On her first show of 2004, Oprah Winfrey gave a new Pontiac to all 276 members of her studio audience. (Or, to be more precise, Pontiac did.) But which earlier megastar was noted for giving Cadillacs to friends, relatives, and strangers?

When God Sings

“Music to my ears”.

No one ever says, “that was a lecture to my ears”, or “that was a sermon to my ears” or even “that was a class to my ears”. It is always “music to my ears”. There are some words so delicious, so heart-poundingly felt, news so glorious and inspiring, that hearing it can only be likened to music-to our ears.

Good news is music to our ears. It is best heard sung, not announced, taught, nor even preached.

David is the only person labeled as one “after God’s own heart”. Heady title. How did that happen? He was a warrior- killed a Giant in an unorthodox way, and many thousands more. God is a bit of a warrior but I don’t think that earned David God’s highest compliment. David was also a king. Israel had many of those and he stood out. Yet his moral foibles were among the worst of any religious leader they ever had. David may have been the very first “wise guy”. As you read his advice to his son, Solomon, on how to “consolidate” his kingdom it reads like a script from a mafia movie. “Wise up son and get rid of the competition”. And he proceeded to snuff them all out.

But his first gig was as pastor, of sheep, not a church. David spent his formative years outdoors, and except for the sheep, he was alone. Alone and listening. That is where his heart was cultivated. Listening, quiet, silent.

David was a composer/musician/singer/poet. Those attributes, I firmly believe are what made him God’s “heart messenger”. Music is the best expression of God’s own heart. All heart language has melody. And no one has ever expressed God’s heart language more movingly and accurately than David. He captured, elevated, and penetrated God’s own heart and sang it back to us, in hymns, in poetry, in song.

Music to our ears.

Since His words are living, active, and penetrating, they are never more marvelously so than when they are put to music. God doesn’t shout nor lecture nor preach His heart language. He sings it. With so much noise around us, clamoring for our attention if not for our souls, music, exquisitely and enthrallingly, even charmingly invites us to listen. Stop, listen. There is something vastly richer going on and your heart needs to pay attention.

Music to our ears.

Shakespeare, in “The Twelfth Night” wrote: “If music be the food of love, play on; give me excess of it”. And in “Merchant of Venice”: The man that hath no music in himself, nor is not mov´d with concord of sweet sounds…Let no such man be trusted.

Music pumps life into our tone-deaf souls. The lyrics are essential, but elevated by the rhythm and melody of the composition. As Shakespeare says, it moves us, and it is in us. Musiclessness is not to be trusted, neither in life nor religion. Words, His words, especially when sung, become transcendent. It is what nourishes our relationship with the divine.

Arthur Rubinstein, the greatest pianist of the last century, said; “You cannot play the piano well unless you are singing within you.” There is a song to be sung within each of us. And it is the original composer, poet, and musician, God who not only conducts that music, He sings to us.

And it is like music to our ears.

“Music is God’s gift to man. It is the only art of heaven given to earth and the only art of earth we take to heaven”. Charles W. Landon

And so Acappella, 8 days, 5 concerts, 4 worship services, and 14,000 miles traveled. It’s not only about the numbers, it’s about the music, the hearts, our hearts, and the hundreds and hundreds of exuberant, young, expectant, longing, weary, old, quadruple-by-passed, barely pumping, vibrant, vivacious and barely under control hearts. You gifted us. You touched, renewed, provoked, penetrated, CPR´d, and pumped life into our hearts. We were made more alive and have been changed. We will never think of or experience music the same way again.

Poets, musicians, composers and singers. You are music to our ears. And hearts. A group after God’s own heart. And ours also. We hear Him in your voices.

God sings to us.

Jerry, his son Kris and wife Gail barely survived three
exciting, invigorating, fascinating, hilarious, moving, inspiring, profound, silly, transformational, sensational, unequalled, harried, soothing, emotional, unbelievable, eye-opening, heart-rendering, tender, unforgettable, unregrettable, beautiful, grateful days with Acappella in Brasilia as a part of their tour of churches in Brazil this past summer. They served as guides and translators for the group and their wives. He wrote the above as a tribute to their voices and ministry. And to the original Singer.

