She's Vocal/He's Instrumental

By Simonia E. Milton and Archie K. Milton

From children sharing a love of music to professional musicians and teachers, authors Simonia E. and Archie K. Milton believe their lives are a testament that the Lord orchestrates His plan in the lives of His children.

These best friends, who grew up in New Orleans and married in 1964, trust that when they stand united as one in Christ, they can get around any obstacle they may encounter.

From the birth of their three children and their grandchildren, to their successes in music, to their individual battles with cancer, to the loss of loved ones and of their home as a result of the flooding from Hurricane Katrina, they know God has blessed them in the good times and brought them through the difficult times in their lives.

They have found that living in harmony with the Lord, these words—which Archie said one day in college to an afraid Simonia—ring true: “You’re going to be all right.”

"Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me." (Psalm 50:15 NASB)

"My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge." (Psalm 62:7-8 NLT)

As with the Miltons, when you diligently seek Him, you too will find Him. Jesus is there ready to intercede with the Father for us!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Living Books, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 19, 2011
• ISBN: 9781562292232

Simonia E. Milton

ARCHIE K. AND SIMONIA E. MILTON have a combined eighty years of music education between them. They serve in music ministry and as leaders of a Senior Married Bible Study at Fellowship Church in Grapevine, TX. The Miltons actively minister and perform in the greater New Orleans and Dallas/Ft. Worth metropolitan areas. They have also traveled as missionaries to Honduras, Peru and Australia, conducting seminars, and ministering in English and Spanish. Releasing their third music project, "Faith Through The Storm", the Miltons spread their New Orleans flavor through good music and good home cooking.

Book preview

She’s Vocal/He’s Instrumental

A True Story of Faith, Love, and Music

Written by Simonia E. Milton

With Archie K. Milton

Copyright © 2011 by Klangco Publishing

Published by Christian Living Books, Inc.

http://christianlivingbooks.com

Smashwords Edition ISBN 978-1-56229-223-2

Printed Book ISBN 978-1-56229-221-8

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scriptures are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scriptures marked AMP are taken from the Amplified Bible, Copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scriptures marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scriptures marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Scriptures marked NASB are taken from The New American Standard Bible. Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scriptures marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1: The Beginning

Chapter 2: The Sixties

Chapter 3: The Seventies

Chapter 4: The Eighties

Chapter 5: The Nineties

Chapter 6: The Twenty-First Century

Author Contact

Endnotes

Dedication

We dedicate this book to our parents, the late Leroy and Ethel Edwards, and the late Emanuel and Louise Milton;

To our sons, John-Reuben and James; his wife, Sharon; and our grandchildren, Buddy (James II) and Sydney;

To our beautiful daughter and original editor of this book, Simone;

To our siblings, Felicia Williams, her husband, Alvin, and Oleatha McIntyre, and their families, as well as the families of our deceased siblings, the late Charles Milton, Leroy Edwards Jr., and George Edwards;

And, to all of our relatives who have helped to make us who we are.

We love you all and want you to know we’re glad God placed you in our family.

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge our heavenly Father, from whom all blessings and creative ideas flow, and we are thankful.

We are a result of God’s love for our parents and their love for each other. We are grateful to God for bringing us together to share our love with each other for more than forty-seven years.

We are also thankful for the many relatives, friends, and colleagues we’ve been fortunate to work with along the way.

We especially want to thank Andy and Phyllis White, our friends who several years ago, when they met us, suggested we tell our story and also suggested the book title. The title describes our careers in music for more than seventy years combined.

We are thankful for our extremely supportive children, our sons, John-Reuben and James; his wife, Sharon; and our grandchildren, Buddy (James II) and Sydney.

We are also grateful to our beautiful daughter, Simone L.E.A.-Petrice, who initially edited our book.

