Chris West Shares Two of His Favorite Christmas Memories

'I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."

Psalm 37:25 (NKJV)

Guest Post #3

"Two Favorite Christmas Memories" by Chris West

"First, when I was 11 or 12 maybe, Dad (who was a pest control man by trade) was between jobs and times were a little hard, even though we never went hungry in the least.  My mom had collected S&H green stamps during this time and had gifted to her (begrudgingly donated by my grandmother on my dad’s side) some green stamps as well.  Best Christmas I can remember!  I got a bathrobe, a 110 camera (most folks won’t remember that, lol) and something else that I can’t remember.  Mom and Dad worked very hard and would take us out somewhere and do little tricks to make us think that Santa was real, but at this point, we knew Santa wasn’t real anyway and truly appreciated Mom and Dad for what they provided for us and working so hard for us to have a good Christmas.  This was also, most likely, the catalyst that made me realize Christmas was so much more than material things.

The second story was when my first born son, Aaron, was maybe 2 1/2.  He could talk and carry on a conversation like an adult at the time and his love at the time was Jurassic Park.  I swear, my ex-wife and I bought him every single thing related to Jurassic Park.  We were filming it as he opened his presents and after about the tenth one he said “oh great, another (mild expletive) dinosaur!”  Worlds apart from the first story, but still showing how much a mom and dad wanted their kids to have a good Christmas."

Bio:  Chris plays guitar and sings lead and harmony vocals for Blue Moon Rising and has written his fair share of the band’s original material through the years. Chris was taught to play guitar by his uncle, Tony Thomas, and has played in several bands with Tony through the years. Along with Tony, Chris was influenced heavily at an early age by the music of The Knoxville Grass, Boone Creek, The Country Gentlemen, and the Stanley Brothers.  Chris enjoys writing new bluegrass, gospel, and country songs while trying his best to make them sound like they could have been written decades prior.

You can read our Homespun Devotions' Exclusive interview with Chris by clicking HERE!

Also, I hope you can take the time to enjoy listening to one of our favorite songs written by Chris!

Revival - Blue Moon Rising
Written by Christ West

Connect with Blue Moon Rising on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

A big thank you to Chris for sharing two of his favorite Christmas memories with us!

In case you missed them, you can read previous Christmas Memory Sharing Posts by clicking these links:
Christmas from the Dumpster
Matthew Timmons Shares his Heart this Christmas
Tipper Pressley Shares Christmas Memories & A GIVEAWAY!!

(Don't forget to stop by Tipper's post by clicking HERE to enter for her giveaway!
The drawing will be on December 10th.)

The Inner Views of Chris West

"While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being."

Psalm 146:2

(KJV)

You might remember that in this post I mentioned a song called "Revival" that Kevin had heard on the radio one day, then came home and found on youtube and asked me to listen to.

I instantly fell in love with it and have listened to it I don't know how many times since then.

As I listened, the Lord nudged me to contact the writer of such a song to ask for an interview.
It turns out that the man who co-wrote the song is also the one who sings it.

I know you are going to love reading the inner views of this multi-talented and humble man,

 and you will be abundantly blessed by getting to know him better.

The

of

Father of Two, Songwriter, Born-again Believer in Jesus Christ, 

Lead Singer and Co-Founder of Blue Moon Rising,

Chris West.

Cheryl:  Please tell us about yourself. 

Chris:  My name is Chris West. I'm 44, a single dad, and live in East Tennessee with my two sons. I am a founding member of Blue Moon Rising that has been going now for 15 years, but I still work a full time day job.

Cheryl:  We would love to hear about your Christian testimony. How long have you been a Christian? 

Chris:  I was saved a couple days after turning 18 and had been under conviction for some time. I have a personal relationship with God and my savior Jesus Christ that I am very satisfied and find great peace in.

Cheryl:  Who, would you say, has been your biggest spiritual influence? Is there a particular person who prayed for you and whose life's example caused you to want to emulate them and draw closer to God? 

Chris:  My biggest spiritual influence through the years has been my mom and one of my friends, pastor David Seiber.

Cheryl:  How long have you been singing, playing music, and writing songs? What instruments do you play, and what first drew you to the bluegrass genre? 

Chris:  I've been singing and playing for 30 years now and was taught to play by my uncle Tony Thomas. I play guitar and mandolin and was drawn to bluegrass through my uncle Tony.

