“But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.”
1 Peter 4:13, KJV
BE YE GLAD Lyrics
In these days of confused situations. In these nights of a restless remorse, When the heart and the soul of the nation, lay wounded and cold as a corpse. From the grave of the innocent Adam, comes a song bringing joy to the sad. Oh your cry has been heard and the ransom, has been paid up in full, Be Ye Glad.
(Chorus)
Oh, Be Ye Glad, Be Ye Glad, Every debt that you ever had Has been paid up in full by the grace of the Lord, Be Ye Glad, Be Ye Glad, Be Ye Glad.
From the dungeon a rumor is stirring. You have heard it again and again. But this time the cell keys are turning, and outside there are faces of friends. And though your body lay weary from wasting, and your eyes show the sorrow they’ve had. Oh the love that your heart is now tasting has opened the gate, Be Ye Glad.
(Chorus)
So be like lights on the rim of the water, giving hope in a storm sea of night. Be a refuge amidst the slaughter, for these fugitives in their flight. For you are timeless and part of a puzzle. You are winsome and young as a lad. And there is no disease or no struggle, that can pull you from God, Be Ye Glad.
by Maryann B. Hunsberger | CT, originally posted 8/27/2007
After a long absence from making music, not to mention a series of tragedies—including a divorce and her daughter’s suicide—CCM veteran Kelly Willard is back on the scene.
Since the early days of the Jesus movement, Kelly Willard has been a part of Christian music, recording with many of names associated with the pioneers of CCM before releasing her 1978 debut at the age of 21. With nine albums to her credit, Willard has also been featured on more than two dozen worship projects from Integrity Hosanna!, Vineyard, and Maranatha! Music. Now with the release of her new CD Paga, Willard is finally back on the scene, though she’s never been totally absent. She spoke to us from her Florida home about the things occupying her time for the last 15 years: her family, her recording career, her ministry, and a series of tragedies in 2004.
Your last album was in 1990. What have you been up to all these years?
Kelly Willard It was a priority to be home with my husband and children, since I home-schooled both children. And although I stopped recording my own albums and touring to raise my children, I didn’t stop working in Christian music. I lived in Nashville, so I continued to do session work. I’ve done background vocals for artists, and I’ve done solos on praise-and-worship albums. I’ve always followed what was going on in Christian music, and I’ve continued to do as much music as I could.
It sounds like life has been busy.
Willard Very busy. My mother had Alzheimer’s, so we took her in and cared for her for ten years. I was responsible for her health while my children were growing up. I was home-schooling and doing studio session singing while caring for my mother. I haven’t done much since 2004 because of what life has been like since then.
What happened that year?
Willard It was the worst year of my life. On Valentine’s Day, my father died of pulmonary fibrosis. Later, in March, my 29-year marriage fell apart. I worked so hard on the marriage, even going to counseling. But the marriage fell out from under me because the spiritual foundation of the home fell short. My parents were divorced when I was 13, and I said I’d never divorce. It was so traumatic, because my marriage and family were my life. It’s been hard for me to accept.
Then my 18-year-old daughter Haylie fell through the cracks—on August 29, she committed suicide. She had severe depression and she stopped taking her medication. The divorce was a huge factor in her death. It’s the saddest thing ever. Whenever I sang locally in Nashville, Haylie would sing with me, and mher. And in October, my mother died from Alzheimer’s. So, it really was the worst year ever y son Bryan would play bass. She wrote songs and loved the Lord. Too much sadness just overcame for me.
Did you struggle with feelings of failure during this time?
Willard Totally and completely. For your child to check out of life is just horrific. It’s unthinkable, unspeakable pain.
Does depression run in your family, since it is usually a hereditary illness?
Willard Yes. In 1987, when we had just released Message from a King, my fourth album, I was diagnosed with manic-depressive illness. The medication back then affected me badly, so I stopped taking it. In 2002, the diagnosis was reconfirmed, but with a new name: bipolar disorder. I got on a newer medication and it has worked well. It helped me get through the trauma of the last few years. I believe my mother also had bipolar disorder, but it went undiagnosed.
