Carrie Underwood Debuts "Something In The Water"

It is no secret that I'm a huge Carrie Underwood fan.  I'm a long time member of her fan club.  Go to shows all the time.  Jesus Take The Wheel is the theme song to my life.  Carrie is so open and honest with her faith.  She is definitely an inspiration along with her husband, Mike Fisher.  Both stand so strong in their faith.  Carrie often has talked about several that questioned her coming out with her first single, Jesus Take The Wheel, saying to Carrie "ohhhh, that's risky coming out with a faith based song first thing".  Carrie would respond with comments of shock saying that she thought that was the best way to go.  Many more songs have been released over the years centering on her faith including "Temporary Home" and most recently, "Who Are You", off of her Blown Away album.

Well, get ready.  Carrie just released her new single a few hours ago.  "Something In The Water".  Wow!  There are no words.  My first thought when I heard it was this is Jesus Take The Wheel 2.0.  How fitting is it that on her Greatest Hits album and almost 10 years of Carrie in our lives that she goes big with another spiritual song?  The song is perfection.  Such a powerful and strong song.  The lyrics talk about being alone in that dark place and wasting that life that God gave us.  How there is something way more powerful for us out there.  Going God's route and being saved.  Baptized.  Changing our lives.  Stepping out in faith.  Letting our faith lead the charge of our lives.  Trusting in God that he has something so big for us that it will just leave us speechless.  We all have our plans in our lives of what we want to do with it.  If we let God lead our lives, he can do amazing things with us.  Helping others.  Encouraging others.  Changing this world which is often so dark.  "In a world so big, it will break your heart and you just want to help but not sure where to start.  So, you close your eyes and send up a prayer into the dark".  That is songs from another great Carrie song, "Change".  "Something In The Water" carries so much inspiration.  Allowing the changes of God to flow in our lives.  The joy that those changes bring.  The song concludes with her singing "Amazing Grace" which is just amazing.  No pun intended.  LOL.  I have been to many Carrie shows and one of the greatest treats is to hear her sing "How Great Thou Art".  It will send chills through you when she starts hitting those notes at the end.  I can just see such a sweet spirit in her that just glows every time she sings that song and I'm sure it is going to be exactly the same with "Something In The Water".  Needless to say that I am really looking forward to hearing her do this song live in concert.

Carrie is such an inspiring person that she probably has no idea just how much that she inspires people. That is just Carrie.  She's great like that.  God has used her in a very mighty way with her life.  We just keep getting to be blessed by God using her.  Check out "Something In The Water".  You won't be disappointed! Her Greatest Hits album will be available on December 9, 2014.

Missioning For God

There really is nothing like a mission trip.  I got to take part in one over the the summer which took up a lot of my spiritual energy recently.  It has made me MIA in a lot of my life coming off the spiritual high of that.  It was great in every sense of the word.  Going out and doing God's work with other Christians is an experience like no other.  It was a week long mission trip outdoors.  Witnessing to others was the main goal of the week obviously and getting people to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  The week was filled with many moments.  The outdoor church services where we would see people that we didn't even know wander over to be a part of the service.  Having fun and  playing games with a great group of people.  The bonds that were formed among everyone.  Just sitting around and watching this group bond.  It really was amazing to just watch a group of youth share so much with each other and encourage one another.  One person would share one thing.  It would hit something with another one that they could relate to and they would share.  It would just bounce all around this group.  I just sat back and observed this seeing such a supportive group of youth help each other.  There were souls saved on this trip.  People rededicating their lives.  There was also a story of one youth that wandered over during the trip.  He was in town from another city visiting family. A very smart youth but just had such a tough time believing what he couldn't see.  He was not saved.  However, he kept hanging around which was so encouraging.  The youth pulled him in immediately making him a part of the group.  He kept coming to the services.  He walked down to the altar and prayed.  The hopes among the group was that he would be saved by the end of the week.  Guess what?  He was.  After a showing of the movie, God's Not Dead, he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior.  The emotion that poured out of that group was such a thing to witness.  We had all been praying for this teenager hoping that his heart would open up and God opened it up wide.  There are times that I wonder if I will ever see that teenager again.  It was like he ended up in our lives for just that one week and we may not see him again till heaven one day.  If you ever get the chance to be on a mission trip, go do it!  You will love it.  You won't be disappointed.  The bonds that will form.  The lives that will be changed.  There is nothing like being on that mission field.  It will give you memories for a life time.

