It was 1980, I think. Marilyn and I attended a catered dinner at the Howard Johnson Motor Inn, in Kansas City North. The featured ‘entertainment’ for the evening was a singing group from Sedalia, Steve Gray and Jubilation.Local radio stations had been playing the title cut from their 1979 record album, Promises – good sound, conservative contemporary. I bought, and still have, the ‘vinyl’. We enjoyed the evening, though it ended rather strangely: similar to an altar-call; anyone who was interested in remaining for further instruction in an enhancement to their holy spirit ‘relationship’ was invited to do so. I don’t know whether anyone did.
Fast forward to late ‘90s, my first re-introduction to the ministry of Steve and Kathy Gray was by way of news that a spiritual renewal was occurring in Smithton, Missouri, a few miles east of Sedalia. It was an on-going copy-cat event (the Smithton Revival) that purported to emulate, if not rival, the well known Brownsville Revival – aka the Pensacola Outpouring. I know nothing of what happened there (Smithton), but it wasn’t long until the principals, impetus, and emphases of this spiritual awakening migrated to the Kansas City area – the Grandview area, I believe. I also don’t know what became of the then current emphases on physical manifestations of the presence and work of the holy spirit, but I have a notion that some of the programs and video productions that are coming from their current ministry are much more helpful than those previous efforts. I can vouch for none of the underlying intentions, but I share some of the more obvious implied, or evident, evaluations of contemporary evangelicalism. Enjoy!
Real Preachers of Genius: Seeker-Sensitive Mega Church Guy
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