Curious as to what our readers think of this video.

As I was walking into the office today I had heard on the radio someone state that “Mary Did You Know”, written by Mark Lowry was probably the only recently released (within the last 15 years) song that has become a Christmas classic.

Then, I came across this video shared on my wall on Facebook. Great performance by CeeLo Green. What do you think? How do you balance a performance like this with the song content of some of his big hits?

Watching CeeLo on “The Voice”, you get to see into his life and personality a little more and he appears to be a deeply religious person.

What are your thoughts?

Our prayers go out to all the families and friends of those that were lost and impacted by last week’s shootings in Connecticut. I will support what others have said in that let’s not remember or even mention the name of the killer, but instead remember the names of those who died.

Allison Wyatt, 6
Ana Marquez-Greene, 6
Anne Marie Murphy, 52
Avielle Richman, 6
Benjamin Wheeler, 6
Caroline Previdi, 6
Catherine Hubbard, 6
Charlotte Bacon, 6
Chase Kowalski, 7
Daniel Barden, 7
Dawn Lafferty Hochsprung, 47
Dylan Hockley, 6
Emilie Parker, 6
Grace McDonnell, 7
Jack Pinto, 6
James Mattioli, 6
Jesse Lewis, 6
Jessica Rekos, 6
Josephine Gay, 7
Lauren Rousseau, 30
Madeleine Hsu, 6
Mary Sherlach, 56
Noah Pozner, 6
Olivia Engel, 6
Rachel D’Avino, 29
Victoria Soto, 27

I believe this recent video from Mike Huckabee also does a good job of expressing my feelings and will hopefully equip me to more effectively respond to the question of “Where was God” with regards to this event and future events in our society.

Guest Post by Eric Blair

Some people have expressed the view that Christian Rock has decreased in popularity over the years. With bands like Paramore, MxPx, Critical Mass and Switchfoot, rock certainly doesn’t appear to be going away. In fact, some of these groups are now experiencing the most popularity they ever had in their careers. While digital distribution has hurt some segments of the record industry, the contemporary Christian music segment has really started to carve out its own niche.

Magnified Plaid Puts out New Music

Since fans haven’t heard anything out of MxPx since 2007, it was nice to see “Plans Within Plans” hit store shelves in April 2012. Mike Herrera described the title as a reference to the fact that day-to-day life in the recording industry requires you to make plans on top of other plans. At various times, the members of MxPx have said they prefer to be described as a band made up of Christians rather than a Christian band.

Nevertheless, even secular songs on their ninth studio album show some clear Christian themes. “Stay On Your Feet” has a pretty positive message that surely resonated well with a lot of fans. It probably also resonated well with Herrera, since the drama of his work seemed to be getting to him.

Critical Mass

Few bands can please hipsters and Christians equally, but Critical Mass has a following among members of both groups. They’ve come out and said that they’re proud of being an independent band, and have no wish to sign a major record deal. Even though they’re one of the most successful indie bands in Canada, they’re best-selling records have only ever sold slightly over 60,000 copies.

It’s pretty safe to say that they’re still underground. Unlike a lot of groups that enjoy crossover popularity, however, Critical Mass has never tried to downplay Christian themes in their music. Their 2009 album “Body Language” deals with themes of love and sexuality in a way few rock bands would ever dare to. In fact, Blessed Pope John Paul II’s “Theology of the Body” directly influenced it.

Paramore’s New Release

Strangely, Paramore has chosen April 2013 to be the release date of their eponymous album. It’s sure to interest a ton of contemporary Christian music fans, and the response to Hayley Williams’ recent comments about the recording have been pretty positive. She stated that Justin Meldal-Johnsen will be producing the record, and he said the sound is going to be much less computerized than a lot of recent recordings.

License: Creative Commons image source

 Eric Blair writes about rock music and live concerts- in his spare time he goes to car shows and listens to his Beatles Vinyl. 

If you’re a regular reader of this site, at some point you may have noticed the little logo for MATS in the sidebar. If you’re not familiar with this organization, you should take a look at the service they provide for people involved in ministry efforts. They help find great deals on cars for individuals in ministry and have an inventory of available cars to choose from. Watch the video below for a great explanation and overview.

If you’re in ministry and looking for some new transportation and want to work with an organization that is as interested in you and your ministry as they are in selling you a car, check out MATS today.

