Special Update !

The Salvation Army presents wonderful words of life, a series of transcribed devotional programs. Themes taken from the great truths of the holy Bible and featuring Salvation Army musician and help hi this is Bernie Dake. Welcome to a special update episode of words of life. You might be wondering about the intro we displayed but will get to that in just a minute, let me say a warm welcome to Cheryl Gillam hello Bernie how are you great. It's good to have you back think it's good to be are you getting ready for Thanksgiving. I am very excited to see you and all the trimmings gluttony is off the table is as it relates to things giving holiday she can just enjoy it without any fear.

Patient is a special opportunity for us to welcome our producer and recent radio personality Chris Benjamin hello everyone, have you back Chris and then and a great privilege to have who is actually our boss. The Col. Eddie Hobgood, our secretary for program here in the Salvation Army hello everybody nice to be here, it's good to have you here Col. you checking in on her work never checking on you. I have no worries that this is a lot of fun and it actually doesn't feel like work when we get to just hang around the studio and talk about the work and ministry of the Salvation Army. We just finished our series, the postcode of the church, which for me was such an encouragement were privileged to have a great group of passionate Salvation Army officers and soldiers from all over the southeastern part of the United States. I think some really valuable and challenging conversations took place.

If you missed the series. Be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast store visit Salvation Army sound cast.org nobody before we jump into our Christmas series next week. We want to pause and share with our listeners a little bit more about words of life, but not just words of life about sound cast as a whole and talk about where we've been and where were headed as a ministry.

This is just a good opportunity, before we jumped into another series before we get into Christmas to just first of all, you know.

Consider this our radio Christmas card to all of our listeners Internet radio station partners were so grateful for your partnership with the Salvation Army so we wanted to share some things that we maybe don't talk a lot about on the show was vars that the global reach of words of life as well as leverage the Beta and some of the other shows and programs that would produce here the audio piece the herd at the beginning of the show that is actually the intro to the very first ever recorded episode of what was then wonderful words that aired back in 1955 and we we mentioned this last year when we finish this project, but last year we took all of the old reel to reel recordings that we still had here in a warehouse at our headquarters and had them digitized and uploaded them to an archival site on our website submission & cast.org and I can go on there. You can search by year by topic and here every show that's ever been recorded for this ministry amazing and I wasn't here for the beginning of the those episodes become yourself. Actually, I don't know that far back, but I have taken the opportunity goal.

The website and to listen to quite a few of the many edits it. It's amazing to hear the message of salvation so plainly given throughout the years and it is such a strong focus of what words of life's about. Even today, I think the interesting thing is you. You cannot go back through a lot of the series and the topics that they touched on so many of those could've been written today. I mean, not much is change desires and at the same things that we still struggle with and you know stand against but also Yahoo we stand for right never changes. So it's all of those episodes are still very valuable and I think for people that you know within the Salvation Army have friends and family connections to a lot of these voices being able to preserve and share those voices of people that have moved on now in glorious just hope a blessing to them as well.

I think hearing that intro was like watching an older movie. Unlike the Hallmark Channel could see it being produced in black and white Turner classic. Yeah that's right was great and I work we have some others right you put another collage together some some of those yes and actually does this to be a good time for us to hear that Serena play this for you and will come back in second talk about it so cool to hear all those different styles of music and strange way. All of us have been involved with some of those arrangers like and he's done a couple of musicals with Stephen Bullock, who did some of those themes force which is kinda cool and I played on one of those themes is a percussionist so cool but we want to keep the ministry relevant and attractive to a wide audience which is kind way. It has changed from more of a traditional sound to now what you hear is a piece of a transmission song. One thing I wanted to mention it was really interesting as we were doing the archive project but then also just preparing for today and interesting fact that I found out as many of you will know we recently change the name of the show and dropped the wonderful part. So now it's just words of life. The and I had no idea about this at the time but going back through some of the I guess there were letters or telegrams on how they were, how they did that for you know going back week. We have all of these conversations saved in these folders that were literally dated back to 1954 when they started this ministry and going through that dialogue. The first name given to the show actually was words of life, the wonderful him later. So really all we've done is can go back to its original it's an honor to be sitting here creating a program that has now been running for over 65 years and when you hear some of those voices and see these names at Commissioner William Dray was the first one that was kind of helping get this started and I'm sure at the time. If you could go back and tell him that this ministry that he's pouring his heart and soul into would still be on the air. 65 years later I think is just a testament to just what God can do one and especially when you you said earlier how relevant the topic still are 65 years later, it just speaks to the power of God's word and how eternal it is. I don't know if all of our listeners know this, but it's heard all around the world radio stations far and wide to pick this up and broadcasted communities as a way to encourage anybody that might hear the message so that's that's pretty cool to right now. Words of life within the US were on 220 radio stations than we also have our international network partners like Transworld radio Pan-American broadcasting and reach beyond and they then get us into were now all of our shows combined in over 65 countries around the world and many of these parts of the world it still dangerous to preach the name of Jesus.