Does reaching the top of the worship sales charts automatically mean that the worship leader has something worthwhile to say?

We have made quite a number of new friends through the European Christian Workshop in Lancaster, England. Christians attended from all across the United Kingdom and continental Europe. I was the designated worship leader for the entire event. The singing was fantastic!

I didn't have much time to take pictures until the very last day of the workshop. Here are some candid portraits I captured today of some of my new friends.

Join Acappella for some "heavenly harmony" on September 12 in Edmond, Oklahoma. Check out this link for details.

I received this encouraging note from a young Mom, sharing the impact of our music on her children:

"I just wanted to write a quick note of thanks. I'm sure you hear stories like this all of the time... I grew up listening to Acappella and the songs always uplifted me and gave me such hope. I now have a 3 year old boy and a 1 year old girl, and we listen to Acappella all the time (especially in the car). He has learned so much from the songs about the Scriptures and can sing them all. He sings at the top of his lungs in the backseat ("angels wong to wook into these fings"), and really loves the music! I even catch him singing when he's playing by himself with trains or cars. It means so much to me that we have music to listen to that uplifts the soul and plants good seeds. Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

This letter made my day! "Angels wong to wook into these fings?" How precious to hear the way this three year old quotes Scriptures that he learned through our songs. I never tire of receiving these kinds of encouraging notes and appreciate every single one.

While in London, some children asked Sharon to speak, so that they could hear her talk. "Would you speak American for us?"

In which of his many enduring hit songs did Johnny Mathis say he was “as helpless as a kitten up a tree”?

We are using Bob Kauflin’s book, Worship Matters as a source for these weekly discussion questions. How does this statement apply to the current commercialization of worship music: “God hasn’t called us to be successful or popular – he’s called us to be faithful”?

In choosing the words for the title of this post, I selected "music" on purpose. I don't know how many times I have heard people say, "You are the ones who don't use any music." Of course, a cappella is indeed wonderful music. However, I understand what they meant to say was, "You are the ones who don't use instruments."

For those of you who enjoy a cappella music, would you articulate why? Check out this article by Lisa Burgess. Better yet, leave a comment on her blog about your reasons for enjoying a cappella.

Concerned about your pets after you're gone? Check out this link. Insurance with atheists? What? Say that again?

It struck me why I'm totally enamored with Jesus - - opposites attract.

Les Paul changed my life.

Les Paul passed away last week at the ripe old age of 94.  What an amazing man!  And yet, many non-musicians might ask, "Who was Les Paul?"  He was a legend who invented "multi-track" recording.  Some of you may remember this previous article I wrote about multi-tracking, featuring this cutting edge (tongue-in-cheek) cassette cover of my first solo project (from the 70's) on which I sang each and every part (it was magic!)


We transformed the multi-track recording process into a "live," human activity for the purpose of song-writing on the latest Acappella Find Your Way album, as I shared in this article.  Do you remember the popular song that includes these lyrics: "The life I love is making music with my friends . . . ?"

As an inventor, Les was instrumental in developing the electric guitar and many major studio devices.  In addition to being a break-through inventor, he was an avid, award-winning musician who continued to perform until his final days. 

Music brings people together.  Our good friend, Roger Ferguson, lives and breathes music. It is difficult for him to go anywhere around Nashville without someone asking, "Are you Robert Plant of Led Zepplin?"

What city served as the background for this shot?


How do you know?

What were the words spoken by Thomas Edison, in 1877, when he made the first recording of the human voice?

How are modern worship leaders similar to the Old Testament Levites?

These kinds of letters really make my day!  I received permission from this Christian mom to share this letter:
* * *

We enjoyed another year with this special congregation, who hosted a very encouraging weekend.  Participants came from the entire region.

What a refreshing and rewarding experience to travel to Brazil, not at the behest of professional concert promoters, but to connect with Brazilian churches.

What does “just thinking about tomorrow” do for Annie? A. “Makes a girl feel happy, and believe me, sad’s no fun” B. Clears away the cobwebs and the sorrow till there’s none” C. “That’s the way that you can put your blues all on the run” D.”Lifts a burden from your shoulders that can weigh a ton”

Is worship the same as singing?

