Then Sings My Soul Saturday - Jeremy Camp

I hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving! We had a very relaxing week. We actually didn't travel this year for Thanksgiving. Greg, Spencer, Mary Lyndsey, and I stayed home and have done pretty much nothing for the last three days (except eat of course) - and it has been wonderful! I have plans to get out all the Christmas decorations tomorrow. Maybe I'll post some pics. It was weird not to be with our families this year, but we needed the rest and a break from all the travel.
The only thing I have done this week is join Facebook. I finally gave in to all the pressure. I must admit, it's been kind of fun reconnecting with old friends from college and high school.
I can't believe another week has passed so quickly and it's time for another TSMS. I have exciting news!! I've been meaning to post an announcement all week, but in the spirit of doing pretty much nothing (which is what Greg and I agreed to for the holiday) I never got around to posting :-)
The announcement is: I'm having a giveaway this weekend and every weekend until Christmas on TSMS. That's right... more free music. All you have to do to be eligible to win is post a song on TSMS. I will randomly draw a winner from the posts each week today (November 29) and Dec. 6, 13, and 20. I haven't completely decided what CD's I will be giving away in December, but this week I'm giving away my highlighted artist's newest release!!
If you didn't know, Jeremy Camp's new CD Speaking Louder Than Before was released this week. I was sent an early copy to preview and I loved it. Here are a few highlights.

All the songs are great, but I must admit this one was one of my favorites.






I guess I loved this one so much because it speaks to me of a day I long for.


And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Revelation 21:4


On that day... there will be no more seizures.


If you aren't familiar with Jeremy Camp, I encourage you to go to his site and check him out. Also if you would like to purchase his CD, you can click on the banner at the top of this post.
Here's a little more info on him.

Jeremy Camp

Husband. Father. Artist.

http://www.jeremycamp.com/

Husband. Even when Jeremy’s message became painfully personal when losing his first wife to cancer just months after their wedding, he boldly wore the mantle of comforter, soothing the pain of others by sharing his story, listening patiently to theirs, and providing them with songs that expressed what they were feeling when their grief left them unable to speak. It was that life-altering tragedy that inspired his early career. He was blessed a second time with wife Adrienne, who is such a strong supporter of Jeremy’s ministry and story. Jeremy is a great example of a husband devoting to his family.

Father. Adrienne and Jeremy have two little girls: Isabella, who just turned 4, and Arianne, who’s 2. Being a dad who is greatly involved with his daughters’ lives, Jeremy and Adrienne have chosen to have him gone on the road no more than a week at a time. He shares, “My priority is my family – the girls are at such a crucial age that I just want to pour into them even more – but I also know what I’m called to do.”

Artist. Jeremy Camp’s thoughtful lyrics and booming voice have earned him legions of fans and accolades including 16 No. 1 songs, five Dove Awards, three ASCAP Songwriter of the Year wins and an American Music Award nomination. Camp continues to reach the masses with his music. Radio remains a strong supporter of Camp's music as his recent project Beyond Measure produced six back-to-back No. 1 hits, "Tonight” (CHR), “What It Means” (AC) and “Give You Glory," which was named the No. 2 AC Song of the Year on the R&R charts. In 2007, Camp was also voted Best Male Artist in the ChristianMusicToday.com Reader's Poll as well as named the No. 2 Artist of the Year on the R&R charts. Speaking Louder Than Before. “At this point, I have a more clear-cut purpose and vision of what I’m meant to do. I’m more purposeful in what I’m sharing.” Speaking Louder isn’t so much about Camp turning up the volume as it is finding greater clarity in what God’s called him to do. And while he continues to grow and mature as an artist and a man, it only makes sense that this rocker with a preacher’s heart would use his platform to proclaim – louder than ever – the message he knows today’s kids need to hear. Speaking Louder’s songs will resonate with people of any age, but Camp’s message this time around is directed squarely at youth. “I see the hurt, the lack of direction, in this new generation,” the former youth leader says. “I always had a passion for youth, but this album is really aimed at them.”

