Answering Jerusalem's Cry

Answering Jerusalem’s Cry

Can you hear Jerusalem’s cry
Can you see the storm on the rise
Look around you can’t deny
This is the hour of heaven’s time
—from “Jerusalem’s Cry” by Randy Travis

Growing up, God and His people, the Jews—were the farthest thing from Randy Travis’ mind.

“I was far away from the word of God,” he explained in an interview.
“I went to church just a little bit as a kid, but as they would say in the South, it didn’t take.”

But in July of last year, he was one of thousands of Christians from all over the country who demonstrated their love and support for the nation of Israel and the Jewish people at Christians United For Israel’s (C.U.F.I.) Night to Honor Israel event in Washington D.C.

“I went in specifically to sing the national anthem,” he said. “It was a very powerful night.”

The road he took to get there is an interesting one and involves a troubled background, a detour through gospel music and a great friendship with the CUFI founder Pastor John Hagee.

Travis started his career at 14 as “a country club singer,” at 15 he was singing full time and by ninth grade he had quit school. Alcohol and drugs combined with a short temper led to some out-of-control teen-age years.

“I totaled cars, a couple of motorcycles, even a horse and buggy. But the Lord is patient. When you go through the Bible and look at the people who were used by God, they were not necessarily the most spiritually devout people. That’s good news for us.”

It was his future wife, Elizabeth “Lib” Hatcher, who got him back on the right path, encouraging him to further develop his music career and study the Bible. Success in the country music industry soon followed and eventually, his new faith led him to gospel music.

“My wife and I had both been saved and had been reading, listening to preachers and studying the Bible. It was then that I decided I wanted to do a gospel album.”

When he was ready to take his new music on the road and his label asked him in which churches he would like to perform, Travis immediately answered with Hagee’s Cornerstone Church in San Antonio.

“He has his own style and is powerful in teaching, powerful in preaching and strong in knowledge. That’s what I like.”

“We went there the first time to play gospel songs. After that first time, they just kind of adopted my wife and me.”

It was this friendship that impressed on Travis the importance of Christian support for Israel and the Jewish community. Citing both Old and New Testament passages, Hagee, author of Jerusalem Countdown, believes that all Christians have a moral and biblical obligation to defend the Jewish state.

“I came to know through Pastor Hagee how important it is to stand together and support the Jewish people and the nation of Israel.”

“If you study within the word of God, you have to [support Israel],”
he added. “In the Old Testament God says, ‘I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse.’ That being the Jewish people–the nation of Israel.”

Travis’ views on Israel are becoming more common among Christians. As things in the Middle East heat up, Christians are increasingly lending their support to their Jewish brothers and sisters and becoming more vocal about their beliefs.

Hagee founded the Night to Honor Israel events in 1981 to give a voice to this growing support while highlighting Christianity’s debt to Judaism. Through these events, he has also raised millions of dollars to help Jewish refugees from the former Soviet Union emigrate to Israel.

After attending one of Hagee’s events, Stephen Strang, founder and CEO of Lake Mary-based Strang Communications, organized a similar event in Orlando to show his support and raise money for Magen David Adom (the Jewish equivalent of the Red Cross). His initial goal was to raise enough money for an ambulance but at the end of the event and through generous donations from readers of his “Charisma”
magazine, he was able to present the organization with $120,000—more than enough money for a full mobile intensive care unit.

He added, “there was so much love in the room that night. People laughed and cried. Strangers hugged each other. Bridges were built between Christians and Jews like nothing ever held before. One rabbi called it historic.”

“Christians and Jews coming together is of enormous importance,”
David Brog, former chief of staff for Sen. Arlen Specter and author of Standing With Israel, said in an interview with Charisma magazine.
“For 2,000 years there has been an enormous barrier between us, and that barrier is starting to come down.”

Travis put it this way, “as Christians, being grafted into that bloodline—with Christ dying on the cross for us—we have no choice but to support them, the Jewish people and the nation of Israel.”

Stephen Strang will be hosting two more Night to Honor Israel events in Orlando this year. At these events, which will be held November 13th and 14th, Pastor Hagee will speak on why Christians should honor Israel. The events will also include speeches from Jewish dignitaries and Hebrew music. More information on these events can be found at http://www.nighttohonorisrael.org.
http://www.cornerstone-connection.com/archive/index.php?date=2006/11-21-...

