by on

I recently received an email that took me by surprise in a very good way…IMG_0058

“Greetings from Canada. Last spring, my wife and kids were vacationing in Myrtle Beach and arrived very late, and somewhat dejected, one Sunday morning just in time to hear the sermon and your singing of “Hope Now” at Beach Church.

We had just left another church across town where we were turned away at the door because our kids did not want to go to the kids’ ministry. Weird experience. In any case, your singing that day was a welcome healing balm for my family. And I just soaked in the presence of our God as you sang. Thank-you for being His instrument.

I’ve had other such spiritual experiences at churches far away, often without giving thanks to the people involved. I want to change that. To our God all our praise is due, but his hands and feet need a pat on the back every now and then too, for being open to his moving.

So thank-you, and God Bless. We serve such a great God.

Barry – from Canada”

You never know what people are going through. So whatever you do, however you serve, remember that God can use you as a tool in His hands – to breathe hope, peace, love, and healing into someone’s life. People everywhere need to know the Hope that is Christ. Today, let Him use you in His most capable hands to do what only He can do in the lives of others. Who knows, someone from another country, or from the next cubicle, just might need His touch through you.

by on

Russell and Kristi unleash their sixth studio album, No Other Name, today – April 30th 2013!thumb

For their sixth studio album, Russell and Kristi have invested more of themselves into this project than any one preceding – and it shows. Described as “the best album yet,” No Other Name has a feel of definite worship and awe of our Creator.  Each song in the collection was carefully crafted or selected around the central theme of worship for the creator God of the universe. From beginning to end, the album examines our purpose for living – to worship God – and the many facets of God and his unending love.

IMG_0687

This highly anticipated album was sparked by the popularity of the previously recorded song ‘No Other Name’. A last minute addition to the 2009 release, ‘Heart Revolution’, ‘No Other Name’ quickly became a favorite at every event where Russell and Kristi led worship.

IMG_0709The entire project was recorded in the couple’s home studio, warmly nicknamed “The Swamp,” and was produced and engineered by Russell.The duo enlisted the support of their band – Mark Stanley (guitars), Doug Sturgill (bass) and James Poindexter (drums).

Russell and Kristi continue to travel sharing their music and the Hope of Christ as they lead people in worship. Their goal is to encourage the Church (God’s vehicle for redemption through Jesus Christ) and to make Him known. They have shared the stage with dozens of today’s top Christian artists and they share the conviction that God has put them together to share Christ with others through music. Russell and Kristi have also recently founded Adore Marriage, a non-profit organization to strengthen and encourage marriages and families. Get to know them for yourself and you will see that they are a match made in heaven, through their music, their marriage and their ministry.

You can find R&K’s new CD at any of the following:
www.russellandkristi.com
iTunes
GooglePlay
Amazon
CdBaby

 

by on

I like to read Oswald Chambers’, My Utmost For His Highest, most mornings and as many of you know, there is a key verse – many times part of a verse – that is centered upon for the day’s reading.  Well, most times I like to read the whole chapter that the verse comes from; that way I can better understand the context of the verse, what was happening at the time.  Anyway, today I read the chapter before as well – Acts 19 and 20 – to get a good handle on what was going on.  It told of Paul in Ephesus, standing, as He always did, for the gospel among people who were solid believers of the false god Artemis.  Riots broke out, people didn’t like what Paul had to say.  But it didn’t stop him.  He left Ephesus, traveling to Macedonia on his way to Jerusalem.  Everywhere he was, he spoke the powerful truth of the Gospel.  As he said, he was “compelled” to do this.

Today’s devotion left me with this truth – that we are all given a ministry when we become believers in Jesus Christ.  To share the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Now, how we share it is always changing – but our ministry to share the Gospel remains.  Over the 18 1/2 years that Russell and I have been married, we have seen our ministry opportunities change.  We have been in music ministry, sharing the Gospel through music to many different people in many different ways – student ministry, singles ministry, even children’s ministry.  Over the past several years, God has added marriage ministry.  All the while, the ministry of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ has not changed.  As I said earlier, the way, or style, may change but the message is always the same.

