The Waylighters Quartet

The Lord is blessing "The Waylighters Quartet." We are excited the way our sound is coming together in large part because of the musicianship of Sharon Emery.

What an awesome year it has been! It seems just yesterday that I was entering the first entry for the year of 2008. Now, I'm entering the last two! One singing is yet to be fulfilled until December 31, 2008 where we will be with folks at Hubbard Springs Missionary Baptist Church in Centreville, Hwy 82. But first let me tell you about our last completed date on December 13, 2008 at The Gospel Music Barn in Dora, AL. This was the end of the year sponsor and performing artists appreciation concert which featured "Pure Heart", "Crimson Journey", "The New Vision Quartet", "Sacred Harvest Quartet", The Waylighters Quartet", "Azure", and "The Dotson Family." If you've never been to one of these concerts, let me encourage you to attend one during next year. They sponsor two groups once a month and it's well worth going and hearing. These folks do good work for the Lord and beginning 2009 they will be starting a new program involving youth. It will consist of a youth talent search. Also remember their TV program entitled, "GOSPEL SINGING TIME" on Jasper TV - 55. If you or your church would like to sponsor this program it is $35.00 per month. You may contact Bob Uptain at: 205-648-8751 or at home: 205-648-9552. Remember: "GOSPEL SINGING TIME" can be heard every Saturday morning at 10:00 AM on Joy Christian Radio AM 1540, hosted by LGS Ministries. The Waylighters are proud to be associated with LGS Ministries and would like to thank them for their support of our work throughout this past year! God bless each and every one and hope to see you at a future singing in 2009!

As this year comes quickly to an end, The Waylighters would like to take this time to personally thank each and every church and individual that we have been with this past year. Words can't express enough how deeply thankful we are for you to have allowed us to come and minister in song. Our prayers for all of you in the forthcoming New Year is to have blessed peace and to know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. We are looking forward to 2009 and hope to see you at some of the singings that are presently booked on our web site. Please visit our site often, as we are constantly adding dates to our calendar. God bless each of you. And a special thanks goes to our spouses that have been so supportive and faithful this past year. We couldn't do this without you!
In Christ,
Charlie Adams
Gary Adams
John Reiter
Danny Littleton
Sharon Emery

Happy New Year everyone! What a wonderful way to finish out the old year and bring in the new. The Waylighters traveled to Hubbard Springs Missionary Baptist Church on December 31 to ring in the new year with Southern Gospel Music. There were at least five different churches represented at this service and all were in one accord! The spirit of the Lord was truly present and our group was encouraged as we look to starting another year together. The only thing missing was the presence of our tenor singer, Gary Adams. Please remember Gary when you pray, as he has recently undergone surgery for a detached retina. We are praying that he will be able to return quickly to the group. There was also a lot of talent from all the churches represented and after The Waylighters took a break in singing, lots of folks did special numbers. We want to take a moment to mention some special friends of John (Bass) and his wife Lana. Jane Martin and her husband were with us on this night all the way from Montevallo to help us ring in the New Year. Jane was also celebrating her birthday with us and we want to thank her for spending it with us in watch service. Also, Sharon (Keyboards) would like to make special mention of a wonderful Christian lady whose name is Marta who was able to be with us also. Back in the summer, Marta filled in for Sharon's regular postal carrier. Sharon wasn't aware that this was the same lady until they started speaking with each other after the service. It's so amazing how God's people meet each other! After the singing, everyone met in the fellowship hall for refreshments. It was just a wonderful evening of Christian fellowship and a great way to end 2008. If you are able, please come and be with the group as we will be singing with "To The End" quartet on January 17, 2009 at the Blue Barn in Jemison, Alabama. These great folks put out a great spread of food and then we have good old Southern Gospel singing. It all starts at 5:00 PM. There is generally standing room only, so make plans to come and be with us. Then on Sunday, January 18, 2009, we will be at Stewart's Chapel at Warrior at 2:00 PM. We were with these fine folks our first time last year and we're looking forward to going and being with them again. God is working in a mighty way for our group and we are excited about the coming year. Please make plans now to come and be with us at one of these singings.

Another year to start making memories! On Saturday night 5:00 PM, The Waylighters headed down to Jemison, AL to be with all of the folks at the Blue Barn Restuarant. This is a unique experience if you've never gotten to go and we would like to encourage you to go and be with the fine folks that run the Central Alabama Gospel Music Barn. It begins 5:00 PM and great Southern Gospel Music is heard on the third Saturday night of each month. You'll be feed both physically and spiritually. The Waylighters were honored to share the program with To The End. We want to personally thank the owners who tirelessly put this program on year after year, with very little help with expenses. May God richly bless you for all of the work you do. There were many churches represented there and The Waylighters were honored to be a part of the program. If you ever get the chance, give them a call at 688-5999 or 540-6863 for directions and come and be with them. They are located on14683 Co. Rd. 29 in Jemison, AL. You won't be disappointed. Good food, good fellowship, good fun!

On the Sunday morning of January 18, 2009, The Waylighters traveled back to Hayden, AL to be with our good friends at Stewart's Chapel Methodist church. This is a church that is truly on fire for the Lord! Pastor Kilgore's sermon came from Exodus 3:1-10 emphasizing that God is both in our good deeds and our bad deeds. Moses was always giving excuses as to why he couldn't do things, but God was ever present to tell him why he could. God hears our cries and afflictions and told Moses, "I will be with thee!" When we are at our weakest, God is at His strongest. He hears our cries and sees our afflictions. We are nothing without God. After the sermon, we congregated to the fellowship hall for lunch. These folks sure can cook. After the noon meal, everyone reconvened in the church where The Waylighters sang in the afternoon. Our hearts are always blessed when we get to be with our friends from Stewart's Chapel. We will be returning next year on January 17, 2010.

What a difference a day makes. The Waylighters would like to ask at this time that you would remember Mr. Charles Adama (Baritone) as he was admitted to UAB Medical West this morning. His brother, Roger, was admitted the previous evening with a massive coronary. Also, John Reiter's (Bass) daughter-in-law, Jenny, was in a three-vehicle accident this morning and received a fractured pelvis, broken femur and a collapsed lung. This may not be the extent of all of her injuries, but this is all the information I have at this time. Please be in prayer for these three precious souls as they have a long recovery ahead. We know that we have some of the best prayer partners in the country and ask that you would do so now. Thank you so much, and we will keep you posted as we receive more news on their conditions. God Bless you all.

