SUNDAY PSALMS PART 16 OF 48 - PSALM 65:4

Friendship Baptist Church, Indianapolis. Church marquee reads, "The church is a hospital for sinners, not a social club for the saints."

Blessed is the man You choose
And cause to approach You,
    That he may dwell in Your courts.
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your House,
    Of Your holy temple.
                    Psalm 65:4, New King James Version.

Are you aware that God chose us? And isn't that wonderful? One of my favorite contemporary songs is Toni LaShaun's "You Chose Me." And don't forget that Jesus told His disciples, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you." (John 15:16a)

Of course, that opens a can of worms. Are we saved because we believed in Christ, or are we saved because God predestined us before time began? The Scripture says we're predestined, but is it election to salvation or is it election based on His foreknowledge to service? (The choosing in John 15:16 sounds like its being chosen for a specific task.) 

Important point: There. Are. True. Believers. On. Both. Sides. Of. The. Debate. Got that? It's a family squabble; neither Calvinism nor Arminianism are false teachings. I stated the Bible teaches we're predestined; there's portions that say we have choices to make. Both are true.

However, let's get off this rabbit trail and return to the voice. We should consider it a blessing God chose us. We should be thankful that God gives us the ability to approach Him and dwell with Him; that ability is not of the flesh. (Romans 7:18 applies to that.)

Psalm 65:4 talks about the man God chooses, but if you read the full verse, you'll see God has a houseful. The final part is in the plural. To paraphrase that comment, we're not just chosen to be in fellowship with God, but also chosen to be in fellowship with his other saints, that is, the Church (both local and universal).

This relates to the quote that's on the marquee of the church pictured above. "The church is a hospital for sinners, not a social club for the saints." How many of you, if you have a heart attack, will walk over to the hospital and fill out your registration and then walk down the hall with the nurse to your room? No, you need someone to call 911 for the ambulance and let others take care of you, without you doing anything. That's what salvation and the church are. It's where God takes you so He can provide the care you need. 

Again, isn't it great God chose us?

  

 

 

LOOKING BACK AT '22 - FAVORITE SONGS (PART 2 OF 6)

 

Reclaim The Day, from Get To The Point Festival. Left to right - WVIU bassist of the year Logan Morehouse, drummer Tristan Harris, lead vocalist Becca Sugg, and WVIU lead guitarist of the year Marcus Sugg. Did this band have any songs on my 15 favorite songs of '22? If so, how many?

Those of you familiar with my blogs and posts know I give lists on both fiction and non-fiction books. But how about music? 

To be honest, our budget for new books and records is usually zero, so I make use of the library for my reading. I regularly get CDs from there as well, but most of the time it's classical with some music like Yanni, and for the purpose of relaxing at night (which is why I don't check out Stryper). It's recently I started listening to more recent music on Spotify (and I also plan on listening some next year to WVIU and Silent Witness Radio (click here if you missed my interview with Gothdad of SWR).

So this year, I'll list my 15 favorite songs from this past year. With my books, I don't claim my favorites were all written that year, but rather were read that year (which allows Agatha Christie and Allistair MacLean to compete against Kerry Nietz, Nancy Mehl, and Donna Fletcher Crow). The music, I'm trying to deal with '22 songs, though a '21 song might sneak in there. (For example, one of my favorite songs came out last year as a single, but was on a EP and won the WVIU award for best rock song this year, so it qualifies).

Part of the reason of these lists is to encourage the artists included, but I want to be a good dad and not show favortism, so I pick a number (often, 10 is too limited so I make sure I expand it to include all my strong favorites), and then list the entries alphabetically by title. After all, I don't want an author or musician to think, "Oh, I'm #10 on a list of 10? I just barely missed it."

Before I start, I'll state that all of these songs can be found on Spotify. There are some artists who are yet to be on Spotify that I really enjoy (e.g. True Revival Band) or have a single out this year that didn't get on Spotify yet (e.g. Worhol) that I'd love to have on the list, or a song I heard live that's not recorded yet (speaking specifically of "Relief" by Tempus Unum). Hope to see them next year!

I'll admit I haven't seen the lyrics for most of these songs, so some of those comments will be more about style. But I really enjoy each song on the list. So are you ready? (And again, the numbers don't relate to ranking.)

1. "Captain Rescue Me" by Hubbards Marsh. Hubbards Marsh consists of my good friends Gary Wixtrom and his wife Amy Shreve. Amy has several excellent albums out as well. (By the way, I'd love to interview Gary and/or Amy for the blog.) This is probably one of the mellower songs on this list.
   
2. "Fear" by Divine Martyr. I absolutely love this song, which deservedly got nominated for best rock song in the WVIU awards.
   
3. "Framing My Perception" by Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh (aka GFM Band). Some of this band's songs are a little too hardcore for me, but I especially enjoy this song. GFM consist of three sisters, for those who haven't read my interview with them.
   
4. "Future" by Undefeated. A good rock song by another family group (two sisters and a brother; definitely want to get to hear them!).
   
