Hello everyone!  I hope 2010 is going well for you so far.  I wanted to take a moment and give you an update on what is happening with The Harris Family as we get settled into the new year.  God has already given us several dates on our calendar for prison services this year.  Several of the prisons are ones we have not been to before and working with ministries we have not worked with in the past so it’s really a blessing to see new doors open up.  As a matter of fact, we were in a prison service just this morning at Plane State Jail in Dayton, TX.  We have been to this women’s facility several times but this was a service that we would not normally do there.  “Peace by Believing Ministries,” the ministry we were working with, received a last-minute call to handle the 8:30 a.m. service this morning when someone else cancelled.  Singing at a different service gave us a wonderful opportunity to see different women than we normally see at Plane State Jail.  I told the ladies shortly after the service began that none of us were there by accident this morning.  God had a purpose for us being there with them on this day.  You see, I believe in the sovereignty of God and I’ve learned that when unexpected doors of opportunity open (or close!) there is a reason for it.  So for the past few days I have sought the Lord’s wisdom in what we were supposed to do, say, and sing there this morning.  God spoke to my heart and told me to make sure those ladies know that they are loved…they are loved by me, and most importantly, they are loved by God!  Many of them may not have heard the words, “I love you” in a long time, but today each lady in that service heard those three words that we all have a longing to hear.  I told them, and I had them turn and tell those sitting around them.  We sang the song, “Will Anybody Love Me?” and there was weeping all over the room.  So many of those ladies can relate to feeling unloved, abandoned, and just flat-out given up on.  What a wonderful sight to see the tears in their eyes when they were reminded that they are indeed loved, cared for, and believed in.  How awesome to see their eyes light up with hope when we assured them that God has a plan and a purpose for their lives, and it starts at the cross.  God truly moved today in both the singing and in the preaching of the Word.  I cannot tell you how thankful and blessed we are to serve the Lord and serve others through this ministry.  When you see a prison date on our itinerary, please stop and whisper a prayer for us.  There is such a hunger for God’s Word there, and hearts are so open to hear and receive the redemptive message of Jesus Christ.

I mentioned the song, “Will Anybody Love Me?”, that we sang in the prison this morning.  That song is off our Rescued CD and was just released to radio about a week ago.  Until today, I have never introduced that song from the perspective of the person who might be wondering if they are loved.  We have always presented that song as having a message for the Christian who may be too busy or too preoccupied to notice those sitting around them on any given Sunday.  Our churches are full of hurting people with devastated lives who are just looking for someone to reach out to them…to love them.  Today at the prison, we saw the message of that song through the eyes of the person begging to be loved!  Wow!  The song has a powerful and challenging message and we are praying that God will use the song to touch the hearts of many.  You can read our Press Release here!

Please check out the other pages of our website for a complete itinerary, to order any of our CDs, or to get information about having The Harris Family at your church or event.  We appreciate each of you and pray God’s very best for you in 2010.

Happy birthday to Kristen who turned 24 years old this week!  The family celebrated by going to dinner at Benihana’s and then came back to the house for cake!

It may not be Christmas Day just yet, but Christmas is definitely here!  As we are all in a flurry of Christmas week activities, running here and there, last minute trips to the store, and family gatherings, we wanted to pause for just a few minutes and wish each of you a very merry CHRISTmas!

Of all the gifts you may give or receive in the next few days, there is no gift greater than the one God gave to us on that first Christmas night! JESUS!  He is the reason we celebrate this most special time of the year.

We wish for you and your family a wonderful, joyful Christmas filled with the knowledge and presence of the One whose birth we celebrate!

All because of Christ,
Roger and Sue
Josh and Shanna
Corey and Kristen

Posted on: November 24, 2009

I wanted to take a moment to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving.  May God fill your day with wonderful blessings shared with family and friends.  The things that matter most in our lives are not the things we’ve acquired along the way — but rather the treasure chest of moments, memories, and experiences shared with the people we love.  

