 Brief
Biography of Jack Richard Hodge-Award Winning Gospel Singer,
Songwriter Columnist and Poet January 20,2002
This story is to show others what God will do if you are
Obedient. Remember this word "Obedient" I've
wanted to sing as long as I can remember. My mother would
sing country and gospel songs around the house, as far back
as I can remember. I was always a music lover, I was told,
before I could walk or talk, Mom would turn on music on the
radio, they would hold me up and my little legs would go
with the music. As I got older I sang along with the country
singers on the radio, With singers like Hank Williams Sr,
The Chuckwagon Gang and singers on the Mid Day Merry Go
Round on WNOX out of Knoxville, Tennessee. In the summer we
would gather with neighbors and friends on the front porch.
Mom would play the Guitar and we would sing. It would be a
mixture of Gospel and country music. As I entered into my
teen years, Rock and Roll was the big thing , By this time
we had moved up north to Illinois, as mom was ill, and we
went to live with my older brother Bob and his wife Loretta.
Dad died when I was 9 years old, and mom was having a hard
time. But that's another story. As a teenager, I wanted to
be a Rock singer. At 16, I was given the opportunity to
record a Love song, I took the time to learn the song. It
was a beautiful song, but thought it would cramp my style,
so I turned it down. Keep in mind, God had a plan for me. I
was being molded along the way for bigger and better work
for Him.
At 17 I got saved, I
worked for the Lord for about a year. A word to those
leading and rearing young Christians, choose carefully what
you say to them. I will not go into detail at this time but
a Minister I believed in caused me to leave the Church with
a statement he made. (Another story later) A few years
passed and I began to sing from time to time in night clubs
and bars. But never went anywhere with my music. As
years came and went I spent time talking with God. Most of
the time when something went wrong and I needed His help,
and that was quite often. Years passed, And I lost
business after business, my home and finally my family. I
had not turned my back on God, but I wasn't being obedient
to God. There is that word again "Obedient"
remember this powerful word. I wondered around from
here to there for a while then decided to return to
Tennessee, after loosing everything I owned and Loved, I had
been striped like Job.
In 1992 I married a woman
that had sang Gospel music for 35 years. In 1993 going
through the mountains on I-40 east on our way to visit my
brother in-law in North Carolina. I popped in a Gospel tape
of the McKamey's. Under His Feet was playing and the tears
began to stream down my face. The Spirit was so strong in
the car that day. You needed to have been there and
experience what I felt that day to know what I mean. I gave
my life back to God.
When we returned from
North Carolina, my wife Dela and I began to sing in Churches
around our area. I bought a Guitar and Dela taught me a few
cords, and I would sing with the Guitar. Sometimes I would
play, but most of the time Dela would play when we
sang. Well, Satan got upset, he had lost me again and
he thought he could get me back. "Wrong"! I'm
getting ahead of my story.
In 1994 I had a heart
attack. With a bad heart, asthma and emphysema I am now on
disability. My wife Dela became very sick With
Cirrhosis of the Liver. She got worse and worse. The last 2
years was the worst, as at times she didn't know how to feed
herself, Sometimes she would ask me how to go to sleep and
etc. If you have never dealt with someone with this type of
disease it is hard for me to explain. Dela finally
went into a coma and passed away, I went through a very bad
time, depression and such. I didn't know what I was going to
do. But, I felt it was time I took control and get back into
life.
I asked a Lady friend,
Linda, to have dinner and conversation with me. This was
part of Gods plan for me and her, as we fell in Love that
night as no other two people have ever fell in Love. And we
got married within 6 months April of 1999. But I'm a little
ahead of my story. God had been telling me for about 4 years
to stop smoking cigarettes. He had a job for me and that job
was to sing for him, and in order to do a good job it
required me to stop smoking as I had smoked since I was 13
years old,. I have Asthma and Emphysema. I had said several
times "Lord take away the craving for cigarettes."
You know this is not what God was looking for. Quitting
smoking was very difficult for me. In January of 2000 A
friend of mine Dillard Craig said he had quit smoking. I
asked him how he did it. He said he had the flu and every time
he would try to smoke it would make him sick. As I was
driving home from his house that night. I began to talk to
God, I said God, have these Cigarettes make me sick so I
don't want them. My dear friends, be very careful what and
how you ask God to do something. Within a week I was in the
Hospital dying with my Asthma and Emphysema, But the night
before I went into the Hospital I told God I would not smoke
anymore. I was Obedient and have stayed Obedient. That is
what God wants from us. When I showed the Lord I could
be Obedient let me tell you all that has happened to me in a
short 2 years:
I have won 16 National
awards with the Tenn. Country Music Association, Gospel
Division. I have won 9 International awards with the North
American country Music Association, Gospel Division. I came
in third in Ed McMahon's, Christmas Star Search. I have
toured four states, been on several TV and Radio Programs. I
have my own radio program Syndicated World wide out of
Sevierville, Tn., I have been given two Editors Choice Award
with the International Library of Poetry. My poetry was
chosen for publishing in the "Incandescent Jungle"
by the International Library of Poetry. They chose my poem
"A Star Was Born" to be put on a compilation album
called "Sound Of Poetry". They have published 15
of my poems on CD called "Visions". I have been
invited to go to Disney World in Florida to read my poetry
and to receive the Poetry of Merit Award and I have been
nominated for International Poet Of The Year. Published with
Noble House of London, Paris & New York and American
Poets. I have 7 CD's and have written 4 of the songs on
these CD's. I have written over 200 poems and I have other
songs which do not have music to them yet. As you can see,
God has been good to me. This what God will do for you, too,
if you are simply obedient to his wishes. Put him first in
your life and he will use you for his work. Just let him.
Stay In Gods Care,
Jack Hodge
PO Box 5623
Sevierville, Tennessee 37864
Phone (865)453-3864
e-Mail glorylandhighway@msn.com
groups.msn.com/JackHodgeGospel/Singing/Ministries |