After taking a look at their available vehicle inventory or request more information, just let them know you heard about them from the Mission Notes Christian Music blog. Be sure and spread the word about MATS to your friends, family and other contacts involved in ministry as well!

Was just chatting with a new friend of mine. Hey Matt! Working on getting him to start writing for us a little here and he threw out this comment “… My desperate need for obscure Christian rock band Hokus Pick to reunite and start making music again?”

Now, little did he know I knew exactly who he was talking about. In fact, Hokus Pick and Rhythm and News did a little concert up in Ohio when I was in college. A friend of mine who was from Canada, hey Andrew!, introduced me to them and I absolutely loved both of the groups. After one of their concerts we ended up hanging out with them and going bowling at this tiny little bowling alley in Lexington, OH if I remember correctly. Had a great time. In fact, bowled one of the best games ever. I only missed 6 pins the entire game.

Here’s a poster they signed for me.

Anyone still have their albums? Let me hear you!

They have a Facebook page for Rhythm & News and Hokus Pick.

Can anyone tell me what the phrase “hokus pick” means?

This has already been shared and tweeted by a few different folks in the Christian music circles, but I had to share it here as well.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Who’s writing their own worship songs out there? Are you falling into these patterns or are you intentionally breaking them?

What’s your absolute favorite worship song? Let us know in the comments.

Related articles

• The Heart of Worship
• Words matter. Language matters. Theology matters. The songs used in worship matter.
• Worship: Stand Out By Being Traditional
• Music in Worship

This performance is absolutely beautiful and very moving. The song “Shake It Out” performed by the Capital Children’s Choir, originally performed by Florence + The Machine.

The world-renowned Capital Children’s Choir can frequently be seen performing alongside pop and classical superstars and is in constant demand for charity galas and other important events.

Just found out about this little video segment while listening to a Relevant Magazine podcast. This is pretty funny. I really wish I would think of this stuff when I see it, and that I’d try to look for these kinds of opportunities.

Amanda Stott has a great voice, and her 2011 album, Place to Start Again, showcases it well.

The Canadian singer moved to Nashville a few years ago to pursue a solo career, following a self-titled country debut (2000) and pop follow-up (Chasing the Sky, 2005). Released independently, Place to Start Again takes Stott in a new direction, artistically and creatively. It’s the right direction.

This faith-centered collection of songs is a simple affair, framed mostly by piano and strings. Stott takes listeners on a tour of the highs and not-too-lows of her spiritual journey (even when singing about tough times, she never gets too downbeat – an alternate title for the album might have been Don’t Stop Believin’).

Four tracks stand out. Stott smartly opens the album with “Rest,” an ode to the peace and security that come from knowing, and being known by, God. “Need the Fire,” meanwhile, is the cry of a believer longing to have her spirit renewed within: “Ignite my heart / And melt the parts that keep freezing in the cold / I still need the fire / Fill these bones/ So you’ll be known / Burn my pain away.”

On the title track, Stott wades into cliché (“You’ll find there’s so much more to life than you’ve ever known / When you open up your arms and let him in / You’ll have a place to start again”), but she sings it beautifully, and the arrangement works.  

“Walk With Me” is the catchiest tune of the bunch. For reasons I can’t explain, the song makes me want to grab a top hat and cane and dance my way down the street. She comes close to cutting loose on this one and almost having, well, fun. Maybe next time.

What Place to Start Again is missing is top-notch songwriting – a breakthrough hit that convicts while tugging at the heartstrings, like Amy Grant’s “My Father’s Eyes,” or captures the imagination, like Chris Rice’s “Deep Enough to Dream.”

That’s not to say the album’s eight songs, co-written by Stott, are weak. But the lyrics rarely rise above those of the garden-variety songs populating today’s Christian radio. They are nice, they are pleasant, but they are vanilla. Stott need not be edgy, but she doesn’t want to be forgettable, either. She needs material as mature as her voice.

It’s frustrating, really, to hear her fall back on dull metaphors (“I’ve been in a season / Where the leaves are changing,” “I was caught in the pouring rain / Nowhere to go / Lost and afraid”) and painfully primitive phrases (“You’re everywhere / You’re always there,” “Right now things seem hopeless / This is not where I wanted to be / And I feel like every time I try my hardest / It’s no use / But I still believe”).

