If you need a little Valentines Laugh today, enjoy!
This is Dave Barnes and “Balumtine’th Day”.
Michael and I were introduced to this video our sophomore year of college. Since then, it’s been one we’ve regularly quoted. Especially “My body is like Disneyland.” It cracks me up that a guy who has so many amazing love songs can be such a goof!
If you’re in a lovey mood and would prefer one of his serious songs, here’s “God Gave Me You.”
Happy Valentines Day!
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–Staci
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Last year Staci and I did a post on our favorite Christmas albums. It pretty much covers our favorite albums up to last year. You can check that blog post out HERE.
With the new year and the new Christmas albums that we’ve gotten, I figured it was only right to post about those albums here. Check ’em out and Enjoy!
(Staci’s thoughts will be in italics.)
“Oh For Joy” by David Crowder*Band — The David Crowder*Band (DCB) has been one of my favorite bands since I was in high school. I’ve waited a long, long time for this album, and although it wasn’t what I would have expected, it is an instant favorite. The DCB had its humble beginnings as a worship band, and I feel like this CD kind of takes their newer flare and meshes with their roots in a really creative and moving way. Although I will always love the classic type of Christmas music, it tends to wear on you throughout the Christmas season; so I feel like “Oh For Joy” is a breath of fresh air from your typical Christmas album. Oh and their cover of “Christmas Sarajevo” better known as “The Carol of the Bells” by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra is impeccable!
I haven’t really listened to this one much, but when I have, I’ve liked it.
“Christmas” by Jadon Lavik — This is a great Christmas album that has a really acoustic feel to it reminiscent to Jack Johnson (I think that may be the reason why I personally like it so much). You’ll notice my trend in finding artists who really put their own vibe on the Christmas classics. Although I have never listened to Jadon’s non-seasonal music, I have really grown to love this album.
I’d never heard of Jadon Lavik, but I really like this album! It’s classic, yet original at the same time. The only problem is it has “Mele Kalikimaka” as the second to last song, and it ALWAYS gets stuck in my head. I love the way he does the song, but it’s not so much fun anymore when I wake up singing it at 4:30 a.m. 🙂
“Christmas” by Michael Buble — We share the same first name, now if only we shared the same vocal abilities! A few years back Michael Buble came out with his Christmas EP “Let it Snow,” and I couldn’t believe that he only put like 4 songs on it. As soon as I heard there was full length Christmas album I had to have it right away! And to my expectations, it was totally worth every penny spent on it; lots of fun tracks with his Michael-Buble-buttery-smooth voice to top it off. And I like his old school groove. I almost have to say that he tops Franky and the Rat Pack on certain tracks. The only complaint would be… why on earth would a male do a remake of “Santa Baby”. I will say this track stands out (in a completely bad way) on the rest of the album. Just kinda of wrong for a man to sing that song to Santa. Otherwise, a very very good album!
Oh my. I can’t say enough about this one. I’ve been a HUGE Michael Buble fan since my freshman year of college. And he has the absolute perfect Christmas voice. I agree with (my) Michael that “Santa Buddy” (his remake of “Santa Baby”) is completely ridiculous. But the rest of the album is incredible! He has some really fun tracks, as well as some great classic-style tracks. I think my favorite might be “Jingle Bells”. He just does an incredible old-school style. “Ava Maria” and “Feliz Navidad” are both done in a very good way as well. I could comment on every single track on this album, but you’ll just have to check it out for yourself! This is definitely my favorite addition to our collection this year.
“Snow Globe” by Matt Wertz — If you’re into the pop-ee, Singer/Songwriter genre then this Christmas album is a must have. I like that he has a good mix of originals –such as the title track “Snow Globe”, and “Tennessee Christmas”– as well as the classics. Staci and I are huge fans of Dave Barnes and his Christmas Album that debut last year, and this album kinda of just flows along with it; definitely a new favorite for the two of us!
We’re actually listening to this album right now. I love that it’s so upbeat. He has a lot of original songs, “Snow Globe” being my favorite, as well as a lot of classics. Matt Wertz has been another favorite of mine since college, and this album definitely ranks high on my Christmas favorites!
I also have to say that Dave Barnes’ “Very Merry Christmas” is still my very favorite Christmas album. Sometimes I listen to it multiple times in a day.
And for me, Mercy Me’s “The Christmas Sessions” will always be #1 alongside “Charlie Brown Christmas” by Vince Guaraldi.
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What are some of your new (or old) favorite Christmas Albums?
