As I sat down to pull all the pieces of this project together, I could not seem to settle on an appropriate title.  The trend among many Christian artists is to be as original as possible and avoid "Christian-ese".  So, I bought into the myth that less Christian language would somehow be more attractive or have more impact on my audience.  In my devotional time, God directed me to 1 Peter 2:9, which brought wonderful clarity to our charge in Christ.  Paraphrased it says, "You have been saved to proclaim the Excellence of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light".   And that is what I do through music, plain and simple.  The songs of the new project focus on the One who gives us victory in the valleys or a song to sing even when the walls are falling down around us.  No other title was more fitting than the one I chose, for Christ is the source of all joy, our "Beautiful Savior".  More than ever before, am I in love with the one who understands sacrifice, humility, and the power that love has over sorrows.  I have met countless people who have faced, or are facing great trials, and they are still able to find joy because of the deep satisfaction they have found in knowing Jesus.  I want the world to know Him and as long as He allows me to sing His praises, I will continue.

Blessings,  Mary

Hey there,

So, just a little update.....this has been a year for more and more events away from home.  Getting the band to and fro has been increasingly difficult for us, but God is so amazingly good!  We now have a big ol' RV as the lastest edition to the family.  We've been out in it a few times now, and there is much to learn.  For instance, don't try to read and get ready in the back end of the bus when you are moving.  That is a sure fired way to get motion sickness real quick.  And secondly, beware of bees!!!!  If you hit a swarm of them, be prepared for a windshield full of honey.  This is my round about way of letting you all know about this new chapter in ministry.  We are beyond excited and pray that God will bring us your way soon!!!!! 

Big hugs and much love,

Mary

K, so I am a sucker for the cute stuff.  I like things that are of the light and this could not be any brighter.  If you can't click on this link, cut and paste it into your browser.  

Enjoy!  MJ

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=9e7c4b40cf5a13cea6ca

For those of you with the goal to live a surrendered life, enjoy this passage from F.B. Meyer....................

I am reading Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell and I wanted to share a couple of  paragraphs with you.  Hopefully  I am not breaking any rules.  It is so difficult to put faith into words...why Jesus resonates so deeply with the heart.  Rob Bell puts it really well......

"Over time when you purposefully try to live the way of Jesus, you start noticing something deeper going on.  You begin realizing the reason this is the best way to live is that it is rooted in profound truths about how the world is.  You find yourself living more and more in tune with ultimate reality.  You are more and more in sync with how the universe is at its deepest levels.

Jesus' inention was, and is, to call people to live in tune with reality.  He said at one point that if you had seen him, you had 'seen the Father'. He claimed to be showing us what God is like.  In his compassion, peace, truth telling, and generosity, he was showing us God."

Just love that.