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posted Tue, 07/29/2008 - 4:48am by lademars

Conversation: Randy Travis

Always and forever

Long before Randy Travis became a country music star he was a rebel bent on self-destruction. Drugs, alcohol and fighting fueled his life. But in his early 20s an unexplainable desire to read the Bible began to slowly transform him. So much so, that Travis would eventually leave the booze, drugs and scraps for a life of peace centered on Jesus Christ. Today, he sings country and gospel music, shares his faith, studies the Word and stars in family-friendly movies. Recently, Travis spoke to Managing Editor Kirk Noonan.

tpe: As a teen you seemed to be drawn to all the wrong things.

TRAVIS: I grew up in a small town where I ran with a group of kids who were drinking alcohol and using drugs. For me, smoking marijuana was an everyday occurrence. At 14 years old I started singing in clubs, which probably wasn’t the best way to get an education. But that was the way I came through.

tpe: So you’re a graduate of the school of hard knocks?

TRAVIS: I quit school at 15 and did all sorts of odd jobs. I worked with cattle and horses, did construction work and painted houses, all while staying messed up most of the time.

tpe: The music industry can be a dog-eat-dog world. How did you persevere in the early years?

TRAVIS: Every label turned me down in Nashville two or three times, but I didn’t get discouraged. I just figured I could make a living singing and writing country music at some point in my life. But if you would have told me about the record sales, the awards, doing a music ministry, recording gospel albums and the acting jobs I would have said, “Yeah, right!”

tpe: How did you climb out of the rut of drugs and alcohol?

TRAVIS: I met Elizabeth, the woman I would eventually marry, when I was 17. I came from a background of a lot of shouting and screaming, and I thought that was how life was. But when I met her I saw someone who was at peace with everyone. That made me curious, and I wanted to be a better person.

tpe: When did you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior?

TRAVIS: I went to bed one night and just started reading the Bible. I’m sure I had a buzz going at that time because I was still drinking and doing drugs. But I literally felt a peace of mind the next morning. From then on, I read the Bible regularly. After Elizabeth and I married, we moved to Nashville, Tenn., and started going to church.

By my mid-20s I had pretty much stopped just about everything — drinking, smoking, fighting and doing drugs. I had been reading the Bible for several years and knew in my heart I needed to accept Christ.

tpe: What has your faith taught you?

TRAVIS: It’s a path you continue to walk down as you read, study, learn and listen to knowledgeable teachers you enjoy learning from. You can hear someone say something, then you can go and read the Bible and see if they are telling it in the manner it was written in the Bible or not.

tpe: Sounds like reading the Bible is paramount to your faith.

TRAVIS: Every answer you’re ever going to need in life is in the Bible. But let’s face it; none of us has the intellect to really grasp every detail from Genesis to Revelation.

tpe: Did your career change after you committed your life to Christ?

TRAVIS: My music didn’t change at all, but all my life I have really wanted to record gospel albums. We continue to record gospel and country projects.

tpe: Currently you’re starring in The Wager, which has been shown in hundreds of churches. Do you have the acting bug?

TRAVIS: I’m a singer first, but I do like acting. Michael Steele — the character I play — is an actor and Bible-believing Christian who is nominated for an Academy Award. At the same time, he is cast in a battle between good and evil like Job was. When I read the script I thought it was an interesting idea and I wanted to do it.

tpe: Any consequences for concentrating much of the last decade on gospel music rather than country music?

TRAVIS: We have our first totally country album, Around the Bend, coming out on July 15 — that’s the first one in the past eight years. But I plan to continue recording both gospel and country albums.

tpe: Why do you enjoy performing gospel music?

TRAVIS: The ministry we get to be a part of. When I am doing gospel music and I am walking on stage, I know I am going to have fun. Music perfection is not always attainable on a live show, and I used to get mad when things went wrong on our live shows — not anymore. I am working with friends, and we are up there having a great time.

tpe: Any experience that stands out above the others regarding the ministry aspect of your gospel performances?

TRAVIS: One night we played “Raise Him Up,” and after the performance a big guy approached me. I didn’t know what to expect. He told me his son was marrying a woman who had been raped and had become pregnant. He said he had told his son not to marry her, but then he started to cry and said after hearing the song he had changed his mind. He said he would tell his son that he would support that grandchild as if it were his own. I usually always have a quick answer for people, but all I could say to that big guy was, “Thanks for sharing that with me.”

tpe: Ministering through your music must be extremely rewarding.

TRAVIS: Many people have come to know the Lord at our performances. I’ll never reach as many souls as a Billy Graham, but I am honored and humbled by what we’ve seen happen.

http://tpe.ag.org/Conversations2008/4915_Travis.cfm