John Smith called yesterday with sad news. I was not completely sure of all of the information that he was giving me, but apparently someone who is involved with the group, "Calvary's Way" had a death by drowning. Those who died were a woman and a child. I spoke with John for several minutes and he informed me that there will be a benefit singing on February 20, 2009 at the Senior Citizens Music House (this was formerly called The County Line Music House) There will be a meal starting at 5:00 PM, followed by singing at 7:00 PM. Some of the talent that has been enlisted so far includes: Pure Heart, Saving Grace, Capstone and Trinity. There is still time, so there may be other groups enlisted in the future. Please make plans now to attend

What a wonderful year it has started out to be for The Waylighters. We were honored to be with our good friends at Shiloh Missonary Baptist Church on Sunday, February 1. The group sang for both morning and afternoon services and the presence of the Lord was felt in both services. Pastor Randy Keef brought the morning message which was taken from Hebrews 10:25-32 with the main emphasis coming from verse 26, which reads: "For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins." It is so true that we do, indeed, have a loving God. But we also know that there will come a time when God says, "Depart from me, I never knew you." We as Christians sometimes fall into the category of even though we know that there are things of this world that we should not do, we seem to "willfully" do anyway. We should always think of whether things we do would be pleasing to God. If you get the chance to visit outside of your own church or do not have a church at the present time, go and hear Pastor Keef. He preaches strictly from the Bible and he preaches what the Lord lays on his heart. After the sermon, we assembled downstairs for the wondeful noon meal prepared by the ladies of the church. Then we reassembled in the auditorium for the afternoon singing. But the highlight of the day was when we prepared to be dismissed and we all made a cirlce around the church auditorium and held hands in prayer. Many requests were made and we come away BELIEVING that prayers will be answerd. The Waylighters will be singing at Shades Crest in Bessemer, AL on February 7 at 7:00 PM. Please make plans to come and be with us, and come expecting a blessing. We have not because we ask not. Let's make it a night to remember!

The Waylighters are pleased to announce that we will be going into the studio on February 16 to record our third project. We ask that you pray that we will select the material that God would have us use. The greatest thing that could come from this project is to see someone saved or uplifted. And we would once again like to thank all of you for your support that you have shown to us for the past three years. On March 26, we will be celebrating the start of our fourth year together. We thank the Lord for keeping us together and watching over us.

The Waylighters were once again honored to be with the fine folks at Southcrest Baptist Church on February 7, 2009. The group has been at Southcrest several times in the past four years and we always have a wonderful time. Charlie (baritone) had previously stopped at McDonalds before arriving at the singing and had met some ladies from Georgia who were visiting relatives here. Charlie always has a smile on his face and a song in his heart and introduced himself to these ladies and asked them if they were coming to the singing, not knowing at that time that they were out of state. So, we were very surprised and happy to see the ladies when they walked into the fellowship center. What a blessing to know that God's people can get together wherever they may come from. We would like to ask you to pray for John Reiter's (bass) daughter-in-law that was involved in a very serious automobile accident three weeks ago. Please remember Jeni Watkins as you pray, that the Lord will watch over her and heal her injuries. Also, please remember John and Lana and the whole family as this is a very trying time for all of them.

The Waylighters traveled to Oneonta, Alabama to once again be with our friends at Allgood Baptist Church on February 15, 2009. After having been with this congregation quite a few times in the past two years, we decided to do something a little different with our program this time. We gave the audience the opportunity to participate. Before church began, we handed out a list of songs that we have done over the past four years. This allowed the folks to be a part of the service and was a lot of fun to do songs that we hadn't done in a while. Even though this isn't something that we will do on a regular basis, it was a nice change of pace. We will be going back to Allgood Baptist on Sunday, April 19, 2009. The service begins at 6:30 PM. If you don't already have another church you are attending, please make plans to come and be with us. The Waylighters will be traveling to Good Hope Methodist Church in Columbiana, AL. on February 21, 2009.

The Waylighters traveled back to Columbiana, AL on February 21, 2009 to be with our friends at Good Hope Methodist Church. Sharon (keyboards) wasn't able to attend the last time the group traveled here and was glad to be back. It's always a blessing to be with these fine folks who have been so supportive of The Waylighters for so many years. A meal was provided before the beginning of the service and we were able to visit with everyone.

Well, IT IS FINISHED!! The Waylighters new project entitled, "30th Anniversary with The Waylighters" is in the process of being duplicated as we speak. We want to take this time to thank our good friends, Eric and Eugene Bates for a wonderful job! Eugene provided the bass guitar back up on the project and Eric engineered and produced the CD. We are very thankful for these guys and also want to say another special "Thank You" to Jim Pollard who provided the drum work on the project. Eugene and Jim have a tremendous amount of talent and we were glad that they were available. Eric also has loads of talent and experience and we highly recommend Bates Brothers Recording Studio located in Hueytown, Alabama for your recording needs. They can also provide musicians who are highly talented. Even though we are still in the process of having the CD duplicated, our very own John Rieter (bass) is duplicating a few in the meantime while we wait for the others to be completed. This is, by far, our best recording to date. If you would like to purchase a copy, you may do so by contacting our web site or calling either John at 205-901-2200 or Sharon at 205-938-7454. We want to thank all of you especially who follow our ministry. It's because of you that we were able to complete this project. God Bless all of you.

The Waylighters traveled to Brent, Alabama to be with the congregation of Scottsville Union Baptist Church on March 14, 2009. Although the weather didn't want to cooperate, the attendance was great and the blessings were in abundance! Sharon (keyboards) was pleasantly surprised when her next door neighbors, Marty and Katrina Henrickson and their daughters, Sarah and Faith showed up for the singing. Former pianist for the group, Betty Reach was also in attendance and we were so happy to have her with us. There was lots of extra singing that night from area church folk. And immediately following the service, refreshments were served. Even when the rain came down, God rained His blessings throughout the service! We are so thankful for those who were faithful and attended and refused to let the weather dampen the spirit.

It is always a blessing to be with our good friends at Community Baptist Church in Brierfield, Alabama, and The Waylighters were able to be with them once again on March 15, 2009. The quartet arrived in time to be in the morning worship service where Pastor Franks brought the message of being able to forgive one another as Christ forgives us. We sometimes lose our focus on how we should treat others and Pastor Franks emphasized this. After the message, we assembled in the fellowship hall for the noon meal, and after being fed physically, we reassembled in the church for the afternoon singing, and hopefully were able to feed someone spritually. We will be traveling back to Community Baptist on October 18 and hope you will be able to join us. The folks have also got a jump on next year and we are booked for March 21, 2010. Make plans now to come and be with us and share in God's blessings through song!

