Worth a Listen: TobyMac's "Speak Life"

(Sharing great songs that are inspiring, uplifting and/or are otherwise "worth a listen").  Explanation (of a kind) here.



I asked my teenage daughter to help me come up with some videos to share here for "Worth a Listen."  Fortunately, we both like the same kind of music.  I love this song so much, and while I normally don't like lyric videos, this one is beyond great.  It's also the official lyric video from Toby Mac, so that helps.

Probably my favorite lines from this song:  

Lift your head a little higher
Spread the love like fire 
Hope will fall like rain
When you speak life 
With the words you say

Raise your thoughts a little higher
Use your words to inspire
Joy will fall like rain
When you speak life with the things you say

Okay, I just want to put all the lyrics here.  Go listen to the whole song, and smile.  Then speak life.

Worth a Listen: Britt Nicole's "Headphones"

(Sharing great songs that are inspiring, uplifting and/or are otherwise "worth a listen").  Explanation (of a kind) here.



Yes, I am a hopeless Britt Nicole fan.  This is another great song and video from her.

Worth a Listen: Royal Tailor's "Make a Move"

(Sharing great songs that are inspiring, uplifting and/or are otherwise "worth a listen").  Explanation (of a kind) here.


Royal Tailor was one of the bands at Winter Jam, a concert series my teen and I attended (along with some of her friends) last month.

A WinterJam Primer, or How to Keep Your Hearing, Your Faith, and Your Sanity, and Have a Good Time

Note: In lieu of Worth a Listen (normally appearing here on Wednesday), I'm writing this after the WinterJam just occurred in our area with a concert in Peoria Sunday night.  When I posted occasional updates on Facebook & Twitter from the concert, there were a lot of questions (on FB) about how the concert, how it was, should people bring their small children, etc. This is to answer those questions as well as talk about this great  I'll re-run this next year as WinterJam makes it way to our area again, so consider this a "primer" on how to encounter WinterJam successfully.

I'm a veteran, having just attended my third WinterJam.  I think I've got this "down" now and have a good strategy for attending and making the most of this great concert.

WinterJam, the largest Christian concert series in the world (and largest altogether if Wikipedia is to be believed) is a traveling concert series founded by NewSong and featuring more than a half-dozen Christian contemporary music (CCM) acts.

Read the rest of the story at my new website, Reading Catholic.  Click here for link to the rest of the article on Reading Catholic.  I invite you to follow me there!

"That Man is Me": Local Priest in America Magazine this week

Father Charles Klamut, a priest of the diocese of Peoria, who is currently serving at St. John's Center at the University of Illinois in Champaign, is featured in this week's edition of America magazine with a reflection on Les Miserables and his first reading of it as a young adult.

My husband pointed it out to me since he follows The Deacon's Bench blog by Greg Kandra.  I do too, but I can't keep up with all the blogs that I "follow."  So thank God for a husband who keeps up on blogs and shares with me.

Here is the quote that I pulled out of Fr. Klamut's piece.  Keep in mind this was before I went to link to Deacon Greg's post on it.  It turns out we picked the same one! So it is true that great minds think alike (or at least, it's true that bloggers like me can sometimes think like a superblogger):


I read Les Misérables in a week. It was the perfect book at the perfect time, with soul-shaking impact. For a long time afterward, I went over and over it in my mind and in my heart.

One day I had a revelation: Monseigneur Bienvenu never knew! The heroism of Valjean’s subsequent life was unknown to the bishop. Fantine, Cosette, Marius, Eponine, the Thénardiers, Gavroche, Javert, the barricades, the students, the wedding—all unknown. The bishop sent Valjean off with his silver and a promise, never to see or hear from him again. For all he knew, Valjean went back to his old ways. And yet it did not seem to matter. He treated Valjean as he treated everyone: as Christ would. Bienvenu was the unknowing mover of all that was to follow. But for his act of mercy toward Valjean, the whole beautiful story would not have been.

This was when it hit me. I thought of the bishop, and the impact he made and what his priesthood meant. I can remember praying, “Lord, if that’s what it’s about, if my life can do that…sign me up.” And the rest, as they say, is history.

Fr. Klamut's entire article is well worth reading.  I also didn't realize Fr. Klamut has a website for his music.  Interesting!

Worth a Listen: Come to Me by Jamie Grace

(Sharing great songs that are inspiring, uplifting and/or are otherwise "worth a listen").  Explanation (of a kind) here.



We are more than excited at our house for Winter Jam, a concert series coming to our area later this month.  

Jamie Grace will be one of the artists.  I hadn't heard this song when I was looking for something to post, but it's worth a listen.

Worth a Listen: Remember Your Chains by Steven Curtis Chapman

Sharing great songs that are inspiring, uplifting and/or are otherwise "worth a listen".  Explanation here. 

