Many songs compromise the soundtrack of my life for 2010 but this one tops the list.  In fact, the album this is found on, MercyMe The Generous Mr. Lovewell, is my album pick for the year.  So timely and so powerful in its message and ministry to me personally. I've pretty much been crawling along the past year but I've always kept my direction pointed toward God for he is my strength and song.  Back To You

HOLY SMOKES!!  I love love love this song!  Thanks to my Emmy for introducing me to this song and to Train.  I haven't listened to them before!  If my hub and I ever renew our vows we are playing this song as one of the ceremony tunes.  What a great declaration of commitment and love.  I love the line, "You'll wear white and I'll wear out the words I love you."  Oh man.  What a great song!  It makes me think of my hub.  He wears out the words, "I love you"!  And I should probably quit dismissing them every time he says them and let him continue to speak it over me as much as he can!  :)  And maybe I should start saying the words a little more and try to wear them out with him!  He also is constantly telling me I'm beautiful and I dismiss those words way too easily.  So thanks Emmy for the song, I'm convicted by it!  I gotta start believing my hub's words to me a little more! :)  I LOVE THIS SONG!!  Marry Me (this is so great! It is a surp

I've been thinking a lot about this very question lately.  What if I'm wrong?  What if "you" are wrong?  I was just talking with a friend today about the decision to accept Christ and his word.  Anyone who tries to intellectualize it, tries to get a grasp on all of it, tries to define it by logic will ultimately walk away from God.  A life with God is so much more than logic and endlessly searching for answers to questions that you don't really need to know the answers to.  A life with God is about leaping, with eyes closed, and being caught with arms of love.  Love is never totally logical, it requires faith and faith requires trust.  Christ should not be over-thought, he is so much more simple than this world makes him out to be.  I've thought through my "what if's", have "you" bothered to think through yours?  Because what if "you" are wrong?  What then?  What If

Almost 20 years ago at a Christmas party a white elephant gift exchange occurred and the hot gift to get was a Bee Gees vinyl album of "Stayin' Alive".  This is dedicated to you, CSCS Class of '92!  And hey, anyone still in possession of that album?  :)  Stayin' Alive

Emily Dickinson said, " “Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without words, and never stops at all.” Sometimes all we have is hope to cling to.  With hope we can realize that we are not alone, we are held fast by the one who created us.  When we lose hope we lose a vital part of life, we lose what will get us up everyday.  I hope and pray that you have hope and that it has found a resting place in your soul.  Hope Now

Without fail this song leads me back to Sundays in Baptist church and my Dad belting out this song.  I can literally hear him singing it no matter who else is singing it.  I love this song.  As a kid I endured this song (as I believe all kids did when there were more than 2 verses, haha!) and as an adult I get this song.  I appreciate the hearts that wrote it and were expressing love for the Lord.  You cannot write a song about the victorious Christ until you have experienced the victory of Christ in your own life.  And when you experience that victory you have to express it, you cannot contain it.  Crown Him with Many Crowns (Maranatha Singers) Crown Him with Many Crowns (Robin Mark) Crown Him with Many Crowns (Harvest Bible Chapel - updated arrangement)

Happy Birthday Jesus! While history shows that the birth of Jesus was actually more around October, December is the month that was chosen to celebrate it so I'll stick with it and say Happy Birthday Jesus!  :)  Ever since we heard this song a few years back our family has loved it.  It's just...perfect.  Maybe it's the kids singing it, maybe it's the simplicity of it, but for me I think it is because of the message.  And while, as a friend pointed out to me recently, the celebration of Christmas has become more cultural than spiritual it doesn't mean that we should just throw our hands up in the air, go with the flow of society, and forget about why we celebrate the birth of Jesus.  We celebrate his birth which led to his life lived out fully for us to end in taking on the payment for our sins.  Without his birth there would be no death and we wouldn't have the option of eternal life.   So, Happy Birthday Jesus, we celebrate you in thankfulness for what yo

In honor of my seester's birthday today I am featuring one of her top 3 favorite songs of all time!  She also loves Bridge over Troubled Water and One but I loved that she also has an instrumental in her line-up!  I appreciate artists who keep the integrity of the piece while putting their own interpretation on it.  George Winston has done that with this piece by Pachelbel.  From the first notes you know the song and it is a comfort in its familiarity but you are taken on a bit of a pleasant side trip with Winston's variations.  My imagination has run "wild" and I can see myself, perhaps my seester has done this, walking down the crowded and busy NYC streets (where she lives) with this playing on her iPod and transporting her through the crowds with hardly a glance their way as the music clears the path.  Happy birthday Rebecca!  Variations on the Canon by Pachelbel by George Winston

