Keep Calm, Truth Remains.

I get so anxious about myself so easily and that’s hindered me a lot of times, and I often fight those by listening to music. The above ones listed are ones I encourage you to listen to. I am sure you will be blessed. God loves you…let go…He’s holding you.

This Is Grace – Andrew Abbott

I’ve been looking around at Soundcloud, searching for covers of some of my favorite music, and found so many talented artists and music that don’t get a lot of attention. One that captured my heart through his music is Andrew Abbott, an Independent Christian recording artist from Ontario, Canada. His biography, I would definitely agree with: “His songs are lyric driven, reaching to the core emotions that each one of us have experienced in life.”

Grace? What is grace? One thing that Andrew Abbott does so well through his music is in capturing the hurt, regret, and failure – not ignoring it, not substituting it with false joy – but instead making us realize it. That…this is real. People hurt. But the good news is, there is LOVE, from a Father..a Daddy.. showing us grace, that…in spite of our sin and hurt, He accepts us and lavishes us with His Love..Love that is greater than our past.

As Andrew says, “I know there are people in this world that are hurting; I want my music to reach into their hearts and give them something that is greater than their hurt.”

My Favorite Songs of 2012

My Favorite Songs of 2012

Last 2011, I’ve made a list of my favorite songs of 2011. Songs that have made such an impact to my life. Again, this 2012, there were also songs that I can say were “powerful” to me during the year. So here they are. :)

1. Keep My Heart Alive – Sanctus Real

I’ve learned how to play the keyboard this year!! Yay! And this is one of the songs that I’ve loved to play, especially since it’s a very easy one and I love the message it has. Yeah, it’s very meaningful to me, indeed.

Mental Pitstop, and You are More

Artwork made by Adriana Polanco

Check out more of her artwork here: http://aidpol.deviantart.com/

I won’t stop. I may have been into a lot of setbacks, regrets, wrong choices, but I know enough to keep moving on.

I may have been into lot of humps, or might have left myself stationery for long, but that doesn’t mean nothing’s going to happen. Something is bound to happen, and God will help me to that. He’s shown so much of His Grace and it’s what fuels me to keep going.

Live Loved

“Any fears, doubts, pride, guilt–all the things that plague us–sin, that so easily entangle us, always, if you trace it back you can find a line that goes back to disbelief that God loves you.”

Mike of Tenth Avenue North pretty much sums it up here in this video journal.

“We love – not to gain the love of God – but because He already, and does, love us.”

I believe that a lot of us still make a misconception out of this…thinking, and laying out indirectly, that to gain God’s favor we ought to do…to be. But that’s not the case, and that’s not the Gospel! God loves us and we don’t need to do anything to make Him love us. He loves us unconditionally.

And not making this clear for most Christians is probably the reason why most of us are moving away from Him. God is Love and all He does, He does out of love for you.

______
Related posts:
More than Words
You are Loved

“Really Satisfy”?

“Satisfaction. We want it. We run after it.  And yet, somehow it always seems to elude us. What’s our problem? What went wrong?”

Mike Donehey, lead singer of Tenth Avenue North, puts it this way in one of his journal entries. I find it true… those words that he said about being satisfied. I know full well what it means. We’re searching for something more…something that will fill us and satisfy us each day. But the truth remains….we’re never satisfied.

Mike points out that we have to come to terms with the fact that we’re not home yet. And I agree…most of us just seem to get so attached to what this world offers us.

Favorite Songs of 2011

Here are my favorite songs this 2011. Just wanted to share them to you guys.

Healing Begins – the song is about forgiving others, forgiving yourself – where healing
begins. and breaking down the walls that we build up, thinking we’re okay, when we’re absolutely not, and only by forgiving and admitting our faults can we be truly healed…

Strong Enough to Save – the song is about God and salvation. Tenth’s message with this song is that God is strong and loving, and he’s strong enough to save us through the ups and downs and he remains faithful despite of who we are.

They Just Believe – this song is very inspiring. I know it shows what’s inside a lot of people’s hearts right now, and this song has encouraged me during difficult times, and when my faith isn’t in a good condition.

Savior, Please – another song by Josh Wilson that is such an inspiration. I know I’m one of those persons who can’t seem to live on their own, who can’t keep myself up and I need someone to depend on, and this song just shows that prayer in my heart during those times.

Something’s Gotta Change -this song about Josh Wilson is such a great song. Made me realize a lot of things, and I know will, too! The message behind the song is what I believe, too, in this world we live in…

When I’m Alone – “Who am I when I’m alone?” Well, this is one of the songs I listen to when I feel a bit emotional, though, it’s not really advisable, but still this song has been one of my favorites this year.

Look What You’ve Done – this song’s pretty complicated, and this has hit my heart a lot, and I know I could relate to the message behind it. Well, yeah.

 

Times of Honesty

Are you done forgiving, or can you look past my pretending, Lord?

I’m so tired of defending what I’ve become… what have I become?

Tenth Avenue North has hit hearts and their deepest, hidden questions we have of what we think about God in their song “Times“. It’s a very heartfelt song. The song shows the most honest questions one could ask to a Savior that we could not see with our eyes. Questions about apathy, doubts within ourselves that we just couldn’t open up and don’t have the audacity to reach to. Scars about our past that we couldn’t open up to our loving God. And that’s how we really should be – to be entirely honest with God.

Despite of myself, despite of all that I do, it’s such a good thing to know that God loves me and not because I deserved it. Despite of my past and my thoughts, my darkest secrets, His love is inside me, and is between everything. God proves He loves us despite who we are by dying for us, even while we’re sinners.

I’m there through your heartache, I’m there through the storm
My love, I will keep you by my power alone
I don’t care where you’re for and where you have been,
I’ll never forsake you, my love never ends…it never ends.

The band is great and they do a pretty good job to convey they message about Jesus. Jesus is not just some idol carved out of wood who we meet on Sunday mornings to sing praises to. He is a living person who is so in love with us. And we have to believe it. Because if we don’t believe He loves us despite of who we are — we’ll never know that it’s His grace alone that saves us.

I quote a certain part of Mike’s journal about the song:

“The message is that you’ll never be changed by the love of God
until you’re completely honest with yourself and how undeserving you are of it.
Only when we try to love God will we see our utter inability to do so.
And only when we understand that inability, will we begin to be in awe of his great love toward us.
In other words, to be a Christian is to live a life of response.
“God proves His love in this, that while we were still sinners, He died for us.”
And so, that should assure you greatly from your fears today.
Even though you’re a sinner, Christ loves you.
And if you’re really proud of how good you are, this should humble you.
You’re so bad Christ had to die for you.
His love is over and underneath.
Higher than the heights of our purity,
and lower than the depths of our depravity.
And not one of us are without our need of Him.”