Faith Lifts - Rejoice

Times are hard for everyone. Evil is everywhere. Crime is rampant. The economy is falling apart. People are losing jobs. I turn on the news and am overwhelmed with the stories I see reported. And I don't even have to go to the television to know people are facing difficult situations. 

Join me over at Faith Lifts to read the rest of this devotion.

Have a day full of rejoicing,

Amy

Then Sings My Soul Saturday - Faith Hill

I want to thank everyone who has been faithfully participating in Then Sings My Soul the past few weeks, even though I've been unable to visit everyone's posts. Our schedule has been really crazy since going to Chicago and Spencer's seizures have been extremely out of control. We're tired - and I haven't been blogging much or visiting blogs. I hope to finish the series on famous people with epilepsy this coming week.

For all of you new people who have been participating and have joined in for the first time - please keep coming. I know I'm a terrible hostess for not visiting your sites and thanking you for joining in with us! We're all glad you found TSMS and hope you will keep participating.

Last week, I talked about country songs and how I had forgotten how much I loved them. I ran across this one this week and I loved it. It reminded me there's coming a day when we won't have to deal with seizures any more either. Whether that day is here on earth or one day in Heaven... it's coming. I just have to hold on to my faith! Please continue to keep Spencer in your prayers.

Writer, Interrupted - Midweek Motivation

I was passing through the town my in-laws live in and decided to call to see if they would like to meet for dinner. We discussed which restaurant to meet at and hung up. I arrived about twenty minutes later but did not find them at the restaurant. I agreed to go ahead and be seated, knowing they would soon arrive to meet me. The clock kept ticking, but they didn’t arrive. I began to panic thinking something might have happened. Fear set in.

Come read the rest of this devotion over at Writer, Interrupted.

Have a blessed day,

Amy

Then Sings My Soul Saturday - Trace Adkins

I don't usually post country songs, but after watching the CMA's with my Grandma who was visiting this week, I couldn't resist. I used to listen to country all the time, but have switched over to contemporary Christian stations. I still love country music though. Watching CMA reminded me there are some awesome country songs out there. I couldn't decide between this one and and George Strait. He's one of my favorites. Maybe I"ll post him next week :-)
This is the line my Grandma said everytime I've gotten frustrated with something one of my kids have done this week.

I'm afraid to admit... I think she's right.

Have a blessed weekend!

Amy

An Update and Famous People with Epilepsy - Part 2

Life is crazy right now. After having been out of town in New Mexico for a week in October and in Chicago for a week in November... I'm trying to play catch up.  The holidays are upon us and all of the fun school activities and programs have us in full swing :-)

I had the privilege of speaking at Emmanuel College this past Tuesday morning as their

Convocation speaker for Disability Awareness Week. I was so excited they were highlighting epilepsy since November is Epilepsy Awareness Month. I think there were about 600 students present - which is the largest group I have ever spoken to. Plus, it was college students - kind of a tough crowd. But I think it went well and it was fun! I really miss working on a college campus. The students are always so full of energy.

Well, I promised a series on famous people with epilepsy so I wanted to keep going before the month of November slips away from me.

Did you know that Sir Isaac Newton had epilepsy? He endured both epilepsy and the bubonic plague. He made great advances in both science and math. He founded the three laws of motion and revolutionized Western understanding of nature with his enduring theory of universal gravitation.

Not only did Isaac Newton have epilepsy but so did Charles Dickens, the author of Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol. He also gave many of the characters in his classic novels epilepsy, trying to offer readers important knowledge about the lives of people often overlooked by society.

I'll share some more people soon. The list may surprise you.

Sweet Blessings,

Amy

Faith Lifts - Waiting on God

I would venture to guess not many of us like to wait for anything. Most of us don’t like waiting in line at Wal-Mart, waiting at the doctor’s office, and we certainly don’t like waiting on God.

Come join me at Faith Lifts today to read the rest of this devotion. Just click here.

Sweet Blessings,

Amy