Many of life's failures are experienced by people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Without Me With You
Song- "Without Me With You" by Audea.
[As if I haven't said it enough] check Audea out at:
http://facebook.com/audeamusic
http://twitter.com/audeamusic
http://reverbnation.com/audea
Enjoy the video and let me know what you think!
(I owe a huge, giant thank you to Eric for sending me the song.)
Sunday, September 4, 2011
How To Feel Alive
This Summer I went down to Tampa twice to see this band perform. Truly some of the most talented guys I have ever had the pleasure of seeing perform and meeting. (Hopefully not the last.) The guys are very sweet, very down-to-earth and extremely incredible musicians. Soon after the first concert I went to, they released *THIS* live practice session video of a song called "How To Feel Alive." I hit replay on the video more than 50 times in the first day. I absolutely love this song. I couldn't help myself and had to make a video to it.
My absolute favorite part of this song is the bridge:
If we could see like the blind man, would it open our eyes?
If we could hear like the deaf, would we listen to the lies?
If we could sing with a mute tongue til the day we die, would we find how to feel alive?
No one writes lyrics quite like these guys. It's something I love about their songs. I think that a lot of the songs can be interpreted differently by different people.
My interpretation is as follows:
I think one of the biggest things we do in life, as humans, is to try and "feel alive." We try to find that one thing that makes us happy and excited to live. We try to find that one thing that gives us a "high" for life. And most of the time, we can't find it in the things we look for it in. It reminds me of getting a new toy when I was little (and still now.) When I first got that new toy I had been waiting for and asking for forever, I was SO happy. I would be completely elated and play with it for hours and hours. I had begged my parents for it for months and years and I would "never need anything else ever again." But then after a few weeks, this new toy would become an old toy and my "high" would be gone. I would normally move on and find something else to beg and hope for.
I think we're the same with life, no matter how old we get. We try to find new things to make us happy and satisfy ourselves. But even when we find those things, after awhile, the feeling we got when we first got them fade away. After awhile, we go back to our same unhappiness and our same dissatisfaction that we had before. Then, we try to find something new. It's a continuous never-ending cycle...
But there is ONE thing that will always make us feel alive, and that is the One who made us alive. We spend so much time trying to find things to give us that alive feeling and that high that we kind of miss the One who is always there to give us that feeling. I think it's those moments when we truly feel and realize the amazing love that God has for us and shows us that we really feel alive. It isn't a temporary high from a material item or a moment of happiness from an exciting event. It's a permanent feeling of overwhelming joy knowing that the God of everything has an unconditional crazy love for us.
If we were blind and couldn't see, God would still make us feel alive. If we were deaf and couldn't hear, God would still make us feel alive. If we were mute and couldn't speak, God would still make us feel alive. If we couldn't hear, see, or talk then would we finally realize that feeling alive doesn't come from possessions, clothes, successes, people, moments, or anything else in this world?
The love that God has deeply embedded into our hearts and the over-powering joy that comes with that love is what gives us that high. Realizing that love will truly show us how to feel alive.
Check out Audea at facebook.com/audeamusic.
Below are pictures I got with the guys at both of the concerts. :)
Jordan, my best friend Alex, Will, me, and Eric :) |
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
"You Found Me"-- Interpretations.
I'm sorry it's been forever. But I have something to say right now that can't wait. What better place than to write is my abandoned blog?
I was at a church youth group tonight, and the pastor spoke about a message, in which he incorporated a song that I know very well. He basically gave the down sides of the song and why he doesn't classify it as a 'Christian' song. I have a strong opinion on this certain topic... so I decided to go ahead and let it out :)
The message tonight was about Job. In a certain passage, [to make this as short and condensed as possible] God gave the devil permission to take away everything that Job had, except for his life. His livestock, his wealth, even his family. When it came down to it, Job did not turn away from God, but instead he praised him, and remained faithful to God.
"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." Job 1:21
The song "You Found Me" by the Fray... was compared to this passage in the bible. It was said that the writer of this song, (lead singer of the band) was quite the opposite of Job.
Only a few lines were looked at tonight, but I will post the full verse and chorus:
I found God on the corner of first and amistad,
Where the west was all but won
All alone, smoking his last cigarette
I said where you've been he said ask anything
Where were you?
