Abide With Me

Life has not ceased to bring its share of busy times, of worry, uncertainty for the future, nor to be filled with the little blessings, the glimpses of His love and care.

Just the other evening, as I sat at the piano, playing and singing the different songs that came to mind, this song came to my heart, and the words struck a chord within me, and my heart echoed the prayer of this song, "O LORD, abide with me!"

I want to always keep this foremost in my mind- when the day gets busy, when I am working, when my heart is tempted to feel anxious- the prayer and the desire for Him to abide with me, for me to sense His presence in a real and living way. It is hard to worry, hard to doubt when we feel that He is truly with us.

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day;
Earth's joys grow dim; its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see;
O Thou who changest not, abide with me.

Not a brief glance I beg, a passing word,
But as Thou dwell'st with Thy disciples, Lord,
Familiar, condescending, patient, free.
Come not to sojourn, but abide with me.
I need Thy presence every passing hour.
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter's power?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.
Where is death's sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.
Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.
Heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

His Faithfulness: The Poetry of Amy Carmichael

Wow.

Ten minutes after my brother handed me this CD I am on here blogging about it. Wow!

His Faithfulness: The Poetry of Amy Carmichael is set to music by Jim Spencer. He says that "it has been our intention to handle these songs in such a way as to allow you to reflect upon the depth and richness of Amy's writings and so to look upon the testimony contained therein of the greatness of the glory of God in Christ." From the website:

His Faithfulness is a refreshingly reflective musical offering combining the rich poetry of Amy Carmichael, 1867-1951, (Irish missionary to India, read more), and the stirring melodies of modern-day songwriter Jim Spencer (Reason for the Rain - Word Records, I'm Gonna Lift Up My Eyes - Lynda Randle). From the intimate piano/cello arrangement of Rose from Brier to the soaring strings of On Calvary’s Cross, there is a wonderful cohesiveness to this project that provides the sense that you are not simply listening to ten individual songs but that you are gazing upon one grand tapestry; the testimony of God’s great faithfulness in the life of one of His children that will resonate with all.

Elisabeth Elliot, author of A Chance to Die, the biography of Amy Carmichael, said this: "May your listening of Amy Carmichael set to music by Jim Spencer spur you on to read Amy's books which will feed your spirit!"

Visit Jim Spencer Music here to listen to tracks, read lyrics, and more. This music is true Beauty.

Growing Up

"Briggs, what day is tomorrow?"

Big blue eyes stared up at me as the preschooler bounced up and down. "My birthday!" His squeal made the baby join in with shrieks until I had to cover my ears.

"That's right," I finally managed above the chorus. "And how old are you going to be?"

At this, Briggs paused. "Two."

His mother and I exchanged amused glances. "No, you two right now. How old are you going to be tomorrow?" Kristin prompted. "Are you going to be three?"

The vigorous head shake nearly knocked him off balance. "No! I not three! I two!"

"O…k…" I chuckled. "No, Briggs. You are going to be three. You are growing up."

Nothing would dissuade him. His voice escalating to a wail, he kept repeating, "I not three! I be two!"

"I understand completely," I sympathized, winking at Kristin. "I wouldn't want to turn three either. I'm sure being two is much nicer."

I cannot blame Briggs for not wanting to grow up. With every birthday another bead slides past on our personal abacus; the stakes increase, the responsibility grows, and our time on this earth diminishes. What reasoning person would desire that?

Once I turned 22 I knew I was an adult because I did not want to get any older. The childhood anticipation of more freedom and the teenage desire for maturity gave way to a contentment with the exact spot I was in--not denying what must come, like Briggs, but not rushing it along either.

Chris Rice sings a song which says "Teach us to count our days. Teach us to make the days count." Being two may be nicer than three; being twenty-two may be nicer than thirty but what is our measurement? What is our call no matter what our age?

Each day must count. Micah 6:8 tells us to "do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with thy God." This is how our lives find purpose. This is how we can face tomorrow and next year without fear or protest. "I no three!" Perhaps not, but I am His. That is one reality I cannot deny.

Life Means So Much

Everyday is a journal page
Every man holds a quill and ink
And there’s plenty of room for writing in
All we do and believe and think
So will you compose a curse
Or will today bring the blessings
Fill the page with rhyming verse
Or some random sketchings

Teach us to count the days Teach us to make the days count Lead us in better ways Somehow our souls forgot Life means so much

Everyday is a bank account
And time is our currency
So no one’s rich, nobody’s poor
We get twenty-four hours each
So how are you gonna spend
Will you invest or squander
Try to get ahead
Or help someone who’s under

Has anybody lived who knew the value of a life?
And don’t you think giving his own
Would prove the worth of yours and mine?

