Sold Out!

It was a sunny afternoon when Howie and I were pulled off the highway fixing lunch at a lake. A man (who I will call “John,” to protect his privacy) heard Howie playing music. He came up and asked what kind of guitar Howie was playing. After some conversation, Howie asked him to join us for lunch. He replied, “No, thanks” and started to leave. Howie shook his hand and said, “Man, it was great to meet you, John.” John’s response is vividly engraved in my mind as he said with amazement in his voice, “Wow, nobody ever says that to me. Usually people just tell me to get away.” You see, John was homeless, wearing a jacket and carrying his pack in hand. He didn’t look neat and kempt like the tourists in this area.

Howie began to share with him the value John had in the eyes of God. This is a priceless message to those who feel like the offscouring of the Earth. It is really heartbreaking to think there are so many around us who feel worthless, ashamed, and alone because hard times hit.

We ended up praying with him, hugging him as tears streamed down his cheeks. Howie gave him a Living Water: The Gospel of John that is small enough to fit in his pack – some encouragement for the dark, lonely days and a copy of his CD “Wayfarin Strangers Amped”. As John left Howie told him he loved him that Jesus loves him, hugging him again. Tears softened his eyes, and John went his way, deeply touched, apologizing for crying.

Many of us pass the homeless regularly. What is our response? Are we inconvenienced by their presence? Do we wish they would just go away, take a bath and somehow not disrupt our view? Or, do we see them as dearly loved by our Heavenly Father and therefore, by us. My heart is challenged to respond to the “lowly” in our communities with kindness and mercy.

Heavenly Father, make us vessels of your love. Show us how to personally care for those we see that are in the greatest need a touch from you today.

“…Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.” Matthew 24:34-36

 

You are His

Psalm 24:1

Hi, I’m Howie Campbell, and this is a Wisdom and Truth Minute.

“The Earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” (Psalm 24:1). You realize, of course, that means you, too, are the Lord’s. You belong to him. You may be surrendered to him, and know him personally and intimately. You are His and He is yours. You may merely have an intellectual awareness of Him, but no personal relationship. You are His as well. You may not believe in Him, reject his son Jesus Christ, and even detest Christians – still, you are His. My recommendation is to seek to find out who He really is – it may surprise and delight you, my friend.

 

Charlottesville Virginia is a major music town. It makes sense that churches would involve music in their outreach strategy as well as stage praise and worship events. The folks at Aldersgate United Methodist asked Debbie and I to be a part of Praise Expo 2015. We were one of the music teams to perform that day.

Here’s a wonderful testimony of how the Lord directs our path.
While at a jazz jam session a violinist showed up. Her tone was wonderful and she seemed like a sweet gal so I met her afterwards only to discover she is a Christian, recently graduated from a music program at a Christian college. I contacted her later asking if she might be willing to join Debbie and I at an event, which she was. After looking at our web site, she messaged me that her dad traveled with his family growing up doing a similar ministry to ours. They have a heart for our style of ministry. We rehearsed the music an hour before the concert and performed well for our Lord. Thank you, Victoria Pent, for making the music even better!

It always blesses me the way God connects us with brothers and sisters to join in the joy of sharing the Good News, whether on a concert stage, on the street, in someone’s home or in a church setting. May God ever be glorified in the testimony of His saints, as we raise awareness of His immense goodness wherever we go.

Thank you, Lord, for connecting us with Victoria and her family. Many of the musicians we have a close relationship with have come into our lives by Divine appointment. We know God has a special plan for each one, and we pray the Lord, Jesus Christ will make Himself known mightily in each life and family.

Howie Campbell – guitar/vocal/native American flute
Debbie Campbell – percussion
Victoria Pent – violin

Howie and I are back in Charlottesville, Virginia for a few weeks. We  had the privilege of playing for the C’ville Coffee open mic last week. Here is our version of an original song written by Howie titled “Grampy”.

Enjoy!

          Last week we were traveling up Rt 283 just north of Brady, TX when our van just stopped. We had it towed to the nearest Sprinter mechanic in Clyde, TX who happened to be swamped. Finally after waiting seven days, he had the opportunity to carefully inspect our engine. He concluded that our engine is “dead on arrival”.

Our Sprinter has been a blessing as we carry the Gospel throughout the United States, living out of it most of the year. Being nearly ten years old, rusting in spots and well over 200,000 miles, we feel it is not a wise investment to sink twelve to twenty-three thousand dollars we have been quoted to replace the engine.

We have continued to trust the Lord, seeing His fingerprints on this entire event. The question now is what to do. Since we have ruled out fixing the old van, we are considering other options to continue the Gospel ministry.

As musicianaries, we have very limited personal funds for such a huge expense as replacing our van. But we serve a mighty God who we trust will make every provision in due season.

Please pray for us to have discernment and direction to find just the right replacement van. Pray that this vital ministry to the unchurched will continue.

It is our passion to share Jesus with the American people. It is hard to believe that in this once Christian influenced nation there are communities that are indifferent, and even hardened against, the message of Jesus Christ. As musicians, we have been able to penetrate these communities and soften ears to the name of Jesus. Together with the local body, we scatter the seeds, water the tender sprouts and sometimes reap a harvest.