A very special time was had by The Waylighters on March 21, 2009 as we gathered at Bright Star Restaurant in Bessemer, Alabama for our leader, mentor and founder of the group, Charlie Adams in celebration of his 77th birthday. Charlie is truly a man of God who has blessed each and every member of the group and countless numbers of folks throughout Alabama. Charlie started The Waylighters in 1979 and when asked how many singings he had missed since its beginning, we were astounded to learn that he has missed only ONE singing! What a faithful servant! We thank the Lord for this man and for the work he has done. God Bless You, Charlie!

On March 22, 2009, The Waylighters were able to be back with our friends at New Hebron Missionary Baptist Church. Pastor Wade brought the morning mesage to us from the book of Jonah, chapter two in which the focus of the message was based on, "How Big is Your God, The God of Miracles." There are seven miracles recorded in the book of Jonah. Pastor Wade also emphasized to the congregation that salvation is of the Lord! He also read from the scripture of Psalms 42:7 stating that times when we feel that God has forgotten us, it is because we've gotten away from God! God still has a plan for us. Another passage was taken from Psalms 30:3 with emphasis being that if you are looking for some other power to deliver you, it is lying vanities. And the last passage of scripture being taken from Psalms 102:1 and relating that when you draw near to God, He will draw near to you! The Waylighters sang three songs in the morning worship service also. We then gathered in the fellowship hall for a wonderful lunch prepared by the great cooks of the church (ladies, you outdid yourselves!) We then gathered once again for the afternoon singing service. There were several churches represented that afternoon and we are so thankful for their attendance. We are scheduled to be back at New Hebron on May 23, 2010.

The Waylighters were honored to be with the congregation of Oak Mountain Baptist Church on March 29, 2009. This was a new church for the group this year, and we had a wonderful time! Pastor Wayne Williams brought the morning message entitled: "Little Things in Life are Important." The scripture was taken from Zacharia 4:10 along with other scriptures from I Corinthians 12:13-31, John 1:35, 41, John 6:5 and Matthew 10:42. Pastor Williams emphasized that we all have a role to play and no person's role is any more important than another person, and that we should have the attitude of doing anything to the best of our ability. Little things that we do have an eternal importance, and to never underestimate the importance of the little things! Upon hearing the message from Pastor Williams, I was reminded of the song, "Little is much when God is in it." The Waylighters brought three songs in the morning service. This is a beautiful church that God has truly been blessing. We assembled in their new fellowship hall for the noon meal. The church is also blessed with many great cooks! Thank you ladies. We then gathered again in the church for the afternoon service of singing. We thank the Lord for the blessings and spirit that we felt this day. We are looking forward to being back with the church on September 13, 2009 for their homecoming. Please make plans to come and be with us. These folks make you feel right at home!

The Waylighters traveled to Lakeview, Alabama on April 5, 2009 to be with our friends at Lakeview Baptist Church. Lakeview Baptist is home to Charlie Adams (baritone) and Sharon Emery (keyboards) and we are always excited to go back and be at home. This day was no exception. There was a great crowd turn out and presence of the Lord was there. The Quartet brought the message in song for the monring service and then met for lunch in the fellowship hall for some fine dining. The ladies of this church can really cook. We always look forward to be at Lakeview Baptist. We will be off next week breaking for Easter services and in our own churches, but please come and be with us as we travel to Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church on April 19 in West Blocton, Alabama at 1:00 for their singing and then we will immediately travel to Oneonta and be with our friends at Allgood Baptist Church in Oneonta, Alabama for their evening worship services starting atr 6:30 PM. Come be with us and share in God's love through song.

You know what they say about the best laid plans! Well, on the morning of April 19, 2009, Sharon (keyboards) had every intention of making the morning service and afternoon singing at Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church in West Blocton, AL. Unfortunately, Sharon's had to rush her husband Keith to the emergency room at UAB Medical West in Bessemer at four in the morning. After a couple of hours of intense pain and tests, Keith found out that he had two kidney stones. They were at the hospital for most of the day, so Sharon was unable to attend the singing at Mt. Moriah. But I have it on good authority that the service went very well and the "canned" music that Sharon and John have prepared for such emergencies was used. After the service at West Blocton, the guys then traveled to Oneonta, Alabama to be with our good friends at Allgood Baptist Church. When the guys got there though, they found out that the singing chairman had booked both The Waylighters and The Spurgeons. Instead of one of the groups returning home, they decided to do a double group singing. When I spoke to the guys later, they said that they really had a good time singing with The Spurgeons. In fact, Charlie Adams and Jerry Spurgeon have sang together before and it was like old home week for these two gentlemen! The Lord always works things out. And I'm happy to say that Keith is doing well. He had surgery on the following Tuesday, April 21, and was back to work by the following Thursday. Sharon should be able to be back at the next singing which will be at New Home Missionary Baptist Church #1 on April 26. Hope you can be there with us.

The Waylighters ended the month of April with a singing at New Home Missionary Baptist Church #1 in Oneonta, Alabama on April 26, 2009. The group usually attends church services in the morning at the church they will be singing at in the afternoon, due to the extended time it takes to travel. Pastor T.P. Riggs was a little under the weather that morning and had asked a young man of the church, whose name was Preston, to lead the morning worship service. Brother Preston was such a blessing. He read from Phillipians 4:4-9. Verse four states: "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice." And folks, let me tell you this young man of fifteen years old was rejoicing in the Lord. There were many things in this young man's message that touched my heart, but I particularly liked the statement he made saying that we need to get "tangled" up in the Lord! It was very clear that brother Preston is letting God lead in his life! Also, a new member was accepted into the church that morning and the reading of the Church Covenant concluded the morning service. Then after a wonderful lunch prepared by the ladies fo the church, we assembled back in the church at 1:30 for the singing service. The group was so excited to be back together after Sharon having had to miss the previous week's two singing services. I think if no one else was blessed, the group was! We would like to ask you to pray for Brother Danny Littleton's wife, Glenda. She wasn't feeling well at the church and later that evening had to be admitted to the hospital. The devil has been trying his best to bring The Waylighters down. Please keep the group in your prayers as each and every member seems to be going through some kind of trial at this time.