5. "Give Me Faith" by Becca Sugg. Becca is lead vocalist and guitarist for Reclaim The Day (pictured above), which also has other entries on this list. I think this is a song that technically is a '21 song, but I'm counting it because I just discovered it a week or two ago.
6. "God of Revival" by Forsaken Hero. I love the title of the song, and I absolutely loved the song. When I interviewed Casey Price, I learned this was a cover of a Bethel music song, but I like this version better than the original. This also got a nomination for the WVIU awards (Another band I want to hear live.)
   
7. "Mystique" by Divine Martyr. This is a unique entry on the list because it's the only instrumental. 
8. "Remnant" by Ignescent. The title definitely got my attention, because I think the American Church too often forgets God usually works through the remnant. This hard rock song is as good as the title.
9. "Send Down The Fire" by Beth Hall. This is one of two songs by Beth on Spotify, the other being a Christmas song. I'm definitely looking forward to hearing more from her.
10. "Sentenced To Life" by Reclaim The Day. I fell in love with this song when I first heard it. This song was the winner for Best Rock Song in the WVIU awards.
11. "Testimony" by Hush Harbor. This song blew me away first time I heard it, and I had the privilege of hearing them do this song at the Get To The Point Festival.
12. "Truth" by Divine Martyr. Yes, the third and most recent Divine Martyr song on this list. And would you mind if I mentioned it's my favorite by them? One night last week, as I was lying half asleep, this song was going through my brain (with Bruckner's 6th symphony, 1st movement alternating with it).
13. "World Gone Mad" by Upstanding Gents. This band's music reminds me of Lifesavors and Altar Boys from the '80's. 
14. "You Chose Me" by Toni LaShaun. The most uplifting song I heard this year. Thus, I wasn't surprised when it won the award for "Songs that remind us of our purpose."
    
15. "Yours Alone" by Reclaim the Day. If you count Becca's solo song, Reclaim the Day tied Divine Martyr with most entries for this year's inaugural list.

But what will be on my list this coming year? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

 

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2022 WVIU MUSIC AWARDS NOMINEES AND WINNERS

WVIU Music Awards

  As I was going through the list of nominees for the '22 WVIU Music Awards, I found the list for female fronted bands. Included were Divine Martyr, Reclaim The Day, Saving Jackie, and Undefeated. Do those names sound familiar? And why is each one underlined and in blue? That means they're links to interviews I've done with these four bands. So which one do I vote for? Not an easy decision. Same thing with Rock Song for the year where two of the nominees were my two favorite songs from the past year - "Fear" by Divine Martyr and "Sentenced To Life" by Reclaim The Day. 

I smiled when I saw these four bands and Samuel Day on the list of nominees. I also saw several artists I was unfamiliar with. Some of them I have since interviewed (Brave Worship, Crystoria, Toni Lashaun, and Yung Priest Da Preacher), and others I have contacted and hope to have their interviews soon.

So allow me to start with congratulating the past and hopefully future interviewees.

SONGWRITER ON THE RISE: CRYSTORIA!  I had the honor of interviewing her last month.

VOTING MEMBER'S CHOICE - WORSHIP PROJECT OF THE YEAR: BRAVE WRSHIP (NICOLE DRENNAN). Her interview was just a couple of weeks ago, plus I had the opportunity to hear her at Get To The Point Festival with Reclaim The Day, Divine Martyr, Tempus Unum, Hush Harbor, and Inarticulate Bones.

LISTENER'S CHOICE - SONGS THAT REMIND US OF OUR PURPOSE: "YOU CHOSE ME" BY TONI LASHAUN. Well deserved! That song has been a blessing to me.

 

FEMALE FRONTED BAND: UNDEFEATED! 

 

BASSIST OF THE YEAR: LOGAN MOREHOUSE OF RECLAIM THE DAY!

LEAD GUITARIST OF THE YEAR: MARCUS SUGG OF RECLAIM THE DAY!

ROCK SONG OF THE YEAR: "SENTENCED TO LIFE" BY RECLAIM THE DAY! (I don't sound excited, do I?)

Left to right: Logan Morehouse, Becca Sugg, Marcus Sugg.

Congratulations to both all the above and those listed below, as well as to the well deserved nominees.