How did your son handle everything?
Willard Bryan was out of the house already. He had gotten an apartment when he was 18 with his friend Phil LaRue and a couple other guys—he played bass with the group LaRue. Then he began to court his wife Liz and they married. So they now live in Nashville and have a daughter Ariel. He’s 24 now and such a strong Christian—a singer, writer, and worship leader, traveling and playing bass for Jason Upton’s band.
What have the last three years been like for you?
Willard It’s been a time of healing. It’s a slow process and it has taken time, but it is happening. I moved to Jacksonville Beach, Florida for support from Beaches Chapel, a church that took me in and helped me move on after my life fell apart. Haylie and I had sung there in 2002 and they had a real burden for me. When things got bad, Pastor Steve McCoy could see how fragile I was. He would call me in Nashville. He asked me to come down for six months, so I did. I went into weekly grief therapy with a Christian grief counselor for 18 months. I also began taking classes at church. The accountability to my pastor and my grief therapist and Jamie kept me alive, as there were times that I honestly didn’t want to live. But, God hung onto me, even when I felt like I couldn’t hang on.
I read a lot of books about heaven, and I get really excited, because reading them helps me live the reality of what our faith is all about. Also, I met Jamie Wellington at church and he became a friend who stood by me. Eventually, he and I got married and I still live in Florida today. God gave me a brand new start in every way.
Which at last brings you back to recording a new album.
Willard I began working on it seven years ago. I thought I’d never record another solo album, but the Holy Spirit impressed on me to involve my kids in making an album with me. That’s my son Bryan rocking on the bass when he was barely 18. His buddies Miles McPherson and Rob Hawkins also played on it. Haylie, who was 15 at the time, sang a duet with me on “Beautiful Jesus.”
Your daughter had a beautiful voice. Is it hard listening to that song?
Willard I made myself listen to it once, just the other day. I saw her on the other side when I heard that.
Where does the title for Paga come from?
Willard I listened to a teaching tape by Jim Goll called “From Prayer to His Presence.” He explained how the Old Testament priests would take incense behind the curtain and burn it as an atonement. This is called “paga” in Hebrew and it means “to make intercession.” When Jesus became our sacrifice, he made the way for our prayers, praises, and worship to become like that incense to the Lord. I wanted this album to draw people to the Lord and take part in that intercession.
I like your cover of “Charity.”
Willard As far as I know, nobody has recorded that song since Jamie Owens Collins recorded it for her first solo album in the ’70s. Which is bizarre, as it’s a great song.
What changes have you seen in the Christian music world since the Jesus movement music in the ’70s?
Willard The ’70s brought a surge of Christian music with Love Song and all the groups from California. It was a great movement of music. But about 20 years ago, I remember Christian radio changing and sounding just like secular radio with DJs trying to act and talk cool, trying to be hip. A lot of the music seemed to lose something. Then, a little more than ten years ago, I saw a revival begin. Very fresh worship and praise music was coming out. Artists like Delirious, Jars of Clay, and Matt Redman were singing about relationships with the Lord again. It was encouraging to see a turn back to simple relationships with Jesus. That’s what everyone loved about early Christian music when people just sang about what Jesus was doing in their lives and they invited others to come along. It’s gotten back to that in much of Christian music.
I’d like to share with you what I’m thinking this morning. I hope you will persevere and go through it. I identify with the “Man of the Tombs” so much. I am sometimes asked about mental illness and demon possession, but I can give no real light. All I know is that both are real and similar to each other. Evil however has a presence about it that can be addressed and cast out. Mental illness, on the other hand, is often a lifelong issue that requires management. To complicate things there can be a combo of the two, with demonic exacerbating the medical issue. God has gifted some in the Church with a gift “the discerning of spirits.”
