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Trinity Makes U.S. Concert Debut at Creation
Nashville, TN (July 12, 2019) Taking their celebratory new music on tour, Trinity played its first-ever U.S. concert June 29 at Creation Northeast Music Festival. Held in Mount Union, PA, the event is historically one of the largest Christian music festivals in the nation, hosting as many as 100,000 festivalgoers annually. “We started off by playing at the food court and on the camping site: acoustically, like buskers,” relays Elbert Smelt of Trinity’s experience at the festival. “People liked it, so we invited them for the evening’s dance party at the Worship Stage. Loads of teenagers showed up and we had a good time. At one point, I even got…
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Bethel’s Paul & Hannah McClure Release ‘Now I See’
Nashville, TN (July 15, 2019) Long-time pillars in the Bethel Music community Paul and Hannah McClure are embarking on their first standalone album, The Way Home, out Aug. 30. The organic next step was announced during Bethel Music’s annual WorshipU. Brian Johnson, Josh Baldwin, Seth Mosley, Matt Hammitt, Mia Fieldes and a host of others joined Paul & Hannah as co-writers in the nearly four-year pilgrimage. In finding The Way Home, the couple steeped in songwriting worked with producer David Leonard who harkened back to their Carolina roots. “It’s truth but in a palatable way,” explains Hannah, who says she hopes the entire album conveys the truth of Christ while…
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Chris August Signs Deal with BMG Music Publishing
Nashville, TN (July 15, 2019) Chart-topping ASCAP songwriter-artist Chris August has signed a publishing agreement with BMG Music Publishing. The multiple GMA Dove Award-winning recording artist has also enjoyed success as a country songwriter and plans to continue to work in both genres. August said, “Songwriting has always been my favorite part of the music creating process. After my first meeting with BMG, I knew I had found the place to really work on my craft. I’m grateful and looking forward to the opportunity to write with other songwriters I’ve followed and admired. Special thank you to ASCAP’s Kele Currier for believing in me and helping connect this relationship.” “I…
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Nashville to Honor Christian Music Industry
Belmont Church, Koinonia Bookstore & GMA Honored for Contribution to Nashville’s Music History The Nashville Metropolitan Historical Commission, in association with the Nashville Metro Council, recently announced the creation of an historical marker at 1000 16th Avenue South to be unveiled on Thursday, July 25th, to honor decades of the impact of Belmont Church, Koinonia Coffeehouse and the Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) industry on the city of Nashville. Additionally, today the Metro Council will approve a resolution celebrating 50 years of the Gospel Music Association (GMA)’s Dove Awards; thanking the trade organization for collaborating with three major CCM record companies to fund the historical marker. The Metro Council meeting began with…
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Trouble in Paradise: Tell the Truth
From the beginning of creation, God has asked for honesty — not perfection. I suppose it was easy for Adam and Eve to be honest with God at first, because they had not yet disobeyed Him. They had no secrets or hidden agendas, only full transparency with each other and with God. But after they ate the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they immediately wanted to cover up their shame, both literally with fig leaves and figuratively by hiding from God. Adam and Eve, of course, are not the only ones who tried to hide from God and cover up their sin. After David committed…
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Valuable Souvenirs: What’s Beautiful Now?
Editor’s note: Kate Merrick, her husband Britt, and their family faced a life-changing cancer diagnosis, long and painful treatments, and the death of their daughter Daisy. In the midst of the suffering, they chose to be present with God and with each other and find the beauty in the pain. * Pivotal moments pave the way for pivotal choices. And Daisy’s death was one more pivotal moment in our crazy flow. I not only changed my email address and stayed off social media but went completely dark on the blog as well. It appeared that going off the grid was not only to be for our overseas health emergency, but…
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Find Delight in What Is Right
Paintings and People It was July 21. My forty-eighth birthday. I was in one of the hardest parts of this season of suffering. The season of dust. I wasn’t able to do the typical “Hey, since this is my birthday, let me just do a little planning… a little dreaming” thing. Nope. The future felt impossibly scary. I could only face the future in teaspoons of time. Not weeks and months and certainly not a whole year. When there is an undoing of your life, there is an unknowing of every next millisecond. Every next breath. The peaceful predictability of what you thought would be your life is suddenly replaced…
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Anxious for Nothing Week 4 — The Peace of God Will Guard Your Heart
The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. — Philippians 4:5 You can lose it all… only to discover that you haven’t. God has been there all along. God has not promised a life without storms, but He has promised to be there when you face them. ~ Max Welcome to week four of the Anxious for Nothing Online Bible Study with Max Lucado! Have you ever been in a storm so bad that you think you’ll die from it? I’ve been there. I remember the moment of wondering how I could continue functioning and enduring with a heart so broken and not actually…
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He Pleads for You, Even Now
Earth, do not cover my blood; may my cry never be laid to rest! Even now my Witness is in Heaven; my Advocate is on high. My Intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God; on behalf of a man He pleads with God as one pleads for a friend. – Job 16:18-21 * Job looks up through a fog of grief and pain and sees something in a flash of spiritual insight. He cries out, “Even now my Witness is in Heaven; my Advocate is on high. My Intercessor is my friend… on behalf of a man He pleads with God as one pleads for a friend.” I love those two words — “even…
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Why Are You Even Here?
Group Time Leader read Kat’s message to group: It’s no accident that your attention is here for the moment. Cast aside those nagging fears that you won’t give this study the time it deserves, and you should just quit while you’re ahead. Reject the notion that this can wait. Because now is always the right time to reconnect with God. Plus, He’s been patiently waiting to embrace you. Let His unconditional love override the normal apprehensions that accompany starting something new. Embrace this fresh start with gusto. God has carved out this space just for you. With that in mind, welcome to Bible study! Start with Prayer (2 minutes) Before you…
