"You Found Me"-- Interpretations.

Wow...

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.

Music :)

Almost one month.... that's how long it's been since my last blog post.... well, my Dad seems to think I've quit... which I don't do... so partial reason for this post may be to prove him wrong...

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 :)

Faith As Small As A Mustard Seed

Each and every one of you that's reading this should shake your head in diappointment. I've really been bad on writing this new post. I am so sorry. Every time I sat down to write it, I started and then stopped.
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 :)
 

The Storms of Life

I hope you're enjoying my Christmas playlist :)

So, it's time to write about another picture, and I actually have had one planned this time.  I spend a lot of time on twitter if you couldn't tell.  Well, good thing is, I get a lot of inspirations from all the people I follow. So this week, Tiffany Thornton (Actress and singer) tweeted this:

"It is not when times are good that we understand what pure joy is, but in the midst of the storm... that is when we see God's true love for us."

I love that so much, and there are a lot of songs that go along with it real well.
Praise You In This Storm- Casting Crowns
Stay With Me- BarlowGirl
Stand In The Rain- Superchick

So, when I think of this, the thought that pops into my head is a rainbow.  Which is the picture I am using. 

What I think about with all this is that in order to get the beautiful rainbow, a storm has to occur.  I compare this to our life storms also.  In order to get the beautiful end result (rainbow) we have to go through the storm, just like Noah did in Genesis.   Our lives are hard and sometimes we don't know if the rain will ever stop pouring down on us.  But it's in those times, when we feel life is crashing down, that God is holding us.  Because God knows that there is beauty at the end, and to get there, we have to travel through the storm.  Life will not be easy. It's not meant to be, but if we hold our ground, stand in the rain, and walk through the fire then the ending will be like a rainbow, beautiful in every way.  Through those storms or tough times in our life, I think we learn that God is always with us and He won't let us go.

Another quote that Tiffany posted on her twitter soon after said this:


"It's not about telling God how big the storm is, but telling the storm how big our God is."

That rain, thunder, wind, and lightning will never compare to the power of our Perfect God.  God is stronger and bigger than all of those storms in our lives and when we go through them, we realize this.  The rain will continue to pour down, and the thunder will crash, but if we stand strong with the power of God, then the storm will pass, and the rainbow will come. 

I think that this is a really important message, because life really is a storm, a storm that we never think will end. But it's also so reassuring to know that with God, the storm will end, and the rain will stop because He is more powerful and stronger than all of it.  I love that Superchick song because of the lyrics in the chorus. 

"Stand in the rain, stand your ground, stand up when it's all crashing down."

With God, we can do this. We can stand up when the storms are crashing around us, because we have that power and that strength of God with us always.  The ending will come, and it, with all it's magnificent colors will be beautiful.  To get the rainbow, you have to go through the storm. 

*Amy :)

Selena Gomez- 'Kiss And Tell'

So, my blog isn't exactly a "media review" site. (I need to start one of those) But, I read a lot of reviews and after reading one for Selena Gomez's album, I decided to write one myself. I wasn't going to post it, but I guess now I am.  So, here is MY review for Selena's album, 'Kiss And Tell.'

Selena Gomez, ‘Kiss and Tell’

A review by Amy C. Yarick

Disney’s favorite wizard and Barney’s young friend, Selena Gomez has released her very first album, ‘Kiss and Tell.’ When starting her music career, Selena said that she didn’t want to be a solo act. She liked the feeling of the band and grew up with that type of music.  ‘The Scene’ is Selena’s band. The title of the album is called ‘Selena Gomez and The Scene, Kiss and Tell’ but Selena states that later on she would like to change it to just the ‘Scene.’  As another Disney teen girl, obviously most of Selena’s songs center around relationships and boys. That’s what most girls her age sing about.  Even though this is her album, Selena actually only wrote one song, probably my favorite on the whole album.  When talking about this album, Selena usually talks about one main thing and that is the feeling of the music.  In each song, Selena wants you to be able to tap your foot or dance. She wanted it to be empowering and fun for all girls especially, but also something that the parents would like. 

