Monday, December 30, 2002
It's
over!
I
can't believe 2002 is over! Finished! Kaput! And
it's already time for Jubilaté. This year,
it's going to be held in Phoenix, AZ, at the America
West Arena. I'm excited about seeing all of our
friends in Phoenix and the Homecoming Friends.
Tuesday,
December 17, 2002
The
Misadventures of Mark Lowry
You
may or may not know but I have become a staff writer
for Homecoming Magazine. Actually, I'm not on staff -
or allowed anywhere near the office (they put it
in my contract) - but I do have an article in the
magazine. It's called The Misadventures of
Mark Lowry. If you have any ideas for 'misadventures',
send them to Roberta Croteau, the Editor of Homecoming
Magazine, at rcroteau@ccmcom.com.
Here's
a sneak peak... click
here.
Wednesday,
December 11, 2002
If
men had invented vacuuming...
Bluegrass
Homecoming
The
taping for the Bill Gaither Bluegrass Homecoming
went well yesterday. It was recorded at the chapel
at Fisk University in Nashville. It was a lot of
fun meeting the Bluegrass artists. They
are the sweetest people. It was surprising to find
out how many of them had seen previous Homecoming
videos. One of them had me call his little girls
on his cell phone. They told me they watch my
Broadway video a lot. That made me feel great, I
must admit.
If
you'd like to see Mark Lowry Show #47 -
Bluegrass Homecoming, click
here.
Monday,
December 9, 2002
Christmas
funnies
Tanya Goodman-Sykes just sent me this Christmas
joke.
A
woman goes to the post office to buy stamps for
her Christmas cards.
She says to the clerk, "May I have 50 Christmas
stamps?"
The clerk says, "What denomination?"
The woman says, "Oh, my. Has it come to this?
Give me 6 Catholic, 12 Protestants and 32 Baptists."
If
you have any funny Christmas jokes, send them to
funnies@marklowry.com.
Sunday,
December 8, 2002
Gaither
Christmas Tour
This
past weekend, the Gaither Christmas Tour started. I think
it must be the greatest Christmas Concert Spectacular on
the road. We were in Evansville,
IN, Chicago,
IL, and Columbus,
OH.
Next
weekend, we'll be in Omaha,
NE, St.
Louis, MO (Friday morning, I'll be on the Steve
& DC Morning Radio Show in St. Louis) and Pittsburgh,
PA.
My
favorite part of the concert, each night, was when they
dimmed the stage lights and everybody raised their little
Gaither Homecoming lights in the air while the audience
sang Silent Night. From my vantage point, it was
like sitting in the Milky Way.
Then, David Phelps stood to sing O Holy Night. David
sings that song better than anyone. Then, to top it off,
the choir joined in. Each night, I felt transported back
to the first Christmas. How sad to have had a room in the
Inn, totally unaware that God was being born in the barn.
Or, to have seen The Star and not known to follow it.
Last
night, we sang the song that has the line, "the half
has never yet been told" in it. I leaned over to David
and said, "We've got to figure out how to tell the
'other half'."
How
do we do it?
I
tell you what I want for Christmas. I want ears to hear,
eyes to see and words that reveal the 'other half'. How
do we tell the 'old story' in a 'new way'? How can we make
it clearer? I'm not real sure. But, ain't it fun trying?
Monday,
December 2, 2002
Legendary
Gospel singer Howard 'Happy' Goodman completes the journey
 Nashville,
TN - The Gospel music world was saddened Thanksgiving weekend,
as Howard 'Happy' Goodman, long-time member of the legendary
Happy Goodman Family passed away in Nashville, TN, on Saturday
morning, November 30.
Goodman had been hospitalized for seven months as a result
of various complications following knee surgery, a spokesman
for the Goodman family stated. During that span, he spent
time at Vanderbilt Medical Center and Baptist Hospital in
Nashville, as well as an extended period at the Mayo Clinic
in Rochester, MN. He was undergoing therapy and rehabilitation
when he developed pneumonia a week prior to his death.
Born November 7, 1921, Goodman first began singing Gospel
music in 1938 with his sisters. His first encounter with
his wife of 53 years, the former Vestal Freeman, came when
he was just a young teen. The two married on November 9,
1949, and began singing and traveling. Together, with Howard's
brothers, Sam and Rusty, The Happy Goodman Family became
a household name.
The group's first long-play record, entitled I'm Too
Near Home, marked the first of many which have sold
in excess of 7,000,000 units, earning three Grammy Awards
and spawning dozens and dozens of popular hits, including
15 Number One songs. The Happy Goodman Family was inducted
into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1998. Additionally,
Goodman was a charter member of the Gospel Music Association
and a lifetime member of the American Federation of Musicians
Local 257.
Goodman penned the classic Goodman song, Give Up,
and he also wrote the song I Don't Regret A Mile,
featured on A 50th Anniversary Celebration, recorded
in November of 1999, commemorating his 50th wedding anniversary
to his lovely bride whom he often referred to as his "sweetheart
and best friend." This video débuted as the
Number Two video according to Billboard Magazine's
Concert Video Sales Chart when it was released in 2000.
Goodman is survived by his wife Vestal of Brentwood, TN;
son Rick Goodman and wife Dianne of Brentwood, TN; daughter,
Vicki Meadows and husband Clark of Collinsville, IL; four
grandchildren, Travis Goodman and wife Tara of Franklin,
TN; Leslie Goodman of Nashville, TN; Nicki Blank and husband
John of Nashville, TN; and Donnie Smith of Nashville, TN.
Three great grandchildren also survive him.
Visitation will take place on Monday evening, December 2
from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. at Williamson Memorial Funeral
Home, located at 3009 Columbia Pike in Franklin, TN. Funeral
services will be held at Christ Church, located at 15354
Old Hickory Blvd, in Nashville, TN, on Tuesday, December
3 at 1:00 p.m. Burial will follow at the Christ Church Memorial
Gardens.
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