Cheryl:  Who are your musical heroes? Which singers, songwriters, and musicians persuaded you to take the musical path you have chosen? 

Chris:  Musical heroes would be Flatt and Scruggs, Bill Monroe, The Stanley Brothers, Tony Rice, Ricky Skaggs, JD Crowe, Larry Sparks, and The Country Gentlemen. Right now I'm loving the writing of Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton, and Darrell Scott. Bill Monroe has always been one of my favorite writers as has been Hank Williams Sr.

Cheryl:  Can you share the history of "Blue Moon Rising"? When did you first found the group? What inspired the name of the band? How can we buy your music and products and find out where you will be performing, etc.? 

Chris:  You can find out our schedule and buy merchandise from www.bluemoonrisingband.com. We founded the band in the winter of 2000 and have recorded 6 projects and are putting the finishing touches on our 7th. The name was inspired by an article in a local paper about Bill Monroe.

Cheryl:  Are there any plans in the works to do a recording with all gospel songs? 

Chris:  Eventually. We have always talked about it and would love to do one.

Cheryl:  Tell us about your songwriting. How many songs have you written? Which songs mean the most to you? Why? How do you usually find inspiration to write? Is there a particular place or setting in which you prefer to write, or is your writing usually spontaneous? 

Chris:  I don't really have a favorite place to write and really have no process. The songs just come to me as I'm inspired lyrically or melodically, which is why I'd probably starve to death if I depended on it for a living, LOL! I e probably written a couple hundred songs, but not all of those are keepers! The story songs, songs that really say something, mean the most to me and if I can invoke a feeling in someone, then the song has done its job.

Cheryl:  The way we were introduced to your band was through your song, "Revival". It is SO relevant to the burden God has placed upon my heart concerning the current condition of our nation and the direction in which we are headed. My family and I have come to really love this song, and we would love to hear the story behind it. What inspired you to write it, and what were the events surrounding its composition? 

Chris:  The song was inspired after hearing a preacher on Easter Sunday morning preach Ezekiel 37 and I wrote it with Steve Gulley.

Cheryl:  The culture in which we now live can be very oppressive and discouraging to those who want to follow Jesus with all their hearts. What words of encouragement can you offer to us? What are some of your favorite, go-to Scriptures that have sustained you in your walk with Christ? 

Chris:  I'm a simple man and have more than my fair share of faults, trust me in that. However, I have learned to lean on the the words Christ spoke when He said "Not my will, but thy will be done."

Cheryl:  How would like to be remembered? 

Chris:  I would like to be remembered as a fun and caring person who always tried his very best to help others and was the best dad he could possibly be.

Cheryl:  How can we pray for you? Are there specific needs you would like us to lift to the Father on your behalf? 

Chris:  Absolutely! My dad, Paul West, needs prayer because he has an as yet undetermined mass in his lungs. My girlfriend's brother, Mark Self, a Tennessee State Trooper, is 41 and has stage IV lung cancer and has never smoked.  And I could use prayer to be the best dad I can possibly be.

A BIG thank you to you, Chris, for taking the time to visit with us and share your testimony.

It has been an absolute honor to get to know you better and learn more about your music.

I so appreciate your humility and kindness, and I know your story will bless many.

Bluegrass music is enriched and made even better by the fact that you and your band are a part of it.

Thank you, dear readers, for reading and for your faithful support.

Will you please kindly add Paul West and Mark Self to your personal and church prayer lists?

Please pray for Paul to receive good news and for God to send healing to both Paul and Mark.

I hope you can take the time to listen to Chris and Blue Moon Rising singing another song
he wrote called, "The Old Time Preacher Man".

If video doesn't load, click here.

And, of course, one of our favorites, "Revival"...

If video doesn't load, click here.

To read previous

 click the links below.

The Inner Views of Joshua Becker

 The Inner Views of Lisa Newton

The Inner Views of Dr. Alveda King

The Inner Views of Jen Avellaneda

The Inner Views of Tonya Shellnutt

The Inner Views of Karen Del Tatto

The Inner Views of Evelyn Rennich

The Inner Views of Bob Sellers

The Inner Views of Kelly Bowling

The Inner Views of The Benham Brothers
The Inner Views of Beth Willis Miller
The Inner Views of Rodney Griffin
The Inner Views of Joni Eareckson Tada
The Inner Views of Gayle Cox

The Inner Views of Wayne Mobley