All posts by Jonathan Andre

Message Mondays and Throwback Tuesdays: What are Your Untold Stories?

We all have a story to tell. Whether it is about love and loss, about triumph, hurt, betrayal, happiness, hope, disaster and everything else in between, we all have a story, either painful or hopeful, that we can tell, either as a warning to others, or as a testimony, of the good things that have happened in our lives thus far. It is whether we tell it or not that is a different story. We see people on television sharing what they have with others, whether it is through song, spoken word, film, through science, arts and the humanities. We sit and wonder to ourselves- do I have a story worth telling? Because the question of all questions is this- it’s not that we believe our stories are not worth telling to the world, it’s because we think they are, that we can sometimes stop in hesitation. What happens after? After people know our deepest parts of us? Would we become fame-hungry? Would people look at us differently? Will we still stand for our values and core truths, regardless of what people may think? These are all valid questions, and are all motivators behind whether we believe our story is worth being told, if not to the whole world, at least to the people around us, those who influence and impact our lives the most.

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TOP 10 ___: TOP 10 Sports Any Person Ought To Play/Watch If They’re Visiting Australia This Summer

Time for another Top 10 post, and one that is not music related. Considering that I am from Australia, and am proud to identify myself as an Australian, I thought this would be a good post- a ranking of sports if you will. If you were to come to Australia, for a holiday, which sport should you check out, either through watching or even playing with your friends? Here are 10 sports that I reckon should be on the radar. Some you may have heard of, others you may not have, yet here’s 10 to keep you fit and occupied for the next few months.

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BEST OF 2015- PART 4: TOP 30 ALBUMS OF 2015

Another week (or so) gone, another best of post. Sounds about right? Yeah, I reckon so too. It is nearly towards the end of the year, and while during December, many movies are releasing just in time for Oscar period, albums tend to be winding down releases, in the Christian industry at least. So I guess it’s fair to say that my top 30 albums of 2015 probably won’t change between now and a month from now…if they do change, I’ll just amend it in the comments of this post. Now, without further ado, here’s my favourite 30 albums of 2015. May you have many happy hours listening to great music and enjoy the remainder of 2015.

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Throwback Tuesdays: New Music of 2015 compared to that of 2005

I know it’s been a while since the last Throwback Tuesdays, yet with new albums from Kutless, Natalie Grant and Casting Crowns all releasing this coming week (Surrender, Be One and A Live Worship Experience respectively), I thought it would be fitting as a tribute to these bands to look back over the years, especially to 2005, and to see how these artists have evolved in their singing and songwriting skills. Because after all, isn’t this topical post about how songs, music, movies, TV series and the like have been influential over the times, and how they have actually stood the test of time, regardless of time itself?

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Sentimental Saturdays and Message Mondays (How Fast do we Consume Music?)

Gone are the days when you can appreciate music for what it really is- a song to be savoured, a song to be listened to again and again, with every listen a new meaning is imparted to whomever listens. With the advent of Spotify, youtube, iTunes, Amazon, Pandora and every other musical service at your fingertips, skipping songs seems to be the norm nowadays. Listening to a song to death, until another track comes along, seems to be all the rage, when in fact sometimes we are called to just sit and mull over a song more than usual. Often, we may be so hasty to move onto the next new song, that we may skip over things that God may even want to say to us. We may be in fact rushing so fast from one thing to the next (music is a clear example) that we may miss what God may have in store entirely. Which is why this new post for Sentimental Saturdays is about lament, lamenting that how we have listened to music in the past (really listening to the tracks, because without the ease of access of music, we are forced to focus on what the lyrics really mean for us as people) is sadly how listeners of music don’t listen to music now. We live in a now-centred (and me-centred) society, that any hint of anything taking longer than expected is shafted, for the new, quick and convenient.

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TOP 10 ___: Top 10 Independent Artists That Ought to be Signed to a Christian Label Next Year

julie elias

Welcome to the latest instalment of our most recent blog series Top Tens, even though this blog series hasn’t been active for a while. But to kick this comeback post off, we will share with you 10 bands we reckon you all need to be on the lookout for in the upcoming months, and artists we think ought to be signed by a major Christian label in the upcoming weeks and months ahead. Without further adieu, read on to find out which indie artist will be your next artist to be your undiscovered favourite.

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