For those of you within "shoutin' distance" of Texarkana, load up the cars and head to Ashdown this weekend to participate in the Praise & Harmony. Check out the details here.

We received the sad news that our great friend, Ronney Wheeler, passed away while we were in South America. The world has lost a wonderful, loving, inspiring, joyful, passionate and godly presence. We'll miss you Ronney!

We lived with Ron & Slyvia for almost three months at one stage of our ministry. The Wheelers always provide the greatest examples of servant-leadership and Christ-centered living. Silvia passed along this message that I thought you'd enjoy (even those of you who didn't know Ronney):

Tribute to The Wheeler Dealer
by Tao Baker (from his Facebook page)

July 28 at 10:37pm
Ronney Wheeler never knew a stranger. He had an infectious smile and his charismatic attitude sucked you in. You couldn’t help but smile back at him. You just couldn’t. 

I first met Ronney when my wife (at the time girlfriend) started attending Northwest Church of Christ. She was at a crossroads in her life and Ronney was right there to make her feel welcome.

She told me about this Preacher at her new Church, and I had to see it for myself. 

He was born for televangeling!! In his fancy suits and his slick style, Ronney used to do a thing I fondly called Ronney-robics. He would get to the edge of the stage and he would raise up on his tip toes and he would preach. Not just your run of the mill Sunday sermon. Ronney made sure that it was an impossibility for you to sleep during his lesson. His voice would raise in volume and he would yell out. There were many a time my name was used in a sermon…and he always gave me a look so I knew that it was coming. 

Ronney was the only person that made religion make sense.

Growing up, Christianity wasn’t something that my family talked about. I tried a couple of Churches but no one answered my questions. Ronney broke it down to its simplest form for me. Jesus Christ went to the Cross and surrendered His life because He looked 2000 years in the future and saw that I needed Him. Ronney walked me up to the Lord’s house, stood up on His front porch with me, rang the doorbell and then jumped into the bushes. Jesus opened the door and said, “come on in” . If Ronney hadn’t walked with me down the path I would have continued to walk past the Lord’s house.



When LeAnn and I decided we wanted Ronney to perform our Wedding ceremony, LeAnn warned me about the “equally yoked” speech I was inevitably going to get. I had thought about Baptism. Ronney and I talked about it a lot. When I decided to make the decision, I wanted to do it quietly without a lot of Hoopla. Ronney would have nothing to do with that. ” It was a celebration “, he said “we need to share it with your church family”. So that Sunday night, there I was up in the Baptismal with Ronney in his waders ready to dunk me for the Lord. He whispered to me to take a deep breath and let him do the rest. Now for those of you who didn’t know me back then, I tipped the scales at about 370 lbs. With me holding my breath to say I was buoyant, was an understatement. Ronney decided I wasn’t immersed enough and he pushed me in the rest of the way. I panicked and grabbed for the first thing I could to pull myself up…that was Ronney. We both got baptized that night. No matter where I went if Ronney and I were in the same room and there were other people there --- they heard that story.



Ronney performed our ceremony and it was perfect…well…almost. Ronney called me Taho. I don’t know why, but he did… 11 times. Now when ever anyone watches our wedding video everyone gets a big laugh. Ronney asked me before he pronounced us Man and Wife if I had brushed my teeth. It was a strange thing to say and I laughed so hard at that. That was Ronney. He made you feel comfortable in whatever surroundings you were in. 

Ronney was a man on fire. He was passionate about everything in his life. From his Wife Sylvia, to his family, to his Church but most importantly he was passionate for the Lord. He made it possible for a sinner like me to know that I had everlasting life by believing that Jesus Christ died for my sins. Ronney was my spiritual adviser and my friend. I cherished him and I only hope that he knew how much he meant to me and my family. There will never be another man like Ronney Wheeler. I know that he’s up there right now telling the story about how he almost drowned Taho Baker and he’s smiling that infectious smile …

Our friend, Jerry Heiderich, who assisted with hosting and translating duties during our Brazilian trip, shared this on his Facebook account: