Christian Country Star Glen Campbell Dead at 81 - JESSILYN JUSTICE CHARISMA NEWS

Glen Campbell sings "Rhinestone Cowboy" during his tribute at the 54th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California. (REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo)

Christian Country Star Glen Campbell Dead at 81

 8/8/2017 JESSILYN JUSTICE  CHARISMA NEWS

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Famed country music star and renowned Christian Glen Campbell died Tuesday. He was 81.

The "Rhinestone Cowboy" and "Wichita Lineman," singer suffered from Alzheimer's Disease for several years before passing away at an Alzheimer's facility in Nashville, surrounded by his family.

"It is with the heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather and legendary singer and guitarist, Glen Travis Campbell, at the age of 81, following his long and courageous battle with Alzheimer's disease," according to a family statement.

Campbell was a musical legacy who impacted multiple genres.

According to Rolling Stone:

In his youth, Campbell started playing guitar and became obsessed with jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt. He dropped out of school when he was 14 and moved to Wyoming with an uncle who was a musician, playing gigs together at rural bars. He soon moved to Los Angeles and by 1962 had solidified a spot in the Wrecking Crew, a group of session pros. In 1963 alone he appeared on 586 cuts, and countless more throughout the decade, including the Byrds' "Mr. Tambourine Man," Elvis Presley's "Viva Las Vegas," Merle Haggard's "Mama Tried" and the Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling."  ...

Campbell was married four times, and has five sons and three daughters. Despite his career successes, he struggled with alcoholism and cocaine addiction. In the early '80s, he had a tempestuous, high-profile relationship with country singer Tanya Tucker, who was 22 years his junior. In 1981, he became a born-again Christian, and in 1982, he married Kimberly Woollen, a Radio City Music Hall Rockette, who helped Campbell clean up his life.

He eventually turned to hymns.

"I love singing gospel music and hymns. Being a Christian, I love to tell people about Christ and what he's done for me and can do for them," Campbell said in 1990.

But he still struggled with the party scene that came with musical fame. He says he was a raging cocaine addict before his faith rescued him.

He told Guideposts: 

I had promised Kim that cocaine would not be part of our marriage. I tried and prayed, but I didn't keep that promise. One night shortly after our first child, Cal, was born, some musician friends were in town, and I stayed up till dawn doing cocaine with them.

When I got home Kim was heartbroken and furious, and I was afraid she was going to take Cal and leave. I can't say I would have blamed her but I think it would have torn my heart out.

As I had done so many times before, I begged the Lord to deliver me. I don't understand why, but that day it was as if Jesus reached down and pulled my hand back from the cocaine. I never touched the drug again.

But he still struggled with alcohol.

He told the magazine: 

I used to argue with my pastor about how much wine they drank in the Bible. "Jesus turned water into wine," I'd remind him. He'd look at me, shake his head and say, "Glen, when you can change water into wine, then maybe you can drink it." ...

When God lifted my obsession for alcohol it was as if he raised the curtain on a whole new life. He changed me in ways I never could have changed myself, and that is the key. Kim and I have a real marriage now, an honest marriage.

Today I truly have a peace "which passeth all understanding." I really don't understand it. But I thank the Lord all the time. I am a man richly blessed, despite myself. For all that God has given me, there is nothing for which I am more thankful than Kim.

Campbell is survived by his wife, Kim Campbell of Nashville, Tennessee; their three children, Cal, Shannon and Ashley; his children from previous marriages, Debby, Kelli, Travis, Kane and Dillon; 10 grandchildren, great- and great-great-grandchildren; sisters Barbara, Sandra and Jane; and brothers John Wallace "Shorty" and Gerald.

Jessilyn Justice is the director of online news for Charisma. Born and raised in a pastor's family in Alabama, she attended Lee University and the Washington Journalism Center. She's passionate about sharing God's goodness through storytelling. Tell her what you think of this story on Twitter @jessilynjustice.

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If He Had Not… - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

If He Had Not…

Now Think On This

Steve Martin

“The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way.” (Psalm 37:23, NASU)

One of my recent Now Think On This messages was entitled The What Ifs. It has been one of my most read and shared ones. It is because we often find ourselves thinking about the “what ifs” in life, don’t we? But then, on the other hand, how often do we consider the “if He had nots” that I believe are just as important, if not more so.

As you look back on the road you have taken in life thus far, where would you be if the Lord Himself had not intervened in your life? What would have happened if His Almighty hand had not guided you to take that one specific step, or prevent you from taking one that would have had serious consequences?

During my first and only year of college (no degree here), I had become engaged to a sophomore who wanted to be an English teacher in Iowa. I wanted to be a missionary in Africa. As you guessed, the engagement did not last long. She wasn’t going the way I felt led to go. But two years later, I met the one who would be my life mate, and take the road the Lord had planned for the two of us, and yes, the kids and grandkids that followed. If He had not intervened…

I think back on that decision He led us to make when I left a well-paying, next rung-on-the-ladder VP job in Michigan in 1987. Moving our family then to the southern end of Florida, accepting a financial position with an international Christian ministry, was not the typical way to go for a 33 year-old with wife and four kids. Following that path had me help lead three ministries over the next 24 years with the administration and financial skills He has gifted me with. If He had not directed…

Where would you be today if you had married that one whom you knew deep down was not His choice? What would have happened if He had not sent you the wisdom of another, to give you scriptural advice in your decision?