With the right song, Stott could find herself in the spotlight. Perhaps her new single – “Send Me” – now available on iTunes – will do the job. (Full disclosure: I haven’t downloaded it yet, but I will.)

Shortcomings aside, I liked Place to Start Again, but I enjoy Stott’s voice far more. Here’s hoping this album was just a warm-up exercise.

Place to Start Again Track List

1. Rest
2. My Only Hope
3. I Still Believe
4. Walk With Me
5. Fall Behind
6. Sail On
7. Need the Fire
8. Place to Start Again

Connect with Amanda Online

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Lots of adults didn’t learn how to play a musical instrument in school and when they grow up they regret it. If you’re reading this you might be one of them. Do you finally want to become the rock star you’ve always admired? Do you want to learn how to play beautiful music?

You’re lucky because there is still time to learn. It’s never too late to pick up an instrument for the very first time, but I must warn you it’s not easy. If you want to maximize your chances of succeeding you should pay close attention to the following tips.

Choose an instrument you will love

You should choose to play the right instrument because if you don’t you will give up too easily. You’re meant to enjoy yourself and if you don’t like your instrument you have already given up only you don’t know it yet. Walk into any shop and test out a few different instruments if you’re not sure which one you like the best. Once you hold them in your hands you will get a feel for one of them.

Learn the basics quickly

Once you buy an instrument you need to start learning the basics as quickly as possible otherwise you will develop bad habits. You need to start from the beginning, so don’t think you will automatically transform into your favorite rock star. If you look hard enough you will find a few videos on YouTube that will help you start your journey off on the right foot. After you know how to play simple tunes you can move onto the more complicated stuff.

Get into a routine

If you don’t get into a routine you will discover that you don’t want to learn an instrument as much as you thought you did. You will always tell yourself tomorrow is the day you will practice, but tomorrow never comes. I’m sure you’ve experienced this plenty of times in the past. You don’t need to practice every single night, but force yourself to play something at least a few times per week or you’ll be a pensioner by the time you’re making your own music.

Play with experienced musicians

You will find it difficult to become an expert if you play your instrument inside a vacuum every day. Go out and find people who are better than you. Once you start playing with them the speed you progress at will increase faster than you could ever imagine. You just need to go out and find people. Have a look on the Internet and something will come up. There are many possible ways to find people depending on the instrument you play.

Tackle your favorite songs

We’ve already looked at why you should choose an instrument you won’t get bored of and we’re about to go over the same thing again. If you don’t play your favorite songs you will still get fed up because you can’t keep playing ones you don’t like forever. Once you get the basics right you should be able to start playing your favorite songs. Just go slowly in the beginning and you can eventually increase the speed more and more each day.

Pay for lessons

Don’t think you need to do everything on your own. You don’t have to pay for lessons straight away because it’s easy to learn by following a video, but after a while you might get frustrated because you’re not progressing fast enough. Before you throw in the towel you should pay someone to teach you properly. You could get lessons right from the start, but only if you have the money to throw away.

Attached Images:

•  License: Creative Commons image source
•  License: Creative Commons image source
•  License: Creative Commons image source
•  License: Creative Commons image source

Today’s guest author, Jessica Stone, is a sales executive at EZY Music Instruments, a musical instruments dealer based in Australia. She is a music enthusiast and an amazing guitarist herself. She is the bass guitarist in a local acoustic band.

I popped in Hello Industry’s MaryAnn CD, and for a few glorious seconds I thought I was listening to 1980′s Petra.

Sure, I’m probably the only one who heard it, but this album is chock full of subjective comparisons, though usually to other pop alternative bands: “Kinda reminds me of early U2.” “I think I heard a little Daft Punk in there.” “Sounds like Coldplay.”

And that’s OK. Hello Industry has all kinds of influences, but that doesn’t mean Nathan Peterson and gang aren’t their own band. They are, and they’re quite good. Not everybody has to be a pioneer.

Or are they? Thanks to websites and social media, we can learn far more about music groups today than we did in my increasingly distant youth, when all we had to go on were the thank-yous in album liner notes and an occasional newspaper or magazine feature. Admittedly, I’m still at a loss as to what “Hello Industry” means. But I’ve stopped asking where these newfangled bands get their names.

