I’ve met quite a few people who just plain can’t stand rain.  Why?   It’s too depressing, makes them want to stay inside, and so forth.  I totally get that.  However, over the years, I’ve started to enjoy the rain when it comes around.  You know what’s made rain not only bearable, but enjoyable for me?  Music.  Music is powerful in that in can strongly influence emotions and the way one looks at the world, and for me, it’s changed my feelings about rain.  I even have a rainy day playlist on my iPod.  This playlist consists of songs that have something to do with rain or water, songs that have nothing to do with rain but have rain in their music videos, or songs that I associate with rain for no apparent reason.  Allow me to share with you a few of my favorite selections from that playlist… and it’s a very random playlist at moments, mind you…

• “Rain Down” – Delirious? (YouTube / iTunes)
• “Inside Outside” – Delirious? (YouTube / iTunes)  (Can you tell D: makes great rain songs?)
• “Only Water” – Brandon Heath (YouTube / iTunes)
• “In the Hands of God” – Newsboys (YouTube / iTunes)
• “Raincoat” – downhere (YouTube / iTunes)
• “Rain (Set Me Free)” – World Wide Message Tribe (YouTube)
• “White Shadows” – Coldplay (YouTube / iTunes)
• “Singing In The Rain” – Gene Kelly (YouTube / iTunes)
• “Singing In The Rain / Umbrella” – Gwyneth Paltrow & Matthew Morrison / Glee cast (YouTube / iTunes)
• “Man or Muppet” – The Muppets (YouTube / iTunes) (No joke… it is an awesome sauce song)

Do you have any favorite rainy day songs?  Tell me.  More music for this crazy playlist creator.

… and they’re back!  Picking up where they left off last fall, the wonders that are downhere, Jason Gray, and Aaron Shust began the second leg of The Called to Love Tour last week in Alexandria, Virginia, are continuing the tour until May.  I am still so, very thrilled that I was able to attend the tour again when it came to Virginia for its opening night last Thursday;  so thrilled, in fact, that I feel the need to say a couple thank-yous.

First off, the night was indescribably delightful.  I couldn’t have been happier to talk to those kind, fantastic people again and hear them play their wonderful, encouraging music.  As usual, downhere, Jason, and Aaron were all outstanding in their performances and in their ministry, moving us with their tunes, making us laugh at all the right moments, building us up with their words of encouragement, and uniting us in a time of intimate worship.  I could go into more detail, but I’ll simply say that it was everything it should be.

I wanted to take time to thank everyone involved with the tour for blessing us fans at these shows in such huge ways.  To Aaron, Jason, and the men of downhere, THANK YOU.  Thank you for showing us fans kindness, both on and off stage, by the way you share your hearts through songs, stories, and conversations.  I know that everyone who has attended the shows, including myself, has been extremely blessed by those things.  We are all immensely grateful for you guys.  To the roadies, sound guys, everyone selling merch, and the rest of the crew, for working so hard, non-stop, pulling these things together.  You’re the ones that keep everything happening.  What would a show be without you all?  To Brandon, Duffy, and Nate, for serving Jason, Aaron, and everyone else with your super talents and help!  Now, thank you to everyone involved, for something that I’ve especially noticed this tour: perseverance.  Whenever there’s been difficulty, whether it be the inability to fit lights and equipment into a tiny church, losing a tire, or waking up with a cold, everyone has persevered.  Everyone keeps moving, and the show goes on.  Such awesome dedication among both musicians and crew.  There are a million more things I could mention, but for all the things mentioned before, thank you, once again, to everyone, even those not listed, involved with The Called to Love Tour!

Now, a suggestion.  This suggestion goes out, not to the musicians and crew, but to fans, and even non-fans.  If at all possible, PLEASE try to attend this wonderful tour!  Even if you don’t know the first thing about any of the music, go anyway!  You will have a wonderful time and will certainly be blessed.  Take in the music, say hi to the guys, and enjoy the heck out of the night!  There are 21 dates left.  Visit the Called To Love Tour website to see if it’s coming to your area!

