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Humble Beginnings
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Although this old cabin, once located in the Frank Church Wilderness, was never part of
Blue Dove’s past, looking at it reminds us that from the very beginning, before we were formed in our mothers’ wombs; we existed as part of God’s
eternal plan. Our lives and all the events therein were established and orchestrated by our Heavenly Father for His glory.
With Christ as our example we see that humble beginnings are of no consequence. It is not by power nor by might but by His
spirit. It is by submitting to God’s will in all things, by knowing that we live every moment in His mercy and by walking
daily in His all sufficient grace that we have the hope of Glory that is in Christ Jesus and the strength to accomplish all
good works that God has prepared in advance for us to do.
On the road with Blue Dove
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Like Paul, all of us started
down the self-righteous road to Damascus. God intervened in different ways in each of our lives but the results were the same.
We are all now servants of our risen savior, Christ Jesus. Though we were blind and dead in our sin, God has restored our sight through the Holy Spirit, redeemed
us through the blood of Christ, adopted us as His sons, given us an inheritance, sealed us until the day of our redemption
and in His infinite grace and mercy, even now conforms us to the image of His son Jesus. As we reflect on this, we are overwhelmed
by an awareness of our unworthiness and at the same time, by the sense that God’s love for us is immeasurably more than
all we could ask or imagine. For these reasons, we choose to proclaim the Gospel using the gifts God has given, trusting in
His purpose and timing. The Concert Hall “Big
City Revisited” …………. For Blue Dove, big cities and concert halls have never been our vision. Our home is Idaho but in the twenty-five
years we have been together our music and Gospel messages have been given in towns as far away as Butte, Montana and Juntura, Oregon. In Idaho, we have ministered in towns like Riggins, McCall, Marsing,
Cascade, Midvale, Melba, Parma, Homedale, Wilder, Murphy and Garden Valley. Our “Concert Halls” include places
like the Owyhee County Museum, Quaker Hill, Camp Pinewood, and Victory Cove. In addition we have provided Worship music and/or
complete Church Services at Wilder Methodist, Riggens Community, Eagle Heights Baptist, Trinity Fellowship, Meridian Friends,
Homedale Friends Community Church and Vision Community Church. Though the four of us come from widely diverse secular and
religious backgrounds and lifestyles, our personal relationships with Christ have bonded us in a unique way that allows us
to be real and transparent in presenting the Gospel and sensitive to where others have journeyed from. We continue "Doing Time" ………… One
unwavering focus of Blue Dove has been reaching out to men who have ended up on the wrong side of the law. We have faithfully
ministered at the Idaho State Correctional Institute Chapel every month for over twenty-two years and have seen the Lord change the lives of men who were part of “The Problem” into new Christians who are now part of
“The Answer”. We have seen, first hand, how the Lord uses the weak to shame the strong, the foolish to shame the
wise and the lowly and despised things to nullify the things that are, so that none may boast. Submitting to His perfect will
and serving Him as He leads are not precluded by past events nor by present surroundings, but merely the manifestations of
His Grace and Mercy at work in our lives. Those who have received Christ have been bought with a price and have become new
creatures. To
these ends, Blue Dove provides a variety of unique, refreshing and always original Gospel presentations and personal testimonies
using Southern Gospel, Swing Jazz, Bluegrass, Contemporary and Traditional Christian music styles in three part harmony with
acoustic guitars, mandolin, banjo, clarinet, harmonica, violin and electric bass.
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