This tells me #1, it is needful. #2, we should encourage this kind of gift as people have an even greater need today. Today there exists a deeper level for sin, with temptation never imagined by our grandparents generation. It seems that sin, and the resulting bondages, are more advanced.
I believe that Jesus has the power to free the captured heart. He also comforts day-by-day the minds and souls of the mentally ill. I will let Him decide what is what.
The Gerasene Demoniac, Mark 5, The Message Paraphrased
They arrived on the other side of the sea in the country of the Gerasenes. As Jesus got out of the boat, a madman from the cemetery came up to him. He lived there among the tombs and graves.”
No one could restrain him—he couldn’t be chained, couldn’t be tied down. He had been tied up many times with chains and ropes, but he broke the chains, snapped the ropes. No one was strong enough to tame him. Night and day he roamed through the graves and the hills, screaming out and slashing himself with sharp stones.
6-8″When he saw Jesus a long way off, he ran and bowed in worship before him—then bellowed in protest, “What business do you have, Jesus, Son of the High God, messing with me? I swear to God, don’t give me a hard time!” (Jesus had just commanded the tormenting evil spirit, “Out! Get out of the man!”)
9-10Jesus asked him, “Tell me your name.” He replied, “My name is Mob. I’m a rioting mob.” Then he desperately begged Jesus not to banish them from the country.
11-13″A large herd of pigs was browsing and rooting on a nearby hill. The demons begged him, “Send us to the pigs so we can live in them.” Jesus gave the order. But it was even worse for the pigs than for the man. Crazed, they stampeded over a cliff into the sea and drowned.
14-15Those tending the pigs, scared to death, bolted and told their story in town and country. Everyone wanted to see what had happened. They came up to Jesus and saw the madman sitting there wearing decent clothes and making sense, no longer a walking madhouse of a man.
16-17Those who had seen it told the others what had happened to the demon-possessed man and the pigs. At first they were in awe—and then they were upset, upset over the drowned pigs. They demanded that Jesus leave and not come back.
18-20As Jesus was getting into the boat, the demon-delivered man begged to go along, but he wouldn’t let him. Jesus said, “Go home to your own people. Tell them your story—what the Master did, how he had mercy on you.” The man went back and began to preach in the Ten Towns area about what Jesus had done for him. He was the talk of the town.”
Scripture taken from Mark 5:1-20, The Message by Eugene Peterson
Alwyn Wall, Jano Wall and Tom Hooper at Calvary Chapel Melbourne, Florida, playing “Fool’s Wisdom.”
Malcolm and Alwynwere a popular British gospel beat music group in the 1970s. They played Beatles-influenced rock music with lyrics reflecting their conversion to Christianity. The duo was composed of Malcolm Wild and Alwyn Wall, who had been performing together in a band called “The Zodiacs” prior to their conversion.
Malcolm and Alwyn recorded two albums in the early ’70s before they disbanded in 1976, and a live reunion album in 1981 before again parting ways. The live album was recorded on January 24, 1981 at Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa, California.
They recorded “Fool’s Wisdom” in 1973. It is a simple, spiritual song. It identifies and expresses the heart of the early “Jesus Movement.” My personal thinking is that is, the simplicity of lyrics and performance was a blessing. When I first listened to “Fool’s Wisdom” back in 1976, I was astounded. Not for its flair, or pyrotechnics, but for its core simplicity.
Fool’s Wisdom Lyrics
Got myself some wisdom from a leather-backed book
Got myself a Saviour when I took a second look
Opened up the pages and what did I find?
A black and white portrait of a King who’s a friend of mine
Funny how when you think you’re right
Everybody else must be wrong
Till someone with Fool’s Wisdom somehow comes along
His voice was strange and the words He said
I didn’t quite understand
Yet I know that he was speaking right
By the leather-backed book in his hand
Hey, hey, what a day!… Fool’s Wisdom
Got myself some wisdom from a leather-backed book
Got myself a Saviour when I took a second look
“The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.”
