Let Freedom Ring

 

 

 

 

Dear Friends,

We want to take a moment and reflect with you on what God has done for our great country. He has given us a country that allows us the freedom to go anywhere and sing about our faith in the Lord Jesus. God’s hand has guided this country’s development. It began with the Puritans, whose pursuit was to live a godly life, to our founding fathers who established a nation on biblical principles that allowed freedom for its citizens like the world had never seen!!

However, we must remember that freedom has come with a very heavy price. The Puritans suffered tremendous hardships all the while staying faithful to the cause of Christ. Our forefathers risked persecution and death when they declared their independence. Our precious men and women in uniform, and soldiers of America’s past, have faithfully served this country in harms way and many have given their very lives. Remember, freedom is not free! One can hardly imagine anything more deserving of admiration and respect. Yet there is…

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).” Freedom has a price. Freedom from the deserved wrath of God, for our sins, cost God the loss of His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ. He took on our sin and endured the full force of Almighty God’s punishment for those sins. Our Savior gladly shed His life’s blood for our ultimate freedom.

We encourage you, this Fourth of July holiday, to thank God for this wonderful country He has given us.Thank Him for the men and women who are serving now and for those veterans who have served in the past. Most importantly, thank Him for the gift of His Precious Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. May American citizens continue to declare our Independence and, at the same time, declare our absolute DEpendence on God!!!

We’ll see you down the road….

Ronnie Booth

Virgle Ashburn

We want to take a few moments to let everyone know that Ronnie’s and Michael’s grandfather, Virgle Ashburn, passed away on Wednesday evening, April 27th following deteriorating health for some time.

Many of you know how precious their grandfather was to Ronnie and Michael. Although he will be missed, he is now strong and healthy and is sitting at the feet of Jesus. He has been reunited with his wife, Ethelene, and they are rejoicing together. Ronnie, Michael, and Melissa have inherited a legacy of love and many memories they will cherish from their grandparents.

Mr. Ashburn is survived by two daughters, Priscilla Booth and Barbara Adams. He is also survived by three grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.

A service honoring Virgle Ashburn’s life will be held on Wednesday, May 4, at Whitson Funeral Home in Cookeville, Tennessee. The family requests donations to Community Baptist Church Building Fund, 4918 Columbia Pike – Ste 7, Spring Hill, TN 37174 in lieu of flowers.

Thank you to those of you who have already called the office or sent emails. We love you and appreciate your prayers.

What’s Happening?

Is it just us or does time seem to be running on steroids? It doesn’t seem possible that it is really December 2010!! Many of you are heading into a very busy time of year. We hope that you all will take some time to enjoy the lights, the music, and the sentiment of this season being careful not to forget the real Reason for this Season – our Savior!!

We hope that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your loved ones and we want to thank all of you who emailed the office wishing us a Happy Thanksgiving. Mom is copying all of those emails and we will be reading them while we are on the road this weekend!

Read on to find out what we have been up to for the past few months…

Mexican Riviera Cruise

Several weeks ago we went on our first Mexican Riviera Cruise. What a wonderful time we had. The Mexican Riviera has some stunning scenery and Holland America Cruise Lines is top-notch.  The fellowship was so sweet on this cruise and we truly had a wonderful time. The concerts were fantastic too. The Liberty Quartet, Legacy Five, The Beene Family, the Herb Henry Family, Melissa Brady, Phil Cross, Taranda Greene, and, of course, “yours truly” were all artists performing during this fabulous time. It was truly an unforgettable week.

We have uploaded some pictures but we are having some issues with the software for our photo galleries. Be sure to check back here in a day or so and hopefully the issue will be resolved. There are some great pictures of the entire week.

Refresh & Renew 2010

We just returned from our first Refresh & Renew event and, folks, it was truly SPECIAL!!!  The Spirit of God was in our midst and it truly was a refreshing and spiritually renewing weekend.  Our special guest, Aaron Willburn and Dennis Swanberg brought laughter to our weekend and that, in itself, was truly a blessing.

Dr. Leman brought two powerful messages to us about what steals our joy and how to get it back and why God has us where we are. We woshipped together, we sang together, we prayed together and we laughed together.

Celebration 2010

For those of you who have wondered if Legacy Five would be hosting any more events at the Gaylord Opryland Resort since the flooding that took place there this past Spring, we have good news!! Celebration 2010 will be taking place at that very resort in a few weeks on December 31 and January 1, 2011. For more details on this great weekend click here.

If you are looking for a place to be on New Year’s Eve come spend it with all of us right here in Nashville.

