My Heart of Worship

Over the weekend, my church co-hosted an awesome youth conference.  In past years, my favorite parts of this conference was probably food or games.  But this year, the most enjoyable part of the conference was definitely worship.  

We had these crazy, super long worship sessions with song after song about how great our God truly is.  I found myself really connecting and focusing without getting distracted.  I think I may have matured some since last year, haha.  

And the crazy thing was that I was supposed to be on the worship team this year, singing and playing keys.  But the day before the conference started, I started sneezing and nose-blowing a lot.  Of course, being the sickly child I am, I got sick.  At first, I thought I was totally letting God and the worship team down, so I felt pretty bad about myself and my horrible immune system.  Then, I realize that God was, in fact, giving me a gift and letting enjoy the beautiful worship sets during the weekend.  He was giving me a chance to reconnect with him.  And I am very grateful to Him for that.  

Here were some songs that I really enjoyed worshiping to that were in the worship sets this year...

"Forever" by Kari Jobe - This song pretty much makes me tear up every time I hear it.  It has such a powerful message about how Jesus came back to life and how perfect he was.

"This is Amazing Grace" by Phil Wickham - I love this song because the lyrics are just so overwhelming.  It really is amazing that someone (Jesus) would love me so much that he would take my place and bear my cross. 

"Deep Cries Out" by Bethel Church - This is definitely an awesome song to dance to, and I especially love the part when they sing, "If He goes to the left, then we go to the left, If He goes to the right, then we go to the right"

Winter Break Blogmas Days 1-2: Feverish Beginnings

Hello everyone!  It's been quite a while since I've posted hasn't it?

Well, I'm pretty determined to keep my blog going, so I came up with an idea.  As you may already know, I'm subscribed to a bunch of musicians, beauty gurus, and other Youtubers that I like to keep up with.  A selection of them are doing Vlogmas this year, which is basically them vlogging their daily lives each day during December, all the way till Christmas. I've decided that I kind of want to do the same thing except that the time span will be my two weeks of winter break, and I'll be blogging instead of vlogging.  I'll also include a Song of the Day at the end of each Blogmas.  These songs will be from any genre.  Today I'll be doing both day one and two of my winter break Blogmas!  So let's get started...

Day 1

Saturday, oh Saturday.  This happened to be the first day of winter break, a day that I'd been looking forward to since the beginning of December.  I already planned out what I'd do: sleep in (something I hadn't done since mid-October), eat a good breakfast, read Allegiant by Veronica Roth, and get ready for two orchestra concerts that I was performing in at 3 and 7 pm.  Of course, my first winter break dream plan didn't go as planned at all.  

Instead, what I thought was a slight cold on Friday turned into a fever when I woke up on Saturday morning.  I was lying there in my bed thinking, What am I going to do?  I don't think they can get anyone else to play my parts, can they?  And even if they could, what have all my Sunday night rehearsals gone to?  My mom, of course, was really concerned and tried to convince me to stay home.  Our conversation went something like this...

Mom: YOU HAVE A 102 DEGREE FEVER YOU NEED TO STAY HOME.

Me: *moans* No...

Mom: WHAT DO YOU MEAN NO?!  

Me: *croaks* It's my responsibility... *hacks up a lung*

Mom: IT'S YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO KEEP YOURSELF ALIVE!!!!  YOU ARE KILLING YOURSELF, YOU CAN GET A SECONDARY INFECTION  AND KILL OTHER PEOPLE, YOU'RE GOING TO GET PNEUMONIA!!!!!!

Yeah...  That's what happens when your mom has a pretty high degree in nutrition/health whatnots.  And also when she has a highly imaginative mind.

Anyway, I ended up performing in both concerts, the first one being a real uphill battle.  During a couple of pieces, I really thought I was going to collapse, no joke.  The stage lights were pretty harsh.  I played sleigh bells in "Sleigh Ride" by Leroy Anderson, and that piece requires sleigh bells to play the ENTIRE song.  By the end, my arm was even achier and sorer than it was already, and I had sweat dripping off my forehead.  But hey, I think I sweated off my fever if that's even possible!  The second concert was easier for me cause I was smart and brought chamomile tea.  I also did my hair and makeup to make myself look slightly more presentable than my feverish-first concert self.  