A few shots from opening night in Alexandria, VA -

downhere | Jason Gray | Aaron Shust | Centricity Music

1. The London 2012 Summer Olympics.
2. Doctor Who.

Allow me to explain…

Like I always say, if you know me, you have, at the very least, a vague knowledge of what Doctor Who is (but if you don’t:  TV show.  British.  Sci-fi.  Best thing ever.).  Got it?  Alright.  Well, back in 2006, an episode of Doctor Who entitled “Fear Her” aired.  In the episode, my favorite intergalactic super-geek, the Doctor, and his friend, Rose, travel through time to see the London 2012 Summer Olympics.  In a major nutshell:  Upon their arrival, terrifying chaos of alien origin ensues nearby and threatens to sabotage Olympic happenings, as well as the safety rest of the Earth.  Here comes one of my most favorite epic moments in TV history… when the carrying of the torch during the opening ceremony is put in jeopardy, the dear Doctor saves the event by crazily and brilliantly stepping in out of nowhere and carrying the torch to the end to light the Olympic cauldron.  For the record, I am fully aware of how ridiculous this sounds to you.  Watch the episode.  It tells the story better.

I’ll never forget watching that episode almost five and a half years ago, when I was thirteen years old, fascinated by the scary and exciting story, and marveling at how far away 2012 felt.  I knew I would live to see it… one day.  One day so, so far from then.  In my mind, time was so slow that I felt 2012 just might never come.  Those London Olympics sure were thousands of light-years away.

And here we are now, it’s 2012, the Olympics are six months away, and the time I had to wait from 2006 to now almost felt like nothing.  It was shortly before I turned 18 that the way I looked at time turned upside down.  I didn’t feel as old as I actually was.  There was a time when 18 sounded so old, mature, and accomplished, but when I finally got there, I felt as vulnerable and incomplete as ever.  I looked back and marveled at the quickness of passing time like my past self used to marvel at the slowness passing time.  It’s funny, the way we look at time when we’re young.  Ferris Bueller wasn’t lying when he said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”  Thankfully, though time sped on, I was careful to not miss too much.   I don’t want to miss anything in the future.

Moving on from the heavy… what will the London Olympics look like?  Being a lover of all things British, I can’t wait to find out.  Will David Tennant arrive out of nowhere in the Tenth Doctor’s pinstripe suit, brown duster, and universe-saving Converse to carry the torch and light the cauldron?  I sure do hope so.

It is ever the Holy Spirit’s work to turn our eyes away from self to Jesus; but Satan’s work is just the opposite of this, for he is constantly trying to make us regard ourselves instead of Christ. He insinuates, Your sins are too great for pardon; you have no faith; you do not repent enough; you will never be able to continue to the end; you have not the joy of his children; you have such a wavering hold of Jesus. All these are thoughts about self, and we shall never find comfort or assurance by looking within. But the Holy Spirit turns our eyes entirely away from self: he tells us that we are nothing, but that Christ is all in all. Remember, therefore, it is not thy hold of Christ that saves thee-it is Christ; it is not thy joy in Christ that saves thee-it is Christ; it is not even faith in Christ, though that be the instrument-it is Christ’s blood and merits; therefore, look not so much to thy hand with which thou art grasping Christ, as to Christ; look not to thy hope, but to Jesus, the source of thy hope; look not to thy faith, but to Jesus, the author and finisher of thy faith. We shall never find happiness by looking at our prayers, our doings, or our feelings; it is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest to the soul. If we would at once overcome Satan and have peace with God, it must be by looking unto Jesus. Keep thine eye simply on him; let his death, his sufferings, his merits, his glories, his intercession, be fresh upon thy mind; when thou wakest in the morning look to him; when thou liest down at night look to him. Oh! let not thy hopes or fears come between thee and Jesus; follow hard after him, and he will never fail thee.