My treasure chest is so full.  I want to challenge each of you to look into your treasure chest over the next few days, as we all spend a little extra time focusing our thoughts on what we are thankful for.  I am thankful for each of you and for the unique way God uses you to bless my life, the lives of my family, and the work of our ministry.  I remember a time, when we were just getting started in our ministry, and we were singing on a Saturday night out in the Port Arthur area, 100 miles from home.  Just when the concert started, and there were no more than 20 people sitting in the congregation (and that’s a generous number!), a large group from our home church walked through the door!  There ended up being more folks from our own church family there that night than from the Port Arthur area.  I don’t know that I have ever felt more loved and supported in our ministry than I did that night.  That is a memory I hold close to my heart…it’s definitely in my treasure chest!  My treasure chest is also just overflowing with sweet memories of vacations and special times spent with my family, mother-daughter moments with my girls, and countless remembrances of answered prayer and God’s hand at work in my life.  I am so blessed and thankful to know that God loves me and that He is always working things out for my good.

Counting blessings…we could all make a list a million miles long, couldn’t we?  I’d love it if you would share something that is in your treasure chest this Thanksgiving.  Together, we can praise God for His goodness and faithfulness!  Go to our blog now and share your thoughts!  http://harrisfamilymusic.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/thanksgiving-treasure-chest/

Happy Thanksgiving!

Your friend and humble servant,
Sue

Hi everyone!  I hope this news update finds you and your families well and looking forward to a wonderful Thanksgiving, which is right around the corner!  And in case you haven’t noticed, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…everywhere you go!  It always sneaks up so fast!  We are looking so forward to the holiday season this year as we get to celebrate with the two new additions to our family.  Things are finally settling down into a “new normal” for all of us.  Roger and I have officially joined the ranks of the “empty nesters” and life is good as we enter this “second season of life”, as I recently heard it referred to.  Shanna and Josh are keeping busy with work and school, and when they go out of town, we get to keep the grandcat.  What more could we want?  The newest newlyweds, Kristen and Corey, are busy as well and looking forward to some down time over the holidays, including a honeymoon over Christmas break….finally!

We still have a few singing dates remaining on the calendar for this year and are anxious to get back into the swing of things.  This Sunday, November 15, will be a special day as we are going way back to where it all began.  No, not with our ministry, farther back than that!  We will be singing in the morning worship service at the church where Roger and I got married over 30 years ago.  Old River Terrace United Methodist Church in Channelview, TX.  I still have some family members who attend that church and were thrilled when the pastor called and asked us to come be a part of their Lord’s Day.  We will be ministering during the entire worship service and would love to see you if you can join us.  The service begins at 11:00 am.

On December 12 and 13, we’ll be singing at First Baptist Church of North Zulch, TX.  That is up near Madisonville.  We have been to this church before and have made some wonderful friends there so we are excited to be returning.  We’ll be singing for a Christmas Banquet on Saturday night, and then ministering during the morning worship service on Sunday morning.  You can click on the itinerary link above for complete details on these and other dates.

Our song, The God Who Will Provide, has been out to radio stations for a few months now and is getting some heavy airplay all across the country.  It has been picked up by 135 stations so far through Radioactive Airplay and we are hearing some encouraging things from DJs that we talk to.  The song is one that the Lord gave me following a series of messages that our pastor preached on the names of God.  Click here http://chris.sogospelnews.com/index/content/articles/10987/ to read an article about the song and the release of it to radio.  If you do not have our Rescued CD, remember that, in addition to being able to buy the CD directly from us or ordering it from our website, you can download any individual song from the CD or the entire CD at either iTunes or Amazon.  Details can be found here on our website!  We are so humbled that God would allow our music to impact the lives of people all across the nation.  And we are thankful for Southern Gospel radio and internet stations that work diligently to get the music out there for you to hear.  If you have a Southern Gospel station in your area, why don’t you call them up and tell them thanks?