• Gospel Singer of the Year- Carrie Davis
• Contemporary Artist on the Rise- Appointed
• Worship Song of the Year- "REFINER" by Jesseca Toovey
• Industrious Women in Music- Tiffany Coleman aka: MIZ TIFFANY
• Best New Artist- TORI TELLEM
• Inspirational Song of the Year- "HOPE FOR THE WORLD" by Daniel Evans
• Favorite Christian Rap Duo- Bro. Glenn & C.O.G. (WayyMakker)
• Gospel Singer on the Rise- Lisa Johnson
• Drummer of the Year- MASON BEARD
• Inspirational Artist on the Rise- MATTHEW ELIAS MCQUEEN
• Pop Artist on the Rise- KATELYN DOYLE
• Solo Acoustic Artist of the Year- BRIAN HOFFPAUER
• Poetic Lyricist of the Year- "QUESTIONS" by B/CHRISS
• Americana Artist of the Year- GREG ALLSUP aka: FryKatz
• Male Rap/Hip Hop Artist on the Rise- JOSHUA SCALES
• Contemporary Song of the Year- "CALL OUT HIS NAME" by Brooklynn Nicole
• Male Rock Vocalist of the Year- JARON COX
• Country Artist of the Year- MELISSA LEIGH
• Favorite Female Rap/Hip Hop Artist- MS. LAVISH
• Listeners Choice~ Christian Rap Song of the Year- "BRIGHTER" by SKY feat. 1kPhew
• Song of the Year- "THERE SHE GO" by Tori Tellem
• Favorite Male Rap/Hip-Hop Artist- SKY
• Album of the Year- "HEART ON MY SLEEVE" by Tom Taylor
• Favorite Christian Pop Song- "CHILD OF GOD" by Katelyn Doyle
• Songwriter of the Year- MATTHEW ELIAS MCQUEEN
• Worship Vocalist on the Rise- ANGEL VEGA
• Songs on Repeat- "SIDE STEP THE DEVIL" by Bro. Glenn & C.O.G.
• The Future Generation of Music- GULLY MARK

INTERVIEW WITH SINGER/SONGWRITER/AUTHOR TONI LaSHAUN

JR: Welcome to my blog, Toni! Could you start off by telling how you came to Christ and what interested you in music?

TL: I grew up going to church and I accepted Christ at a very young age and was baptized. Then, as a preteen, I reaffirmed my commitment to Christ. Music has always been a part of my life. My parents surrounded us with music for as long as I could remember, but I didn't really gain confidence as a singer until I started doing musical theater as a sophomore in high school.  

JR: I learned about your music when voting on the WVIU awards, and was especially moved by your song "You Chose Me." What was it nominated for? Could you tell us about the inspiration for that song and what it's theme is? Is this your most recent project? 

TL: "You Chose Me" is nominated in the "Songs That Remind Us of Our Purpose" category for the WVIU Awards. The song was inspired at a time when I was questioning my worth, struggling to find my identity and wondering about my purpose. I was discouraged and disappointed with some of my personal relationships. In my quiet time, I was reminded by Scripture that I'm chosen by God. "You Chose Me" was the fourth single released from the "Strength To Soar" EP. The EP is my first EP and it is out now (released September 30th). 

JR: Your bio mentions that you co-wrote your first cut "Black Sheep" with Brian White and Dave Quirk. As a frustrated song-writer who only rarely has co-written, what is it like co-writing? Who have you had the honor of co-writing with? Has the co-writing gone to unexplored genres like country or heavy metal?

TL: My first co-writing experience was through a Global Songwriters Connection FOCUS event. Co-writing was life-changing! I am really strong with ideas and lyrics and it was awesome to be able to work with people who have other strengths to complete songs. I've worked with several professional co-writers like: Brian White, Tony Wood, Don Poythress, Keesy Timmer and Seth Mosley. I've also met some lifelong friends through co-writing. I think I've co-written the most songs with Jared KF Jones, who produced my EP. I mostly write gospel, CCM and worship, but I have a couple of songs with some country flavor. 

JR: Besides songwriting, you also wrote a book Pray While You're Prey. That sounds intriguing. Would you like to tell us about it?

TL: Pray While You're Prey was birthed out of my frustration as a single Christian. I journaled prayers and wrote out Scriptures that helped me deal with my single season. I shared it with a few friends and they thought it was very helpful. I knew how alone I felt in my situation and I wanted others to know they weren't alone, so I turned it into a book. About seven years later, I added a devotional journal. Then, in 2015, I re-released the book and started publishing the devotional plans on the YouVersion Bible App. I get messages all the time from single Christians about how helpful it is and I'm honored to be able to help and point them to the hope they have in Christ. 

JR: Finally, your web-site tells me you're a worship team leader. How do you select songs for worship, and how does it compare with selecting songs for an album or for a concert? 

TL: For services, honestly, I pray and ask God what the congregation needs to hear and what will compliment the sermons. My pastor and I never really consult. I just go in Planning Center and listen as the Holy Spirit leads. More often than not, at least one song has an uncanny connection with the sermon. When choosing songs to record for the EP, my main goal was songs of hope and encouragement. With other songs, I choose to record or demo those with the greatest chance at finding a home in sync or with another artist.

JR: Thank you very much for your time. What's coming up next musically (or as an author)? How can we keep up with you on-line? 

TL: Right now, I will continue writing and promoting "Strength To Soar." I have a song I was to release next year for Resurrection Sunday. I also have a bunch of holiday songs that I want to record for a holiday EP in 2023 and sync opportunities. Anyone interested in my music or writing can find me at tonilashaunmusic.com, or on Facebook (@tonilashaunchristianmusic) or Instagram (@tonilashaunmusic). Everything is in my Linktree: https://linktr.ee/tonilashaun.
Thank you so much for interviewing me!!!