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Michael & Staci
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“You moooove me, Baby!” …Have any of you heard of Mark Lowry? He’s an old school, 90s, Christian comedian and song parody writer. He’s known for great hits such as this (click “this” for the link) remake of “Place in this World” by Michael W. Smith, and this remake of the classic “I Surrender All” by Clay Crosse. He also does stand up, and one of his sketches is talking about how we say, “I love you with all my heart” because the heart is the seat of the emotion. However, in the Bible the seat of the emotions was the bowels, and he dares his audience to imagine saying to your significant other “I love you with all my bowels, Honey.” Then makes a joke about a husband telling his wife… “ooooh baby, you move me!” Anyway, I guess you can make the connection (hopefully those bowels aren’t doing too much movement, if you know what I mean)… and this pretty much has nothing to do with the rest of my post
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Well, ok, it does. Recently, aka yesterday, Staci and I put up a post about music that we really like. And as I thought about why we like music, I realized that we are drawn certain types of music, movies, art, etc because it moves us… (so you see my train of thought now. Sadly, Mark has ruined me to think of him every time I think of being “moved”). And now I’ve totally ruined what comes to your mind when somebody says that they’ve been moved by something (yay, I’m not alone anymore!)
So I was thinking about songs that move me, and I wanted to share them with you. I know that I’ve probably ruined all seriousness in this post, but hopefully we can all get back on track and you can appreciate these songs:
This first one is actully an instrumental piece from the show LOST. As many of you know, Staci and I are pretty big LOST fans. Variations of this theme are played during very serious, heart warming/heart breaking, moments in the show. But even if you haven’t seen the show and couldn’t pictur action to this music, listen and enjoy because this piece is really beautiful. I hope you like it.
This next song is more upbeat and just gets me excited (It’s also not instrumental). It’s by a band called MUTEMATH and the song is called “Typical”. (The music video is pretty cool too, so enjoy.)
This is another upbeat song that puts me in a good mood everytime I hear it, and it basically makes me want to act like the guy in the music video. This is “Count Me In” by Leeland.
For this last one, it’s not so much the song as it is the music video that always gets me. Some of you may have read this post about how over the past few years I’ve become more of a cry baby when it comes to movies and such. Well this one makes the water works turn on everytime. This is “SMS (Shine)” by the David Crowder*Band.
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Obviously there are a ton more songs out there that move me; the song by Gungor that we posted in our last blog, plenty of Jars of Clay, Mat Kearney, and other David Crowder*Band songs, many many worship song, and more, but I won’t bore you to death. And I hope you can find these songs enjoyable and moving.
I’d love to know: What songs move you?
Recently, Staci and I were opened up to a new world of music thanks to Catalyst. I have to admit that I am a bit of a music snob, and I’ve really had a hard time finding some new stuff that I really like. On a similar note, I also have to admit that my favorite type of music just doesn’t really exist anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying say that no new music is good, I’m just a bit of a snob over it (one of my downfalls).
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Anyway, I digress… As I stated above, I have found some new stuff (some might even call it trendy stuff) that I really like.
I (Michael) will be in plain text while…
Staci will be in italics
ps… for those of you who have read our shared blog posts before, this is kind of the opposite of what we do. So I hope we don’t throw you off 🙂
You can click on the artist’s name and it will take you to their official site, by the way.
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One band that we both have really grown to love is Gungor. This is a youtube video of my favorite song of theirs. This particular version is of them doing it in the forest “unplugged,” if you will. It’s pretty cool, and the album version is even better.
In all honesty, I didn’t want to go to their concert the night they were playing at Catalyst. So we just walked around and looked at merchandise and things until it was time for the speaker. But then when we heard them play after the speaker, we were blown away. We’ve loved them ever since.
I’ve found myself playing this song over and over while I do graphic design stuff for church. They just inspire creativity. When they played at Catalyst, you could just look around and see people with their mouths open. We were all mesmerized.
The City Harmonic is another really awesome up-and-coming band. We gave away there EP at church and the student who got it said that she really really liked it… Confirmation from a teenager, that makes TCH legit!
This is another CD that I’ve been playing over and over while I do graphic design stuff. I hope they come out with another album soon.
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A couple of other “not-so-new” bands that we really enjoy, and would love to share with you are:
NewWorldSon (yes it’s all supposed to be one word like that).
I actually heard “There is a Way” on K-Love driving home from work one day. I didn’t know who sang it, but the next time we heard it on the radio, we wrote down some lyrics to find out who sang it (don’t you love technology?!). We really like them a lot!
One of my favorite things about them is that each of their songs is unique, with an overarching blues feel. Good vocals, good music, good lyrics, great album!
