Gospel Music Association award winners Selah will present a concert Friday, Oct. 23, at 7:30 p.m. in Broad River Electric Auditorium. The trio, composed of Allan Hall, Amy Perry and Todd Smith, will be joined by Avalon. Combined the two groups have 28 number one radio singles, 11 Dove Awards, and have sold nearly five millions albums. They will be singing their beloved classics as well as songs from their new releases. Many are spent in thought, pondering what life has in store right around the corner. Meanwhile, countless others are spent in praise and adulation, a reward for the deeds of others as well as God's guidance and provision.

No matter what it may be, there's always a good time to selah — a word commonly used in the Hebrew Bible, particularly Psalms, instructing readers to "think about it" or "praise the Lord."

For local residents, the opportunity to "praise" God and "think about" all the good things He has done will occur all at once as Christian recording group Selah visits Gaffney Oct. 23 as part of a tour that takes the band up the eastern seaboard and into portions of the Midwest. The tour, which began last weekend in Mobile, Ala., will also feature well-known Christian group Avalon.

Winners of five Gospel Music Association (GMA) Music Awards, Selah currently consists of Todd Smith, Allan Hall and Amy Perry, who replaced Smith's sister, former band member Nicol Sponberg, who left the group in 2004 to pursue a career as a solo artist.

Following a similar path as other recording artists, the group was formed somewhat by accident – or as Smith put it, “in God’s timing.”

"Basically I was in need of help with praise and worship at church, and was able to find Allan," Smith said. "We went to school together already and were able to spend a lot of time together. It eventually turned into a concert, then a CD with a third member — my sister — being written into the music."

Choosing a name for the group would be just as difficult, only decided after employing the help of one of Hall’s friends.

“One of Allan’s friends actually saw the word ‘selah’ in a comic book,” Smith said. “At first, it felt a little feminine, but after seeing it in Psalms and finding out how it’s said and what it means, ‘Selah’ really reflects our music; it definitely has a message.”

Selah has seven albums to its credit, including the recently released "You Deliver Me." According to Smith, listeners will get a glimpse into the group’s personal lives.

“A lot has happened to our group in the past year; me and my wife lost a child, and my sister lost a son as well,” Smith said. “We never truly understand why these tragedies happen. But we do know that God has been good to us, consistent and faithful no matter the circumstances.

“We poured a lot of those emotions into this CD, writing songs from a more personal perspective, speaking of the grief but also the hope we have in Christ.”

The group has also covered songs like Secret Garden's "You Raise Me Up and "Bless the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts.

"The purpose of our music is to get people to reflect on their lives and praise God for the blessings He has given," Smith said. "All of our music has a purpose, and definitely has a message."

In addition to their music careers, the members of Selah do mission work around the world, doing their part to make a difference in people’s lives.

“Each of us have something that we’re passionate about,” Smith said. “Our job is not to show we’re better than them, it is to love and them, invest in them and love on them. Sometimes being able to ‘love thy neighbor as thyself' is not a clean job; you sometimes have to get out of your comfort zone and get dirty.”

Being an award-winning group can tend to be burdensome, always having to deal with the raised expectations of the media and fans.

“That’s one of the biggest things; expectations and how you’re going to deal with them or overcome the possible disappointment of not meeting them,” Smith said. “It’s all about being confident in what you do and the belief that it will be received by your audience.”

The concert will take place Oct. 23 at the Broad River Electric Cooperative Auditorium. Festivities begin at 6:30 p.m.

Admission is $10. For more information, call (864) 489-1604.