Several weeks ago, I had an encounter with an acquaintance that left me really sad about her views.  Suffice to say that even though I pitied her, I was tempted and did indulge in feeling superior for several moments.  Then I realized, oh, hey, I pretty much was this person at her age (early 20s).  Later that night, this is the song that came into my head.
After this, I just had to laugh at myself for feeling (and trust me, I'm using the air quotes here) "better than" someone when I'm 30 years older and wiser.  Recognizing pride, especially spiritual pride, really should lead us to laugh at ourselves, don't you think?   I'm pretty sure St. Francis de Sales has a great quote about this, but I can't  find it at the moment.  Anyone else know it? When I searched for a video of the song, I found this nice reflection from Steven Curtis Chapman about how he came to write the song.  ("It's why we have to keep preaching the gospel to our own hearts"--what a great turn of phrase). Beautiful. The entire song is worth a listen as well; I've just bought it on iTunes, and I encourage you to do the same.

Worth a Listen: Mac Daddy by TobyMac

Sharing great songs that are inspiring, uplifting and/or are otherwise "worth a listen".  Explanation (of a kind) here.


We really enjoy this song from TobyMac's newest album.  Cute!

Worth a Listen: O Come, O Come Emmanuel by Sixpence None the Richer

(Sharing great songs that are inspiring, uplifting and/or are otherwise "worth a listen").  Explanation (of a kind) here.


We are well into the first week of Advent, and I hope to share some good Advent (not Christmas yet!) songs to help keep us in the Advent frame of mind.

I've enjoyed Sixpence None the Richer since my husband introduced the band to me in the 90s, and other than Leigh Nash's voice, I like best the way they got their name.

What are you doing to mark Advent this year?

Worth A Listen: Forgiveness by Matthew West

(Sharing great songs that are inspiring, uplifting and/or are otherwise "worth a listen").  Explanation (of a kind) here.




For some reason, every time I hear this song I think about Confession.

It's time to make an effort to go, as we head into Advent and Christmastime.   Advent or just before Advent is a great time to schedule a time to get to this great Sacrament.  Consider yourself reminded, and I will do the same.

Worth a Listen: Revelation Song by Phillips, Craig & Dean

(Sharing great songs that are inspiring, uplifting and/or are otherwise "worth a listen").  Explanation (of a kind) here.



I had another song cued up for this morning (I'll save that for another Wednesday), when at Mass this morning, I head the first reading proclaimed.

I immediately thought, I know the song I should feature!  I can actually be liturgically appropriate for today.  So I rushed (unsuccessfully) to get home before 7 a.m. (when the other song was scheduled to post), to post this one instead.

The first reading, like all this week in the days leading up to the feast of Christ the King this Sunday, is from the Revelation to John.  Here is part of it:

The four living creatures, each of them with six wings,
were covered with eyes inside and out.
Day and night they do not stop exclaiming:
"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty,
who was, and who is, and who is to come."
Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks
to the one who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever,
the twenty-four elders fall down
before the one who sits on the throne
and worship him, who lives forever and ever.
They throw down their crowns before the throne, exclaiming:

"Worthy are you, Lord our God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things;
because of your will they came to be and were created."

And I thought of a song we are hearing on the radio a lot these days, "Revelation Song."   The video above, which features a bit of the song, shows the band describing how the song is powerful in moving people.  I agree.

Our family tries to read the Mass readings in the morning, taking turns reading.  Our kids sometimes bicker about who gets to do what, lest you imagine a holy scene at the breakfast table.

Every few weeks, a reading or responsorial Psalm will remind us of a song we hear on our local Christian radio station.  I do like this, as it helps reinforce how steeped we are in Scripture as Catholics, and how worship music and some Christian music can aid our prayer life and knowledge of Scripture.

(A humorous aside:  just yesterday, the kids read the Mass readings as I was driving my teenager to a friend's  house, and when she finished the Gospel about Jesus encountering Zaccheus, I immediately launched into, "Zaccheus was a wee little man and a wee little man was he.")

This week, as we lead up to the Feast of Christ the King, the Church's readings point towards the last things, the end of the world, to prepare us for the beginning of the liturgical year with the first Sunday of Advent.  My theologian husband told me once that there's an old church tradition/hope that the Lord will return in glory on the feast of Christ the King.

One of the band members says in the video about the song, "We felt passionate about the song. When I hear that song, whatever circumstance I am in, it takes me to that place.  And where is that place?  It's in the presence of Jesus Christ."

As Catholics, we have the knowledge that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist.  So when we visit Jesus, whether in a time of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament or just a quick prayer time at a Church, we are in a very special way in that Presence.  Meditating on this song, too, can help dispose us to worship:

Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.