The Waylighters have been blessed to add several new churches to their bookings list this year, and on May 3, 2009, they added Bessemer Independent Church of God to that list. The weather was threatening all day, but the blessings were being poured out in the church! This was their Pastor Appreciation Day for Pastor David McIntire, and we were honored to be asked to come and participate. We were caught a little unaware in the morning worship service when the song leader asked us to sing a couple of songs for them. Gary (Tenor) was attending his own church service, so Sharon (keyboards) filled in the tenor position with the guys in the morning service. After a brief ceremony honoring Pastor McIntire, Pastor Jim Green from Dora, Alabama brought the morning message from the book of Jeremiah 2:13, which reads, "For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water." This man of God brought a message that has been needing to be preached for some time, that we as Christians need to get our nation back to God! Pastor Green also stated that that there are things that we have forgotten and things that we need to remember, also telling us that there are times when we get so wrapped up in the things of today that we have forgotten to give God the glory. That we have left God out of our country and brought the world into the church! I especially like what Pastor Green said about man only having so much to give us, but GOD can give it ALL! He went on to say that we are not serving a $100 God! I was reminded once again of message, we have not because we ask not. After the message, we assembled in the fellowship hall for the noon meal. During that time, tornado warnings went up all over the area and it was debated on whether to continue with the afternoon singing or dismiss and go home. After most of the congregation voting to stay, we reassembled in the church and had a wonderful afternoon singing service. We want to thank the folks for hanging in there with us and pray that they received a blessing. Next Saturday night, we will be traveling to The Gospel Barn in Dora, Alabama and on Sunday we will be singing in the morning service with the folks of Old Blue Creek Baptist Church on Sunday. We would like to take this time to say a early "Happy Mother's Day" to all of the Mother's out there. We appreciate you very much. Please make plans to go and be with Mom in church on this her special day! God Bless.

I want to apologize for being lax in getting the news out for the past few singings. There is so much going on with our group right now and we would like to ask for your prayers for our group. John (Bass) has moved his mother here from Virginia over the fourth of July, Sharon (keyboards and vocals) and her husband Keith have traveled to Phoenix, Arizona where there son and his family have now located after retiring from the Navy. Charlie (Baritone) has had several bad days physically. Danny (Lead) lost his mother in the last month and last Saturday Danny's wife, Glenda was admitted to the ICU at Medical West in Bessemer, Alabama with an oxygen level of 62. Glenda has had asthma and emphysema for an extended amount of years. And then on Monday night, July 13, Danny was admitted to Princeton hospital and diagnosed as having a heart attack. With all of this going on, we would like to ask each and every one of our supporters to please join with our group in praying for all of the above mentioned things that have been happening as of late. I will go back and fill you in on some of the last singings that we have had. In spite of everything, the Lord has still been blessing The Waylighters and we know that God is still on the throne.

On May 10, 2009, The Waylighters were honored to be with the congregation of Old Blue Creek Baptist Church where pastor Tommy Dennis brought a message from the book of I Corinthians 13: 1-13. Many of you will recognize this passage, especially verse thirteen which reads, "And now abideth faith, hope charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." This was such an appropriate scripture to present with this being Mother's Day. There is nothing like Mother's love. The only love greater is that of Jesus, Christ our Lord. Pastor Tommy was also blessed that day to have his mother, Estelle Dennis who also happened to be the oldest mother present at the "young" age of 82. Brother Tommy spoke of how is mother always stood beside him and prayed for him, regardless of the life he was leading. Mothers, in a society where we have come to the point of wanting our children to have everything, we need to remember that the greatest thing that we can give them is the love of a Christian mother! It was also a special day for the church itself as Lonneta Berg presented the church with a plaque for 75 years of service to the Lord. What a wonderful testament of the church and it's members. After a wonderful lunch prepared by the ladies of the church, we assembled back in the church where The Waylighters started singing at approximately 12:45 and didn't stop unitl well after 3:00. Folks kept requesting and we just kept singing. We did miss our tenor singer Gary Adams, but as long as the Lord continues to open the doors, we will continue to go. We're looking forward to being back with the folks of Old Blue Creek on Sunday, October 25. Please make plans to come and be with us is you can.

The Waylighters were a part of a benefit for our bass singer, John Rieter's daughter-in-law, Jenny Watkins on May 16, 2009 at Alton Church of God in Irondale, AL. Judy Lindley did a fine job of organizing the event and her group and also the Missionaires from Mission Baptist Church in Woodstock, AL also sang. Jenny was involved in a very serious accident back in January and is still looking at extensive therapy and more surgery to make corrections to breaks in her leg and ankle. Approximately $600 was raised and we want to thank those who were able to attend and give for this cause. We also want to thank Judy for putting the benefit together. After the service, we assembled in the fellowship hall downstairs and had refreshments.

What a great service we had when The Waylighters traveled to Prospect Baptist Church on May 17, 2009 at Chelsea, AL to be with Pastor Travis Trimble and his congregation. This was an extra special day for Prospect Baptist because they were celebrating 175 years of service to the Lord. Linda Rogers of the Baptist Historical Commission Society presented the church with a plaque commemorating the day. And Pastor Marcus Merritt from the Alabama State Baptist Association of Missions also made a presentation by the Shelby Baptist Association for the 175 years of service. Pastor Merritt then brought the message from the Bible from the book of Psalm 145:4 which reads, "One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare they mighty acts." I found this scripture to be very fitting because this is what Prospect Baptist Church has been doing for 175 years and what a testimony for the church. The pastor also presented another scripture from Psalm 102:18 which reads, This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the Lord." The Waylighters were very honored to be in this service and it was evident that the Lord was present. We presented the message in song in both the morning and afternoon services. We thank the congregation for making us feel so at home and look forward to being with them again.

The Waylighters were once again blessed to be with the congregation of Rock Solid Baptist Church on May 24, 2009 in Gordo, AL. Sharon (keyboards) was unable to attend the singing last year due to the fact that her Dad had been diagnosed with cancer and had surgery during that week. Sharon's Dad has since gone home to be with the Lord, and it just so happened that when the group was here this year, the message pertained to the Lord wanting His children to be at home with Him. The title of the message was, "A Place Called Home." A passage of scripture that was presented this day was taken from Matthew 11:28 which reads, "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." I have wondered many times since my Dad's passing why after having had his surgery and being diagnosed "cancer free" why he seemed to just give up after going through all he did and went home to be with the Lord on September 2, 2009. But after almost a year since his passing, I have just began to realize and understand that Dad knew that he had more to go Home to than he had here. There's a line in a song that says, "This world is not my home, I'm just a passin' through, if Heaven's not my home, then Lord what will I do. The angels beckon me from Heaven's open door, and I can't feel at home in this world any more." That day the pastor gave the definition of home which is - A safe place, A place of rest, a place of quiet and I've come to realize, this is the day that we are all waiting for! It was a wonderful day at Rock Solid and we're looking forward to being with them again on March 28, 2010.