2010 has been another landmark year for the group. Every ounce of credit and glory belong to our Heavenly Father. We sincerely appreciate your kindness to us and your prayers.  2011, HERE WE COME!!!

Because of Him,

Ronnie, Michael & Jim

The Booth Brothers

Happy Thanksgiving

We want to take just a moment and wish each of you a very special Thanksgiving. As we take note of all the blessings bestowed upon our lives we want you to know that we consider your love and support a blessing to us!

It is our prayer that you will have a very special day tomorrow with your loved ones and friends as you reflect on all the Lord has done for you this year. Please travel safely and we’ll see you down the road…

We love you all….

Ronnie, Michael & Jim

 

Refresh & Renew in Orlando, Florida

We are hosting our first annual “Refresh & Renew” weekend in Orlando, FL at the beautiful Peabody Hotel on November 19-21, 2010. If life has worn you down and you need to just get away from it all then you should plan to join us for a luxurious weekend with plenty of Booth Brothers music, spiritual refreshment, and a whole lot of laughter. The accomodations are first class and have been greatly discounted for this event.

Many of you have emailed the office to inquire about the schedule for the weekend so we wanted to bring you up to date on some of the details.

The weekend’s itinerary:

Friday, November 19: 3:00 p.m. Registration and hotel check-in begins

7:00 p.m. HUGE Booth Brothers Concert featuring special guest, Aaron Wilburn

Saturday, November 20: 10:00 a.m Chapel Service with more Booth Brothers music and an encouraging message by Dr. Howard Leman.

12:00 Noon VIP Lunch with the Booth Brothers

7:00 p.m. HUGE Booth Brothers Concert featuring special guest, Dennis Swanberg.

Sunday, November 21: 10:00 a.m. Worship Service with more Booth Brothers music, lots of congregational singing and an encouraging message by Dr. Howard Leman.

1:00 p.m. Weekend officially ends.

The hotel has agreed to offer the same discounted rates for additional days before and after the event if you’re interested in staying a few extra days and seeing the area attractions. This weekend is going to be great and we truly hope that you will plan to be with us.

Declaration has arrived!

We are so pleased to announce the arrival of our newest project, Declaration. We wanted this album to be a declaration of our beliefs, our stand and our commitment to the cause of Christ! The song selections depict the epitome of who God is, His grace bestowed to us, what WE believe and the truths we want to declare. We believe that the lyrics in these songs are so timely for what our nation and we, as Christians, are experiencing. It is our hope that this CD will be an encouragement to every believer that God is in control and holds the future of this world in the palm of His hand!!

If you have placed a pre-order for Declaration, your copy is in the mail and you should receive it in the next few days.

To purchase your copy simply visit our online store or you may also call our office at 866-722-6684 and our mom, Priscilla, will be happy to take your order.

Please keep us in your prayers as we leave for a long tour to the West Coast next week. We’re looking forward to it. Please pray that hearts will be encouraged and souls saved. Also please pray for our safety and for our families while we are away for this extended period.

Thank you for the encouraging emails we receive from you all. Believe it or not, we do read them. Your messages help to encourage us when the road gets long and we get weary…so thank you!!!

We love you and we’ll see you down the road….

Ronnie, Michael & Jim

What’s Happening??

Well, the Easter break is over and we have hit the ground running!! We just returned from several days in California and are preparing for a very busy summer.

We had a great time at the Great Western SG Fan Festival in Visalia, California. We had the opportunity to see many of our West Coast friends while we were there and we thoroughly enjoyed our time in Antioch and Yuba City as well. You “west coasters” were very gracious and so expressive and we can’t wait until the June Declaration Tour!! If you live on the west coast or you are within driving distance we urge you to take a look at the schedule and make plans to be with us at a concert near you in June.

Even though we had a break for Easter, April was an extremely busy month. The 2010 SoGospel News Music Awards were handed out on April 13 and we were very honored to receive four awards that evening – Male Group of the Year, Progressive Song of the Year for What Salvation’s Done For Me, Best Live Performer, and Special Event Project of the Year (for Jubilee!). We appreciate the recognition this organization paid to our ministry and feel honored to be included in the company of so many deserving artists.

So many of you have written in to the office to check on our families after the recent flooding here in the Nashville area. Praise the Lord, none of our homes were damaged and we were all safe. We appreciate your concern and we thank you for your prayers.

We were able to be home with our families for Mother’s Day and we were also able to participate in the filming of a new Gaither video with many other Homecoming artists on May 11. We’ll give you more details about that video once they’re available.

