While visiting recently with my brother Micheal, his wife Betty, and their cat Dokie, I witnessed an amazing event. Mike and Betty both deal with disabilities that confine them to wheelchairs. Dokie, as you might expect, is quite ambulatory. He goes wherever he wishes, and stays for as long as he likes. It is not unusual for him to find a hiding place in their home that neither Mike nor Betty can access. That is what cats do to show their independence.
During our afternoon visit, Dokie disappeared. No amount of calling, whistling, pleading, begging, or threatening would stir Dokie from his hideaway. Betty finally looked at Micheal and said, “Shall we show your brother how we get Dokie to respond? This question perked my interest as I wondered what was left in their bag of tricks to get this obstinate cat to obey their summons. Mike says, “let’s do it.” Immediately, my brother and sister-in-law broke out loudly into the chorus of Ira Stanfill’s great song, “Feeling Mighty Fine.” This robust duet was mid-way through the lively Gospel song, singing about the milk and honey flowing, when in strolls ole Dokie from his secret hiding place. I am sure Meryl Haggard did not have catcalling in mind when he recorded his fabulous hit, “Sing Me Back Home” but I saw it happen.
Betty said the cat only responds to that one song. No other will inspire him to come out of hiding. She said they have tried many other songs but he only responds to “Feeling Mighty Fine.” I watched in amazement as Dokie came to Betty and rubbed against her legs as he made his presence known. She said there was another time when he slipped out their door and was gone from home for three days. They called neighbors and friends but no one could find Dokie. In total anguish and futility, Betty said she went to the door and started sing “Feeling Mighty Fine.” As she continued to sing, it was but a few minutes until the wayward cat walked in the house. Once again, a great Southern Gospel song had moved an audience.
As I left my brother’s home later that day, and began the 18 ¾ hour-1,170 miles drive home to Texas, I had a lot of time to reflect upon my visit to the east coast. I remembered the great services and the wonderful responses of the audiences I ministered to in music and the Word. I relived how so many people were moved to tears as I closed the music portion of my services with the powerful anthem, “My Jesus, I Love Thee.” Hands were lifted and voices were raised, as the congregation sang along or simply worshipped the Jesus to Whom I sang. These were unforgettable moments of ministry I was privileged to enjoy.
Eventually, my thoughts came back to the cat, which only responds to Southern Gospel music. I wondered why Dokie did not respond to Contemporary or Praise and Worship styles of music. After all, they have a strong following. Country, Rock, Classical, Blues or Jazz all have added a measure of comfort or pleasure to their listeners but Dokie don’t dig Jazz, or any of the other aforementioned genres of music. Dokie is a very discriminating cat that is only moved by Southern Gospel Music. He is my kind of cat because I, too, am an avid fan of Southern Gospel. I am moved by both the message and the style of the greatest music this side of Heaven.
Being a bit of an analyst, I began wondering what parallels might exist between Dokie and our concert audiences. I think I discovered several that may be helpful to us.
1) Some of my potential audiences run and hide also. Or, as one noted evangelist stated, “People are staying away from my services by the thousands.” So we must learn to sing to ones who are there
2) Those who do not hide may decide to take this opportunity to nap while I am ministering.
3) Not every one responds to the same song. I once heard a dog bark “The William Tell Overture”… I was not moved! Perhaps if Fido had tried “I Cast My Bread Upon the Water” he would have gotten my attention.
4) Not all “old” songs are obsolete songs. There is still great value in the oldies that can inspire a heart-felt response. Music selection should never discard great songs simply because they are “vintage.” We value antique cars, furniture and art, why not Gospel songs?
5) If you are singing for the benefit of your audience, sing what THEY want and need to hear, not what you want to sing. I can sing to me all day long. I only have one chance to touch an audience with the Gospel message of my music. It is important that I seek the Holy Spirit’s wisdom as to what songs He knows will get through to them. Both song and sermon selections need to be decisions of the Holy Spirit, not the Top 40 List.
6) Do not feel you have to replace a song from your program just because you get tired of it. Dokie is still not tired of Ira’s song. The cat still meows when he hears the familiar strains of “Feeling Mighty Fine,” With great music, familiarity does not have to breed contempt. How long should the Dove Brothers sing their powerful song, “We Can Pray?” It is an ageless song that can be shared as long as people NEED that message. As the old axiom goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
7) It is perfectly all right to stay with something that God is blessing. Can you imagine how many times the McKameys have sung, “God on the Mountain?” I would venture to say that God anoints and blesses the song every time they sing it. If God gave you a “signature song” and He blesses His people when you sing it, then why would you arbitrarily discard the song? Remember, this is not based on a Madison Avenue mentality; this is Kingdom mentality we are supposed to utilize in our ministries.
There are no doubt other analogies that can be drawn from this catcalling incident I witnessed. However, these are the more prominent ones that came to me. If you would like to add to this list, please feel free to add your comments. Remember, Proverbs 27:17 states, “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” That means that we can all affect one another as we share our insights and experiences for the common good of Christ’s Kingdom.
****A Personal Word to Our Readers from Dr. Frazier****
There are great insights to be derived from the study of the Greek New Testament. Each month I will endeavor to share a nugget of truth from the Book of Truth, God’s Eternal Word. These will be concise and should not intrude into your time or opportunity to explore the richness of the vein from which they were extracted. That is for you and the Holy Spirit to excavate together. These nuggets are just to let you know where to begin the digging, if you so desire. They are NOT designed to be an exhaustive commentary providing all the answers on the subject. The Spirit will guide you in how deep to dig. Please feel free to share your questions, observations, or insights with our readers and me.
Website: http://www.donfrazier.com
Author: Donald Frazier
| Author's Website: http://donfrazier.com
Written: 02/01/2009
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Category: Golden Nuggets
Comments: 3
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Great article. I would rather have been compared to a DOG, but it's still a great article. LOL
Deon Unthank
SoGospelNews.com
My Blog
Some people are like Slinkys… Not really good for anything, but they
still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs - Author Unknown
Dokie must be a very discriminating cat!
Loved the story about Dokie! My kind of cat! Of course, I'm a cat person so the title caught my eye right away.
God is good all the time & all the time God is good.
Elaine Harcourt
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