When everything was falling apart
When all my days were spent by the telephone
Never ring and all I needed was a call
Never came to the corner of first and amistad
Lost and insecure
You found me you found me
Lying on the floor
Surround me surround me
Why'd you have to wait
Where were you where were you
Just a little late
You found me you found me
I've been calling
For years and years and years and years
And you've never left me messages
Never send me no letters
You've got some kind of nerve
Taking all I want
So, the pastor's interpretation of the song... (in my words, and understanding) is this:
The man who wrote this was not faithful and willing like Job. He blamed and pointed his finger at God. When God took things away from him, he left God and gave up. God is never "late" as the song says... and those last 2 lines "You've got some kind of nerve, taking all I want..." was really wrong... and it showed the personality of the man who wrote it... all of these misconceptions about God basically made this a non Christian song.... Well, I won't get into that label debate.. but I do want to give my interpretation of this song through MY eyes...
Whether we admit it or not, we've all been angry with God. When things don't go right in our lives, he always seems like the person we can blame. We may not always confess to this, but we have all been in that position where we feel like nothing is going right.
The man who wrote this song was at that place in his life. He felt like he had lost everything he had and he felt empty. He felt as thought everything was taken away from him. When he cried out to God, he didn't think God heard him. He was at a point in life where he felt hopeless, even with God.
This song is one of the most honest songs I have ever heard in my life. This man, this songwriter poured his heart into these lyrics. He flat out, openly blamed God and he pointed his finger at God, and he asked God where he was.... but at the end of the chorus and the very end of the song... the final 3 words are always... "You found me."
I think we look at this song in a negative way. We see this as a song that misrepresents our God. Yes, God is always there. And everything happens in His perfect timing. He is never late... and He is never wrong...
but the point of this song wasn't to misrepresent God. This song was an out pour of feelings that showed the struggles of an average human. His whole heart was put into this song and it was completely 100% honest.
The best part of this song is that after all the honesty, and after all the release of anger and sorrow... God found him. God didn't leave him in his misery.. "You found me."
This song reminds me a lot of 'Never Alone' by BarlowGirl.
"I called out with no reply, and I can't feel you by my side."
Once again, these lyrics showed the feelings of Becca, Alyssa, and Lauren at this time in their lives. Of course God is always there! But just because we know that truth, it doesn't mean we always feel it.
In the end, we are never alone... because God will always find us, even at our worst.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Music :)
I have been very fortunate lately to stumble upon some itunes gift cards :) I've read so many messages and heard so many people say that when they go on itunes to buy one song, they end up spending hundreds of dollars. I've always laughed at that... like "Yeah, suurrreee..."
But now.. I understand. I got some itunes money for Christmas and only spend a few dollars on an update for my ipod. I didn't intend to buy songs because I usually buy or receive real CDs... but then I spent a lot of my day with my usual dose of youtube and started to listen to some songs.... kept listening to this song... over and over. Eventually I decided that I could spare 99 cents and buy this song, especially because I was loving it. So, that's how this started.
A few weeks later, and I now own many songs I never intended to buy. So, for those of you spending all of your money on itunes... I understand how you feel. I'm just lucky because once that gift card money is up... I will have to be done :) It's a good thing I don't own a credit card.
So... my other reason for this post was to share some of my latest song obsessions with you.
First of all, Tobymac's new album 'Tonight' came out last month... and my brother and I bought it the day of the release. (Yes, I bought the actual copy not from itunes.) This CD is pretty much the biggest mix of songs on one album I've ever heard. Tobymac's usual rock and rap are of course included on the CD, but there's also a Jamaican style track on here that's really interesting. The songs are incredible, like usual, Toby continues his lyrics in the direction of love and that sense of 'togetherness' that we know him for. The theme of Diverse City continues to run throughout this album and so do others.... My current favorites are 'Tonight' (Featuring John Cooper of Skillet) and 'Hey Devil.' I think 'Hey Devil' attracted me the second I read the track list because 'Devil' is almost a curse word among Christians.... "Christian artists" don't normally put that word in their songs... nevertheless the titles. Well, of course, you can't judge by that. The song is definitely one of my all time favorites and it has a great message as well, as does the whole album.
Now, some single songs I have been addicted to lately:
'Don't You Know You're Beautiful' by Seabird was the song that dragged me into the world of itunes spending. I was in the car with my mom and this song came on. 'Beautiful' is one of my favorite words, so I really liked the song. I wrote down some lyrics and immediately looked it up when I got home. This is definitely one of my favorite songs now and I bought it after listening to it about 50 times on youtube. I had never heard of the band, but I really like the sound of the song, and the lyrics too. It talks a lot about blaming yourself for all of these problems and just completely putting yourself down and making yourself feel worthless. Then the chorus says "Don't you know you're beautiful." And it just captures the way that God sees us compared to the way we sometimes view ourselves.