What I do know is that Hello Industry is as real as it gets, in a music marketplace in which “authentic” and “honest” have become just another carefully manufactured brand. They have a purpose. You’d think every Christian band would, but a lot appear more interested in crossover success, scoring a “The Tonight Show” performance, or pontificating about their craft rather than Christ.

Hello Industry says its mission is “to put meaningful music in the hands of struggling people.” (The world’s full of them, in case you haven’t noticed.) To that end, the group has adopted a pay-what-you-want model: guilt-free downloads if you don’t have money, and an invitation to support them if you do have money.

Of course, it ain’t cheap to record music and distribute it. Hello Industry believes the future of the, er, industry isn’t labels but a partnership between artist and fan. They’re taking a risk, but the band’s Facebook page indicates they’re raising enough through Kickstarter to mix several songs for a new album, Matter, this year.

I’m looking forward to it, after playing the heck out of MaryAnn. This album was actually released in 2008, but hey, it’s new to me and probably to you, too. The opening track, “Supposition,” is a smart choice to lead the album, grabbing the listener with a powerful fusion of electric guitar and keyboard that could easily overtake Peterson’s voice but doesn’t. At first I wanted him to go all Daughtry, but one detects a sensitive soul behind these lyrics (“I wasn’t ever safe here / Not even from myself / When the cold night arrives / Would you even hear me cry”). Song after song, I came to realize how much Peterson’s gentle vocals fit the material, and that where he lacks intensity, the arrangements more than make up for it.

“Grass” is another introspective track that boasts incredible guitar (“Every year the picture gets younger / And I’m that much closer to being like grass / That fades like a flower in winter, breathes its last breath and never comes back”). The rest of the band – Brett Ellen on electric guitar, James Ross on bass and Heather Peterson on keyboard – excels here and throughout.

The title track and “Ugly” give voice to the pressures, loneliness and anxiety felt by teens and young adults. The latter is for anyone who’s ever felt excluded (“You’re no good / You’re fat / Your hair doesn’t look the way it should / They’re carving out your life for you / Tell you how you are before you know / Carving out your life for you / Carving out your death for you”).

A few lyrics do fall flat:“In spite of all their bad reviews / You’re still my favorite show / I’ll never miss an episode” (from “MaryAnn,” my least favorite track). Others are enigmatic. But Hello Industry is writing with troubled teens in mind, and the band’s site hints at Peterson’s history with depression, cutting and suicide. Whatever one thinks of them, these songs come from a deeply personal place.

The two worship-tinged tracks “Stop the Rain” and “Here Comes the Sun” are a nice slowdown in the middle of the album, flecked with raw questions (“Who can stop the pouring rain / Who can take the knife out of my hand before I hurt myself, before it cuts again”) and answers that were there all along (“Who can say my name and call me home / Who’d accept me after all I’ve done / Here comes the sun right on time”).

Two other songs are worth a mention, too: “You,” which might have been one of David’s psalms had he only possessed an electric guitar, and “Make Believe,” a meditation on what’s truly important (“I thought about some reasons I should live / It’s all about a man I thought was dead / It’s all about a price out on my head / It’s all about a curtain torn to shreds”).

Enough. I’ve offered plenty of reasons to give Hello Industry a try. If you end up like me – impatient to hear their long-gestating follow-up – download the band’s Hymn Songs (2010) to tide you over.

I’ve got to admit, I’ve become addicted to just about any sound that comes out of the mouth or from the hands of Kevin Olusola. Every now and then I’ll sink a few minutes trolling around YouTube or the web for just about anything I can find with him performing. A couple of weeks ago I found this video of him performing after church with a friend of his doing some freestyle rap. Then this evening, I stumble across a video of him performing the song “Beautiful Things” with the Gungor Band. I’ve loved this song ever since we performed it as a special during one of our worship services at our church.

This video was recorded during the same time that Kevin was performing with the group Pentatonix on NBC’s “The Sing-off“.

Also in addition to finding this video, I also discovered in another video that he’s a Kentucky boy like myself. He grew up in Owensboro, KY, which is just about 60 miles northwest of where I consider my hometown of Morgantown, KY. Yeah, Owensboro… which reminds me, one of these days I’m going pack my family up in the car and drive south just to go there and eat a meal at Moonlite Bar-B-Q.