Song of the Day: "Sleigh Ride" by Leroy Anderson (hehe... you never saw that one coming)

Day 2 (Beware, Spoilers of Allegiant by Veronica Roth)

Sunday (today) was better than yesterday.  However, I couldn't go to church today because I pretty much exhausted myself to the extremes from yesterday's escapades.  I did have a nice little church service of my own, though.  I was reading my Bible in a year thing and part of today's passages happened to be Psalm 119!  It was so long, but it was a good refresher.  All I can say is that the dude who wrote it really like to phrase and rephrase his ideas.  Multiple times.

I also got the chance to finally watch Man of Steel!!  I've been meaning to watch it since it came out (haha definitely did NOT happen), and today seemed like an excellent day.  One thing I've got to say is that I liked the soundtrack better than the movie, but I still liked the movie a lot.  I hope that very badly written sentence shows you how much I liked the soundtrack.  But seriously, my favorite part of it was every time the epic drum sections came on.  It gave me chills.  Every time.  Hans Zimmer fan 4 lyfe.  Oh, and the movie itself?  I think Henry Cavill is enough to explain it.  

The last interesting thing I did today (well, hopefully it's interesting) was lie in my bed and read the rest of Allegiant.  AND OMG THE ENDING OMG OMG OMG OMG.  Like seriously.  I sat there reading and rereading the parts over and over to make sure I didn't miss a thing.  At first I thought Veronica Roth was being super sly and tricking everyone with the "Hey I'm dead, but I'm actually not!" kind of thing.  But I kept on reading and I realized that NONONONONONO TRIS IS REALLY DEAD.  

At first, I was devastated because I was like, How can she kill off her main character like that?!  Nobody kills off their main characters!  Then, I realized that no, Tris was not the main character.  She may have been the main character in the first two books, Divergent and Insurgent, but Allegiant was definitely different.  Veronica Roth split this third book between the viewpoint of both Tris and Four.  Four kind of became the main character as the book developed.  

To be honest, I was totally expecting Four to die in some tragic way and that Tris would be devastated.  I guess I was quite wrong about that...  I'm still kind of in a shock right now about it, so please forgive me if my review of the end of Allegiant is absolutely terrible.  The only thing I'm looking forward to is the Divergent movie that's coming out next year!  Yay!!

And to end off my day, I proceeded to watch a bunch of videos interviewing the original movie cast of The Sound of Music. What can I say?  I love this movie/musical and I've watched it more than 100 times, at least.  

Song of the Day: "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" from The Sound of Music

Late Night Rambles

Hi all!  Unfortunately, the school year has started once again.  AP US History, AP English, math, marching band, and a few other sports have pretty much taken over my life.

However, I'm really glad that my youth group has started a one year Bible study together. We all read the assigned chapters everyday and check in on a google doc spreadsheet when we're done.  So far, I've tried really hard to keep it up and I intend to finish the whole Bible by the time I start school again next year.  This has really helped me and kept me accountable of all my quiet times and my relationship with God (it's also brought up some weird questions such as "Why was polygamy allowed in the Old Testament?" and "God was still able to forgive HIM after he did THAT?!").  Last year, I didn't do my quiet times or even read the Bible as much as I should have.  Now, I make sure to do it everyday to go along the the Bible passages.  If you'd like to get started on reading the Bible in a year, the plan is called Eat This Book: One Year Bible with Daily Psalms.  Join me so we can slug through the genealogies together, haha.  

Wow!  I had no idea that I would go off on doing my quiet times everyday, but I just did.  As you probably can tell, I didn't really have a "topic" to blog about today.  (This will probably be the most random post you'll ever read from me.  Ever.)

If you haven't already, please go and check out the Disney Dudez video on my previous blog post.  The video is the most hilariously awesome thing that I've watched, simply because of the boy band, IM5, and the fact that it has the boys playing their own princesses.  My favorite part is the second solo by the guy with the dyed blonde hair in the... red (?) pants. Cinderella's boyfriend.  I just love the funky tune and how he sings it.  Heart.  Melting.

