The Afters - Light Up The Sky Review

The Afters newest album "Light Up The Sky" is what I would call a rock worship album. Maybe that is why The Afters went on tour with "The Rock And Worship Roadshow" in the spring of 2011. But I would say that if you enjoy worship music you will like this album or if you like light rock music you will like it. Maybe not love it but you will like it and depending on what kind of music you like you will find at least 3 songs you love.

The first song on the album is the self-titled song "Light Up The Sky" and sets the tone for the rest of the album. It is a catchy song with a good beat. The song talks about God always being there for you. The second song on the album is "Lift Me Up" and it is one of my favorites on the album. It has a somewhat similar sound to the previous song "Light Up The Sky" but it is still really good. The song talks about even if you mess up, God still loves you. The third song is "Start Over" and I love the meaning and lyrics that this song has. The song says that you can always start over. Some of my favorite lyrics in the song are "You only fail if never try, you'll never live trying not to die". "Start Over" has a sound that reminds me of an old Newsboys song, not the voice just the sound. The fourth song is "Runaway" and it is a slower but encouraging song about a runaway.

The fifth song is "I Am Yours" it is a song about belonging to God. It is a good worship song. The sixth song is "Life Is Sweeter" and it is about being very excited to get to heaven to see God. The seventh song "Say It Now" and this is another one of my favorites. It is slower, so I am not sure why I like the sound of it. Normally I'm draw to the more upbeat songs, this is an exception though. It has a good meaning and a good sound. The eighth song "We Won't Give Up" is my favorite on this entire album. This song is more rock than the other songs on the album and it has a great beat! It talks about giving it your best shot and not giving up. I could see this song in a movie, commercial or something along those lines. The ninth song is "Saving Grace" it a slower compared to the previous song "We Won't Give Up" but not super slow. It is about God being there to help you and take care of you. The last song, number ten is "For The First Time" it is a little slower but still has a really good sound. This song talks about having another chance and God setting you free from the past.

"Light Up The Sky" is a pleasant album, that is how I would describe it. To me it wasn't an amazing album but it wasn't bad, it was pleasant to listen to. The only thing that I didn't enjoy as much was that to me a lot of the songs sounded the same, that could just be me though. I would give this album a solid 3.5 stars.

Funny Bunny Contest!

I have come up with an idea.....I have decided to have a Funny Bunny Contest! What is a Funny Bunny Contest you ask, it is basically a funny video contest.

To enter all you have to do is send me a link to your funny YouTube video at thechristianmusicjunkie@gmail.com. You can send as many videos as you would like and they can be videos that you have made or videos that you have found. Just have fun with it! I will pick the top 5 and then, you dear readers will get to vote for what video you think is the funniest! The winner will be awarded the "Funny Bunny Award" and will have bragging rights! You have until September 21st (that is two weeks from today) to submit your videos. Then I will announce the top five. Please keep the videos family friendly and clean, Thanks! So what are you waiting for? Grab your camera, persuade some friends and make a hilarious video! Good Luck!

My Second Blog Award - One Lovely Blog Award

I just received my second blog award from Melanie at Christian Bookshelf Reviews. Thanks SO much Melanie!

Okay, the rules are simple - first share 7 facts about yourself and secondly award 15 other blogs!

7 random things about me:

1. I am a concert addict
2. I have an awesome little dog named Minnie (like the mouse).

3. I love onion rigs but hate onions......

4. My walls are covered in posters

5. I love trying to figure out people personalities

6. I used to pretend I was Carmen from "Spy Kids"

7. I wear contacts

Now the 15 awards goes to...

1.  Lisa at Life With Lisa
2. Selena at Sckpanhead
3. Renee at A Glimpse Of Beautiful
4. Christiana at In Defense Of The Christian Faith
5. Tricia at A Lovelier Place
6. Lex & Torrie at Two Sisters & One Dream
7. Jenny at Cupcakes, Sprinkles and Other Happy Things
8. Alice at As In A Mirror

That's all I got.....I don't know of that many blogs run by girls.....if you know of any good ones that I forgot or don't know about, let me know!

Do Hard Things Book Review

Do Hard Things is a book for teens about rebelling against low expectations.