I must close for now.  If you tried to access our blog and could not, please send me an email to let me know!  sue@harrisfamilymusic.com

Until next time,
Sue

WE’RE ALL MARRIED! Yes!  The weddings are now officially behind us!  Congratulations to our newest newlyweds, Kristen and Corey Johnson.  It was a beautiful ceremony and we are so thrilled to welcome another fine son-in-law into our growing family!  Corey is a wonderful Christian man, in his last year of seminary, with a heart and passion for ministry.

We hope to see you soon at a church service or concert event where you can personally meet and get to know Corey.  

Humbly yours,
Sue

October is finally here and we are just three days away from Kristen’s wedding!  It’s been quite a year around here.  2009 will most certainly go down as “the year of weddings” in our family.  It’s a good thing I only have two daughters!  I don’t think I could handle another one of these anytime soon.  But let me add that even though it’s been a busy, hectic, and expensive year, I truly wouldn’t trade a single minute of it.  The Lord has blessed Roger and I with two wonderful daughters and they deserve the very best.  It has been one of my greatest joys in life to help them each have the wedding of their dreams, and God has been so good to allow us to welcome two wonderful, godly men into our family. 

Life takes many twists and turns, kids grow up and start new chapters in their lives, and the world in which we live is constantly changing…but aren’t we glad that God is always the same?  “I am the Lord, I do not change.” (Malachi 3:6)  Because God never changes His love for us never changes either.  His love for us is not conditional, it is not dependent upon our love for Him, nor is it dependent upon the good things we’ve done.  His love for us is steady and sure even when we mess up.  I’ll bet there is someone you will cross paths with today that needs to hear that.  My home church is having a special emphasis right now on making a conscious effort to bring God into our conversations as we are out and about doing our daily routine stuff.  This has been a real blessing and a challenge to me.  I will admit that many times I am in such a hurry to get in and out of Wal-Mart, the grocery store, or wherever I am that I fail to pay attention to those around me.  I’m guilty, many times, of staying in my own little world, just trying to get through my list of stuff to do that day.  Lately, as I have asked God to give me a better awareness of His presence and of those around me, God has indeed given me opportunities to bring Him into my conversations, into my brief encounters with others in the checkout lines, and even share an encouraging word with a sweet lady who was collecting money on the side of the road for a women’s and children’s shelter across town.  So I pass that challenge on to you.  May we never get so busy doing and going that we fail to see the people that God brings right into our paths every day.

We will begin working this month to start filling our 2010 calendar, so if you are a pastor, concert promoter, or someone who is responsible for bringing groups into your church or special event, we’d love to hear from you.  We have had to turn down quite a few dates over the past several months due to our busyness during the “wedding season” at our house, and I’m afraid some people might think we are out of business!  The fall months are normally a very busy time for this ministry but we have had to really slow down this year.  We could use your help in plugging us back in with your pastors, music ministers, and others you know who book and promote groups and concert events.  We never charge a fee but come strictly on a love offering basis.  Please pass along our contact information to anyone who you think might be interested in learning more about our ministry.

If you have not yet purchased a copy of our “Rescued” CD, which was released earlier this year, please click on the “products” link at the top of this page to order yours today! 

We thank you for your faithful prayers, support, encouragement, and friendship.  We look forward to seeing each of you soon. 

Hey everyone!  We just wanted to take a quick minute to share with you some exciting news!  We just found out today that our song, “Testify”, which was released to radio in May, has hit The Singing News Top 80 Chart for September.  The song will debut at #64 in next month’s issue of Singing News Magazine.  This is our very first song to reach the Singing News chart and we have been pretty excited around here today!  We knew the song was doing well in certain pockets of the country but honestly did not see this coming!  We give God the glory.  He alone is worthy of our praise.  Please join us in giving Him thanks for this wonderful surprise blessing!