I hear that they might be doing another collab type thing with the director of the video, Todrick Hall (the janitor that does these awesome random appearances during the video).  I'm definitely gonna keep an eye out for that.  
 

And while we're talking about IM5, let me just mention their new song, Superman.  It was co-written by Dalton (heart melting blondie) and Will (heart melting Asian).  The first time I heard it, I wasn't sure who wrote it, but it turned out to be two of the guys in the band!  I was super impressed because...

a) boybands usually don't write their own songs and 

b) IM5 sounded really good when they sang it live (usually songs are auto tuned to the max, ugh).  

So here is the video if you'd like to take a listen...

 

Last thing: I RECEIVED MY NAIL POLISHES FROM SEPHORA!  Yay!  They are all very gorgeous in their own ways, though I wish that I'd opted for a couple of other colors instead.  In case you missed the Pre-Haul post, I'll link it right here...  I'll try to do a post soon about the polishes, but I can't really promise anything, seeing that I haven't blogged since school started.

Hopefully I'll be back soon with legit stuff to blog about instead of random videos (even though they are awesome) from YouTube.  :) 

A Prayer for Boston

God bless those who were hurt when the bombs went of in Boston.  Please comfort those who have lost loved ones.  Rest in peace, those whose lives were brutally ended by others' wrong doings.  God protect our country, and teach us to love one another.  Amen.
 
Let's continue to support our fellow countrymen in prayer. 

Preachers' Daughters: A Review from 'Living a life in the hands of Jesus'

Hello everybody!  If you remember, I wrote a post about the new reality TV show called Preachers' Daughters in early March.  Well, check this link out!  It's a review about the show from my good friend Esther who also has a blog, Living a life in the hands of Jesus.  Since she actually watched it, I think that her information and opinions about the show is A LOT more credible than mine.  Not to mention that she's also a PK...  Please give her a nice +1 if you enjoyed her post and happen to have Google+!  I'll be back soon!

Happy Resurrection Sunday!

Okay, so you're probably wondering why I called this post "Happy RESURRECTION Day" instead of "Happy Easter" or something of the like.  Today after the church service, I was sitting with my friends, talking, and eating lunch.  A couple friends were discussing the fact that when people think of Easter, all that comes to mind are chocolate bunnies, eggs, and dye.  My friends also brought up the fact that Easter Sunday was actually originally a pagan holiday for Ishtar, goddess of fertility.  I was like, "What?  Huh?  Easter celebrates Jesus coming back to life after 3 days in the tomb!!"  But it turns out that priests in Babylon sacrificed babies to this goddess on Easter.  The Easter eggs that we like to hunt is a representation of good fertility or whatever.  Ugh.  Totally not what I thought Easter originated from.  So after this whole discussion that I was kind of eavesdropping/participating in, I decided that I'd rather call this beloved Christian holiday, Resurrection Sunday.  And also cause, you know, Easter kind of sounds like Ishtar.  

Before you go all over me for being an Easter-hater, I'll tell you that I don't hate Easter at all!  Every time I think about how Jesus died for us and took the nails, the lashes of whips, and the abuse for us, I'm just so grateful.  He did it out of love for us.  I'm also really amazed at how someone could love us so much that He would give his life for us.  I'd just rather think about this holiday as the resurrection of Jesus Christ, not a day about the Easter bunny, candy, and colorful eggs.  The candy and egg hunts are a plus, I suppose, just not the most important thing about Resurrection Sunday.   

Moving on!  If you didn't catch the post, I gave up secular music for Lent this year.  My first year giving something up for Lent, actually.  I saw this as a chance to focus my heart on God and took it!  Some of you may be wondering how the Lent thing went.  At first, it was sooooo hard for me not to sing secular songs in the shower (ILOVESINGINGINTHESHOWER).  Every time I'd think of a song and wanted to belt it out, but then I had to think twice before I did.  Other times I just got so sick of listening to Christian music and nothing else.  Also, I'm the kind of person that thinks of a song and the song gets stuck in my head FOREVER.  I found myself singing "Jesus Loves Me" loudly multiple times.  It was really effective though!  Some other difficulties were surprising ones that I never would have thought of and could not really help.  In gym class, the teachers started playing secular songs while we were playing volleyball.  When I went to the mall, every store was blasting some well known artist.  In band class, we obviously didn't play any Hillsong United (haha, I'd like to see that happen), so that was an exception.