This is a bit older band, NEEDTOBREATHE. You may have heard this song of theirs…
Dave Barnes has been one of my favorite artists for the past 6 years. This is one of his newer songs, but I also really like his old stuff. Oh–and a bonus is that he makes goofy videos and can make fun of himself on youtube. See example HERE.
This one is kind of a shout out to a friend of mine (Ben Richter) who is the front man of the band. Their lyrics are really honest and one of my favorite aspects of the band is their desire to make a difference with more than just their music. They just released a single “Not For Sale” (click to download). This song is a way that they hope to raise awareness of the human trafficking going on across the world.
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We could go on and on, but I think that’s enough for today. We hope you enjoy! And maybe you’ll even find a new favorite artist. 🙂
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–Staci AND Michael
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Q for you: Who is one artist/band we should all check out?
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This Christmas season, Mary and Joseph’s stories have been really special to me.
For the past two Wednesday nights, we watched “The Nativity Story” with our youth. If you haven’t seen this movie yet, go out and rent it today. It’s that good. Every time I watch it, I love it even more. They do an absolutely incredible job of portraying what it really could have been like for Mary and Joseph. So often, the story of Jesus’ birth becomes so familiar that it’s no longer special. Or we’ve heard it told to children so often that we view it as a fairytale. “The Nativity Story” will help you see Christmas, Mary and Joseph, and Jesus like never before. One of our students said it was the best movie they’ve ever seen. Again, it’s that good.
There are also some songs about Mary and Joseph that almost make me cry every time I hear them. I find myself wanting to listen to them over and over.
This first song is “Breath of Heaven” by Amy Grant. Someone took the song and put it to clips of “The Nativity Story”. It’s beautiful.
“Joseph’s Lullaby” by MercyMe is one of Michael’s very favorite Christmas songs. I love it too. Joseph gets overlooked a lot, but God chose him to be the earthly father of His Son.
“Magnificat” by Todd Agnew is also wonderful. It’s Mary’s song that she sings as recorded in Scripture. It’s just amazing to me that these are the words she chose to sing in response to being told she would carry God’s Son. This is put to other scenes from “The Nativity Story”.
Dave Barnes is one of our favorite artists, and he has a new Christmas album out this year. “Mary and Joseph” is a story of Mary and Joseph as they might have been today. I can’t find a video of it, so I’ll post the lyrics.
Mary was the first of three
Long black hair and sugar sweet
Daddy’s eyes and Momma’s crooked smile
She was barely seventeen
Got a job keepin dishes clean
Planned to stay in this city for awhile
For awhileJoseph ran a lumber yard
About a mile from olive park
Quiet boy he never had much to say
It was love right from the start
He bought a ring and won Mary’s heart
Had hopes for a home and kids someday
Kids somedayThe angel scared her half to death
She would’ve screamed but she lost her breath
On a midnight there in the middle of May
He said “Oh mary don’t be afraid
You’ll bear a son that the Lord has made
Name him Jesus, He’ll light the way.”She packed the clothes, he made the plans
They had to go to Bethlehem
But there was nowhere left to stay
So in a barn she gave birth
To the King of Kings the Lord of Earth
Just a little bitty thing sleeping on the hay
Sleeping on the hayThe story’s too long to tell
But he walked on water and lived through hell
Killed on a cross and rose from the grave
We got a King they got a son
Mary and Joseph were the only ones
There on that very first Christmas day
There on that very first Christmas day
Lastly, I’m reading a book by Francine Rivers about Mary. It’s from her “A Lineage of Grace” book (five stories of unlikely women who changed eternity), and Mary’s story is called “Unashamed.” (They can be purchased as one book or individually.) I’ve loved reading about the other four women listed in Jesus’ genealogy, and it’s perfect that I’m to Mary’s story during this Christmas season. Each story is only around 100 pages, and I can’t tell how much I’ve been touched by these stories. I highly recommend them to anyone, but especially to women of all ages (from late high school to elderly). The stories are: TAMAR — Betrayed by the men who controlled her future, she fought for her right to believe in a loving God.; RAHAB — A woman with a past to whom God gave a future.; RUTH — She gave up everything, expecting nothing, and God honored her.; BATHSHEBA — Her beauty stirred the passion of a King. Her pain moved the heart of God.; MARY — All eternity had been waiting for this moment. She responded in simple obedience to God’s call.
I’ve been so touched by Joseph and Mary’s story this season, and I pray that these things might have touched you as well.
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Do you have a certain part of the Christmas Story that has become a favorite of yours?
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–Staci
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PS. You can click on any of the different song, etc. names and they’ll take you to the Amazon page where you can look at the product.
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Christmas music is one of our favorite things about this season. We have WAY more albums than we’d be able to listen to since we only have a month, but here are some that are at the top of our list. Enjoy!