Worth a Listen: Blessed John Paul Autotuned

(Sharing great songs that are inspiring, uplifting and/or are otherwise "worth a listen").  Explanation (of a kind) here.



HT Hell Burns, the blog of Sister Helena Burns.  The maker of this video is asking for suggestions about other videos to autotune, and some of the commenters suggested Cardinal Dolan's prayer at the end of the Democratic National Convention.

This reminds me a little of a video (I didn't actually realize it was a video until I Googled it.  I have the audio version in iTunes from way back when BXVI was elected, and a French girl living with us at that time shared it with me).

Worth a Listen: "Busted Heart" by For King & Country

(Sharing great songs that are inspiring, uplifting and/or are otherwise "worth a listen").  Explanation (of a kind) here.

Worth a Listen: TobyMac and Jamie Grace

(Sharing great songs that are inspiring, uplifting and/or are otherwise "worth a listen")

As I (over) shared last week, I'm not keeping under wraps any more my love of great Christian music.  Lately we've been listening to the new TobyMac release, which debuted several weeks ago at number one, the first time a Christian release has done so in 15 years.  We especially enjoy "Me Without You," but it's only been a few days since I downloaded the new album, so I'm sure we will have other favorites.

Here's just a portion of a live performance of a Jamie Grace song that features TobyMac.  

Do you have a favorite TobyMac song?  I think mine is "Lose My Soul."

Worth a Listen: 10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman (The Unashamed Version)

(Sharing great songs that are inspiring, uplifting and/or are otherwise "worth a listen")

I often catch up on blogs on our first generation iPad after reading to the kids at night.  The only downside is that it makes it very difficult, if not impossible, to leave a comment.  This is fine because I am often just doing a quick check-in, but frustrating when I do want to comment.

Recently, on a post I can't now locate on Dorian Speed's blog (yes, that's her real name!), various commenters, mostly fellow Catholic bloggers, admitting (some in a sheepish way) that they can't abide Christian music.  This isn't the first time I've seen this sheepishness, and it just makes me laugh.  A large portion of people have this consensus that Christian music makes them bleed from the ears.

When I read these kind of comments or see those kinds of posts, I think, I am just not cool enough for school.

You see, just started here on the blog in the last few weeks "Worth a Listen" to specifically feature Christian and Catholic artists, songs that our family loves.

And so I wanted to comment, (perhaps in a whisper,) um, hey, some people really, truly, like Christian music, and find it helpful in their faith and family life.  But I also feel a wee bit embarrassed because so many people have such an aversion to it.

Then I thought, you know what?  I'm letting my freak flag fly.  Not ashamed anymore.

I'm a sold-out, singing-along-with, iTunes library full-of, Christian music fan.  I was CCM (that's contemporary Christian music) before CCM was even considered nerdy.  I'm a total, 100 percent, Christian music geek here, and proud of it.

I'm sure I will be writing a lot more about my love of CCM in coming weeks and how it can co-exist with an intelligent, robust Catholic faith life.

For this week, I decided to feature a very popular song right now on Christian radio, Matt Redman's "10,000 Reasons."  Here's what I love best about it:  when it comes on in the minivan, hearing my kids sing along (and one, who shall remain nameless, sing in a fake Australian accent): "Bless the Lord, oh my soul."

Worth a Listen: Group 1 Crew's "Live it Up"

(Sharing great songs that are inspiring, uplifting and/or are otherwise "worth a listen")

I discovered Group1Crew earlier this year when they played at WinterJam.  They were easily my favorite group who played there, and there were a lot of good musical acts there.  This is a montage video of their "Live It Up."  Dare you not to dance while you hear this.

Worth a Listen: Popple's "Little White Square"

(Sharing great songs that are inspiring, uplifting and/or are otherwise "worth a listen")

I really enjoy Popple, who play "Catholic acoustic fun."  They have a lot of great videos online.  In particular, I love their "Behind the Ministry" humorous video, but I will share that another day.

Today, my main goal here is introducing their great, catchy, fun music, and I'm sure I will be sharing Popple songs often.  Several of their songs were turned into videos by an 8th grade class at Catholic School in Spokane, Washington.  Here is their version of "Little White Square."  Nice!

Worth a Listen: Britt Nicole's "Gold"

Worth a Listen (a new feature: sharing great songs that are inspiring, uplifting and/or are otherwise "worth a listen")

My oldest started high school today. High school! Several weeks back, a friend (thank you, Lord, for good friends for girls) introduced her to this song, Brit Nicole's "Gold."  We got it on iTunes and our whole family has been listening to it non-stop pretty much ever since. This "about the song" video is beautiful, and describes the song and its message beautifully. Well worth getting this catchy tune into your head.