Deafpreacher's Xanga

Worship

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 03:16:25 GMT

Worship isn't lost on the Deaf. I've known this for a long, long time.

In 1982, while attending a Prayer seminar, taught by Dick Eastman, I remember him asking,
"How many of you worship and praise the Lord, when you're alone?"

During the next break, I went to him, when people were making comments, and/or asking questions, and told him that I appreciated that question. I mentioned that, being totally Deaf, I can be alone, sitting in a sold out stadium or in a crowd.

I, then, told him that, having what is generally referred to, by the Deaf people, as "head noise," I can sing praises, while nobody, around me hears a thing.

These thoughts came to me, tonight, as I was sitting and the chorus, "Here I am to worship...Here I am to bow down..." began running, like a scratched record, through my mind.

I just noticed that, at the foot of this page, it mentions music and I've told people, for years, that my "music" is Southern Gospel (as well as a few old hymns and some country from the '60's). This is all listeend to on WGARY, which is my radio statoin.

Still learning

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 19:54:35 GMT

I guess I'm the one, who proves you CAN teach old dogs new tricks, because I'm still learning.

What I mean is, for years, I've known of problems I had (and still have) but never realized that I am not alone.

Then, a few months ago, someone told me about an online group, called TBI, which means Traumatic Brain Injury and I started reading the listserv-like entries. In the past few weeks, I've learned that many of the people, who have had Traumatic Brain Injuries, have the same problems.

These problems may range from memory dysfunctioin to out-of-whack sleeping habits (meaning we'll sleep a, normal eight hours and then have to return to bed for another seven hours. Then, even with 13 hours of sleep, we're still lethargic.

The worst part of a TBI seems to be the fact that "normal" people demand that they know what you need, when, in reality, they don't know a thing. It's like a person, who can hear, trying to tell me how to read lips. All it brings is frustration.

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 03:40:13 GMT

As always, it's 12:38 a.m. and I, along with the owls, am wide awake.

I have about four different blogsites and have been having problems.

The main problem is that I cannot remember the passwords, to get in.

So, assuming that, one day, I will remember the password (acftually, it's one password for every one of them and I didn't have to enter a password to come into xanga.)

2:44 in the morning

Fri, 20 Apr 2007 05:47:55 GMT

Like it says....It's 2:44 a.m. and I, as usual, am wide awake.

Just thought I'd drop by and write a few lines.

Yesterday may have been the beginning of a new journey, for Helen and me.

Helen may soon be leaving the job she's had for eight years.....four of those being the Director of the local Salvation Army Thrift Store.

If the problems that have cropped up, over the years, aren't dealt with, she may not be staying much longer.

For that reason, I've asked quite a few people to remember this in prayer and I am still hoping that a good conclusion will come from this.

What I'll Have To Do

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 16:35:41 GMT

I've yet to meet someone, who uses the same methods of memorizing music, as I do.

You see, back in the late '70's and most of the '80's, I'd just get a song and read it, over and over. Many people wouldn't be able to do this, but I have a condition, called "head noise," by the Deaf and Tinnitis by the aduiology community.

To put it simply, head noise is a squeaking and it accompanies nerve deafness. I've had it for so long that I don 't even notice is, most of the time.

However, I also have used it, to "listen" to music, while I've done other things. Years ago, I'd have a song going, over and over until I memorized it.

The old ways don't work forever...or so I found, when I tried to do this, about seven years ago.

Then, I found another way....The Gaither Homecoming Series was on the old Nashville Network and I taped those hour-long programs. From one show, I'd find one or two good songs; those would be the two I'd watch, over and over....singing along.

At the same time, I was being asked to do special music, in our home church and I had to have several things, in order for that to happen.

First, I had to have an accompaniment tape. Then, I had to have my wife standing in the back on the church, to keep me in time with the music.

I also had to stand in front of the pulpit because, otherwise, I was in danger of falling backwards (another benefit, from this, is the fact that, had I been standing behind the pulpit, most of the congregation wouldn't have been able to see me.

I guess I should go ahead and explain that, if I did this kind of thing, to a Deaf congregation, the majority of those, present, would be bored. I learned the system of using drama, with music, during the first 3 1/2 years, I served in Deaf Missions. So, generally speaking, what I do, standing in one place, signing songs, is simply a ministry to hearing people. It is moving to them, so I'll have to continue as long as I can.

To Start

Wed, 27 Dec 2006 10:17:36 GMT

Let's see....This will be my first entry so I guess I'll start with what I'd like to enter, as time goes on.

As it says, in the title, I'm a Deaf guy, with a love of music and worship.

When I was deafened, in 1971, the first thought, I had, was, "I'll miss music." I remember staying in the same choir of that little country church, holding a book, and not singing, for over a year, before my family moved to a different church.

At the new church, no choir was available but I'd sit with someone, who would point out the words, from the hymnal, and (often) mouth them (without using my voice.

It wasn't until 1977 that I borrowed a hymnal from Forrest Hills Baptist Church and memorized How Great Thou Art. It was strange too because this endeavor only took about three or four minutes for me to memorize the entire four stanzas and the chorus of that hymn.

After that, I remember asking people at the church to give me the words to songs that had been sung as specials, during church services. Many of these became my early repertoire and I still remember the lyrics to several.

After I'd graduated from high school, the Lord opened the door for me to begin singing (let me explain that, when a Deaf person, who has a musical ability, signs a song, he or she is singing) in revivals and doing specials in the church.....of course, I utilized the vocals of my step-father, who was a reknowned tenor in Middle Georgia, back then.

Another aspect, that was worthwhile, in these early daysof music ministry, was the ability I had to pick on W.L. (that's what we called the man because he didn't like to be known as a "step." To him, we were all family - PERIOD...none moreso than another.)

I can remember it, vividly. It was during the fall of 1980, when W.L. and Momma decided to try to form a family singing group. That endeavor didn't seem to sail so, in the end, W.L. and I did the ministering. He'd be invited to churches, where revivals were being held and ask me to accompany him.

Anybody, who has every watched any of the Gaither Homecoming programs, knows that humor brings the work home. I didn't have to wait for Gaither to make that point, because, as soon as W.L. asked me to accompany him, I decided to get his goat - on a regualr basis. The daughter of a preacher once told me that W.L. had a professional voice. I took this seriously, in a humorous way.....I mentioned that I'd been told he is a professional but I was the only one of us, who memorized and I even made him laugh, when I said something about maybe teaching him to become one of us pro's.

In August, 1981, I left Middle Georgia and moved to Dallas, TX, where I enrolled in Bible college. It was the night, I left, that W.L. came and asked me to accompany him, one more time. Little did I realize that would be almost the last time we would ever sing together.

The completion of my studies brought me to an invitiation to tour with a missionary group. This group, called The Tenth Coin Ministries, added drama to music, so as to make it come alive to the Deaf community. This also meant that W.L. and I would never sing again.

Of course, after I had toured with this missionary team, for 3 1/2 years and, after I'd worked, inedependently, to restore a Deaf fellowship, where one had recently died, the Lord brought me home to sing one last time, with W.L.

The days of my ministering in music, with W.L. providing the vocals are now gone. W.L. went Home on July 3, 1999, and I've utilized tapes....and I need my wife, who can hear, to stand in the back of the church and help me keep in time with the music.

Maybe, one day, the Lord will open a door, where I'll, again, be signing a song, while a live voice is accompanying me. Until then, I'll do what I do, which is continue as He allows.