Isaac Air Freight was a Christian comedy team first formed in 1976. It originally consisted of three people, Dave Toole, Dan Rupple, and Larry Watt. Watt left after the release of their first album. He was replaced by Mitch Teemley, who largely did serious or “good guy” parts, for the second and third albums. (Watt and Teemley did not contribute to the writing. After leaving Isaac Air Freight, Teemley formed the team Mitch & Allen for which he wrote as well as acted.)
Rupple and Toole released five more Isaac Air Freight albums. The last of these, Over Our Heads (1987), featured contributions from members of Christian rock bandDaniel Amos.
Comedy is not our usual fare here on BB, and maybe that should change. IAF brought a slightly more sophistication to the Church theater or skit scene. They inspired a lot of believers to work in the creative arts. In some sense I suppose you could describe them as a Christian version of Monty Python, but that isn’t a real good analogy either.
Here at BB we have the Contemporary Christian Music Index. It is a link that opens up early Christian music of the 70s-80s. You’ll find this index (which is constantly growing, https://brokenbelievers.com/?s=CCM
Ballet Magnificat dances to the Talbot Brothers. The songs here are “Paint My Life” and “The Empty Canvas.”
John Michael Talbot and Terry were musicans playing with a 60s hard rock band “Mason Profitt.” They played together for 4-5 years and then went their different ways doing Christian ministry through their music.
John Michael became quite prolific, with a dozen or albums. He converted to Catholicism, and over time founded, “The Little Portion” hermitage. He also tours in small venues quite regularly.
Blinded in his youth, Bob Ayala began performing in 1969 at The Salt Company, a Christian coffeehouse in Los Angeles, CA. He released his first album in 1976 and was also voted Best New Artist that year by CCM readers. He later became involved with Keith and Melody Green‘s Last Days Ministries and released an album on their record label in 1985. In December 1999 he released two independent albums and he continues to perform concerts.
Bob Ayala has been a Performer/songwriter and a member of ASCAP for 3 decades. Blinded from his youth, He didn’t let this slow him down and began his CCM performer/songwriter career in the 1970s. By 1980 he recorded 3 albums with Myrrh Records, a division of Word. In the mid 1980s he released his fourth recording project on Sparrow records.
Bob was a staff writer with Hosanna! Integrity music for 3 years. They recorded about 20 of Bob’s songs. After the contract ended, a mutual decision was made to not renew as most of what he was writing and wanted to write was not in the worship genre, which was their main emphasis at the time. Despite having been a performer since he was 14, his passion was songwriting, more than performing. Bob’s strong suit has always been as a lyricist.
Recently, he has set his sights on plying his talents to writing main stream country music, and finds himself coming full circle, as much of his early music had definite country influences.
“Pour Through Me”
Since he is one of my definite favorites, I can’t help myself. This cassette was called “Rescued.” I listened to it, over and over, until the tape wore out. This was way back in 1986, when I was doing high-visibility evangelism with a dozen other believers, out of a ratty old Victorian in the Mission District of San Francisco. His music helped come through this challenging time of my life.
“Its My Dream”
Both of these are songs from YouTube. But this is a sad song. It gets shared because of the excellence of music and lyrics (I love the gentle sax.) I am really excited to share them, as Bob Ayala was a profound influence in my life.
by Maryann B. Hunsberger | CT, originally posted 8/27/2007 
I’d like to share with you what I’m thinking this morning. I hope you will persevere and go through it. I identify with the “Man of the Tombs” so much. I am sometimes asked about mental illness and demon possession, but I can give no real light. All I know is that both are real and similar to each other. Evil however has a presence about it that can be addressed and cast out. Mental illness, on the other hand, is often a lifelong issue that requires management. To complicate things there can be a combo of the two, with demonic exacerbating the medical issue. God has gifted some in the Church with a gift “the discerning of spirits.”