On November 12, 2008 my lifelong bestie, Sarah, was diagnosed with Stage 3 Pancreatic Cancer.  On December 23, 2008 she peacefully and quietly passed away.  She left behind a husband and 3 young girls, a family and many many friends.  The only way I think any of us get through each day without her is because of the Hope that we all shared, Jesus Christ was Sarah's Hope and he is ours and so we will be reunited one day because of that Hope.   With Hope

Quick, what's the craziest show of love you have ever received?  Guess what?  If you didn't say Jesus taking on your sins and paying the price for them then your answer pales next to that crazy show of love!  It's INSANE that someone would willingly say, "I'll take it" and then actually take it!  And what's more insane is as you get that, as you become okay with it, as your pride allows it then you get all crazy too.  The more of God's crazy love we allow in our own lives the more we begin to extend crazy love to others.  The more we want others to know that they are loved in crazy ways!   Some report came out a few years back.  Some company had done research into who were the first and most consistent responders to natural disasters and traumatic world events.  They found that those who considered themselves evangelical Christians were among the most generous, most dedicated, and most present both short term and long term.  The explanation?  Crazy

*Warning: This is NOT your traditional Christmas song! Thanks to my friend, Tracy, for shooting it my way!  HAHAHAHAHAHA!  Love how this song just calls out the truth behind the switch from the controversial "Merry Christmas" to the PC "Happy Holidays".  You do know that saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" doesn't change the reality right?  Us humans have to go to extremes, I don't understand it even though I am sure I do it too!  Let's face it, Jesus isn't PC.  Why?  Since he came for all why isn't he PC?  Because PC lulls us into complacency and Jesus came to shake things up and rid us of complacency.  PC is the fence and you can only sit on a fence for so long, eventually you have to be on one side of it.  MERRY CHRISTMAS!  :)  Christmas with a capital "C"

Oh man this songs calls ME out!  I love it!  Okay, I love it now.  The first time I heard it I looked around to see if Toby Mac had somehow been a voyeur into my life to that point.  I didn't see him but I'm still not sure that he wasn't hiding out somewhere observing me!  :)  For the past year or so I've been unable to make eye contact and answer the question, "How are you?"  It has created a lot of painful and awkward moments between me and people who genuinely love me and me and people who ask me for less than pure reasons.  Sometimes we just enter into, or get hit by, a hard season of life.  And I like that this song acknowledges that BUT gives the assurance that it's okay and it'll ease up.  It won't be hard forever.  And you know what?  It isn't hard forever.  I've started making eye contact again, I've started being honest again with people who truly want to know and are concerned.  Maybe I've just been too honest or may

I love this song because of the reality of the night of the Savior's birth.  Nobody was waiting around with bated breath for the momentous occasion.  Nobody even knew what was happening!  There wasn't some big announcement of impending birth like I am assuming there will be when Prince William and Princess Kate have their first child.  In fact, nobody cared or wondered or knew the impact of a newborns presence on the world.  I like to imagine the Shepherds all drowsy, smelly, and dirty hanging out and being blasted alert by a bright light (maybe), a loud voice (most likely), and an announcement that their lives were literally just changed forever with the birth of a baby.  God most often shows up and speaks to us when we are about the business that he has set before us to do.  The Shepherds were watching their flocks, going back a little further - Rebecca was watering her camels and out of that she gained a husband.  Go figure.  When we are being diligent to do what is set

We ask to be part of something bigger, something more meaningful.  So opportunities are put in front of us and God asks, "What now?  What will you do now that it's here in front of you?"  Are we sincere in our desire to be part of something more?  Or are we just paying it lip service?  What will we do when confronted with the reality of our desire?  We too often make the mistake that if it isn't grand enough, if it doesn't touch more than one person, if it isn't going to make even a ripple in the water then it isn't worth it. I beg to differ.  Heck, God begs to differ!  A simple cup of water can make a huge difference in one life and that one life can start a domino effect.  We have NO idea what our one act of kindness - even if it is a Tootsie Roll smile taped on a piece of paper - can and will do in the lives of many.  What have you asked to be a part of?  Has it been placed in front of you? Well, then what now?  What Now?

