A Rising Starr in Christian Music

In this age of the church when generation gaps are prominent within the context of worship and music, one independent Christian music artist crossed lines that very few in her industry even attempt to approach.

Maybe someone should tell Holly Starr, 19-year-old singer, songwriter, and farm girl from the small town of Quincy, Washington, that preschoolers, young adults, and the elderly generally don’t listen to the same music.

Or maybe not.

Starr said in an e-mail that on her most recent tour, she and her band played at their first preschool as well as a church of 90-year-olds. Starr also sang at Creation Festival Northwest in 2009, according to her website.

“Seeing God mold me to be able to serve any generation has been incredibly beautiful to be a part of,” she said.

Tapestry, Starr’s second and latest release, which was produced by Dove Award winning producer Rusty Varenkamp, is almost as diverse as her tour audience. The album ranges from slower reflective songs, such as “My Cry” and “Psalm 23,” to more upbeat pop songs like “Undertow” and “Surrender.” 

Starr said that “Psalm 23” means a lot to her because it’s the Bible. “What better words to sing than ones that are God’s, you know?” she said. “I wrote that song right after God was teaching me the importance of the Bible in my life.”

On her blog, Starr talks about the importance of spending time with God and urges people to read the Bible.

Her heart for people of all ages is also evident in her work with Compassion International. She said that after seeing firsthand during a mission trip to El Salvador what Compassion is doing, she was amazed by how the beauty of the gospel shows in their work. 

Starr encourages people to make a difference in the life of a child through Compassion's child sponsorship program.

“After all,” she said, “once those 20 extra coffees we buy a month go down our throat, they don’t change our life at all…But that money can completely alter a child’s life.”

Starr said she and her band views what they do as missionary work and that “being able to share that heart with all of them is amazing and makes what we do pretty unique.”

While being away from family and not being able to keep in touch as much as she’d like with her friends is difficult, Starr said that overall, she loves touring. “I’ve learned that letting go and trusting God even in that area of my life is part of His call on my life,” she said.

Trusting God is also the theme of Starr’s favorite Bible passage, Proverbs 3:5-6, which reads, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (NKJV) 

“I have a difficult time not trusting what I know, or trusting in general,” she said. “My 2^nd grade teacher gave me this verse and [it] has been my favorite ever since.”

To find out more about Holly Starr and her music, you can visit www.hollystarrmusic.com.

Tangible Ways to Help Joplin Tornado Victims

My brother sometimes tells a joke that goes something like, “If you think all is well with the world, than you haven’t heard the news.” I find it funny and not-so-funny at the same time. In any case, it certainly applies to the news this week. 

The world may not have come to an end as one nutcase predicted it would, but the headlines did cry of disaster and all is definitely not right with the world, especially in Joplin, Missouri, where, according to the latest article from the Washington Post, the number of deaths from the tornado has now reached 122.

But does it end there? Do we read the news, shake our heads, maybe say a quick prayer, and then move on with our days as if all is well with the world? Or do we tear our clothes and run out into the streets wailing? Certainly either extreme would be just that: extreme. Neither extreme apathy nor extreme theatrics ever helped anyone.

But what can we do?

First of all, we can pray. 

We can pray for the victims and their families: those who have lost loved ones, those who have lost homes, those who are missing or who have loved ones who are missing, those who have repairs to make to their homes, businesses that have suffered loss, churches that have lost their buildings.

We can pray for the rescue and relief workers: those who are providing medical assistance, those who are still searching for survivors who may be trapped and pulling bodies out of rubble, those who are feeding and providing shelter for the victims, and those who will be helping to rebuild.

We can pray that God will somehow use this disaster to bring glory to Him, to draw people to Him and closer to Him, and for hope to be renewed among His people.

I realize that sometimes it can be hard to focus on praying for the general needs of such a huge area. It doesn’t always feel like we’re praying for specific needs and people, so after a minute or so, we just give it up. While God does hear those prayers, and the Spirit does intercede for us, I think we can be a lot more affective in actually being consistent in praying when we know specifically who and what we are praying for.