I hadn't heard that much about "Do Hard Things" before reading it. I had heard that it was for teens and that is about it, but the title intrigued me so i decided to read it. As I started reading the book I found out that it is actually written by two 19 year old twins (Alex and Brett Harris). Now I was really interested in reading it because it was written for teens by teens. I actually read all of "Do Hard Things" in a week. Now to some of you big readers you may think that took a while but for me that is fast! I stayed up until 1am to finish reading this book, it is just that good. In this book Alex & Brett talk about breaking the mold of a typical teenager, by going out of your way to do hard things instead of just passing through life. They break down hard things into 5 categories The First Scary Step, Raising The Bar, The Power Of Collaboration, Small Hard Things and Taking A Stand. They also talk about how the "hard things" aren't things that you hate they are most likely going to be things that you are passionate about, but you are just too afraid to do or too lazy to do.

One part in the beginning of the book says "We're not plotting to make your life miserable. We're not recommending that you do any and every difficult thing. For example, we're not telling you to rob a bank, jump off a cliff, climb Half Dome with your bare hands, or stand on your head for twenty-four hours straight. We are not telling you to do pointless (or stupid) hard things just because they're hard. And if your a Christian, we're certainly not telling you that if you work harder or make yourself  uncomfortable on purpose, God will love you more. He will never - could never - love you any more than He does right now. So that's what we're not doing. What we are doing is challenging you to grab hold of a more exciting option for your teen years than the one portrayed as normal in society today."

The book is just full of stories of teens just like me and you that have done hard things and that are still doing hard things. Even though it is geared more towards teens this book would be great for adults to read as well. "Do Hard Things" is now one of my all time favorite books. It makes you look at the little things that you do or don't do. Simple things like doing the dishes before your asked or harder things like getting up and speaking at your church. They are all important and those decisions to do hard things now will help you when your older. A personal thing for me is fear, I am afraid to take that first step out of my comfort zone. One thing that I have recently been learning the hard way is that if you keep putting things off because your afraid to do it, it will never get any easier. Almost every teenager has an idea in their mind of what they want to be when they "grow up" the thing is you don't go from what you are now to what you want to be overnight. You have to be stretched out of your comfort zone and start doing hard things now, so that you can become what you want to be and what God wants you to be.

I would say that "Do Hard Things" is a must own book for every teenager. I would give it a solid 5/5 stars. If you want to pick up your own copy of "Do Hard Things" you can go here. If you aren't a big fan of reading you can also get the audio version of the book for the same price ($12). Alex and Brett also have another book "Start Here" that follows up on "Do Hard Things". I haven't read this book yet, but I am definitely going to! Make sure you check out therebelution.com for more info and events.

Lecrae - Background Music Video

I know I post a lot of music videos.....I just love them. To me a music video makes the song way better. I have another video for you guys......bare with me here.....it is a really great song by Lecrae called "Background". Now Lecrae does have an official music video for this song that you can watch here, but I wanted to post a lyric video, that was you can understand the powerful message that this song has. Check it out!

Warning: This song will get stuck in your head

Great song, right? Leave a comment and let me know what you think, also let me know if there are any other great videos that I haven't posted.

Superchick - Cross The Line Music Video

I have been looking on YouTube for cool music videos when I am bored, and I found a really good one. It is one of my favorite songs from Superchick, "Cross The Line". Now although the video is cool, try to listen to the lyrics they are really, really good. I hope you guys like it!

We Are Leo - Hello Review

We Are Leo released a brand new album today, titled "Hello". I have been anticipating the release of this album ever since I watched "We Are Leo" perform live.

We Are Leo has a very current sound that I think people will love. They also have a great message, the lead singer David said "What we are aspiring to do is write and sing songs that will express a real sense of God's love to young hearts and minds… songs that will become anthems of faith, hope and new life. I want to make music that grabs people’s attention; that is relevant to them musically and spiritually." The EP "Hello" starts off with the energetic pop/rock song "Supernova Sunrise". This catchy song gives you just a little taste of what you will hear on "Hello". The second song "Heartbeats" has more of an Electronic sound that I absolutely love. There is also some female vocals on this song that just add to the already great sound. This is one of my favorite songs on the EP, mostly because of the sound but it also has good lyrics. The third song "Oxygen" has more of a rock/pop sound. This song also has very encouraging lyrics basically saying don't give up, God has got your back and he will be your Oxygen. The fourth song "Seventeen" is a little bit slower song but very encouraging, reminding you that you can have a fresh start.

