Finding a Voice

My sister Jaime came for an overnight visit last week, bringing her two youngest children: Ross (4½) and Kara (2½).

Jaime’s three boys all call her “Mom” or “Mommy” or even “Mama,” but wee Kara addresses her as “Muthah,” with a distinctive British accent.

When this first started, Jaime was a bit annoyed and would correct Kara, “Mommy.” But Kara persisted. Finally one day Jaime’s husband Lynn suggested the probable source of her pronunciation: princess movies.

Ahhhhh – thank you, Disney.

In April I set up a SonicBids EPK (electronic press kit) and made a few submissions.  One was to Women of Substance Radio:

Woman of Substance Radio is a streaming, online radio station which airs 24/7 on the Live365 Network. The station features female artists and singer/songwriters who deliver high quality music that speaks to listeners through vocal excellence, depth of character and emotion. Women Of Substance features label artists and Indie artists side by side within the playlist giving lesser known artists the opportunity to be heard alongside women who have already been recognized for their excellence in their genre by mainstream media. Our listeners enjoy many different genres. Their only criteria is that we play great songs.

Today I received notice that my three song submissions were selected:

- Poetess

- Prairie Soul

- Incidentally

You can listen to Women of Substance Radio to see if and when they come up (and listen to the good music in between). Or listen directly at SonicBids EPK or at Indieheaven. Soon you will also be able to purchase these tracks at Indieheaven. Soon …

On Friday afternoon I learned that in the week before Steven Curtis Chapman’s 5-year-old daughter, Maria Sue, was run over in their own driveway and died later at a hospital. Maria Sue was the Chapmans’ sixth child and third adopted daughter from China. http://www.stevencurtischapman.com/

All that evening and the next day I grieved for them, especially knowing that it was their teenage son was the one who didn’t see her when backing up an SUV. I pulled out SCC’s Declaration CD and claimed the very songs Steven himself had written – “God is God and I am not,” “Bring it on, let the lighting flash, let the thunder role,” and more – asking the Lord to protect the family from despair and bitterness, asking God to be more real to the family than ever, asking him to make these songs even more meaningful now than when Steven first wrote them.

I was certainly not the only person praying for them and I won’t be the last. And look at some of the fruit it is bearing already in the media – alongside divorces, splits, catfights, and MTV awards:

The initial announcement in People: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20201819,00.html?xid=rss-fullcontent

And a report on the funeral: “The family raised their arms as they sang songs of worship and sought comfort in their faith. ‘We had talked [with Maria] about what it meant to be with Jesus,’ Chapman said. ‘I had no idea how soon it was going to be, but we know she is in His amazing house, playing in the water.’” http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20202406,00.html?xid=rss-fullcontent

God be with the Chapman family. Shine your light in and from their lives.

Amen.