Christian Mingle The Movie Coming To Theaters in October

Christian Mingle, the movie, is coming to theaters in October.  I have been hearing a lot of buzz on this movie and details are starting to roll out about it including a movie trailer.  The story follows 30 year old Gwyneth Hayden, who is struggling in her dating life.  She has everything including the career but has yet to find love.  She feels it is desperation time for her in the dating world.  She sees an advertisement for ChristianMingle.com and decides to sign up to see if she can find the right man for her.  Only thing with it is that she is not a Christian.  She is living this lie of her faith while trying to hook this guy that she has met on the site.  The story definitely seems to focus more on the story of how this relationship stirs her soul toward God.  Director Corbin Bernsen has already come out saying that this movie is not an advertisement for ChristianMingle.com although they have been partners in the movie.  He gives them a lot of credit for how great of partners that they have been with this movie.  I really find this movie interesting.  I think the movie can address a lot with a world that many are now that familiar with and that is the online dating world.  At the same time and most importantly, it will show this story of faith and how this girl's lie is going to turn around and bring her to God.  This movie will be released in October and I am definitely in for checking it out.  Want to see the trailer?  Here it is.  :)

Planting Good Seeds Instead Of Bad Ones

We are all seed planters.  There is that expression of planting seeds and watch them grow.  It is so true and can be so awesome.  You plant that seed and you water it.  Others water it.  You watch it grow and it grows into this great thing.  Fully grown.  

However, there can also be bad seeds.  It can be filled with negativity and can take over.  One thought, one action, one word.  That can be a seed that gets planted.  Even with a field of great seeds, that one little bad seed that got planted can grow faster and be the one that stands taller than anything else.  That can be true in life.  Someone could say something negative to you that just plants a seed in you making you doubt yourself or your confidence.  Anything like that.  That one little seed could continue to get watered by that one person or, worst yet, yourself.  Once that seed is planted, we can dwell on that one thing and it just continues to grow.  That one thing said may not even be a big deal but it can stir in our thoughts and continue to get bigger and bigger.  Until that one seed that grew dwarfs all these amazing good seeds that have grown into beautiful.  

How can you get rid of that bad seed?  How can you keep it from growing?  Just like a real life seed.  Don't water it.  A seed without water isn't going to grow.  It will go away.  We can plant bad seeds without even realizing it.  Something we say might be a trigger on something that another person is dealing with.  It may wear them down and that seed is planted making them wilt and not grow.

We need to plant good seeds.  Encouragement.  Positivity.  Watch people grow.  Your words of encouragement may be the thing that makes that seed planted in this person to fully grow out.  You never know what small little thought or word might be the biggest thing that has ever been said to them.  

In a world that is so negative, we need to be that shining light.  Be that encouragement.  Be that spiritual light in this dark world.  Our thoughts and actions might be what makes the difference in a person growing or wilting.  We're all planting seeds every day.  Spiritual seeds that we want to see grow.  Just make sure you are planting the right seeds.  Plant the good seeds.  Water them.  Watch them grow.  Then, sit back and just watch as it grows and grows.  Definitely something to smile about when you just sit back in amazement at what God can do with those great seeds.

Thank You For Wearing That Shirt

Thank you for wearing that shirt.  I was wearing one of my shirts that represented God and my faith.  I was out on a road trip and made a stop in a town.  It wasn't a town that I was expecting to stop in and not my normal stop.  So, maybe God wanted me to stop in this town.  He had a divine appointment for me.  I walked in and then on the way out, I was stopped by a group telling me how they loved my shirt and thanked me for wearing it.  It caught me off guard in a good way thinking, wow, God really needed me to stop off my normal path for a few minutes and be a witness.  As I got back on the road, it made me think of how we need to be that visual witness for people.  Just wearing a shirt that reminds them of God and Jesus can be a witness without us even having to say anything.  How powerful is that and how awesome is that! I guess I just never really think about it.  It's just regular everyday to wear a shirt representing your faith.  You never know when you might run into someone that needed to see that on that day.  Plus, you never know when you just make an unexpected stop on your road trip that God may have a sudden divine appointment for you.  Hopefully it boosted those people.  I know it did me.  Keep your eyes open and be that visual witness.  You never know what it might mean to people.  You could be that message from God that just walks in and out of the place and you don't know what you might have been as far as encouragement for someone.