I have always loved log cabins, houses, restuarants etc. And on May 31, 2009, The Waylighters had the blessing of getting to sing in a log church. And on this particular day we gathered to honor the memory of pastor Den Jackson. Charlie (Baritone) knew Brother Jackson very well and gave a brief history of his life during the service. The size of the congregation that day was a testament to Brother Jackson's life and the impact that he had on people. Current Pastor, Roger Green played his guitar and led everyone with some old fashioned singing. Brother Jackson's widow, Betty was present at the service and their children were also in attendance. There was a time of testimony and one gentleman referred to Brother Jackson as a modern day "apostle." Two of his favorite songs were, "I Wouldn't Take Nothin' for My Journey Now," and "How Great Thou Art." Pastor Green then presented the message taken from several scriptures. The theme of the message was entitled, "Jesus Said, "I Am The Door." As we know, there is only one way to Heaven, and that is through Jesus Christ. One of the biggest challenges I face is patience on a daily basis. But I have thought so many times of how the Lord is patiently waiting on us to ask Him into our hearts. What a wonderful God we serve. Pastor Green had several scriptures prepared, but one particular scipture that touched my heart that day was taken from John 10:10 which reads, The theif cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." After the message, everyone assembled in the fellowship hall for the meal and then gathered once again in the church for more singing. We had a wonderful day and thank Mrs. Jackson for allowing us to be a part of this day honoring her late husband.

I was personally unable to attend the singing to play for the guys on June 7, 2009 at Muscoda Baptist Church in Bessemer, AL, but I've heard several reports that there was a very good attendance, the food was great and the Lord was present! We have been with our friends at Muscoda before and the guys were happy to get to go back and be with the congregation. I was in Illinois visiting with my mother for a week. And as much as I missed being with the group and being at the singing, I really enjoyed spending the time with my family. My batteries are now recharged and I'm ready to go again!

The congregation of Faith Missionary Baptist Church have pretty much became like a second family to The Waylighters, and we were honored to be with them for their homecoming on June 14, 2009. It was a very special day for Sharon (keyboards) because her mother was able to be here from Illinois and attend the services for the day. We were not only able to be in the morning worship service, but we were also able to be there for the Sunday School service. The message was titled, "Who Needs To Be Saved?" This was a great message with the text being taken from John 3. Many of you will know this passage just by looking at the book and chapter it is taken from. It is concerning Nicodemus where verse three of the chapter reads, " Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." The pastor asked the question, "What has religion have to do with salvation?" And his response to that question was, "Religion will send you to hell; salvation will take you to Heaven." Think about that for a moment! The pastor went on to preach that Christianity shouldn't be practiced, but it should be lived. The group sings a song entitled, "Step Into The Water." It's an older song, but one whose time has come to be sung again stating, "I'ts time we, the Christians stand up for what is right. It's time we squared our shoulders back and raised our swords to fight." In this age we are living in, maybe it's time once again to ask ourselves, "Are we ashamed of Jesus? Are we ashamed to be chosen?" I was really inspired by the pastor's message that day. It was a message that I feel I needed personally. In the last few minutes of his message he spoke that no man can forgive you of your sins. By FAITH are we saved through grace! He asked the question, "What is a fool?" and gave the answer, "One that God has revealed Himself to and man still turns around and walks away. His last passage was taken from Romans 10: 8, 9 which reads, "But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in they heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." After the wonderful message, we dismissed to the fellowship hall for great meal prepared by the ladies of the church. And we then reassembled in the church for an afternoon of singing. The Lord continued to bless throughout the day and we were truly able to say that it was good to be in the house of the Lord!

The Waylighters would like to say a special thanks to the congregation of Zola Baptist Church in Warrior, Alabama. We were able to be with these folks on June 28, 2009. In spite of many things going wrong for the group that day, they hung in there with us and were so supportive and that meant so much to us! So many pastors I get to know on a first name basis only and Pastor Malcom was one of those preachers that day at Zola. Brother Malcom was "preaching it" that day. He used several sciptures from the Bible such as I Corinthians 15:45-56, Luke 10:30 and Romans 15:1 which reads, We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves." The pastor spoke of an incident that happened to him while he was at local store recently. A customer at this store was notified that there best friend had been killed in a motorcycle accident and was just beside theirself. Not knowing what to do, they found out that Brother Malcom was a pastor and asked him if he could stay with the customer until they were able to reach a family member to come and be with the customer. Part of his message was based on the fact that today too many of us as Christians are unwilling to go out into the world and be a witness and comfort those in need. But then he also spoke of the fact that there is no problem too big or too small that God cannot handle. There was a song that I used to sing entitled, "When Life is at It's Worst, God's at His Best." So many times we as Christians wait until we feel that WE can't handle it anymore, and only then do we give it over to the Lord, when we were never in control of it anyway! After this great message, we gathered in the fellowship hall to eat a wonderful meal prepared by the ladies of the church. And then we gathered back in the church for an afternoon of worship in song. We are also looking forward to going back on February 21, 2010. We are praying this time that we won't have sound problems and Sharon's keyboard will "behave" itself. We have became fast friends with these folks and thank them so much for their understanding!

I did want to make mention of the fact that when I use scriptures you have probably noticed that I use red ink. I know that in the Bible, red is used in the Lord's speaking. In the scriptures I use, it is not always the Lord speaking, but I do this for emphasis on the scripture itself. In no way do I want to offend anyone and please know that I do this for this purpose only.

The Waylighters doesn't get to participate much in revival services, so we were honored to come and be with the congregation of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church on July 17, 2009. What a blessing it was! Evangelist Donny Thomason brought the message and this is the first time that most of the group had the opportunity to hear Brother Thomason preach. There was lots of local talent before the message, but brother Thomason's sermon was the "barn burner." His text was taken from Isaiah 40:31. This is another scripture that might sound familiar to most of you. It reads, "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." How many of you have ever felt that you just need your strength renewed? Brother Thomason's message was entitled, "I'm just waiting on the Lord." So many times I find myself getting impatient. I've also heard it said that we should be careful what we pray for and one of those things is praying for patience! Have you ever given thought to the fact that sometimes God waits on us instead of us waiting on Him? Think about that! The scripture that he used to balance Isaiah 40:31 was Isaiah 30:18 which reads, And therefore will the Lord wait, that He may be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgement: blessed are all they that wait for Him. God wants us to surrender to Him. We have to lay everything down to surrender. If we surrender, God fills what He empties and He uses what He fills. Needless to say, it was a great service and many came to the altar to seek God's will for their lives.