There are many things we want to let you know about so without further adieu…

Declaration CD Pre-order

We are so pleased to announce the coming of our newest project, Declaration. We had the privilege of working with Lari Goss on this album and Lari’s top-notch producing is evident throughout this entire CD. The orchestrations are epic, the lyrics inspiring. The Booth Brothers wanted this album to be a declaration of our beliefs, our stand and our commitment to the cause of Christ! The song selections depict the epitome of who God is, His grace bestowed to us, what WE believe and the truths we want to declare. We believe that the lyrics in these songs are so timely for what our nation and we, as Christians, are experiencing. It is our hope that this CD will be an encouragement to every believer that God is in control and holds the future of this world in the palm of His hand!!

Expected arrival of this project is on or before June 1st. You may pre-order your copy by calling 1-866-72-BOOTH (866-722-6684) Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT or you may also email us at boothbrothers@boothbrothers.com. Be sure to include your name, phone number and address in your email and we will follow-up with you to acquire payment information. If you call the office and get our voicemail please understand that the phones are busy. Leave a message and we will be sure to call you back. Coupons do not apply as we are not able to take pre-orders for this item through the online store.

Price: $15.00 + S & H

Refresh and Renew – Orlando, FL

We would love to have you join us for a great weekend in Orlando. We are planning three days of music, laughter and spiritual encouragement. All of this will take place in the beautiful Peabody Hotel. We’ve received some emails asking if this is the same Peabody Hotel with the famous ducks that do their daily walk down the red carpet and this would be the one!!!  This weekend is a great opportunity for you and your family to get away, enjoy all that the retreat will offer, the beautiful Florida weather and a luxurious hotel for an affordable price.  The Peabody Hotel sits in the midst of many attractions, restaurants, shopping, golf and other entertainment.  The hotel has agreed to offer discounted rates for before and after the retreat so consider making an entire vacation out of your trip. Aaron Wilburn will be joining us on Friday night and Dennis Swanberg will be with us on Saturday night. We’ll also have some time of worship in morning chapel services Saturday and Sunday mornings. This weekend will be our opportunity to spend time with you, express our appreciation for you and just have some quality “family” time with all of you . We really hope you’ll do whatever you can to be with us for the weekend. We’d love to see you there.

A FEW THINGS TO NOTE WHEN MAKING YOUR TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS:

We know that this event falls close to Thanksgiving so be sure to book your airline reservations early to avoid paying premium holiday prices for your airfare.

Also, many of you have called the office asking what time the event will be over. We are planning to end the event no later than 1:00 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.

The hotel also offers a shuttle service to and from the airport but there is a charge for this service.

If you are interested in making your reservation online you may call Inspiration Cruises at (800) 247-1899.

Declaration Tour 2010

We’ve eased into the 2010 schedule but things are ramping up and life is about to get really busy. Last year we did our very first west coast tour and we had a great time meeting so many new people. Some of these dates are ticketed events and may have VIP receptions and reserved seating. We are told that ticket sales are up considerably for some dates so don’t delay in getting your tickets. Check out the tour dates on our website for more details.

That’s about it for now. We’ll keep you posted on the official arrival of the Declaration CD and we’ll be emailing you here and there throughout the summer to let you know of more exciting things on the horizon. Please continue to keep us in your prayers and know that we love you and thank God for your friendships, your love and your support!! We’ll be seein’ you down the road…

Because of Him,

The Booth Brothers

How Blessed We Are

Written by Priscilla Booth (Mom)

“And whose wife are you?” is the most frequently asked question I receive from those of you who call the Booth Brothers’ office.  I proudly say, “I’m Ronnie and Michael’s mother.”  It can’t get any better than to be able to work for your sons and be a part of an organization that you know is being used of God to touch lives for eternity.  

I was working for an insurance company when an opening came up in the Booth Brothers’ office.  I decided I would rather work for my boys than an insurance company so I left that job.  That was almost seven years ago.  What a joy it has been all these years seeing what God has done through the Booth Brothers and how they have grown since I have been with them.   

I especially love reading all the emails you send to the office.  I don’t get to see many of their concerts but I read your emails how God is using them to minister to your needs.  I try to answer every email, unless I get too far behind, but I always make a copy of every email and send it to the bus for the guys to read as they travel down the road.  I want them to know how many people are writing them but mostly how God is using their songs and words to meet a specific need in your lives.   