How can you help?

We are thankful for a small church here in Clyde, TX for taking us under their wings. They keep saying that God had us brake down ‘here’. We are sharing with them on Wednesday night. They are contacting other area churches on our behalf. This Saturday they are hosting a bake sale in hopes of raising $1000 toward another van. Wow! We are so blessed and praise God for putting us here.

We are also grateful to our musician brotherhood for making connections. Ricky Russ at Inspirational Country Radio has welcomed us, affording us time on the air to plead our cause. Please send out some love to Ricky and West at Inspiration Country Radio / ICRFM Facebook

• Pray – God moves through the prayer of His saints.
• Give – No matter what we do, we need funds. We minister year round and do not have a surplus of funds to tap into should an event like van replacement arise. Donate here.
• Host Us At Home – Plan a home concert to introduce us to folks that may be interested in partnering in ministry.
• Host Us At Church – Our focus is to the secular community and it is helpful to minister in Churches that are able to take up a love offering or partner with us in regular support.

We continue to pray.

Howie and Debbie Campbell

 

A Sioux Indian in Rapid City told us as we were passing through to the Rosebud Reservation that the Native peoples reject the white man’s God because of the boarding school experiences. Children were removed from their homes, from their parents and all that was familiar and placed in a school where they were forbidden to keep their Indian names, speak their native tongue and practice the tribal traditions. The boarding schools were an attempt by some early missionaries to “convert” the natives. This attempt not only backfired but served to drive them away from Christianity in deep anger and bitterness. We heard a similar story 25 years ago from a Seneca teacher, herself growing up in a convent boarding school and claimed to have been baptized several times with no conversion.

We brought the matter to the Lord and asked Him to divinely give us a hearing among the tribal people.

Piya Mani Otipi Rehab Center

Eighteen people filed into the room of the substance abuse recovery program, took their seats on the couches and chairs that circled around the room and look at us, the “white” folks that have a message for them. Howie introduced us and began to share and play. Some yawned, a couple giggled and many avoided direct eye contact. We were wondering if we would be able to make the connection when Chris, the gal who took us there, passed out tambourines, which turned out to be a good thing as it helped open the communication between us all. Howie shared his own story of his involvement in drugs and alcohol, how he discovered the Bible out there on a dirt road with no Christians around, surrendered his life to the Lord and found freedom. He also shared how we lived on the Cattaraugus Reservation and began praying 25 years ago that we would have the opportunity to visit the Rosebud for Jesus.

I shared that my brother and I have always had a great admiration for the Native Americans because of their respect for the created things. Then I shared how Jesus himself was not the “white man’s” God, but was from a tribal people, the Jewish Nation, who had twelve tribes, much like the Sioux, and Jesus was called “The Lion of the Tribe of Judah”. This is a noble name.

Howie and I worked together to explain how the Creator became flesh and choose to become a man to teach us how to live. This perfect man, God in the flesh, took our sins upon himself and was nailed to the tree. But he did not stay there as he arose and conquered death. He will return to take us home – those who call upon his name.

By now the folks had discovered that our message was not what they expected and were tracking with us. Howie brought out his Indian made wooden flute and played for them. Many closed their eyes and respectfully listened with a prayerful attitude.

Howie shared the Gospel message clearly and in a very relevant manner. Then he offered prayer for anyone who wanted it after the session concluded. To our delight, nearly the entire group responded, individually coming up and sharing their story and receiving prayer.

The Lord Jesus applied His healing balm that day. Hearts were touched, decisions made and we were blessed beyond words.

But the blessing was to continue. God scheduled the opportunity for us to return, via a surprise cancelation and a phone call to Ray, Chris’ husband, to come lead the Sunday afternoon meeting. This was just as we were planning to leave the area. We saw the working of the Holy Spirit as He was not finished yet. We arrived to bright smiles and joy filled room. This second visit not only reinforced the message we shared, but strengthened our connection as well. We left our new friends each with a Gospel of John and exchange smiles until our paths cross again.

There is no speech, nor language, where their voice is not heard. Psalm 19:3

When playing places like the Pasco Farmers Market in Washington State, we have to be very careful not to “preach”. Obviously in today’s culture most public venues are very cautious about this so we need to pray and be sensitive as well, especially if we want to be welcomed back. Our goal is to share the message of Jesus by using methods that are not commonly associated with “preaching”.

After an hour or so of music, I took a break and pulled out the bag of salvation bead bracelets that Kayla made for this year’s Great Circle Tour. (Read more by following the link below to our April 3, 2010 post). Bev, our trusty area coordinator and promoter, along with Pastor Dan, a former hippie from Southern California, joined me in sitting on the curb next to Howie’s music.

Our goal was to sort through the bracelets and divide them by lengths. Little did we know that this activity would become a platform to share the Gospel message with most everyone at the market that had children.

It started as one couple walked up and asked “What are you doing?” The door opened and we shared the meaning of the beads and gave them each one. One after another came up and before we knew it, we had shared the message over 50 times.

An elderly woman, Mary, was particularly touched by the music and the beads. With a big smile she began to point children our way to get their “free” bracelet and hear the message.

