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Hello [NAME] and welcome to the Kristine ReMixed May Newsletter. We hope the past month was a good one. We have a lot of news we'd like to share with you this month so let's get started.
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In Christ,
Kristine
Please feel free to follow me on Face Book or Twitter. You can now also follow Big Fish Ministries on Face Book, as well as my husband, Thom McGuire.
If you have any thoughts you'd like to share about my book or blog, or questions to ask please feel free to email me at Kristine McGuire
| | | | | News
We were very excited to learn that Escaping the Cauldron: What You Should Know about the Occult is now available on AMAZON UK! We were actually pretty surprised by that discovery but pray God will be able to use the book to His glory in the United Kingdom.
I had the opportunity to share my testimony at Madison Square at the Ford Church on May 2nd. Through a connection made on Face Book I was contacted on April 29th by the Associate Pastor of Madison Square Church in Grand Rapids and asked if I'd be willing to share my testimony for that upcoming Sunday at their satellite campus as a part of the final message in a series they were doing on Spiritual Warfare, a request I was happy to oblige. The format was very relaxed, a kind of question and answer session after the pastor spent a few minutes reviewing the principles of spiritual warfare and introducing the topic for that Sunday...the power of the name of Jesus and the testimony of the saints. After the service I also had the pleasure of praying with a number of folks who came up to speak to me or ask me questions.
I also was able to share my testimony at the Otsego Women's Wellness Event on May 8th. Two lovely ladies who I met at a Praise and Coffee event in April, invited me and asked me to set up a book table for Escaping the Cauldron. On the day of the event they asked if I'd be willing to share my testimony during a coffee and snack time between sessions. I spoke for about twenty minutes and was able to tie my message in with the morning topic (presented by Sue Cramer, the founder of Praise and Coffee) about spiritual well being and health. The event was really a lot of fun and I was honored to be asked to be a part of it.
Thom and I have been doing a lot of praying and believe God is moving us toward establishing Big Fish Ministries as an official 501c3 organization. We have been waiting on the Lord for about three years as to what we are meant to do and feel now is the time to begin moving forward. Thom has been doing research on what it would take to file the necessary paperwork. The total fee is $1200, which is totally out of our budget as I quit my job to promote Escaping the Cauldron and Thom works for two ministries. However, we know that with God all things are possible and believe He is going to provide every penny we need.
| Thom's Corner
This month I chose to review one of my favorite new cd's "Rocks Into Rivers" by Seabird
Rocks Into Rivers is the follow up to Seabird's 2008 critically acclaimed label debut, ‘Til We See The Shore which featured several pop gems that were played all over the nighttime drama television landscape from Grey’s Anatomy to the now canceled Pushing Daises and scoring a coveted spot on one of Paste magazine’s CD samplers, Seabird returned to the studio with producers Paul Moak (Mat Kearney and Sixpence None the Richer) and Matt Hales (Aqualung) to try and continue their rise to the top of radio friendly pop. Changing formula was not the idea with lead singer Aaron Morgan. All twelve songs are a definite extension of the writings carried after their debut and over a whole year touring the country from coast to coast.
As Morgan says on the bands MySpace page, “"We felt like we were capturing a live performance, which is where we have the most confidence. That's where we felt we were really landing punches."
The band split its time between Ocean Studios in Los Angeles and The Smoakstack in Nashville, honing what brothers Aaron and Ryan Morgan are calling their most exciting project to date. "For this album I think we wanted to mature both musically and lyrically," says Aaron. "We have families now and are experiencing different aspects of life, and we think that our audience has matured with us as well. We want to continue making songs that inspire people to change and grow. There is a musical progression in these songs, they may be a little less poppy but at the same they definitely showcase our rock sensibility."
The new project's first single, "Don't You Know You're Beautiful" is one of my favorite new songs of the year. The song really sets the tone for this excellent album with a great piano-based rock beat, similar to The Fray. The song is about a girl trying to stand up as her family falls down around her, believing lies about herself as though her parent's divorce is her fault.
