Oh Irene, How totally wonderful to hear your cybervoice! And what a sweet and encouraging message. Thank you so much. I do want to say that we had a great start in the Gospel - knowing from the start that it wasn't "popular" yet So, it's not like it has been this long, dreary road or anything. I still get to see the Holy Spirit changing people's hearts and watch Jesus transforming lives like we did back then. It is very sweet of you to notice, though - wouldn't it be great if we all encouraged each other in the Lord? Blessings right back atcha

Hi, Marsha! Remember sitting on top of a stack of mattresses in the living room at the House of Miracles in Fontana and singing me the song God gave you???!!! It made me cry! I was 17 and pregnant with my daughter, Faith at the time, so, it might have been January or Febrauary, 1970 because she was born June 1, 1970. We went into the kitchen and shared it with our sisters in Christ. At the next Bible Study I think you taught it to us in the living room while we all sat on the floor on Oleander Street in Fontana. Then, the years went by, and without internet, and having lost touch one-by-one with all my acquainances, I lost track of you...until now! I am so happy for you, my dear, sweet, sister in Christ, that you have come through the storms of life and are still sitting at the feet of Jesus! One day, years later, after we sat on top of those mattresses (you, at the tender age of 16, with your guitar and still in high school), I was in church in Riverside, where Greg Laurie Pastored, Calvery Chapel (later Harvest Christian Fellowship), and the worship team started singing, "For Those Tears I Died." I started crying and thanked God to have been blessed to share those first few moments of joy with you! Thank-you for sharing your song with me! It blessed my heart so much to see how God had used you so extensively, that since then, every church in America and the World was singing your song! May God bless you according to His riches in glory for all the good you have done in yeilding to Him to further the Gospel of Jesus Christ, even when it hurt to do so! You truly have fulfilled the Great Commission when He said, "Go into ALL the world..." I am proud of you, my little sister! Love in Jesus, Irene (Conklin) Benenati =D

May God bless you always for the great Witness you give to His love for ALL His people. I look forward to sharing that with you.

Recently someone has posted several videos from the Jesus Movement of the '70's on facebook, so I've been "tagged" on several of them. (I think this is the link for one of them http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=280168707190#!/video/video.php?v=381570247190) It has inspired the sweetest comments. One guy posted a sort of snide comment that bemoaned "unfortunately one of those girls now has a so-called 'wife'." Someone removed it immediately and several people sent very sweet notes to me. It isn't necessary, of course, that every Christian agree with one another. What is necessary is that we love one another. Kudos to my precious brothers and sister who have reached past their disagreement or discomfort to extend their love and fellowship to me. Happy Easter!

Been married for 39 years. My wife accepted Christ at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa ( 1972 ) and your music played an immense part in her conversion. I was very backslidden (is that even a word?) and the phrase "come to the waters" drew me back to Him and I've been in love with Him all these years. I am a worship leader in a small house church and have sung those early lyrics many times. Some one tried to correct me, after an evening of worship and told me i "should not sing that song" because of "what Marsha has done" -( insert a mocking, judging nasal tone and you get the idea) well I told this person, " I have known for a long time what Marsha did, I did the same thing, I gave my life to Christ and my salvation rests in HIM, not what others think about it. " I have prayed and prayed over the years that the Church, the Bride of Christ would see how much grace and mercy has been offered to her and that she would rest in truth that God loves bigger that we limited humans can ever, ever, imagine. May Christ continue to bless you and your family.

I just want to thank you for your years of amazing strength and ministry. You have been been a blessing and your music has sustained me in times of bleakness and helped me focus on the love so often overlooked in our world. My years pastoring were particularly blessed by the times our folks saw you at conferences and the times you visited us in Utah--how amazaing!! Through the years now since i'm not as healthy as I used to be---when I preach at UCC or the Methodist churches in our area, we ALWAYS sing For Those Tears, and it is a new experience for many of them. I am trying to make it a practice now that when I think of the women in my life that have blessed me I try and say THANK YOU.

much love Rev. Bruce Barton

Ok I love for those tears I died.... I am a huge Cynthia Clawson fan, and researching her boycott of sorts I came upon your story. I am sorry. I am a Lesbian and less than two years ago I lost my partner to Ovarian cancer. No church welcomed me, and the one I chose to attend when the one 12 step friend I had shared with her sisters, I was a lesbian, lets just say I finally understood how lepers must feel. More gossip under the guise of please pray for.... *scream*

I believe Jesus would be in the thick of us, if he walked the earth today for he understood the outcast and the tomented. Peace and Blessings, Just wanted to vent I hope you understand..... Signed Lonely in Arkansas

---------------------------- Posted by: Sherri

Oh, sigggghhh. I just had to delete a post from Jeremy. I hate to ever do those things but sometimes people's rage is just too much and I can't bring myself to fan the flames. Jeremy actually posted 4650 words venting his feelings that Anita Bryant was right about all of us. Sometimes I just have to stop and wonder where these people get their TIME??!! I mean, there's a whole bunch of things that I probably disagree with in other people's lives. But I cannot imagine skulking the internet trying to find them so that I can tell them that. I really think Mark Lowry is on to something. He says that it just wears hiim out to think of coming up with all the energy it would take to hate everyone else's sins (as in "Love the sinner, hate the sin" idea). His thought is this, "How 'bout if I love the sinner...and hate my OWN sin? Wouldn't that be a better use of my energy?" Let's all try that...oh, and pray for Jeremy. Love, Marsha

Wow, thanks Angela. I would actually love to do some videos of my music, but I really don't have any idea how to do it! I'll ask some of the upBeat! artists and see if they know how to do that. I appreciate your kind words.

Do you think you could possibly do a YouTube video of your version of "All Things Are Possible"? It's one of my favourite songs and it enables me to believe that all things are really possible... the reconciliation of beliefs that don't seem possible to reconcile, the eventual unity of the church, the notion that we might live together without killing one another, the thought that we might unite to prevent hunger and environmental destruction... When you sing it, it is believable that Christ has really conquered hell. I like the hope that is made so manifest when you sing the song, and it would be encouraging to hear it sung, maybe with your church choir in the background doing the backup!