Author: Gary Furr

I am a musician, writer and Christian minister living in Alabama. I am founder and President of the Alabama Coalition for Healthy Mothers and Children.
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A Gary Home Companion

Gary Furr

I have been AWOE (Absent without explanation) these past few months. No need to explain much these days, of course, given a pandemic, a failed coup, and a world in disconnect, but in addition, I am in the process of retiring from my fulltime job as a pastor for the Vestavia Hills Baptist Church. I expect I will do a lot more retrospect in the days ahead, but I am wrapping up this week. This evening, given my love for all things Garrison Keillor and my penchant for funny stories, my celebration committee is having an event they have titled … Continue reading A Gary Home Companion

Advent, Christianity, Christmas, Dr. Gary Furr & Friends, Faith, fear, folk music, Gary Furr music, God, Gospel music, Hope, Hymns, hymns, Jesus, Music, Narrative, spirituality, Story, Theology1 Comment

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

Gary Furr

I confess, I have now been part of a ukelele flash mob, back when mobbing was not a public health crisis. But enough of that. Every year, the curmudgeons, musicians all, who inhabit the couch and chairs at Fretted Instruments of Homewood, contribute tracks for a Christmas CD that is given away. This is one I did a few years ago–ukelele, mandolin, dobro and guitar played by yours truly. Oh, and banjo, just for good measure. Merry Christmas! “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” was penned by Edmund Sears. Sears was a divinity graduate of Harvard and became a Unitarian … Continue reading It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

Advent, Aging, Art, Banjo, Christianity, Christmas, Dr. Gary Furr & Friends, Family, Gary Furr music, Gospel music, Movie Soundtracks, Music, Parenting, Songwriting, Story, Thanksgiving, Theology and Life1 Comment

Holiday Songs

Gary Furr

Mark and I are finished with our album. I’ll post the release this week upcoming. One of the songs on it is a recent composition entitled, “Hope to Be Together.” It’s about Thanksgiving, but the mood and message reflected this unusual moment we are sharing–pandemic, separation, isolation and disconnection. I will be releasing holiday and Christmas music over the coming days and weeks. After a bruising election, pandemic, global grief and sadness and economic hardships, it is not a bad idea to sing (even if we can’t do it together)! This first one was part of a soundtrack I produced … Continue reading Holiday Songs

Americana, Children, Country Music, Death, Family, Folk, folk music, Gary Furr music, Grief, hope, Memory, Music, Songwriting, spirituality, Story, Theology, Theology and Life, Tragedy3 Comments

From Here to Okay

Gary Furr

This song speaks for itself. It came to me during the summer. The hook was a quote from a news story at a disaster scene, but my mind was on people I loved and knew who lost children. Their stories are the most courageous I have ever met. That they still have any faith at all after such losses is perhaps the closest to real miracles we ever see. It’s such a long, hard road. In my vocation I traipse alongside unimaginable losses, but children are the hardest from my perspective. It is the loss of love so intense, the … Continue reading From Here to Okay

America, Americana, apocalyptic, Bob Dylan, Covid-19, Folk, folk music, Hope, humanity, pandemic, Sickness and Health, Spirituality, Suffering, Theology and Life

Living Through Exile

Gary Furr

I wrote this to our church back at the beginning of April. I hoped, like all of us, that we’d be “back to normal” by now. But we aren’t. So in looking back at this, it’s more relevant than I thought. We’re in it for a while. Hold on. The exile in ancient Israel was a traumatic disruption.  The city of Jerusalem and all the towns of any size were sacked and burned, people scattered and all the Judaeans with any talent, leadership or education were marched across the desert to Babylon Iraq where they lived in an ethnic ghetto, … Continue reading Living Through Exile