IN THE SPOTLIGHT WITH ASHLEY CLEVELAND I recently chatted with two-time Grammy winner, Ashley Cleveland about her music, her faith and her struggles with alcohol and drug abuse. In 2005 she released a collection of updated hymns called Men and Angels Say. Her latest recording, Before the Daylight’s Shot released in 2006. She was just named the ChristianityToday.com “Best Female Vocalist of 2006.” In addition to her own music, Cleveland is also one of Nashville’s most in-demand session singers, having performed on over three hundred albums, for artists including Emmylou Harris, John Hiatt, Jars Of Clay, Don Henley, Amy Grant, Faith Hill, Delbert McLinton, Etta James, Rodney Crowell, […]
Read more...Fear of Tight Spaces
While the technician strapped me down and slowly eased me into the tube I kept my eyes tightly shut. Then the motion stopped and I cautiously opened them. A new surge of panic enveloped me. I have claustrophobia. Now, if you ask ten people if they like small spaces, nine of them would answer in the negative; nobody really LIKES being in closed spaces. But the majority of people are certainly able to tolerate them to some extent. True claustrophobics, on the other hand are debilitated by them. I have no idea how this condition developed. Am I predisposed because my mother has claustrophobia? Possibly. Was it caused be overcrowding in the womb? Doubtful – I only weighed 5 […]
Read more...Find Your Wings
This Sunday was Senior Sunday at church. An annual tradition, the service features the talents of some special senior students involved in the youth ministry. My daughter happens to be one of those “super seniors”… if there was something going on at youth group she would likely have a leadership role. Kaia’s been singing in the youth band ever since she was a freshman. That meant she was leading worship on Wednesday nights for middle school “Hang Time,” and Sunday nights for high school “Chill Out” for four years. So it wasn’t a surprise when she told us she would play a big part in Senior Sunday. By the time […]
Read more...The Tale of Mama Duck
The night before my wedding my dad asked me if we could have a “talk.” I was 23 by this time and already knew a thing or two about the birds and the bees, so this conversation was a little … well… uncomfortable. As it turned out, Dad’s objective wasn’t to tell me about the facts of life at all, but rather to remind me that having children wasn’t a necessary ingredient for a happy marriage. Truth be told, he was worried that I would die in childbirth. You see, I’m a mere 4’ 10” and my husband is 6’2”, so his concerns weren’t outside the realm of possibility. My […]
Read more...Seventh Day Slumber Q&A
IN THE SPOTLIGHT WITH JOSEPH ROJAS By Amy Hammond Hagberg I recently caught up with Joseph Rojas, lead vocalist for Christian rock band, Seventh Day Slumber about his music, his faith and his troubled youth. Their new record, “Finally Awake” hit store shelves in March 2007. AH: How did Seventh Day Slumber get together? JR: Seventh Day Slumber was started probably right around the beginning of 1997 at Christ for the Nations Bible College. I had been through a hard time in my life…My father left us when I was three so I grew up without a father. I had really tough teenage years and ended up on drugs. Before […]
Read more...I Know God is Real!
A couple of years ago, my daughter asked her friend Justin to join her at youth group. Surprisingly, he looked her square in the face and said, “How do you even know He’s real?”That’s the universal question isn’t it? How do we know Christ is real? I wondered, what would convince people like Justin that Jesus is worth a try? His question haunted me, and I knew I needed to do something about it. So I took Justin’s challenge and embarked on a journey to prove that Christ is real. In a moment of sheer madness I decided to write a book series that would share the testimonies of celebrities. […]
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