• The soundtrack of faith

    ByKristin faith
    2 Comments

    I’m not a concert reviewer, but I have so many thoughts after seeing NEEDTOBREATHE for at least the eighth time that I’m going with an old-fashioned blog post. There are just too many words for the quick social media scrolling. 

    A blog post also feels right after a trip down Memory Lane with Bear Reinhardt and the boys at Victory Theater in Evansville. And the girl. Opener Bre Kennedy was really good too, and I loved her being on stage for some NTB classics. 

    Speaking of classics, NTB played so many! Greg and I talked on the way home about how this was the most overtly Christian concert we’ve seen from them. The band played worshipful songs and told stories of surrender. And the guys played new songs, which reminded me that we don’t stay the same when we follow of Christ. NEEDTOBREATHE has been the soundtrack of so many seasons of my life – becoming a mom, adoption waits & relationships, adult friendships, marriage, a hard season with my son, and ordinary life. 

    Highlights

    • “Garden” live! I have words from this song on my wall at home: Let the songs I sing bring joy to you / Let the words I say confess my love / Let the notes I choose be your favorite tune / Father let my heart be after you
    • “Multiplied” with a chorus of “Nothing But the Blood” was beautiful. I also have words from this song on another wall: May this offering stretch across the skies / And these Halleluiahs be multiplied
    • Bear got me thinking when he introduced “Difference Maker” talked about how often the moment we are in feels bigger than it really ends up being. 
    • The band with no microphones singing “Wasteland” totally acoustic on the edge of the stage to close the show. 

    What a wonderful Tuesday night! Greg and I have had a full calendar lately, so we probably wouldn’t have gone to Evansville, two hours away, had I not bought the tickets months ago. I’m so glad Past Kristin did that, because, goodness, Current Kristin needed the date night, and Future Kristin will benefit too. 

    I keep saying it’s been a hard couple of years, but here I am thinking about it again, and Greg and I needed the space alone in the minivan, at the Bru Burger table, at the concert, and on the way home to talk and just be together – with a soundtrack that encouraged us all along. 

    … There is a crack in the door filled with light / And it’s all that I need to shine / Oh if God is on my side … Who can be against me

    *****

    God authors the stories on our porches – in every season. If you haven’t already, please subscribe to  #PorchStories emails to receive them about every other week.

  • Anne Wilson is a rebel

    ByKristin giveaway, music

    Ask me my favorite music genre, and I’ll tell you it’s country Christian music. I don’t know if that’s even officially a thing, but I love songs about faith that have country music elements in the vocals and instruments. (Probably why I especially love the Chris Tomlin & Friends album.) 

    And that’s why I enjoy Anne Wilson’s new album, “REBEL.” The 16-track album has several places where country and contemporary Christian music intersect. And she brings some friends along: Wilson gets a co-sign from Lainey Wilson on “Praying Woman,” a soulful ballad about being a woman of faith, while Jordan Davis joins on the simple-living celebration “Country Gold.” Longtime contemporary Christian favorite Chris Tomlin rounds out the guest list, lending vocals to the worship anthem “The Cross.”

    You can stream the whole album and watch the music video for “Songs About Whiskey,” which isn’t what you think!

    About the album

    Each song on “REBEL” was written under the banner question, “What does it mean to be a rebel in the world we live in today?” and thus gives a corresponding tagline and bible verse. For example, the title first track: A Rebel does not follow the crowd. (Romans 12:2)

    1. REBEL
    2. Rain In The Rearview
    3. Strong
    4. God & Country 
    5. Praying Woman (with Lainey Wilson)
    6. Songs About Whiskey
    7. Sinner’s Prayer
    8. The Cross (with Chris Tomlin) 
    9. My Father’s Daughter
    10. Red Flag
    11. Country Gold (with Jordan Davis)
    12. Southern Gospel
    13. Dirt Roads In Heaven
    14. 3:16
    15. Milestones 
    16. Out of the Bluegrass

    I really love “Country Gold” with Jordan Davis and “Strong.” Both songs have made their way onto my regular playlists. I anticipate others will as well. 

    About the artist

    One of Nashville’s most inspiring young trailblazers, Anne Wilson is a revolution in modern music. The Lexington, Ky. native, known for her transcendent vocal and down-to-earth storytelling, recently released this genre-blending album that follows her Grammy-nominated 2022 debut “My Jesus.” Unapologetically real, Wilson approaches her craft with a purpose and conviction that sets her apart, declaring, “I am who I am — I’m Anne Wilson. I love God and that’s my everything, but I love country music, too, and I can have a beautiful mix of both.”

    Follow Anne Wilson on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), and her website.

    Giveaway

    To win an autographed CD, create a post on socials that uses/tags any song from Anne Wilson’s new album, including my review. Post must include #REBELAnneWilson and be submitted in the Rafflecopter below. Posts can be on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube Shorts, or TikTok. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only through Monday, May 13. 

    {Click here to enter the giveaway!}

    *****

    I was provided a free CD and access to streaming this album in exchange for this review. These opinions are my own. 

  • Let’s go where trust is without borders

    ByKristin faith, guest post

    “Lord, lead me where trust is without borders …”

    When “Oceans” was a popular worship song, I was annoyed by it. But one day when my kids were 8 years old, almost 6, and just a newborn, I heard the lyrics in a fresh way.

    Maybe I didn’t like the song at first because trusting without borders is scary.

    For several weeks after the day I decided I didn’t need to switch stations whenever “Oceans” came on the radio, I couldn’t get the phrase “trust without borders” out of my head. At the time, I was navigating a relationship with my youngest daughter’s birth mom. We adopted two times before, but the relationships are all different and change as the children grow.

    Adoption built my family but it also built my faith, largely in part because there’s a lot of trusting and very few borders. I was able to take the lessons I learned from our adoption experiences and remember God’s faithfulness in other circumstances.

    I was able to pray big prayers of faith because I’d seen God show up and show out so many times before.

    “Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.” – Psalm 107:28-30  NIV

    To trust God without borders means I need to surrender control, once again. It means I need to realize life doesn’t fit in a tidy box. Sure, sometimes storms far out of our control rage and overwhelm our lives, but God will lead us to a calm haven. Recently, God has reminded me of this truth over and over again.

    *****

    To read the rest, join me over at Lyli Dunbar’s blog, where I’m sharing as part of her Pray Big series. Oh, and Rend Collective’s version of “Oceans” is my favorite version, if you’re wanting to listen to this song.