The Blythe Family Seeks to Minister to the Hurting with "Restoration"

The Blythe Family is a Southern Gospel group that has ministered to God's people since 1991. Most of their songs are original material that reflects the trials and victories of a Christian. Sandy Blythe has been blessed to write songs for other Southern Gospel groups such as the McKameys, the Whisnants, the Inspirations, Mike Bowling and others. Some of the songs you may have heard on Southern Gospel radio include: "Thank God For Grace," "From The Shepherd's Point Of View," "I'll Trust The Potter's Hands." The family have just released their brand new album Restoration.

Q:  Thank you for your time.  For the sake of our readers who may not be familiar, tell us a little about who the Blythe Family is. How did you start singing for Jesus?

A: The Blythe Family consists of my parents, younger brother, a family friend and myself. We travel in two RVs which we actually live in year round. We started evangelizing full time 25 years ago. We were invited to be a part of a campmeeting in AL and several area churches extended their invitations to us. Under God's divine plan, those few dates literally snowballed and led us to to where we are today.

Q:  You have just released your latest album "Restoration."  What are your hopes for this album?  How do you wish that this album would advance the kingdom of God? 

A: We pray that God will use this album to minister healing to those who are hurting. There is restoration for the Christian who is weary and needs new strength to go on. And there is also restoration for the sinner who's life has fallen apart and needs a Savior to mend all the broken pieces.

Q:  What were some of the highlights for you in the making of this record? 

A: We had several mini campmeetings in the middle of our recording sessions. We love it when the presence of God fills the music room and we have to push pause because tears are flowing. Those moments are truly priceless to us! 

Q:  I believe you and your family write most of your songs.  Did the songs come about easily for you?

A: I've writen most of our songs for the last 15 years. And I'm thrilled to be doing some co-writing writing with my brother now. He wrote 2 of the songs on this album: Lean on Jesus, and Last Goodbye.  I think it would be a 50/50 ratio with songs that come easy and not so easy. We both deliberate thru much prayer, even if one line doesn't covey the message as we feel it should. And we have a quote between us that each song should pass the "paper test". In other words, if the song doesn't minister by reading the lyrics, it still needs some work before releasing to the public with music.

Q:  I am particularly fond of "You Can Trust Me Lord."  Often songs tell us how trustworthy God is, but not so much how trustworthy we need to be.  What inspired you to write this song?

A: I heard a sermon a year ago titled, Can God Trust You? The sermon was based on the story of Job and it occurred to me how Job never heard the conversation between God and Satan. But when when his world came crashing in and he stood in utter confusion, he faithfully stood the test just like God said he would. I pray this song will strengthen every listener to prove Satan wrong when they are faced with a difficult trial that he has instigated for their spiritual ruin. Thru it all, we can lift our eyes to Heaven and say, You Can Trust Me Lord!

Q:  Let's talk about the title cut "Restoration."  It's such a gorgeous song that it could easily be a signature song.  What's the story behind the song?

A: I was talking with a pastor's wife about some mutual friends of ours who's marriage had suffered a terrible blow. She mentioned how she was praying for "restoration." That comment grabbed me and I knew there was a song there. Since that time, God has truly brought restoration in the marriage we were praying about. And I'm thankful to say our audiences are connecting with the message of the song. We're continuing to see more and more testimonies of restoration for the glory of God!

Q:  My own church has sung your song "Worship You Again" in worship.  I believe you are making all the sheet music of your music available on your website.  What are some of the most popular songs fans have been asking you to provide sheet music for? 

A: I Love You This Much, Worship You Again, Worry Ends Where Faith Begins and Not Afraid To Trust Him are among the songs most requested songs for sheet music. So happy to hear your church is enjoying Worship You Again. We've had many requests for sheet music thru the years and never pursued that avenue until this year. We'll be posting our most requested songs 2 or 3 at a time. Each Mp3 will be available in SATB format. 

Q:  Will you be touring in support of the new record?  If you are, what can fans expect from your shows?

A: Actually, ours isn't a concert setting.  We evangelize full time in churches all across North America. After 15 or 20 minutes of congregational singing and a few preliminaries, the pastor invites us to the platform. We sing several songs from our latest recordings and conclude with a sermon from one of the ministers in our group. We strive to help lead the congregation into the presence of God so that each person can get their need met and we all can leave a little closer to God when we exit the doors. 

 

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