The next song I downloaded and again became addicted to is 'On and On' by Chasen. I also found this song through the radio. To me, these lyrics are just very powerful...
"Some say we need a miracle. Some say there's no hope at all, but I know that Your love is strong, it goes on and on and on and on. Rise up when it gets us down. We'll be a voice in the blaring crowd, cause we know that Your love will lead us home. It goes on and on and on and on."
I think this song means so much to me because it is really just a good reminder, for me personally. I always write about how much God loves me and how big His love is... but even with that, I'll still forget it a lot of times. I find myself doubting it all the time. I love this song because of the reassurance and truth that it says "Your love is strong, it goes on and on and on..." Just knowing that God's love is so much stronger than anything we could imagine is amazing to me.... and it's really encouraging to hear "on and on and on" over and over :) We can't do anything to lose God's love... it's good to be reminded of that.
Just yesterday, I heard and bought the song 'Safe' by Phil Wickham. I feel like I could have written this song... the lyrics are just basically what I am constantly saying in my mind.
"You will be safe in His arms. You will be safe in His arms.
The hands that hold the world are holding Your heart.
This is the promise He made. He will be with you always.
When everything is falling apart. You will be safe in His arms."
I think that knowing and hearing that I am in God's arms... I can't put into words how good that feels. I love the lyrics "When everything is falling apart" because we always think that. Everything that happens is "the end of the world" and with so much going on in the world, we always feel like everything is crashing down around us... but through the midst of all that, we are still safe in God's arms where He is holding us.
So, there's a few songs....
I will definitely continue to write... I'm not quitting... I'm just lazy :)
I would say I'm busy... but I'm not completely busy, I'm just distracted. :)
Spring Break starts today!
I hope everyone's weeks/days/2010s are going greeeeat!
*Amy :)
Friday, January 8, 2010
Faith As Small As A Mustard Seed
So, I've been thinking about this since before Christmas and hopefully I will finally sit here and finish writing it.
So, a lot of you might know that on May 21st of 2008, Steven Curtis Chapman, Christian artist and musician, lost his five year old daughter when she got accidentally hit by a car and passed away. I remember my mom and I crying when we heard that news back a few years ago. Both Steven and his wife were on Larry King a little while after the incident and I remember the extreme hurt they showed. The pain that was coming through their words. But, I also remember their extreme faith. Steven is still writing songs, he just recently released a new album. His two sons are also successfully making music. The oldest daughter is in Ireland with her husband working. And the other 2 little girls are being homeschooled by their mom.
I cannot even begin to imagine what this family had to be going through at this time. I follow all the members on twitter, and on a lot of days, they still express their pain. Like Christmas without their little girl.... they talk a lot about how she's happy in Heaven with her Heavenly Father right now. Sometimes it's so hard to watch them go through this. I don't know them personally, but through the music and through their blogs, you can hear their pain.... but this family has been such a huge encouragment to me. Their never ending faith is just so incredible. After having 3 children, Steven Chapman and his wife adopted 3 little girls from China. One of these little girls, Maria was the one that passed away. She got hit accidentally by a car that one of her older brothers was driving.
I can't even imagine how each of them must have felt. As a brother, as a sister, and a mom, and as a Dad. I am sure that they must have been angry with God... or even questioned God, like "Why us God?" "Why Maria?" But, even though they may have had this anger in the beginning, they now have a stronger faith than ever before. They know that God took Maria to be home with Him, and they know that she is safe with Him in Heaven. Steven wrote a new song on his new album called "Heaven is The Face." (Click name to watch video) that talks all about his little girl and how he misses so many things about her, but also how he's trusting in God until he sees his little girl's face again.
I think that so many of us would have given up on God in this situation. We would have just thrown it all away and given up. We would have blamed God and been angry at Him for taking away someone we love. What amazes me the most about the Chapman family is their faith and their trust. Their faith in Heaven and their faith that God will carry them through the hard times, and their faith that their little girl is safe in His arms. I can't even begin to think of the sorrow that they were and are going through, especially during the holidays and everything.... but it's that extrmeme faith that I think has brought them through these hard times.
