1st Quarter 2026
Dear Friend,
Abundant grace and overflowing peace to you and yours! I’m so grateful for your interest in and partnership with this ministry!
Here we are at the end of the 1st Quarter of 2026 and I want to give you an update on my ministry activities and also share some family news.
(you can keep reading below to read the entire newsletter and/or click below to see the video version)
Devo - Psalm 116:5-7
I keep a list of Scriptures that remind me of the goodness of God and I do my best to meditate on at least one of those verses or passages each day. Recently, these verses stood out to me and I thought I would share them with you.
“The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is FULL of compassion.
The Lord preserves the simplehearted; I was helpless, and He saved me.
Return to your rest, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.”
Psalm 116:5-7
By looking back to v. 3 we find that the Psalmist was dealing with a very serious situation. He says, “The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish.” He might have been dealing with a life-threatening illness, a battle with deep depression, or a broken relationship such as a betrayal. Whatever it was, he was obviously at the end of his resources. I’ve lived long enough that I’ve been there too many times to count and I’m sure you have as well.
In verse 4 we see that he knew where to turn: “Then I called on the name of the Lord: ‘O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!”Wow! Smart man! How many times when we are in a difficult situation do we find ourselves turning to things other than God? I mean, be honest . . . is God and His Word our first thought? Or do we Google the illness and find out just how bad it is first? Maybe we try to find comfort for our depressed state in food, drink, or other substances. Perhaps we call someone to commiserate with us about that jerk who hurt us. I’m not suggesting that research, food/drink, or friends are bad, just that they aren’t the FIRST place we should turn. What if we turned to God and His Word FIRST when we are overwhelmed with life? I suspect that would save us from a lot of additional heartbreak.
Let’s see what happened when the Psalmist “called on the name of the Lord.”
Keep WHO God is in the forefront of your thinking. (V.5 “The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is FULL of compassion.”) This is just a statement of WHO God is. This is His disposition; it’s what He is like! You can expect Him to deal with you with GRACE. You can expect Him to do the RIGHT thing. And you can expect Him to be COMPASSIONATE with you. Your good Father will never play games with you. He is consistently gracious, righteous, and full of compassion in His dealing with you. So we see that what the Psalmist did was take his eyes off of the problem and he magnified the Lord. WHO God is will trump every negative circumstance that you ever have to deal with!
Remember where He brought you from. (V. 6 “The Lord preserves the simplehearted; I was helpless, and He saved me.”) The idea here is that God was watching out for me and protecting me when I was too foolish or naive or gullible to take care of myself. Thank You, Jesus! The second half of this verse reminds me that He saved me when I was at my lowest. Of course, this is true spiritually, but it is also true in many other ways and times throughout my life. My friend, the truth is that we are ALWAYS helpless on our own, so again, turn to Jesus FIRST. Humble yourself and give Him an entrance into your situation as quickly as you possibly can!
Focusing on God’s goodness will keep you in His peace. (V. 7 “Return to your rest, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.”) We MUST remind ourselves of His goodness! This verse reminds me of two other practical passages of Scripture: Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed upon You, because he trusts in You.” Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” When peace seems far away and when anxiety seems to crowd my thoughts, I find that as I recall the goodness of God, I begin to rest in Him. I intentionally take the focus off of the difficulty and rejoice in God’s goodness.
Beloved, if you are going through a difficulty, I encourage you to turn to the Lord and keep turning to Him. And as you turn to Him, don’t simply rehearse the problem to Him. Press in beyond your problem and BEHOLD your God! As you look to Him, you will begin to see His goodness and His ability and willingness to help you. Your problems will begin to fade away in His presence and He will either give you the needed wisdom to overcome or He will remove the problem through His strength and power.
Be blessed today, my friend! God is for you and He is with you!
Touring Update
You may remember a prayer request that I made last fall when I mentioned that booking had become very difficult and my schedule was quite empty. Well, thank you for praying - I am just concluding my winter tour during which I held 14 events in 7 states while traveling nearly 9,000 miles. During those events, thousands of people were reminded of the love and goodness of God through both the sung and spoken Word of God. This is truly a prophetic ministry that speaks “comfort, strength, and encouragement” (1 Corinthians 14:3) to so many that desperately need it! Numbers alone don’t share the impact of what the Holy Spirit is doing through SSM. I encourage you to read the testimonies below to see the fruit of your prayers and financial support.
Also, please continue to pray about the scheduling. While the 1st quarter of this year was quite busy and fruitful, it continues to be a significant challenge to keep the schedule as full as it needs to be.