‘Falling Down,’ the first single for ‘Kiss And Tell’ is much like Demi Lovato’s song ‘La La Land.’  ‘Falling Down’ talks about the elastic smiles and plastic faces in Hollywood and what it’s like to live in that environment.  The song that Selena actually wrote herself is called ‘I Won’t Apologize’ and talks about being happy with being you and not pretending.  This shows her heart which says ‘I won’t apologize for who I am.’ In my opinion, this is the single most important message that most teenage girls need to hear.  As a teenager, conforming and changing for other people is something that we always feel we have to do. Through this song’s message we learn against that. We don’t have to change for a guy.  We don’t have to apologize for being who we are.  For the one song that Selena actually wrote the lyrics to, I think it’ a very good message.

One Christian movie review states, “Selena straddles the line between family-friendly entertainer and sensual starlet.”  Yes, she mentions ‘kissing’ in a few of her songs, yes she talks about love. She is a young, teenage girl living in and around Hollywood and Disney. I think the one mistake we make is comparing each of these girls to people like Britney Spears.  We all just assume that because they’re young and in Disney, they’re going to mess up, but that’s not the case for everyone. Selena wanted to create an album that is fun and empowering. In my opinion, she succeeded.   You can dance, you can sing along, and you can nod your head to Selena’s fun songs.  She made every one of her 3 million fans happy, which is what she wanted to do with this album made specifically for them.  In a lot of these reviews I read, people seem to want to pick out all the little things that are wrong, instead of focusing on the person and the music. The way we interpret a lyric may not be the way the writer wrote it.  Sometimes we have to look at the whole picture, the whole person and the whole concept instead of nitpicking at every little word or line of these songs.  Selena thanked Jesus Christ in her album thank you’s. She realizes that without Him, she wouldn’t be here.  Just because she talks about boys in her songs, and just because she wore a shirt that we don’t like or fishnet stockings, doesn’t mean that she’s a “bad” person or a “bad” influence.  Selena is who she is and she knows it. In a recent interview, talking about her body and if she feels uncomfortable with anything, Selena says, “I think God made you who you are, embrace it.”  Selena is an inspiration to many, many girls and guys also.  Instead of trying to look for her imperfections, let’s love this UNICEF ambassador for setting an example and being who she is.  

'Let's Dance'

Sorry, I haven't written in awhile. I will post a new picture soon. Maybe today. But I was just listening to this song like literally a minute ago and the lyrics are really great.  I looked this song up because I liked the tune. It's fun to listen to.  The band is Hawk Nelson. I've heard some of their other songs and I kind of liked them but I was never crazy about them. Anyways, when I read the lyrics to this song, I was surprised at how good they were. It's stuff I talk about all the time. So, I thought I'd post the lyrics and also a link for the song:

'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

'A Beautiful Display'

New blog feature: 'Picture of The Week!'

I've always loved to travel. My whole life, we've gone to many different places and I have been on an airplane many, many times. I've always loved airports, sitting and waiting for your plane to be ready, running around and looking at the souvenir shops, and experiencing the fear of walking through that security. Traveling is just something that I really enjoy doing. It gives me the opportunity to see new places and experience new things. I'm a natural born tourist :)

Anyways, for my first 'picture of the week', I wanted to post a picture of a place that I've never been, but always wanted to go. Actually, there are many places like this. I have a thing for big cities. I love all the lights, bridges and tall buildings. So, out of the many big cities I would love to visit, one of them is Chicago. I found this beautiful picture of it the other day:


This picture got me thinking. When you look at it you see beautiful colors, amazing sky, water, and lots of buildings. I looked at it for awhile and had this thought. We are all kind of like these buildings. By "we," I mean, WE as people. We are all different shapes, sizes, types, and colors but when we come together, we make a beautiful scene. I know I'm taking a lot out of this simple picture, but it's true! This picture is magnificent and beautiful, just like we are as God's children. We all have our own special purpose and design just like these buildings. We're all different, but when we come together, we make this amazing picture.
Tobymac has a new song called 'City On Our Knees.' (Look I'm talking about songs again) This is an amazing song about being one family under Christ and being one special city. There's one line in this song that I particularly love and it says this:

"Tonight’s the night
For the sinners and the saints
Two worlds collide in a beautiful display"

I think that these lyrics just perfectly display what I'm talking about with this picture. This is actually the picture in my head when I listen to this song. We're all so different, just like the buildings in this picture. But none of that matters when we come together and make a beautiful display. We are one city under one King and it's amazing. I love how one incredible picture can relate so well to our lives. Looking at this picture makes me see how amazing we all really are as God's children. We really do make a beautiful display when we stand together. All our differences and faults are forgotten when our worlds collide and we become a city, one city under one King.