Just the fact that this family didn't give up on God and didn't give up on each other is incredible to me. Sometimes, when something hard or bad happens in our lives, I feel like we get angry and blame God. We question God and we lose our faith, because something went wrong. But from this situation, I see that it's at those hard times in our life that our faith grows stronger. We gain more trust in God, because it's only Him that can take us through those times.
The Chapmans built a huge orphanage in China and named it 'Maria's Big House of Hope' after their little girl. That young 5 year old girl lived a short life, but I'm sure that her experience and her family have changed the hearts of many in the world, including me.
Just like the verse in Matthew, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to the mountain 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
This story makes this verse just speak to me. Just that small amount of faith can really take you through hard times. We can't give up on God. He will lead us through our lives, we just have to trust in Him.
Steven's website: http://stevencurtischapman.com/
Mary Beth Chapman's Blog: http://chapmanchannel.typepad.com/marybeth/
*Amy :)
Saturday, November 14, 2009
My BarlowGirl Experience (A.K.A. Best Night of My Life)
Or... my life. That was the start. Last night, Friday, November 13th I went to Tallahassee, Florida for the last show in the 'BarlowGirl/Superchick Live Tour' and it the word 'amazing' cannot even begin to describe it.
After the meet and greet, my brother, friend, Hannah, and I sat in our seats for a little more than an hour and waited for the show to start. VOTA came out first.
They were amazing. I only knew one song, but they did a great opening show. Not to mention, this just happened to be Prank Night, so we got to see some crazy, funny stuff happen. A guy from Superchick ran on stage and stole the lead singer's microphone stand. He picked someone from the audience to hold his mike up for him. It was great! They were great! Afterwards, my brother Mike got a pretty awesome picture with the lead singer:

Thursday, November 5, 2009
Selena Gomez- 'Kiss And Tell'
Monday, October 26, 2009
'Let's Dance'
'Let's Dance' by Hawk Nelson. Click *HERE* for song.
And here are the lyrics:
They teach us how to talk, they'll teach us how to walk
They'll teach us how to dance just like this
They'll teach us how to dress in nothin' but the best
It's all about success
Why do we fill our heads
With these things that all make no sense
We're no different from the rest
We're all just tryin' to shake this mess
And I don't wanna look inside myself cause
Then I'll have to change somethin' else and
I don't want to live, like someone else I'm
Happy in my skin, bein' myself
Let's dance
They teach us how to roll, make em lots of dough
Money is the god we work for
Keep up with the style, this artificial smile
Will only last a while
I really love the line that says "I don't want to live like someone else. I'm happy in my skin, being myself." I always talk about just being the person that God created you to be and not worrying about what anyone else thinks. This song really describes that perfectly. "This artificial smile will only last awhile." It's true. We can't keep hiding behind our imperfections. We can't keep living behind this fake smile and cover. We are who we are. We don't have to change to gain approval from people. We already have all the approval we need, from God. Nobody can change who we are. That's just the way we were made. Why live our lives constantly changing for the people around us? Let's just be happy in our skin, being ourselves :)
New Picture coming soon, I promise :)
*Amy
Saturday, September 19, 2009
"Wait and See" by Brandon Heath
Now, on with the song! Thinking and thinking and thinking about one last song to do was hard! Again, I wanted to do a new artist... so I decided to do 'Wait And See' by Brandon Heath. I've heard this song a couple of times on the radio, but never really listened to the words until the other day.When I came home from school, my brother ran into my room and started telling me that he had a brand new favorite song of all time. He also wanted me to learn to play the chords to it and stuff. So, I found the chords and have been playing it lately. Anyways, it was this song called 'Wait And See' by Brandon Heath. (Which I recently added to my playlist if you want to listen to it.) But yeah, I figured out why my brother loves it so much, the lyrics are great! It's an awesome song.