And we all have a ministry.  Not just us who sing Christian Music or preach or lead churches, but all of us who carry the name of Jesus.

Kristi TruckMaybe God has put you around someone at work who doesn’t know Him – be a minister at work – show them the Gospel as you build relationships.  Maybe your son or daughter has a friend who’s parents don’t give them much attention.  Show him/her the Gospel by pouring into them encouraging words when they are around you.  You can pray for them, too.

There are so many ways to minister.  The most important thing is to stay in touch with the One who made you a minister to begin with.  Nurture your relationship with Jesus.  Spend time daily in His word.  Read the full chapter – get more of Him, and He’ll continue to lead you and open up opportunities to pour His love through you.

What a ride we’re on!  Let’s enjoy being ministers of the Gospel!

Kristi 🙂

 

by on

A Look At 2012 and Beyond!
We are very excited about what God has been up to! We have had a busy year in 2012, one that has been very memorable for us as a couple in ministry together and as a family. Some highlights of the year… 

In February…

We had the opportunity to go to South Korea to an international school, enabling us to minister to sixth, seventh, and eighth graders for an entire week. We had some super, one-on-one moments with students from all over the world.

 

In March…

We held our second Adore Marriage Conference in Myrtle Beach, SC, with couples from five different states in attendance. The conference tripled from our first year in 2011. We have had many wonderful comments about this weekend and are excited to see how God grows this weekend getaway for married couples.

 In June…

We traveled to New Orleans, LA to the Southern Baptist Convention. We had an opportunity to lead worship for a worship service on Sunday morning and reconnect with fellow ministers while we were there. Our son, Will, wasn’t with us this time. He got a chance to go to France and Spain with his grandparents so he chose that instead!

This year…

We decided to completely homeschool

Will and Sidney. We have been very pleased with this decision and keep reminding them

both how blessed we all are to

be able to travel together.

In October…

We held our very first Adore Marriage Cruise to the Bahamas! We had 22 couples in attendance from seven different states. We had a super time and are looking forward to next year!

 This Christmas…

We kicked off our first ever Christmas Concert Tour, making stops in South Carolina and Tennessee. One of the best parts was that Will and Sidney were a part of it! We all enjoyed ministering together as a family.

Looking Ahead…

2013 starts our 15th year of ministry together. Many of you may not know that in 2010 we started Adore Marriage. We noticed that so many marriages around us, from 2 years to 30+ years, were ending in divorce.

Was there something we

could do to help?

God began to give us a vision for a ministry that focused on creating memorable getaways for couples at economical prices. We have already had couples from 9 different states impacted by an Adore Marriage getaway! One of our goals is to pack as much value as we can into these experiences so that marriages can be strengthened and encouraged. These events include…

– Great Biblical teaching

– Worship

– Space for couples to relax, reconnect and renew

In our world today, there seems to be an all-out assault on both marriage and family. We are committed to helping couples and families fight back. By offering experiences, resources, and time away from the normal routine, we believe that couples will be more able to hear God speak and that lives, marriages, and families will be transformed.

We know that God values marriage – He created it!

The area of finances is one of the biggest issues married couples face today. We never want the cost of an Adore Ministries event to be yet another financial burden. In order to continue to see this ministry help marriages and families,

Would you prayerfully consider partnering with us?

 Your gifts to Adore Marriage will help us provide the following:

– Low-cost, high-impact getaways for couples

– Scholarships for couples who would like to come but might not be able to afford it

– Resources, like emails and devotionals

– Help finding Christian counselors when needed

– Low-cost, high-impact family events

Where there are strong marriages,

there are strong families…

 Where there are strong families,

there are strong churches!

We ask for your prayers as we continue to plan and equip marriages and families. There are several ways to partner with us…

 -Prayer Support

-One-Time Gift

-Monthly Gift

-Weekly Gift

-Bi-Weekly Gift

 Please visit our website, www.adoremarriage.com and click on the donations link to find out

how you can help strengthen and encourage marriages and families across the globe with God’s love and wisdom.

We pray for God’s blessings in your life in 2013!!! Thank you for your encouragement and support as we continue to share the hope of Jesus Christ!