Just recently becoming more familiar with the talent and sound of Josh Wilson. He reminds me of a secular artist I’ve grown to really enjoy listening to, and that’s Jon McLaughlin. Here are a few different videos I’ve come across recently that showcases Josh singing and playing guitar and piano.

“Carry Me” Acoustic Performance by Josh Wilson

Josh Wilson – I Refuse

Josh Wilson – Amazing Grace with Loop Pedal  - SPIRIT 105.3FM

Josh Wilson performing Amazing Grace on the Songs and Stories Tour

Have you seen the preview for this movie? What do you think? Will you go see it as soon as locations and show times are announced? While I was living in Nashville, a friend of mine used to be a tour bus driver for Rich Mullins. My old roommate at the time also did the digital editing for the “Jesus Record” Rich Mullins project CD.

When asked by CNN’s Monita Rajpal about the future of Rock Music, Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan stated that God is the next area of exploration for Rock ‘n Roll.  “God is the great unexplored territory in rock music”, according to Corgan. Corgan explained that true artistry must move beyond the constant state of survival that most of us are living in.  In Corgans opinion, the state of crisis that fuels most rock music in western culture wears off after two or three records, and artists must endeavor to explore deeper parts of our existence.

Corgan is then asked what he would say to Christian bands.  You’ll have to watch the interview to find out what he said.  His answer might just surprise you.

We’d love to hear YOUR thoughts, tell us what you think in the comments!

I was working in the office of a biblical counseling client today and one of the ladies there was listening to this song on her computer. I’ve seen a number of other secular artists do this type of thing and production, so it’s nice to hear a Christian artist do something similar.

Here the singer has mixed and edited himself singing 9 different parts to perform the entire choral performance of “I Need Thee Every Hour” with just himself singing.

Click here to view the embedded video.

What do you think?

Before we go on, I want to address a very important point.  If you are reading this or listening to it, most likely you are already a follower of Jesus or are very interested in doing so.  Every Christ-follower believes that Jesus is the Son of God and He died for our sins, rose from the dead, and is the Vine, the source of real life.  We all believe those things.  What I have discovered, however, in working one-on-one with hundreds and in group settings with thousands is that very few Christians really live with Jesus as their life source.  Most believe in Him, but too few are living from Him. In actual practice, for a large majority, it is more like sipping a little water in the morning and maybe the evening, rather than staying hydrated with the water of life all day.

Why do I say that?  Because, if we truly believed that Jesus really is the life deep in our hearts then our priorities, practices, and quality of life would eventually and consistently show it.  A person cannot open their soul and spend quality time with Jesus, the life, without being significantly impacted.  The power of His loving, holy presence is too strong not to change a person with an open soul. Those who continually draw from Him get it, live it, and end up showing it as a natural result of the Jesus life.

Please understand I am not condemning anyone.  I am nowhere near complete or perfect in this way of life.  I know that even though God designed us to live this way, because of the influence of sin in all of our lives, this is not natural to us.  It definitely takes some conscious effort.   There may be some who just naturally step into this way of living, but for most of us, it takes some very real intentional changes to live throughout the day with Jesus as our source.

I am well aware of the fact that we are all in renovation and growth mode (more on that in just a few pages), so no one is going to perfectly receive and flow in the life of Jesus in this age.   But I also know for a fact that statistically only a very small percentage continue to grow significantly in Christ-likeness decade after decade.  Not nearly enough are thoroughly convinced of the reality that Jesus is the life, or else spending time with Him in prayer and in His word, practicing His presence throughout the day would be a top priority.  If you checked the calendar of most church goers, the amount of time spent in spiritual growth practices is dwarfed by the amount of time watching TV, playing games, doing hobbies, or doing something on-line.  There is nothing wrong with any of those things, but for most, the percentages are way off.   There is so much God wants to give that we are not taking advantage of.

Let the Cycle Continually Go Deeper

There are not many, yet, who actually practice God’s presence throughout the day.  Those calendar indicators, plus the percentage of church goers who are stuck year after year in ruts and prisons of the soul, and the overall decreasing impact of the Western church, all show that the majority of regular church going Christians do not really “get it.”  Our brethren in other parts of the world where the church is growing faster than at any point in history, show what can happen when people live in the flow of God.  Lives change and keep changing.  As lives change so does the world around us.