This song reminds me, us, to celebrate our days with people.  I love how this song celebrates relationships.  It reminds me of a friend, Dan, who regularly posts on Facebook how many months he has been married to his wife and how grateful he is for that.  Too often we get so wrapped up in the day to day grind that we forget to celebrate the presence of people in our lives.  For me this song is a reminder to do that.  When we forget to celebrate people is when we also forget to be grateful for what they add into our lives, when we forget to consider their words, their hearts, and their feelings.  Let's see, today is right around Lanny and I's 6,205 day together!  I clearly remember day 1, this quiet guy who had a cute butt!  HAHAHAHAHA!  Too much info?  Too bad!  :)   Have a great Friday and don't forget to celebrate the people in your life today!    What A Beautiful Day

My penance for doing a repeat song yesterday, because I haven't been keeping track of which songs I have already done, is to do two today.  So I went OLD SCHOOL and traveled back to the first days of Christian Rock Bands.  I've done two songs today from Petra and Stryper.  So is it my penance or yours?  You make the call!!  :) 

Oh Stryper.  After my introduction to Christian Rock through Petra the next obvious (and only) choice was Stryper.  Looking back I can only remember the yellow and black that was their trademark and I wonder, why did they want to look like giant bumblebees?!?  Hahahahahaha!  I have two very clear memories of Stryper music in my life.  They are random and odd memories which is why I think they are worth sharing! :)  Honestly was Stryper's breakout song and so this was the one I listened to the most and liked the best, actually it may have been the only song of theirs that I did like.  I have a vivid memory of folding laundry, when I was a kid, and listening to this song over and over and singing along with great...passion.  Tee hee hee.  My other memory has to do with the youth group romance.  We all have 'em.  I had a boyfriend in my youth group whose name escapes me BUT he was a die hard fan/groupie of Stryper.  Like so much so that he, um er, dressed like them.  Oh yes, yes

Petra.  Oh man do I love me some Petra.  They were the first Christian Rock cassette tape I ever owned.  I clearly remember an old friend, Cara Vice, and I at the mall and she was looking for the tape and I had never heard of them.  She bought the tape and played it for me and that was all I needed to hear.  I was hooked!  In fact, I can still listen to this album (all this back in day terminology for music recordings! haha) and know every word and love every song just as much as I did back then.  Good stuff.  In fact, Petra had a huge influence on my spiritual journey because their songs made me think deeper about the things of God.  I mean it's not like the normal Sunday School stories talk about spiritual warfare and taking down the devil!  Don't want to scare the little kids, haha!  But the things Petra would sing about made me go deeper than the surface. I appreciate the nudges I got from listening to their music.  On a serious note, Petra was one of the first Christian

Complacency scares me.  It should scare you too.  The Motions is about complacency.  If we spend our lives just going through the motions we will end our lives with regret.  Guaranteed.  Why?  Because we are meant to have abundant life! And abundant life doesn't come by going through the motions of life.  It comes by living life to the fullest, by taking risks and chances, by loving others well, by practicing forgiveness and grace, etc etc.  When I consider the motions I have gone through in my life the most obvious set of motions I have gone through is those of the Church.  See, I was birthed into the church.  Heck I was attending church while still in the womb.  (No, really I was...)  So it's been easy and seamless to go through the motions of Church because I was raised up to do that.  And then.  Well then I got my own mind, somehow I was able to retrieve it from the Church and the motions and begin to discover for myself what this life in Christ thing was really all about

Bing Crosby and David Bowie singing together?  Merry Christmas indeed!  :)  Thanks to my friend, Tracy, for shooting this one my way.  This is one of her holiday fave's.  I can't get over how young David Bowie looks or rather is in this video!  So crazy! When my hub would play in a band and do warm up on his bass he always played The Little Drummer Boy so it's always been a favorite of mine.  I loved hearing him play bass.  I always loved the role that the little drummer boy played in the birth of our Savior.  I love how God surrounded the Savior with all these people that seemed insignificant and yet were vital to the event and the message of the birth of Christ.  I love that God still does that today.  He uses seemingly insignificant people to do vital work.  What a gift of grace! The Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth

One of my favorite albums of the past year, maybe of all time, is Mercy Me's "The Generous Mr. Lovewell".  The title track of the album is a description of my heart, my desire, the way I want to live and the way I want to be known.  So many times we stop short of extending ourselves because we somehow have been convinced that if the gesture isn't "big" enough or "grand" enough then it isn't even worth doing anything.  Where did this crap idea come from?  From the bigger is better society we live in?  Well it's crap.  Yeah, I said it.  I have found, just in the past month or so, that the smallest gesture of kindness, the smallest act of compassion, whatever it is I have been compelled to do and yet think is small has made the BIGGEST impact.  Bigger is not better in most cases.  I always knew that even the smallest gesture we make could make a huge difference to someone else but I have really seen it as I purposely practice daily.  A toots