The fifth song "Colors" is an encouraging song, but it is even more than that, the one line that I really like is "You are exactly what I needed". The sixth song, which is also the radio single, "Live For Love" has a very fun sound. This song would be another one of my favorites from "Hello". The seventh song "Remember You" is an track with out lyrics just some slower music. I am not exactly sure why this is on the album but when I find out I will let you know. Last but not least the eighth song is "I'm For You" this song is another one of my favorites. I haven't heard it that much but yet it is already stuck in my head! It is an encouraging song saying that God will be with you and take care of you no matter what. I would give this EP a 5/5 stars, it is just that good. We Are Leo is definitely a band you are going to want to keep your eyes on. I would recommend "Hello" to fans of Owl City, Tenth Avenue North, The Afters or pretty much anyone that like Pop/Rock/Electronic music.

              Track List

               1. Supernova Sunrise

    2. Heartbeats

3. Oxygen

    4. Seventeen

5. Colors 

           6. Live For Love

             7. Remember You

                                                                          8. I'm For You

Manafest Renegade Video

Manfest released a brand new music video for his song "Renegade". This song is from his newest album "The Chase" and it features Trevor Mcnevan (of Thousand Foot Krutch). I really like this song and so of course I like the video! Check it out and let me know what you think!

Robert Pierre - I'm All In Giveaway

My Friend Justin, of Justin's Christian Music Spot is giving away a copy of Robert Pierre's CD "I'm All In".

This is Justin's first giveaway on his blog. He gave "I'm All In" 4 out of 5 stars. Anyone can enter the giveaway, so go enter and while your there check his other cool music related posts. You can enter the giveaway Here.

The Drummer Of Hawk Nelson Singing?

Yes you read that right. I was able to see Hawk Nelson live last weekend along with some other bands like KJ-52 and Beckah Shae. Me and my mom went to Irie Fest, it was suppose to be at the fairgrounds but then it got rained out, so last minute after the festival heard already started they had to move the event to a near by church. Now some people got upset, but to me I was just stoked that they didn't cancel it. Anyway....I'm getting off topic. Due to the storm Hawk Nelson along with a couple other bands had to play an acoustic set. Now I am a sucker for a good acoustic set, I love them they are so much more personal and just more unique. Well unique is exactly how I would describe Hawk Nelson's set. This video is of Justin (the drummer of HN) singing "California" while Jason (the lead singer) is playing the drums and doing the guitar with his voice. It is absolutely hilarious and I might I say Hawk Nelson is a group of multi talented guys. Check it out!

Awesome video, right? I love the fact that they made the best of their situation. So although some people were upset that the concert had to be moved, it was for the better because I highly doubt Justin would have sang if they show would have went according to plans. So just remember if you feel like you are at your lowest and everything that can go wrong has went wrong, it can only go up from there.

The Skit Guys - Show Me The Funny Review

Tommy Woodard and Eddie James are The Skit Guys. They have been best friends ever since high school. They teach God's word to people all over, with hilarious skits.   Their DVD "Show Me The Funny" has 5 absolutely hilarious skits, plus The Skit Guys Mini-Series, Bloopers, Commercials & a bunch of other cool stuff! The videos that are featured on this DVD are: "Psalm 139", "Mr. Bootsy", "Joseph", "Adam & Eve", and last but not least "Mercy". Of these videos my favorite would be "Adam & Eve" because it is really funny and plus has some teaching. I would highly recommend this DVD or any of the Skit Guys DVDs to anyone that likes to laugh, but I also think that the skits would be great for a Youth Group or a Bible study.    You can watch some of the Skit Guys funny videos on YouTube, but they also have even more videos that you can watch and buy on their website (skitguys.com). You can also buy the scripts for their skits on their website, the skits would be great for youth groups, Sunday school or even church. Another cool thing is the Skit Guys go on tour. So you can go see them live (which is even better, trust me). To check out their tour dates and see if they are coming to a city near you, check out the Calendar on their website. I figured that since I am reviewing their DVD and telling you that their videos are really funny, I should probably prove it to you. This video isn't on the "Show Me The Funny" DVD but it is still really funny. I hope you love it!     You can also Follow @skitguys on Twitter and "Like" them on Facebook.   I received this DVD free to review, but all opinions are 100% mine.

My Very First Blog Award! - Liebster Blog Award

Wow! I'm SO excited, my first blog award! I would like to thank Melanie at 'Christian Bookshelf Reviews' for awarding 'The Christian Music Junkie' the 'Liebster Blog' award.