"Cause its all love tonight
When we step across the line
We can sail across the sea
To a city with one king
A city on our knees"
-Tobymac (City On Our Knees)

*Amy :)

"Wait and See" by Brandon Heath

Guess what? This is officially the LAST 'Song of The Week' on my blog! It's exciting because now I can start something new! Still not sure what though. I am thinking about 'blog of the week' and 'picture of the week' but I also wanted to do something with music videos, so I'm still not sure. I'll figure it out soon and let you know. My cousin and I are also constantly thinking of new ideas together, like the interview (Which you can read on her blog) and yesterday we came up with some other post ideas, so new things will be coming! Rest assured. :)

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 :)

This Is Who I Am...

Ok, so I have 2 more songs to write! Then, after I finish these two songs, I am going to start a new weekly thing on my blog :) I am not sure what yet, but some of the options include... music video of the week, picture of the week, word of the week, and more. We'll see which one I end up choosing :)

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

"Open My Eyes...."

Ok, I think it might be time to blog some again! Wow, I'm so sorry! I am SO late with this!!!
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!

BarlowGirl:::: "Love And War"

Obviously I am a HUGE BarlowGirl fan. ‘Love and War’ just came out and I have to say, the girls outdid themselves on this album. With meaningful, deep lyrics, and amazing, brilliant music, I was left speechless after listening to each of the full songs. BarlowGirl is known for living their extreme lives on the edge. BarlowGirl has a voice and they use it! Everyone who has heard their music hears their deep passion and longing to change the world. We hear through each of their songs, on all the albums, the amazing love these girls have for God. ‘Love and War’ brought that love and passion to a whole new level. The album focuses on the two extremes that the girls see in their lives. One is war, which is of course their fight to change the world, their fight to start a movement and their fight for LOVE. This is the next extreme on the album, as the girls mentioned that everything we do in this world is for love. With Lauren Barlow’s deep desires, Alyssa Barlow’s beautiful vocals, Rebecca’s Barlow’s amazing harmonies, all the girl’s outstanding musical abilities, and of course, the passion, this album will leave you speechless and smiling with tears falling out of your eyes.

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!

'By Your Side' By Tenth Avenue North

So, it's time to blog about another song, but before I get to that, I just want to inform everyone who cares... about my life. I started college classes on Monday, and they are going good. It's definitely different than of course, what I'm used to but I like it. I am super tired all the time, but a 3 day weekend sure is making up for it :) So, I'm taking English, History, Ethics, and Algebra, and so far, I'm enjoying them all. So there's the school part of my life.

Also, I pre ordered BarlowGirl's new CD, Love & War and as of today it is coming out in 13 days :) So, I am super excited! Also, as far as I know, my family and I will be going to another BarlowGirl concert! This year, on November 13, BarlowGirl is coming to Florida for their Live Superchick/BarlowGirl tour, and we are planning on going, so of course I'm super excited for that!

It's going to be a great end of the year :)

September- BarlowGirl's new CD, October- Close family is coming over! :) November- BarlowGirl Concert! and then of course December-CHRISTMAS!

(To read more about BarlowGirl's new CD and hear song clips, click... *HERE* (Which will lead you to BarlowGirl's fansite) or you can just go to their website. BarlowGirl.com.

So, there's some lovely info about my exciting life. :) Just kidding.

