Birmingham couple finds ministry outlet in music

Twenty-four years in production is how one might describe “Guard My Heart,” the newly released CD by Michael and Linda Adler. Michael Adler has been minister of music and worship at Shades Mountain Baptist Church, Vestavia Hills, in Birmingham Baptist Association since 2001.
   
The recording process is not new to the Adlers but being the focus of the project is. The couple has recorded as members of Truth and alongside Christian music giants such as Sandi Patti, Day of Discovery, Dennis Jernigan and others. They’ve participated in countless church recordings as well. But when asked, “Do you have a record of just the two of you?,” they had to answer no.
   
After 24 years of leading worship and performing together in a partnership of ministry, the Adlers felt the time was right for a duet project.
   
“God has blessed us with a broadened platform as we are now contracted with LifeWay to serve as worship leaders for their Festivals of Marriage conferences, and now it is finally time for us to broaden our ministry by producing a CD,” he explained.
   
Linda Adler described “Guard My Heart” as an “eclectic mix” designed “to minister to people in their everyday lives.” The CD includes 11 songs of various styles including a touch of bluegrass, gospel, classical and pop. She said their cover of Nichole Nordeman’s “Gratitude” has especially spoken to her heart in the wake of hurricanes that devastated the Gulf Coast.
   
The couple wrote three songs on the CD. Michael Adler described how “Ten Again” came about. “One of my quiet places in life is as I’m mowing the lawn. One day, not long ago, I was deep in thought pushing the mower up an incline, and our 9-year-old, Jake, came up to me and mouthed that he had something to tell me. He was so excited about a new bug he, his brother and friends had found. I smiled, took in the wonder of the new bug and watched them run back to explore more unknown worlds. ‘Ten Again’ was born in my mind at that moment. The lyrics and melody poured out of me over a two-week period, and Linda added some beautiful melodic ideas.”
   
The Shades Mountain Baptist Church Worship Choir is also featured on three songs. While the Adlers traveled to Nashville to record at Dick and Mel Tunney’s Dream in Color Studios, the Shades Mountain Baptist choir recorded in the comfort of home in the church’s new music suite. Michael Adler described the choir “as the most faithful and consistent group of singers we have ever worked with.” The CD had its debut Oct. 9 as Michael and Linda Adler and the choir shared selections during the morning worship services. 
   
The couple is also looking forward to the new opportunities brought by LifeWay’s Festivals of Marriage. The Adlers will lead worship at four conferences over the next six months. “While we’re still doing music, it will be a different kind of ministry for us,” Linda Adler noted, adding that she looks forward to future opportunities where she and her husband can share insights from their marriage in workshop settings. 
   
Michael Adler, a Minneapolis native, and Linda Adler, a Phoenix native, met somewhere in the middle of those two distant cities when they both attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla. He recalled that they were paired up on the Oral Roberts television show because they were the two shortest cast members.
   
That pairing turned into a marriage that has lasted 23 years and produced four sons, Luke, Chris, Jake and Brady.
   
For more information, visit www.adlerworshipministries.com.