REFLECTIONS

This page is a place where we can share and "reflect" about our walk with the Lord and how He has been leading us. 

What a blessed time we had in Branson this year!  It was great to see friends from last year and to meet new ones.  God is so good and just keeps on giving blessings on top of blessings.  We were awarded 2nd place for Vocal Group, Reciter, and Young performer.  Deede and Penny were named Whistlers of the year.  This is their second year!  We were so proud of Jansen and Selah.  It is not easy for little kids to get up in front of large group but they really had a good time!  Take a look at the pictures on our photo tab!  

We were fortunate to meet Barbara Fairchild.  She was the MC for the awards show.  She did a fantastic job and really is a God filled, down to earth Christian.  She is very quick witted and always had a cute comeback or a joke to keep things going smoothly.  We got a picture with her! 

We will be taking some time off to catch up on home stuff and to learn new song for next year.  We will do a few concerts during Christmas time and then start back up in March, 2009.  We already have an Arizona, Kansas and New Mexico trip planned for next year and have a tentative date in May set to do a joint concert with the “Bost Family Tradition”!  What a great family and talk about great sound and testimony…  We will keep you posted on this one… 

We are looking forward to next year, God has opened up so many doors for our ministry and we just can’t wait to see what He has planned!  If you would like us to come to your Church next year please give us a call.

9-21-2008

We just got home this evening from our concert yesterday with "The Isaacs" in Ridgway, Colorado. 

The wonders and blessings that God bestowed upon us this weekend are still swimming in my head.  I wanted to share with all of you what a glorious experience it was but unfortunately I do not have the ability to express in words the workings of our Lord.  He showed up in quiet force and none of us will ever be the same.  From the time we arrived in Ridgway until we left this morning God has been expressing His love.  I must quickly add, that God certainly placed us in the midst of the most beautiful and colorful scenery, which only gave definition to this experience!  It truly is a visual banquet for the eyes, to see the beauty that God has placed in our home state is breath taking.  But then again this is the place where He spends most of His time, right? 

We spent Friday evening in Ouray with Victoria Hearst and her assistant, Linda.  It is humbling and inspiring to observe the “servant” heart so freely demonstrated!  Victoria gave us the Ouray 101 History Lesson, and she took us into shops where we were introduced to shop keepers.  We all agree that this little town has to be one of Colorado's most lovely, ah-inspiring places!  We shared a lovely dinner and made friends that we will cherish for life.  Victoria is a very remarkable Christian woman and she has a staff that is second to none!  God is truly working in the Ridgway Christian Center and proves to be a ministry all it’s own with Victoria's strong leadership.

Saturday we had lunch with "The Isaacs" and met each of them for the first time.  What a wonderful Christian family!  We were honored to be a part of Lily’s birthday celebration!  The RCC Staff had a birthday cake complete with candles!  We have watched the Isaacs for years on TV, admiring their gift of song and love of God they express in their performances, but to see it in "real" life was truly a blessing.  They are a family, free from any pretences, just like we hoped they would be. 
 
The afternoon was spent watching the Isaac's crew set up equipment and doing all our "mic" checks!  Our nervousness' grew with each minute that past as we realized the magnitude of what was about to take place.  By 3:00 we were back in the motel "trying" to rest and finally started getting ready.  By 6:25 pm with five minutes left until we headed over to the Christian Center we were wrecks!  
 
I am sure you can relate to the feeling of wanting to do everything possible to do your best,  yet working at it so hard you are afraid that you might lose grip!  We were about to that point when God showed His presence and offered us the peace of mind that can only comes from Him.  Just a few minutes before we were to go to the center, we received a call from Mark Davis, a pastor in Cedar Vale, Ks.  He just wanted us to know that he and his congregation were thinking of us and praying for us!  The encouragement that came just at this critical moment for Crosswalk, was proof that God is there to calm our storms.  Although it has been nearly a year since we were in their home church in Kansas, time came together at that moment, in our motel room.  As Crosswalk huddled around a cell phone, speaker on, we were lifted before our heavenly Father for His peace and His will to be done…a moment like this only comes from God!!!  By the time we heard "in Jesus name, Amen” our eyes were filled with tears of thanksgiving and our hearts were being prepared for his ministry!  Praises be to God!!!  