So, if you are already a Christ-follower, please don’t take this or the next sections lightly.  Do not say, “I know this already” or “I already believe this.”  Please open your heart and mind in a fresh way.  God has SOOOO much more He wants to give you and do in you.  He has so much more of Himself and His treasures He intends to share with YOU. 1 Corinthians 2 tells us what God desires to give is beyond what anyone’s natural mind can even imagine, and we can imagine a lot!

If you are one of the few who are actively pursuing this way of life I congratulate and thank you.  Congratulations for learning to live more and more in Jesus and thank you for being an example!  But even for you, please understand that God’s revelatory truths typically cycle at continually deeper and more impacting levels.  For example, as a brand new Christian I realized and believed Jesus died for my sins so I could have eternal life.  But since that time, at various seasons, I learn even more regarding how much He accomplished through His death and resurrection and how much more God has made available to me.  The first level of understanding and experience changed my life in a significant way.  And so do the following cycles of fresh insight which lead to greater progress and new experience. This cycle of understanding and impact continues as God works out His purposes in my life in the right ways and the right time.  The same is true for you.

If you are a believer, you understand that Jesus is the Vine at some level, but I guarantee you there are many more levels of insight and experience available to you.  Our eternal, heavenly Father has so much more He longs to share, if you will continue to hunger and seek. Each time you take a God truth cycle deeper, the greater it’s impact in your life.  If you really “get” what I’m sharing here, your life will change.  You will experience the life of God more powerfully than ever before.

In Mark 6 are found some of the most incredible words in Scripture. Jesus had been travelling from city to city preaching the good news and healing the sick in incredible ways. He had recently healed a paralytic, a man with leprosy, a woman with an incurable bleeding issue, and many, many more. It was happening everywhere He went. Then Jesus goes to his hometown, and it was pretty much a bust. “He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their lack of faith.”(Mark 6:5-6)

Those words are both enlightening and shocking. The Scripture says Jesus “could not do any miracles there.” It does not say, He decided not to do any at that time, or it was not God’s will to heal anyone right then; instead it says the Son of God “could not” do any. What, the Son of God “could not”? Why couldn’t He? The Bible clearly says He could not because of THEIR lack of faith. Earlier in this chapter, we talked about a man that amazed Jesus with his faith. Now we see Jesus amazed at their lack of it.

Even though God in the flesh was standing right before them and wanting to heal and help them, He could not because of their response. Did you realize God Almighty has given us the authority to open the door or barricade the door to Him in our lives? The Scripture does not say they did not receive from Jesus because they had too much sin in their lives or that they didn’t do enough good works or give enough money or love their families enough. The Bible says they could not receive what Jesus really desired to give because of their unbelief.

Is unbelief always the reason we don’t receive what we desire from God? No. Just like any wise and loving parent, God does not always give the kids what they ask for or when they ask for it. God can say “no” or “later.” He really does love us and knows what is best for us, while weaving it all together to run a universe. Furthermore, in far too many instances, the problem is not God’s unwillingness to answer with a blessing, it is the person’s heart response to Him that blocks His blessing. How many times have we read in Scripture God baring His heart to us with words like, “If you will just trust Me, cling to Me, and follow Me, I will pour My blessings upon you. I WANT to pour my life, love, and abundance into you!” (Entire book of Deuteronomy, the entire New Testament and more)

Faith Has Many Expressions

There is no doubt about it: faith is the main pipeline, the main means of transport God uses to move what He has to us. What is often misunderstood, however, is that faith has many, many expressions. This is very important to realize because using one or two faith expressions will not always bring results.

Praise is one of the most powerful expressions of Biblical faith. In my earlier years as a Christian, there were several best-sellers on the subject and many were teaching on the power of praising God. Let me encourage you, praise is powerful and should be used regularly as both a means of worship and a faith-building, oppression destroying weapon. In my own life, praising God has been one of the greatest faith builders and discouragement destroyers I’ve experienced but thinking that praise is the solution for every problem is not reality.

I used to battle low-grade depression on a very regular basis. It was not the type of depression that would leave me sitting in a dark room for days at a time, but the type that could make me feel hopeless and despondent for hours at a time. I had the ability to drain the life out of a situation and drag down people who were around me with very few words. You’ve been around people like that; without a word, sometimes, they lower the joy level in a room significantly if you don’t take internal steps to block it.