The Waylighters always enjoys going back to be with congregations that they haven't seen in a while. And this was the case when we traveled to Poplar Springs Missionary Baptist Church on August 1, 2009. And what made it extra special was that we had Danny (lead) back with us after suffering two heart attacks the previous week! We were just ready to let go and let God have His way. It's sad to say, but it seems like sometimes it takes this kind of situation to get our attention and let us know that we start taking things for granted. The Lord has been blessing The Waylighters this year, and the devil knows that and will try his hardest to jump in the middle of things if given half a chance. But this was a night of rejoicing in the Lord and singing His praises. There was lots of support from surrounding churches for this singing and loads of local talent. After almost a three hour service, everyone gathered in the fellowship hall to enjoy refreshments furnished by the church. We are looking forward to going back to be with them on April 3, 2010. Please make plans to come and be with us.

The Waylighters were honored to participate with the youth from The Church of God of the Union Assembly and another wonderful group of youth from Georgia. The drama team from Georgia presented a program entitled, "The Judgement Seat" which included a song entitled, "Let It Go." It is plain to see that God's hand is on this group of young people. My heart was touched by the message this group presented through this drama. Preceding this group was a trio also from Georgia called, "One Purpose." Our hearts were truly blessed and we were so thankful to be with the congregation.

It's always nice to be able to go back and be with friends that we have made throughout the past five years and The Waylighters had that opportunity once again to go and be with our friends at New Life Fellowship Church on August 23, 2009. The group presented the message in song before pastor Ed Frazier brought the message from the Bible. Unfortunately, pastor Frazier was very sick that day, but that didn't keep him from standing behind the pulpit and bringing the message. We sometimes forget that preachers are human just like the rest of us and suffer and go through trials and tribulations just like everyone else does. If you haven't done it lately, tell your pastor how much he is appreciated. Brother Frazier brought the message from John 15:7 which reads, "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." I have trouble many times in remembering that God's time is not always on my time. We are such an impatient people. But we need to always remember that God will answer us, and to also remember that prayer does, indeed change things! Some of the things that pastor Frazier brought out in his message is the fact that now is not the time to quit and if we quit now, who is going to show people the way. No one is taking the time to pray for the lost. Don't give up! Ask, and it shall be given unto you! But let us also remember to ask for the right things! I have many loved ones who aren't saved, and I want to be able to meet them in heaven when my time on earth here is through. Preceding the message, we all assembled and ended the day in the fellowship hall for a wonderful meal prepared by the ladies of the church.

What a wonderful time The Waylighters had when we traveled to Smith Hill Missionary Baptist Church on August 29, 2009. We started out with a great meal prepared by the ladies of the church starting at 5:00 PM in the fellowship hall and then assembled in the church at 6:30 to start the singing. And my, what a singing we had!! On this particular night, several area churches were represented and there was good representation of singers from those churches. Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist, New Hebron Missionary Baptist, Mission Baptist and Mt. Carmel just to name a few, were there. But the most noticeable was the presence of the Lord! It is always a blessing to see so many area churches come together to worship the Lord. It was hard to end the night because the Spirit was so evident. We really want to thank the folks for allowing us to come and share in this service and hope to come and be with them again in the future.

There is a song entitled, "Showers of Blessings," and on Sunday, August 30, 2009, The Waylighters were showered with blessings all day long! It started on Sunday morning at Cleveland West Side Baptist Church in Cleveland, Alabama. This was our first time to ever be with this fine congregation of folks, but we certainly hope that it won't be our last. From the time we walked in the door, these folks came truly expecting a blessing. I certainly hope that they received one, but I absolutely KNOW that The Waylighters did! We have never been made any more welcome than we were at this church. Generally we will go and be with the church for its morning worship services and then stay for lunch and then sing in the afternoon. But on this day, services were a little different. They decided to have Sunday School and then turn the service over to our group for us to bring the message in song. A couple of young ladies of the church, ages seven and nine helped us out on "I'll Fly Away" and they did a wonderful job. God's presence was truly felt during this service. And since we did our whole program before lunch, John, Danny and Keith were able to do something that they rarely get to do! They were able to sit down and thoroughly enjoy the great lunch that was prepared by the ladies of the church. They are usually in a hurry to break down the equipment and get back home because of distance of travel, but since we had another singing that night, we all had time to relax until that time. Folks, if you don't have a regular church you are attending, stop in and visit with the congregation at Cleveland West Side! You will be glad you did, and tell them The Waylighters sent you!

The Waylighters had a perfect end to our day on Sunday, August 30, 2009 when we traveled from Cleveland, Alabama to Odenville to be with the folks at New Lebanon Baptist Church that evening at 5:00 PM. In between the time of waiting to sing that night, the group stopped at Burger King for a cup of coffee and time of fellowship just between ourselves, which is something we don't normally get to do because of time restriction. We were talking about the blessings we had received at Cleveland West Side Baptist that morning and were praying for more of the same at New Lebanon, and let me tell you, we were not disappointed! Folks, when you come expecting blessings, watch out! The church was nearly full and there were visting churches from around the area. Rick Johnston done a wonderful job of getting the message out of the singing and we want to thank him for that. It was just a great day from start to finish and after the singing, we assembled in the fellowship hall for refreshments. But let me tell you, when we started to walk out, IT WAS RAINING!!!! But nothing could dampen our spirits on this day. The Lord seen to it that we arrived home and fully blessed. We want to thank these two churches for turning what could have been a dreary day into one filled with blessings!

Earlier in the year, The Waylighters were blessed with the opportunity to travel to Pelham, AL and be with the congregation of Oak Mountain Baptist Church. And on September 13, we were equally blessed to be back with them for their homecoming. There's just something special about homecomings, maybe because it makes me think of that GREAT homecoming that the Lord is preparing for us in the future. Pastor Wayne Williams invited evangelist James Blair to be with them this day to bring the message with the emphasis on homecoming being about the past, present and the future. Brother Blair's message text was taken from Ecclesiastes 3:1. This is just one of many of my favorite verses in the Bible. It reads, To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to buld up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to case away stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time to war, and a time of peace;
Pastor Blair went on to speak about our choices that we make in life and that hopefully as we grow older, we make the better choices in life. Other scripture that he used was Ecclesiastes 5:8-14. This is the text that tells us to "walk in the light." And also in that same chapter, he used verses 15-21 that spoke to us to "walk in wisdom." Pastor Blair also went on to tell us that we as a church have lost our first love and that there are consequences to our decisions of those choices that we make. It was a wonderful message that we, as Christians, should apply to our lives daily. After being fed the word, we then assembled in the fellowship hall and were fed physically. Let me tell you, these ladies sure know how to cook. We then gathered back in the church for an afternoon of fellowship in song. It was a great day and we thank Oak Mountain Baptist for allowing us to come and be with them and hope to be with them again.

