For some reason, I thought I'd already posted this before, but I searched and couldn't find it. So if it turns out I actually have already shared it before, well... who really cares. It's beautiful. :)
It was the opening number on the Whitney Houston tribute episode on Glee, and I seriously cried. (I guess I do that a lot, so you probably aren't shocked.) I just think the a capella has such a gorgeous and sobering effect on this normally upbeat song. Honestly, this is probably one of my very favorite Glee performances. So enjoy Whitney's How Will I Know as interpreted by Mercedes, Rachel, Santana, and Kurt. :)
It has been awhile since I shared any music with you guys, but I just couldn't help myself. It's Natalie Grant's Your Great Name (the acoustic version), and I love it.
My very favorite line in the whole song is this one:
The enemy, he has to leave
At the sound of Your great name
Every time I hear it, I fight to hold back tears at the thought of Satan fleeing as I lift up praise to my King. He is high and lifted up and worthy of so much more than the meager portions He has been getting from me lately. But by golly, He is also my Redeemer, and it is a beautiful thing knowing that in Him I can be made new. So very beautiful.
At work, I've almost always got Pandora up on my "Parachute" station. They're my fave, and their happy, mid-tempo kind of music keeps me in an upbeat mood throughout the day.
This week's song pops up from time to time, and I find myself smiling and doing a little hipster-ish, Night at the Roxbury head bob (discretely, of course) every time it comes on. Give it until at least the end of the chorus (around 1:00) before you call me crazy. :)
A co-worker of Micah's passed along this video to me last week (in an email wherein he told me what a joy it was to work with Micah. I seriously can't express how incredibly lucky I feel to get to be my sweet husband's wife. He has to be, without a doubt, the best man on the planet... but I digress. As usual. :)).
Micah and I watched it when I got back from Florida on Friday night. After having pushed aside everything but work for the past month, I honestly couldn't have received this message at a more appropriate time. Because even when things are hectic and crazy, He should always be my focus. My desire.
As the video says, anything that I can't stop thinking of is an idol. Anything I give all my hear to is an idol. It's time to clear the stage and make room for what should be taking the spotlight: Him.
This song has been on my mind for the last couple of weeks, and I don't think I've shared it here before.
It's Stronger by Hillsong, and the lyrics (particularly the chorus) are so powerful to me.
You are stronger
You are stronger
Sin is broken
You have saved me
It is written
Christ is risen
Jesus, You are Lord of all.
To be able to call sin broken -- to know that Christ's love broke it -- is a truth I don't deserve. And I don't know if any of you who read these silly ramblings of mine needed to hear this truth today, but just in case...
Christ is all.
His love is strong enough to overcome whatever past enslaves you.
It is strong enough to overcome whatever storms are waiting for you in the future.
His love led Him to the cross so that He could make you new again, and I pray that if you're searching for something -- anything -- you could meet Him there and let Him show you what true love looks like.
I follow Kellie Rasberry on Twitter (l-o-v-e her), and she went on and on about how catchy this song was, so I had to check it out.
And, as usual, she's totally right. I haven't been able to stop listening to it since Monday! Plus, the music video is entirely too adorable! (And apparently Justin Beiber thinks so too!)
So, who else is a sucker for cheesy '80s movies? It's sort of ridiculous how much I love them, even though they're terrible. Case in point? Footloose. Could that movie be any cheesier? (I really wish you could hear my Chandler Bing impression in person. It's amazing. Amazingly awful.) But I love it anyway. I haven't yet seen the remake, but I really want to.
This week's song is actually a remake of my favorite song from the movie, Holding Out for a Hero. This version is by Ella Mae Bowen, and it's GORGEOUS. Like beautiful. And because I'm awesome, the video is actually a clip from Julianne Hough's performance to the song (with a little Blake Shelton at the end). I have a feeling that you'll love it even if you don't share my love for cheesy '80s movies.
Look at me... posting music two weeks in a row! I just couldn't not share this song. Unfortunately, I can't embed the video here, so you'll have to actually click over and listen, but I can PROMISE you that you won't be sorry. This song is gorgeous. Enjoy Beautiful, Beautiful by Francesca Battistelli.
It has been awhile since I had any music to share, but I heard this song at church this week and fell in love. It's so melodic and beautiful. Enjoy 10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman.
I feel certain that most of you have probably already seen this, but it's so incredibly beautiful/moving that I thought I'd post it anyway. It's a live duet of Carrie Underwood and Vince Gill singing How Great Thou Art, and it's just gorgeous. Hope y'all enjoy!
This week's song is Keith Urban's Long Hot Summer. I'm sure you've all heard this song by now, but I couldn't help sharing it because I've been playing on repeat for about a week now. I love the beat, I love the lyrics, and I love Keith Urban.
After seeing him live, I have a newfound appreciation for (1) his yumminess - man, that guy is smokin', (2) his genuinely kind nature, and (3) his talent. Plus, I love songs that are playfully sexy without being in your face about it. :)
I've missed the last couple of several weeks, but I couldn't resist sharing this song when I stumbled across the video by accident.
True story: When Micah broke up with me during my freshman year in high school, I played Mariah Carey's Someday on repeat for days, belting out Mariah's version of angry girl music and thinking about what I'd say to Micah when he came crawling back to me someday.
Turns out Mariah knew what she was talking about. I had to wait two and-a-half years, but he finally came to his senses and came knocking on my door again.
Of course, I graciously refrained from any kind of "I told you so" conversation, but just in case he ever needs reminding again, I'll remember that Mariah said it best:
I promised I'd post a song, and I thought I'd post videos of my two favorite performance from last night on The Voice (the actual song part starts around 2:07). The first video is Javier Colon singing an original song called Stitch By Stitch. This guy's voice is insane, and he seems like the nicest guy, too. Plus this song is just gorgeous, and I'll definitely be buying it.
The second video is actually Javier again, singing a duet with his coach, Adam Levine. They're singing Michael Jackson's Man in the Mirror, which is one of my favorite Michael songs. They did an amazing job living up to Michael's greatness, and I'll also be buying this song - I LOOOVE remakes. :)
Even though A Walk to Remember was a pretty terrible movie, I've always loved Mandy Moore's version of Only Hope. A few years ago, I stumbled across Switchfoot's version, and I love it even more. Here's a live performance by Switchfoot below. Enjoy!
I promise I'm not being paid to gush about Parachute. I just have been listening to their new album all week, and I honestly cannot stop listening to Kiss Me Slowly. Apparently they co-wrote it with Lady Antebellum, and it's gorgeous. Plus, the second verse sort of reminds me of me. :)
