Mickey Newbury wrote a song years ago entitled “How I Love Them Old Songs”. Mickey was quite the poet and certainly knew correct grammar, but he also knew that most of the people who bought his music would probably say “them old songs” rather than “those old songs”.
I met Mickey years ago and even spent time with him at his place on Old Hickory. He introduced me and a buddy named Ken to Don Gant at Acuff-Rose. I’m pretty sure he persuaded Don Gant to publish some of our songs even though they both knew our stuff was not hit material.
It is now decades later and I have recently retired from almost 40 years in the ministry. My buddy Ken retired from a management career. Don Gant had a successful career in the music publishing business before he died in a boating accident; and Mickey Newbury lived off royalties from numerous hits until the day he died.
Recently I played with The Villagers for a Super Sixties Reunion in my hometown of Union, South Carolina. Over 750 people who had graduated between 1960-1969 gathered at the Union County Fairgrounds to connect with old friends and dance to a band from their high school days. It was great fun and the guys in our band really had a good time playing "them old songs". We led off with “My Girl”, followed by “In the Still of The Night”, then “Knock on Wood”. We played about 30 songs from the sixties and we actually sounded pretty good to be a bunch of old guys playing old songs. We even got invitations to play other gigs.
Apparently there are a lot of people who love "them old songs”.
Sunday morning in my devotional time I came to the next psalm in my regular reading which began “Sing to the Lord a new song for He has done marvelous things.” (Psalm 98:1a)
It was a defining moment for me.
After retiring, I committed my remaining years of Kingdom ministry to helping other Pastors. The church I pastored for 26 years commissioned me as a “Kingdom Coach” to help any pastor or church seriously seeking to make a difference for the Kingdom. So I meet with pastors, staff, or church leaders over coffee asking “how can I help?”. Perhaps something in those years of service will be of help to other pastors or churches. Riverbluff Church considers this to be a ministry to the Body of Christ so it’s offered at no charge to pastors and churches.
So the emotional rush of the Reunion in Union was met with a clear word from the Lord Sunday morning after the reunion: “Sing to the Lord a new song for He has done marvelous things.” He HAS done marvelous things in my life… all of my life.
I guess I will always love “them old songs” from the sixties. And I will forever be grateful for the experience of playing again with the Villagers.
But as time goes by, I’m pretty sure “them old songs” will increasingly be replaced with the new songs and the new Kingdom work God has called me to.
Just thinking….
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