Bill and Gloria Gaither have led a faithful career helping bring focus to Jesus and keeping the heart of southern gospel music alive. They have recieved countless achievements and traveled the world, but now recently they have been focusing on the release of a new 'Homecoming' Bible. 

We woud like to thank Gloria for taking the time to speak with us and share about their new ventures. 

BreatheCast: Tell us about the Thomas Nelson Homecoming Bible and what inspired you guys to create this version?

GG: "Actually, Thomas Nelson came to us asking us to consider this, and at first we were quite reluctant because we felt there were a confusing number of editions out there.

However, they knew (as did we) that many people watch the Homecoming DVDs and TV who maybe do not read the Bible or go to organized church.  They love music and feel that it is through music that God speaks to them.  We decided to do the project if the Homecoming artists would join us in telling in practical was how the Word of God specifically speaks into their daily lives. There was wonderful co-operation from the artists writing real stories about how the Word feeds their spiritual lives in their personal experience.  These entries are located near the scripture that the artists cited in the particular piece. Also, we knew that if we did this, we wanted it to be as beautiful as the Word of God is, and to be filled with music.  In fact, when references to music throughout the scripture were pulled out and lighted in refreshing green, we were amazed how much the thread of music runs through the whole of the Bible."

BreatheCast: What is the most unique feature for the Homecoming Bible that would make people go pick it up?

GG: "As I mentioned, the practical devotional pieces by the Homecoming artists are a great feature.  Bill added several of his own to these, and I have included several insights that are displayed as sidebars with a sunrise at the bottom of each.  There are the texts to more that sixty time-tested hymns and gospel songs with the stories of how they came to be written and in that number about twenty Gaither songs and the stories behind those.  All of these appear at the place in the scripture that inspired them, so these will be a great help to Worship Leaders and Ministers of Music in planning worship that includes especially the classic hymns and gospel songs.

There are also quotes from great Christian thinkers from Luther, Wesley and Calvin to the present that reveal the importance of music in their person journeys with the Lord.  And there are a few pieces on horizontal and vertical worship and why we need both (one at the very front of the Bible), and on what praise is and isn't.  If we are to take seriously the wisdom that we "overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony", it then follows that we need worship that both extols the qualities of God and of our Lord that we know to be dependable and testifies to each other as believers (and to non-believers) how we know these qualities to be a power in our own personal experience.  Thus we need the vertical hymns and songs of praise and the horizontal witness to each other of "how, then, shall we live."

I think it will be a valuable resource for Worship Leaders and Ministers of Music-not only in preparation for leading worship, but for their own personal devotional life.  I also see it as an important gift idea (in the beautiful burgundy or chocolate leather) for what I call the middle generation, those of us who want to say "thank you" to parents who instilled in us a love for God's Word and taught us the great literature of music that chronicles our family and corporate history with God.  This is also the generation whose children are reaching adulthood, and we are concerned that they may not have in their hearts the scripture and deep songs to throw them a lifeline when they are going under for the third time.  Most of us have been rescued time and time again by the powerful line of a song.  Great lyrics married to great music is one of the most powerful forces we have to encourage, teach, and lift us when life is hardest and to help us celebrate at the times when we are just so grateful we can barely stand it!

I hope that many will put a note in this encouraging and beautiful Bible to parents who have taught us and to young families who are moving into the generation of leadership to remind them that the Word of God is a living thing that speaks new every morning.  You could give not greater gift."

BreatheCast: Tell us about GaitherTV and what people can expect on the network?

GG: "GaitherTV is a way for anyone with an internet connection to enjoy their favorite Gaither Homecoming programs at their own convenience through internet TV, a computer, a tablet or even a smart phone.  We have a large inventory of the newest Homecoming programs, plus older favorites, and some footage and special interviews that are not available anywhere else."
 

BreatheCast: Is GaitherTV live yet? If so, where can they find it and if not, when will it be available?

