Comments on: When You First Heard Landon . . .

By: Todd

Todd — Fri, 07 May 2010 23:53:15 +0000

May 7, 2010 was the first time I heard Landon! WOW!! Authentic! Right to my heart. And he never raised his voice!

By: Ivan Benson

Ivan Benson — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:20:04 +0000

I first heard Landon at Union Avenue Church of Christ in Memphis, TN. he spoke with such honesty and transparency that it was astounding. In subsequent years I had the opportunity to hear him, befriend him, correspond with him, and utilitze his work in the Christian high school classes I taught. His lesson on “Failure” literally saved my life 25 years ago. I have quoted him often, but one of my favorites is: “God has great tasks only for those who demonstrated their ability to deal with great failure. The greater the failure, the greater the opportunity for service.”

By: David P Himes

David P Himes — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 20:49:25 +0000

I first heard Landon when he spoke regularly at the Minter Lane Church in Abilene. It was either 1967 or 68.

Lots of his stuff on iTunes for those who asked, just search for “Landon Saunders”

By: Steve Allison

Steve Allison — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 10:04:28 +0000

I first heard Landon sometime in the early 60′s. My earliest memory of him would date to, I think, 1962 when he preached at McDougal, AR before moving on to Corning. My dad held a meeting at McDougal and I recall sitting in the backseat with Dad driving and Landon talking about the personality of someone they were on their way to visit for the purpose of giving them encouragement. There was an intensity and depth in his concern for the person and that grabbed my attention. It taught this 11 year old a lesson in psychology. Experiences and external causes are important to how a person conducts their life and how that interacts with their innate personality. Another memory that surfaces is an area tent meeting somewhere in the Marmaduke or Paragould area about 1967 +/- 1. When I next heard him in my Memphis State days, ’72-74, he had evolved and progressed to a different style and one I found compelling. Unfortunately the last time was probably when he came here to Knoxville where I’ve spent the last 30 years and spoke at the Laurel Avenue CofC in about 1979 or 80.

By: Carol

Carol — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 22:31:14 +0000

I heard Landon speak through a family video series when Jack Reese was the minister at Oak Hills in SA in the early 80s. I will never forget the Johnny Lingo illustration and the 10 cow wife. In my younger years I thought he was James Dobson for a season LOL. I know he taught our church the value of family.

By: GK

GK — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 04:53:14 +0000

I heard Landon first at Jubilee in Nashville sometime in the middle 90s…and those years at Jubilee were also where I first heard you Mike. God has used both of you to make a deep and lasting impact and I’m grateful.

By: jeff robison

jeff robison — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 11:40:48 +0000

I heard landon do a series on cassette from ACU IN THE MID-80′S on the motivations of a minister, the two I remember most were called “THE WILDERNESS” , and the other wass called ” THE WOLF”. While I don’t recall the other two these two still influence my life and ministry today.

By: Stefanni L.

Stefanni L. — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 23:34:24 +0000

Landon spoke in St. Louis at a campaign directed by Stanley Shipp in 1972. His words then, as now, were life-changing.

By: Steve Sr.

Steve Sr. — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:02:53 +0000

Motormouth…I think the end of the song is:

He bled and died, made me a new creation,
He is the One who guides me everyday. (basses go deep at the end) lol

We know a lot of the same people and seem to think alike on some key issues. I would like to continue our dialogue…please leave your email at my website (click on my name).

By: sarah s

sarah s — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:54:49 +0000

1966 or 1967, Youth Forum at Hillcrest church during lectureship at ACC. We stayed afterwards and asked questions one on one. I was about a soph in High School. Quite amazed. I never let anything sit on top of my Bible on my desk again.
Then about 1974 while he was living here in Abilene our study group had him over to the house and we just probed his mind. What an amazing communicator. And how he makes himself available to the average person.

By: Motormouth

Motormouth — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:01:57 +0000

Steve Sr.:
Motormouth is Stan Risener and is my on-air persona.

I am an auto journalist/commentator living in Kansas City. I write car reviews, automotive web sites, produce Dream Cars TV, and occasionally host MOTORMOUTH the radio show.