Copyright 2000 Clumsy Fly Music (ASCAP)

- August 2006

For My Love

For My Love
Bethany Dillon

Walk towards me
I want to hear
The heavens singing over you
When you breathe
And look at me
I want to be captured by you

Gaze into my eyes
And let me know you’d fight
Thousands, for my love
Slip your hand in mine
Ask me to dance with you tonight
Just ask me for my love

I want to hide
What’s deep in my eyes
I’m scared to be known by you
But when I turn my head
And see you there
I want to be pursued

A dream I won’t wake from
A story that will never end
The ground your feet walk on
Let me be there, let me be there

Love Heals Your Heart

Third Day

Did you think you were immune to this?
Did you think you could escape without infection?
You do all you're able to resist
Just to avoid the danger of rejection
Memory warns you of the past
When it all went wrong

When you think your life is shattered
And there's no way to be fixed again
Love heals your heart
At a time you least expected
You're alive like you have never been
Love heals your heart

Everybody has a wall to climb
That was built to guard the pain that holds them captive
Every smile that they would hide behind
Will try to mask the hurt beneath the surface
Sometimes it's hard to understand
How we're trapped inside.

We Will Dance

Steven Curtis Chapman

I've watched the sunrise in your eyes
And I've seen the tears fall like the rain
You've seen me fight so brave and strong
You've held my hand when I'm afraid

We've watched the seasons come and go
We'll see them come and go again
But in winter's chill, or summer's breeze
One thing will not be changin'

CHORUS:
We will dance
When the sun is shining
In the pouring rain
We'll spin and we'll sway
And we will dance
When the gentle breeze
Becomes a hurricane
The music will play
And I'll take your hand
And hold you close to me
And we will dance

Sometimes it's hard to hold you tight
Sometimes we feel so far apart
Sometimes we dance as one
And feel the beating of each others hearts

Some days the dance is slow and sweet
Some days we're bouncing off the walls
No matter how this world may turn
Our love will keep us from fallin'

CHORUS

The music will play
And I'll hold you close
And I won't let you go
Even when our steps
Grow weak and slow
Still I'll take your hand
And hold you close to me
And we will dance

Interviews -- Part Two

More Misc. Questions

What are your favorite songs?

Elisabeth: I love hymns. They feed my heart and mind, and there have been countless times where God has placed a fragment of a song in my thoughts just when I most need encouragement. I've had different songs for different seasons. "He Hideth My Soul" helped me through a stressful senior year in high school, "Day by Day" during my first year of Bible School, and "Jerusalem the Golden" at the death of a comrade-at-arms from a prayer trip to Israel. A new favorite is in Hebrew: "Hodu L'Adonai," means "Give thanks to the Lord," and the tune is so refreshingly beautiful! Like the books, there are many more I could mention...

Jeannie: I have many, many favorite songs. I love music and singing, and my list changes depending on what I’m going through at the moment. I’m especially drawn to worship songs – songs that focus on God and His majesty. This is just the tip of the iceberg!

Hymns
To God Be the Glory
Day by Day And With Each Passing Moment
And Can It Be
Be Thou My Vision
Join All The Glorious Names

Praise Songs
Majesty
As The Deer
More Precious Than Silver
Shout to the Lord

(A few radio favorites include Lifesong, Praise You in This Storm, and Who Am I by Casting Crowns; Indescribable, How Great Is Our God, and Famous One by Chris Tomlin; and Blessed Be Your Name by tree63.)

Lanier: I love The Innocence Mission, and consequently anything they’ve done. My favorites of theirs would probably be ‘Walking Around’ and ‘Tomorrow on the Runway’ and ‘My Someday Coming Child’. Also, "Lady of Shalott" by Loreena McKennitt.

I adore Mozart, especially his masses. And the Oxford Book of Carols is full of favorites, as well.

‘Moon River’ and ‘Two for the Road’ by Henry Mancini

‘God’s Own Fool’ by Michael Card

Natalie: These vary tremendously depending on the season in my life. All of the radio favorites Jeannie meantioned are ones I treasure as well, especially Praise You in This Storm. Some that I have mentioned on YLCF in the past include Natalie Grant's Held, Waiting for the World to Fall on the Narnia movie album, Rescue by Newsong, and Embrace the Cross by Steve Green.