Overall, I think it was a very, very good break from secular music for me.  I discovered that listening to secular music a lot made me discontent.  However, with more than a month of listening to music that was specifically created to praise God made my mood lighter and I am more grateful for what I have.  Right now, I could turn on my iPod or Spotify and listen to some Cimorelli or Birdy or whatever else there is.  But I just don't have that hunger for secular music anymore!

One last thing before I go!  It's really cold right now where I live, and it's only just starting to warm up again.  Since spring obviously can't come at the moment, I thought I'd just try to liven up the place with some colorful nail polish.  Here is Pinkalicious by Maybelline Color Show.  I absolutely adore the color and I think it looks very flattering with gold or silver rings.  *I apologize for the dull-looking appearance (it had been several days since I applied the polish) and my ungroomed cuticles.*

I hope you've all been having a glorious Sunday remembering the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ!  HE IS RISEN!!!!!

On Repeat...

Hi!  So I thought that I'd put it out there that pretty much all I've listened to for the past few days was Misty Edwards's "Only A Shadow Live" CD.  Well, not quite because I don't have the CD.  Yet.  

ihopkc.org

You see, there was this special deal thing at the onething '12 conference where we could get 2 CD's ("Only A Shadow" being one of them) for a discounted cost.  So of course I bought the package and I'm still waiting for it because they're still being shipped.  I'm so excited because I love the songs so much, especially "Pour My Love On You" and "Only A Shadow".  "Only A Shadow" is my favorite because it incorporates Psalm 23:4 which says...

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
    I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me."

The message of this verse has always comforted me when I am/was afraid.  I really like Misty Edwards put it into a song (you know, so I can sing it in the dark.  :)  Don't pretend you're the only one that doesn't run up the stairs at night).  

Something you should know:  I almost didn't buy the CD because I thought just listening and being there for the concert/session would be okay (it was Sunday night, for a live recording).  Turned out that I was soooo wrong!  As always, haha.  The concert was so amazing that I couldn't even call it a concert!  Everyone was worshiping like crazy and it was amazing.  

Anyway, for now I'm just listening on Spotify (thank you, Spotify!) until the album comes.  The day couldn't be sooner...

Preachers' Daughters... Good or Bad?

Hi everyone!  I meant to blog about this topic for today a couple of weeks ago, but I didn't have the time.  But now Spring Break is here and I have ample time!  Wooohooooo!  *I personified Spring Break because it deserves personification.  It is the 2nd most amazing concepts that schools have come up with...  2nd to Winter Break which is 2 weeks long!*

Okay, so one day I was on SparkNotes (yes, I do use SparkNotes, but only if I didn't understand what I was reading) and reading their amazing stuff.  At the bottom of the screen, a little bar popped up with the advertisement for a new show called "Preachers' Daughters".  Interested, I clicked on it and it brought me to a description of the show.  Basically, it's a new reality show that premiered on March 12.  This show films a period of time following around girls who are the daughters of preachers.  

impawards.com

The girls who star in this show are all described as girls who are being filmed while going through the most turbulent stage of their lives.  Two of the daughters are 18-ish, and they complain that people are always expecting them to be perfect just because they are children of pastors, the leaders of the church.  They complain that they want to be "normal girls" like everyone else.  One daughter is already pregnant out of wedlock, and she has come back out of "the life of sin" and has "strong religious connections with her family", according to the Wikipedia page.  

First of all, I have to say that I was interested because I myself am a PK (Pastor/Preachers's Kid).  I know what it's like to be looked at differently because my dad is a pastor.  Sometimes, people act a different way around me because they are afraid that I'll tattle on them when they're being "inappropriate".  And other times, people tattle on me because they thought that I was doing something "inappropriate".  And still other times, they don't tell me things because they think that I'll be "tainted".  For example, for the longest time, I had no idea whatsoever what grinding was until high school.  I heard my friends talking about it once and asked them what it was, but they wouldn't tell me.  They wanted me to maintain my innocent, angel-like reputation as a PK.  Well, now I know what grinding is.  Great.  Whoopdeedoo.  It epically changed my life (not really, I'm just being sarcastic if you can't tell).  The point is, I can relate to these girls. 

