It's as if I stood at the tippy top of a humongous iceberg, lit a match, and watched to see if it would melt.  A drip formed.  A single, lonely drip in 365 days of holding that lit match.  I realize as I roam throughout the rows and rows of music out there that I didn't even begin to melt the iceberg!  And that's okay.  My hope for the experiment ended up happening.  I exposed people to music I love and they exposed me to music they love.  I gained some new-to-me artists that are now staples on my playlists and I now am tuned in for continuing to broaden my playlist.  Like the other night on Facebook one of my besties, Stephanie, posted a song by The Head and The Heart (whom I have never heard of) and as I type this out I am listening to their music right now.  They never made it on the 365, they missed it by one day, but now that I'm tuned in they are gaining a spot on my playlist.  (Yes.  CHECK THEM OUT!!)  365 days sounds...

Here's the data in numbers.  Pure, raw numbers.  (Yeah I have no idea if what I just said made sense but just go with it okey dokey?)  Actual number of songs to make an appearance on the 365?  461! How many times did any one musician appear?  11 (Can you guess who it was?!?) How many new-to-me artists were featured?  58 How many times was the most represented letter of the alphabet on the 365?  45 (T) Number of ex-Porn Stars featured on the 365?  1 :)  (WHAT?!?  Yeah check it out here .) How many contributors were there to the 365?  45 How many of those were unknowing contributors?  20 How many times did I unknowingly repeat a song?   1 (Matthew West "The Motions" September 28 and December 15 ) How many instrumentals appeared on the 365?  18 How many songs had the same exact title but were by different artists?  5 How many songs started with a number for it's title? ...

I think it's fitting that I end the year of music in a similar way as I started it, with God's Amazing Grace .  Yes, today's song isn't a hymn per se.  But it prompts the same thoughts, feelings, and action that hymns do.  And, after all, the definition of the word "hymn" is a song of praise to God and a song of praise or joy so really today's last song fits right in with the hymns I have been featuring the past year.  His grace still amazes me.  And actually it amazes me more and more as I age.  As I physically age and as I spiritually age I cannot really stand in awe of his amazing grace but rather it brings me to my knees in gratitude and humility.  The grace of God is the only way I know of, the only thing I have seen, the only covering that gets the job done when we are in need of covering.  It is deeper, stronger, wider, and higher than anything our minds could come up with for comparison.  His grace.  It IS amazing indeed....

Decyfer Down is a great band.  They are the best of hard rock and lyrical content.  Their songs crossover the boundaries of Christian music and reach out to the secular.  Best I Can is a ballad that verbalizes the struggle we all have to live our lives the best we can.  And a lot of times we strive to live the best life we can while regret hangs over us.  Regret will hold us back from living the best we can every time and the only way that we can get rid of the regret completely is to lay it all down at the feet of the One who can bear the burden of it in our place.  So in this song Decyfer Down works through that process and the conclusion is that the only way we can live the best we can is if we align ourselves with God.  Want to do the best you can?  Then give yourself over to the One who can be your true strength.  Since Best I Can is a slower, ballad style song and I wanted you to hear what Decyfer Down can do I also included a heavier...

Jeremy Camp is a fave and this isn't the first time he's appeared on the 365.  I was listening to his most recent project the other day which happens to be a worship album and this song really struck me.  It's not the first time I've heard the song but you know how sometimes something you read or hear that is familiar suddenly impacts you in a new or fresh way?  So it was/is with this song and I wanted to squeeze it in on the 365 before we ended, which incidentally is only 3 (including today) days away.  In today's culture it has become rather unpopular to state so definitively that you are a Christian, believe God's word is infallible, believe that Jesus is truly the ONLY way, and seek to live according to the standards God lays out in the Bible.  Oh I'm sorry, I should have said "in today's CHURCH culture" because that is where it has become, ironically enough, the most unpopular to be/say/do those things.  Today's song goes against that...

I'm 362 days in and JUST NOW getting to Van Halen?!?  What is WRONG with me?!  I love Van Halen!  Okay, I love Sammy Hagar Van Halen to which my hub is like, "Ew."  He loves David Lee Roth Van Halen and there are differences.  Pretty significant ones actually so today is a Van Halen special with a song by both Van Halen's.  :) So back in the day, after Roth left Van Halen, Hagar stepped in and that's when I first heard Van Halen.  This explains why I like the Van Hagar (ha!) better, it's what I grew up listening to.  Plus I thought David Lee Roth was ugly.  Hey, I was in Middle School cut me some slack.  The first album I heard of Van Halen was "OU812".  Don't judge.  It was the album that came out and once I realized what the heck that meant I was like, "EW!" but still listened to the music.  Now you all know I'm a big lyrics girl BUT with Van Halen I am not.  In fact I'm hard pressed to find a song lyrica...

Kerrie Roberts is new on the music scene.  If by "new" I mean the past couple of years...and I do!  She's got a good voice and she will make a few albums.  Does she have sustainability in the big sea of talent?  Time will tell.  In the meantime we will enjoy her music.  I really like this song because it should be true of every person who says they love and walk in God's ways.  Note that I said "it should be".  Unfortunately it is not.  But that's a different blog because that's a big soapbox for me to climb up on to!  Roberts sings about being an outcast, the right kind of one, in this world.  Go against the flow of culture and reach for the higher standard.  We aren't reaching for the higher standard, or any standard at all, when we blend in so seamlessly to the culture that nobody can tell if we love Jesus or not!  This song encourages Christians to be outcasts - be different, be Godly, be Holy, be sanctified (which me...