Friendship & Earl Grey Tea!
By Vicky Beeching on Sep 17, 2008 in Uncategorized
Hi friends!
I had a wonderful day today with my dear friend Melody Green.
She was visiting California, so she came down to San Diego and we went out for lunch overlooking the ocean. She loves British tea, so after lunch we went out for some of our favorite tea - Earl Grey!
Tonight we are sitting on our Mac laptops working on our Blogs - she and I are both big fans of laptops and getting online, so we are having a great evening here downloading photos, surfing the net and chatting about what God is doing in our lives!
Melody is working on a new version of her website dedicated to the music and legacy of her late husband Keith Green. I’ll let you know when that’s up and running. She’s going to have Question and Answer blogs where you can write in with questions and she’ll answer them personally. Cool hey?!
Have you guys been inspired or influenced by Keith’s musical legacy? If so it would be cool to hear your stories….
Love,
Vicky
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I was a kid growing up in East San Jose and Keith’s cassette tapes and LPs were an inspiration to me. I bought them with my paper route money. And, I remember testing that “get this for free” thing and getting an LP in the mail to my SHOCK. I recall “So You Wanna Go Back to Egypt” and the album “No Compromise”–the songs, the articles and the even the artwork shaped my thinking about music ministry. I laughed at the sarcasm of “Egypt” and cried at “Asleep in the Light” with many hours of prayer. At age 13 it was a personal renewal. When he and the children died, I was also inspired by Melody and her faith and activism. I never got to see Keith Green live, but had all the CDs, songbooks and today I have been leading worship for nearly 2 decades with some of those tunes and themes in my heart and mind.
Rich Kirkpatrick | Sep 17, 2008 | Reply
Who hasn’t been?
Such a cool opportunity. Let us know when she finishes that website.
Tyler | Sep 17, 2008 | Reply
hi! my name is Sha-sha from Vineyard Philippines.
I don’t really have a pretty cool story to tell, but but my late sister and I were impacted by Keith’s music and his life that was sold out to Jesus.
My sister was the first Keith Green fan in my family. I was the type who would look up to Amy Grant and sing her songs- until the day I remember going thru my sister’s cassette tapes (going thru my sister’s stuff was my weakness, I know what I did was ugly) and found 3 or mayebe more of keith’s albums.
Then as I listened to the tapes I fell in love with songs like: “You Put This Love in My Heart”, “Because of You”, “He’ll take care of the Rest”, “Open Our Eyes”, and “There is a Redeemer,” and many more.
After my sister died in an accident (my sister fell from the fourth story building of her hotel while trying to escape from the fire) Keith’s music and God’s love, mercy and grace didn’t make sense to me at all.
But as i kept on listening to Keith’s music and and as i try to look back to how Kieth was so in love with Jesus, and how my sister was so in love with the Lord- his music finally made sense. Keith’s life didn’t matter to him anymore and waht he had to endure- he was sold out to Christ.
my sister’s life didn’t matter to her anymore. sha was sold out to Chist. It finally made sense to me. It’s all because of God’s grace! We are alive because of God’s grace, mercy, and love. not because Keith died or my sister died, doesn’t mean that God didn’t save them. God did. He Still does. He never changes.
He is the same yesterday, today, and He will be forever…
Shs-sha | Sep 17, 2008 | Reply
Hey Vicky! wait up.
Please check out my blog if you have time and tell me what’s lacking there.
here’s the URL:
http://www.youthkairosphil.blogspot.com
I also have a question,. How do you put a music player on a blog? thanks
Shs-sha | Sep 17, 2008 | Reply
Of course I’ve enjoyed Keith’s music, but even beside his musical legacy, Keith has an incredible life story. For those not familiar, you can check a bit more about him on Wikipedia:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Green
Here’s one of my favorite excerpts from the article:
“In 1979, after negotiating a release from his contract with Sparrow, Green surprised many in the music industry by refusing to charge money for concerts or albums. Keith and Melody mortgaged their home to privately finance Green’s next album, So You Wanna Go Back To Egypt. The album, which featured a guest appearance by Bob Dylan, was offered through mail-order and at concerts for a price determined by the purchaser. As of May 1982, Green had shipped out more than 200,000 units of his album – 61,000 for free.”
That’s awesome! I’d say that Keith and Melody were a bit ahead of their time on the free album thing!
Like other recording artists who I love and respect, not only did Keith make some great music, but he lived life fully for his God.
Jonathan | Sep 17, 2008 | Reply
Hi Vicky,
As an eighteen year old worship leader in the UK I read Melody’s book “No Compromise” and it hit me hard. The principles that Keith lived through his life were radical and the ideas made a deep impact. This summer, when I was back in the UK, I picked up another copy at Wesley Owen and it’s right on the top of my reading pile, just waiting for me to finish “Irresistible Revolution” by Shane Claibourne. Hmm, is there a theme going on here?
Mark Jaffrey | Sep 18, 2008 | Reply
Nice picture Vicky!
I haven’t listened too much to Keith Green during his stay on Earth, but I really found inspiration and fire in “Oh Lord, You’re Beautiful”. It made me want to carry the story of GOD w/o limits. =)
Albert | Sep 18, 2008 | Reply
No compromise is the biggest life changing book for me after the bible. I read it on my DTS and was blown away by Keith’s life and witness and passion for Jesus. It was so challenging to me own life. I read it again recently and his story still speaks to me.
