Hillary Scott and The Scott Family - "Thy Will"

I was so excited to hear that Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum had this single being released.  "Thy Will" has already hit radio and I cheered the day that I heard it playing on K-Love.  When I first heard the song, I just had chills thinking about how powerful of a song that it is.  I'm a big fan of Hillary's and, of course, of Lady A too.  She has recorded an album with her family entitled "Love Remains" that will be released on July 29th.  "Thy Will" is even more powerful after Hillary talked about the song this week on GMA and revealed the strength behind the song.  She had a miscarriage last year.  Talk about writing a song right from your heart in the midst of that storm!  I think this song will inspire so many people.  I listened to an interview with Hillary when the song was first released.  She spoke about how she didn't want to share the story behind it just yet and allow people to get their own story out of the song when they first heard it. Then, she would tell her story which she did this week.  Everyone suffers with trying to find God's will in the midst of the storm.  Just wanting to feel God there and knowing God is pulling you through that storm.  Storms can come in all kinds and this was Hillary's.  God bless you Hillary and the Scott Family for this blessing of a song.  This song is going to help so many people through so many storms of life.  Here is the link to her talking about her storm.

Then, do yourself a favor and watch the amazing video!

The Look Of Dating Fatigue

What in the world happened?  How did I get to this point?  I was recently watching the new Christian Mingle movie and there is a scene at the beginning with a look that summarized so many thoughts that Christian singles deal with.  Lacey Chabert's character is seen walking home from meeting up with her friends after talking dating and how nothing was working out.  She has this exhausted dating look on her face as she walks home by herself to a quiet apartment.  When I saw that scene, I just felt such a connection.  When Christian singles are in this situation of still waiting and the exhaustion has taken its toll.  How often you are wearing that face could depend on how much you are longing for it, the length of time it has been in the waiting process, or just where you are in your life in general?  You might wear this face once a week, on occasion, or maybe every single day.  It just depends where you are.  There are many singles that wear that face that probably don't even realize they are doing it. Here are some questions and thoughts that can go along with that face in the thoughts of dating fatigue and the waiting game of life.

How did this happen?  This wasn't your plan.  You were going to be married, have a career you loved, kids, and whatever else you had in your dream for your life.  There is such a life shock that can go along with this.  This was not where you intended to be.  Maybe you're just not fully happy.  Happiness is there but not like you want it to be.  Something is noticeably missing.

How did I become the odd one out?  Everyone else around me has progressed with their life. It's hard when there are weddings, engagements, births, job promotions, and whatever else while you are still waiting in the same spot.  Life seems to be progressing for others but you're still in that same spot waiting for others. Social media can be BRUTAL when it comes to that kind of thing. 

Time is getting by here.  I'm running out of time.  This one is so tricky.  I'm not getting any younger here.  Singles are becoming scarce.  The dating world often gets harder as you get older.  That has been my experience anyway.  That might obviously not be the same for everyone and if it has gotten better for you, so happy and awesome for you!!!  The dating pool gets smaller as you get older.  Just part of life.  When you start looking at that thing called time, panic can set in in a hurry.  God doesn't run on our time.  It's easy and hard to resist looking at that clock and pointing to that watch while talking to God.  God, this is getting harder.  I'm running out of time here.  That is where you have to lean on the promises of God's perfect timing whether it is finding someone or filling that desire with something else.  It will come on his timing.  Not on ours.  Hard, isn't it?  He knows that.  On those panic days of time setting in, just cling to God.  Absolutely cling to him if you have to cause God is holding on.

I'm trying everything here and I'm still getting nowhere. Am I doing something wrong? In today's modern world of technology, there are so many dating options now.  Online dating, social media, and there is always the old fashioned way of going through friends for a set up.  Yet, it still may result in zero happening in your dating life.  All you can do is keep trying. Put yourself out there.  If you see someone interesting, take a chance.  Inquire on that person.  They could be amazing or just might be a ok, no, moving on deal.

I'm tired of being alone.  This one is hard while I think this can be so much of that dating fatigue face.  God created us for fellowship.  I feel like our lights shine more when we're able to have fun with one another, talk to one another, build relationships, etc.  Going home again to that quiet home every night can get beyond tiring and old.  You want someone to talk to about your day.  Someone to just hang out with and have fun with.

I realize I didn't give many answers to those thoughts that can be beyond the physical dating fatigue face.  That is the point of it. That face that is in the movie of her walking down the street is a face of what is going on?  It is a face of nothing but questions and a loss for answers.  This is what a lot of Christian singles are going through. So many questions, fears, loneliness, and just a general loss for words on what is going on?  Why is this taking so long? Is this going to happen?  What if it doesn't happen?  There are billions of people out there in this world.  Why can't I find just one that God has for me?  If God does have this in the plans for you, just remember that your future mate may be out there struggling with this as much or even more than you are.  Say a prayer for them to help them as well until your paths finally do cross.  When I saw that face in that movie, I thought, oh, I must wear that face so much.  LOL. It speaks so much to any single person that has went through the same thing. The thing is if you saw that face on someone and asked them what they were thinking to just try and give them a friend, you very well might get a response of just speechless.  No words coming out cause there are just too many words and thoughts to even speak.  All of it just might come out into one general sentence.  "I'm so tired".  Like I said, this isn't a post to give answers.  This is a post to just realize that that face is on the face of so many Christian singles out there.  I know I have worn that face many times.  This is a post to just say, hey, I understand. Keep fighting.  More importantly, keep praying.