When we arrived at the Christian Center we were met by staff and escorted to the dressing rooms.  What an awesome and helpful staff.  We were overcome by having our own dressing room, which was filled with anything we might need; water, juices, snacks, and fruit.  Enough to feed the entire audience!  (Who can eat!)?  Pastor Jimmy came in to check on us and held us up in prayer and shortly Victoria came in and prayed with us as well.  (I told you that Victoria was "Bold" in her ministry, what an example for the rest of us!) 

Finally it was time for us to walk on stage and the rest is a blur.  I only know that God had us in His hands and every thing went according to Him.  We came off stage with a standing ovation, giving praises to our Lord who loves us the most! 

After a short intermission, it was time for The Isaacs to take the stage.  They were totally awesome and gave all of us an evening that we will remember.  Sonja really summed up the night as she told the audience how much they appreciated the acclamations and hoped they were having a good time as well.  The building erupted, she continued saying that these feelings might last a day or even a week but would go away unlike the feeling of joy and contentment of having Jesus Christ in their lives.  What she said is so true, unless Jesus is in your life, in your job, in your family, and Yes, in your singing you can never fully enjoy the music of this life. 

What a great God we have!!!  Do I hear an "Amen"?

After everyone had gone home, the staff at RCC served another wonderful and relaxed meal with Victoria, The Isaacs and Crosswalk.  It was a great time to let down and just reflect.  I sat there watching Sonja "texting" on her phone, Ben talking with Jesse the fiddle player, Melody visiting with Lily, Deede and Penny laughing while Brandon exchanged ideas with Jake the sound engineer! Life was good!  I was thinking about how all summer I had imagined what this night would be like and then realizing how different it had been.  God had indeed made it better than I could have imagined.  We got back to the motel around 12:30.  The Isaacs headed out on a 22-hour road trip to California never fully realizing what an impact they had made in our lives.  

I have discovered, in my walk with the Lord, that no matter how hard I try or do not try to make this life work.  He is always there. I recently heard a song with a message that really sums it up for me, "Here I am, There He is".  His faithfulness is unfathomable!  

God has been showing us all summer what He has called us to do, we have tried to be true to His will.  Please keep us in your prayers that our ministry and our fruits will be worthy. 

Our desire is to stand strong and to be bold in our Savior with a mindset that it is never to be about us but always about Him! 
 
In Him,
Crosswalk
Tanky-Deede-Melody-Penny & Brandon

Latest News:


5-26-2008
We just returned from the CGMA, Western Division Convention in Ridgway, CO.  What a blessed time!!!  It was so great to meet up with several of our old friends and to meet and love new friends.  Words can not explain how wonderful it is to be surrounded by so many loving Christians.  We often compare it to summer Church Camp that we went to as "young-ins".  What a blessed joyous event.  Praise be to God!

We were blessed and honored to be awarded the 2008 Vocal Group of the year as well as Whistlers and Reciter of the year.  Tanky and Deede's Grandson, Jansen Hildreth was awarded the "Young Performer of the Year".  It is an understatement to say that GrandMa Deede and Papa were "Beaming" as he performed.  The Lord is so good to have blessed CrossWalk with wonderful Kids and Grandkids.   

3-29-2008
Praise the Lord!!!  We just recorded our CD Project at Windbourne Music.  What an experience!  Berriene and Barbara were so kind to us.  They made the whole process comfortable and very pleasurable.  We will be going back to the recording studio to make final adjustments the middle of April.  Let us know if you would like us to send you a copy. 

1-17-2008
We have taken most of the month of January off!  We needed some time to get new songs ready for 2008 and the holidays just about did us all in...

We are starting up the last of January and if God wills we will be going strong all year.  I have only posted the "for sure" dates on the calendar but have most of March and part of April ready to post soon.  Every Church we ministered to in 2007 have ask us to come back this year. 
God has been so good to us and doors just keep opening up for us to spread the Good Word for our Lord and Savior.

11-01-2007
We just returned from the CGMA International Convention in Branson, MO and what a great time!  We have met so many wonderful people through CGMA and this convention just added to the blessings.  We had six full days of hearing some of the finest Artists out there, each with a heart for God.  We were amazed at how strong the Holy Spirit was present and the blessings just kept on a comin'.  We  were awarded two international recognitions.  One for Whistler of the Year and another for Reciter of the Year! 

God has been showing us all summer what He has called us to do, we have tried to be true to His will.  Please keep us in your prayers that our ministry and our fruits will be worthy.  Our desire is to stand strong and to be bold in our Savior.  It is not about us it is all about Him...