His humble servants,
Sue, Roger, and Kristen

“I must tell Jesus all of my trials; I cannot bear these burdens alone.  In my distresses He kindly will help me; He ever loves and cares for His own.  I must tell Jesus!  I must tell Jesus!  I cannot bear my burdens alone.  I must tell Jesus!  I must tell Jesus!  Jesus can help me, Jesus alone.”  That great hymn was written by Elisha A. Hoffman in 1894.  Can’t you just sense the urgency in his words to get to Jesus?  Do we have that same urgency when our lives begin spinning out of control?  So many people that I know and that I meet are dealing with some very difficult things.  Strained finances, uncertain futures, illness, broken relationships, busy, demanding schedules – these can all leave us feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, and just plain exhausted.  Hey, I am right there with you!  And I need to be reminded to take it all to Jesus BEFORE my life spins out of control.  Songs like “I Must Tell Jesus”, and verses of scripture like, Psalm 55:22, “Cast your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved” are words of life that I need to hear, take to heart, and practice daily.  Jesus truly is the only one who can help us – whatever our need is!  That is the message we take with us as we go forth in this ministry.  Please continue in prayer for us that as we deliver God’s message of hope and redemption through song and testimony that we would never fail to send folks running to Jesus!  He alone can help them.  Lord, may you use us to point the way.

Our July journeys through East Texas, Arkansas, and Branson went very well!  God blessed as we sang at two wonderful churches in Queen City, TX and Sparkman, AR.  Such sweet folks in both places!  Then it was on to Branson where we had a fantastic week at the Branson Gospel Music Convention.  God allowed us to meet and talk to many wonderful people…other artists as well as guests who had come to the convention.  We met a great young man named T.J. who is a student at Ouachita Baptist University where Shanna graduated.  T.J. has Cerebral Palsy but that is not slowing him down one bit!  God has called him to preach and I know that God is going to do some unbelievable things through T.J.’s ministry.  He is new to our mailing list, so this is a shout out to you, T.J.  We love you and are praying for you!  You have touched our lives.   We also were able to squeeze in a few shows, tours, and sightseeing while in Branson.  We sang Wednesday night and heard some fantastic singing all week.  So for all who prayed for us to have a safe and fruitful trip, thank you!  God did indeed bless and work in, through, and out of us.

“Testify” is doing well in radio markets across the country.  All praise to God for that!  WVSG Radio in West Virginia had the song at #1 on their Top 40 Chart for June and I just found out today that it will remain on the chart at the #2 spot for July.  Our own hometown station, KJIC, has had the song on their Top 20 Chart for the last two months.  And I received a call from a DJ in Amherst, VA last week and she said the song is doing great there as well.  I will be calling into the station this Friday morning for a live interview segment as they will be featuring our music for a full hour that morning.  Isn’t God good??  We are so blessed to know that our music is blessing and touching the lives of folks all over.  Wow!

This week, on Thursday night, August 6, we will be singing at the Flukinger’s Community Center in Channelview, TX.  This is a senior’s center that hosts a Gospel concert once a month.  It’s our first time to go and we are excited!  If you live close, come on out!  It’s free and they have something to eat too!  Whether it’s steak and potatoes or cookies and punch, I’m not sure…but I do know it’s free.   On Sunday, August 22, we will be in a prison service.  The unit is the Stringfellow Unit in Rosharon.  This is the first time for us at this prison.  We would ask that you pray for us as we share Jesus with these men.  God always does an amazing work in the prison services He allows us to be a part of.  And on Sunday, August 30, we will be at singing in both A.M. services at Macedonia United Methodist Church in Hockley, TX.  Please click on the itinerary page above for complete details about these and other events.

With much love,
Sue

Wow!  July is almost halfway over!  This has been one crazy, busy summer.  Shanna’s wedding was just two weeks ago and it was an absolutely wonderful day!  Everything came together perfectly and Shanna was a beautiful, happy bride!  She was most pleased with how the day turned out and we gained an awesome son-in-law.  God is just so good!  So bring on October!!  I am ready for another wedding!

