Tag Archives: impacting albums

FLASHBACK FRIDAYS: WEEK 36 (While I’m Waiting by John Waller)- While we’re in the waiting, can we really trust God? And is faith without actions as dead as people say?

Today has been one of those days. One of those days where everything went wrong. One of those days where I’ve been presented with the real possibility of a loss- a potential loss I couldn’t imagine, and one that has ultimately drawn me closer to Jesus, and also having me realise that we as humans, including myself, shouldn’t hold onto things as much and as tightly as we do. I know it’s not a feasible concept in practice, but, hey, at least it’s all good in theory, right? Not sure what I mean. Well, let me start at the beginning. The beginning of the day.

Continue reading FLASHBACK FRIDAYS: WEEK 36 (While I’m Waiting by John Waller)- While we’re in the waiting, can we really trust God? And is faith without actions as dead as people say?

FLASHBACK FRIDAYS: WEEK 35 (The Same Love by Paul Baloche; and Lifesong by Casting Crowns)- Before we really love others, we must first love ourselves, and accept that we are loved by our Lord and Saviour!

It’s been about a year since I blogged about Valentines Day in last year’s Flashback Fridays’ post (the post about the album Jesus Freak from dc Talk)- and today when I was pondering deep and meaningful topics to talk about in today’s blog instalment; it suddenly hit me. That the notion of me still being single, of me not having a girlfriend and no closer to having a spouse than a year ago; didn’t worry me as much as I thought it did or should’ve…well that fact did scare me. Why wasn’t I worried about my future love life or lack thereof- and why did I feel a tad more complacent about this issue than previous years or months ago?

Continue reading FLASHBACK FRIDAYS: WEEK 35 (The Same Love by Paul Baloche; and Lifesong by Casting Crowns)- Before we really love others, we must first love ourselves, and accept that we are loved by our Lord and Saviour!

FLASHBACK FRIDAYS: WEEK 34 (Something To Say by Matthew West)- If we’re living and breathing, is there really something to say?

The concept of me having something worthy to say to the world, or my friends, or my family, or even to myself; has really been tugging at my heart lately- around the past couple of weeks. A couple of weeks ago I spoke about how there is hope in the direst of situations (and that hope is Jesus Christ!), and that when you’re in the pit; it doesn’t have to be the end- that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Well that may be all fine and dandy, and good in theory for us to believe. But once we do believe that there is hope and there is a Saviour and that there is peace beyond all understanding that surpasses wisdom and knowledge; there is a next step. It’s what we choose to believe every day from then out, and what we choose to do with our lives from then out, that is actually the hardest part of the Christian life. And staring at us head on, an adversity to us fully stepping into the hope that is Jesus Christ and trusting His ultimate plans for us- is the lie spoken to us, that we as people have nothing to say to the world.

Continue reading FLASHBACK FRIDAYS: WEEK 34 (Something To Say by Matthew West)- If we’re living and breathing, is there really something to say?

FLASHBACK FRIDAYS: WEEK 33 (Hope In Front Of Me by Danny Gokey)- In the direst of situations, is there really hope? What’s the point about New Year’s resolutions?

Hands up who loved 2018? Like really loved it? Like ‘everything I set out to do, I did; and everyone I set out to talk to and be friends with, I accomplished that; and every movie/TV show I wanted to see, I saw’? Or how about ‘2018 was the best year ever, I want to relive this past year all over again, exactly how it was?’ All of us? None of us? Each one of us has a different definition of what a ‘successful year’ entails, and according to you, 2018 might have been a breakthrough year. You may have had the best year ever: you might have had a promotion, gotten married, had kids, moved out of home, or maybe finally got around to having that catch up with that friend you’ve been planning to for the past couple of years, and you hit it off again like no time had passed. Or you may have had worst year ever: you could have just split from your spouse, or maybe found out about a terminal illness in a family member or friend or even yourself, or maybe you were betrayed by someone close to you. Whatever the reason for how you are feeling at the end of 2018 and coming into 2019, there is one truth that is true across the board, and there is one thing that we can hold onto for the next 365 days at least.

Continue reading FLASHBACK FRIDAYS: WEEK 33 (Hope In Front Of Me by Danny Gokey)- In the direst of situations, is there really hope? What’s the point about New Year’s resolutions?

FLASHBACK FRIDAYS: WEEK 32 (How Can It Be by Lauren Daigle)- When Christian artists crossover, what should our response be?

A strange thing happened over this past year. Well not really strange, but something that hasn’t occurred for a very long time. A Christian artist topped the mainstream charts, in terms of album, and song, for a sustained period of time. Not that those events haven’t occurred before, but I reckon the only person that has had an impact on the charts of this magnitude would be Amy Grant way back in the 80’s and 90’s, and specifically for her song “Baby Baby” and her album Heart In Motion in 1991 (which ended that year at number 15 in the Billboard 200 charts, and at 24 in 1992). Sure there have been other artists and songs that have crossed over (dc Talk for “Jesus Freak”, Jars Of Clay for “Flood”, MercyMe for “I Can Only Imagine” and various others), not to mention Christian artists who have specifically entered into the mainstream industry to be an influence in that market (think of Skillet, Switchfoot, Needtobreathe, Relient K, and more recently Tori Kelly and for KING & COUNTRY)… yet this time around, a Christian artist has not really cared about the market, and has just written an album and a song from their own heart. The song and the album has blown up around the world, and surprisingly on mainstream- so much so that the track is present on the annual Now That’s What I Call Music (the mainstream version of WOW Hits), and that’s well deserving. By now you probably know what the song is, and the artist…but if you still are unaware, let me tell you all. It’s Lauren Daigle, and the song is called “You Say”, from her latest album Look Up Child.