But then I read more and got less and less excited about the show.  The show basically shows the girls (mainly the two younger ones) going around and dating, doing drugs, partying, and all that other stuff.  Meanwhile, their parents sit at home and pray for their daughters to stop being like normal teens.   They also try to watch and monitor every aspect of their daughters' lives.  

According to theblaze.com...

"As for Pastor Mark Perry, he says the family’s motivation for appearing on the show isn’t to gain fame. Instead, he hopes they can help people see the difficulties preachers face in raising their families.

“We didn’t say yes to the show because we wanted to be on TV. We said yes because we wanted to tell our story,” he said in an interview with the San Luis Obispo Tribune. “We’ll be able to show our weaknesses and hopefully our strengths.” "

I understand this totally.  But I just have this nagging feeling about the show that I can't really describe.  I know that PKs have tons of pressure because there are people trying to be like them and watch them and all that.  Some PKs just break down and become rebels.  They feel that becoming rebels will prove something to their community around them.  I haven't really gone through this, and don't worry.  Not all PKs become or stay rebels.  It really just depends on your personality and how you think about things.

However, I don't really like how this only shows the negative view of a pastor's family (despite the fact that daughter no. 3 is back with the church again).  This show just depicts the stereotypical negative view of the pastor's family.  It makes people think that all PKs are rebels and pastors don't know how to raise their children the "right way".  And it's not true.  Not at all.  I've met many pastors' children, and I've seen the good and the bad.  There are PKs who follow their parents' footsteps, and there are PKs who don't.  And like I said, it really depends on the personality and values of the PK.  I also don't like how the show reveals promiscuous stuff about the other siblings in the families.  It's such a reality show thing, isn't it?

I guess the real way to find out if this show is a good idea is to pray about it.  To pray about what is happening to God's church and why we are advertising it on TV.  To pray for the future generation that will lead the church.  To pray for our pastors for guidance from God, not only for the congregation, but first and foremost, their families.  

Here's the link to a description of the show.  If you'd like, you can tell me what you think about this new show in the comments.  Or you can email me.  I'll try to sort out my feelings about it in the meantime.  :)  Thanks for reading!

The Good Things of Life

Hello everyone!  Sorry I haven't posted in while.  It's been very hectic, and I don't think that I'll be able to write my post on my new nail polish design this weekend like I planned.  :(

However, good things have been happening around here too!  

1)  A few days ago, my gym shoes started falling apart, so my lovely mother offered to take me to Target (I know, I know, Target is a horrible place for gym shoes) because I was so desperate.  The gym shoes there were quite disappointing (a given), expensive (also a given), not very professional, and ugly (I don't know anyone that really likes neon colors ALL over their shoes.  Neon shoelaces are okay, just not everywhere else).  I was so disappointed, but needed shoes so badly that I settled down on one not-so-ugly-looking pair.  My mom could tell that I really didn't like them, so she suggested Nordstrom Rack.  By then, it was already 8 pm and we were on a tight schedule.  We quickly went to the nearby Nordstrom Rack, which had TONS of more options that were so much better.  I chose the least expensive pair (still about $50) and was kind of feeling guilty about it.  My mom told me that it was okay since my feet weren't growing anymore.  However, I was still feeling very selfish, so I almost put them back.  Up at the cash register, I was almost about to tell the lady I didn't want them until she rang them up and said they were ten dollars.  Oh my goodness.  Ten dollars.  The lady and I thought that it was a mistake, but it wasn't!  I walked out of Nordstrom Rack holding the $10 gym shoes, thanking God, and having a mini celebration with my mom.  