GG: "Gaither TV is live now.  It launched in the spring of 2013 and there are several ways to access it.  Anyone with a Roku box can find GaitherTV on Roku's channel menu. To view programs on a computer, tablet or smart phone, go to www.gaither.tv  and sign up there (or log in there if you are already signed up and just want to watch from your tablet instead of your TV)."
 

BreatheCast: What keeps yourself and Bill motivated to keep pursuing new business ventures after all these years? 

GG: "What keeps you and Bill doing what you do after all these years and even starting new ventures?

Passion.  The world is dying for lack of passion.  It is not that we have some grand plan or ambitious scheme. In fact, over the years we have been asked what we see ourselves doing a decade from now. (We've been asked this for five decades now.)  The truth is we're not sure Christians can have long-range plans except to show up at the throne of God when our journey here is done.  In  our experience, God's will for our lives is to show up for work, do the next thing, and don't put boundaries on God.  We do what is on our plate for this week with all the passion we have, and, strangely, that always seems to produce "the next thing."  I'm not sure I even believe in job descriptions; there are no "status jobs" in the Kingdom. If there is something that needs to be done, and we can do it, there is honor in doing it.  That doesn't mean that we let other people decide what is "God's will for our lives" and guilt us into doing their project.  But it is not less spiritual to take our grandkids for a golfcart ride around the creek, than to sing on a given night for 10,000 people. I do believe in preparation and ongoing education.  By that I mean, "Keep learning."  There is nothing we can learn that will be wasted.  Sometime, somewhere, that learning will be exactly what is needed for the next phase of our life's work.

I attach here a prayer I found quite by accident while I was answering these questions.  I guess I wrote it about ten years ago.  It makes me smile.

Dear God,

It seems as if my plans for myself have always been written in Jello.  Maybe it's because my best gift has turned out to be adapting.  I never could narrow down what I wanted to do or what I should prepare for because I was interested in it all.

               I still feel that way, but now I am coming to believe that this smattering of jobs you've given me is my calling.  In fact, I've come to recognize after sixty years of living - how dense can I be? - that maybe even the things other people perceive are my callings, the things you've given me to do, weren't my calling either - or at least, not all of it. 

               I am finally coming to believe that you simply call me to show up for work.  (I've always been everybody's work horse, and sometimes resented that.) But you give me a job to go to so that you can interrupt my days.  It's been the interruptions - as I look back - that really counted for eternity.

               I'm so sorry that I have missed some of these.  I repent that I've sometimes turned people away you sent into my life - put them off, cut short my times with them, scheduled them for a more convenient time - when you intended them to be my life. 

               I used to pine over books that didn't sell as much as I hoped they would, degrees I couldn't finish, and opportunities I couldn't take advantage of.  I still do sometimes.

               Today help me to see what you really give me to do: help the person in the ditch; take the child on my knee who's interrupting my conversation and talk to him or her; fix soup to lift Suzanne's work load; talk to the guy in the store who's keeping me from finishing the display and the ordering...whatever you put in my path - let me assume it's my calling and do it with verve and joy."

BreatheCast: How has social media changed the way the Gaither brand has promoted and done outreach in the last several years?

GG: "The growth of social media has drastically decreased the time it takes to communicate, interact, and inform our audience, of course.  But we are also finding that social media is feeding a huge international pipeline of people with music and information to which they previously did not have as much access.   Our ministry has always been people-oriented, so social media is an incredible gift to people like us, who love to hear from people and keep in touch with them in a more expedient manner than we have ever been able to accomplish."

BreatheCast: Will you guys be touring this Christmas season 2013?

GG: Are Christmas concerts are:
               12/5       Atlanta, GA         
               12/6       Columbia, SC
               12/7       Lakeland, FL
               12/12    Lipscomb University
               12/13    Evansville, IN
               12/14    South Haven, MS
More information available on www.gaither.com