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| The Couriers: (left to right) Duane, Neil, Dave |
Since today we are celebrating freedom in our country and the this story has strong ties to a song called "The Statue Of Liberty". I thought today would be a good day to write about this recent blessing in my life.
I grew up listening to and enjoying the music of a gospel
group named “The Couriers”. The trio of Dave Kyllonen, Duane Nicholson, and
Neil Enloe are as much a part of my Christian heritage as the church I grew up
in.
Neil Enloe is the song writer of the group. He has penned
over 50 gospel songs. The best known of these being the 1976 gospel song of the
year: Statue Of Liberty. The song acknowledges the symbolic importance of the
“lady” who stands in New York harbor to our freedom as Americans and symbol of
the cross that once stood on a hill called “Calvary” and its symbolic value to
the Christian faith.
A few years ago I had the honor of singing this song at my
church on July 4th. Because of the continued popularity of the song in
the Christian music community, I was able to find an instrumental accompaniment
to use for my solo.
Unfortunately that was not the case with some of my other
favorite Couriers songs. I conducted extensive research of all the Christian music
websites and online catalogs I could find. I was only able to find an
accompaniment for just one other Neil Enloe song. But I wanted more.
Now you may be asking why am I so set and determined to
find these songs. After all there are thousands of other gospel songs available
to sing. I’m afraid there’s really no way to explain to you how intricately the
Couriers’ songs are interwoven into the fabric of my life and the foundation of
my faith as a Christian. But they mean so much to me I am compelled to try and
share them with those who have never heard them.
About two weeks ago during one of my periodic search for Couriers
music on the web I came across Neil Enloe’s email address. I decided that with
all other resources coming up empty I’d ask the song writer himself.
In the email I sent him a list of the songs I was looking
for asking his advice on where to look for their accompaniments.
I never expected his reply to include downloadable mp3
files of the exact songs I’ve been looking for. That’s right Neil Enloe sent me
accompaniments to all the songs titles I asked him about. It’s a blessing I
never ever expected.
So now that I have them I can start practicing and
eventually singing them in church in the near future. I will also use a couple
of them in my ventriloquist act.
I am so grateful to Mr.Enloe for his generosity and
kindness. Neil continues to tour and sing with his ministry companions of more
than 50 years. I know in his travels he hears lots of stories from people about
how his music has touched there lives. But none of the accolades or expressions
of thanks are more sincere than mine. Thanks Neil.
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