Continue reading FLASHBACK FRIDAYS: WEEK 32 (How Can It Be by Lauren Daigle)- When Christian artists crossover, what should our response be?

FLASHBACK FRIDAYS: WEEK 31 (Worshipful albums)- Do we really need to be thankful for one day of the year, or should we have an attitude of gratitude all the time?

What do you reckon is the most commercialised holiday? The most unnecessary holiday? The most necessary holiday? The holiday that probably can make all of us open our eyes the most and take a good hard look within, as we analyse and self reflect, wondering if we can become better people than we previously were? What if I were to tell you that I think and I believe that the answer to all those aforementioned questions was the same holiday- Thanksgiving? What would you say to that? Are you as confused as I was at the beginning of the day?

Continue reading FLASHBACK FRIDAYS: WEEK 31 (Worshipful albums)- Do we really need to be thankful for one day of the year, or should we have an attitude of gratitude all the time?

FLASHBACK FRIDAYS: WEEK 30 (‘Different’ albums)- God Can And Does Use Absolutely Anything To Draw Us Closer To Him; That’s a Fact, and You Better Believe It!

If you ever stop and wondered about, and then proceeded to analyse the composition of the music that you listen to (in terms of genres, artists etc), would what you find be consistent with the types of music that are your absolute favourite? Would what you find be consistent with who you are as a person and the topics you are passionate about? Would some songs found on your Spotify or iTunes playlist shock you or come out of left field, as you come to realise that certain songs are powerful even if the artist isn’t what you would call a role model? Or is what you listen to predictable- like what you see is what you get- and there is no deviation from your preferred music, as you stay in your bubble and only listen to pop, or country, or rap, or metal, or whatever gets you up and going at the start of the day?

Continue reading FLASHBACK FRIDAYS: WEEK 30 (‘Different’ albums)- God Can And Does Use Absolutely Anything To Draw Us Closer To Him; That’s a Fact, and You Better Believe It!

FLASHBACK FRIDAYS: WEEK 29 (Chain Breaker by Zach Williams, and The Things We’ve Been Afraid To Say by Tenth Avenue North)- What Halloween shows us about fear, and how we can overcome being fearful!

Right now as I am sitting down writing this blog, it’s a Wednesday morning on my day off, and it’s the 31st October 2018. Tonight, as is the case every year around this time, children will come knocking at the door of my house (well, not really my house, but my family’s house, but anyway…) asking for lollies and chocolates. Kids as young as 5 and as old as 18. Around the hours of 5:30pm til about 10pm. Yep, that early, and yep, that late. Asking for sweets, while all of them belting out ‘trick or treat’ when we come to the door. Every year Mum, Dad and Jon try to be out on Halloween (mostly eating out for dinner!)- and maybe it’s because this is the holiday that gets to me the most. Because that phrase of ‘trick or treat’ has sometimes puzzled me, but I reckon now is the right time for me to dive deep into this concept of Halloween, and why people do celebrate such a holiday.

Continue reading FLASHBACK FRIDAYS: WEEK 29 (Chain Breaker by Zach Williams, and The Things We’ve Been Afraid To Say by Tenth Avenue North)- What Halloween shows us about fear, and how we can overcome being fearful!

FLASHBACK FRIDAYS: WEEK 28 (The Spirit Of Christmas by Michael W. Smith, and Christmas Stories: Repeat The Sounding Joy by Jason Gray)- Why Celebrating Christmas early is a good thing!

Have you ever groaned when you hear Christmas music being played at shopping centres around September or October time every year? Yeah, I groan sometimes too. Have you wished that we celebrated Christmas around December time and not wished our year away? Yeah I wish that too. But, such is the world that we live in, that Christmas, and in fact any public holiday for that matter, is commercialised and turned into a shopping fest as its centrepiece instead of the birth of Jesus (or the death and resurrection of Jesus for Easter, or any other meaningful message) as it should be. There’s probably nothing that we can do to change it, but there is something that we can do to respond to it.

Continue reading FLASHBACK FRIDAYS: WEEK 28 (The Spirit Of Christmas by Michael W. Smith, and Christmas Stories: Repeat The Sounding Joy by Jason Gray)- Why Celebrating Christmas early is a good thing!

FLASHBACK FRIDAYS: WEEK 27 (The Story Of Your Life by Matthew West)- Why Your Story (And Your Story as part of His Story!) is the most important thing in the whole world!

Everyday (or every week) just before I write my new Flashback Fridays’ blog for the week, I usually have a scaffold, or a detailed summary, or- if neither of those things- an inkling, of what to write down, of what has been brewing in my life that I can impart to you guys and give you all advice/wisdom. This week though… I had nothing. No topic, no album to talk about, not a single thing. Well that’s not entirely true- this morning I had nothing. But you know how God turned to water into wine more than 2000 years ago? Well He’s done the same here- and the fact that I thought I had nothing, was actually something, was actually the basis for this upcoming blog. Which is weird but fitting, in a strange way.

Continue reading FLASHBACK FRIDAYS: WEEK 27 (The Story Of Your Life by Matthew West)- Why Your Story (And Your Story as part of His Story!) is the most important thing in the whole world!