I was asked this question at a caregroup meeting earlier this week.  I wasn’t pressuring myself to come up with some amazing answer, but I couldn’t help but notice that I wasn’t feeling terribly “inspired.”  Going over the list of usuals in my head, I remembered the opportunity to take college classes this Fall, and picked that off my list.  Now, believe me, I am genuinely grateful for God’s provision in that.  Extremely grateful.  But still, I was simply picking an answer for the sake of having an answer.  (Not that there’s anything wrong with that – it may be a simple question, but it’s difficult to answer on the spot, so it’s absolutely normal for anyone’s answers to be “picked out”)  After having a simple discussion about what we were thankful for, we were given the opportunity to pray together – to pray with thanksgiving, or whatever God put on our hearts.  My caregroup leader and my dear friend with whom I gathered both thanked God for his kindness and provision in their lives.  I had forgotten how refreshing it is to the soul to take time to focus on giving thanks in prayer.  When it came time for me to pray, something unexpected happened, completely unlike picking things from the “Thankful” list.  Something dawned on me, and I don’t know why it hadn’t before, but when it did, I was filled with awe and thankfulness.  I couldn’t stop thanking God for setting me free from fear.

To give some background – for the past couple of years, I had a rather dominating, on-and-off (but mostly on) struggle with fear.  Partly fear of man – ridiculous fear and concern over others’ opinions of me, which commonly holds me back from fully enjoying and living simple, wonderful little parts of life.  Primarily, though, relentless fear and anxiety over my spiritual state – more specifically, fear of wandering away from God and into outlandish sin.  This specific form of fear began with my mistake of continually listening to and believing the lies and condemnation of the devil, forgetting to line things up with the truth of God’s word, and it wasn’t long before what seemed like a simple little mistake led to fear and anxiety dominating my life – first distracting me emotionally, mentally and spiritually, leaving me in a constant state of turmoil, and then, as of this past summer, affecting me physically – usually in more minor ways, like struggling with breathing deeply; always having some degree of heaviness in my chest, but the worst happened one night when I allowed myself to be so overcome by fear and stress that I eventually found myself in the middle of a panic attack.  Tears, sweating, a constantly racing heart, and nausea kept me awake nearly the whole night;  altogether, I only got a few broken hours of sleep.  When the morning came, I was horrified; not merely at the night I had, but at my every-day life that caused it.  I felt like I didn’t recognize myself  – like I had forgotten who I was.  I knew God had far greater plans for me than to live under a rock of imaginary shame.  I immediately went to talk to my amazing mom (for whom I am beyond thankful), who listened to me, preached the truth of the gospel and grace to me, prayed for me, and comforted me.  That morning began the slow walk away from a life dominated by fear.  Though the usual emotional and physical side effects still hung around, the extremity slowly lessened over time.

Back to the beginning – what dawned on me at that moment during the prayer time was the fact that God had mercifully freed me from the dominating horrors of fear.  I suppose, because the “healing” from where I was this summer was such a slow process, I never really noticed just how different my life looks now.  I never had more than a fleeting thought – “I guess the fear isn’t really there now.”  But when I prayed, giving thanks to God that moment at caregroup, that was what shocked me – THE FEAR ISN’T THERE.  It is still a very minor struggle and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it come and go in stronger and weaker ways over the years, but when I prayed, I was completely blown away by the realization of what God had done over the past few months.  I’m sleeping again.  I’m breathing again.  I’m living again.  I couldn’t help but shed a few happy tears as I thanked God for his kindness and faithfulness in freeing me.

Through this time, I have learned so much of God’s kindness and grace.  I’ve also learned a lot about fear… as negative as that sounds, it’s been extremely helpful.  Fear is such a deceptive thing.  It’s so subtle and difficult to catch, and if I continually leave it unattended, it cleverly sneaks into my heart and slowly builds up its layers of domination, until I’m getting up from a painful, sleep-deprived night and wondering how in the world I got there.  One of my new favorite musicians, Jason Gray, recently released a brilliant song that says a LOT about the ways of fear.  “Fear will take the best of us, then come back for the rest of us, its rabid hunger never satisfied; It’s closer than a brother, and more jealous than a lover, who holds you while it swallows you alive; Let down your guard, and it will steal your heart… there’s no thief like fear.“  That’s it.  Fear is a thief; tricking, blinding, stealing joy and life, and I’ve had enough of it.  You know why?