On Saturday, September 19, 2009, The Dotson's and The Waylighters had the rare opportunity to be together and sing for the community at Concord Community Center. This was a benefit to help out the community center. There isn't very many places you can go any more to enjoy Christian fellowship. Even though we would have liked to have seen more folks there, we were thankful for those who showed up and supported the cause. When the opportunity arises again, please go and be with the folks at Concord Community Center and show them your support. It's a great way to show your support for the community and enjoy gospel singing. You can also bring your own choice of gospel music and participate with us.

One of the churches that has become a regular stop on The Waylighters schedule for the past couple of years is Welcome Baptist Church in Palmerdale, Alabama. We truly love these folks and their church is named so appropriately, because they truly do make you feel welcome! Sharon (keyboards) was unable to attend this time around as she was battling back and neck problems. But the guys always do a great job regardless of whether Sharon is with them or not. They go to the "music in a box" and continue to sing their hearts out. We are looking forward to going and being with them again soon.

It is with great sadness that we bring the information that Gary Adams has decided to come off of the road after almost 20 years of singing with The Waylighters to spend more time with his family and attend his own church. Gary has been a wonderful example to the group and we are going to miss him very much, but we understand his position and feelings. Gary will continue to make himself available when we need someone to fill in the tenor position. Gary also has a son who sings, and Gary would like to possibly do some singing with Matt and we totally understand this. We wish Gary the best and blessings as he begins this phase of his life. When you see him, let him know how much you enjoyed him with The Waylighters! God Bless and keep you, Gary!

As many of you know, our lead singer Danny Littelton's wife, Glenda has had a constant battle with health problems for many years. Glenda as well as all of the group's spouses have always been big supporters to our group and attend practiclly every singing we do. But this year has been an extremely hard one for both Glenda and Lana (John's wife.) And as most everyone knows, medical expenses are through the roof these days. But on September 27, 2009, the congregation of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church made the decision to have a benefit singing for Danny and Glenda. They have also helped out financially earlier in the year for Lana's daughter, Jenny, who was in a terrible car wreck last January and still facing more surgeries in the future. But just let me say that on this day it was hard for anyone to keep a seat in the church pew! The Waylighters along with The Missionaires from Woodstock, Azure from Sumiton and Dee Price provided the music for both morning and afternoon and what a great time we had in the Lord! The wonderful thing about these groups and individuals was that they were in no way interested in "competing" with each other. It's saddening at times to go to different singings where you just realize that one group is trying to "outdo" the other groups. But this was not the case on this day. And the congregation was fed in every way, from the sermon to the singing and then for the afternoon meal. Pastor Rainey based his message from Romans 8:34-37 which reads, "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us." The most appropriate text for this day! When all others fall short, we always have the promise of our Lord and Savior that he is interceding for us. What a comfort to know that at any given moment, we are always under His care. Pastor Rainey brought out many good points of his sermon that day telling us that God is not impressed with people "playing" church and that we need to seek out the old ways. He also went on to preach that denominations will not get us to Heaven, but it's asking the Lord into our hearts and the way we lead our lives that will. But if there is one thing that I was only allowed to use from his sermon this day, it was when he said that THE ALTAR IS GOD'S EMERGENCY ROOM! Wow! Anything and everything that we need can be taken to an altar of God and treated! Can you imagine how our entire nation would change if we just went back to the altar and sincerely prayed for our country and our President? What a great sermon to go with the day. And after this wonderful message, we congregated to the fellowship hall for a fine meal prepared by the ladies of the church, after which we reassembled upstairs for the afternoon singing. If you ever have the chance, please go and hear The Missionaires or Azure. I can guarantee your heart will be blessed. Their testimonies alone are worth going to the service, but these folks can really sing! And Dee Price has a wonderful testimony to go along with her beautiful acapella singing. After all was said and done, the love offering taken for Danny and Glenda was overwhelming. And we want to take this moment and say to those of you who gave and attended, THANK YOU! And that we hope to see you at a singing down the road in the future.

After having been away for a couple of years, The Waylighters are happy once again to be coming back to The Tannehill Opry. Seems like every time they would ask about a certain date, we were already booked. Churches and organizations are beginning to book groups a year in advance to avoid not being able to get anyone at the last moment. We were with the folks there back in August and even though their attendance was a little off, we still enjoyed being there. My heart was blessed by the 92-year-"young" gentleman that joined the first group on the program and sang. My husband and I both guessed him way younger than what he appeared to be. And you could just tell that he was enjoying himself to the fullest extent. There are generally two or three groups that sing at the Opry on Saturday nights so if you would like to go and have some good fellowship and fun, please attend one Saturday night.

Homecoming time once again for the folks at Blocton Third Baptist Church in West Blocton, AL on October 4, 2009! The Waylighters are always given a wonderful and warm welcome from this congregation, and this year we went dressed "old fashioned." For any of you young folks that have no idea what I'm talking about, the men were in overalls and the ladies in their bonnets! What scares me is the fact that I can recall those days!!! The group opened up with three songs followed by Pastor Robert Smith bringing the message from the book of Psalm 98:1-9 which reads, "O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvelous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory. The Lord hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shown in the sigt of the heathen. He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. Sing unto the Lord with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of psalm. With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the Lord, the King. Let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together. Before the Lord; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity." And it truly was a day to rejoice and sing praises to the Lord. Pastor Robert reminded us that satan is alwlays making us think of things of this earth and that we are to set our affection on things above and to have a Christ-like spirit. Something that has blessed The Waylighters every year that we attend Blocton Third Baptist is the fact that they have approximately 15-20 young people who are not afraid to get up and stand up for the Lord! After Pastor Smith brought his message, 16-year-old Austin came forward and brought another message taken from Colossians 3:1-4. These young folks also sang two songs before the message. We were honored to be with everyone that day. On a sad note though, Pastor Smith has resigned from Blocton Third Baptist and will be starting another ministry at Mt. Carmal in West Blocton in the near future. We will miss him, but hope to see him again in his new pastorate and thank him for always making The Waylighters feel like they were at home. Please keep Third Baptist Church in your prayers and also Pastor Smith. On a footnote concerning the youth, at West Blocton High School there is a group of young Christian students who are in what is called, "First Priority" which simply means that they put God first ahead of everything! These students are to be commended for taking the initiative and boldness for the Lord. Austin spoke concerning this group and said that they started out with 12 students and now have grown to over 50! And "Meet Me At The Flagpole" has also grown to 110! God bless each and every one of these young people who stand up for what they believe in. The Waylighters will be praying for you!