You can read all of the lyrics *HERE* and watch the brand new official music video *HERE*
I also found a quote on Brandon's website about the song. It says this:
"'Wait and See' is probably the most autobiographical song I've ever written. But I think that anybody can relate to this song, and be encouraged to know that God has a plan for us, even if we still feel like a failure at times. If we come to know Jesus as our Savior, He is going to change our hearts and lead us into a greater existence other than for ourselves. For me, the last verse of 'Wait and See' is really what my journey is all about, 'now's my time to be a man, follow my heart as far as I can, no telling where I'm ending up tonight.' Most nights, I am in a hotel room and I barely know where I am, but I know that I'm doing what I am supposed to be doing. I just have to wait and see what God is going to do with the rest of the story. I'm encouraged by what He has done already, but I know that the story will continue to unfold and I'll keep learning more about the purpose of my life." -Brandon Heath
I love this song because I think that everyone at one point has looked at their lives and asked God where He is taking them. I've done it and this song is really encouraging because it does remind us that God has a plan and He's not finished with us yet. I think a big majority of our lives is made up of failures and imperfections and people telling us that we're not good enough or that we're not going to make it. And especially if you're a sensitive person or even if you're not, it can really affect you. It's hard to hear from people that you're not good enough. It's hard to hear that you're not going to make it far in life, or you're a failure. And I think that we've all heard something like that before in our lives. It's not easy. We want to know that we're going to be successful, we want to know that we're going to do everything right, but unfortunately our lives aren't going to be perfect. At that point is when the words to this song apply.
"There is hope for me yeah, because God won't forget. All the plans He's made for me. I'll have to wait and see."
I LOVE this line! So many important things and meaningful words packed into this one little part of a song. God has made so many plans for our lives, plans that we don't know and plans that we probably can't even imagine, and they will all develop in His perfect timing. One big lesson in life is patience right? Yeah, that applies nicely here. God has our whole lives planned out for us and He won't forget all the great things He is going to do in each of our lives. We just have to have faith, hope, and patience, while we wait and see. God is going to do extraordinary things in all of us, even if it doesn't seem like it now. We'll just have to wait and see what He is going to do with our lives :)
Another important line in this song says...
"I've seen enough to know that I'm not here for nothing."
I think that especially in teenager's lives, we feel like this a lot of times. We feel like we're just meant for nothing and we feel like we're so useless. But we're NOT! We're all so special and God loves each of us so much that no human on this earth could tell us differently. We are here for a purpose and we have been created for a reason. We may not know what it is yet, but in time, we'll see.
*Amy :)
Sunday, September 13, 2009
This Is Who I Am...
I am also doing an 'artist of the month' on the sidebar. Each month, I will change the artist and you can always click on the picture to go to their website. So, this post will be the second to last song of the week! :)
And for this song, I chose 'This is Who I Am' by Third Day. When choosing songs, I look through my library and now that I'm at 18 songs, I've done a song by almost all of my favorite artists. But the problem is that I could just talk about 40 songs from one artist, so in order to keep some diversity, I searched for a song that was by a band I haven't used yet.
So, this song is 'This Is Who I Am' and it's by Third Day, which is a band that's been around since 1991, before I was even alive and they are still amazing. They've won Gospel Music awards, 3 grammys, American music awards and they've had 6 gold and 2 platinum albums... PLUS they all have families. I have seen them in concert live twice now and they put on a heck of a show, it's a lot of fun to watch and be a part of. They kind of have a country sound to their music, but they make it better, because I hate country music, but I love them!

Anyways, this song is awesome! For awhile, it was my brother's absolute favorite song of all time, even though it's not his favorite band, so that's pretty cool. It's a short song but the music is great, and if you know the words, you'll sing along. The lyrics are pretty awesome too.
Read all of the lyrics and listen to the song... *HERE*
So, both of the verses state who the singer is...
"I'm a son of a good man, I'm the child of an angel, I'm the lover of a beauty, and I'm lookin' for direction...."
Then, we move into the chorus:
This is who I am
This is who I am
So take me and make me something so much more
This is who I am
This is who I am
So change me and make me someone better than before
Ok, so this song is amazing. I love how the lyrics just simply state 'This is who I am.' I'm not trying to be anything else, but myself. This is who I am and this is who God created me to be. I struggle with this a lot. I pay so much attention to celebrities and bands and actors and everything, that I find myself getting so jealous. Sometimes I just want to be famous, I want to be something so much more than myself. But then I stop and realize that God made me for a reason, God made me special and even though I may not see it, it's true. So for me, the simple lyric of 'This Is Who I Am' means a lot, because it reminds me that I am who I am and that's good enough.
Then, the lyrics add to that and say, 'take me and make me something so much more.' Now, this isn't changing the original meaning of the song. I'm still who I am, but I'm asking God to change me everyday. We're so special the way we are, because that's how God made us, but that doesn't mean that we can't change or improve every day to be more like Him. Each and every day, we can grow in Christ. We'll still be "US" but we'll be changing each and every day through Christ. I realize that my life is special. I am important because God created me in His very image, but I'm not perfect, and as each day progresses, and my relationship with my father gets stronger, I change. I am still ME but I grow in Christ and I change to be more like Him. It's such an incredible thing.