I can’t miss this opportunity to tell you a few things about my boys that I’m sure they would never tell you.  Ronnie was four years old when his sister, Melissa, was born.  So he was our only child for those four years.  He loved music from the very start.  Since his dad was singing with the Toney Brothers in Michigan when he was born, he was always around music.  He would ride “Bubbles” (his rocking horse) and hold Andy (his rag doll under his arm) and listen to his daddy’s records for hours.  At age 2-1/2 his dad joined the Rebels Quartet and we moved to Tampa, Florida.  When I would take him to one of their concerts, he would stand on the pew, us my lipstick or a pen as a microphone, and sing along with his dad (with the same movements he has today).  Everyone was watching him instead of the group so I always had to sit in the back row.  He not only listened to the recordings, but learned to sing all the songs too.  At age five he sang The Night Before Easter on the Rebels’ TV program that aired on about 20 stations.   

There are six years between Ronnie and Michael.  Believe it or not, Michael was very timid and shy when he was little.  He never attempted to sing in school like his sister Melissa and Ronnie.  He loved music too but it was playing drums.  He would use pots and pans, wooden spoons, or anything he could find to make up a drum set.  When he was in junior high, he started playing drums in the school band.  He and his dad repainted a used drum set and he was off and running playing drums.  Over the years he perfected his love for the drums receiving the Louise Armstrong Jazz Scholarship when he graduated from high school.  He was never interested in singing until one day when he was 17 he came to his dad and asked if they could start a group.  He believed he could minister to people better by singing than playing the drums.  Since he never tried to sing, we didn’t know if he could even sing.  His dad could hear something good in his voice, but he definitely did not know how to sing parts.  It was a long process of singing one note at a time until he began to hear his part.  I have never seen a more persistent person than Michael was for the first several years he sang.  He would push himself to do more and more even though he was scared to death.  He once said, “I have to catch up to Ronnie and Dad because they’ve been singing so long.”  Hearing him today you would never know what a struggle he had learning to sing.  

 Our family has gone through some rough years as most of you know.  I would never want to go through those years again, but Ronnie and I are so thankful for the strength and wisdom God has shown us.  He will provide no matter what life puts in front of you.  He WILL be with you and He WILL restore your joy in his own time.  The Booth Brothers are living proof of His promises.  I will never forget where we came from and how God brought us to this point in our lives.  How blessed we are to have three wonderful children, two wonderful daughter-in-laws (Vicki & Kim), one wonderful son-in-law (Eddie Sims) who have such a heart to serve our Lord Jesus Christ, and an extra  bonus of eight wonderful grandsons.

Spring Newsletter

Greetings!

Well, we don’t know about you but we’re very glad to be bidding Old Man Winter farewell for another year. Spring is around the corner and little tell-tale signs are appearing everywhere. The bitterly cold days are becoming fewer, the sun is beginning to peek out of the clouds a little more often and the birds are beginning to sing. You can almost feel the anticipation amongst all of God’s beautiful creation.

Spring is bringing many exciting things our way too. The new year has gotten off to a great start although we did have some challenges with snow and ice this year. We apologize to any of you that had tickets for the original dates and couldn’t make it to our rescheduled concerts.

We also just finished up the Singing At Sea Cruise for another year and we had a great time. On Tuesday night we held a meet & greet for all our friends that traveled with us. We sang a little, gave out some special thank you gifts and just had a relaxed and personable time; Gerald Wolfe and Scott Fowler snuck in during our time with our friends and we pulled both groups up on the stage and sang a song with them too. The final night of the cruise we performed a Jubilee concert with Greater Vision and Legacy Five; we have such a great time with these two groups!! The weather was a little chilly in the Bahamas but we still had a lot of fun! If you are making plans to go next year be sure to register early. This cruise always sells out very quickly; and make sure to list the Booth Brothers as your host group. We’ve added some pictures from the cruise to the website so be sure to visit our photo galleries!

New Album Coming Soon!

If you have been to a Booth Brothers Concert recently, then you’ve probably heard some great new material that isn’t even available yet; songs such  “We Believe” and “I See Grace”. Well, we will be releasing our newest recording soon and we can’t wait to share it with you. The two songs mentioned above only scratch the surface of what will be included in this new album. 

We partnered with Christian music’s renowned producer, Lari Goss and together we have created a CD that we feel declares what the Booth Brothers believe and proclaim. We’ve pulled out all the stops – the songs, the orchestration, the vocals – everything about this project is top notch! Ronnie feels it may be the group’s best yet.  Stay tuned to our website and emails – we’ll let you know as soon as it is available.

