Everything Made Beautiful (01:00) Well, welcome back to the Everything Made Beautiful podcast. Today I am giddy because I have the incredible honor of welcoming a true legend in Christian music, Babbie Mason. If you have ever heard one of her soul stirring songs, you know that Babbie's voice doesn't just fill a room, it fills hearts with the love of Jesus. Babbie is a two time dev award winning Christian singer songwriter, a USA Today bestselling author, conference speaker, and TV talk show host who remains a favorite to millions the world over. and I am one of them. A Christian Music Hall of Fame inductee, Babbie has recorded 26 music projects and she is the author of nine books. She's got timeless hits like All Rise and Trust His Heart that we're gonna talk about today but all of her music is just... amazing and soul stirring as I said before but beyond that she has a calling to pour into others and to ensure that others experience and know the love of Jesus and the truth of the gospel. In this episode we're going to talk about her remarkable journey of faith but the power of surrender in her sacred yeses and nos to God and the legacy of beauty that flows from a life rooted in obedience and We'll talk about her new book, Each One, Reach One, that gives you a roadmap and a tool for understanding how to confidently and willingly share your faith in Jesus. So get ready to be inspired, challenged, and encouraged as Babbie shares wisdom, grace, and stories that remind us that God is making everything beautiful in every season. This conversation is one you're gonna be glad you tuned in for. So without further ado, let's dive into the beautiful words of Babby Mason. Shannon Scott (03:08) Well, hello, Babbie Mason. Thank you, thank you, thank you for being on the Everything Made Beautiful podcast. I'm so thrilled that you're here. Babbie Mason (03:17) Thank you, I'm happy to be here. Shannon Scott (03:20) Well, this has been a pinch myself moment. I have to tell you that because I grew up the daughter of a pastor who was on staff at First Baptist Atlanta and you were a regular fixture at First Baptist singing. And I was a voice major in college and I was so thrilled to have an alto, such a gorgeous range that I could listen to and love. And your music has been so impactful to me. And I cannot believe I'm actually getting to tell you in person how much I have loved your music ministry. It is profound. And I'm so grateful for the way you've stewarded that over the years. Babbie Mason (04:05) Wow, what in the world? Listen, I'm blown away by that. First of all, I just have to express my love and appreciation for all things First Baptist Atlanta. And it has become a part of my, a real part of my story. And I have lots of great memories. I have been, I've fallen in love with cruising because of In Touch Ministries and Dr. Stanley. Shannon Scott (04:15) Yes. Mm-hmm. Mm. Yes. Babbie Mason (04:33) I think I went to Alaska probably maybe 25 or between 25 and 30 times and to Jamaica, know, maybe 20 times as a part of In Touch Ministries Cruises. And so the beach is my happy place. And I have an internet radio station where I play Dr. Stanley's sermons on my 24 hour station. So I love all things In Touch, all things First Baptist. Shannon Scott (04:39) Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yes. Babbie Mason (05:00) and I sing the legacy of Dr. Stanley in touch. It's a real part of my story. Shannon Scott (05:05) Yes, I wholeheartedly agree. It is rare to have someone that makes that much of an impact on your spiritual journey, and Dr. Stanley did that for me, no question. A profound memory that I have, it is etched in my brain, is know, First Baptist, especially in those years of the 80s and 90s when we were downtown, I mean we were a traditional Southern Baptist church, and so while we were... passionate. I wouldn't say that that was necessarily displayed outwardly in the way a lot of you see in a lot of contemporary worship these days. But you came and right before the message you sang All Rise. And that congregation that is not a historically, you know, emotive congregation, I would say in those days, began to just spontaneously stand, which I'm sure happens to you everywhere you Babbie Mason (05:47) You Shannon Scott (06:07) you go everywhere you sing that song and it impacted me so deeply that it is the first time I really made note of worship being a just kind of full body experience and it was it was you singing the truth of that song and people couldn't help themselves and it is something that has stuck with me for goodness 30 35 years now so I just I'm so grateful to you Babbie Mason (06:17) You Wow. I remember that night explicitly and it was in the old church downtown Atlanta. I think it was a Sunday night and I was in a, you know, I did a concert that night and sang All Rise and Dr. Stanley went straight to the altar call and it was just an amazing moment. You know, when I write these songs, I have no idea, you know, what they're going to look like, what they're going to... Shannon Scott (06:38) Mm. Yes, yeah. Mm hmm. Yep. Mm. Yeah. Babbie Mason (07:01) you know, the impact they're going to have on people. And All Rise actually was 40 years old this year. I wrote All Rise in 1984. And as a result of going to a songwriting contest and having to stand before adjudicators and be judged and scored and, you know, comments written about your performance. And it was such a it was such a pivotal moment in my career and in my ministry, which was in its infancy at the time I had just quit my job as a school teacher. Shannon Scott (07:08) wow. Babbie Mason (07:31) And I went to the songwriting competition and entered a song and they were very critical of my music. I was a baby songwriter, really didn't know what I was doing. And so their critiques were rightfully deserved. But I went home so impacted by that adjudication process and I just began to think about what would it look like when we stand before the Lord in heaven. And it was like all rise was served. Shannon Scott (07:31) Wow. Mm. Babbie Mason (08:00) on a silver platter. I was just walking through my house one day. I don't usually remember the dates that songs are given to me, you know, by the Holy Spirit, but this was August the 16th, 1984. And it was just like it was served on a silver platter and the words just came out of the sky and I sat down and I went back the next year to the same competition and the song won first place. And I also won first place in the vocal competition. And that kind of began to take Shannon Scott (08:26) Mm. Babbie Mason (08:29) you know, the ministry that I had launched in 1984 after teaching school for eight years. And it began to get the attention of, you know, the gatekeepers in the industry at that time. a couple of years later, I was writing professionally. And a couple of years after that, I signed my first recording contract with Word Records back in the late 80s and recorded with them for 10 years and went on to Spring Hill Records. And here today, Shannon Scott (08:41) Right? Babbie Mason (08:56) You know, after 40 years in ministry, I'm still writing, still singing, writing books, getting ready to do another record, traveling, speaking, the Lord's not done. Hey, I heard this phrase in a song that said, if you're not dead, God's not done. And so I'm, I'm is that good? I'm just holding onto that as my, you know, that's my theme for right now. I got a lot of living to do, a lot of serving to do. And you know, things, you know, the older you get, things look a little different. Shannon Scott (09:00) Mm. Ooh, that's good. Mmm. Mm-hmm. Babbie Mason (09:25) My pace is a little has kind of slowed back because I want to be home a little bit more at the season in my life, but I'm still very active in ministry. As a matter of fact, I've leading worship at onto my list of things that the Lord has called me to do at the season. I lead worship at Eastside Baptist Church over in Marietta, which has been our the home church where ministry began for us in the early 80s. And so I'm back there on that stage two Sundays a month leading worship with my son, Paz. Shannon Scott (09:43) Yes. Yes. Babbie Mason (09:55) who is on the worship team there, which is an amazing moment. And it's just, what a sweet full circle. So ministry is still exciting. I love it every time I step on that stage, I get that holy fear by God, don't let me mess this up kind of fear. And he's so faithful and I'm still loving what I get to do. And it's not one of those things that I got to do. It's one of those things that I get to do. And I love every moment of it. Shannon Scott (09:59) What a sweet full circle. huh. Yeah. Well, we were just together at a conference last April and you were speaking, but you sang, you sang several things, but you sang, God is too wise to be mistaken. And I immediately burst into tears, but I looked at my husband as you were playing and singing and I was like, she has not, not one year has come off of that voice. She is still, I mean, how are you in your prime for 40 straight years? It was. Babbie Mason (10:35) Wow. Shannon Scott (10:54) It was amazing. just, could go, we could do this whole podcast and I could just go through your catalog and tell you how your songs have impacted me. But thank you, thank you, thank you. Babbie Mason (11:05) Thank you. That, Trust His Heart is an amazing song. I wrote the song years ago with my friend, Eddie Carswell, who you probably recognize the name Eddie Carswell from New Song. New Song lives here. Their group originates here in the Atlanta area. We kind of got started around the same time, of the same church at Eastside in Marietta. And they've gone on to, I think their home church, the mainly is First Baptist Woodstock. Shannon Scott (11:11) Hmm. Yep. Yep. Yes. Mm-hmm. Babbie Mason (11:32) And Eddie and I wanted to speak. We wanted to minister to our friend, Ike Reichert. You might remember the name Ike Reichert. huh. Okay. Exactly. Well, then you might know Ike's story in that his wife, his first wife was in labor and delivery when they lost, when he lost his wife and their newborn baby. And the words, it's so tragic, so tragic. Ike. Shannon Scott (11:38) Yes, I do. Yes, because I grew up in Fayetteville. So yes, his church was down there. Mm-hmm. Yes. Yeah, it was so tragic. Babbie Mason (12:01) I have loved Ike Reichert for years. so Eddie and I wanted to encourage him and he's always loved those words. God is too wise to be mistaken. God is too good to be unkind when you don't understand. Well, the phrase is God is too wise to be mistaken. God is too good to be unkind. And when you can't trace his hand, trust his heart. And Eddie and I under the, you know, the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, put words and melody to that phrase and Shannon Scott (12:04) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Babbie Mason (12:31) wrote this beautiful song and it was inspired by Ike's story. And it's amazing. In the early years, other people recorded it. It was recorded by the beautiful voice of Cynthia Clausen and Wayne Watson and New Song and other singers have gone on to record it. And then in later years, I recorded a record and I said, you know, let me just, I'm