Lately by Alice Summers – A music Review As a music aficionado I am always on the lookout for new and upcoming artists with a new sound. I recently had the fortune to be able to preview the newly released album Behind the Noise by Alice Summers. Disclaimer Alice Summers provided the album “Lately” free of charge for review. So let’s dive right into the track list of the album that should be added to your play-list. For the Rainy Days – starts out with an upbeat almost country-like guitar and is a prayer of thankfulness. The song takes us through mistakes and missteps and yet finding the smile as it is His path not ours. The song of gratitude can make anyone’s bad day a bit brighter while it points us to Him. “A flower never grows if the Sun is all it knows.” This is Grace – A slower tempo song of reassurance through Grace. Alice’s beautiful voice is displayed with precise emotion in this song of God’s Grace. Under the Shadow – Possibly my favorite track on the album, Alice’s prayer to provide comfort through darkness and overcoming of fear. Under the shadow of His wings we are able to find peace through trusting Him to be our refuge. Rock of Ages – No this is not the musical , much better in my opinion, a beautiful ballad of redemption through our baptism and the age of life. May we find healing until our last breath through the cross. It takes the listener […]

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  When A Church Sends You Running for Cover Many people who are raised in the Church, end up wandering astray. We are filled with the stories we don’t understand. Threatened with hell and damnation for our unavoidable sin, why would anyone want to stay for that. We go to church to please our parents, fighting to keep our eyes open, and our minds shut. With all the pretentious and better-than-though mockery, we turn up noses on our appearances. No longer does it only matter that you are there, it also matters what you wear. Your mind wanders on this man, they call Christ, if he loved the least of these, why not these that follow him. Starting to question the need for the Church, where is this faith when the world is full of pain and hurt. Just as many do, I began to make excuses. Whether I stayed out late, or just didn’t feel like going. I would rather sleep in than go to Church. Beginning to think that all these scriptures were meant for the real sinners, not me. I quit, quit going to church, quit praying, quit believing. The world was my oyster, I had my Sunday mornings free. I woke up to headaches and hangovers and not preachers or Bible thumper. My life was mine to live, no one was going to tell me what I could or could not do. The new-found freedom was the beginning of my fall. I wrecked myself into my apocalypse of spirit where no Church could reach. Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted […]

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Christians are thought of as followers not leaders that many times hide in the shadows. Today there seems to be a great deal of focus on leadership and  Christianity. Preachers like  Derwin Gray, Andy Stanley and even the great Billy Graham they all have a similar message.  Regardless whether they are preaching from the pulpit or at a conference, they all focus on the need for leaders. The church and Christianity as a whole are under attack and needs leaders to step up and fight.  There is a problem though even though we as Christians are natural leaders, many would rather sit in the pews praying for change.  We can no longer stand by and let our faith be silenced. You were made for more than this, you were born to be a  leader and here is how I know. 1.) Jesus led his Disciples who in turn led the Church – We were destined to lead as followers of Christ it is our birthright.  Priests and Preachers cannot do this alone they want and need the support of the Church.  Everyone remembers the WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) that we wore on our bracelets and clothes.. now it is time to answered that question. 2.) We are the Hands and Feet : In order to spread the gospel and be the Christians we claim to be we must be the hands and feet of the Church.  By being the hands and feet we lead other to Christ through our daily words and actions. 3.) Advisers […]

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