If He had not closed that door to the one job you thought you desperately needed, because He knew you were to be at another, to bring His light into a dark place? Where would you be now?

If the Lord had not enabled you to escape that addiction gripping your life, whether it be drugs, alcohol, pornography, anger? What sorry state would you still be in?

If Jesus had not saved you from hell, your eternal life would end up there.

There are many situations that the Lord has not only protected us from, but even more so are the several times He has led us down the path of the narrow one. Those paths we have taken, knowingly and unknowingly.

For all those times when He intervened, He is worthy of our thankfulness and eternal love.

Now think on this,

Steve Martin

Founder

Love For His People, Inc.

P.S. I would be most grateful if you'd share this encouraging word with your family and friends. They might need it. You can easily use the social media icons below. Thanks! Steve

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Now Think On This - In the Year of our Lord 02.20.17 - #276 – “If He Had Not…” – Monday 9:30 am

All previous editions of Now Think On This can be found on this Blog, and on the website: Now Think On This

Again, I would be most grateful if you'd share this encouraging word with your family and friends. You can easily use the social media icons below. Thanks! Steve

6 Reasons Why You May Be Waking Up Tired - CHRIS PRITCHARD/NEWSMAX HEALTH CHARISMA MAGAZINE

There are many reasons why you may be waking up tired. (iStock photo )

6 Reasons Why You May Be Waking Up Tired

12/15/2015 CHRIS PRITCHARD/NEWSMAX HEALTH  charisma magazine

Do you find yourself waking up tired because you're not sleeping well? You're not alone. Almost 70 million others—slightly more women than men—are sleepless in America for a variety of reasons.

But the good news is that for most sufferers it's a problem that can be easily solved without resorting to expensive sleeping pills or other costly treatments. A half-dozen simple lifestyle changes can improve your sleep quality, experts say.

The first thing to do: Don't allow yourself to be overly concerned about sleeplessness, which can exacerbate the problem, says one of the world's leading sleep experts.  

"Tossing and turning while being anxious makes things worse," notes Christopher Magee, an internationally known sleep specialist and psychologist.  "It's a good idea to take a break from trying to sleep. Get up and read or to have a drink of water." 

Magee's own research—which has been published in major scientific publications including the Journal of Sleep Research, Preventive Medicine, and Sleep Medicine—has found that most people experience sleep problems from time to time. 

"Occasional poor sleep is quite normal and not a cause for concern," notes Magee, deputy director of the Center for Health Initiatives at Australia's Wollongong University.

But if sleep problems persist for more than a few weeks and adversely affect daily functioning, he says "it's a good idea to seek advice from a health professional."

It's not just the quantity of sleep that matters, but the quality, he adds. 

Low-grade sleep, from which you wake tired and exhausted, isn't good for you. Your body and mind need deep sleep for it to be restorative. Poor sleep has been linked to a range of health problems, including heart disease, high blood pressure, depression, stroke, and diabetes.

"We should wake feeling rested—not necessarily energetic and full of vigor immediately after waking, but feeling we've had a good sleep," Magee explains.

"Even if people think they've had 'enough' sleep, quality may be poor. If sleep is fragmented, with waking through the night, it reduces time spent in deep, restful sleep. This can contribute to daytime lethargy and fatigue."

What's more, "one size fits all" sleep recommendations don't apply to everyone. Experts divide sleeping patterns into two types: "short" and "long." A tiny minority of people function well on "short" sleeps, defined by doctors as less than six hours nightly, while the vast majority need "long" periods of slumber—seven to nine hours (with eight generally cited as typical). 

Magee has identified the following six most common causes of sleeplessness and simple no-cost methods to beat it, based on his own research and the findings of many sleep studies:

● Stress:  "It's a major cause of problems falling asleep and getting good-quality sleep," Magee notes. "Maintaining healthy lifestyles with stress reduction techniques—even just winding down after work—can be beneficial."

● Alcohol: "Though alcohol initially has sleep-inducing effects, research shows it adversely impacts sleep quality, particularly in the latter half of sleep," he explains. "Avoiding excessive consumption of alcohol within a few hours of bedtime is important in promoting good sleep."

● Caffeine: People who drink large amounts of the stimulant caffeine in coffee, energy drinks, or soda are more likely to have problems getting to sleep. "Avoiding caffeine after the early afternoon helps promote good sleep," Magee says.

● Exercise: It's generally good for sleep and overall health but "vigorous bouts just prior to bed increase physiological arousal, making it harder to fall asleep." Magee notes.

● TV and mobile devices: "Cellular devices and electronic media in the bedroom are linked by researchers to poorer sleep. Furthermore, watching excessive TV or prolonged computer use prior to bed can make it harder to fall asleep," he says.

● Poor sleep habits: Studies confirm individuals with irregular bedtimes and wake-up times are likely to have poorer sleep. "Maintaining regular sleep and wake-up times ... benefits physiological regulation of sleep," Magee points out.

He adds that some sleep problems can be caused by more serious health disorders that may require the attention of a medical professional, including chronic insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, and restless legs syndrome. 

"There are often measures [available] to minimize the adverse influence of these disorders," Magee notes.

But for most people, occasional insomnia is nothing to lose sleep over, and can be resolved with simple lifestyle adjustments. 

For the original article, visit newsmaxhealth.com.

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