a ballad person. I love a beautiful ballad. I said, let me record Trust His Heart. Shannon Scott (12:33) Yeah. Yes. Yes. Babbie Mason (13:00) not even knowing how much it was going to minister even to me in my times of loss and grief and sometimes a feeling of hopelessness. When I watched both of my parents go home to be with the Lord and other friends who walk through the stages of grief and the song. And I even have pictures and stories of people who have sent me pictures of the headstones of their loved ones with those words. Shannon Scott (13:04) Mm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Wow. Babbie Mason (13:29) chiseled on their loved one's tombstone. And that's when you know that, this is real. Life is real. And it's such a humble privilege to be able to play a part in encouraging people, right where we live, in the joy of it all, in the pain of it all, in the realness and the pain of grief. But we know that one of the lines of the second verse, Shannon Scott (13:32) Mmm. Yes. Mm-hmm. Babbie Mason (13:56) is taken right out of the New Testament, where the words say, we don't grieve as those who have no hope. All our hope is found in him. And so I'm telling you, this is serious work for me. And I am humbled every time I get to know that something that I write or something that I sing or something that I say from the stage or writing a book has the impact that it has on so many people's hearts and lives. And I just want you to know. Shannon Scott (14:02) Yes. Yes. Yes. Babbie Mason (14:24) that this is not a plaything for me. This is serious business, but it's also a great joy and many times a whole lot of fun because it just brings me, yeah, it just brings me so much joy getting to know that the Lord uses the songs like this and the words that we say. It really is a blessing. Shannon Scott (14:26) Hmm. Yeah. Well, you know, you're you are giving us handles that we can grasp when when those things happen and. And it, unlike any other way that we learn when something is set to music, it just etches it deeper into us. And so you, you're giving us handles in hard times. You know, my dad is with Jesus now after a long battle with Parkinson's disease and the number of times that I had when you can't trace his hand, trust his heart, going through my heart and mind. And it's because you have been faithful to what the Holy spirit gave you. And it gave us handles. So, one of the songs, however, is each one reach one, which is now the name of your new book, which I love. So I I'd love to just talk about the book. Yes. Yes. Yay. it's so pretty. Babbie Mason (15:26) Amen, I like that. I have to show you a picture of my brand new baby. Shannon Scott (15:44) I am not at home so I don't have mine with me but I have it and I'm gonna link it all in the show notes for everyone because everyone needs to read this book. And so what made you go, I want to write this. I want to take this that I've already set to music and I want to write a book about living your faith out loud. How did that come about? Babbie Mason (16:06) Wow, thank you for allowing me to tell my story. Well, I'm a preacher's daughter, born and raised in Jackson, Michigan, and my father was a pastor. And they, my parents discovered early in life that or early in my life, Shannon Scott (16:09) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Babbie Mason (16:21) that I had this love and this propensity to love music. And we had an old upright piano in our house. And I remember just going over there, banging on that piano, picking out songs that I might've heard my mother sing or songs from church. I've been in the choir ever since I could stand up. That's a requirement in my daddy's church. Like for me, it was music. My sister is very administrative, so she was... Shannon Scott (16:43) Mm-hmm. Babbie Mason (16:49) You know, the church administrator, my brother, shoveled snow and cleaned the bathrooms and raked the leaves and we all had a job. And so when my parents discovered that, I could play the piano and they became a vacancy in our church, our church pianist moved away and I could play a few chords by ear. And so when I was nine years old and there was no piano player for the church, dad looked at me and said, today you're going to play. And I played the piano for 20 years. So I got hired at age nine. Shannon Scott (16:53) Mm-hmm. Mm. Babbie Mason (17:19) And I came to faith in Christ when I was eight years of age. So, you know, church has always been a part of my world. I really don't remember a time that I, that, that my relationship with the Lord wasn't real, but I solidified my faith and made a profession of faith when I was eight years of age, began to play the piano as a full-time, the full-time pianist. And it almost really was a full-time job because there were rehearsals for all the choirs during the week. Sometimes there were evening worship services that took place during the week, a series of Shannon Scott (17:19) Hahaha Babbie Mason (17:48) know, weeknights, even as a kid in elementary school, I was there to play the piano all day on Sunday. Let me just tell you, black people don't know when to go home. we. Churches. Shannon Scott (17:56) I was gonna ask if you're having those long services. Babbie Mason (18:02) As ma'am, is an all-day affair on Sunday. We had a live broadcast that took place at a local radio station. So by 8.30 on Sunday morning, I was at the radio broadcast. We went on the air at nine. I was back at Sunday school at 9.30. When we went off the air, I went right to church, played for the Sunday school, you know, for the meeting at Sunday school, played for