My favorite artists are: Steve Green, Steven Curtis Chapman (mostly his older works), Rebecca St. James, Newsong, and Rich Mullins. But there are so many good songs...and hymns...and instrumental works. Michael W. Smith's instrumental album Freedom is an all-time favorite, as is Riverdance music (I like to practice step-dancing to both).

What do you do for a living?

Elisabeth: I'm a student and a volunteer at my university in Jerusalem. That means that I teach English as a second language, transcribe classes, practice hospitality, write scripts for a multimedia presentation on the Dead Sea scrolls, grade exams and do whatever other oddments come my way. I consider my real job, however, to be a friend, sister (I adopt as many as I can), daughter, discipler, and intercessor.

Jeannie: Nothin’? I guess I’m a dependent. I do earn my keep, though – helping with homeschooling, housework, farm work, our home business (www.castleberryfarmspress.com), etc. The only outside work I do is serve as an election inspector for our rural township (maximum of four days a year, so it’s not really a regular job!).

Lanier: I’m a homemaker.

Natalie: I live at home with my family, and as a woman, do not have to "make my living." However, I have spent many years--from age eleven til now--as a babysitter and then full-time nanny or mother's helper. I do a fair amount of freelance writing and editing. Next month I will begin serving at a friend's Christian tea room near our home.

What's your favorite time period?

Jeannie: History was always my favorite subject in school, and I love it even more now – in fact, I’m currently helping write a history book for our rural township’s centennial. It’s hard to narrow down my interest to a particular time period, but I guess if I had to pick I’d choose the World War II era. Note of interest: Both of my grandfathers fought in WWII, and both met their wives (my grandmothers ?) as a direct result of their service.

Elisabeth: To imagine myself in and write about? First century Israel. To read about? 1940's Europe and 1800's Britain.

Lanier: Living in an antebellum home, my husband and I really love the furniture, customs, lifestyle, dress (well, that would be me J) of the early half of the nineteenth century.

But I’m also irresistibly drawn to the late eighteen hundreds—on Prince Edward Island.

Natalie: I am fascinated by ancient history--the older the better. Of particular interest is the ancient Middle East and China, the Crusades and Reformation, and the Civil War. I mostly study Biblical history and the first century church these days.

Wounded Soldier

I am a wounded soldier
But I will not leave the fight
Because the Great Physician is healing me

I am standing in the battle
In the armor of His light
And I know His mighty power is real in me

I am loved
I am accepted
By the Savior of my soul
I am loved
I am accepted
And my wounds will be made whole

- by Danny Daniels

Spring, spring, spring!

It's lovely to wake up to the birds singing each morning. It's even lovlier when the sun is peeking through my windows, too.

These little grape hyacinths are perched within my view, a special gift from a special little friend. I help in the 2's and 3-year-old's Sunday School class each week. But last week I still had the remnants of a spring cold, so I just popped in to say hi, intending to keep my distance.

The moment little Gabriel saw me, he ran to get the jar of flowers he had carried so carefully on his walk to church. They were just for me, it seemed. And I got a hug to go with them. They bring a smile to my face each time my eyes rest upon their cheery blooms, thinking of this little child's gift of love, his delight in the pretty flowers that springtime brings, and the gorgeous vase that was his baby food jar.

Read Lanier's beautiful post, Enchanted April. Then go enjoy this delightful weekend of April's spring as if through the eyes of a child.

All the hen-folk are hatchin'
While their men-folk are scrathin'
To ensure the survival of each brand new arrival.
Each nest is twitterin',
They're all baby-sitterin',
Spring, Spring, Spring.

Every field wears a bonnet
With some spring daisies on it,
Even birds of a feather show their clothes off together.
Sun's gettin' shinery, to spotlight the finery,
Spring, Spring, Spring.

-"Spring, Spring, Spring"
from "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers"

Not your average Christian music...

It's not often you'll find my radio tuned to a Christian station. In fact, never. I'm just rather picky about the Christian music I listen to. I like to be able to understand the words. I like the songs to be upbeat and uplifting. And I still love the good old hymns. So the Christian CD's on my shelf aren't always the ones you'll find on display at the Christian bookstore. But they've become my favorites through the years...

The Music of Steve Green
I grew up to my mom cleaning house to Steve Green's music. He's always been a favorite in our house, for his uplifting melodies and encouraging words...

