Storyside: B

I heard one of their songs on the radio the other day and had to get it on my iPod. After listening to several of their other songs, I bought the album. They have a couple of others, but I got the "We Are Not Alone" CD. I absolutely love it!

Songs from this CD:

Fall Down
Tell Me
What You Think Of God
Be Still
All Along
Demons and Angels
Don't Let it Go
That is Love
Sister
I Give You Me
For You

One of my favorite songs from this CD is "Be Still." It's a really encouraging song, speaking to Christians who are struggling in their faith. I know I've felt like that before, and this song really lifted my spirits.

I remember all the times the good times and the bad
I'm still holding on to you
some days I wanna run and times I come undone
but I still belong to you
that's how I know that...

CHORUS:
...When I feel like caving in
my heart my soul is wearing thin
I just want to give up
nothing seems at all to add up
can you hear me Lord?
my face is down upon the floor
its then you whisper in my ear
Be still and know I'm here
(end of Chorus)

I see a side of you my friend
the same struggles that I have
my heart goes out to you
I know its hard to feel alone
and this world's so unforgiving
I've been feeling that way too
but I can tell you...

CHORUS: ...When I feel like caving in
my heart my soul is wearing thin
I just want to give up
nothing seems at all to add up
can you hear me Lord?
my face is down upon the floor
its then you whisper in my ear
(end of Chorus)

Is that you?
Is this me
It's sometimes hard to believe
that I am not alone
its not just you and not just me
we all need to believe that
we are not alone

We feel like sometimes the Christian life is just too hard and we want to give up, but that's where we have to seek God for the strength and peace.

The City Of Ember Movie

Rated: PG
Time: 95 minutes

Instead of writing the same post twice, I'm just going to relate back to one of my previous posts when I did it on The City of Ember book. I have to give some credit to the people that made the movie, because they did a lot of things correct in correspondence to the book. I was really pleased with the actors work and how realistic the scenery was (just like in the book).

Scenes:
A few scenes might frighten young children.

Language:
For the most part, the language is pretty mild. Not too many shut-ups, stupid, etc. like some other movies.

Addison Road

One of my new favorite Christian bands is Addison Road. They are fairly new, so they only have 1 album out. Here are the songs on the album.

All That Matters
Always Love
Casualties
Hope Now
It Just Takes One
Run
Start Over Again
Sticking With You
This Could Be Our Day
What Do I Know Of Holy

I love all of their songs, but one of my all-time favorite is Hope Now. It really illustrates who we are and who God is and how we are nothing and He is everything. The only real hope is in Him.

If everything comes down to love
Then just what I am afraid of
When I call out Your name
Something inside awakes in my soul
How quickly I forget I’m Yours

I’m not my own
I’ve been carried by You
All my life

CHORUS
Everything rides on hope now
Everything rides on faith somehow
When the world has broken me down
Your love sets me free

When my life is like a storm
Rising waters all I want is the shore
You say I’ll be okay and
Make it through the rain
You are my shelter from the storm

I’m not my own
I’ve been carried by You
All my life

CHORUS
Everything rides on hope now
Everything rides on faith somehow
When the world has broken me down
Your love sets me free

Everything rides on hope now
Everything rides on faith somehow
When the world has broken me down
Your love sets me free
You’ve become my hearts desire
I will sing Your praises higher
Cause Your love sets me free
Your love sets me free
Your love sets me free

Twilight...

Author: Stephanie Meyers

NOTE: I have never read this book or ever plan to. Just from my research on it, I have come to write my own opinions based off of what I've read.

Lately, a lot of teenage girls have been reading the Twilight Series. After spending some time reading different reviews and articles (I haven't read the book), I have come to believe that this series is definitely not something that I will be reading.

First off, the main focus in the book Twilight and the other books in the series, is an inappropriate romantic relationship. I believe the relationship is inappropriate because of the intense way of their passion with one another. With each book in the series, the author intrigues you to continue reading, which makes them very hard to put down.

Their relationship together grows throughout the series, which makes both of them want to have sex, even though they are not married (yet).

Brio Magazine said this in their article "Twilight: Blood-soaked Romance":

"And what's dangerous about Stephanie's series, is that the reader, too, enters into Bella's obsession with Edward."

-Melanie Cogdill

You can buy the above life-size, stand-up poster of Edward for $40.00. I think it's pretty ridiculous that he's the role model that is set in the minds of teenage girls.

The second reason the book is not on my reading list is because the author is deceiving the reader to believe that evil is good. The whole idea of killing and violence being made to seem okay is wrong.

Scripture is clear about both of these things.

"So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart." 2 Timothy 2:22

"They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." John 17: 16

"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. " 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

"The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." Galatians 5:19-21

"It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God" 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5

If we are true Christians, we would live like Christ and not be polluted by the world with all of the tempting books, entertainment, etc. that the world offers. Instead, we should live like Christ, so that others may come to know Him too!

***Update: I have addressed some comments about this post on my other blog, Hannah's World.

The Mystery of the Glowing Eye

Author: Carolyn Keene
Pages: 192

When Nancy's best friend Ned goes missing, Nancy is completely determined to find him. What she doesn't know is that there is a mystery behind the fact that Ned is gone. The more and more clues that Nancy finds out, the more she becomes worried that whoever took Ned will do something dreadful to him! Threatening notes and a mysterious museum employee make this book filled with scary and suspenseful questions.

Switchfoot- Beautiful Let Down

This CD is one of my favorites.

Meant To Live
This Is Your Life
More Than Fine
Ammunition
Dare You To Move
Redemption
Beautiful Let Down
Gone
On Fire
Adding To The Noise
24

Here is the lyrics to one of my all-time favorite songs.

Welcome to the planet
Welcome to existence
Everyone's here
Everyone's here
Everybody's watching you now
Everybody waits for you now
What happens next?
What happens next?

I dare you to move
I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move
I dare you to move
Like today never happened
Today never happened before

Welcome to the fallout
Welcome to resistance
The tension is here
The tension is here
Between who you are and who you could be
Between how it is and how it should be

I dare you to move
I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move
I dare you to move
Like today never happened
Today never happened

Maybe redemption has stories to tell
Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell
Where can you run to escape from yourself?
Where you gonna go?
Where you gonna go?
Salvation is here

I dare you to move
I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move
I dare you to move
Like today never happened
Today never happened
Today never happened
Today never happened before

We are called to live different lives. It is not easy and it will create conflict...but I dare you to move.

So, You Want to Be Like Christ?

Author: Charles Swindoll
Pages: 160

This book is one of my favorites because of the example it gives for how to be like Christ. Charles Swindoll really illustrates how it is to not only be in Christ, but how to be like Him. It is Christ that deserves all of the glory and not us. If we choose to be in fellowship with Him then that means we are giving up our selfish desires so we may live obedient and Jesus-centered lives. When we live the lives of how Christ wants us to be, then others will see that in us. Most of all, we will do it for the glory and honor of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.