the worship services at 11. We got out of church maybe 1.30, quarter to two. There was a 330 afternoon service. played for that. There was a 730 evening service. I played for that. did homework from the choir loft, homework from the pew. And that was just the routine schedule in my life. And it was just the way things were. But I look at that as the foundation of my faith. So which meant that 50 years of walking with Jesus came about 10 years ago. And at that time, you know, this is this is just the matriculation of the story of my life. About 10 years ago, I just stopped to do some reflection and just some wonderful assessment of my faith walk with the Lord. And one of the areas that the Lord brought up that I needed to shore up was with confidence was Shannon Scott (19:03) Mm. Babbie Mason (19:27) the ability to share my faith with confidence. And now I've been on stage all of my life, I could easily share my faith from the platform because I had my testimony memorized like a script, you know? But when it came time for me to share my faith one-on-one with others, sometimes there was a hesitancy. I wasn't always sure what to say. I wasn't always sure how to say it. I was sometimes just intimidated, sometimes even fearful. And so I would opt Shannon Scott (19:30) Hmm. Hmm. Yeah. Babbie Mason (19:58) sometimes not to say anything because I didn't know what to say. I wasn't sure that I would offend somebody. You know, just trying to be too careful. back in those days when I was a kid, Saturday morning, we went knocking on doors and that just intimidated me to the nth degree. So when I reached this pinnacle in my faith, I just took a moment to just say, you know, Lord, I want to fix that. I want to be able to share my faith with boldness and with confidence. So I prayed a simple prayer. Shannon Scott (20:05) Yeah. Yeah. Mm. Babbie Mason (20:26) that went something like this, Lord, if you will give me the opportunities to share my faith with confidence, if you'll put the words in my mouth, if you'll put me in the place where you want me to be and say the words that you want me to say, I'll do it and you'll be my strength, you'll be my confidence and I'll be obedient to stand up for you. And he is so faithful. He began to put opportunities in my hand because he knows what our strengths and our weaknesses are. Shannon Scott (20:48) Mm. Babbie Mason (20:53) He knows my strength is people. love people. I never meet a stranger. The supermarket and the drug store and the Walmart and the Costco, wherever people are, that's my mission field. And he knows, the Lord knows that I love to encourage people. And this is how he began to allow me to share my faith. He began to use me. He began to give me the opportunity to just encourage a stranger. And it's all about them. It's all about me encouraging people along the way. Shannon Scott (21:03) Yeah. Yeah. Babbie Mason (21:22) And when it's all about them, and when you're meeting the needs of others through kindness, compassion, generosity, being kind, not just being nice, but being kind, because kindness is a fruit of the spirit, which I, you know, just as I began to put all these things together, I began to understand that kindness is one of those things that began to open the door for me to share Christ with others, meeting their needs. We're living in a day and age where people are hurting, where Shannon Scott (21:35) Yeah. Yeah. Babbie Mason (21:51) Life where the world has turned cold and callous and cruel and when somebody is intentionally kind to you That gets their attention and when it does I can share the love of jesus all day long Without any problem and it's begun to open up the door where I can minister to the needs of others Where I can pray for people listen. I prayed for people in the supermarket check out supermarket checkout line I have Shannon Scott (22:01) Yeah. Hmm. Mm-hmm. Babbie Mason (22:22) led, prayed for people in the produce department and the deli. I have prayed for people that the ex, there's a story in the book where one day I'm standing in the checkout line, there's music playing in the store. I think it's Neil Diamond and you know, I wasn't, I promise you I wasn't singing very loud, just humming to myself, enjoying the music with Neil. And the guy ahead of me says, hey, that sounds pretty good. You ought to try singing for a living. Shannon Scott (22:26) Yeah. You Mm-hmm. Babbie Mason (22:51) So I said, well, I do sing for a living. He said, sing something for me right now. So I just kind of pushed my cart a little closer to him and began to sing Amazing Grace. When I heard the music turn off in the store, the manager came out of his little cubby hole office up there in the front of the store. He stood at the end of the checkout lane and he began to worship the Lord. He obviously was a believer. He lifted his hand, he lifted his head to the sky and began to worship. I began to see people kind of collecting around the Shannon Scott (22:54) Yeah. Yeah. Babbie Mason (23:21) the checkout lane. And when I realized that I was drawing a crowd, well, I turned it on and I turned up the volume and I began to, you know, do all the inflections like I would sing it at my daddy's church or on stage at Carnegie Hall. And by the time I was done, I had a whole crowd of people that were just standing there. I live in the buckle of the Bible belt. People enjoyed the moment. I was able to pray for people, you know, there in the checkout lane. I prayed for a lady on the way through the door. I prayed for another lady in the parking lot. Shannon Scott (23:26) I'm Hmm. you Babbie Mason (23:49) And you know, this