Now, it's time for the song of the week. So, this week I'm choosing 'By Your Side' by Tenth Avenue North. This is a band that actually grew up in my Dad's home town of West Palm Beach, Florida and met at Palm Beach Atlantic, before it even became a university. The band name 'Tenth Avenue North' comes from the name of the street where 2 of the band member's house was located. So anyways, 'By Your Side' was one of their biggest hit songs that hit #1 and stayed there for 3 weeks. It will also be one of the tracks on WOW 2010 coming out this year in October. Read the lyrics *HERE* and watch the music video *HERE*. (If you wish to)

This song is written from God's perspective, talking to us, which sometimes I don't like songs like that, but I really like this one. The chorus of the song says:

I'll be by your side wherever you fall

In the dead of night whenever you call

Please don't fight these hands that are holding you

My hands are holding you

So, lately... well for awhile now, when I talk to God (which is all day, every day) I always tend to say to Him, "Please just hold my hand the whole way." That's what seems to get me through my days. Like, on my way to class this week, I always just asked God to hold my hand the whole way and not let me go. For me, whenever I'm nervous or anything, it's just so reassuring to know that God is by my side and with me all the time. It's reassuring to know that my hand is in His and he will not ever let go, which is exactly what this song is saying. I can't even go on and one about this song or elaborate it anymore. All I can say is exactly what the lyrics say. God is just always with us. Through our dark nights, through our tough times, through the fire, through everything, God is always by our side, holding us. So, when we're dealing with something hard, isn't it just the biggest reassurance to know that God is with us through it all? God is holding our hand the whole time. Whether we're starting school, starting work, dealing with family issues, or whatever, God is there with us as we go through it. His scarred, big, strong hands hold our small, weak ones as we deal with the troubles of this life. Not even just the troubles, God is by our side through the great times in our lives too, since we all know that life isn't all bad. :) God's there through it all, good, bad, easy, hard, he's there, By Our Side, leading us through.

The bridge of the song says:

And I, I love you

And I want you to know

That I, I'll love you

I'll never let you go

I think I've mentioned enough that God loves us SO much, but hey, you want to hear it again? Can you ever hear that enough?! :) My favorite line is the last one. "I'll never let you go."

We can screw up a million times, and completely fall, but God won't let us go. His hand will be in ours even when we fail, and He'll be there to pick us right back up, because He'll never let go of us. We are his children and His love is greater than anything mistake we could make. His strong, powerful hand is there, holding us and ready to pick us up. He will never, ever let go of us... NEVER!

*Amy :)

Broken by Lifehouse

I decided to go ahead and do another song since I've been late every other time :)

So, there's a movie out now called 'The Time Traveler's Wife'

I haven't seen it, but I have seen many trailer and previews for it. The preview that I have seen many times now plays a song called Broken by Lifehouse. Just by listening to the song, I could feel lots of emotion. It's an amazing song and I based that opinion just on hearing it from a commercial and a preview for a movie that I probably wouldn't go see.

So a few days ago, my brother heard the same song on the radio station in the car, and I was like, "I thought it sounded like a 'Christian' song." I said this because we listen to what you can label as 'Christian' radio. So, from that I assumed that this was a 'Christian song' by a 'Christian band.'

Well anyways, yesterday I looked it up and discovered that this is not what we would label as a 'Christian band' but just a normal rock, alternative group. I watched the music video for the song, which you can see *HERE* and read the lyrics, which through my eyes seemed as though they were talking to God. The lyrics, much like the song are very powerful and after researching and reading comments, I found out the story behind the song::: Jason Wade, member of the band had a friend that lived in Nashville who needed a kidney transplant. Wade flew out to Nashville to see his friend while he was in he hospital and when he spoke to him, the chorus of this song is what his friend told him. It was basically his friend's words to God.

Here are the lyrics to the chorus:

I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing
With a broken heart that's still beating
In the pain there is healing
In your name I find meaning

So, here's someone who is at the end of their life, breathing their last breaths, and the only thing that they are holding on to, the only thing that is keeping them alive is God. I love that so much, because it doesn't only have to apply to someone who is at the end of their lives, but it can apply to all of us. No matter what we are going through, it can be a reassurance to us to know that we can always hold on to God, we can always find meaning in His name. Another section in this song says,

I'm hanging on another day
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

More meaningful, powerful words. I think that it is just such an amazing thing to know that through anything we go through and through anything that happens, we can hold on to God, and we can be assured by his words that say we'll be OK. There is nothing else in this whole world that has that reassurance. There is nothing else that we can hold onto with our lives besides God. His hand is holding all of ours.

If you wanted a mental picture, it's kind of like falling off the end of a cliff (popular movie scene). When you look down, the fall is endless and you know you would die, but right when your last finger slips off the edge, a bigger, stronger hand catches you and keeps you from falling. You hold on to that hand with your whole life. It's that same way with God. No matter how hard our lives get, no matter how often we think we're going to fall off the cliff, God always catches us and we can always hold on to Him.