From a small, nondescript, insignificant town comes the news of a boy being born.  Not just any boy but the Savior of the world!  Prior to being the birthplace of Jesus it was significant only in that it was also the birthplace of King David.  Through personal experience and observation I have seen that God uses most often the small, nondescript, and insignificant to accomplish incredible things.  Even towns.  And babies.  And poor carpenters and young girls.  It was the biggest news headline of the day and was missed by almost everyone.  It's still the biggest news headline and it is still missed by too many.  And while the little town of Bethlehem has grown up a bit, for we all do, it carries with it today the significance of being the birthplace of the Savior.  The amazing news for us is that we can be the home place of the Savior!  O Little Town Of Bethlehem (Sarah McLachlan) O Little Town Of Bethlehem (Vienna Boys Choir) O Little Town Of Bethlehem (Nat King Cole)

There is something about dancing.  It is intimate and requires a trust.  I had heard years ago from a dance instructor that when single, divorced women come to take ballroom dancing lessons that it is usually very hard for them to trust the male partner they are matched up with.  She had witnessed a lot of tears and sadness as these women danced and learned to trust again.  I found that fact fascinating and as I have thought about it since I have heard it I see how it makes so much sense.  In dancing you are in each other's space and we Americans have a pretty wide circumference to our personal space.  It's about 3 feet all around.  Dancing requires you to get within inches of each other.  That nearness does require a level of trust, comfort, and intimacy.  God invites us, daily, to dance with him.  He wants to get close, he wants us to trust him, he wants to go throughout each day in sync.  When we dance with him we are communicating that we trust him and he is communicating

I love Narnia.  I keep going into my closet hoping I can enter into the world itself. Haha, just kidding about that but I am not kidding about how much I love the book series by C.S. Lewis and the movies.  They have done, to date, a phenomenal job with the movies and my family and I are super excited to see the newest one, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, tonight!  So in honor of the movie today's song is the title track sung by a favorite artist of mine, Carrie Underwood.  In an interview Carrie said she co-wrote the song with someone and kept in mind the theme of the books/movies and tried to stay true to it.  I think she did a great job, it very much falls into the series nicely.  The overall message of the song, to sum up the book/movie, is that we all have a place we belong to and fit into and that place will find us and we find it.  Of course taking it a step further, because C.S. Lewis had an even larger message under the surface, it is God who has carved out that place for

In honor of my hub's 48th birthday today I am highlighting the #1 Billboard song on December 9, 1962!  And I giggled in delight when I found out what it was.  I grew up on this music!  In fact I have great memories of being in the car with my Dad and this song coming on the radio (Oldies Station) and him singing along with it, matching Frankie Valli's voice almost perfectly!  I love the old "oldies", these days the new "oldies" are the songs from the 80's!!  :)  Happy birthday Lanny!  :)  Big Girls Don't Cry

It's Wednesday!  Poor Wednesday, it gets such a bad rap.  I say we change the face of Wednesday and twist and shout our way through it!  It doesn't have to be hard to get through Wednesday, it can be fun!  Take Ferris Buller's example, he has fun getting through his days!! :)  I love the Beatles, love them!  And it's about time I put them up on this blog.  There will be more of them to come.  :)  The Beatles were the original boy band and better than any boy band that has come since them.  They changed the face of music and the face of their generation.  My Dad's parents didn't like him listening to "that rock and roll" but he loved them and listened to them!  I mean for heaven's sake the Beatles had, GASP, long hair... :)  No really that was one of the complaints of parents back then.  Haha, if only they knew what was coming! :)  Have a great Wednesday everyone!  Twist and Shout  (the ORIGINAL video from the Beatles!) Twist and Shout (from

Sleepwalking.  The official definition from Webster is: 1)  to walk while or as if while asleep 2)  to proceed in a passive often lethargic manner Today we are sleepwalking, just as nations and cultures before us have.  Our sleepwalking has produced a hostile environment for those who are living according to God's standards. Even within the Church true believers are mocked and put down for their beliefs. But as Solomon said centuries ago, "There is nothing new under the sun."  Those who believed that the Savior of the world had come in the form of a baby and birthed in a barn were mocked also.  Thousands of years ago the world which we live in today was described.  Don't believe me?  Read Romans 1.  Sound familiar?  If it doesn't then you are choosing to deny the obvious truth.  We live in a depraved and evil world.  And the more we remove God from the fabric of our lives the more we decline into depravity.  Casting Crowns does a masterful job at tying toget