is the gift that God has given me. The moral of the story is God has given you a gift. And for me, it's being able to speak to people and lift people up. That's one of the gifts that God has given me. For you, it might be blessing babies. For somebody else, it might be their love for seniors. You have the gift of encouraging words. Somebody else might have the gift of baking. Listen, you don't want to eat any... Shannon Scott (23:55) Yeah, it's good. Babbie Mason (24:17) Well, I won't, I don't say anything. I, but I bake using like cake mix and stuff like that. But, but stuff from scratch. mean, really good, you know, homemade cookies and really good pound cakes. That's just not my style. But I know people, okay. I know people whose baking is their gift. This is how they make people happy. This is how they make God happy. They share their gifts. So the moral of the story is what's in your hand. Whatever is in your hand, you can use that. Shannon Scott (24:19) the Yeah. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Babbie Mason (24:46) to share your faith, shine your light and bless people. Shannon Scott (24:50) You got me all misty telling the supermarket story. I had full body chills and I'm glad you turned it on. Those people needed to hear that. And I bet there were people on the edge of despair in that store and that they left no longer despairing because of the truth that you shared. So thank you for telling that story. I'm so glad you told it. Babbie Mason (25:15) You know, I like what you just said when you think about the fact that there are people on the edge of despair Wherever you go and God has given you You know when I came up to it through this mentality that you got to know Shannon Scott (25:21) Yeah. Yeah. Babbie Mason (25:31) You know, the three points in a poem. You gotta take the class. You gotta memorize the spiel. You gotta know all the right scripture verses. You gotta know all the you know, things that start with the same letter. You know, you gotta know all of that stuff. And that terrified me, and it still does. But I don't need a script to be kind. I don't need a pulpit. I don't need a platform. I don't need a mega horn. Shannon Scott (25:34) Yep. Yeah, yeah. Babbie Mason (26:00) But what I do need and what I want to have is love and passion. I want to be able to love people to Jesus. And let me tell you something, nobody, I've not met a single person who could refuse love. I've not met a single person who can refuse kindness. And even a simple compliment one day turned into a way to minister to a dear lady. I was... Shannon Scott (26:05) Mm. Yeah. Mm. Babbie Mason (26:28) Like I said, I think the marketplace is my mission field. As a matter of fact, I know it is because seemingly whenever I go to the store, I'm not looking for these things to happen. I promise you, I am not looking for these things to happen. They are not manipulated. They are not orchestrated by me. They're purely orchestrated by the Holy Spirit. There is a Greek, I think it's a Greek word, it's called a kairos moment. It's that moment where, uh-huh, it's that moment where Shannon Scott (26:48) Mm-hmm. Yes, yes. Babbie Mason (26:58) you in your moment with another person and the Holy Spirit just makes himself real in that moment and he helps you to love others and he helps you to minister to people. So one day I'm in the TJ Maxx and you know the TJ Maxx is another one of my happy places okay I'm just saying no ad for TJ Maxx I just like I just like stuff you know I just love shining. Shannon Scott (27:05) Yes. Yes. huh. Yes. Yeah, and I'm not, and I'm, I'm not sorry that I can get a designer purse for a whole lot less than I would get it at Nordstrom. Babbie Mason (27:29) Okay, I'm saying, I'm just saying. And so I'm walking in the store, I got my cart, and behind me is a beautiful lady who is dressed to kill. I mean, she is gorgeous. It's a fall day, she's got on this beautiful plaid suit with a jacket and a skirt and hose and shoes and a purse and a hat with a brim, you know, just over her left brow with a feather and a scarf and a brooch. And I mean, she was gorgeous. Shannon Scott (27:40) Mm. Babbie Mason (27:56) And just a simple compliment, said, excuse me, ma'am, but can I tell you how beautiful you look today, girlfriend? Well, this dear lady put her hand on her hip and she began to stroll. She began to model her outfit. She walked out ahead of me down the aisle of the TJ Maxx and she turned on her heels and she was walking back toward me. I got in on the game and I took up my imaginary camera and I said, work it, girl, work it, the camera loves you. Do your thing, And she began to just stroll and play into the moment. And when she got back to me where I was standing, she and I were just in uproarious, hilarious laughter. And then this is what she told me. This is the power of kindness. This is the power of just an encouraging word. This is the power of making the moment about them and not about me. This is what she said. Shannon Scott (28:38) Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. Babbie Mason (28:54) She said that six months prior to that day, she had lost her husband. Her husband of over 60 years had passed away. And she said that he used to compliment her every day on how pretty she looked in her clothes. And she said that now that she was a widow, she was living alone, her house was eerily quiet, and there was no one there to talk to, no one there to tell her how beautiful she looked in her clothes. She told me that my compliment to her that day was the first compliment that she had received since her husband had passed. Shannon