Well, today is a very special day for me... it's my fifteenth birthday! And because of this, I feel I have no choice but to flashback to 2009 and post Taylor Swift's "Fifteen" video.
There is a sweetness about this song that always makes me feel good inside, even when I'm having a rough day. And while my story is a little different from hers, the song is still so relatable and comforting. I love that. And I hope you do too.
"I Can Just Be Me" by Laura Story speaks to me on a very personal level. I don't know what was going through her mind when she wrote the song, but I know that when I listen to it, I think about all the areas in my life where I just don't feel enough, and I remember that God is already enough for me. And then I can breathe a little bit more.
Laura Story- I Can Just Be Me- Live Video
Laura Story- I Can Just Be Me- Lyric Video
Watch the videos and let me know what you think. I love hearing from you.
This past week, I have been listening to the Gypsy Heart: Side A album by Colbie Caillat like crazy. It's sort of like an EP, but instead it contains the first five song of her upcoming album, which comes out September 30th.
"Try" is the fourth track on Gypsy Heart, and it's a beautiful song about letting go of insecurity. The video starts off showing made-up and air-brushed women singing along to the song, and slowly they start to strip off the makeup, fake eyelashes, and digital enhancements.
Let me be the first to admit that I struggle with self-image. What girl doesn't? But sometimes we have to believe things that are hard to believe... like believing that we were created beautiful. And I KNOW how hard it's to accept. I know. But it's the truth.
xoxo, Ireland
Be beautiful inside, in your hearts, with the lasting charm of a gentle and quiet spirit that is so precious to God. 1 Peter 3:4
Now, you may already know how much I heart Anthem Lights, but you haven't heard me talk about their new (original) song, Hide Your Love Away. And let me tell you, it is beautiful. It's a song about purity, and the thing is...
Purity is special-- it's a gift. And you should preserve it.
But if you mess up, God is still there, ready to take you in his arms and forgive you. And your purity can start today.
(I recommend watching the Behind the Song first.)
Hide Your Love Away lyric video
Behind the Song
I'll be back tomorrow with an outfit post. Meanwhile, enjoy this song and let me know what you think in the comments.
Happy Music Monday! Today my song choice is "Invisible" by Hunter Hayes, a beautiful country song about how it feels to be different. {In case you didn't know this about me, I love country music! :) } This song is empowering, and I think it can serve as something of an anthem to girls and guys in high school who feel like they don't fit in. I might be going back to public school this fall for my junior and senior year, so there's another reason song has been resonating with me more than usual.
I find Hunter Hayes inspiring, and one of the biggest reasons is because he is such an amazing musician. Did you know he played all the instruments on his first album? That is just so cool.
Oh, and I also recommend his song "Flashlight".... but I don't want to give too much away, so just listen to it and tell me what you think!!
Choice lyric from "Invisible": There's so much more to life than what you're feeling now.
I love this song!! It is beautifully written and so fun to sing. Interesting fact about Phil Wickham: he is from San Diego, CA. Why is that interesting? Because he sounds SO British in this song. Listen and tell me you don't agree!
The lyrics in "This Is Amazing Grace" are powerful. The youth band at my church performs this song, so I spent a few minutes the other day going over the words, and my eyes were opened a little more to how moving the message is. Sometimes we hear the same message over and over and we start to take it for granted, but that is tragic.
Because this is AMAZING GRACE. This is UNFAILING love.
It's that time of week again.... Happy Music Monday! Today I have my newest original music video to share with you guys. It's called "The Battles We Lose" and it's about turning adversity into something that makes us stronger.
The Battles We Lose
If you're so inclined, please subscribe to my YouTube channel!
Thanks for watching :) Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
I heard this medley on the radio a while back and LOVED it. I mean, what guy do you know who can sing like Mandisa? And the video is even better. It helped me focus on how lovely their harmonies are. This band has some amazing talent, but what's really wonderful is that they are using their gifts for God.
"Songs of the Year 2014 Mash-Up" by Anthem Lights
Now that I have rediscovered the perks of having a Spotify account, I have started listening to all four of their albums, the newest being You Have My Heart, which was released earlier this year.
As for some of my other favorites? Right now I'm loving "That's What I'm Looking For" and "In The Light", featuring Jamie Grace. Two more amazing songs. And, oh yeah, their Demi Lovato covers are also really cool!
I could go on, but that's not really necessary :) .... Your thoughts?
Hey, all my wonderful blogging friends! I have an incredibly exciting surprise for you today...
On Music Monday, I normally post a music video by one of my favorite bands/artists, along with a few lines explaining why I find it so inspiring. But today, I have one of my own songs to play for you. It's called I Need A Savior, and it's about realizing that your only hope is for someone to rescue you, and the only one who can do it is Jesus.
Good morning, my lovelies! It's Music Monday, which means I have an awesome music video for you guys to watch.... this week it's "Hold Me" by Jamie Grace featuring TobyMac.
Some of my other favorite Jamie Grace songs are "Beautiful Day" and "Show Jesus". And when it comes to TobyMac, I really like "Suddenly" and "Good Morning" (the latter of which is actually a Mandisa song). And OF COURSE, "Jesus Freak" by dcTalk (the band Toby was in during the '90s, along with Michael Tait and Kevin Max). I remember being six and bopping along to that song in the car. Good times, good times...
Well, as you can probably tell by now, I am a big Britt Nicole fan. So imagine how cool it was for my mom to come home from a trip last year having met Britt's mother! She had so many cool stories to relay to me, and I drank it all up. Britt is definitely one of my favorite artists.
Britt has so many great songs, and the title track of her third album, Gold, is no exception. It's fun and upbeat and motivating... I hope you are inspired by it.
There I sat, at the black makeshift computer desk in our bonus room, armed with a plate of chips and hummus, ready to do my Music Monday blog post.
And the computer wouldn't work.
So, I'm here to do it on Tuesday evening instead. Hope you guys don't mind! =)
The Song of the Week is "By Your Side" by Tenth Avenue North. This is a great song by one of my favorite bands, and our youth band is practicing it for an upcoming function at Generations Church. When you're listening to the song, it's as if you're hearing God talking to you-- asking you the hard questions, opening His arms to comfort you, and telling you he loves you. And His love is not shallow. His love is strong and consuming and can pierce through our darkness. His love is the only thing that can fill us up. I'm still learning that. You probably are too. So let's be moved together.
I love the song "Proof of Your Love" by for King and Country. It is so powerful. The official music video (below) is one of the the best Christian Contemporary music videos I've ever seen.
I don't feel a need to say anything else... Just listen and be moved. :)