The bridge of this songs says...
Take me as I am But please don't leave me that way 'Cause I know that you can make me better than I am today
God will always take us... in fact He's already taken us. He's taken each and every one of us into His loving arms. And He has taken us exactly as we are... broken, helpless, whatever we are, God has taken us as we are. But He won't leave us that way, because like I said, each day as we live our lives with Christ, he changes us, and He will continue to do so, because we'll never be perfect. But, we will always be one step ahead of where we were yesterday. We will always be growing in Christ, every second of every day. God is continually working in us and making us better than we were the previous day. He's not changing who WE ARE, but He's changing our lives through Him... and He will always change us for the better.
So, This is who I am, but every day I am changing to become more like Christ.
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
2 Peter 3:18
Thursday, September 10, 2009
"Open My Eyes...."
I really need to do another song, so I will do that now. But before I do, I want to share THIS link. This is a Joyce Meyer TV episode featuring a story on Rebecca Barlow (from BarlowGirl's) eating disorder. I encourage you to watch the video. When you click on the link, make sure you watch the video dated 09-9-2009 and you can skip to about 1:45 to see where they come on. There is a lot of talking from both Becca and also her family. The girls' parents are so nice, and it's cool to hear their input on their daughters' lives. So, if you have about 9 minutes of spare time, then I would encourage you to watch that. It's a very good video, it made me cry :) Again, click *HERE*
So, now I think maybe I should talk about another song... I'm only WAY too late!
Now, I really want to do a song of BarlowGirl's new album, Love & War, but of course, I've already done like 3 BarlowGirl songs, so I think it'd be better if I did a song by a band that I have not yet done. (But either way, check out BarlowGirl's new album, Love & War, in stores now!)
This band is Stellar Kart, and the song is called 'Eyes'

Read the lyrics *HERE*
This a really cool band. A lot of their songs are very 'fun' but they also have very good meanings. They have released 3 albums and are working on their 4th right now, set to release this month!
Anyways, this song talks about seeing the world and everything around us the way that God does. The first verse talks about seeing everything as 'cloudy' or 'grey' and trying so hard to find sunlight through pouring rain. And this song is so true. Especially when we are going through tough times or hardships, we just kind of see everything in a negative way. We just look around us and see all black and all fog. We feel like no good will every come and we'll never make it out of those tough times. But, while we are going through that, we forget that the sun is still shining and we forget to see everything as God sees it. The chorus of this song says this:
Open my eyes
I wanna see what you see
Beyond these beautiful lies
Open my eyes
To find what lasts forever
Look to the soul that's inside
Open my eyes
We so often swarm our lives with all these things that we truly forget to just open our eyes and see everything in a different way. This world really isn't all bad, even if it seems that way, and if we open our eyes and look past all the lies then maybe we can see that. I catch myself doing this all the time. I always complain about everything that's going on. I am the master of complaining! My house isn't big enough, my hair isn't long enough, our car is too old, you name it! I always complain about all the things in my life and I forget about all of the beauty and all of the good things in life. Wouldn't it just be amazing to see everything the way God sees it? "I wanna see what you see..." Wow, that would be so cool! I always have to remind myself to open my eyes and see the positive things in life and that's so important. There is so much light in this world and the sun shines so bright every day, but we have to look at it! When we open our eyes and look at the world and our lives in a different way, we actually become happier and more pleased with everything because we see so many amazing things. We'll still have our 'dark, gloomy' moments, but when we remember to just open our eyes and see the light, it will all change.
*Amy :)

Spread the optimism and happiness!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
BarlowGirl:::: "Love And War"
The album opens with an upbeat, lively song called ‘Come Alive.’ This song is almost like a newer version of ‘Million Voices’ which we heard on the other album. With lines like “Break down the doors of our comfortable room, tear down the walls we never could see through” and “we fight for love and we live to die,” this song wants to make you get out and do something. “Come Alive” is a perfect opening to the album as it expresses the Barlow’s extreme passion for God.
The second track on the album is much like the first song, in rising up. This song’s lyrics express the girl’s passion, yet again, but in a new form. With lyrics like these: “We will open heavens, we will start the flame. All the earth will shake now, as we scream your name.”
BarlowGirl knows about spreading the love of God among many people, because they do this every time they step foot on stage. The bridge of this song will cause you to close your eyes and sing along as the music slows down, singing ‘Hallelujah’ multiple times.