2)  Though I didn't win my doubles match, I won my singles match in the first badminton meet!  What a great way to start off the season.  :)

3)  As a fund-raiser for the badminton team, all girls are required to sell at least 50 small bags of Warheads candy, each for a dollar.  In the past, my sales were quite pitiful because I was a very bad salesperson.  I'm still a very bad salesperson, but I was able to sell 26 bags of candy in three days' time!  Wooot!  *This is all thanks to my very generous classmates.  Or maybe thanks to their generous appetites for candy.  Why people like sour candy is a mystery to me.  Chocolate for the win!!*

4)  My dad came home from a business trip!  He was gone for a really long time, and the house just didn't feel the same without him.  He also brought back great presents.  :D

5)  I had a great girl talk with one of my best friends today at church.  She just cracks me up every time.  Thank God for best friends!

6)  An awesome video of Libera's new song, "The Moon Represents My Heart" (a much loved Chinese song), came out a few days ago.  The most exciting thing is that it's in Mandarin Chinese!  How awesome is that?  It's not a full video, but it hints at a new music video that may be coming out soon.  For those of those lucky enough to go to the Libera concerts in late March and early April in Taiwan, Libera might sing this song!  Check it out right here. 

Okay, well this is the end of the good things that have happened to me this week.  I feel like writing this post is a great reminder of how good God is to us when we don't even realize it! 

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope you all have been having a very exceptional Valentine's Day!  One thing I'm gonna say: I GRACIOUSLY THANK THE PERSON THAT INVENTED CHOCOLATE.  

Here's a Valentine's Day cover from the amazingly talented Gardiner Sisters that makes me laugh every time I watch.  

Oh, and this post will be the last one in a while about secular music.  You see, though I am a Christian, I never really observed Lent/Ash Wednesday, etc.  And from what I understand, it's mostly observed by Catholics.  Anyways, I wanted to try something different, and it's kind of like the fasting that we do at my church.  Instead of listening to all that secular music, my speakers will be playing IHOPKC worship (LAURA HACKETT, YEAHHH), Matthew West, Pas Neos, Chris Tomlin, Tim Hughes, and the likes.  It's going to be a struggle (which is pretty much the point of fasting), and I think it's a good way to focus my heart on God and not be distracted by songs not created to worship God.  Yay for giving up secular music for Lent!  I encourage you to try with me!  :)

Happy Valentine's Day!  <3

YOU SATISFY MY SOUL by Laura Hackett

At the onething '12, I discovered a new favorite Christian artist, Laura Hackett.  Some of you may know her already from IHOP and stuff.  I think that Laura is a great role model for those who love Christ.  And of course, her voice is beautiful. 

My favorite Laura Hackett song would have to be "You Satisfy My Soul".  I was at the onething conference when I first heard her sing it live during worship.  At the time, I didn't think it was anything special.  But then I listened to it again on Spotify after I came back from onething, and I realized that it had a deep meaning to it. 

When the lyrics go "You satisfy my soul with Your love", it just clicked in my head.  Nothing else could satisfy the deep yearning in our hearts except for God.  We could go around doing immoral things that make us feel good, but really, only God's love will satisfy our souls.

Here's the recorded version, which can also be found on my Playlists page.

  

 And here's the live video from onething '12... 

Connecticut School Shooting- Prayers to the Hurt

As most of you in the US know, there was an elementary school shooting this morning in a Connecticut school.  About 26 people died, most of them children.  When I heard this, my heart was filled with sadness.  I don't understand why someone would want to shoot people, especially kids.  It doesn't bring satisfaction and it manifests hate.  Regardless of my opinions, I'd like to ask that you keep the victims, their families, and their friends in your prayers.  I can't even begin to imagine the kind of pain and loss they are feeling.  Especially the anger.  For more info on the shooting, check out the link here.  Thank you.

10,000 Reasons- Matt Redman

This worship song has been a favorite of mine for quite a while.  But while I was at a Christian Thanksgiving conference hosted by my church this weekend, I realized that I like it a lot more than I thought I did.  I hope that makes sense.  I think the vocals are perfect and message is really great.  Please like the video if  you enjoyed it!

The Old Times: pureNRG

Hi everyone!  Sorry it's been such a long time since I lasted posted.  Lately, I've been given a lot more homework than usual and it's very tiring.  But let's all cheer up by talking about an old obsession of mine: pureNRG!

