A 4HIM Farewell

From the Cluttered Desk...June 4, 2006...Volume 51, Edition 23

I'VE KNOWN them for three decades. Actually, I've known Kirk for four. I met them when they individually joined Roger Breland and TRUTH. Marty's first night with TRUTH was at First Baptist Church in Ada, Oklahoma, while I was pastor there.

I REMEMBER getting a phone call from Roger telling me “the four guys” were going to be 4HIM. Through the use of their God-given gifts and the tutelage of Roger Breland, a group that would impact all of Christian music was formed.

I'VE BEEN WITH THEM through thick and thin. I've performed the marriage ceremonies for Andy and Marty. I had the privilege of serving on their accountability board for almost ten years. I've taken late-night phone calls for counsel. I've listened to their dreams and visions. I've been on many road trips on the tour bus with these guys. They have loved my girls, and I love them for that.

I WAS ON THEIR PANEL at the Dove Awards at the session on accountability groups and heard Andy say, “If we hadn't had an accountability board, we probably wouldn't have stayed together.” That's honesty. That's refreshing. That's needed.

I'VE WALKED with them as they've charted this new path that would lead to the end of 4HIM as we know it. It has been a sad reality that I knew was coming. A final tour seems so, well, final. I've already had my emotions wrenched with the TRUTH Farewell Tour…now this one. It's the end of a season, a time when I have, more than any, been blessed. Never again in my lifetime will I have Christian artists that I feel so close to. For me, it's like a death in the family.

I LOVE THEM like family. I love them, not because they are 4HIM. I love them because they are great guys. I love them because they've also ministered to me. There have been times when I've been driving on a lonely road when the words of a song would comfort me. I'm grateful that although there will be no new 4 HIM music, the music will linger long after they leave the stage for the last time.

SINCE THEIR FORMATION in 1989, 4HIM has been to Sherwood at least six times. Every time, we've been blessed. This time will be the last. You can't afford to miss it. They won't be back. This is the closing chapter.

ON JUNE 7, we will capture their concert on video. It will be a lasting tribute to the music and ministry of 4HIM. Like the TRUTH video, we've been asked to give the Christian community the video images of one of the most successful groups in Christian history.

THEY’VE RECORDED eleven discs, made four videos and written a devotional book. These four men have won the Dove Award Group of the Year three times. “The Season of Love” was given the Dove Award for Inspirational Album of the Year. They've won awards for Best New Artist and Best Group. They have twenty-four number one songs. They've performed with Promise Keepers, Billy Graham and Louis Palau. They've sung in churches, concert halls and stadiums.

IN A THROW-AWAY SOCIETY that demands something new every nanosecond, a sixteen-year career is a miracle. Their harmonies are like no other. They've been compared to the Imperials at their peak, but the precision of 4HIM can't be equaled. Their harmonies are so tight, you would think they were siblings.

THEY HAVE already begun to embark on their new ministries. Andy and Mark have both been here to premier their solo projects. Both have had success now as solo artists. Marty and Kirk are busy writing and doing production work on their own. Andy is currently serving as worship pastor in a church that runs over 10,000 each week. Mark leads worship in his church in Mobile, Alabama.

THEIR LAST PROJECT, “Encore…For Future Generations,” features a solo from each member, Unity (a new song which is powerful) and a reworking and updating of some of their biggest songs.

MARK, ANDY, KIRK AND MARTY, thanks for the memories. Thanks for making the music. Thanks for being a part of my life. Thanks for letting me serve on the board for all those years (even when you probably didn't want to hear what I had to say). Thanks for singing some of the greatest songs in the history of contemporary Christian music. Thanks for being unique. Thanks for loving my family. Thanks for returning phone calls…uh, well, most of you. You are the best of the best. There will never be another group that can even stand in your shadow.

Michael