The Waylighters were once again able to be back with our friends at Elvester Baptist Church in Warrior, Alabama on October 11, 2009. We always like to try and attend the morning worship service with the congregation even though we may not be singing in the a.m. And we were truly blessed when we made it to the morning service. Eighteen-year-old Kyle Ellison brought the message this day and we all said immediately that this young man is annointed! God has truly given him the gift of preaching. Brother Kyle's message was taken from the book of Luke 15:11-32. He proceeded to tell us that this is a message that he has given more than once. The story of the prodigal son. In one part of his message he told us that Jesus Christ took our hell so that we might take His Heaven. It should have been me taking that cross, but Jesus said, "No!" He also went ahead to ask why we give God just enough to get by? Brother Kyle continued to remind all of us that we should never come to the house of God only giving Him half of ourselves. We were truly fed the word on this day and I'm so very thankful for young men that are truly answering the call to preach. I was also reminded once again that if God be for us, who can be against us! We have all we'll ever need in the Lord, Jesus Christ, but still we at times continue to keep asking and asking. One of Brother Kyle's last points before closing was stating that he had not come to comfort the afflicted, but to afflict the comforted. Think about that for a minute! I have to be reminded from time to time that I get in a "comfort zone." We have young men and women on foreign soil who are there to give their lives, if necessary, so that we might live in freedom. But I must also remember that God gave his only begotten Son so that I might have everlasting life. I take for granted from time to time that our freedom will always be here. And that is just simply not guaranteed. We need to continually pray for our country and for our friends and loved ones that have either lost their way and need to draw closer to the Lord, or come to know him as their personal Savior.

After the benediction we assembled in the fellowship hall for a wondeful meal prepared by the ladies of the church. Thanks to so many of you who go out of their way to do all of this labor of love. We certainly appreciate all of you. In the afternoon we were more than ready to sing! We pray that something that is said or sung that will touch your hearts. As we've said time and time again, this is a ministry, not entertainment. If we see one soul brought to the Lord or someone's pain or heartache lightened, then it is worth every mile that we travel. God bless each and every one of you.

October 25, 2009 will be a day that Willie Shirley will never be able to forget. Because that is the day that Willie invited the Lord, Jesus Christ into his heart to stay! And The Waylighters were delighted to share this day with him. The service started at 10:30 A.M. and the group opened with three songs, followed by Pastor Tommy Dennis who brought the message. I would like to say before I get into the passage of scripture that brother Tommy brought that Old Blue Creek Church sponsor's a young lady from the country of Honduras. Her name is Nancy Escalante. Brother Tommy proceeded to read a letter she had written to the church. Folks, we have gotten to the point of taking so much for granted. This young lady wrote that she had received a dress and two pair of underwear and it was so ovbious in listening to the reading of her letter that she was excited beyondmeasure about this. She concluded the letter by writing "With Love, your daughter, Nancy." Back in the eighties, my husband and I had the honor of meeting another young lady from Honduras whose name was Vivian Hernandez. She was saved while being here and we've never forgotten her and even hear from her from time to time through our friends who sponsored her at that time. As Christians, we are to go out into the world and witness to those who are lost, and sometimes need to be reminded of just how blessed we are.

Brother Tommy's message was taken from the book of Proverbs 14:12 which reads, There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." Brother Tommy went on to use two other passages taken from Proverbs, one being Proverbs 12:15 which reads, "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto cousel is wise." And also Proverbs 30:12 which reads, "There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness." There are so many people in the world today that are going around thinking that they are leading their life the right way, but yet when judgement day comes, they are going to be sadly mistaken. The Bible clearly states that only through the blood of Jesus Christ are you truly born again. There is no other way.  At the end of every service, Danny speaks of the fact that there are so many false teachings in our world today and so many are falling for it. But the Bible states that we have to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior. In Matthew 7:14 the scripture reads, "Straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."  If you notice the verse just before verse thirteen it reads, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Have you ever heard the phrase, "If if looks to good to be true, it probably is" One of the last things Pastor Tommy asked in his sermon was, "Are you living your life to please yourself, to get what you want? Or are you living the life that Jesus wants you to live?" He ended with the text taken from John 14:6 which reads,  "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
After the invitation was given and blessing of the food, we assembled in the fellowship hall for a fine meal prepared by the ladies of the church.  We thank these ladies who never get enough credit for the preparations that take place so that we can enjoy the fellowship and food.
After the meal, we once again met in the church and worshipped in song. If you don't have a regular church to attend, go and be with the folks at Old Blue Creek. They will make you feel right at home. It was a wonderful day and we hope to be with them again in the future.

FOOTNOTE: We were very glad to have Gary Adams (former tenor) to come and be with us in the afternoon. He graciously accepted the invitation to sing, "Movin Up to Gloryland" with us. Gary recently resigned his position to spend more time with his family after being on the road for more than 20 years with The Waylighters and to also devote more time to his home church. We wish him well and pray for God's blessing's on his life.

Welcome one and all and Happy New Year to all of you. I would first like to apologize for having been out for the last three singings, but I had a pretty good excuse. I was in the hospital in November and was there for almost a week. I went in for Pain control of my neck, but while in there had a small problem with my heart. I unfortuately missed the singing at Edgewater Baptist Church on November 22. I was told by the guys that I missed an awesome service. I am so glad that in spite of the plans the devil may have had, the Lord always has His counterplan and blesses. Thanks to Gary also for filling in for me! I appreciate and love Gary very much for always willing to fill in.

Even though I wasn't well enough to go back home to Illinois for Thanksgiving, Keith and I were able to go to the Iron Skillet where they had a big buffet with everything you would want for a Thanksgiving meal.

On November 29, 2009, I was well enough to travel with the guys to one of our favorite churches, Lakeview Baptist in Lakeview, Alabama and celebrate the holidays with them in song. We started the service at 10:30 and sang until almost noon. Afterwards, we assembled in the fellowship hall for a wonderful meal prepared by the ladies of the church. It's always great to be with God's people and being at Lakeview is always extra special! We thank them for having us again.

We were supposed to be singing at Gospel Music Barn in Dora, AL on December 12, 2009 for their annual program, but both Charlie and Sharon were under the weather and the weather itself ended up being nasty that night, so we decided to forego the weather. There were still about 12 groups represented, so we felt that we wouldn't be missed too much.

The Waylighters were once again with the folks at Tannehill Opry on December 19, 2009 as the year wound down. Again, Sharon was unable to attend, but Gary Adams graciously stepped in the filled in for her. I'm under the impression that a very good time was had by all and that "Rudolph" showed up. You just never know what you're going to miss with these guys when you don't go to one of their singings!