This band, pureNRG, was a very large part of my 6th grade through middle school life.  My parents, being the good Christians that they are, didn't think that secular music was a very good influence on me, especially so early on.  Pretty much all I listened to was...  I don't even remember what I listened to!  So when I discovered the Christian teen sensation, pureNRG, we were all overjoyed.  

L-R: Carolyne, Jordan, Caroline

pureNRG was composed of three preteens/teens: Caroline Williams, Jordan Yates, and Carolyne Myers.  They started out in 2006 when the girls were about 12, and the boy, Jordan, was 14.  pureNRG's music was a spunky preteen rock type of thing, mixed with Christian music.  It especially appealed to young girls with huge crushes on Jordan.  Might I say that I was one of them?  Don't worry, I got over it a long time ago. :)  Every time there was a new album, I would bother my parents until they took me to the local Christian bookstore so that I could buy it with my own money.  I followed them wholeheartedly for about 3 years and then a little less wholeheartedly for a year or so, until they disbanded in 2011 (I was so sad).  

Reasons I Loved This Band So Much
1. pureNRG (spelled with a lower case 'p') is pronounced "pure energy" when you kind of mash the NRG together.  My scrawny middle school self was quite impressed when I figured out their band name.  I thought it was the coolest thing in the world.  

pureNRG album no. 1!  The first one I ever bought, obviously.  Compared to the last album, they look very, very young.  L-R: Caroline Williams, Jordan Yates, Carolyne Myers  (Source: lyricspond.com)

2. All three, Jordan, Carolyne, and Caroline, were pretty amazing at dancing.  During all of their live concerts, they would sing AND dance (not just the hand motion kind of dancing, but actual really good, clean hip hop) at the same time.  I had the great pleasure of seeing them live once and my jaw was probably all the way to the floor.  I think I have a couple of pictures that I took during that concert that I went to, so I'll try and dig them out sometime.  

pureNRG: Here We Go Again.  Album no. 2!  L-R: Jordan, Caroline, Carolyne (Source: en.wikipedia.org)

3. They loved God! And their music also helped me develop as a worshiper.  I'll be eternally thankful for that.  

A pureNRG Christmas.  Album no. 3!  L-R: Carolyne, Jordan, Caroline  (Source: amazon.com)

4. The whole Jordan crush thing.  I pretty much explained it in the 3rd paragraph up above...

pureNRG reNRGized.  Album no. 4!  This was pretty much all remixes of older songs.  L-R:  I can't really tell...  (Source: ccdmusic.co.nz)

5. Carolyne has a HUGE family with NINE kids.  I don't know why I always get stuck on this big family thing.  I just think it's so cool to have lots of people to talk and interact and grow up with.  

pureNRG: The Real Thing.  Album no. 5!  Probably my favorite one because their songs were less juvenile and more about serious things.  And their pictures were awesome.  L-R: Carolyne, Caroline, Jordan (Source: amazon.com)

6. They saved me from extreme nerdiness (Actually, I may have gotten even more nerdy because of them).  You know, when you're with your friends and they ask, "So, what are you listening to now?"  And then you can say, "This really cool band called pureNRG" instead of "Uh...  Mozart."  Not that classical music is a bad thing.  Really, it's not.   

Graduation: The Best of pureNRG.  Album no. 6!  Ahh..  The title still brings tears to my eyes.  But the pictures and music inside were phenomenal and truly captured their whole experience as a band.  L-R: Caroline, Jordan, Carolyne  (Source: cdon.eu)

Even though pureNRG has disbanded, I still recommend this band to people in middle school or any age, actually.  They're such a positive influence, and, I think, even better that those Disney Channel artists.  Really, this band helped me so much through the beginnings of middle school and when I moved halfway across the country.  I guess that even though I'm not obsessed anymore, I still like them a lot and look up to them.  Well, hope you enjoy listening! 

*Sorry about the random album pictures between every reason on my list.  I couldn't find anywhere else to put them.  Hehe...

Hosanna- Daves Highway

I can't believe I'm back so soon!  But last night, Daves Highway just posted a new video of them singing "Hosanna".  "Hosanna" is one of my most favorite worship songs, and the fact that Daves Highway is singing it makes it all the better.  The star of the show in the video is Erika Daves (the girl on the left).  I really love her beautiful voice; it never wavers at all!  