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Preface

We believe that more than any time in the existence of man and woman, today there is an uncertainty of commitment of one to another. We believe our lives are a true testament that we are led by the Holy Spirit, and that our commitment to each other is valid and binding. We stand on the Word of God and trust that when we stand united as one in Christ, we can go through all obstacles placed in our path. When we pray together and are in accord with the Word of God, our strength is unbendable. We can conquer every situation with trust, totally relying on God’s Word for guidance. If and when you diligently seek Him, you will find Him. Jesus is always there ready to intercede with the Father for us.

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Introduction

It is amazing to look back over our lives and see how God used His power and divine wisdom to plan them. That’s what He does because He’s God! What a divine plan the Master orchestrated for the manifestation of our being! God planned how and what we needed to exist and become creative individuals. I thank God for our parents, and their faith and trust in Him. I’m sure it must have been difficult sometimes for them to comprehend the situations they found themselves in; but they persevered and saw their families come to life. Archie and I grew up in different locations within a big city, but God allowed us to find each other. Together we were a small part of His master plan.

The LORD God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’ (Genesis 2:18)

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Chapter 1

The Beginning

I was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. I grew up on Annunciation Street, at Napoleon Avenue, in uptown New Orleans. This area was at the end of the twelfth ward. We were the only black family on the block for a long time, and I was the only little girl. I entertained myself by singing, reading books, and learning to play the piano. Our house was a two-story shotgun double–a common type of architecture in New Orleans. You could see straight through from the front of the house to the back. My Aunt Alice, my mom’s youngest sister, lived next door. She was a blast!

When my mom and dad married, they left their hometown of Wallace, Louisiana, and moved to New Orleans. My mom said Aunt Alice cried so much after they moved that they went back, got her, and brought her to New Orleans, where they raised her. Their mom died when Aunt Alice was young, and their father was getting old. Aunt Alice helped my mom and dad raise my siblings and me. She never married. Many times I thought she was my mother, but she assured me she was not. My mom worked so much to help my dad make our lives better. All of Aunt Alice’s nieces and nephews liked being around her. Some of them even named their daughters after her. She was my substitute primary caregiver.

Later, my mom told me she had thought she was finished having children before I was born because she was getting older and already had three. One of them, my brother George, had died. Her oldest child at that time, my sister Felicia, was fourteen, and my brother Leroy was ten. Well, little did she know, God had another plan!

My mom said she was experiencing discomfort and went to the doctor. After many trips to the doctor, she was told she had a tumor, which needed to be removed. As the doctor was preparing to operate, he had a hunch. So he put his stethoscope to her abdomen, and lo and behold, he heard my heart beating! Not long after, she was handed a bouncing baby girl, me!

She had not prepared for a baby, but before she left the hospital, God provided everything she needed. God always has a plan and a purpose for our lives. We just need to listen for that still small voice. He will speak, but we have to listen.

My God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19 AMP)

Mrs. Google, for whom my mom was a domestic worker, came to the hospital and brought a complete layette for a baby, including a silver spoon. Wow! Who would have imagined such a thing in 1943? Mrs. Google was an affluent white lady who cared for my mom’s work ethic and considered her an asset to their family. In fact, wherever my mom went, she found favor with those she met.

The LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. (Exodus 11:3 NASB)

At that time, many negative things, including racism, were occurring in America, but not in our neighborhood. To my parents and the doctor, my birth was a miracle in my family. Mom said everyone came and brought something for the baby.

I asked my mom where she got the name Simonia. She said she knew a lady who had a wonderful way about her. She dressed and carried herself very well, so my mom decided to name her little bundle after her friend. Later, we found out in a Bible concordance that Simonia is a derivative of Simon, meaning one who hears. My brother loved to call me Sis, and that was the birth of my nickname.

As a small child, I loved the nursery at our church. Later, I participated in many things in the church. I loved my church schoolteachers, Mrs. Rhodessa Price and Mrs. Anise Burbank. Mrs. Price played the piano, and we sang many songs, which inspired my love for music. She also played in Sunday school, so I saw her often. Music and the church meant more to me than I knew. I learned so many songs, which helped me as a church musician later in life. My house was right around the corner from the church, so it was like our second home. God had a plan for me. I was not aware,