“…God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” – 2 Timothy 1:7

“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” – Galatians 5:1

That is absolutely wonderful news for a fearful person like me.  Fear is not my master.  Christ is.  He set me free, not so I could continue to live like a slave to fear, but so I could truly be FREE.

“I am free, I am free; Oh my God has rescued me; From these chains, I am released, for my God has set me free…”

2011 has been a big year for Centricity Music artists downhere, Jason Gray, and Aaron Shust. All three released fantastic, successful new albums around the same few, so what better time for the three to come together for an explosively awesome tour? Headlined by downhere, the Called to Love Tour began this fall in October and ended one week ago, primarily covering the East coast. Now, last year in 2010, I was incredibly blessed to see downhere (one of my absolute, all-time favorite bands, as any friends would know) for the first time when they came to Fredericksburg, VA, but did not expect they would return to the area just one year later for the second to last date of the Called to Love Tour in Woodbridge, where I would be blessed to see them for the second time, as well as Jason Gray and Aaron Shust for the first time! So, did this show live up to the high expectations and excited countdowns? (Okay, MY expectations countdowns) Was it a worthwhile visit for old fans and new listeners alike? Allow me to back up my confident “YES” by walking you through the wonderful show…

After meeting up with some fabulous fan friends at the venue, we visited the pre-show meet and greet, which was held in a small room where the few who purchased tickets that included that were able to chat with all the artists in a casual, unhurried way. (Definitely a far better option than busy and rushed after-show autograph lines – go for the VIP tickets whenever there’s an opportunity. Completely worth it!) After meeting and chatting with the downhere guys for the second time, I was able to meet Jason Gray and Aaron Shust for the first. I just have to make it known that each of these artists are truly fantastic people… it’s not uncommon for a meet and greet to be a bit on the awkward side, nor is it uncommon for musicians to go about them with a bit of a detached, business-like attitude (not that I put anyone on an “attitude pedestal” – we’re all human), but that was definitely NOT the case with these men. I have never met musicians who show such welcome, warmth, and connection to those they meet, not simply leaving all the hellos and thank-yous to the fans, but taking time themselves to get to know them. I was very blessed and encouraged by their conversations and friendliness, and I hope, if anyone reading has not yet met them, that they will have the privilege to do so one day!

Immediately after the meet and greet, I took my seat and was happily surprised to find that before the expected artists performed, the crazy amazing David Martel (brother of downhere co-lead singer Marc Martel) sang three lovely songs to the waiting audience. He may share various resemblances with his brother, but his style is 100% his own! His dreamy sounds, delightfully robotic dance moves, and brilliant stage presence drew us all in and made it difficult to see his set end so quickly. I hope to see him around more often in the future!

Very soon, the main show started and Aaron Shust opened his set with “This is What We Believe,” from his new album of the same name. Aaron’s whole set was a fantastic way to start the night, preaching the gospel in every lyric and continually keeping things upbeat. Though he sang many fantastic songs, it would not have been right to go on without his best loved single, “My Savior, My God,” so, of course, he included it later in the set, to the crowd’s delight! He closed perfectly with the beautiful “My Hope is in You” from his newest album. While he has a solid, fantastic sound, what really made the set for me was every song being jam-packed with gospel/truth-saturated lyrics… very well done!

After a video playing on the screens of Jason Gray asking Aaron Shust a series of hilarious (staged) questions comparing Aaron to Jason in some way or another, the wonderful Jason Gray began his set on a positive note with “Good to be Alive,” a great way to quickly warm up the crowd and make them right at home, then went into one of his somewhat recent radio hits, “More Like Falling in Love,” where he invited vocal participation from the audience, teasing the guys who weren’t quick to sing the high notes. He soon had all sit down for what he humorously called “Acoustic story time at the library with Jason Gray,” where he informed the audience that he suffers from a speech handicap known as stuttering – “Ironically, ‘stutter’ is one of the hardest words for us- you get the idea. Who’s coming up these words??” Even in the seemingly serious moments, his humble sense of humor remains.