So, that's the message you get from a band that is not labeled "Christian."

*Amy :)

One Word... LOVE

Wow, so it’s been a crazy, crazy, tough week. There are so many songs that could describe this week. One that’s really big on my heart, especially for my family is a song called ‘She Walked Away’ by BarlowGirl, but because of the circumstances, I’m actually going to choose a different song for this week. Besides, haven’t I done enough BarlowGirl songs? Or could there ever be enough? Haha, no, I’ll go ahead and do a song by yet another female artist named Britt Nicole.

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*

And I will post the words to just the chorus:

“You

I'm coming back to

You

The only thing I know worth living for

Will You take this heart and make it more like

You

I give it back to You

It's obvious no one could love me more

I'm Yours

I'm coming back, yeah

I'm coming, coming back”

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,

‘Back to Your love so true and so simple

don’t understate it or complicate it’

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.

*Amy :)

P.S. (This post sounds a little unhappy, I didn't mean to make it sound like that! Haha, this is such a happy, joyous thing!)

'Can We Really Be A Million Voices?'

Ok, so it’s time for another song of the week, and to tie in with this song, I also wanted to just talk about something that I’ve been thinking about.



Of course, BarlowGirl’s new album, ‘Love and War’ is coming out soon (by soon I mean in 50 days) and I’ve been listening to song clips and watching interviews a lot. BarlowGirl is really big on ‘getting out into the world and changing it.’ So just a little while ago, I was thinking about everything they say all the time. Things about this generation being the generation that everyone will remember and things about shaking up this world. A quote from their new album is “getting out of our comfortable walls and getting out into the world.” Most of their new songs center around this same idea.
Anyways, like I said, I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately. This next generation really can change the world. The teenagers of 2009 are so incredibly capable of shaking up this world. 1 Peter 2:9 says, ‘For you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own special people, so that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness and into His marvelous light.’ It’s so true!
So many people look down on us, especially teenagers, because today’s generation is so different, and of course, we’re too young, but when I look at myself and a lot of the people around me, I see something different. The teenagers of this generation are very opinionated and although not many people like to listen, we have so many great ideas and thoughts inside of us that sometimes we never let out.
Teenagers have thoughts, and even though we don’t recognize it, we also have a voice.
The song that I wanted to tie in with this is called ‘Million Voices’ and of course, it’s yet another song by BarlowGirl.
My favorite line in this song says:

‘You were made to start the riot,
Take on the impossible and
We will slay the giants.
We are done with fake religion,
Fighting now to find the movement
Won’t stop til we find it'

Ok, it’s a little more than a line, but these lyrics are powerful and amazing! We really are made to start the riot. God didn’t create us just to sit around while this world crashes around us. God gave us a voice, even us teenagers, even 8 year olds, even the youngest of children. God gave us a voice to speak out! WE can take on the impossible, WE can slay giants, and WE can find the movement!
We were created with a purpose, a purpose to serve God with all that we have. We can let our voice be heard with whatever we do! We can make a difference just by being different. Another line in this song says, ‘Tell me who’d have thought that we would be so controversial and stand against the normal. Are we too outspoken loud and messing with the comfortable…’
WE can stand against the normal. We’re not meant to sit in this comfortable little pew our whole lives. We’re meant to stand out from this world! ‘Fitting in’ is so overrated! Let’s just stand out! Let’s let Christ’s burning passion shine through us… in every single thing we do!

But how can we be silent
when a fire burns inside us
Cause we're a million strong
and getting stronger still
they’ll remember we were here
with a million voices
breaking silence till
they’ll remember we were here

Lauren Barlow (youngest of BarlowGirl) always speaks before this song, and she always says, “You were meant to be the next Joan of Arcs, the next Mother Teresa’s. Who cares what everyone else in this world thinks?” (Watch a video of her amazing speech *HERE*) (Please watch it, it is such an amazing speech and it will change your view.)