Hit single, ‘Beautiful Ending’ is the 3rd track on the album. Many of us are already familiar with this song as it was the first single and also the music video for ‘Love and War.’ BarlowGirl has seen many people, who began their lives doing a ministry for God, but through it all, lost God. BarlowGirl’s expresses their desire to stay with God through this whole journey. “At the end of it all, I want to be in your arms” says the extremely powerful bridge. Becca Barlow also mentioned in an interview that this song is appealing to a lot of fathers. In a time of the economy breaking down, many people are losing their job, and see this song as a comfort through tough times like that. Becca mentions her happiness in this because it makes the girls realize what a variety of audiences their music reaches.
Track number 4 is a very personal song and a song whose lyrics are extremely amazing. ‘Stay with Me’ talks about an experience that one of the girls went through while writing this album. She mentions that she had a very tough time with the busyness of the industry and didn’t see where God was leading her. She even considered just quitting it all. The lyrics say this: “my steps never felt so hard. The end never looked so far. If you won't take me out then please take me through this.” Alyssa shows her struggles through this song, and explains how God showed her that this is not forever and He will guide her through it, because He does have a plan for the rest of their lives. Another very powerful bridge says this: “With you here I know I don't go alone. I am yours and so through the fire I go....” We all go through fires in our life, but for God, we can do it, and with God we can do it because we’re not alone.
Track number 5 on this album is an amazing love song between the girls and God. ‘Our Worlds Collide’ will leave a smile on your face as it expresses God’s amazing love in each of our lives. With loving lyrics like these, “Our worlds collide, I'm lost in time, heaven kisses me tonight. Your heart with mine, it beats in time and I know why I am alive.”
This song makes me smile so big as I feel God’s love through the words.
Track number 6 is another beautiful love song, titled ‘Love Is Marching.’ This song talks both about fighting throughout our lives, and also about love. This song defines clearly how everything we do is for love. “And every one will pass. So when we breathe our last...... can we say we have lived for more and did we live to die for la la la love” This song has beautiful music and the lyrics show yet more passion.
Track number 7 is more upbeat than the last few and one of my favorites. ‘Running Out Of Time’ is all about letting this world hear our voice. This track tells us that time is short and we have to make a difference while we can, because we are running out of time. This song is very powerful and fun to listen to. We don’t have to be scared to make a difference in this world. “That this is a war so pick your side. It’s time to move not time to hide. Don't let lies make up your mind, cause can't you see, were running out of time.”
Track number 8 is the biggest rock song on the album and also the one whose lyrics have a very big impact on my life personally. “Time for you to go” is definitely one of my all time favorites of this album as it talks about the addictions of this world, especially in media. This song will make you sing along and tap your foot with its upbeat music and amazing lyrics. ‘Time for You to Go’ expresses all the things in this world that we get so easily addicted to, including the lies in this media. It talks about other people telling us what to think , and other people deciding what we do, until we’re so sucked in that we can’t think for ourselves. Wow, these lyrics are amazing. Part of the chorus says “No more wasting my life on these world’s addictions. Time for me to take you down from your place. I am letting go, it’s time for you to go.”
The song gets even better when it slows down for the amazing bridge. “We’re missing out on his voice. We’ve traded God for ashes. We got to think for ourselves. Where’s our passion?”
This song makes us really think, and I love it!
After the amazing rock song, the album slows back down for another beautiful love song. ‘Sing Me A love Song’ may make tears fall from your eyes from the gorgeous music or the astounding, loving lyrics between you and God. “And sing me a love song again; say the words that heal my heart. Sing me your love song and then. Let your words remind me who I am.”
Just thinking about God singing a love song to you is just amazing. The pre chorus says. “Will you please hold me?” This is my favorite line ever. God is holding all of us and it is the most amazing feeling to know that God is always there holding us in His loving arms. During this, he’s singing us a love song. One word for this song… WOW!”
The most emotional and softest song on the album is track number 10, ‘Tears Fall.’ BarlowGirl mentioned this being the most challenging song to write. This song focuses on the girl’s pro life stance in life and talks about a view of abortion. BarlowGirl brought in a choir and many different musical styles for this song and very deeply expressed their views with lyrics like these: “may our tears fall down. Let them soften this ground. May our hearts be found. God forgive us now.” This song WILL make your tears fall.