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Michael’s Favorites:
There are a lot more great albums out there; these are just a few of my tops. Hope you check them out and enjoy them! Let me know what you think.
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Staci’s Favorites:
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These are just some of our favorites. What are yours?
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–Staci and Michael
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Michael and I have what we consider the best playlist ever. It’s the one we hate to hear end after 53 songs… The one that makes people driving next to us think we’re crazy… The one that “takes us back” to somewhere between elementary school and high school with every song… The one that we keep going back to over and over and over.
And today I’m going to share it with you.
You’re welcome. : )
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Anything we should add from this era? What are a few songs on you “Best Playlist Ever”?
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–Staci
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I have to share these lyrics. I woke up at 5:45 this morning with this song in my head, and couldn’t go back to sleep. Yesterday I said I’d post them sometime since they’re my favorite Levi Smith lyrics…and maybe if I post them today they’ll get out of my head. : )
Oh — and if you get a chance, try to listen to it on iTunes or MySpace or something. It’s upbeat and catchy. You’d never know it was about being dumped if you weren’t listening to the words.
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Bitterness is Sexy by Levi Smith
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“We can still be friends”
That’s the consolation prize you gave me
In hushed tones over gourmet coffee
And I mean no offense
But you were quite a waste of time and money
Not to mention dignity
So don’t get me wrong
I want you to be happy
As long as it’s with me
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One day you’re gonna’ want me
But it’ll prob’ly be too late by then
One day you’re gonna’ want me
At least that’s what I say to all my friends
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Alright, so here’s the plan:
You go ahead and keep your options open
While I stay here and lose all hope in love
And don’t you understand?
I am lonely, but I need another friend like you need another compliment
Don’t get me wrong
I want you to be happy
As long as it’s with me
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One day you’re gonna’ want me
But it’ll prob’ly be too late by then
One day you’re gonna’ want me
At least that’s what I say to all my friends
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So thank you for leading me on
It’s nice to feel attractive
Don’t you agree?
So I hope someone hears this song
That thinks bitterness is sexy
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One day you’re gonna’ want me
But it’ll prob’ly be too late by then
One day you’re gonna’ want me
At least that’s what I say to all my friends
One day you’re gonna want me
But it’ll prob’ly be too late by then
One day you’re gonna’ want me
At least that’s what I say to all my friends
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Aren’t they great? So clever.
The last two times the chorus is sung, all of these guys join in, and I picture them all waving their mugs in the air with the music (think the bar scene with Gaston in Beauty and the Beast). Yeah, my mind makes up weird things.
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–Staci
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Levi Smith is one of our very favorite artists. His lyrics are so clever, and his music is great. One of our best friends from college introduced me to his music because her sister was friends with him, and Michael saw him in concert at DBU our freshman year. Every since then, we’ve both been huge fans!
Most of his songs don’t have anything to do with God or faith. In fact, my favorite is called “Bitterness is Sexy”, and it’s about being dumped. The lyrics are hilarious — I’ll have to post them sometime. Anyway…even though most of them are about other things, he has a few really great songs about his faith.
One of his songs really goes well with what we’ve been going through over the past few months. I thought I’d share the lyrics with you.
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Go With God by Levi Smith
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Seemed like a chill swept the room
As you slowly broke the news
And shock spread across each face
Disbelief is soon replaced with blank stares
Into nowhere
And though I knew this day would come
I’m not ready to be left undone
And some say that nothing good can last
How quickly time has passed
It hurts, you know
To see you go
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But don’t look to the right or to the left
Set your gaze to what lies ahead
There are trails to blaze and memories to make
And so whatever it takes
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Go with God
If you can’t stay
I’d be a fool to stand in your way
And go with God
And follow ’til
‘Til you find yourself in the middle of His will
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No one could take the place you have among us
Or fill the void left in your wake
And all that you’ve done here will not be soon forgotten
But you can’t be contained in the pictures we take
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So don’t you look to the right or to the left
Set your gaze to what lies ahead
There are trails to blaze and memories to make
And so whatever it takes
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Go with God
If you can’t stay
I’d be a fool to stand in your way
And go with God
And follow ’til
‘Til you find yourself in the middle of His will
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Roll on
Roll on
Roll on my friend
Roll on
Roll on
Roll on
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It hurts, you know
To see you go
Go with God
Go with God
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Who knows what tomorrow holds?
Who knows what tomorrow holds?
Who knows what tomorrow holds?
But I know who holds tomorrow
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And though I knew this day would come…
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–Staci
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PS. Sorry for all of the . s … the paragraph space isn’t big enough. : )
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Our Family E 