by Greg Jenks of Zoe Ministry
I am the worst vocalist ever to be a part of the New Directions. Period. I tried to warn the guys who invited me to join that I couldn’t sing. Yet early in 1980, members of the New Directions (specifically, David Morrow, Paul Smith, Joel Leith) assured me that they could teach me to sing. I believed them.
They were wrong.
It’s always good to admit failure. When Paul Smith advised me that it would be better for me to lip sync I realized that I had set a new standard for the New Directions in terms of talent. I didn’t realize I was paving the way for future Grammy Award winning artists, Milli Vanilli.
For years I never fully understood why God had led me to join the New Directions for that brief season. Oh, there were the obvious reasons. As a college freshman I was just starting to truly grow in my faith in Jesus. David Morrow, John Frazier, and Sammy Burnette took me under their wings and served as mentors, role models, and brothers during this crucial time of spiritual growth. David continued to love me even after I nearly drowned him by accidently directing him into a pond while sledding. And, of course, there was the unbelievable privilege of sitting under the teaching and guidance of J.L.
In Jeremiah 29:11, God promises that He has plans for His children. I’ve learned that God weaves together the experiences of our lives in ways that are far beyond our comprehension. I discovered the real reason I had been a member of the New Directions in the summer of 2003.
By the summer of 2003 I had been in pastoral ministry for 16 years. At that time I was serving a church in Clayton, NC that I had planted in 1997. We had been in our first building for about six months when I heard a strange word from God. God spoke to my heart and said, “Go take care of AIDS orphans in Africa.” It was that clear. I had never been to Africa, but I knew I was going.
Although God had told me to go take care of orphans in Africa, He didn’t tell me how to do it. That launched me into a season of discernment, struggle, and faith choices unlike any I had ever experienced.
It was in this restless season that I turned to J.L. J.L. repeatedly made time to visit with me and counsel me as I sought to respond to God’s call. I hung on every word of advice J.L. offered. I followed every word of advice. Every word of advice turned out to be correct. I realized that the real reason I had joined the New Directions in 1980 was so that I would have J.L. to help guide me during this crucial time in 2003.
In June of 2004, the North Carolina Annual Conference of the United Methodist appointed me to launch ZOE Ministry. This ministry is now offering care to over 25,000 orphans and vulnerable children in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Rwanda, and Kenya. Particularly exciting is our empowerment work which is currently training over 4,000 orphans to become self-sufficient. Grounded in the Gospel, orphans are coming to faith in Jesus as they learn to provide for their physical needs.
It was only after a quarter of a century that I was able to fully appreciate my odd experience with the New Directions. I don’t sing any better now than I did in 1980. Yet when I hear African orphans sing who have come to faith in Christ under ZOE Ministry I understand. I didn’t join the New Directions so that people would me sing. God led me to J.L. and the New Directions so that one day I would hear these children sing.
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Posted by Admin at 10:11 PM.
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Alumna Profile •
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Dear ND Alumni,
One of the lasting fruit of the NDs is the friendships that were formed during those years. Many of those friendships have only grown stronger through the years – and overflowed to our children and grandchildren. Even though most of us are separated by time and space, the bond of love we developed during those musical years will last a lifetime and extend into eternity. One of the Bible Studies that we often looked at together were the many “One Anothers of Relationship.”
In those studies we looked at all of the many “one anothers” in the New Testament that were our guide for how to relate to each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. They helped us forge relationships that would endure any and every situation – which we did by God’s grace.
So I hope the following “potpourri of pictures” of so many of you in concert… rehearsals… fellowship… eating… hanging out – will bring back a lot of special memories.
Finally, when you receive and open this email we will only be a week or so away from our
BIG “40th Anniversary Celebration” the first weekend of August. We are excited about how many of you have called or emailed to say you will be here. It will be an exciting day and a half of singing, sharing, eating, rejoicing and renewing old friendships. So PLEASE RSVP to me .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or Patt .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) if you have not done so already. We want to make sure we have plenty of snacks and food on hand – because I remember how the NDs like to eat!
In His Love,
JL
PS: Thanks especially for those of you who have been praying for my recent “medical challenges.” By God’s grace I am thankful to be able to say that both God and Patt have given me back my “wings” – so I can begin to travel again internationally!
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Posted by Admin at 11:34 AM.
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Memories •
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“We are fools or Christ’s sake…”
(I Cor. 4:10)
Dear ND Alumni,
The Apostle Paul was so radical in his commitment to the Lord Jesus that he was willing to go to any end if it would advance the Gospel! I am always challenged by that example – especially in our world where “socially acceptable behavior” is so crucial for advancement in almost any realm of influence. But note these words of context for the verse above:
“I think God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake”…To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless; and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now” (I Cor. 4:9-13).
Because we were so often “outside the box” spiritually, socially, racially and musically, we were often scorned and laughed at as “Jesus Freaks” and “Christian fools” by foe and friend alike! Perhaps sometime it was deserved by our immaturity. But our hearts were to “go anywhere” and “try anything” if it would advance the Gospel.
In the earliest days of the ND’s we had the “Hill Group” (short for the “Hill Billy Group”) that did a crazy interlude at some of our concerts. Scotty Smith played guitar…Duffy Robbins played the wash tub base…brother Guy Robbins played harmonica…I played the wash board…Fuji Allen played the banjo – and did the “chicken strut!” Talk about being “fools for Christ sake?” We were it!
HILL GROUP
The “Hill Group” in concert at the YMCA
Scotty Smith on the 12 String Guitar
Duffy thumping away on the well-tuned wash tub!
J.L. Playing the washboard
Fuji picking the banjo before doing the “Chicken Strut”
DAMASCUS ROAD
Later on there emerged within the ND’s a group known as “Damascus Road.” It was first build around Steve “Moose” Smith. He too was considered a “fool for Christ” for leaving a successful rock band career in the “Peace Corps.” But it was his testimonial song, “Walking Down The Road To Damascus,” that the group took their name from. It was always the desire of “DR” that God would use their concerts to bring others into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ – just like Paul experienced on the Damascus Road in the First Century and Moose experienced in the Twentieth Century. Through the years DR continued with other members after Moose moved to Nashville/Franklin, Tennessee, to be with brother Scotty at Christ Community Church – where both are still to this day.
The original “Damascus Road”
Damascus Road in Rehearsal
Damasuc Road in Concert
LATER DAMASCUS ROAD GROUPS
So I hope you enjoy these pictures of both the “Hill Group” and “Damascus Road.” And please continue to plan to be with us for our BIG “40th Anniversary Celebration” the first weekend of August. Also,
please RSVP ASAP so we will better know how to plan -especially for the cook-out on Saturday evening!
In His Hilarious Love,
PS: My book, A Christian Perspective On Islam has just been released. Many of you who are monthly supporters of NDI through our “Circle of Friends” will be receiving it in the mail next week. If you do not receive a copy and would like one, please let me know. I also have a CD series to go with it. It is 16 half-hour sessions with discussion guide that is perfect for your Church, Sunday School Class or Home Bible Study.
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Posted by Admin at 09:46 AM.
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Memories •
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