"Believe Me" continues the great piano-based rock! , with A aron singing about himself and his promise to be the husband and father he knows he should be. What's really impressive to me is that I can hear Aaron's vulnerability throughout the album, especially in "The Good King," a lullaby to his daughter about seeing life through her eyes and "Baby I'm In Love" which is about seeing Aaron's pregnant wife become an incredible mother before their daughter was born.
Another standout is "Sing To Save My Life," a very moving and passionate song with Aaron's personal prayer to `bring forth the ocean, sing for devotion and sing to save my life'. The driving guitar part at the end of the song really highlights the emotional side of this great band.
The songs all have a Brit-pop style similar to The Fray, Coldplay and Needtobreathe. If you liked "Rescue", then you need to hear Rocks Into Rivers by Seabird.
To sum up this now long story, Seabird is a band that exudes immense amounts of energy and that is what this album sounds like. They went for live, and live is how it feels. Are the songs better than ‘Til We See the Shore? No. Is this album better than 99.9 percent of all music heard on the radio on a daily basis? Yes.
"You always want your friends to be there for you, and in the same way, we want our music to be there with whatever you need, be it inspiration, laughter or even tears," remarks Morgan. "It's our goal to make our music as reliable as a good friend." Rocks Into Rivers is that friend. Not over the top amazing, but reliable.
| | | | ANNOUNCEMENTS
I have officially launched Heart and Hope Biblical Counseling for Women. When I re-dedicated my life to the Lord in 2007, one thing God put on my heart was a desire to walk along side women who might be struggling in their lives. Biblical counseling is personal, one-on-one discipleship, committed to the authority of scripture as a daily guide for what we as Christians believe and how we live. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) A Biblical Counselor, by using scripture and the principles of Christian counseling, seeks to help the counselee focus biblical principles on their need, emphasizing a change in the heart as well as the mind. Heart & Hope Biblical Counseling for Women does not offer therapy or prescribe medication, and I am not a licensed therapist. If the situation warrants, I will recommend a counselee seek assistance of a licensed physician or therapist to treat a physical/medical condition. Heart and Hope Biblical Counseling for Women offers pastoral-style counseling from the Word of God. I am certified as a Biblical Counselor through the American Association of Christian Counselors.
I will be offering MP3 and CD versions of my testimony as well as messages on Christians and the Occult, Spiritual Warfare, and more in the coming weeks.
| | | | WHAT DO YOU KNOW?
Last week we celebrated the National Day of Prayer. I hope you were able to find an event or meeting to attend. Thom and I went to a meeting sponsored by Grace Bible College in Wyoming. It was a really lovely hour of music and prayer as we lifted up our nation, leaders, schools, families, military, and church before God. Several prominent figures were there to lead us as a community of believers. The only thing Thom and I noticed was how few people were there. I know that people work or have other obligations, but when you consider the ruling made only a week before in an attempt to declare the National Day of Prayer unconstitutional, don't you think more Christians (especially pastors) should make it a point to participate?
As Christians prayer is meant to be an ongoing part of our daily lives and is vital to our relationship with God. How does that translate to the modern Christian who's life seems to pass at lightning speed? Personally I believe we need to re-think our definition of what it means to pray. Certainly we have times when we are sitting quietly, eyes closed, hands folded, and speaking the words to our Lord. However, we can also choose to find other ways to express our prayers as well. As we are working throughout the day by dedicating ourselves to do our jobs with excellence as to the Lord. How about in the music we listen to or sing? The lyrics of a song can become a prayer as we sing along in the car. We can write our prayers in a journal or notebook. If art is how we express ourselves we can paint, sculpt, or use PhotoShop to design our prayer. We can direct our thoughts toward God throughout the day or just listen for His voice to answer. We can also gather together and pray with one another and share each other's lives as brothers and sisters in Christ.
I want to challenge you to think about the variety of ways you could be expressing prayer and being in communication with God throughout your day. You might be surprised to learn you have more opportunities to pray than you think.
| | | | PRAYER REQUESTS
We would appreciate your prayers for these needs:
* Continued opportunities to minister and share our testimonies to the greater church body.
* For Escaping the Cauldron to reach more people and God to be honored by it.
* $1200 for 501 C3 papers to be filed.
* Monthly Financial Support for Big Fish Ministries so we can begin reaching out to people on the margins of society and the church.
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