For that purpose, I have been trying to contact as many churches around the Joplin area and people who know people there, asking for specific requests and praises that we can bring before God. Answers are slowly coming back, and as they continue, I will be posting them on a separate page (titled “PRAY FOR MO”) on this blog. Please, check back frequently for updates and be in prayer for these people.

Also, if anyone has any requests or praises to add, please, comment or e-mail me at: aeb@student.luzerne.edu 

God cares and wants to hear from us! Never underestimate the power of prayer!

Second, we can give.

There are several major organizations that are providing disaster relief to the tornado victims in Joplin. Here’s the info on how you can donate to these efforts:

Samaritan’s Purse

According to its website, Samaritan’s Purse’s disaster relief programs “provide desperately needed assistance to victims of natural disaster, war, disease, and famine. As we offer food, water, and temporary shelter, we meet critical needs and give people a chance to rebuild their lives,” all in the name of Jesus.

Samaritan’s Purse announced on its website that it is putting together a team based at Forest Park Baptist Church in Joplin and will be “working in storm-damaged neighborhoods by helping storm victims salvage valuable possessions, remove fallen trees and debris, and make emergency repairs.”

Visit http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/articles/mb/pray_for_missouri/ to donate money and get more information!

Also, for anyone interested in going to Joplin to help out hands on, visit: http://spvolunteernetwork.org/getting-started.aspx

World Vision

World Vision announced in a press release on Monday that it “raised its tornado fundraising appeal from its original $3 million goal, set in April after tornadoes ripped through parts of Alabama, to $5 million to help survivors impacted now in Joplin as well.”

"We are going to be assessing the most urgent needs among children and families who have lost so much,” said Phyllis Freeman, World Vision's domestic emergency response director, in the press release. “But we also know that very quickly needs will turn to clean up essentials like rakes, work gloves and hard hats, and World Vision intends to stand by these families as they move into the recovery phase."

Donations can be made at www.worldvision.org or by texting “TORNADO” to 20222.

The American Red Cross

The American Red Cross announced in a press release on Monday that it “opened a shelter in hard-hit Joplin, Missouri, shortly after the tornado struck on Sunday. That shelter, located at Missouri Southern State University, had approximately 110 people on Sunday night and can hold up to 1,000 people. The Red Cross is working with local officials in Joplin to arrange transportation to help get people to shelters and if necessary, identify additional shelter locations.”

Donations can be made at www.redcross.org, by calling 1800-RED-CROSS, by texting REDCROSS to 90999, or by mail: American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013.

The Salvation Army

According to its website, “The Salvation Army has four mobile feeding kitchens serving in Joplin, Missouri, and each is capable of serving thousands of meals per day.”

Donations can be made at: https://secure20.salvationarmy.org/donation.jsp, by calling 1800-SAL-ARMY, or by texting “JOPLIN” to 80888.

Think You've Got God Figured Out?

At first I found the whole “end of the world” thing amusing. My initial reaction was, “Ha! The world is ending on Saturday. Yeah, sure.” It was a big joke, something new to laugh at for a few days.

Then it started to annoy me. How can anyone think they have it figured out when Jesus Himself said so clearly (in Matt. 24:36) that no one knows when it will be, not even the angels. Not even Him!

Does this guy think he knows more than Jesus?

I kept asking myself, “How can anyone think they have God figured out like that?” But then a second thought hit me. How often do I do the same thing? How often do I think and act like I’ve got God figured out?

How often do I act like I know better than Jesus?

And now, finally, God answered Job from the eye of a violent storm. He said: "Why do you confuse the issue? Why do you talk without knowing what you’re talking about? Pull yourself together, Job! Up on your feet! Stand tall! I have some questions for you, and I want some straight answers. Where were you when I created the earth? Tell me, since you know so much! Who decided on its size? Certainly you’ll know that! Who came up with the blueprints and measurements? How was its foundation poured, and who set the cornerstone, while the morning stars sang in chorus and all the angels shouted praise…” 

(Job 38, The Message)

I think the times when I am closest to God and understand Him the best are the times when I am keenly aware of His vastness, my smallness, and my inability to comprehend Him.

