Beyond Grace PRAISE HIM ANYWAY!
Turning heads with a simple message of victory through Christ
By John Herndon Deanna Boone’s formula for a happy life is very simple ... praise God in everything and have fun doing so. When Boone and her son, Matthew Armstrong, take the stage as Beyond Grace, it’s obvious that the duo is having a ball while praising God. “As my mamaw always said, ‘Praise Him anyway,’” Boone says with an enthusiasm that girds every song Beyond Grace sings. “Regardless of what you are going through, praise him.” Boone and Armstrong had been singing individually for some time and as a duet occasionally at weddings, funerals or other special occasions. However, Boone’s husband suggested that the duo get together more often. “After much prayer, we spoke to Matthew and decided to move forward with a group,” Boone says. “We have both had solo careers for many years. Both of us started singing at the age of five. Singing is what we do. We are blessed to sing for the Lord. There’s no better honor.” It’s not always easy juggling day jobs and singing engagements. Boone lives near Bloomfield, Kentucky, where she works as an account service manager for Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield. . Armstrong, however, has his own career with PPG Paints in the Cincinnati area and works evenings with his disc-jockey business,
Karaoke Junction, working weddings, birthdays and other events. So far, things have worked out. Beyond Grace sings at every possible opportunity and was asked to open for the Old Time Preachers Quartet at Sand Spring Baptist Church – which is located near Lawrenceburg, Kentucky – in March. Included in the set was a cover of David Will’s classic, “Jesus Never Fails.” The nearcapacity crowd responded with a standing ovation. Boone says the song has become something of a signature song for Beyond Grace. “We love that song, and it is a true statement that Jesus never fails,” Boone says. “He is always with us, even when we do not feel him. He never leaves us, ever.” She knows from first-hand experience. “I had a massive stroke when I was 20 years old,” Boone says. “The doctors told me I would not walk, talk or sing again. I wrote them a note that said, ‘God is not finished with me yet,’ and from that moment on, I worked so hard to walk, talk and sing again. I turned 21 in a wheelchair and sang for the very first time.” She recalls that the song was “Never Thirst Again.”