• Steve Green (1984)
  
• He Holds the Keys (1985)
• Find Us Faithful (1988)
  
• The Mission (1989)
  
• We Believe (1991)
  
• Hymns: A Portrait of Christ (1992)
  
• People Need the Lord (1994)
• Where Mercy Begins (1994)
  
• The Letter (1996)
  
• The Faithful (1998)
  
• Morning Light (1999)
• Woven in Time (2002)
• Somewhere Between (2005)

Timeless
Upbeat hymns by the Stock Brothers

Michael Card
This straight-from-Scripture music from a homeschool dad is great for the whole family.

All to Him I Owe
Beautiful instrumental music by Bethany Tiss

The Masat Family
Down-home music, blue grass style music.

Rise Up, O Men of God
Heart-stirring songs of loyalty to God and country.

Easy-listening favorites

Some days I feel like having a bit of music playing in the background. No words, just ambiance... Not distracting, just relaxing... Here are some of my favorites...

Majesty Music: Sacred Music You Can Trust
Beautiful classical, instrumental, hymns, and Christian music...
Majesty Strings I
Majesty Strings II
Majesty Strings III
Victorious Strings
Classic Jubilation

101 Classic Piano Hymns
These pleasant classical hymn melodies are now daily background music in our home. If you like calm, peaceful-sounding music, these CD's are just the thing--and very reasonable, too.

All to Him I Owe
Beautiful instrumental music by Bethany Tiss.

Freedom
This music Michael W. Smith is the perfect energetic writing music.

Steve Hall
Beautiful instrumental piano music.

• Coming Home
• On Eagle's Wings
• In This Very Room
• Heirloom
• more music by Steve Hall...
  

Jim Gibson
This instrumental piano music from Hickory Cove Music is some of my favorite...

• Love Songs
• A Night at the Movies
  
• Songs of the South
• The Art of Tea
  
• Melodies We Love: The Forties
• Melodies We Love: The Thirties
  
• Songs of the Civil War
• Favorite Hymns
  

Soundtracks:
Anne of Green Gables Soundtrack
Gettysburg: Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Gettysburg: More Songs and Music from the Movie
Gods & Generals Soundtrack
Man from Snowy River Soundtrack

Instrumental Oldies:
Beautiful Hollywood
Best of Broadway

A Few Fun Oldies Vocals:
Best of Nat King Cole
Carpenters Singles
Sounds of Summer: Very Best of the Beach Boys
Little Deuce Coupe/All Summer Long: The Beach Boys

Leaving the home I love...

Once I was happily content to be
As I was, where I was
Close to the people who are close to me
Here in the home I love

Who could see that a man would come
Who would change the shape of my dreams
Helpless, now, I stand with him
Watching older dreams grow dim

Closing my heart to every hope but his
Leaving the home I love

-by Bock and Harnock, from "Fiddler on the Roof"

This afternoon I went out and sat on the front porch step to watch the sun set. As I listened to the birds sing an evening song, I looked around at the daffodils, the green grass, the ever-changing yet ever-present beauty of the place I live. It's starting to seem more real that I'm leaving all this I've grown up with--my family, my home, my church family.

I'm leaving all I've ever known, to go to all I've ever dreamed of--a cozy little home nestled in rolling farmland, a wonderful new family, and my own dear husband to love.

I'm glad my parents are staying here, so we can come back to visit. I will show my children where I grew up, introduce them to the dear old people at church (if they haven't already gone ahead of us to Heaven), and Merritt and I will walk again down the same little path we walked together the first day of our courtship.

I have a lifetime of memories here--in fact, my family has moved only once, and that was just across the field. But Lord willing, I have a lifetime of memories to make with my man.

Far outweighing any melancholy at leaving is the thought of my new home with my love. And if my "home is where the heart is," then my home has been in those rolling hills ever since Merritt moved there six years ago...

There where my heart has settled long ago
I must go, I must go

Who could imagine I'd be wand'ring so
Far from the home I love

Yet, there with my love, I'm home

-by Bock and Harnock, from "Fiddler on the Roof"

Country Favorites

As I was putting my Christmas CD's back in the little wooden crates I found at Walmart, I decided I should share some of my favorite finds with y'all. And since I have a Country CD on at the moment, we'll start with that genre.

I'm a country girl who likes Country music. I know Country often gets a bad rap because of what plays on the radio, but the radio isn't a good representation of the entire Country music industry. (Check out Why I Love Country Music.) I usually check out the songs at CowboyLyrics.com before I buy the CD. And there is still sometimes a song you don't want little ears to hear. But that's what the "Next" button on CD players is for.

