Randy Byrd Featured in Front Porch Interview

Today our bass singer, Randy Byrd, is featured in Front Porch Interview on Southern Gospel Muse.  If you would like to know more about Randy and his history in Gospel Music, check out this interview!     

Read Front Porch Interview with Randy Byrd HERE! 

The Value of the Empty Tomb

There is great value in emptiness. 

When we empty ourselves of things such as worry, anxiety, concern, frustrations and bitterness, all those things that come from our carnal flesh; there is more room for God inside of us.  To be emptied of the things of this world and filled with the presence of God is a very important aspect of the Christian life.  Yet, the tomb gives us another spiritual insight to what emptiness is.  We can define it this way: to return to the original state.  The ultimate original state for all mankind was the Garden of Eden.  There, God walked and talked with Adam and Eve regularly, there was no death and there was no doubt to this one thing: God loved His creation.  He loved the man and woman that He had made. 

After man sinned, death and sin came into the world and changed some things.  Man was made to be in God’s presence all the time, but sin separates us from a Holy God.  In the temple in Jerusalem, there was a veil that separated the Holy of Holies, which was the dwelling place of God at that time, from the people – and God didn’t want it to stay that way.  When Jesus left the tomb empty, He restored man to their original state – that is, unhindered access to His presence.  When Jesus died on the cross the veil in the temple was torn in two pieces and now we can approach the throne of grace, nevermore to be separated from Him.  Death was another thing that wasn’t a part of God’s original plan.  When Jesus rose again, death was also returned to its original state – meaning, its power was empty, just like the grave He walked out of.  This carnal flesh may die, but the spirit dwelling inside keeps living.  Now, there is nothing that can separate us from the Father’s love - that was the state man was created to live in.  The empty tomb to the child of God means that sin’s ability to keep us from God is empty, death’s power to separate us from God is empty and anything in this world that could try and keep us from knowing the love of Christ in our lives is empty!  And it’s all because the tomb of Jesus is empty.  There is nothing that’s more valuable than the emptiness of that place. 

In John 17, Jesus prayed His High Priestly prayer and when He finished, this is what He said…

“Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.”  - John 17:24 and 26                           

Today we celebrate the resurrection of our perfect Savior.  We rejoice that His love for us was so deep that He bore the sin of the world and redeemed us from eternal death that we could dwell with Him forever.  We pray that the reality of His empty tomb is as much of a blessing to you as it is to us. 

Happy Easter!
Mark, Nick, Randy, Blake 

Rewind with Randy Byrd to 2010

When we recorded our current CD, Rewind, we picked 10 of our favorite songs from the trio days to re-record.  Now, we want to share some personal insights into these songs - what they mean to us and why they're our favorites.  Today, let's "Rewind" with Randy to 2010...  

“I can tell you exactly what I was doing the first time I heard “Loving the Lamb” and “If Only Just a Few.”  I was singing with the Blackwood Brothers; we had bought a new bus and our road cases would not fit in the new bus because the bays were shorter.  As I was in my garage building new road cases, my little boombox played the “Always Have a Song” album from the Mark Trammell Trio.  I put it on repeat and played those songs over and over while building road cases.  In my opinion, that’s the best singing Mark has ever done.  God just touched him in an extra special way on both of those songs.  Not only the way he sang them, but the messages were so good, so well crafted; they just touched me deeply when I heard them.”  – Randy Byrd  

Do you remember the first time you heard "Loving the Lamb" or "If Only Just a Few?"  Share it with us by leaving a comment!  We would love to hear what these songs have meant to you...

To purchase your copy of Rewind, visit -> www.marktrammellquartet.com  

Singing at Sea 2016

February 15-20^th LaResa and I went on our 54th cruise in 37 years of marriage!  We always look forward to the time when we can embark on a vessel and see a different piece of God’s creation with His people.  The 2016 Singing at Sea Cruise departed from Tampa, Florida where we boarded the Carnival Paradise and left for a five day cruise to Grand Cayman, British West Indies and Cozumel, Mexico.  The weather was perfect in both ports! 

Cozumel is Mexico’s largest island and though there are many shore excursions in port, this year, Carnival added several new ones to the mainland.  One was the “Mystic Ruins of Coba.”  A group of approximately 15 folks from the Paradise took this excursion and gave excellent reports! 

Though Chichen Itza has been named one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Nohoch Mul pyramid located in Coba is the highest pyramid in the Yucatan Peninsula standing 138 feet.  It is also the only structure in the Yucatan that visitors are allowed to climb on.  Almost all the Paradise’s tourists climbed to the top to enjoy this amazing view…

When Coba thrived (700-800 A.D.) the common people were not permitted to see this view.  To climb and be privileged to stand at the top of Nohoch Mul one had to be a ruler/king.  Up there, the ruler could look down on his kingdom and see what the jungle obscured from the ground below.              

Our week at sea concluded with a program led by Jerry Goff with all the artists on stage participating.  Randy and the other bass singers were showcased in the old tune, “Just a Little Talk With Jesus” and I was honored to join in on a verse of Because He Lives.  As the last few notes rang out, Jerry Goff and John Pfeifer joined in with their trumpets for the grand finale!   

If you’d like to see more photos from our 2016 Singing at Sea Cruise – view our photo album on Facebook HERE!

These trips are a wonderful way to travel the world and enjoy the music you love all in one package.  I want to thank everyone who chose MTQ as their host on this year’s cruise; we would be thrilled if you would consider joining us in 2017.  Next year, the Singing at Sea is moving to a different ship, cruise line and ports of call.  On Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas, we’ll sail to their private island of Coco Cay and one of my personal favorites, Nassau.  We hope to see you there!

You can find detailed information on our cruise page HERE.