“Thoroughfares & Crossroads” is the debut CD from Brent Smith, a Minister of Encouragement who has been described as "the Singing Preacher." Brent has been a Pastor and Music Minister for 16 years, and each of the 11 tracks on this CD is an original piece that is rooted in the joy and pain of Brent’s personal walk with God during that time. “Thoroughfares & Crossroads” is a testimony that, through heartache as well as happiness, God is a faithful and true Friend and Companion. Brent Smith’s “Thoroughfares and Crossroads” CD is, in part, a celebration of youth. “Let Them Glow as they Grow” was written for Hardin, Montana’s Big Horn Christian Academy, and was adopted as their theme song. It is a reminder for us to “train up a child in the way he should go” (Proverbs 22:6). “Pass Through His Hands” encourages us that God is able to take even the smallest sacrifice given by the smallest of hands, and to make it worth more than we ever thought possible for the work of His Kingdom. While some of the tracks on the CD celebrate young life, others serve to remind us of those whose lives on earth have ended. “I Saw the Lord in You” was written to be performed at the memorial service of a Korean War veteran who passed away only eight days after Brent led him to the Lord. “I Am Here” is dedicated to a young college graduate who was killed by a drunk driver following a football game. “When I met her parents at the funeral home,” Brent says, “the first thing I noticed was their strength. I looked around me at the faces of the heartbroken people who were there to say goodbye, and saw utter hopelessness in their eyes. And yet her parents were so obviously relying on a strength that was not their own. God’s message for us is that He is here. That’s the message of this song of hope that was born right there in the midst of despair.” Brent Smith’s “Thoroughfares & Crossroads” CD is a CD with range, and we don’t simply mean the wide vocal range of the artist. The tracks on the CD range from songs of inspiration to songs of instruction; from songs that communicate our love for God to songs that inspire us to communicate God’s love for others; from songs that reminisce about the past to songs that give hope for the future. This CD will serve as a valuable source of encouragement, whether the listener needs to be uplifted or to rejoice in the hope and strength that God has given. Brent Smith lives with his wife and their two children in Springfield, Missouri. He is available to bring his ministry of encouragement to churches on a love offering basis plus minimal travel expenses. If you would like to have him come for a concert, rally, revival, crusade, banquet, etc., please see his website, www.BrentSmith.com, for information.