Russell and Kristi

by on

I never lead worship by myself. Russell and I have gotten so used to singing and leading together that doing anything apart is foreign anymore…which is a good thing, really.  So when I got a call from Jen Weiler, our student pastor’s wife, a couple months ago asking me to lead worship for THRIVE, I was shocked, nervous, apprehensive, scared, all those insecure things.  THRIVE is a once a year event of over 300 6th to 12th grade girls gathering to be encouraged and pampered by women of all ages. It is the living out of Titus 2 where it says:  Older women…are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. (Titus 2:3-5 ESV)

Don’t get me wrong.  I wanted to do it but I was afraid of being by myself without Russell. He does almost all of the leading when we lead praise and worship.  I usually just sing, which I love very much!  So I told Jen that I would think and pray about it and then call her with a decision.  After talking it over with Russell and with God, I decided it was exactly what I was supposed to do.  I was excited, still nervous, but excited.

Well, the day came for THRIVE. I had assembled a team of three other women to help me and Tom Garber, our musical director, had put together an awesome band from the unbelievable talent pool we have at beachCHURCH. We were ready.  Was I still nervous, insecure, plain scared?  YES!  However, I was so encouraged by my awesome husband to step out and do what God was wanting to do in and through me.  I had been wanting to be more comfortable in leading others to worship our awesome Creator and King. Now was the time to do it.

Tom also told me something while practicing one day.  He told me that this is not about performing, which I had done in theaters for so many years. He told me to speak to them as a mom, to look at those girls, all 300 of them, as I would my own daughter.  That’s when it sunk in.  That’s what I needed to hear.  I was there to lead them to worship, all the while worshipping our Lord first.  I was to be the Lead Worshipper.  This was not about me after all.  Yes, God was doing something in me through this experience, but it was about these teenagers,  these beautiful girls that God has a plan and purpose for.  And ultimately it was about worshipping the One Who has each of their lives, and mine and yours, so intricately planned and designed according to our gifts and talents that He gave us when He created us.  We don’t have to be afraid to live out the life He has for us.  I didn’t have to be insecure and timid in stepping up and leading those girls, in doing what God was calling me to do.  You don’t either.

Let God do amazing things in and through you, things that you wouldn’t think possible.  That’s what He does best – the impossible, because all things are possible with God.

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” (Mark 10:27 ESV)

I loved seeing all those girls come together to have fun and just be pampered for the day. Not to mention all 200+ ladies that volunteered to do the pampering. I love to see the body of Christ serve each other.  I think that’s when we see Jesus’ love the most. We need to do more of that, serving each other, building up each other, mentoring the younger generation.

Jenna Lucado did a wonderful job sharing from her heart with the girls.  She related well to them with such ease and sincerity.  I loved her immediately upon meeting her earlier that day. She was real, very refreshing to talk to.  I have always loved her dad, Max Lucado.  I have read many of his books and have learned so much from them.  It’s great to see the next generation in the Lucado family rising up and taking their place among all those who speak into the younger generation.

by on

I was just watching a video from Paul Baloche.  He recently released a new CD and the title song is awesome!  In the video, he is in a urban area, singing, oddly enough, into a red SOLO cup.  The cup is attached to a string and he goes across the city, in various areas, placing other SOLO cups, also attached to strings, where people will walk by.

I watched as numerous people, each wearing headphones, walked by these cups, not noticing the ‘sound’ coming from them that the singer was singing.  Immediately I thought, “They are so plugged in they can’t hear.”  I thought about our fairly recent visit to South Korea and how plugged in they were – a culture that barely talked on the subway, where everyone, and I mean everyone, had an iPhone or some other smart device.  I thought, then, that they were a plugged-in society, not noticing much of anything or anyone around them.  Then it dawned on me…Are they plugged in or are they tuned out?  Are they missing out on things?  Are we missing out on some things…maybe something God is trying to say?

Maybe we, also, are tuned out.  Maybe we need to tune in and plug in to our real Source…of strength, of hope, of grace.

I want people to look at my life and say…

She sure is tuned in!

How about you?