Hey everybody! Hope you had a killer thanksgiving and now have a bounty of turkey and mashed potato leftovers stored up in the fridge. Thanksgiving was great for the guys in Our Heart’s Hero…and now we are ready for some Christmas cheer on the 2007 Punk the Halls Tour with Stellar Kart, Nevertheless, EleventySeven, Manafest and us, Our Heart’s Hero!

We just finished the first night in Cleburne, TX (just a bit outside of Dallas) and what an AWESOME opening night! It was an absolutely packed house and everybody seemed to be amped up and ready to start getting their “Merry Christmas” on! After the concert, a couple of the guys in Stellar Kart, EleventySeven and Our Heart’s Hero caught a movie in Dallas and even had some of the world’s best hotdogs…a word of caution though, be careful if someone ever offers you a “Texas Style Hot Dog” - maybe have some EggNog close by or a firetruck perhaps. But they sure are good for warming you up on a cold wintery night.

We are so excited to get this tour underway, and we hope that everybody has a chance to make it out to one of the Punk the Halls stops near you! It’s going to be a great time to celebrate the holiday season and to remember that we celebrate the birthday of the One who loved us first! For dates and more info on the tour or to send us a message, you can surf by www.myspace.com/OurHeartsHero or www.OurHeartsHero.com. We can’t wait to see you on the 2007 Punk the Halls Tour!

Sometimes this Editor’s gig offers the best perks. No, not the obvious one: all the great music, although I do enjoy that as well. I’m talking about letters from readers like the one I received this morning from Tom, a Pennsylvania man.

Tom took his family to hear Sanctus Real play back in September, a show that impacted them all pretty powerfully. Enough so that they waited in the meet and greet line after the show to express their appreciation. Actually, they waited quite a while, as they were last in line. But that was no problem for Tom, who had waited all summer to see the band that God had used so effectively in his life.

However, for whatever reason, when Tom finally reached the front of the line and met the guys he didn’t get across much more than “Great show, you mind if my wife takes a picture of us?” and “Have a safe trip home”. But here is where it gets interesting.

Most of us, even if we had regrets about unspoken gratitude, would have forgotten about it by morning. Not Tom. He continued to be bothered by the thought that maybe these band members, who had done so much for others, might have the need to be affirmed themselves. In other words, he felt his sincere gratitude might be a helpful offering to worthy servants. I know, what a concept, right?

Indeed. Tom spent random time over the next few months trying to track down contact information, so he could express to the Sanctus Real guys how much they’ve influenced him toward good. He wrote the band a letter and then began to search websites, fan sites, and various other places to find an address. Which is how I finally got to meet him. I was able to give Tom an email for the band’s management team, but I couldn’t get his mission out of my mind for the rest of the day. I kept coming back to it: his relentless pursuit of an opportunity to encourage servants of the Lord. I’ve spoken to frontman Matt Hammitt and I definitely formed the same impression of his dedication and sense of mission. It really does my heart good to think of him getting back some of what he works so hard to share through his music. We all need encouragement occasionally; it does a body good. I’m thinking I might take a page out of Tom’s book for myself.

Last week my blog was one of sincere repentance, following a slow-dawning revelation of how I had let my spirituality standards slide gradually down to a shameful low. I don’t know how shameful they’d appear to you or anyone else, but that’s not the point, is it? They’d fallen past the point where they’d be pleasing to the Lord, and His is the standard that matters. For that matter, they’d slid past even my own; I just hadn’t been paying attention.

But my encounter with a brother in the Lord, and his remarkable family, really woke me up. It reminded me of how I used to live out my faith, not that long ago. He mentioned some spiritual practices that I had let fall away without even realizing. The effect was galvanizing.

Romans 7:24,25 says it all: “What a miserable person I am. Who will rescue me from this body that is doomed to die? Thank God! Jesus Christ will rescue me.” Rather than fall even further backwards by despairing and giving in to discouragement, I am excited to look forward and grab hold of the hope I have in this promise. Did I feel sorrow at my disappointing behavior? Ah, yes…. But I cannot be overwhelmed if I cling to the Rock that is stronger than I. Well, I guess I could… but why would I?