That said, here are a few of my favorite CD's.

Paul Overstreet:
The Best of Paul Overstreet
Time
Heroes
A Songwriter's Project, Volume 1

Brent Lamb

Billy Currington

Tim Rushlow

Right Now by Rushlow

Brad Paisley:
Mud on the Tires
Part II

True Believer by Sawyer Brown

Who I Am by Alan Jackson

Greatest Hits by Kenny Chesney

Buddy Jewell
Times Like These

Country Music by Marty Stuart

Long Black Train by Josh Turner

Be Here by Keith Urban

The Right Place by Bryan White

Have You Forgotten by Darryl Worley

America Will Always Stand: Ron Maxwell Presents New Songs of the Civil War

Let Me In by Chely Wright

John Michael Montgomery:
Home to You
Leave a Mark

Sometimes all you can do

There are days when it is enough to simply listen and pray the truth of God's word, to listen to songs that speak that truth...and weep.

Held

This song is sung by Natalie Grant (note: I linked to where you can hear part of the song, but I will caution you that I'm afraid Natalie Grant's clothes are not very modest on her website). She writes: These are the things in life that we cannot understand or explain, and the lyrics reflect that honesty. God didn’t promise us we’d be okay or that life would be easy. My faith does not protect me from pain, but it provides me with peace. God only promises us that when we suffer, when we’re in pain, we’ll be held in His arms through every circumstance.

Two months is too little
They let him go
They had no sudden healing
To think that providence
Would take a child from his mother
While she prays, is appalling
Who told us we’d be rescued
What has changed and
Why should we be saved from nightmares
Were asking why this happens to us
Who have died to live, it’s unfair

Chorus: This is what it means to be held
How it feels, when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive
This is what it is to be loved and to know
That the promise was that when everything fell
We’d be held

This hand is bitterness
We want to taste it and
Let the hatred numb our sorrows
The wise hand opens slowly
To lilies of the valley and tomorrow

Chorus

If hope if born of suffering
If this is only the beginning
Can we not wait, for one hour
Watching for our savior

The other songs I'm listening to today:

Believe Me Now by Steven Curtis Chapman
Believe me now. I never have, I never will abandon you. I am with you, and I am for you. I am the God who never wastes a single hurt.

You Will Never Walk Alone by Point of Grace
Jesus will be right beside you all the way. You may feel you're far from home, but home is where He is. He'll be there down every road. You will never walk alone.

What I've listened to all week

I want to alert you to a music group you may not be aware of, but which some of you would really enjoy. They are “The Arrows”: siblings Rachelle, Jonathan, Charissa, and Jessica Taylor. The four sibling’s voices blend together well—am I the only one who notices that brothers and sisters’ voices often sound better together than say, just a group of friends? I like the four-part harmony they use on nearly every song.

Rachelle, the lead singer, has a beautiful soprano voice that really carries the songs. Jonathan and Charissa make a great sound together—I kept trying to single them out because I wanted to hear how just those two sounded together. And we can’t forget Jessica, who I am guessing is the youngest, but adds so much to the full tone of the pieces.

My favorites on the CD are the acapella songs, especially “Brethren, We Have Met to Worship” and “Have a Little Talk.” “Justice Met Grace,” the title track written by Rebekah Pearl Anast of No Greater Joy fame, is a lovely showcase of the sisters’ harmony and Charissa’s alto voice. Also of note is “O Inima Curata,” a Romanian hymn of praise.

For more information on The Arrows, and to order their project “Justice Met Grace,” visit their website here. www.thearrows.org

Sunday Song

The below song is a beautiful testimony of faith in the midst of confusion and hurt. I sit here in the first day of the new year and am just bubbling over with joy. God is so good, my friends! Can we even begin to scratch the surface of how rich and measureless His grace and love are towards us??

This song says it all. Worship Him today--begin or continue a lifestyle of continual praise and glory to our Lord every minute of every day. With our lips we praise Him, but it is from our heart that the truest worship must come. Is your heart delighting in Him today? Has He filled you so full there is no room for anything but joy and peace? It may take hard times to reach this place, but speaking as one who finds herself enjoying His riches today, it is worth any pain. I find myself even asking for trials and hardships, if such are what my Father deems necessary to take me upwards: to know Him more and for more of me to fade away so He can shine brightly through.


