God Is In the Repair Business

“Don’t believe the lie that because you are broken and your circumstances don’t look pretty, God can’t use you. God’s glory is most clearly revealed through the broken lives lived faithfully through the ugliness.” – Sharman Kimbrough

On Sunday afternoon, our church hosted a potluck lunch following our morning worship service. Man, do we have some great cooks at Midway Bible Fellowship! Then, in the afternoon, we were treated to a gospel concert by vocalist Kenny Munds.

Kenny had performed a country music concert on Saturday night before a packed house and he did such a fabulous job that he received a standing ovation from the very appreciative audience. Some of the songs that Kenny sang were ones that he had written himself whereas others were from a list of the Top 25 country tunes of all time.

The country concert was meant to be pure entertainment and Kenny didn’t disappoint, mixing lots of humor with his soaring vocals. He also told some stories from his years as lead singer of Brush Arbor, a band that won two Academy of County Music awards in the 1970s and toured with such legends as Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, and Charlie Rich.

Conversely, the gospel concert on Sunday afternoon was all about ministry and so, Kenny weaved his personal testimony among the dozen or so songs he sang. He shared about his troubled childhood, being raised by a sickly mother and an alcoholic father. Kenny also told of how, as a new believer, he was betrayed by a youth pastor whom he idolized. That betrayal led Kenny down a path of drugs, alcohol, and sex that resulted with him being kicked out of Brush Arbor.

For years, Kenny struggled to make ends meet, performing in bars and bistros to support his growing addictions. During this time, he also got married – and divorced – four times. Finally, Kenny hit rock bottom, sought professional help, and has been clean and sober for the past 32 years… most of which he has spent ministering to inmates in prisons throughout Florida.

I have heard Kenny’s testimony many times and truthfully, I was concerned about how our “church crowd” would respond to it. But then I remembered that God was in control, and that He had a plan and a purpose for Kenny’s concert. The message that God wanted Kenny to convey was that no matter how “broken” you are, He is in the repair business.

“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.” I Corinthians 1:27 (NKJV)

- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President