It's time I make the public confession.  I love Hannah Montana!  No, really I do.  :)  I watch episodes BY MYSELF and ON PURPOSE!  :)  So it was time to make the confession and put a song up on this blog!  Here's another confession.  My kindred, Hillary, and I really considered learning the Hoedown Throwdown dance for her wedding reception!  :)  No, really we did because Hillary loves Hannah as much as I do!  We have been known to cuddle up on the couch together and watch Hannah.  True story, ask our hub's!  Okay get over the fact that everyone just magically knew this song and the dance the minute Hannah, er I mean Miley, began singing it.  It's fun and a great song to kick off the new work week!  Happy Monday y'all! :)  Hoedown Throwdown (abridged version 1:32) Hoedown Throwdown (full version 3:17)

There are a few Christmas songs that I love that are the traditional ones and truthfully I like to sing them other times of the year and not so much at Christmastime!  One of them is "O Come All Ye Faithful".  I think I love it, in part, because it makes me remember how much I loved Christmas as a kid.  And I didn't really love it for the gifts, I loved it for the magic and the meaning of the season.  This hymn, which has become a traditional Christmas song as well, is a call to the faithful.  A call to those that have understood and embraced what God has done for us, who get to what lengths he has gone to to reach out to his creation.  Who else would do what God has done? So come, all ye who are faithful, and rejoice for Jesus Christ came so that we may have life abundant! O Come All Ye Faithful (Celtic Woman) O Come All Ye Faithful (Twisted Sister - yeah you read that right...TWISTED SISTER!!) O Come All Ye Faithful (Chris Tomlin) O Come All Ye Faithful (Martina

This song came out when I had my own two little "carrot tops" toddling around the house.  I love this song!  I love the heart behind this song and the visual of looking inside the house rather than outside.  It makes me think about what do I see when I look in rather than out.  These days my carrot tops are in the midst of pre-teen years and no longer are hauling around sippy cups and wearing their shoes backward.  Those days seem like they were so long ago.  When I look in to my house these days I see two carrot tops - one is sitting at the table mixing colors and creating amazing works of art and the other is twirling and dancing and singing at the top of her lungs.  And then there is my hub, he's there giving affirmation, guidance, direction, doing the dishes, paying the bills, being a strong and steady presence in our lives.  Pikes Peak, which happens to be out my front window, is gorgeous but not near as beautiful as what I see when I'm on my front porch look

Get your groove on!  :)  (Haha, I'm so white!)  Since it's Friday and my fave Morning Show does "Club Awesome" with club music I thought I would do my own mini-version! Love this song for the music and the message!  Best way to live a rich life?  Put your love glasses on and let what you see transform you!  You'll be amazed at how strong you feel with Love glasses on!  Happy Friday! LIFE

Too often it is like Steven Curtis Chapman crawled inside my head and heart and life and wrote songs about what he observed. This song is, well, me!  With each new year and decade of my life (haha, it's funny that I can talk about my life in decades!  Sheesh...) I kind of think, "Well maybe I get some stuff now,"  and then God goes and shows me that nope, I don't get much of anything, I'm only getting started.  :) Philippians 1:6 is a oft quoted fave verse of mine that basically says what God starts he will finish in me, in you, in his creation.  So while I might think it is a little late to be getting started on some things at 36, the timing according to God's perspective is just right!  :)  Even though I have grown up learning about God and getting to know him, when I turned 30 God really sent me the message that I was just getting started, it's been quite a ride so far! :)  Only Getting Started  (Song only, no video)

To mark December 1 I am going to do a Christmas song but it's not one of the traditional ones!  :)  Some of my favorite Christmas songs are ones that are more contemporary.  Ones that I actually think about listening to throughout the year because the message goes beyond the Christmas season.  Come to think of it, the message of Christmas goes beyond the Christmas season.  And it is a strange message if you think about it.  A baby sent to save the entire world?  The entire human race?  WHAT?!?  And yet, that is exactly what God did - he sent a baby to save this world and only he could have thought of something so crazy and made it successful.  I love this song, I love the wonderment behind it.  What a strange way to save the world.  Think you don't need saving?  Think again.  We all do.  There is not one person exempt from needing a Savior.  What holds you back from accepting the free gift of salvation from your depraved self?  Pride?  Shame?  Ignorance?  I challenge you to