A personal highlight for me was his performance of “Fear is Easy, Love is Hard,” to which he added simple, beautiful verses that were not in the studio recording, then talked about fear itself – how we were made for more than to be ruled by fear and shame, and that “It was for freedom that Christ Jesus has set us free” (Galatians 5:1). He was soon ready to perform the next song, only he told us that the needed piano player was not yet on stage. While waiting, he decided to give us a little magic show (that was a treat), then, finally, the awaited piano player arrived, Mr. Gray told us to pretend the silly magic show never happened, and we found that said piano player was downhere co-lead singer Jason Germain, who was running late due to “a deep, theological discussion” with Aaron Shust. Soon came an intimate, stripped down piano/vocal performance of “Nothing is Wasted” from the two Jason Gs, which Jason (Gray) introduced as a song “for those in the room, broken, who wonder if all that has gone wrong could be made right.” Definitely struck a chord with the audience. When the beautiful song finished, he told us, “You’re the only audience to see me do finger magic! That’s worth something… maybe not!” The musical mood picked back up with “I Am New,” and then ended the set perfectly with his newest hit, “Remind Me Who I Am,” which has been spreading like wildfire online and on radio, creating so much impact that the Remind Me Project was started as one more way of reminding us who we are in Christ. The end of the set was met with well-deserved, thunderous applause and cheering of the enthusiastic crowd. What a beautiful show! We were all captured and impacted by the comforting and challenging truths presented in each song, as well as by the approachable, transparent, and delightful personality of the musician delivering them.

After a decent little intermission, the lights finally dimmed, and the men of the hour, the wonderful downhere, were ready to begin their epic set. Jason Germain was the first to appear, grabbing our attention with sweet, enchanting sounds from the piano, which soon turned into the opening hook of “My Last Amen,” quickly joined by bassist Glenn Lavender playing the trumpet, as he always does for the brilliant song, followed by the vocals of Marc Martel, and the drumming of Jeremy Thiessen. The band went absolutely all out with this opening – punching up the sounds and rocking the room towards the end, Marc allowing his voice to freely fly off to ranges only he can reach, and so on. We were hooked. Things settled down a bit as they moved on to radio hit “Here I Am,” only to return to super excitement with “Living the Dream,” off their latest album, On the Altar of Love. Slowing down once again with the opening piano from “Let Me Rediscover You,” a hit off the new album, Marc humorously acknowledged, “Well, it can’t be fun and games all the time.” Even without the fun and games, the audience was united in a beautiful moment of worship, crying for a fresh, personal “rediscovery” of our God. Continuing in worship, they began the incredibly beautiful anthem, “Reveal the Kingdom,” during which there was a mind-blowing musical switch-up, playing the piano unlike anything we’d heard, increasing the tempo, and singing with the utmost passion. The closing lines were sung beautifully in Latin, and the lights instantly went out. A definite highlight!

Continuing the stream of new songs, things picked back up with “Altar of Love,” a wonderfully upbeat anthem for love, humility, and unity. Next was “Rest,” which, contrary to the title, was performed with a great deal of energy. After this, the beginning of the end was slowly and sadly arriving. Marc went on to tell the audience (readers – if you haven’t heard of this already, you most certainly should!) about his recent YouTube audition for the Queen Extravaganza that went viral due to his shocking vocal similarities to Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury (which downhere fans have known and adored for years before, of course), and even got him on the Ellen Show (a VERY surreal and exciting day!). His original audition video where he sung “Somebody to Love” has reached 5,000,000 views – “Compared to Justin Bieber, it’s not that much, but it means something to me!” he told us. Of course, he and the rest of the downhere guys went on to give a solid, top-notch performance of “Somebody to Love,” where they were soon joined by David Martel, Aaron Shust, and Jason Gray, who sang fabulous BGVs. The three stuck around and everyone closed the set with Hillsong’s “Mighty to Save,” took a bow, and left the stage… but we, the audience, loved the band too much to let them leave so soon. “You guys are surprisingly nice!” Marc humorously remarked when he returned to the stage after our relentless applause. He got on the piano and sang us a delightful little song called “Audience,” the band’s traditional end-of-show tribute to their audiences. Finally, as requested by various members of the audience, they performed “How Many Kings,” the Christmas song that has taken the radio by storm since it released – if you don’t know downhere, chances are you definitely know that song (and if not, where have you been hiding?? Go listen!). The show came to a complete and final end, and we were all perfectly satisfied and beyond happy from all we had seen and heard. Now, one side note – one of the greatest strengths of the show was each artist’s lyrics being displayed on the screens – it was an extremely helpful way to help new listeners adjust and feel like a part of the event!

