Lyrics on the run

I am not a lyrics kid. I just love music! I don't really pay attention to the lyrics, or read them, or pour over them trying to figure them out. The only time I really listen to words is on the run. When it's just me. Me and the voice in my head. Today that voice was Matthew Hasting. My Children My Bride.

  Let me just interrupt myself for a moment. If you haven't listened to, or don't own either of the last MCMB records (Lost Boy and self-titled, respectively) please, please go buy them and do your heart a favor. They are passionate, heavy and xcore!! I LOVE em!

  So I'm listening to MCMB on my 6 miler and my spirit just started preaching at me in my head- does that ever happen to you? So I thought I should share a few of the lessons I learned... yet again.

"Every day is a constant struggle/ full of test and self-doubt"
   Life is hard. Life is hard. Sometimes I whine, struggle and complain because I can't figure out why life is so hard. Seems like it should be easy, right? But although it's a daily battle, we have access to great strength. We have great strength in us and His name is the Holy Spirit. The harder the fight- the harder we must press to gain access to the unlimited strength to fight. Life is not going to get easy! Embrace the challenge- access the unlimited strength that is yours in Christ Jesus. (It's just a simple prayer away. You have more strength than you know.)
  
"No matter how bad you got it, someones got it worse."
  Everyone has pain. Your pain is different than mine but it's not easier or harder. Pain is pain. Someone who didn't get the softball scholarship and can't afford college has pain that is different than someone who just lost both legs to cancer. But it's just as hard. The enemy uses whatever circumstances that come up in our lives to produce pain- just cause someone looks like they have a wonderful life doesn't mean they have no pain. My pain looks different than yours but we both struggle. Everyone you see today has pain in their life. Only Jesus can take that away but He chooses to do it through us. Take the opportunity to allow Jesus to help someone through you. Sometimes a kind word is all it takes to give a girl the strength to get through the day.

 "With every magazine telling you, how you are supposed to live
No wonder so many people try to end their life with every chance they get"
   This made me feel sick at heart. Please, please ladies, do not believe what a magazine tells you about how you should look, dress, act, spend money, spend time... ect. Magazines are made with one purpose in mind and that is to sell things. Every magazine contradicts itself over and over, sometimes in the same issue, to sell what ever is on that page. The only thing you should read to find out who you are is the bible. 
  Here's my challenge for this one (to you girls, and myself): Don't let yourself believe a magazine. Don't let your friends believe a magazine. Believe in the word of God and speak life to those around you!

And really, check out MCMB for your next work-out. Xcore music= Xcore workout! (well, it's more fun at least!)

Keep running!
LM

The daily grind...

Sometimes, I really enjoy my job. I mean, there's nothing quite like that moment of pure adrenaline on a hot, bright stage, the crowd is a blur...
  But it is a job, a lot of people of what we do as a hobby, or that is pure love-we'd do it even if we never got paid... well, it is a job and a pretty cool one, might I add! And sometimes, even when the shows are tough, late, non-attended, etc... the perks are pretty great. :)

Like this weekend, we drove down to St. Joseph and played a youth group show after the local h.s. football game. The doors didn't even open till 10:30pm... it was a late night drive to Kansas City that night and we were all pretty exhausted the next morning when we woke up at our friends, the Wells' house...

But we got some good coffee and hangs with the beautiful twinsies, Selah (left) and Noah. He's gonna be a good dad one day. :)

  Saturday we played an outdoor show in Bartlesville, OK. Random fact: children 18:3 has played more shows in OK than any other state (besides our home-state, the great Minnesota). Bartlesville is pretty close to Tulsa, where our manager is from. So Danny (our awesome manager) & Tim (his business partner from Australia with a sweet accent :) came and filmed us for our upcoming music video for "We'll Never Say Goodbye". Hopefully that'll be up soon!
  The show that night was one of those tough ones... there were around 150+ kids, all stoked and havin' a great time at the show during the three acts before us. Then there was a speaker and we took the stage and all the sudden there were 10 kids. 10 kids! Did we hit curfew or something? But the thing is, you never know the impact you're making on eternity. If you don't give it your 100% one day, what reward have you lost...? We may never know till heaven, what we could've done on earth. My inspiring thought for the day- ha ha! But even though it wasn't a very fun show- the people there are incredible and made us feel like stars.

  On Sunday we hung out with our manager and went rollar skating (supposedly to get more music video footage-another awesome perk of being on the road is doing random fun activities). My first time ever and I'm happy to say that I not only stayed on my feet the entire time- I think I am addicted!

 Pure joy...

Me, D and Jordan (Danny's daughter)

After rollar skating till we dropped.. we head to a venue to do live shots. We were tired silly by then...

Ha ha!

After live shots and the Expendables with our manager we finally hit the road back to Kansas City. We crashed around 3am, I think. Monday morning before we headed home we stopped by the International House of Prayer to get coffee with Bess... 

This kid is my favorite thing on earth.

Anyway, today it's back to home life. Hit the gym and jammed the Wedding's new album (out today!!) "No Direction". Don't know if I would've made it through that last mile without it, seriously- go pick it up!!

Had a great day at the office. The other office, that's not a 15 passenger van. :)

And next week I get to do it all over again... I really do have a great job.

Keep on keeping on!!

LM