Scott (29:24) Mmm. Babbie Mason (29:25) And that blew me away knowing that the Lord had used me to give her something that I didn't know she needed, but the Lord knew and that she needed. And she told me the story of her, you know, of her husband and her, few moments of, know, about her relationship with the Lord. And I said to her, do you mind if I pray for you? And she said, no, please pray for me. And I prayed for many people and not one person to this moment has ever refused to prayer. She said, yes, please pray for me. Shannon Scott (29:46) Hmm. Mm. Babbie Mason (29:55) And after I was finished praying for her, listen, no long laborious prayer, no litany of scripture verses, no anointing oil, no laying on our hands, none of that, just kindness, compassion for a stranger. She said, do you mind if I hug you? And she needed a hug, and you know what? I needed to hug her. And I wrapped that dear lady. Shannon Scott (30:13) Yeah. Babbie Mason (30:17) in my arms. I gave her the best hug. I gave her the best hug that a girlfriend could give another woman, a stranger, and she thanked me. And then she was on her way. And I knew in that moment that the Lord had orchestrated that moment and that he was answering the prayer that I had prayed. God, give me the words. Give me the confidence. And you know, when you, when Shannon Scott (30:19) Mm. Mm. Yes. Babbie Mason (30:46) When you are just, when you're working with whatever is in your hand, you're just doing what normally comes natural. And that's what he's continued to do. And that's why I wrote this book, Each One, Reach One, which is the title comes from a song that I wrote in the nineties and it has become an anthem for me and a way of life. And now I just pay attention. I'm just a little more thoughtful, a little more attentive when I go into the grocery store, because I don't want to misguide. Shannon Scott (31:00) Mm-hmm. Mm. Babbie Mason (31:15) I don't want to miss an opportunity to tell people that he loves them. I don't want to miss an opportunity to encourage somebody in this crazy, cruel and crass, mixed up, callous world that we live in. And if I can just make somebody's day brighter with a simple compliment, I could go on, I could tell you story after story after story. Many of them are mentioned in the book just to encourage you. Listen, that's what I have in my hand. Shannon Scott (31:38) Yeah. Babbie Mason (31:45) Here again, I'm gonna ask you that question. What is it that you have in your hand? And for older people, you don't even really need to leave home. I have a dear friend, she's homebound, but she writes beautifully written handwritten notes and she drops cards in the mail. She even has people who contribute really expensive stamps. A stamp is like out of this world nowadays, but she has people who give her stamps so that she can continue her note writing ministry. Shannon Scott (31:48) Yeah. Mm. Yes. But know, Babbie, if you had not asked the Lord, though, to give you those opportunities, it makes me wonder how much have we missed because we weren't asking for God to do this for us. You have not because you do not ask. Babbie Mason (32:14) That's what's your story. Yeah. Yeah. That's right. Shannon Scott (32:42) you you now have stories of God's faithfulness directly connected to a request that you made of him and and it isn't that you would have stopped singing and that you wouldn't have ministered in song anymore and that you wouldn't have done what he's created you to do but now there is just this depth and this deeper Babbie Mason (33:00) You Shannon Scott (33:04) and an awareness of his presence and a kingdom mindset going into the grocery store, whereas most of us are going, or I should say, I am usually looking pretty, pretty unfortunate and thinking if I can just not see anybody I know and if I can get in and get out, you know. Babbie Mason (33:24) Okay. huh. Yeah. Shannon Scott (33:26) And so it changes my perspective on things like meeting strangers and interactions with people you don't know while you're going about the mundane of your day. All of that is holy ground if we're asking God to show up in that moment so that we can see people and meet people. So. Yeah, so that is so impactful. I want to ask you, you talk in the book about the importance of Matthew 5, 14 through 16, the great mandate. So I'd love for you just to unpack that a little bit and really why every one of us who are believers in Jesus Christ, this has to be incredibly important to us. Babbie Mason (34:11) Right. Well, Matthew chapter 5 verse 14 through 16 is what the book is written on and I call it the great mandate because I'm in listen I'm gonna do this Give me a chance to do this while I grab Matthew chapter five, verse 14 through 16 on my phone. Okay, you can edit this out. Matthew chapter five, verses 14 through 16, New King James Version. Shannon Scott (34:26) Yes. Yes. Hmm. Babbie Mason (34:39) Uh-huh. Here we go. I wrote the book around Matthew chapter 5 verse 14 through 16. I memorized Matthew chapter 5 verse 16, you know, as a preacher's kid. And I love this passage. This is what's called the Sermon on the Mount. It was Jesus' first sermon that he delivered to a multitude of people. And these same words are challenging all of us today. Shannon Scott (34:52) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Babbie Mason (35:06) If you're a believer, then this is for you. And this is what I wrote the book around. And I call it a mandate because a mandate is a word of instruction given to us by an authority figure that, and the words are not a suggestion, not just a suggestion, it's not just a