It Takes A Church Premieres On GSN

I have been hearing for a while about a show called It Takes A Church and I have had a lot of excitement in checking it out.  Last night was the premiere of it on GSN.  The show is hosted by Natalie Grant and the theme of it is to find someone for a single in the church.  That goes with the name It Takes A Church meaning it takes a church to match make and find the right person for that chosen single in the congregation.  I really enjoyed this show a lot.  An unexpected single in the church will get a surprise every week when they are chosen to be the one looking to be set up for love.  There will be eligible singles that will be picked out to try and see if there is any chemistry with the person.  They are observed by family members or friends watching to see who has the best chemistry and what would be best for the person.  This includes the pastor who is in on this as well.  Last night's episode had several things including a challenge where you had to work on your communication skills.  I thought that was such a good tool in a relationship.  It was a challenge where you had to lead the person through an obstacle course of sorts.  The person was blindfolded and it showed how you were able to lead the person to get through this course without stepping on to something.  It shows your verbal skills, leadership skills, and also just your personality all around on handling something like that with how you are trying to help her through this.  I thought it was such a fun way to teach this communication tool.  Through the show, the eligible singles are voted out and we get down to a final two.  The person will then make the choice on who they think there is better chemistry with and who they would like to pursue more.  It is a fun show and I look forward to checking out more episodes.  It is a fun way to get the church involved.  We all have churches where you know of a single in there that your heart just goes out to wanting them to find happiness in their life.  This show is a fun way to do so.  You have a congregation full of people that have your best interests at heart and are going to make sure to pick out someone who is right for you.  For me, I really like having this show on the air.  I see so few……well…..nothing on the air for Christian singles on mainstream TV.  How many TV shows do you see on the air that don't involve going to a bar to pick someone up?  Every single show about singles or dating always has a place of a bar involved.  I think that is awful and it is frustrating.  What about the Christian singles?  What are they supposed to do?  Where do they go to find someone?  I have thought many times that there really is nothing on TV that Christian singles can relate to.  Until now.  This show is fun.  It puts a light on a group that I think gets overlooked a lot and that is the Christian singles group.  I feel like the singles a lot of times are trying to find something they can relate to with others.  This is a great way to connect everyone to just let that window being shown into the world of Christian singles with their struggles and desires.  I highly recommend checking this show out.  I loved it and am looking forward to seeing more of it.  It Takes A Church airs on Thursday nights 9/8 central on GSN with multiple replays through the week.  Let the matchmaking begin!  For more info on the show, head over to: http://gsntv.com/shows/it-takes-a-church/

K-Love Fan Awards This Weekend In Nashville, TN

It's almost that time again.  The 2014 K-Love Fan Awards are this weekend, May 30-June 1, coming to you from Nashville, TN.  The Grand Ole Opry will be the great host of this year's awards show.  If you missed last year's awards, you missed a real treat of a show.  I am saying that just by listening on the radio.  I can't imagine what it must have been like in person.  I so wish I could make it to Nashville for this year's awards but we have radio just like always.  The show will be hosted by Candace Cameron Bure and Matthew West and I think they will do an amazing job.  I'm a big Candace fan and I mean, really, who isn't?  Like the t-shirt says, my favorite DJ is Tanner.  LOL.  She will be a big blessing for this show and Matthew West is always awesome.  So, let's take a look at this year's nominees for the 2014 K-Love Fan Awards.

Male Artist Of The Year:
Chris Tomlin
Colton Dixon
Jeremy Camp
Matthew West
Steven Curtis Chapman
Tobymac

Female Artist Of The Year:
Britt Nicole
Francesca Battistelli
Jamie Grace
Mandisa
Natalie Grant
Plumb

Group/Duo Of The Year:
Building 429
Casting Crowns
MercyMe
Newsboys
Sidewalk Prophets
Tenth Avenue North

Worship Song Of The Year:
God's Great Dance Floor - Chris Tomlin
I Am - David Crowder
Oceans - Hillsong United
Your Grace Finds Me - Matt Redman
You Won't Let Go - Michael W. Smith
Never Once - One Sonic Society

Best Live Show:
For King & Country
NEEDTOBREATHE
Newsboys
Rend Collective
Switchfoot
TobyMac

First Christian Artist To Appear on a 7Up Can:
Hillsong Young & Free
Jamie Grace
Sidewalk Prophets
Tenth Avenue North

Artist Of The Year:
Casting Crowns
Chris Tomlin
Matthew West
MercyMe
TobyMac

Song Of The Year:
The Only Name - Big Daddy Weave
Overcomer - Mandisa
Lord, I Need You - Matt Maher
Hello, My Name Is - Matthew West
This Is Amazing Grace - Phil Wickham

Along with the awards, there will be PLENTY to do if you are attending.  Meet and greet sessions.  Fan Zone.  Worship service from the Opryland Resort led by Michael W. Smith.  Songwriters Spotlight led by Steven Curtis Chapman and Matthew West.  Kickoff Concert featuring Rend Collective, For King & Country, Tenth Avenue North, NEEDTOBREATHE, and Switchfoot.  A lot more going on as well.  Definitely going to be a fun weekend with the awards.  You still have time to vote for your favorites in all of those categories!  Head over to www.klovefanawards.com for more info on how to vote and for all of the must need information for this coming weekend in Nashville.