The Liebster is awarded to bloggers with less than 200 followers. It is an opportunity to shine the light on great blogs and their authors in an effort to build readership.

Here are the rules:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them.

2. Give the Liebster Blog Award to five bloggers and let them know in a comment on their blog.

3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.

4. Have faith your followers will spread the love to other bloggers.

5. Have blogging fun!

And now, for the new winners of the Liebster Blog Award:

1. The Sckpanhead
2. Justin's Christian Music Spot
3. Life With Lisa
4. God Tunes Reviews
5. Jay's Musik Blog

We Are Leo: Releasing New Album

The new and upcoming band "We Are Leo" is releasing a brand new album on August 30th called "Hello". I am very excited for this album, I can't wait to see what the album is like.

 Also if you live in Wisconsin or a surrounding area I have some cool news for you. "We Are Leo" is having their album release party on August 26th in Kenosha WI. It only costs $10 and when you buy a ticket you get a copy of their new record! If only I lived in WI! LoL To find out more info on "We Are Leo" and their album release party, check out their Facebook Page. Now for those of you who don't feel like checking out their Facebook page right now, don't worry because I've got you covered! You can listen to We Are Leo's new single "Live For Love" right here! Enjoy!

David Crowder Band Beard Off!

Premier Productions is having a David Crowder Beard Off. Cool, right? Now if you have never seen a picture of David Crowder you won't understand why they are having a beard off....you see he has a very unique beard.....

So the contest is to find the best David Crowder Beard. It can be a fake or real beard, on a guy or girl. The Grand Prize winner will get an all inclusive flyway trip for two to David Crowder Band’s New York City Concert! Including Airfare, Hotel, & 2 VIP Passes! Pretty cool, right? Sadly I didn't find out about this in time to enter or to let you guys know so you can enter....but YOU can vote for the best beard. You can vote once everyday and you can vote on as many beards as you like EVERYDAY. So lets say you can't decide between three beards, you don't have to decide you can vote for all three each day! The voting portion of the contest ends September 18th and the winner will be announced on September 19th. If you want to check out these hilarious pictures and vote for your favorites you can go Here.

Crazy Love Book Review

Before I read "Crazy Love" I had heard alot of great things about it, that is what made me want to read it. Some of my friends had recommended it and Hawk Nelson named their newest album "Crazy Love" after the book, so I figured it would be worth it to read this book. I was right it was definitely worth reading.

The book is basically Challenging Christians to not be normal, or not to be the typical Christian. I agreed with alot of the teaching in this book about not being a lukewarm Christian. There was just one part that I wasn't sure about, in one of the chapters Francis says "As I see it, a lukewarm Christian is an oxymoron; there's no such thing. To put it plainly, churchgoers who are 'lukewarm' are not Christians. We will not see them in heaven." Now I do not know everything and I don't claim that I know everything but I am not sure I really agree with that. There are two verses that I would like to share with you guys first is Revelation 3:15-16 "I know your deeds, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm I am about to spit you out of my mouth." and then the other verse "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God" - Ephesians 2:8. So depending on how you believe you can twist a verse to fit what you believe. Just wanted to show you those verses and I know you all have your own opinions, which is great.

All in all "Crazy Love" has alot of good points that make you stop and think. It has alot of challenging parts. One part that I want to share says "Most of us use 'I'm waiting for God to reveal his calling on my life' as a means of avoiding action. Did you hear God calling you to sit in front of the television yesterday? Or to go on your last vacation? Or exercise this morning? Probably not, but you still did it. The point isn't that vacations or exercise are wrong, but that we are quick to rationalize our entertainment and priorities yet are slow to commit to serving God." That is only one part in this book that really spoke to me an really challenged me there were also other parts.

I really enjoyed reading "Crazy Love" as I said it spoke to me in alot of ways and it has made me look at my relationship with God, it didn't make me doubt if I am actually a Christian but it could some people. Just know who you are and whose you are and don't let the challenges in this book make you doubt your relationship with God, just let them challenge you to become the Disciple God wants you to be. I would give this book a 4.5/5. To pick up your own copy of "Crazy Love" check out this page. If you have read "Crazy Love" let me know what you thought.....leave a comment or shoot me an at thechristianmusicjunkie@gmail.com