I learned that if I let the clouds of depression settle in on my mind, I would have a hard time getting out of that fog and darkness. It would take hours or, occasionally, even days – to feel normal again. However, if as soon as I recognized those feelings I started to praise God, then within minutes the cloud would either dissipate or I would have the ability to walk out of it. Even though it was emotionally difficult to praise God when I was feeling down, if I stuck with it for just a few tough minutes, I could get free of that darkness pretty quickly. This happened again and again, until one day it didn’t work. I felt the depression coming on, started to praise God expecting it to be defeated, but it didn’t go away. Even though I kept praising God as best I could, the depression still settled in on me.

Along with the depression came the “doubt” battle. Thoughts of, “What’s going on? Does God’s word really work? What do I do now?” came strong and heavy.

Ephesians 4:15 says God wants us to “grow up in all aspects” in Jesus. Part of that growth is learning about all of God’s tools, following God as a person (not just as a methodology), and persevering in faith. In this instance, God was showing me that although praise was a great and powerful tool, it was not the cure all for every situation. Jesus is the answer, not one particular tool, method, or faith-expression. In this case, God had me intercede for others even though I didn’t feel like it and as I prayed for others, the cloud of heaviness lifted. In this instance, and in many others, like Job when I sincerely prayed for others I was liberated.

Over the years, depression has steadily lost its influence in my life. Like everyone, I have times where feelings of sadness or hopelessness knock on the door of my soul or occasionally try to violently bash their way in but my overall joy level has steadily and significantly increased and I can usually get free from the despair pretty quickly.

The point is: God wants us to primarily have faith in Him, dependence on Him, and not on any one particular method or expression of faith alone. There are many, many ways that faith is expressed and all of them have their place. A carpenter does not just use a hammer and screwdriver to do his work, he uses all the necessary tools. Having the right tools and knowing how to use them is one of the things that separate a craftsman from a novice. God wants us to grow up, develop, and learn to use all the tools He has given us. All the tools or expressions of faith are always intended to work out a living relationship with Jesus, the author, developer, and finisher of our faith.

God’s kingdom operates on faith.  By faith we are saved, please God, overcome the world, receive God’s promises, defeat the enemy, and live the abundant life.  But it is faith in God, not how big our faith is, that does all these things.  Even though Scripture is filled with principles, they work best out of relationship with Jesus.  Jesus wants you grounded in truth, but not dependent upon one or two particular methods or expressions of faith.  He wants you to grow up in all aspects, not just one or two, and that means it will not always follow the same pattern.  If you will continue to deepen your relationship with Jesus, He will give you all the faith you need and the right way to express it so you can receive all He wants to give you each stage of your life.

The church video streaming industry has been around for years and it provides live church service streaming over the Internet. The viewers can watch a church service simultaneously when they are homebound or traveling to different parts of the world. The feed is available at sites like YouTube and the church’s website.

The industry started after a company broadcast holiday services from a religious site in Jerusalem almost ten years ago. This created a benchmark for streaming services. Streaming church services must be effective and easy to use for the providers and the church members alike. As a representation of an actual church service, a typical streaming video service requires a quality live video feed, a viewing screen on the church website, the ability to tune in on mobile devices and compatibility with most streaming software.

Many churches start with a professional service after suppliers offer it free as an introduction. The packages available are affordable because of the competition in the industry. There may be advertising income from the streaming, or the service can offer the streaming to the church ad-free as an incentive. The more features the stream allows, the better. For example, if a service includes a chat feature, it increases the appeal to the customer.

Churches have found that the streaming services keep their congregation members connected to the church when they can’t be there. For example, a hospitalized church member can tune in to the live service while in the hospital bed with a tablet or laptop, and streaming technology provided by companies like ChurchStreaming.TV. In the imagination of the church service providers, it opens up an opportunity to experiment with content. For more information on providers, click here.

Many churches have used the services for close to ten years and have become aware of the different packages offered by services. They have developed criteria and expect certain services, and they switch providers if they are not happy. Churches distribute Roku boxes to nursing homes and other places and get the church services to people that way. They intend to broadcast bible study group material, communicate church announcements and share special occasions like weddings or christenings through their streaming services.