11 Years Of Waiting....God Provides!

How is that waiting game going in the singles world?  Do some days go well?  Some days go all right?  Some days...just not good at all?  The waiting game can be a daunting one.  It can be especially that when you are waiting for God to move on providing a mate and marriage for you.  I saw this link earlier today and had to share it on here as well.  If you've been in the waiting game for a long time, here is some inspiration for you from Katie after 11 years of waiting.  Video is from Relevant Church in Paducah, KY.
 
Katie's Story from Relevant Church on Vimeo.

Lauren Daigle Reminds Us To Trust God In All Circumstances With "Trust In You"

I happened on to this song last year seeing it on her website.  What a powerful song.  I think a lot of times there are songs that focus on the prayers that have been answered, the praises, and about reaching that mountaintop from that valley.  The opposite type of song is what hooked me to this one when I heard it.  What do you do when you have those unanswered prayers?  Those prayers that you have waited ages on to be answered.  Yet, they still aren't answered and you don't know how long the road through this valley is.  You don't know where the hill is in the road to where things change and look different.  The fatigue of that valley.  What do you do?  Well, listen to this song from the very talented Lauren Daigle!  "When you don't move the mountain that I'm needing you to move.  When you don't part the waters, I wish I could walk through.  When you don't give the answers as I cry out to you.  I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in you!"  Amazing song and I hope it blesses any of you today that may need some uplifting through this long valley you may be in.

The Bigger The Storm, The Bigger The Rainbow

The bigger the storm, the bigger the rainbow.

That was the message that I noticed when watching the end of a bad severe weather day lately.  I was outside storm watching as this storm was moving out.  One side of the sky was completely orange looking with the clouds moving fast.  It was the tail end of the stormy sky.  As I turned and looked at the other side of the sky, I saw the biggest and brightest rainbow.  It was a full rainbow at that.  It was one of those moment where you are just looking at this all going on over your head and your spirit just feels a bit overwhelmed seeing something that you don't see every day.  As I was watching the rainbow, that message popped right into my head.  This was a pretty big storm.  It thankfully wasn't as big as it could have been.  As this storm ended, we were left with this big, bright, full rainbow.  

It was a great comparison of the storms in all of our lives.  Some are small storms.  Some are just showers.  Some feel like an absolute hurricane.  We weather through those storms.  Hanging on to God all the way.  He is hanging on to us as well.  You may get fatigued during those life storms and that is when you just keep hanging on.  We may get fatigued but we have a God that never gets fatigued.  He is always strong.  When we can't be strong, he is strong for us.  At the end of the storm, you will see the rainbow.  It won't storm forever.  It may storm for a while or not long at all.  Even in the biggest of the storms in your life, God will show you the biggest of rainbows.  That is when you breathe easy and say, whew, God got me through it.  Those clouds are parting and you are left with just the last bits of that storm as it clears out.  The storms in life are what can and should make us stronger.  You learn through those storms about the strength that you have.  The persistence.  The determination.  The trust. The promise.  You'll come through that storm stronger than you went into it if you will allow God to do it.  

2015 K-Love Fan Awards Nominees

The K-Love Fan Awards are set to return for 2015 and the nominees have been announced.  Here you go.
Male Artist Of The Year:
Chris Tomlin
Colton Dixon
Crowder
Jeremy Camp
Matthew West
Steven Curtis Chapman

Female Artist Of The Year:
Francesca Battistelli
Jamie Grace
Kari Jobe
Mandisa
Natalie Grant
Plumb

Group/Duo Of The Year:
Casting Crowns
For King & Country
MercyMe
Newsboys
Tenth Avenue North
Third Day

Best Live Show:
For King & Country
needtobreathe
Newsboys
Tenth Avenue North
Third Day
tobyMac

Worship Song Of The Year:
Overwhelmed by Big Daddy Weave
Jesus Loves Me by Chris Tomlin
Come As You Are by Crowder
No Other Name by Hillsong Worship
How Can It Be by Lauren Daigle
Because He Lives by Matt Maher

Song Of The Year:
Hope In Front Of Me by Danny Gokey
Fix Me Eyes by For King & Country
He Knows My Name by Francesca Battistelli
Do Something by Matthew West
Greater by MercyMe
We Believe by Newsboys

Artist Of The Year:
Casting Crowns
Chris Tomlin
For King & Country
MercyMe
tobyMac
Newsboys

The awards will once again take place from Nashville, TN at the Grand Ole Opry.  You will be able to vote for your favorites to win.  Voting will begin in May.

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.