And this show may be the only Bible they can get their hands on while all of our network partners. It's just an amazing ministry in the heart that they have to just be able to continue to preach the gospel in places that you never know if it wasn't for you Cheryl Bernier speaking into this microphone. They may never hear the name of Jesus, and have heard some of your stories that you shared in the courage while I mean it's it's challenge me on a personal level system amazing.

We take it for granted. I mean how many translations of the Bible you carry around your pocket and you don't think anything of it, and in others that we've read their testimony, and about people that the extent that they went through to have Bible studies at night where they actually use the shows from shortwave radios to circle around and that is there Bible study and they in Jesus name don't have to have in fear, but of course the cautious sure and I just as an American citizen grew up here. I can't wrap my head around that something freedom break that down for me personally, but also for those who are listening to hear how far-reaching the gospel is being out in the airwaves and that it's transforming lives and to privilege to be a part of it an honor to hear that and the history and where we are today making it relevant for this generation, even though that may be that the topics and everything are are very similar to what they used to be your speaking trend whole new generation tail exciting. Some of our listeners and stations may not know that we currently produce seven shows that were producing content in English and Spanish. And so this past year we started a new show called the storyteller series and we we started a year ago studying the book of Luke, and this shows a longer format program every episode we read chapter a day and then a group of friends around and drink coffee and talk about what that chapter really meant to them as just a great way. I think especially right now. During 19 that's a great show to really sit down.

If you're missing community with believers and sitting down really breaking down what the Bible means to them. That's a great show. It's really just can't get that. We also partnered with the Florida division to create the holiness podcast and that's with Lieut. Col. Vern Jewett.

The focus of that show is to just talk about holiness that the gift that God offers on every believer.

Fun fact you mentioned Col. Jewett and I and I know this is not the story of Col. Eddie Hobgood but Col. could testify to the faithfulness of God through his people, and Col. Jewett plays a important part in his salvation story. He actually does, he was a college student in the city I grew up in and getting my first music lessons was credible role model for me going about one this series special to us.

Hobgood bilingual is going to be delivering a Christmas series in English words of life and doing the same series on and that's a first for us that we had the same speakers sharing the same message worship together. Now that's just I love that that piece of unity. So what we would ask you about the series of the top yeah now I will.

I'm excited for the opportunity doing what he wants. You know a complete the business by no and so I thank you for that opportunity, and I as I was writing the five devotions.

I was in the back my mind I was in not only of American or English-speaking audiences, but Spanish-speaking on his actually have grandchildren that are from Argentina. They don't speak English so that was the real reason for me learning Spanish, but trying to keep those cultures in the back my mindset and some of these sauce devotions are very personal about my journey in life as well.

So I'm excited to share these stories and Christmas with them, with our listeners anything today.

It is been a blessing to you. We want to give God the glory and we want to thank you for being our faithful listeners should the Salvation Army doing the most good means helping people with material and spiritual needs become a part of this mission every time you give to the Salvation Army visit Salvation Army USA.org to offer your support and love to hear from you. Email us radio USS.Salvation Army.org or call 1-800-229-9965 right SI PO Box 29972, Atlanta, GA 30359 tell us how we can help share prayer request or share your testimony. Would love to use your story on the air. You can also subscribe to our show on iTunes podcast store and surely give us a rating search for the Salvation Army's words of life.

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