Like when I look up from an open field at the stars on a clear dark night.

Or when I stand on the beach and look out at the horizon with the waves just touching my feet.

Or when I am alone and quiet in the woods on a beautiful day with the sun shining through the trees down on my face.

That is when I know God best, not when I think I’ve got Him figured out.

And as far as the end of the world goes? God says it’s coming, He just doesn’t tell us when, because that’s not what’s important. What is important is living every minute, every day, and every week like it’s going to happen on Saturday.

Introduction

The Title

Don’t get me wrong; I love the old black-and-white films. In fact, some of my favorite movies are in black and white:  Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (with James Stewart), Arsenic and Old Lace (with Cary Grant), and A Night in Casablanca (The Marx Brothers). Even Citizen Kane, which is widely considered the greatest movie of all time, was filmed in black-and-white.

There’s just something about black-and-white films that simultaneously gives them a nostalgic yet timeless feel. In a good black-and-white film, the use of lighting, dramatic acting, and directive creativity compensate for the lack of color.

When it comes to movies, I enjoy them in both color and black-and-white, but I prefer the black-and-white. When it comes to life, however, I would much rather live in color.

In three different ways, here’s what I mean:   

                

First, I believe that as an aspect of God’s creation, color exists to bring glory to Him. If I were to ignore the soft blend of colors in a sunset, the bright splashes of color in a fall scene, or the variety of colors that appear in a handful of wildflowers, not only would I be missing out on something great, I would also be withholding something from God that He deserves: my worship and praise.

Likewise, my life exists to bring glory to God. Sometimes the color may be there but I choose to ignore it and live in black-and-white, selling God short, focusing on what is trivial and depriving myself of what is important.

Second, I’d like to point out that black, grey, white, and many darker colors are often associated with dreariness, depression, or negativity, while colorfulness and brighter colors are associated with positivity, happiness, and inspiration. I’d much rather be defined by the latter. 

Third, going back to the analogy of films, black-and-white is often used within a color movie to represent a fantasy or dream, while color represents reality. I don’t want to live in a dream world where I think about doing things but don’t actually do them or where I’m too afraid to face reality so I just make up my own “real.” People are defined by what they do, not what they think. And trust me, false realities & dream worlds created as escapes from the real world aren’t as great as they seem.

Dorothy, the main character in The Wizard of Oz got this concept a bit backwards. Her reality was in black-and-white and when she dreamed about being “over the rainbow,” her world was suddenly in color. At the end of the story, she realized the importance of what she had in reality and went back.

I wonder if maybe sometimes I get this backwards too. I think that I am living in black-and-white and dream of living in color, when really I’m just not seeing things correctly and need to appreciate and work with what I have.

The Purpose

So, like an old black-and-white film being colorized, I want the colorless pieces of my life—the emptiness, the apathy, the laziness, the selfishness—to be transformed into brilliant colors of fulfillment, passion, drive, and sacrifice. Instead of getting stuck in the colorless past, I want to push forward into a colorful future, and I’m inviting you, daring you to join me.

That’s what this blog is about: living life in color. The purpose is to provide content that will inspire and assist you, the reader, in transforming and living your life in color.

I am a Christian and will be writing from a Christian perspective, but not solely for Christians. In other words, I hope that people of any religion (or even no religion for that matter) will find it inspiring.

The Description

There will be three categories of posts. The first is “Spotlights,” which will include interviews, profiles, and news-style stories about people who are in some way living life in color and whose stories and insight will help us to do the same.

The second is “Highlights,” which will include short pieces of the Bible that are relevant to living life in color.

The third is “Bits of Color,” which will be a miscellaneous category with reviews of media, essay-style posts about whatever people are talking about in the news, and whatever else may fit within the category of “living life in color.”

Thank you for reading this far! I welcome and appreciate any comments/suggestions you may have.