Artist Spotlight: TaRanda Greene

Congratulations to TaRanda Greene, a friend of ours from Boone, who won both female artist of the year and song of the year from The Southern Gospel Music Awards.

TaRanda's sophomore solo project - "A Thing Called Love" contains a delightful mix of upbeat, catchy tunes (such as "Sky Full of Angels", which won the song of the year) to the powerfully worshipful experience of "Redeemer".

TaRanda sings with The Greenes, a traditional Southern Gospel group headquartered in North Carolina. They make appearances throughout the country, so go hear them if you get the chance. You can also see them on the Gaither Homecoming series. For more information, visit The Greenes website.

New Music: Sarah McLachlan

I have been a fan of Sarah's since I first heard her "Surfacing" album back in the late 90s (especially "Do What You Have To Do"). Anway, I was thrilled to hear that she was releasing a Christmas album.

Wintersong is just as fabulous as I imagined that it would be.

Tracks:
1. Happy Xmas (War is Over)
2. What Child is This? (Greensleeves)
3. River
4. Wintersong
5. I'll Be Home for Christmas
6. O Little Town of Bethlehem
7. The First Noel / Mary Mary (I think this one may be my favorite)
8. Silent Night
9. Song for a Winter's Night
10. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
11. In the Bleak Mid-Winter
12. Christmas Time is Here

Please Pray for Lillie

We just found out Lillie, the two and a half year old daughter of Jonathan's cousin, was diagnosed with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma, a rare but particularly agressive childhood cancer.

Please remember Lillie, her parents (Cory & Michelle) and her sister Hannah in your prayers.

Lillie's blog is here.

Make A Difference - Become (RED)

Each year 30 million people die of complications from AIDS. 60% (20 million) of these people live in Africa. AIDS is the leading cause of death right now in Africa. 5,500 Africans die each day from this disease.

These numbers are staggering. Countless numbers of these deaths occur simply because the victim did not have the financial ability or the access to obtain medication that could prolong his or her life.

There is a new campaign that has been put together by Bono and Bobby Shriver that will help raise money from the private sector to go to AIDS funding. The campaign is called (RED). The (RED) campaign has teamed up with iconic brands such as Armani, Gap, Converse and several others to produce (RED) branded products. A significant portion of the proceeds from these products will go to The Global Fund, assisting women and children affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa.

To find out more about the (RED) campaign and the products available for purchase here.