I've learned to listen for the signs.  I can usually tell when someone is wanting to talk.  I have been on many planes and watched people as they plop down in their seat next to me.  Sometime I want to sleep, sometime I want to listen.

 I could tell as she rushed down the aisle that she was heading for the seat beside me.  She had that frantic, hurried look on her face.  Her coat was crooked from holding that big black purse around her neck and across her shoulder.  The shopping bag in her right arm was clutched to her chest as if someone had tried to grab it and run with it.  Her hair was a bit wet, it was pouring the rain outside.  She slung her purse up in the overhead bin and crammed that shopping bag up under the seat in front of her just as the Flight Attendant announced that we were leaving.  She grabbed both ends of the seat belt and buckled herself in.  Then she looked at me and rolled her eyes and shook her head from side to side, and said "WHEW, I NEED A DRINK."  I just smiled back at her as the flight attendant was now in the aisle giving us the emergency exit information.  

 As soon as we were in the air, her seat belt was unbuckled and she was standing in the aisle trying to retrieve something from her purse.  As she sat back down I couldn't help but notice that she was sweating like a pig!  She grabbed a magazine and started fanning as if she was asthmatic, needing oxygen.  Then she suddenly turned to me and said "It's been one heck of a day."  She then proceeded to tell me how her husband made her late getting to the airport, how she had to stand in line at the ticket counter, how she left her glasses at the security check point, and how she had to run to the gate yelling "HOLD THAT PLANE" and now because of the rain and delayed flights in Cincinnati, she would probably miss her connection.  I just listened.  I knew I could compare horror travel stories with her easily, but today I just listened.  I learned a lot about this woman as I listened.  It seems now as if I know her entire family, her husbands business and even her pets!  She didn't stop talking long enough to ask me anything about myself, so I never bothered to tell her anything.  I just listened. 
 

Lots of people have stories to tell.  I am learning to just listen.  Since I have been traveling again and sharing my testimony, I am learning that there is a comfort in someone just listening.  Many people now want to share their own stories with me.  Most of the time, I can't offer them advice other than to assure them that I will be praying for them, so I just listen.  You learn a lot when you listen.  I think people will tell you what they want you to know, if you will just listen.  

 I am thankful that the Lord listens when we come to him with our hurts, our pains, our "caught in the rain" complaints, our stories of how we have lost .. .  . . . .  . . What a friend we have in Jesus.  

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  I had a wonderful New Year's Eve weekend.  I sang in the Akron Ohio area at some wonderful churches and had some great services.  Sunday morning in Levittsburg Ohio, the Lord moved in the service and the invitation time was incredible.  Many many people came forward and bowed at the altar to give things in their life to Christ.  It was such a sweet service.  Sunday night at the East Market St. Church of God, the same thing happened again during the invitation.  Praise the Lord that he listens when people come to talk to him.  

 Hopefully I will have some new pictures up on the website soon from this past weekend.  I had a lot of fun seeing some old friends that I haven't seen in a while.  I had a couple of friends fly in from Mass. to be there this weekend.  Also had some friends from Michigan, Georgia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Tennessee come spend the weekend with me in Ohio.  It was good to find Swensons again and get one of those famous burgers -The Galley Boy.  They probably sold some extra this past weekend as I told a lot of people to go try it!  

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 A few things:

Please pray for Kim and Dean Hopper.  Kim was taken (last night) to the hospital in Greensboro, NC to have an emergency C section.  As of 1 am today, she and baby was doing good but the baby was about 8 weeks early so please pray for them. Kim rested well the rest of the night, and baby is in guarded condition.  

  Make your plans now to be in Maryville Tenn on Feb 5th.  I will be at the Maryville college, along with the Whisnants, and Triumph (formerly Integrity Quartet).  This will be a special evening for me because both of these groups have been wonderful to me this past year and it will be great to be with them both in the same evening.  I hope my friends will come and say THANK YOU to them for sticking with me.  If you have seen advertisement about this concert in any gospel music magazine, you will notice that I am not listed on the roster, but I will indeed be there so I hope you will too.

 If you are in the East Tennessee area, come and worship with me at Maranatha Church of the Harvest in Lenoir City Tennessee.  Several of my friends have come there and fallen in love with my pastor, Tommy Patterson.  Morning worship is at 10 am so I hope you will come visit.  I don't sing again until the end of the month, so I will be there for the next few Sundays. 

 I read a lot of artists newsletters.  I have visited their websites and signed up for their newsletter, basically to see what they are doing and see what type of newsletters they send out.  Many are informational, some are nothing but advertisements, some are interesting, some aren't.  I hope mine are interesting to those of you that really want to know what I am doing.  And for those of you who are wanting just to find fault, and have something to talk about..........oh well, I guess there are always some that have nothing better to do than take what I say and tear it apart, twist it to say something different, guess or assume that I meant something other than what I said.  But I have made a New Years Resolution.  My resolution is to KEEP PUTTIN ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER.....and let the children play.  Let the knuckleheads (that's what my pastor calls people who want to constantly run others down) post their opinion on whatever websites they want to.  I am tired of reading it all, tired of hearing it, tired of the negative.  I am going to concentrate on the positive and keep singing and sharing my testimony wherever I can. 

 I will run a special on some things in this newsletter just for the Krew.  This will not be advertised on the webpage.  Since Sonlite Records dropped me from their label, they are cleaning out their inventory of my product.  They offered me some of the older titles at a reduced price so I am able to pass the savings along to you.

 titles include

 SONGS I WISH I HAD WRITTEN

TOMORROW

FAR AWAY

 all three CD's for $15.00

all three cassettes for $10.00

plus shipping

 If you want to take advantage of these specials, please send your order directly to the office at kirksoffice@prodigy.net.  Include complete shipping address and credit card information.  If you would rather phone the order in, you may do that by calling 865 933 2100.  

 If anyone is interested in scheduling a concert at your church or event, call the number above for available dates and information.  

 Keep watching the webpage for new pictures and new schedules.  Come see me in SC the end of this month.  

 Keep me in your prayers

Kirk