Refresh and Renew – Orlando, FL

By now, you’ve proabably heard about our first annual Refresh & Renew Retreat to be held November 19-21, 2010 in Orlando, FL. We sent out an email blast two weeks ago and we are off to a fantastic start. The response has been great.

We would love to have you join us for a great weekend. We are planning three days of music, laughter and spiritual encouragement. All of this will take place in the beautiful Peabody Hotel in Orlando. This is a great opportunity for you and your family to get away, enjoy all that the retreat will offer, the beautiful Florida weather and a luxurious hotel for an affordable price.  The Peabody Hotel sits in the midst of many attractions, restaurants, shopping, golf and other entertainment. Consider making an entire vacation out of your trip.

Knowing that God’s Word says that a “merry heart doeth good like a medicine” weare> pleased to announce that Aaron Wilburn will be joining us on Friday night at the Peabody and Dennis Swanberg will be our special guest on Saturday night. Put all your burdens away for a few days and join us for music, laughter and some encouraging spiritual food from God’s Word.

Get more information at http://www.boothbrothers.com/events.asp.

A FEW THINGS TO NOTE WHEN MAKING YOUR TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS:

• We know that this event falls close to Thanksgiving so be sure to book your airline reservations early to avoid paying premium holiday prices for your airfare.
• Also, many of you have called the office asking what time the event will be over. We are planning to end the event no later than 1:00 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.
• The hotel also offers a shuttle service to and from the airport but there is a charge for this service.

Declaration Tour 2010

We’ve eased into the 2010 schedule but things are ramping up and life is about to get really busy.  Last year we did our very first west coast tour and we wanted to give our friends out west plenty of notice that we’re coming your way again this year. Some of these dates are ticketed events and may have VIP receptions and reserved seating so don’t wait too long to purchase your tickets as these tend to sell out first.

Get more information at http://www.boothbrothers.com/events.asp.
Mexican Riviera Cruise!

We have had a tremendous response so far to our announcement of the cruise to the MEXICAN RIVIERA! Cruise dates are October 23 through October 30, 2010. If you are considering the cruise as a vacation option do not delay in making your reservations!! There is still space but it’s getting limited.

Call Inspiration Cruises at (800) 247-1899 to make your reservation today.

Get more information at http://www.boothbrothers.com/events.asp

Back from the Cruise!

Hello Friends!

Things have sure been interesting for us lately.  The guys have been busy on the road with a pretty hectic schedule and, in addition, have been in the studio putting the finishing touches on what just may be the best Booth Brothers project to date.

There was an unexpected free weekend when we were snowed in, yes, SNOWED IN! The guys had to cancel a whole weekend due to the extreme weather and, I admit, we took advantage of it, hibernating until the worst was over. We enjoyed lots of coffee, tea and hot chocolate, with some games and movies thrown in the mix.  It was a small blessing in the midst of the chaotic weather!

For those of you who suffered the consequences of the snow, rest assured, all of the concerts have been rescheduled and some have already been fulfilled.  That’s our guys, faithfully trudging on.

Last week was filled with sunny days on the Singing At Sea Cruise and boy, did we have a great time! As we pulled into the port, Austin, with nose to the window, kept repeating “Thehh’s my cwuise!”

Jonathan enjoyed some time at Camp Carnival and introduced himself to another boy there by saying “I’m a Booth Brother.” When, at first, the boy didn’t believe him, and said to Jonathan “Prove it!” Jonathan quickly showed his room key (that had his name on it) and proudly declared “See, I AM a Booth Brother!”

As for us girls, we relaxed as often as we could, attended a few concerts and shopped at every opportunity. (Yes, what the guys say about us at the concerts is true, we are very talented shoppers.)  In addition, I made sure to enjoy the molten lava cake as much as possible!

When we reached Nassau, we made sure to visit the local Starbucks.  Jim actually went THREE times! I have to tell you, when I introduced him to coffee, I had no idea he would like it so much! At the first of the year, I suggested that we have some sort of “Starbucks budget.”  Only time will tell if this idea is going work.  So far, not so good!

I experienced a sweet moment when a lady came to me to thank me for sharing Jim.  She reminded me that what we give to God here on earth will be given as crowns to us in heaven which we will then lay at our Savior’s feet.  I was blessed to the point of tears to be reminded that the days I’m without Jim are part of my service to the Lord!  Although circumstances don’t allow us to be at every concert, us wives are there in spirit, cheering and praising with our beloved Booth Brothers!

We Love You All!

Melissa