This absolutely amazing album ends with a fun, upbeat song called ‘Hello Sunshine.’ I actually heard, just today that this song is about the sunshine in Florida. BarlowGirl loves to visit here and go to the beach, so that’s where the inspiration came from. This song talks about being so busy in life that we forget to just feel the sunshine on us. We get so preoccupied in everything we do; we forget the smallest, most obvious joys in life. Chorus: “Oooh my lovely, shining for me. Let my eyes see all the beauty.” The song ends with a minute of instrumentals that are amazing and will leave your face with a smile as they slowly fade out.
There you go, definitely the best album BarlowGirl has ever created, when we thought they couldn’t get any better. With the musical styling’s that cannot be described in words, and the extreme passion in all of the lyrics, we have heard yet another chapter of these amazing girls lives. Their music causes me to think about things in my life, and this album has really been the most personal to me. The beautiful love songs are amazing, and the upbeat, ‘war’ songs are awesome. BarlowGirl outdid themselves on this album, and I am going to listen to it over and over.
Listen to the full album at barlowgirl.com.
See 'Beautiful Ending' music video (AMAZING) *HERE*
Read all the powerful, passionate lyrics *HERE*
Thank you Becca, Alyssa, and Lauren Barlow for creating this amazing album that I am sure will change many lives. You 3 are so wonderful and this is these are the absolute best songs I have heard my whole life, from anyone!
No one word can describe 'Love And War,' but 3 come to mind: Amazing, Passionate, Life-changing.
*Amy :)
Support BarlowGirl and buy their new album 'Love And War' in stores on September 8th!
Thursday, August 27, 2009
'By Your Side' By Tenth Avenue North

Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Broken by Lifehouse
With a broken heart that's still beating
In the pain there is healing
In your name I find meaning
Just to see what you will throw my way
And I'm hanging on to the words you say
You said that I would, would be ok
Saturday, August 15, 2009
One Word... LOVE
So, today my Dad talked a lot about relationships. Not our relationships with each other but God’s relationship with us. Sometimes we find ourselves doing all these crazy things to get God’s “acceptance” or to "find" God’s love, or to gain something, but maybe in reality all God wants is US! He just wants a relationship with us. It doesn’t have to revolve around anything and we don’t have to do anything for it. So, I was thinking and looking for a song to describe what he was saying. A few came through my ahead like ‘Psalm 73’ by BarlowGirl, ‘Love Is Here’ by Tenth Avenue North, and many more, now that I think of it, but I will choose ‘You’ by Britt Nicole because I haven’t done one of her songs yet.
Read the lyrics to this whole song *HERE*
So, I chose this song, because it talks about really just the love that God has for us. I say it all the time but when my dad mentioned the relationship thing, I realized it’s more than just saying ‘Ok, God loves me’ but it’s really knowing that we don’t have to do anything for our relationship with God. God doesn’t need us to go to Vacation Bible School every day every year, or read the whole bible in a year, or have perfect attendance in Sunday school. God doesn’t need us to do anything for His love. God doesn’t need us to do anything for our relationship with Him. We don’t have to plead God every day to love us because He already does and nothing could change that. Not one single thing that we do in the world could change the love that God has for us, no matter how often we screw up, God will always love us the same way. God doesn’t need us to do all these things because all He wants is us, the exact way we are. All he wants is a relationship with us. I like the line in this song that says “It’s obvious no one could love me more.” Nobody in this whole entire world could measure up to the love that God has for us. Nobody’s love in this whole entire world is worth as much as God’s love. God really is the only thing worth living for, God‘s love is the one and only perfect love. There’s another line in this song that says,
God’s love is so deep, yet so simple. There is nothing complicated about having a relationship with our Holy Father. Why complicate it? Why make such a big deal about it? God’s love is perfect, real, true, and amazing. We cannot change the overwhelming love God has for us and we will never be able to escape it… ever! My Dad’s main point and mine also in this post is that there is nothing we have to do to make ourselves worthy of God’s love, there is nothing we have to do for God. God doesn’t want anything from us but a relationship. A relationship based only on one thing and that of course is his Love.

Saturday, July 25, 2009
BarlowGirl 'Beautiful Ending' music video Premiere
Someone from youtube sent me the premiere of BarlowGirl’s new music video for their new album in September, Love and War.
The song is ‘Beautiful Ending’ and the music video is the best music video of all time!
This is the link…http://new.music.yahoo.com/videos/premieres/ Click on it!!!!!!!!!
Go watch it NOW!!! It is just beautiful.
Wow, now I really cannot wait for September!
Absolutely Amazing!
-Amy