After staying late with some the same fabulous friends from earlier (who know the artists) and enjoying sweet chats, funny stories, and ridiculous pictures with each of the fantastic guys who performed throughout the night, I was simply awestruck by the incredible showmanship and friendliness of everyone. I urge you, readers, to RUN and not walk to see these musicians as soon as they come even a little close to your area. Not only will you enjoy a perfectly delightful show, but you will be blessed by constant encouragement and worship with other Christians. Go!

From the show -

PHOTOS

VIDEOS

Aaron Shust setlist: “This is What We Believe” / “Risen Today” / “To God Alone” / “Your Majesty” / “We Fall Down” chorus / “Never Been a Greater Love” / “My Savior, My God” / “My Hope is in You”

Jason Gray setlist: “Good to be Alive” / “More Like Falling in Love” / “The Sound of Our Breathing” / “Fear is Easy, Love is Hard” / “Nothing is Wasted” / “I Am New” / “Remind Me Who I Am”

downhere setlist: “My Last Amen” / “Here I Am” / “Living the Dream” / “Let Me Rediscover You” / “Reveal the Kingdom” / “Altar of Love” / “Rest” / “Somebody to Love” / “Mighty to Save” / {ENCORE} / “Audience” / “How Many Kings”

That was one of my favorite quotes, said by my favorite fictional journalist and adventurer, Sarah Jane Smith, played by the lovely Elisabeth Sladen, who sadly passed away today after battling cancer. My heart is saddened at the news.
Sladen played the beloved character Sarah Jane Smith on British sci-fi TV show Doctor Who (the longest running sci-fi show ever, and also my favorite show) from 1973-76, making a few single-episode returns in recent years. In 2007, she began starring in a spin-off show, The Sarah Jane Adventures, geared towards a younger audience.
Elisabeth Sladen and her character, Sarah Jane Smith, have been greatly loved by Doctor Who fans for years. Elisabeth played her character beautifully. I’ve always been amazed by her acting abilities…the way she can make you believe every emotion she portrays, practically bringing one to tears at times. My favorite thing about the character, Sarah Jane, is that she’s never afraid to show her fear and vulnerability, yet, she remains absolutely brave in the midst of it – and no one could have portrayed that important aspect of the character better than Elisabeth Sladen. She was a beautiful actress, and I will miss her, as will many, many others.
“What struck me about Lis was her grace. She welcomed me, educated me, and delighted me with her tales and adventures on Doctor Who…and she also seemed to have a quality of youth that not many people retain as they go through life. Her grace and kindness will stay with me because she had such qualities in abundance and shared them freely.” – Matt Smith (currently playing the Doctor on Doctor Who)
“I just can’t believe that Lis is gone. She seemed invincible. The same woman who enchanted my childhood, enchanted my time on Doctor Who and enchanted generations who have watched her and fallen in love with her – just like I did. I feel very honoured to have shared a TARDIS with Sarah Jane Smith, and I feel very lucky to have shared some time with Lis Sladen. She was extraordinary.” – David Tennant (played the Doctor on Doctor Who from 2006-2009)
“Sarah Jane Smith was everybody’s hero when I was younger, and as brave and funny and brilliant as people only ever are in stories. But many years later, when I met the real Sarah Jane – Lis Sladen herself – she was exactly as any child ever have wanted her to be.” – Steven Moffat (writer and producer for Doctor Who)