Of course, I remember many of you, including Brad Stevens, and Steve Awtrey. Many were a special part of my life at a very critical stage. I was in awe at the three girls that shared the house in Webster, Randy Crawford, Dale Lundy and the many Interns that came through St. Louis. I was a Knight with Mike Cope at Harding, and Glen Drysdale was a roommate at SMSU during the “golden years of campus ministry.”

Over the years, I have sat at the feet of Spiritual giants, yet I’m sad to say I seldom publically use these experiences. Much like “Youth is wasted on the young”, “Experience is often wasted on the old,” and I find myself spiritually struggling, searching for what should be.

After writing about it, I couldn’t get the song out of my head. Let’s see if I can get some of the lyrics right from memory.

Where will you be when you get where you’re going.
How can you know if you’ve taken the right way.
Nothing on earth can satisfy your deepest needs
Who can be sure of anything today.
Follow the crowd and lose your identity
Follow yourself and see how weak you are.
Take all the world and still not have anything
Try so hard but peace is still so far.
Alto/soprano
There is someone who knows where I’m going
His name is Jesus, the life the truth the way.
—
Sorry can’t get it all

By: Randy

Randy — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 20:06:48 +0000

I first heard Landon when as a sophomore at Harding, Jerry Jones had the Preaching Methods class listen to the seven tape series on preaching. “The Wolf in the Wilderness” “The Marketplace” — that was great stuff! I admit to not understanding all of it back then, (I listened to them three times), but I was very inspired, that’s for sure!

By: Steve Awtrey

Steve Awtrey — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 04:20:53 +0000

St. Louis is where I heard him for the first time. (ditto to many of the above comments about the St. Louis campaign) His passion for Jesus, his innovative messages, the intrigue from so many teens made it a faith forming experience. I also had my son call me from ACU in 2007 to tell me about this guy who spoke named Landon Saunders. Such wonderful positive memories!

By: Steve Sr.

Steve Sr. — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 19:29:15 +0000

Amen, Motormouth! Who are you?

By: Motormouth

Motormouth — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:09:15 +0000

Like some of you here, I first heard Landon at the Machinist Hall in Suburban St. Louis in the early 1970’s. While both of my grandfathers were pioneer preachers in the churches of Christ, I was veering way off course as a teenager. My brother was in Vietnam and I couldn’t reconcile the militarism of Christians with the message of the Prince of Peace. Many in the church opposed civil rights and the message of “don’t,” became the standard for preachers of the day. Churches split asunder over kitchens, children’s homes and paid preachers. All the while, adolescent hormones, alcohol, weed and KSHE “Real Rock Radio” competed and thrived in my church youth group.
Through the confusion came some voices of clarity. Monday nights sitting on the floor of Stanley Shipp’s house on Ballas Road offered fellowship for the seeker and the simple act of studying the book of John finally made sense. During the 1960’s, Jimmy Allen filled the arena in St. Louis, but by the 1970, only three of the more progressive churches supported, the campaign for Christ. We knocked doors, handed out pamphlets, just like missionaries in Europe, calling all who would listen to hear Landon preach a gentle and powerful message. Landon would begin in a soft almost halting voice, causing even a squirming teenager to hang onto every word. But by the end, for the real point, his voice took on an authority. We were hooked. The message was not a message of “don’t,” but rather themes like, “Where Will You Be When You Get Where You Are Going.” That particular year David Tao wrote a song with that title, that I still remember 35 years later.
These experiences and the message literally saved me from a destructive direction. I went on to Harding and then to Springfield Mo for the Campus ministry program, graduating in 1977.
I will say that there is a real sadness in recalling these times. Because of Landon, Stanley, Jimmy Allen, Prentice, Terry, John Wilson and host of other spiritual giants, I now know too much. I expect the message to be pure, the fellowship to be real and worship to be engaging. I can’t find this anymore. I find churches uncommitted to the Word of God. Militarism continues to be rampant, worship of capitalism trumps concern for the poor and worldly politics are preached in our pulpits. The local tavern has greater fellowship than many congregations while young and old alike are abandoning the church.
The messages of Landon and others have given me great faith in God, but it’s come at a great price. There are times when I believe that ignorance might be bliss.