After a few days of “digging out” from the wedding, we have been busy getting ready for our East Texas, Arkansas, Branson trip.  We will be pulling out very shortly and are excited at the opportunity God has given us to serve Him in the coming week.  Sunday morning, we will be singing in two services at First Baptist Church in Queen City, TX (that’s almost to Texarkana), then on Sunday night, we will be at First Baptist Church in Sparkman, AR.  On Monday, we will drive into Branson and set up for the Branson Gospel Music Convention that begins Tuesday and will run through Friday.  Our scheduled time to sing is 7:00 pm on Wednesday night.  The Lord has really been speaking to my heart over the past few weeks about why we do what we do.  There is no question that singing is something we love to do; it’s our gift and our passion.  But I have come to realize over these past six years that it’s not about the singing, the music, or the songs.  It’s about people.  It’s about Jesus Christ working through us to meet the needs of people.  Our ministry, our songs, our music is the open door that gets us in to where the people are.  There are as many needs as there are people, but there is ONE GOD who can meet each and every need.  If something we say or sing from the stage or platform…if a conversation we have with an individual before or after a singing event makes a difference in their life, then we have been successful.  We don’t know all the answers, but we do know the God who does.  We ask for your prayers this week.  Pray that God will use us to make a difference.  Pray that He will cause our paths to cross with those who need to hear a word from the Lord and that we would be sensitive to His Spirit to say the words that they need to hear.  We want nothing more than to be His voice, His hands, and His feet this week.  We will meet many folks this week.  If they leave not remembering our names or where we came from, that’s ok.  But may they not walk away without having a personal encounter with Jesus Christ.

Pray for us as we pray for you.
Humbly blessed,

Sue

Hey friends!  In the midst of all the busyness and craziness around here, I wanted to take just a few minutes to give you a quick update.  Shanna’s wedding is literally just around the corner!  In just over two weeks, we will have one wedding behind us…one wedding to go!  Kristen’s October wedding will be here before we know it.  Two daughters and two weddings is a lot in one year, but I am loving every minute of it.  Really, I am.   God has blessed us with two wonderful future son-in-laws who love the Lord, love our girls, and we totally believe that they are hand-picked by God.  We are blessed indeed!

“Testify”, our single that went to radio just one month ago, was ranked #20 on KJIC’s (Houston’s Southern Gospel station – www.kjic.org) chart for June!  The song is getting strong airplay in radio markets all over the US and Canada.  We have heard from several DJs who have written or called to say how much their listeners are loving the song.  It is thrilling and humbling for us to see God take the song and use it as He is.  His timing is always perfect and if there is ever a time when Christians need to be reminded, encouraged, and challenged to stand up and testify, the time is now.  Don’t you agree?  It’s never easy to see so many around us hurting, losing their jobs, struggling financially, and facing such uncertainties about their future.  However, in times like these, God gives us unique opportunities to share Christ with those who are searching for answers.  Keep your eyes and ears open, friends, and make every conversation count for Christ!

We will be singing THIS Sunday morning at First Baptist Church in Magnolia, TX during the 9:30 a.m. Worship Service.  We’ll have our new CD with us, but more importantly than that, we will be in the presence of the Lord as we have a great time of worship followed by a message from Dr. Ed Seay.  We’d love to have you join us.  www.fbcmagnolia.org

As mentioned in an earlier newsletter, we will be heading to Branson, MO in July for the Branson Gospel Music Convention.  Our booth number has been changed from the one I previously gave you, and it just might change again before we get there.  I’ll give you our final landing place before we leave!  We will be singing during the convention on Wednesday night, July 15 at 7:00 p.m.  We believe this is going to be a great week and are looking forward to meeting new folks and seeing old friends!  Not old as in “old” of course…well maybe a few, but old as in those we’ve known a long time!  Man, I stepped right into that one didn’t I?

God has given us two churches to minister in on the way up to Branson and we are excited to meet new friends there too!  On Sunday morning, July 12, we’ll be singing in both the 8:30 and 11:00 a.m. Worship Services at First Baptist Church in Queen City, TX.  Then on Sunday night, we will be in concert at 6:00 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Sparkman, AR.  For more details about these or any of our scheduled dates, visit our itinerary page by clicking the link above.

Thanks, as always, for your prayers and friendship.  We thank God that He has placed each one of you in our lives.  I received an email from a dear friend just yesterday morning letting me know that she was praying for me in the midst of all the wedding frenzy.  I carried that prayer with me all day!  How blessed we are that God gives us one another to hold us up when our cross becomes heavy!  If we can pray for you, I hope you will let us know.