Testimonies
A 12-year-old young lady, Emily, says, “The ministry this morning changed my life! The music was amazing, but also Shannon’s speaking as he shared his testimony of getting to know God through spending time in His Word when he was a teenager. I’m encouraged to pursue God with the same passion that came through in his singing and speaking.”
A newly married young man says, “The ministry on Sunday was exactly what I needed, particularly the song, Through, and the message that God will be with us and see us through the difficult seasons of life.”
A lady whose husband is battling cancer writes to say, “We first heard your song, Through, on Alexa (Amazon Music). I then ordered your devotional and [started] a faith based cancer support group. We go Through this disease never alone because of God’s grace. Every time I hear someone has cancer I recommend your song and devotional.”
By the way, if you haven’t yet heard the song, Through, or obtained your copy of the devotional book, Through: the devotional, I encourage you to do so. You will be BLESSED!
Here’s an encouraging word about the book from some dear friends in ministry:
“The book Through is a great devotional not only for the fervent Christian, but as a life coaching tool for all. So many practical principles backed up with powerful scripture references. Written from the heart with a passion to remind others that God is with us “through” it all. What hope! Thank you Shannon! We recommend that you purchase at least two copies, one for yourself and one to share!”
Mark Mosley, Pastor of West Fairfield Baptist Church of High Point & wife, Allison Mosley, Life Coach & Lay Counselor at WFBC
Family News
Kathryn’s dad, James Hostetter, passed away on February 26th at the age of 94. Kathryn spent much of February with him in Pennsylvania while Shannon was touring in Arkansas, Florida, and Alabama. Please keep Kathryn and her siblings in prayer as they process the loss of both parents over the past 9 months. Shannon was privileged to officiate at the graveside services for both of Kathryn’s parents.
In the midst of his touring schedule, Shannon has spent a significant amount of time with his mother in Florida. She was admitted to the hospital on January 3rd with symptoms of a bowel obstruction. After a couple of weeks in the hospital it seemed she was on the road to recovery and went home. However, shortly after, she was readmitted to the hospital and underwent a major abdominal surgery. She was in the hospital for another 3+ weeks. Thankfully, Shannon’s touring schedule had him in Florida a couple of times and he was able to be with her, though he did also have to make a couple of quick flights to be with her during her surgery. Gerry is home and on the road to recovery. Thank you for your prayers on her behalf!
Shannon & Kathryn’s daughter, Victoria, will give them a new granddaughter very soon! She is in her final month of pregnancy, so we appreciate your prayers for a safe delivery.
Partnerships
Monthly Support - Thank you to all of you who partner with SSM financially. We simply could not do what we do without you and quite frankly, we wouldn’t want to! We love being a part of a team of people who are passionate to spread the message of God’s wonderful love and goodness! In response to our end-of-year report and letter, we welcomed some new monthly partners to the team. If the Holy Spirit would lead you to become a part of our SSM Partners, please reach out to us for more information.
In addition to those who give monthly, some prefer to give toward specific projects. Any donations that are designated for specific projects will be used as designated. Here are a few projects that we are working on RIGHT NOW:
Social Media Management - Many of you engage with us via social media so you know what a powerful tool it is. I believe the Holy Spirit can use the medium for us to reach around the world (which is part of the calling I was originally given to “sing His praise to the ends of the earth”)! Quite frankly, I just can’t keep up with managing it all by myself, so I felt led of the Lord to hire a young man to help me. If you would like to help with the cost of this, the current need is $200/month. (Designate gift as “social media”.)
New recordings - I stated in my end-of-year letter that I want to record at least 6 new songs this year, including at least 3 Christmas songs. The cost is approximately $1000/song. If you would like to help with that project, please let me know. (Designate gift as “recording”.)
Transportation/RV Maintenance - As of right now, most of what comes in through our monthly partnerships covers the cost of the RV (monthly payment & insurance). However, from time to time there are maintenance issues that spring up like tires, brakes, and even things inside the RV (it’s like a tiny house on wheels). As you can imagine, when these things need work, it’s expensive. What a blessing it would be to have funds in our transportation account so that we are prepared. (Designate gift as “transportation”.)
You can support Shannon Smith Ministries through a one-time gift or by becoming a monthly ministry partner. Every donation of any size helps me continue sharing the Gospel through music, as well as through the spoken and written word.
Thank you for investing in what God is doing through this ministry!
By mail: make check payable to Shannon Smith Ministries/ACT Intl
Mail check to: ACT Intl, PO Box 1649, Brentwood, TN 37024
Questions? Please call me at 615-212-2200 or email me at office@officialshannonsmith.com
Shannon Smith Ministries is a 501(c)3 non-profit ministry in association with ACT Int’l.
All gifts are completely tax-deductible as allowed by law.
