Brother Down

My husband loves to play music. Among his various hobbies, he has figured out over the years how to play a few different instruments one of them being the bass guitar. Yet, one of the things he loves the most about playing music is getting the opportunity to play with others...especially those that are better than himself. It gives him the chance to learn so much and it's fun.

A few years ago Steve was asked to play bass for a benefit concert here in our hometown. The group that played for the concert is called Brother Down. And the concert itself actually benefited one of the group's members named Chris. At the time, Chris was in the process of adopting a little boy from Ethiopia. That benefit concert helped raise funds to bring his son home. The little boy is almost three now and the exact same age as our Joshua. Brother Down resurrected themselves specifically for this benefit concert.

But Brother Down had been around before that. Many years ago now, Chris and his buddy Jordan formed Brother Down and wrote all of their music. Yet, at the time of the concert, it had been awhile since they played due to them needing to support their families and work a normal day job.

Chris is a great friend and also fellow teacher of Steve's. At the time of the concert, they were in need of a bassist and drummer. So they asked Steve and our other pal Devin to fill in. Steve absolutely loved playing with them, especially because their music is SO good. And over the last few years, he's played with them in a few different settings for fun. So although he definitely wasn't part of the original Brother Down, he got to get in on some of their fun from time to time.

This last summer Steve mentioned that they were going to record a Psalm or two. I had no idea why. I just thought it was just for kicks. And truly, they threw it together at the last minute due to managing all of their schedules (it was the end of school for three of them and the other one works nights). Yet, yesterday I finally found out why they had gone to the trouble. Evidently, they entered their Psalms into a Psalm Off put on by Canon Press.

Yes, I was totally clueless to this somehow.

And guess what? They won!!

Yesterday I went to my computer screen to check my email and saw someone had posted that Brother Down had won the contest. I thought to myself, "What contest?!" I couldn't believe it.

So even though Steve's not a part of the original band or anything, he's still had the wonderful opportunity to play with and learn from these very talented musicians. And now it looks like he will possibly get to record a CD of Psalms. How fun is that?

Check it out here:

Psalm Off Results

You can click on the links and listen to the music. It's actually pretty darn good if I do say so myself. Psalm 75 is my favorite.

All right Brother Down!!

PS: Brother Down has music on iTunes too if you like their music. They're a pretty amazing group if you ask me!

Thought Meadow Magazine

Are you ever looking for something great to read? When I have a good book I'm a very happy lady. When a magazine comes in the mail that I love to read, I swoon. I simply love good reading!! I love to pass the evenings with a great book in hand and a cup of tea. There's nothing like it. I especially love reading that is geared to me as a woman and articles that encourage me and challenge me to think about life, the world and the Lord.

A few months back a friend of mine asked me if I wanted to write for a little publication called Thought Meadow magazine. It was just started last year and they were looking for writers willing to contribute some articles and she knew I needed an outlet for my many words so she encouraged me to contact the editor. By the way, did I mention, she knows the editor so, really I already had an "in". Anyway, as I was looking through the magazine, I was really intrigued and entertained by the articles. I simply enjoyed it and decided to give it a go.

This particular magazine is just in its infancy but its quality is excellent. So...I just wanted to put out a little plug for this up-and-coming publication. In their own words the creators of this magazine state that "Thought Meadow is a Christian magazine produced by women for the edification of souls and sharpening of minds. We welcome respectful and charitable discussion." This magazine was created for the sole purpose of "challenging women to think theologically about a variety of different topics with the goal of increasing unity in the body of Christ as women from different denominations gather to hone their writing skills and sharpen their minds." I don't know about you but, when I sit down at night, I want to read something that is encouraging and gets me thinking at the same time. This magazine marries these two concepts well and its wit definitely doesn't disappoint either.

It really is a great little magazine written for Christian women and it's highly affordable. A year's subscription is a measly $6!! Yes, I did say $6!! The magazine is published quarterly so that is less than $2 a magazine. Their most recent edition was just printed and it's excellent. If you are interested in subscribing, you should check out their website at www.thoughtmeadow.com and click on "Subscribe".

If you're looking for a great little magazine that can get you thinking, encourage you and not burn a hole in your pocket, then saunter on over to the website and sign-up. In fact, sign all the women in your whole family up for a few bucks. You'll be glad you did!!