I've been following them on Facebook for some time already, and it seems that they're recording another album!  Get excited, folks!  I certainly am.

Well, I'm off, but if you enjoyed the video, be sure to share it with your friends on Facebook, like the video, and subscribe to their Facebook and Youtube accounts.  Happy listening!

New Friend: The Christian Pupil

Hi everyone!  I just wanted to let you guys know that I've made a new blogger friend!  He's a really cool person and he has a blog called The Christian Pupil that you can reach right here.  I really like his blog because we have similar music tastes (Christian rock), such as TobyMac and IHOPKC, and random songs like the one here.  The Christian Pupil also very kindly put a link of my blog on his first post, and I thought that was really cool.  So go on and check out his blog!  I'll be following it regularly, and I hope you will to!  Good night everyone...  :)

Come to the Water by Daves Highway

The absolutely amazing sibling band of Daves Highway uploaded a new video today!  It's their version of the song "Come to the Water" by Brett Younker.  

I love the video so much because it shows off their great harmonies and also the fact that they love worshiping God so much.  It inspires me a lot.  

Make sure to "like" their video if you enjoyed it immensely.  Happy rest of Tuesday!

Perpetua

Hi guys!  I'm back sooner than I expected (my latest post was from last night) but that's okay!  I remembered a great book that I just had to share with you all.  

A number of months ago, or maybe even last year, I was introduced to what is now my favorite book, Perpetua by Amy Rachel Peterson.  A leader of the youthgroup I attend shoved this book at my friends and me, and told us to read it.  (*Fun fact: My youthgroup leader's friend is the author!!*)  I didn't really want to read Perpetua since I had so many other activities going on.  Even so, I read it in three days, and I loved it. 

Perpetua book cover.  I had to make it a little larger so you could see the details.  (Source: store.ihopkc.org)

Perpetua by Amy Rachel Peterson is based on the true story of a Christian martyr from the Roman Empire during the 3rd century.  The book follows Perpetua's life, from when she was a rich and spoiled Roman noblewoman, to the day she died by standing up for her faith in Jesus.  As a teenager, she becomes a follower of Jesus, or a Christian, and proceeds to change her life completely.  Her ideas change about how Christianity is outlawed Rome, and she becomes sort of an undercover Christian.  Now before you lose interest in this book because the main character dies (well, obviously she does since she's a martyr), you have to know that there is also a romantic story tied into it too.  I won't tell you what it is, cause it's your job to find out.  

I recommend this great book to anyone really, though I'd mostly say that young adultish aged girls are more likely to find the story interesting.  Enjoy the book! 

Sibling Trio: Daves Highway

A couple of months ago, I discovered an absolutely amazing sibling band.  They are called Daves Highway, after their last name.  Their band is based off of their faith, Christianity.  There's three of them, Delaney, Zachary, and Erika Daves.

 (in order from left) Erika, Zachary, Delaney

I looked them up and YouTube and clicked the first video I happened to see, which was their version of "It is Well With My Soul".  My jaw was on the floor within the first verse.  Their harmonies are astounding, and it's even better because it's live!  I seriously couldn't find a single fault with their voices, and they blend so well because their tones sound so much alike. 

After watching the first video, I kept on listening.  They sing many songs that are familiar to people who listen to Christian rock and worship songs.  That's one of the reasons that I like them so much.  Another reason I enjoy listening to their music is because they usually play their music too.  It seems that Zachary is the main musician with the acoustic guitar, but I have seen Erika play keys and Delaney also on guitar.    

 "All This Time" Album cover     (in order from left) Delaney, Zachary, Erika

Daves Highway released their EP called "Just For You" in 2010.  They also came out with a new album called "All This Time" with lots of co-written songs.  Since they're from Mississippi, most of their music, if not all of it, is country style. "All This Time" is available on Spotify (yay!) and iTunes.  Many other covers are available on YouTube for listening.  The Daves Highway website is available here, their YouTube channel here, and they are also on Facebook.

If you have any questions about this cool singing group, feel free to ask me, but you would probably find most of your answers by going on their websites.  Happy listening!