Don't Limit An Unlimited God

Don't limit an unlimited God.  Do you have a dream that you want to accomplish?  Does it seem unattainable?  Does it just seem too big?  Nothing is too big.  Why is that?  We have a God that is bigger than anything that you can possibly imagine.  When we have that, why do we worry over something so small?  I see a picture shared through social media a lot where it shows a night sky and the Earth where it says that God built all of this so for us to trust in Him that he can take care of all of our needs.  That is so true.  When we place limits on ourselves or our dreams, we're basically saying that it can't be reached.  God knows our hearts and our dreams.  He knows our desires and hopes.  We need to dream big and believe that we are going to reach our dreams.  Believe and even more so in those times when the world is beating you down into thinking that you can't get there.  You have an unlimited God that is working for all of us.  Never place limits on God cause God can make your dreams come true in just one moment.  That is a really awesome thought.  So today, just breathe and know that you have an awesome God that is working for us even when we may not even be able to see it.  That is when God is doing His best work when we don't even know what He is up to.  Believe and dream big.

Steven Curtis Chapman's Glorious Unfolding

I got the chance to listen to Steven Curtis Chapman's new song last night.  It is called "The Glorious Unfolding".  What an amazing song with such inspiring lyrics.  The song basically talks about how we should not quit.  Keep going.  God is unfolding his plan right in front of our eyes.  How this is only the beginning.  Just such a powerful song and lyrics.  I turned on K-Love last night and that was the first song that played.  Just really grabs you.  Here is a video to check out of Steven Curtis Chapman talking about his new album which is by the same name as the song.  He talks about the inspiration behind it.

Taking A Look At The Inspiring Movie, Soul Surfer

Francesca Battistelli's song "It's Your Life" was the anthem and theme song for the 2011 hit movie, Soul Surfer.  The song was such a perfect one for that movie.  The song talks about living your life and being the person that you want to be.  Not letting yourself get held back and pushing forward to do what you want in your life.  Not backing down to fear.  Going for it.  Soul Surfer was a movie based on the story of surfer, Bethany Hamilton.  As a teenager, she was attacked by a shark while in the water back in 2003.  She lost her arm in the attack and her life completely changed.  Things that were just routine for her was suddenly very difficult.  Things that we all take for granted were things that she was having learn to overcome.  Not only did she overcome just her normal everyday routines but she chased her dream by getting back out into the water.  Doing what she loves and that is surfing.  Her story of battling back and her strong faith in doing so is so inspirational.  When you watch the movie, Soul Surfer, which is based on her story, you just get so inspired.  Feeling like you can do anything.  Seeing what she went through and how her faith and strength carried her through.  The support of her family, friends, and her faith in God will inspire anyone watching.  There are many scenes that will just pull you in with one of my favorites being the mission trip that she goes on.  She had just quit competition surfing after trying to compete again.  She joins the youth trip to Thailand and there had just been a tsunami there and they were helping with the recovery.  There is a scene with a little girl that is afraid of the water and she also hadn't talked since the tragedy happened.  Bethany roams out on her surf board and encourages this little girl to get in the water as the youth leader watches on.  She keeps showing that it is ok out there and you just see how much inspiration she is able to bring to this little girl's fears.  I just love that scene.  It is so powerful.  Bethany struggled for a while on why this happened to her and there is a powerful scene where she questions everything.  After the struggle of quitting, you see just how this mission trip got her turned back around.  She was helping others but God was using that trip to help her at the same time.  We then see her get her motivation back and get back on her feet.  Not just her feet but on the board.  Jeremiah 29:11 was quoted saying "'For I know the plans that I have for you' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future".  That song of "It's Your Life" is a great theme song to show just what Bethany had been through and how she was going to overcome it.  Take this bad and turn it into good and be able to motivate countless others as well through her story.  If you have never seen Soul Surfer, I highly recommend it.  It is so powerful.  AnnaSophia Robb plays the role of Bethany Hamilton in the movie and she is an absolute star.  She just does such an amazing job of putting this story on the movie screen.  When you get to the end of the movie, make sure to watch the credits.  You'll see the home videos of Bethany through her story and all the things you have seen recreated in this movie.  It is such a great finish to see the home videos of Bethany's and see what you have just been watching in her own videos.  Speaking of Bethany, she just recently announced that she is getting married so a big congratulations to her on her engagement!  You can check out more of Bethany on her website at: bethanyhamilton.com or follow her on Twitter @bethanyhamilton

You can check out more about Soul Surfer at this link: http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/soulsurfer/home/