After another foot-tapping bluegrass song from The Berge Family, Ken and Becky continue to unpackage the wonderful journey the Lord took them through in their family's popular bluegrass music ministry. But the list gets serious fast as Craig and LaDonna asks them about a very serious crossroads that many families face when the children who are part of the music team grow and blossom into young adults and as one popular song says, Love is in the air....! How does a family deal with what inevitably happens when marriages take place and the old way of doing things meets this major decision making time. Do we continue singing, which we enjoy so much and God seems to be blessing it so well, or do we have to change, or even close down this wonderful chapter in our lives because the lead singer and instrumentalist now has a family of their own? Ken and Becky shared how they transitioned into a new chapter of powerful ministry and influence by launching a family music festival that in the 18th year of it, in 2024, drew close to 3,500 attendees and has launched a number of family music ministry teams who carry on the legacy of The Berge Family! We're taking about the annual Lake Itasca Family Music Festival which is in walking distance to the headwaters of the mighty Mississippi River. The dates for 2025 are Friday, August 1 through Sunday, August 3. You can learn more about it and see this year's lineup of head line groups at familybluegrass.com. What an inspiration this family is in their ongoing ministry through the festival. Maybe a northern Minnesota vacation might be in your plans once you hear today's exciting episode, bookmarked by a song from both the Berge and Smith Family ministry teams. Be blessed and see you next week for our final visit with The Berge Family.

After a foot-tapping bluegrass song by The Berge Family, the Smiths and Berges continue to share about the early development of their family's music ministries, and how those ministries became a very important part of what they did for the Lord. The session then turns towards one of the most difficult challenges any family ministry group faces, that of what happens when the children grow up and enter into that transitional season when love is in the air, relationships begin that end up in marriages that can and often do bring immense change on any family group. The question is, what then? How should a family face times like that when change could change a ministry that God is powerfully using? Ken Berge addresses this challenge by encouraging listeners to allow for the natural transition to a new generation of families, even if it means significant change or even the ending of a great run of family music ministry. The session ends with a meaningful song from the Smiths that feature Craig's father, Ray Smith, in the classic old gospel song, I Should Have Been Crucified, in a re-recording of the Smith Family Trio's version of the song they originally recorded in 1974. Be blessed, dear friend, as our two family's share in the music that shaped decades of our family's life.

Today the Smiths continue their interview with Ken and Becky Berge on the topic of family based ministry. For the Smiths and Berges, it's all about music. The episode begins with a song Craig and LaDonna recorded in both English and Navajo called, I Must Tell Jesus, and it ends with a beautiful A capella rendition of Beulah Land by the Berge Family. In-between, the Smiths and Berges continue their discussion about Ken and Becky and the Berge family's interesting backstory, which includes some fascinating stories that involve WWII, love, and marriage. Two couples from two different families and backgrounds, and a loving God who called them into serving the Lord as a family ministry team are what these episodes are all about. There truly is power in family based ministry, and as this story continues to unfold in the next few weeks, you'll see that clearly. Craig and LaDonna also pray you will be blessed by the addition of the songs of both the Smiths and Berges in each of the sessions in this series. The Smiths and Berges embody the biblical admonition to, Make a joyful noise unto the Lord all the earth. Come before is presence with singing...