Who Am I

VERSE 1:
I've tried to wrap my mind around the thought of you
I stretched myself so far I nearly come unglued
You hold the universe inside your hands
Still you thought of me
I can't believe

CHORUS
Who am I
To understand your ways
Who am I
To give you anything but praise
Who am I
To try and solve the mystery
Behind the heart and soul of all that I believe
Who am I

VERSE 2:
Is there no limit to your love for me
As shallow as this selfish heart can be
You are the maker of reality
And I stand in awe
You are God

CHORUS

VERSE 3:
You're every reason for my heart to hope
Creator of the dreams I've yet to know
You are the river for my thirsty soul
You are my desire
You are God

CHORUS

BRIDGE:
I am your child
I will follow, who am I?
You gave your life
For my tomorrow

CHORUS

"Who Am I" by Point of Grace on "I Choose You"
Authors: Terri Fritsch, Marshall Hall, Sam Mizell
Copyright: 2004 Threebeing Music (Admin. by ION Music Administration)
BMG Songs, Inc. (Admin. by BMG Music Publishing)
Hook, Line & Music Publishing (Admin. by Gaither Copyright Management)

My patch of sky is expanding

How can I express what this song did to me the first time I heard it? We were driving through a barren snow-less landscape and I was mulling over all that lies ahead. The theme of waiting itself is so pertinent and beautiful to me right now. Add to that the unique twists of words and imagery employed throughout, and how perfectly some of those images tied to my own life, and from the first verse I knew this would be one of my theme songs for the beginning of 2006.

This song offers hope. Our world does not have to stay as “a smaller patch of fading sky.” It may still be winter but spring is coming. The scene will change; the colors will come. Just wait.

Waiting for the World to Fall
Written by Dan Haseltine, Charlie Lowell, Stephen Mason and Matt Odmark
©2005 Bridge Building

I'm afraid it's been too long to try to find the reasons why
I let my world close in around a smaller patch of fading sky
But now I've grown beyond the walls to where I've never been
And it's still winter in my wonderland

Chorus
I'm waiting for the world to fall
I'm waiting for the scene to change
I'm waiting when the colors come
I'm waiting to let my world come undone

I close my eyes and try to see the world unbroken underneath
The farther off and already it just might make the life I lead
A little more than make-believe when all my skies are painted blue
And the clouds don't ever change the shape of who I am to You

When I catch the light of falling stars my view is changing me
My view is changing me
I'm waiting

Homeschool graduate swiftly becoming one of most famous voices in the US!

I wanted to give an update on my friend Thomas McCargar who is the newest member and rising star (I'm not biased--you should see the reviews!) of Chanticleer: An Orchestra of Voices. If you have never heard of this phenomenal group, you must hear it to believe it! On December 5, Thomas will be singing live on the Today Show. If you are able to watch it, I think you would really enjoy hearing what is widely regarded as the best voices in the world.

From the McCargar family: Thomas rose to the top quickly. Chanticleer's first major newspaper review for the season was in Philadelphia. Thomas sings a solo piece that is a Scottish song and the reviewer wrote that it was the best rendition he had ever heard of that particular song. From that point he was singing two solos at each performance. On their Christmas tour Thomas will be doing four solos! Chanticleer will be doing 100 performances this season in the USA and around the globe. They just got back from a two week tour of Japan.

Stars and Stripes

The Marine Corps newspaper has to make me laugh. It comes in the evening...about 6 pm. But it is dated for the next day--so if you look at it that night you'll get confused. To add to that, it isn't even today's news, much less tomorrows--because it was printed so early in the day, it's actually, as Tammy likes to say, "Yesterday's news tomorrow." Hehe. But they did do one thing right--they featured Rebecca St. James and her new book on the back cover of the Sunday Living section. Woohoo! :)

Rebecca St. James performs for the new Narnia soundtrack

I am briefly reappearing from my busy life as au pair of 6 kids in Japan to tell you that the new soundtrack for the Narnia movie "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" will be released on September 27th--less than week from now! I just wish I could hear it that soon....it will take a while to reach Okinawa. However, you can listen to part of Rebecca's song "Lion" online by going here (Windows Media).

Real Audio click here.

I have never really promoted a movie before, but I am excited about this one-and about one of my favorite singers and role models being part of the project. For more information you can visit Narnia's website at http://www.narnia.com

I tried to post a banner but alas, my brain is fried. I have mommy brain. :)