green right now. Somewhere along nine out of 10 of them reference Keith Green....It's overwhelming how many people refer to his music as being a part of their life and influencing them." _ Bryan Ward, director of artist development with EMI Christian Music Group, on the impact of Green on young artists.
¶ ___
¶ _ "In time, as you grow and mature, you put away more youthful things. I don't think he would have ever just capitulated to the system and given into the status quo. He would have dropped out completely and become a missionary in Africa or someplace first." _ Gospel Music Association President John Styll, on what Green might be doing if he were alive today.
¶ ___
¶ _ "I had to really forgive Keith because he was the easiest one to get mad at by taking the kids. In hindsight, I think it was really some misplaced anger." _ Melody Green, on dealing with the loss of her husband and two children in the crash of the plane, which was overloaded with 12 people.
¶ ___
¶ _ "Gone to be with Jesus" _ the marker above the graves of Green, son Josiah and daughter Bethany.
¶ ___
¶ _ "I repent of ever having recorded one single song, and ever having performed one concert, if my music, and more importantly, my life has not provoked you into Godly jealousy or to sell out more completely to Jesus." _ Keith Green.
^BC-Religion in the News-Glance,0478<
^Glance at the life of Christian recording artist Keith Green< ^With BC-Religion in the News<
By The Associated Press=
¶ A look at the life of Christian recording artist Keith Green, whose influence remains strong 25 years after he died in an East Texas plane crash.
¶ NAME: Keith Gordon Green.
¶ BORN: Oct. 21, 1953, in Sheepshead Bay, N,Y.
¶ DIED: July 28, 1982, in a plane crash at Garden Valley, Texas, 80 miles east of Dallas.
The crash killed 11 others, including two of his children.
¶ OCCUPATION: Singer/songwriter, but he considered himself a minister of the gospel first.
¶ BEST KNOWN SONGS: "Your Love Broke Through"; "You Put This Love In My Heart"; "O Lord, You're Beautiful"; and "There Is A Redeemer".
¶ ____
†QUOTES
¶ "I miss so much about him. I think, more than anything, beyond his musical brilliance and energy, I miss his passion _ his intense passion for life, _ and then when he became a believer, his intense passion for Jesus. I rarely met anyone with that kind of intensity." _ Christian recording artist Randy Stonehill, who wrote "Your Love Broke Through" with Green and Todd Fishkind.
¶ ___
¶ "He wasn't playing the game. He was sincere and genuine in every way. If he read it in the scripture, he didn't see any reason not to do it. When he became a Christian, he saw where Jesus said to feed the poor and minister to those in need, so he opened his home and started inviting people to live with him." _ Jerry Bryant, first pastor for Green's Last Days Ministries.
¶ ___
¶ "They'll say, 'I'm really into Keith Green right now. Somewhere along nine out of 10 of them reference Keith Green....It's overwhelming how many people refer to his music as being a part of their life and influencing them." _ Bryan Ward, director of artist development with EMI Christian Music Group, on the impact of Green on young artists.
¶ ___
¶ _ "In time, as you grow and mature, you put away more youthful things. I don't think he would have ever just capitulated to the system and given into the status quo. He would have dropped out completely and become a missionary in Africa or someplace first." _ Gospel Music Association President John Styll, on what Green might be doing if he were alive today.
¶ ___
¶ _ "I had to really forgive Keith because he was the easiest one to get mad at by taking the kids. In hindsight, I think it was really some misplaced anger." _ Melody Green, on dealing with the loss of her husband and two children in the crash of the plane, which was overloaded with 12 people.
¶ ___
¶ _ "Gone to be with Jesus" _ the marker above the graves of Green, son Josiah and daughter Bethany.
¶ ___
¶ _ "I repent of ever having recorded one single song, and ever having performed one concert, if my music, and more importantly, my life has not provoked you into Godly jealousy or to sell out more completely to Jesus." _ Keith Green.
Tried to access the document and couldn't - will try through uni library database!
Was a spur-of-the moment word coinage to differentiate between the Revival (R-word) everyone seems to pray for in church :"Lord, send Revival to our land, and here's what it should look like...) and the davidian longing for a new energy, a new passion, a new closeness in the personal walk of the individual, completely connected to God's idea of what it should look like.
But I'd still like to read that article...
Was a spur-of-the moment word coinage to differentiate between the Revival (R-word) everyone seems to pray for in church :"Lord, send Revival to our land, and here's what it should look like...) and the davidian longing for a new energy, a new passion, a new closeness in the personal walk of the individual, completely connected to God's idea of what it should look like.
But I'd still like to read that article...
# posted by : 7:54 PM
: 7:54 PM
Found it, and WOW, thanks for the great biblical resource site!!!
But I think the article is more on what I would call "praying the Psalms"- which of course is a great thing as well, and lasts a lot longer than being revived (apologies if anyone who finds themselves revived and thinking it'll last forever - even KGreen and MGreen knew that you end up in the desert again, eventually...)
But I think the article is more on what I would call "praying the Psalms"- which of course is a great thing as well, and lasts a lot longer than being revived (apologies if anyone who finds themselves revived and thinking it'll last forever - even KGreen and MGreen knew that you end up in the desert again, eventually...)
# posted by : 8:04 PM
: 8:04 PM
We human beans are creatures of rhythm: revival is the high point of just one of our cycles.
Desperation -- but not necesarrily despair! -- is one of our low points.
You're cool, sister Karen. Glad yer around. :-)
Desperation -- but not necesarrily despair! -- is one of our low points.
You're cool, sister Karen. Glad yer around. :-)
You may not think so after I confess that I had no idea what Hushpuppies were until your blog, and now, after doing some research, think of them as a sort of cornmeal croquette...
But thanks:)
But thanks:)
# posted by : 2:39 PM
: 2:39 PM
Keith Green (along with Cap'n Randy Stonehill and Stormin' Larry Norman) are a large part of the reason I believe today as I do.
While I've abandoned most of "contemporary Christian music" as just yucky, I still listen to their music occasionally these days.
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While I've abandoned most of "contemporary Christian music" as just yucky, I still listen to their music occasionally these days.
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