Having Church at the Zoo with the Bowling Family - Concert Recap

Bowling Family - Troy Peach, Hope Bowling, Kelly Bowling and
Mike Bowling

Friday night, June 7 the Bowling Family was at TNT "The Zoo" Church in Dennard, Ark. Only in Arkansas would there be a Zoo Church, you can't make this up. The church does have a pretty cool story of its name. I had never been to the Zoo Church before, but if they keep having gospel concerts with great groups like the Bowling Family, it won't be my last time there!

This was my first chance to see the Bowling Family since Terah Penhollow came off the road. While Terah's sweet spirit was missed, the group has not missed a beat since she left. Mike and Kelly's oldest daughter, Hope, and Troy Peach have joined them on stage. The four of them make for a great lineup. It's great to see Troy back on stage singing, and Hope has such a great voice for her age. I can remember seeing her several years ago singing "Jesus Pilots My Ship" and being impressed, and she has only improved since then.

They started the night with their latest single, "I'll Be Alright As Soon As I Touch Calvary" and then sang "Oh How Sweet Is the Victory." Troy was featured on this one. It's so good to see him back on stage singing! His voice has been missed in gospel music. There were a couple of moments that you could hear just Troy and Mike together, and I loved the blend of their voices! They got the audience into the next one, "I'm on the Battlefield." Mike asked the audience to sing along toward the end of the song.

Mike made the introductions next and told that Hope had stepped up in Terah's absence. Hope was featured on "Any Day Now." She has such a great voice at 13. I can't wait to see what the future holds for her!

After the other introductions were made, Kelly was featured on the Crabb Family favorite, "Don't You Wanna Go?" After the song, Kelly said that it was wonderful to be there at the "Zoo Church."

She shared the testimony of their bus accident in July 2010. She said it would be a shame not to share how good God has been. It was the scariest thing that she had ever witnessed. She said that the audience was seeing a direct answer of prayers that they were able to come through that accident. And God far exceeded anything they dreamed of. After the accident, they were just hoping and praying they could get back to normal, not knowing that God would help them return to their music ministry. She said she didn't think she would be able to trust God the way she does now had it not been for the valley, and she wouldn't know God the way she knows Him now had it not been for the time of fellowship she was able to have with Him while lying flat on her back.

I love hearing Kelly give their testimony of how God delivered them and has brought them so far. It's easy to see how she's now doing some women's conferences and will be doing one in October in Arkansas! I'm already looking forward to it!

They sang "Your Cries Have Awoken the Master" next. This song never gets old! Mike started the chorus back a cappella and the others joined in. They sang "By the Time," a Hinson song that I wasn't really familiar with before. Then Kelly was featured on "A Miracle Today." Of all the songs that Kelly sings, this is probably my favorite. Her soprano voice conveys the lyrics of this song so beautifully. It's amazing to think how God gave them this song before they knew how much it would apply to their lives.

Mike sang one of my favorites, "The Lighthouse." He really is my favorite person to hear sing this song! They ended the first half with the uptempo song, "I Never Shall Forget the Day."

Kelly started the first half with "Unclouded Day." Mike went over to their drummer, Taylor Guffey, after the song and asked him if he had a testimony. Taylor laughed and asked the others if he was for real. The preacher piped up and said if he didn't have a testimony this was his test! Apparently Mike had threatened to do this, and tonight he actually decided to put Taylor on the spot. He did a great job talking about working in a trauma team at a hospital and realizing how short life is and how fragile life can be. And it was time to make sure that you knew Jesus as Savior.

Mike then was featured on "Too Much to Gain to Lose" with just John playing on the keyboard. Someone had requested him sing "Please Come Down to Me" which is typically a Jason Crabb song, but Mike sang it with a little help from Kelly!

They drew the service to a close with three classic hymns each featuring a different person, "What a Day That Will Be" (Troy), "I Surrender All" (Mike) and "Without Him" (Kelly). And we had church! Great altar call and moving of the Holy Spirit!

The pastor requested they sing "Your Cries Have Awoken the Master" again. I don't think anyone in the audience minded hearing them sing it again!

I love seeing this family when they are close! Troy and Hope are both great additions to the group to round out their sound. If you get the chance to see them in your area soon, don't miss them! Their sincerity exudes on stage, and it's evident to see how thankful they are to be singing for His glory. It was truly a worship service at "The Zoo!"


And Troy, I was nice and didn't tell everything! ;)