good idea. It's a command from Jesus. And he is the authority in our lives. And so in obedience to Christ, I wanted to be obedient to what I now call this great mandate. And it parallels beautifully with the Great Commission from Matthew chapter 28 verses 16 through 20. So listen to the great mandate from Matthew chapter 5 verse 14 through 16. This is what I wrote the book around. You are the light of the world, a city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick. And it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew chapter 16 being the capstone verse in the book. And what I did in the book is I took Matthew chapter 5 16 and I divided it up into seven phrases. Let your light so shine before a man that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven. Each one of those phrases represents a chapter. So example, the very first word in Matthew chapter 5 verse 16 is the word let. It's a beautiful study. It's a wonderful word study and The the book is an interactive book on page 34 35 in the front part of the book is a QR code that Accesses all of the studies that parallel to every chapter of the book and I was able to do this these studies And what a beautiful study it is So for example take the word let the word let means to surrender it means to acquiesce It means to yield the right of way it means to say yes Shannon Scott (36:52) Yeah. Babbie Mason (37:01) So if you're wondering, how do I get started in shining my light? Well, I suggest that you pray a simple prayer of your own and asking God to use you to shine your light. And he's a God that answers prayer. And I believe he'll answer your request to allow him to shine his light through you, through whatever that is that you hold in your hand. And that's a good place to start. let your light, of course, every believer has one. And let me ask you the question, where is your light right now? Is it hidden under a bushel? Are you embarrassed? Maybe ashamed? Maybe ill-equipped? Unprepared? Well then, the answer is, hey, get prepared. Take the light out from underneath that basket, put it on a lamp stand. And what I love about a lamp stand is the higher you lift it, the wider it broadcasts. And start small. Start with your family. Start with your neighbors. Start with the people that... Shannon Scott (37:55) Yeah. Babbie Mason (38:00) that you work with. I tell a story about a lady in the book. She works in a public school, so she can't get on a microphone necessarily and preach Jesus. But everybody on her staff knows that she is a believer, that there's something different about her because she's kind, she's concerned, she's respectful, she's loving, she loves her students, she cares about her staff. And when people are hurting, when people need help, Shannon Scott (38:10) Right. Mm. Babbie Mason (38:30) When people need an answer, when people need prayer, guess whose door they come knocking on. And in the privacy of her office, they ask her, listen, I have problems with my family or in my marriage or with my kids. Will you pray for me? And even though prayer was taken out of school, out of public school, you know, 50 or 60 years ago, I guarantee you prayer in school is alive and well because of this dear lady whose colleagues. Shannon Scott (38:36) Yes. Babbie Mason (39:00) come and ask her for prayer. And so it's a beautiful way that she shines her light. So I just want to encourage you to pray that prayer. And I'm believing that God will allow you to answer, he will answer that prayer and allow you to shine your light in a way that is authentically you. Shannon Scott (39:18) Right. That's such a good, authentically you is such a good phrase because you know the comparison trap is real and you know I can't sing like Babbie so that's not going to be one of the things that God uses for me but it will be. my gift of teaching and communication and it will be somebody else's gift of art and somebody somebody else's passion for raising children to know love and follow Jesus that will be how their light is shown. You talk a little bit about Mary Magdalene so how is Mary Magdalene a good example of an evangelist? Babbie Mason (39:57) Well, she was one of the first evangelists, if not the first evangelist, who after the resurrection of Jesus, she ran from that empty tomb after she had had this encounter with the one she thought was the gardener was actually Jesus. And she ran back to the disciples and told them, listen, I have just seen Jesus. And she began to tell the good news that Jesus is alive and well. Shannon Scott (39:59) Mm-hmm. Yeah. Babbie Mason (40:26) to everyone who was in that community. And what I love about Mary Magdalene is evangelism starts with your story. So think about what your story is. Think about what we would call your testimony. What was life like before you gave your life to Jesus? What was that turnaround moment that persuaded you that the gospel is real, that Jesus is alive? that He loves you and He wants to change your life. What was that critical moment that made you say, yes, I'm giving my life to Jesus? And then thirdly, how has your life changed since you said yes to Jesus? You put all that in a capsule and that's your story. Well, we look at the story of Mary Magdalene and you talk about a messed up life. Hers was a messed up life. She was plagued by demons. And then she met Jesus. who delivered her of demonic oppression. Can you just imagine someone's life who was plagued on a daily basis by demonic oppression? And then she meets Jesus and she is totally free. And she expresses her love for the Lord by dedicating her life, her resources, her gifts, her