There is a redemeer is a classic.
abi | Sep 18, 2008 | Reply
Very nice picture and blog entry! Thanx for this!
Yes, I am also inspired by Keith Green’s music and his ministry. His songs are still relevant for our culture and the church. That is a good sign for his artistry and the message in his songs. God is still using it to inspire and encourage his people worldwide. It’s always amazing when we sing one of his songs in my home church.
God bless!
David from Germany
David, ekkaleo | Sep 18, 2008 | Reply
Hi Vicky, I am very moved by Keith’s music. A couple of the covers that I think are worth mentioning that I really like are Michael W. Smith’s version of “Oh Lord, You’re Beautiful” and Michelle Tumes’s version of “There Is A Redeemer”. Any chance we could get a Vicky Beeching version of one of Keith’s songs? That would be great. God Bless! Kevin
Kevin | Sep 18, 2008 | Reply
truly legendary people, The Greens!! i’m a better person for having read ‘No Compromise’ and i’m obviously a huge fan of a good beard, long hair, passionate music and revolutionaries. Melody did such a great job helping put shape to the heartbeat that she and Keith carried in their family and for the Kingdom of God.
she’s one of the people on my ‘would love to meet’ her lists. i’m glad that you get the chance to have such a strong woman who is after the heart of God pouring into your life. i’m sure days like yesterday are those days where you just can’t believe how God just brings the right people into your life to give you a fresh breath of life.
hope you’re having a great week out there VB!
Brian
P.S. - i’m gonna sound off to kevins comment that i think you should cover one of your favorites from keith OR put a short EP of your favorite Keith Green songs. come on now! you pick them, arrange them and let owyoung produce them!!
brian wurzell | Sep 18, 2008 | Reply
wow…great to see a pic of melody and that she is well…i will never forget hearing of the plane crash that took keith’s and his son’s life. i remember where i was …I loved his music and haven’t pulled it out in a while-need to do that. he challenged my faith and encouraged me to be bolder in my witness..my favourite record was “so you wanna go back to egypt.” it is probably still in my attic somewhere. i remember also having a subscription to Last Days Ministry and looked forward to it every month in the mail! great memories..thank you for reminding us of an amazing legacy! oh and one more memory…i remember when melody came to toronto shortly after keith’s death i think, to do a memorial concert…that was powerful to be part of! God Bless, Karyne
Karyne Whalen | Sep 18, 2008 | Reply
in year 11 I somehow ended up with ‘No Compromise’ in my hand. Truly that book inspired and challenged me like no other had in my life. It sparked a great passion in me to see my year group and school fired up about the Lord. Problem was (believe it or not!) I was the shyest person on earth! So I befriended another ‘full on’ Christian mate in my senior woodwork and metal work class (Design and Tec) and we would spend our classes talking about living a none compromise life and how revival could happen if we did so. Long story short…. this guy, who also was EXCEPTIONALLY shy, ended up becoming school captain in our senior year and ended up with amazing opportunities during chapel services to challenge colleagues about many of the things we had talked about!
A few years later, this guy and I and a group of former graduates returned back to Westside Christian College and took part in a chapel service. We had an altar call where students came back to a room on the school grounds during lunch. We thought maybe 5 people might show up… the room was packed out… from memory over 100 students rocked up all passionate about walking deeper with the Lord.
Another memorable ‘No Compromise’ book moment was when I was a leader on a Winter Camp in Australia. The studies we were doing just weren’t doing it for us so I started reading out key parts of NC to my little group. I remember one day almost loosing my voice reading with great passion the account of Keith hiding under the piano and student after student coming forward confessing and getting their lives right with the Lord. One of the girls in my cabin left the room… I thought she was going to the Loo or something… anyway… I went out to find her and she was just weeping so profusely challenged about living a ‘None Compromise’ life… it was a precious moment.
That’s just a few of the many moments ‘No Compromise’ has influenced me!
Joy Argow | Sep 19, 2008 | Reply
Back in april when you were at CMA I posted this about Keith & Melody:
Hey Vicky, great to see you know Melody as a friend and mentor. I was spurred in my faith after reading her book about Keith and when I found the dvd about his life even more. So I had to do something and that something was sharing that story with more people. I had put that documentary on YouTube last year and it has over 60.000 views now. Many people have also been encouraged this way. The responses are overwhelming! I even got in contact with someone who used to live with Keith in the first year of his ministry.
You can check the video’s here if you like: http://youtube.com/watch?v=G6hOyx8LF4I
Say hi to Melody from me, and thank her for being so kind that I could share her and Keith’s story this way.
—-
In the meantime the views have gone up to 73.000 and a lot people have been blessed. I think it also did LDM good coz a lot of people are asking where they could buy his dvd’s and music
The first song I heard of Keith, sung by Keith was “Sheep and the Goats” which hit me like a truck. How lively, how energetic, how radical, how pursuing. All qualities of God’s Love, but also His call to take Him seriously.
@Sha-Sha: wow that is a difficult story, so glad to hear your sister knew God. She must be praising Him now alongside with Keith.
Martin | Sep 22, 2008 | Reply
Fantastic! I’m thrilled to hear that she’s working on it. I remember you mentioning him at your Burlingame, CA concert. Looking forward to seeing you Saturday in Foster City, CA!
Leslie | Sep 23, 2008 | Reply