Until next time,
Sue

Harris Family Happenings - WVSG Radio Interview
Posted on:  May 9, 2009

I just wanted to let everyone know that you can log on to WVSG Radio today - Saturday, or tomorrow - Mother’s Day at 3:15 p.m. Texas time and hear an interview that Steve Robinette did with The Harris Family!  WVSG is an internet Southern Gospel radio station based out of West Virginia.  If you can’t log on to listen live, there is a link on WVSG’s website where you can listen at your convenience. Roger, Kristen, and I talked with Steve for about 16 minutes and then he played our Rescued CD in its entirety.  We hope you’ll check it out!

To listen live:
Go to http://www.wvsgradio.com and click the “listen now” link.

To listen to the taped version at your convenience:
Go to http://www.wvsgradio.com, scroll down and click on the “sermon.net” link, and you can access our interview by the links on the right side of the page.

We thank the Lord for continuing to open doors where our music can be heard.  Pray that God will use our songs to minister and touch the lives of all those who will be listening.

Check out our recent Press Release, too!

With love,
Sue

HARRIS FAMILY HAPPENINGS!
Posted on: April 24, 2009

Hey friends!  I hope everyone has had a wonderful week and is gearing up for a great weekend.  I wanted to let you know that our updated website is now online!  It’s not a complete re-design, but we did make a few changes.  We hope you’ll check it out!  Rescued, our brand new CD, has now been added to the products page of our website and is available for on-line purchase.  We want to say thank you for the kind words and great feedback so many of you have been giving to us concerning the new CD.  We just continue to give God the praise!  The songs He gave us bless and minister to each of us in such a special way and we are so blessed to know that they are having the same effect on many of you!  If you have not purchased your copy yet, simply click on the products page link above where you can order yours today.

We will be having a Mini-Concert and CD Signing at our home church, First Baptist Pasadena, on Mother’s Day Sunday night, May 10, beginning at 6:30 p.m.  We will have a product table set up with our new CD available on that night.  You can save shipping and handling fees by purchasing it directly from us that night, plus we’ll get to see you and visit with you!  If you already have your copy, bring it along and we’ll be happy to sign it.  We will sing, Jon Redmond will preach, and it will be a wonderful night with Jesus!  The church is located at 7500 Fairmont Parkway in Pasadena, Texas.

For all of our San Antonio friends, we’ll be in your area the following weekend. On Saturday night, May 16, we will be in concert at Harmony Baptist Church beginning at 6:00 p.m.  Then on Sunday morning, we’ll be singing in the morning worship service at Celebration Bible Church.  The service starts at 11:00 a.m.  Details about both of these events can be found on the itinerary page of our website.

In July, we will be headed to Branson, MO for the Branson Gospel Music Convention.  This convention will take place in the Branson Convention Center on July 14-17.  For those of you who like to take a summer trip to Branson, this would be a great week to go!  There will be Gospel singing in the convention center each afternoon and evening with plenty of time left over for doing all the other things you enjoy doing in Branson!  We will be camped at booth #605 each evening from 4:00-10:30 p.m.  We will be singing at some point during the week, but that time has not yet been announced.  We will forward that to you when we know.  For more information about the Branson Gospel Music Convention, go to www.bransongmc.com.

If you know of a church or event that might be interested in our ministry, we would greatly appreciate you passing our contact information along to someone there, or direct them to our website where they can learn more about our ministry.  We would sure appreciate any good word you can pass along on our behalf to help us fill out the rest of our 2009 calendar.  We realize that times are tough for a lot of folks and unfortunately, churches are feeling the crunch as well.  We trust God and the dates are slowing coming in but they are not coming in as far in advance as they have in years past.  That tends to make us a little nervous so I would just ask that you keep your eyes and ears open and plug us in whenever and wherever you get a chance!  God will do the rest.

We appreciate each of you, your friendship, and your support!  Have a great weekend!

With much love,
Sue Harris
The Harris Family