support, both spiritually and physically, her means, her money, her time, her gifts. Shannon Scott (41:51) Mm-hmm. Babbie Mason (41:51) She dedicated to the life of Jesus. that's, you know, really that's my story as well. And I'm sticking to it. Ever since my life has been changed by Jesus, I want to give him my gifts, my time, my testimony, my tithe, my gifts, my friendship, my mentorship to others. And I think that's really the core of all of our story. If your life has been changed by Jesus and if you love him and you're an object of his love and affection, Shannon Scott (41:59) Yeah. Yeah. Babbie Mason (42:19) and his life-changing power in your life, there is no secret. It's not a secret. I used to sing this old song in my church. My mother used to sing this song all the time. There is no secret what God can do. What he's done for others, he'll do for you with arms wide open. He'll pardon you. There is no secret what God can do. That's her story, and that's my story, and it's a beautiful life-changing story for all of us. Shannon Scott (42:46) Well, I am encouraging every single person that is listening to and watching this podcast to get this book, to read this book, to interact with it, and then to be brave enough to pray and ask God how you can shine your light. Babbie Mason (42:54) you Shannon Scott (43:05) in the gifts and the resources and the talents and the time that he's given you because it isn't it each one reach one is not one go out and reach everyone it's everyone has a sphere of influence and the people in that sphere are placed there by god to intersect with your life and to know that they know that they know what your hope is so it can be their hope as well so everyone go to the show notes first of all get all of Babbie's music and secondly go online and search All Rise on YouTube and watch one of the trillion videos that are out there because it will be a worship moment wherever you are where you watch that and then thirdly read the book and interact with it. Bobby before we go I want to ask you the question that I ask all of my podcast guests. Okay this is the Everything Made Beautiful podcast because we believe that God is currently in the process of making everything beautiful in its time. It will be beautiful ultimately but he's also making things beautiful now and so in that vein if you could design an architect your perfect beautiful day what would it look like for start to finish. Babbie Mason (44:28) Well, my perfectly beautiful day probably begins at the beach. No doubt it begins at the beach. The beach is my happy place. And it would begin, you know, with family who would be asleep because I'd be up at sunrise before sunrise because at the beach, Shannon Scott (44:36) Mm. Babbie Mason (44:49) My favorite moment is sunrise with a cup of coffee, the silence of just the waves lapping on the shore and watching that day begin with the sun rising and being able to say, you know, hello God, thank you for a beautiful day. the weather it's cloudy, know, sunrise is different every day depending on what the day looks like. But what I love about sunrise Shannon Scott (45:06) Yes. Yeah. Babbie Mason (45:18) It's the horizon where water meets sky and just that holy moment. And then I also love sunset at the beach, being able to see the sunset, being able to see how fast, how quickly the sun sets and being able to say goodbye to a beautiful day and thanking Lord for the blessings of every moment. And there's something about the beach. Shannon Scott (45:22) Yes. Babbie Mason (45:46) where it kind of empties your mind of clutter and you know just the stuff of life and being able to kind of clear the clutter in my head and not have to do a whole lot but just be you know be peaceful be blessed be still be joyful who man listen the beach the water i love i love water i love fishing i love wetting my hook putting I don't care how big or how little the fish is. My biggest catch is a, listen, you'll love this. My biggest catch is a 37 pound King salmon that I caught on a Charles Stanley cruise in Alaska. Yes. In Ketchikan, Alaska, 37 pounds. I was sore for three days, it was worth the moment and it was a great memory. Shannon Scott (46:27) What? my goodness. 37 pounds? Wow, yep, catch a can. I bet. Bye! Babbie Mason (46:44) And we ate salmon for a long time. But yeah, but that's my happy place. Shannon Scott (46:47) Yes, I bet you did. Well, I love I love that. Yeah, the beach is the beach is. I think it's the grandeur of it and just being unable to see where water ends and where sky ends. I agree with that. Your mind becomes clutter free the longer that you're there. yes, so I love your perfect, beautiful day. I think I'm going to have to recreate that for myself. So, well, yep. yeah. Babbie Mason (47:15) Hey listen, I got a quote you gave me this quote and I'm gonna use it. I love this Worship is a full-body experience Man, I love that Let everything that has breath praise the Lord Shannon Scott (47:25) Mm-hmm. Well, it's what I realized. Yes. I think, yeah, it's just, and when it's a full body experience, it's just every cell that God has made is praising him. And yeah, and you lead people to that place. So thank you so much for having this conversation, Babbie. This has truly been a treat for me. I'm so grateful. Babbie Mason (47:46) Amen. Well, this has been my joy. Thanks for having me. Shannon Scott (47:55) Absolutely and for those of you watching and listening we hope that you too have your perfect beautiful day and that you remember that God is always in the process of making everything beautiful including you and we will see you next time.