She couldn’t be any more right. Who cares what everyone else thinks? I’d rather have a burning passion for God than ‘fit in’ with anyone else in this world. WE can stand out, WE can set ourselves apart from this world, whether we do it through purity, whether we do it by 'not dating' (like BarlowGirl), whether we do it by quitting something that we love, whether we do it by loving all the people around us, whether we do it by leaving the institutional church. You know, it doesn't matter! We can set ourselves apart from this world and do what God is calling us to do. It might not be easy, it might not be fun, but because our God is worth so much more than any worldly thing, it doesn't matter!
WE really are a million voices, no matter what anyone says. It doesn’t matter if everyone tells you ‘you don’t have a voice’ or ‘you’re not good enough.’ You are good enough and you do have a voice! You don’t just have one voice, you have a million! This generation was made to break the silence. We were made to break the silence of all the comfortable Christians around us. Let’s change the world! Let’s get out of this organized, fake, ‘box’ religion. Let’s remove our covers. Let’s be a million voices, and let’s let God’s passion shine through us!

-Amy

(Once again, here is the link for Lauren Barlow's speech. I encourage you to watch it. It is so powerful! CLICK *HERE*)

BarlowGirl 'Beautiful Ending' music video Premiere

I have to post right now because I just watched something that made me cry!
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

Week #13- Lose My Soul by Tobymac

Am I waaaaay to late for another song or what?

I knew when I started, that my song of the week would turn into 'song of the week and 3 days' or 'song of whenever Amy has time and feels like writing about another song'

Ok, maybe that last one was a little too long :) haha.

Well, I'll go ahead and do one now. I think it's about time I do a song by my brother's favorite artist, TobyMac, who much like many artists this year is working on a new album.

Tobymac used to be a member of D.C. Talk until he started his solo career and created a band called 'Diverse City' made up of a very diverse group of people. Toby lives his life speaking out against prejudice and racism. He full knows that God loves everyone just the same, whether we're black, white, yellow, or grey. (That was a line from Toby's song 'Diverse City')

Tobymac not just lives this truth out through his music, but also in his family and his life. Toby and his wife, Amanda had 3 children of their own, and adopted 2. Tobymac is not only an extremely successful, grammy award winning, gold album artist, but a loving, devoting father and family man.

Choosing just one of Tobymac's many great songs is hard, but I think I'll talk about 'Lose My Soul' which also features two other artists, Mandisa, and Kirk Franklin.

Watch the official music video for this song *HERE*

To read the full lyrics to 'Lose My Soul' click *HERE*

I'm also, actually going to post the first verse and the chorus right here, because the lyrics are just so good.

Father God, I am clay in your hands,
Help me to stay that way through all life's demands,
'Cause they chip and they nag and they pull at me,
And every little thing I make up my mind to be,
Like I'm gonna be a daddy whose in the mix,
And I'm gonna be a husband who stays legit,
And I pray that I'm an artist who rises above,
The road that is wide and filled with self love,
Everything that I see draws me,
Though it's only in You that I can truly see that its a feast for the eyes- a low blow to purpose. And I'm a little kid at a three ring circus.

I don't want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul,
Don't wanna walk away, let me hear the people say.
I don't want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul,
Don't wanna walk away, let me hear the people say.

Wow, I for one, love these lyrics! Just to hear an artist sing that or write that, shows their heart. You can feel Toby's feelings as you read or listen to this song.

The world of fame out there, even the Christian music one is filled with... well... self-love.

I truly believe that when Christian artists start out, they go into the industry thinking, "This is for God" I am not doubting that at all, but I also believe that once they get pulled into the business of the whole thing, they might lose sight of God because the new thing in their view is themselves and money. (I'm not saying this is true for all the artists. Most Christian artists have a true passion for God and music... but maybe for some it is.)

Fame is all about your image, not really who YOU are, but who the world wants you to be.

I love the lyric in this song that says, "and I pray that I'm an artist who rises above, a road that is wide and filled with self-love."

Tobymac understands that God is most important. Not his image, not himself, but God. Everything He does is for God. God really is the most important thing in this world. Not just knowing who He is, but our relationship with Him.

We could have every single thing in this world, every electronic, every fan, every CD, DVD, and all the money in this world, but if we don't have God, then we're still left at nothing.

"I don't want to gain the whole world and lose my soul"

If we gain the whole world, but lose God, lose our soul, then what did we really gain?