Mystery Men Quartet

It’s A Mystery To Me - Dec 08

What is a mystery? Webster defines it as a matter that remains unexplained.

Certainly this Christmas season is the essence of the definition, with all of the story unexplainable. The Trinity also falls into that category, and the gospel would lend itself as well to the definition. Yet there is one link that I find in all of the above...FAITH. Our Christian belief lets us accept them without explanation simply by faith. I accept the virgin birth, I accept and believe in the Trinity, I acknowledge and proclaim the resurrection of Christ, yet I cannot begin to explain any of them. The Mystery Men do not attempt to explain but merely proclaim that these mysteries are true. There are however, many mysteries that are of a different ideology. Why is it that when many see someone in need, they choose to look the other way? Why is it that some continue to cast others of a different mind set in a belittling light?

Not long ago I was feeling sorry for myself and chose to waller (a West Virginia term) in my own self pity. I believed that no one cared and that certainly no one was going to help me through my time. I was at the end of my rope until I looked around and found someone who was more afflicted than I. I quickly realized that no matter what state I was in, I could still help someone else. On a footnote, help isn't always in money. No amount of money was going to help that little girl I visited in Atlanta with an aneurysm on the side of her head the size of a grapefruit. Short of a divine intervention she would not make it, but the smile came on her face when I walked in and sang Jesus Loves You. Maybe a kind word or even a smile might go a long way toward making someone’s load a little lighter.

Our society tends to say, if I don't look out for myself no one else will. I just can't get that idea to hold water. I draw this thought from my former boss, Eldridge Fox. He was constantly helping others to achieve their dreams and goals. The Kings Boys come to mind and then Heaven Bound and the list is much too long to mention. Certainly myself, as he gave me the opportunity to fulfill my dream and ambition at an early age by singing with the Kingsmen.

It is a mystery to me why in our business that the powers that be (and they know who they are), only seem to help those that can benefit themselves? Have we become so money hungry that we have forgotten from whence we came? Has the almighty dollar affected our mentality that much? Mr. Fox said to me one time that he loved our business not because of his success but because he was able to make others dreams come true. In 1969, a kind word was spoken by Duane Allen of the Oak Ridge Boys to a snotty nosed kid from West Virginia that gave me hope and now some 40 years later I am still fulfilling my dream.

A few nights ago a nine year old boy named Matthew came to me and said he wanted to sing with the Mystery Men. He did and he told me that was his Christmas present and dream come true. In this Christmas season, could we just take a minute and look for the ones less fortunate than ourselves? Could we make a special effort to give sacrificially and make their day, week, month, maybe their life a little bit better?

It is the principle of giving. The more we give, the more we get, so we can give more and so on. Give a smile, lend a hand, help someone fulfill their dreams, may our business find it within itself to truly give someone a chance. Let's quit casting stones at others and begin to help someone find a better way. A coach once said to me to be nice to those you meet on the way up for they will be the first ones you meet on the way back down. Of course this is only one mans opinion, but until we meet again let’s continue to proclaim the mystery of the gospel together.

Have a Merry Christmas and a happy and safe holiday season. Don't forget to come and celebrate Christmas with The Mystery Men and our guests Steve Warren, Cheryl Jackson, and Bill Traylor on December 19 at 7:00 at the Smyrna Assembly of God, for our first Mystery of Christmas Concert Celebration. Contact our office for details and tickets.

Ed Crawford and The Mystery Men Quartet