No, I delight in my rescue and my Rescuer. Together we will go on to do the works already prepared. Things are lookin’ up. All the way up.

hey everybody!  i wanted to share with you what’s been going on outside of our Trin-i-tee 5:7 world :-).  Being a balanced Christian woman is so important to the group and so one of the things we consistently make time for is giving back and sowing seeds to those less fortunate.  i recently had the privilege of going to Tijuana Mexico to visit an orphanage.  i went with a wonderful church group out of california and we spent the day with about 80 kids. they were absolutely beautiful. i held the babies while singing to them, we bought a giant bag of toys for them, and i even cooked a meal for them…scary right?  lol, no worries.  i had lots of help from my friends who came along with me. spending time with the children was such an amazing thrill!  they were so full of love and life. we prayed for them and thanked God for each one of them.  in the end, they all sang a thank you and farewell song to us. i held out the best i could but it wasn’t long before i couldn’t stop crying big crocodile tears.

their little voices were so touching…. what an exceptional group of kids!  on behalf of myself & the other ladies of  T57 i ask that you please pray for the orphans around the world and for those who care for them everyday. i must thank gregory james, mrs.faye and her church family for inviting me along. i’m not the same because of them and this visit. God bless you all for having such a heart of compassion…..and to all our T57 fans, thank you for supporting us not just in our music but in our humanitarian efforts as well. be blessed & talk to you soon.  love, chanelle - T57

In the course of my work, I’ve run across a story that I just can’t get out of my thoughts. My spirit keeps coming back to ruminate over its details, its challenge to me personally.

I’ve spoken with Chris Nesbitt a lot over the past few weeks, and gotten pretty familiar with his incredible story. The independent recording artist and worship leader is giving away his new album, the fantastic “Liquid Worship,” making it available as a free download from his website, as instructed by the Lord. No, Chris is not independently wealthy. In fact, he put his house up to cover the coast of making the album, and at the time he did it he was not at all planning on giving it away. But the Lord had other plans for Chris and his gift. A lot of ‘em.

Another unexpected one involved him moving his family of six across the country, from California to Nashville, again following the leading of the Lord. It wasn’t a flaky, impulsive act, but came after much prayer, reflection and attentive listening. He and his wife have known for years that at some point in God’s timing they would be uprooted from their home and led to a new and unknown place for a new work. What they did not know, and still do not completely understand, is why. However, they have the most important concept down cold: obedience.

I’ve been greatly challenged by Chris’ story. We actually have much in common. Well, not the enormous talent part, but other significant factors that help me to understand the difficulties and challenges of moving a family of 6 across the country without having all the financial and practical logistics in place. And did I mention Chris has teenagers?

What I have been forced to admit to myself is that we do not have that level of submission in common. I did not realize until talking with Chris how I’ve been bending in my thinking, in tiny increments over a period of years, toward a lifestyle of self-rule. My awe and wonder at his story slowly morphed into recognition of the shabbiness of my own. And I don’t say that with excessive discouragement, but with great excitement. It’s never too late to wake up, to stir your spirit toward the Light. I have been inspired by Chris’ example, and that of his family. With a lot of prayer and surrender, I hope in fact to be as obedient and faithful as one of his kids.

To find out more about Chris’ great worship album, visit either www.chrisnesbitt.com or www.liquidworship.com.

In a few recent conversations with editors and freelance writers involved in the Christian music scene about the new Plumb album, Blink, I’ve noticed a marked disinterest. Plumb is a creative, provocative artist, and her albums tend to engage listeners easily. And of course, she knows how to sell records as well. So I was a bit surprised at this response to her new album.

The hesitancy lies in Blink’s theme. Plumb’s seventh full-length project was carved out in between the nap times of her two sons, Solomon Fury, almost 2 and a half, and Oliver Canon, 9 months. She is gloriously home-centered, reveling with great pleasure in her new family life, and the new album reflects that in a big way. And yes, it isn’t the rocker we’ve come to expect from Plumb; it is, in fact, decidedly mellow. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it includes lullabies, but there are songs written as sleep-inducing blessings for children, yes. And this newfound tranquility seems to be the recurring complaint.

It is the trap of the popular artist: audiences want their favorite bands to continue to kick out the same products they first appreciated, over… and over… and over. But the reality is that people, even artists, grow and change their perspectives and even their own styles. Certainly personal circumstances change and their art will reflect that, if it’s honest and reflective. Plumb is blissfully married, delights deeply in her children, and even enjoys making a home for her family. Should she keep it to herself? Seeing as this is the personal dream of many listeners, I would think her current project would be of special interest, rather than being discounted out of hand as too ‘mellow.’ And being at home has not lessened her musical chops at all, as the new album attests markedly. She continues to write for other artists as well, her skills madly percolating in the midst of all this familial harmony.

I guess my question is this: is there not a place for an album of musical excellence that celebrates the beauty of family life done well? You would think so.