My concluding thought is this: many places, like the Historic Downtown Mall of Charlottesville, VA, have an ordinance that forbids approaching a person to hand something out. But, if they come to you, that gives you freedom to share what you wish. Having supplies on hand, gathering in a public place and making the bracelets is a great way to open doors.

Debbie

PS: We were invited back!

Read “>Kayla and the Salvation Band Project:

Traveling through what seemed to be “No Man’s Land” in Northern Arizona we wondered if God would open opportunities for us to witness for Him.

The Hopi reservation was rocky and harsh. This was quite the contrast to the people that live in the land. At the cultural center we met V***** a DJ from WYI Res Radio, who shared with us that Hopi means “Peaceful People”. We also began to realize that our “Wayfarin Strangers Amped” CD would be well liked here on the Reservation.

As the Great Circle USA 2010 takes us through Navajo Country the desert sun is hot and the nights are cold. This is perfect for sleeping in the van.

The roadway was dotted with venders selling their handwork. Howie wanted a leather and turquoise decoration to hang from his guitar neck and we hoped to find it Navajo made.
The Lord lead us to J*****a who was happily equipted for the challenge of designing a piece for Howie.

As she worked Howie suggested that he serenades the vendors. His suggestion was received with many smiles. As the Navajo woman put her finishing touch on the piece by tying her work to the guitar neck, he offered her and the nearby vendors copies his CDs: The Good News of Christmas, Colonial Meditations and Thank You.

R* said liked R&B, so Howie invited him to our van to listen to some of “Wayfarin Strangers Amped”. He loved it and we promised to send him a copy as soon as it is released.
The conversation segued nicely into Jesus as Howie shared his story, then R* shared his story. God has placed us in the right place at the right time to minister to a native man who has a great need. We were able to pray with R* and leave him with a Gospel of John. Soon he will have our new CD as well as a letter from us.

Dear Partner in “Taking Jesus to the Streets”

I just got back from a meeting with a political candidate. I asked the first question of this Christian woman running for Representative, which was: “How is your prayer support?” You see, I believe our leaders need more of the Spirit of the Lord and less advice on how we think we can fix things. We, as a nation, need God’s direction because we are way off course. “If my people, which are called by my name … then I will hear from heaven and heal their land” says the Lord of Hosts.

In the early days of our founding, the fathers pledged their lives, fortunes and sacred honor for the cause of “liberty and justice for all.” Now is the time for us to do the same. However, rather than forging a new earthly nation, we must prepare folks for the Kingdom of Heaven wherein dwells righteousness instead of greed, pride and iniquity. To see this come to pass, we must ensure as many people hear the Good News as possible. That’s why we’re on the streets for Jesus!

“He that will save his life will lose it. He that will lose his life for my sake, and the Kingdom, shall gain it unto everlasting life”, says the Lord, Jesus Christ.

As Debbie and I prepare to begin this, another year of “Taking Jesus to the streets” and to the highways and byways of America, I am trusting the Lord and counting on your help. You can be a part of our ministry this year through your financial support of course, but also by:

· Bringing and inviting us into your community just like the believers did last year in Orange Mound and dozens of other locations around the USA…

• Praying with us that God will open up miraculous and sometimes spontaneous events like the Rosebud empty lot concert….

• Joining us at events in your community through prayer, evangelism, follow up, relationship building, music, promotion and special offerings….

• Volunteering to help in the mailings, contacting others about our ministry and spreading the word to local pastors and church groups, and

• Commit to “Monthly for Missions” faith partnership with our mission in 2010.

Unless Jesus comes in the clouds of glory for us this year, we will follow the Holy Spirit around the country again. May the God of all be gracious to allow us to see fruit for our labors, as someone has prayed, “Fruit to the glory of Jesus Christ”.

Love you guys,

Howie

P.S. Please send your offering for our missionary support to Howie and Debbie Campbell, PO Box 8334, Charlottesville, VA 22906. Make checks payable CIS, INC. As we prepare for the year ahead, Debbie and I are counting on your faithful support. MAY GOD BLESS YOU IN 2010 just as you are faithfully supporting Christ’s work in us.

Life is full of surprises when married to Howie Campbell. Sunday, our day of rest, has turned into many opportunities to share.

Last Sunday Howie went to visit his NY jazz drummer’s church in Albany where he met Arthur Ware, Sr. Art happens to host “Gospel Hours”, a program on WSPN Radio out of Skidmore College in Saratoga, NY. Even though our music is not considered “gospel” in the strict sense, he had us in for a live interview this morning.

Nearing end of the interview Art asked Howie to share some closing thoughts. Howie shared his testimony of how he met Jesus while living way out on a dirt road, didn’t know any Christians, but began to read the Word. From here he discussed the truth that there is power in the Word of God and that it is able to bring a person to salvation. He encouraged all of the listening audience to read the Bible for themselves. And if they have never read John he suggested to begin there..

Have you read the Gospel of John? John was an eyewitness to Jesus for three and a half years. John will tell you who Jesus is. He has the answer to life’s most important question: What must I do to be saved?

Thank you, Art, for having us on your show.

Debbie