That’s right! More FREE music. Click on the wiget below for a FREE download from Mission Six. You can also check out their tour dates as they prepare to hit the road with the iShine Live 2010 Tour.

Want to share with your friends??

1. CLICK ‘Get This’

2. Select the Social Network of your choice or E-mail.

3. Then, share the free music and fun with your friends!

 A GivStory by Cathy Robinson | Franklin, TN

Have you ever been changed by helping others in need?  Do you ever feel you have nothing to offer?  Are you held back by thoughts like “what could I possibly do?”  Here is a testimony of a family who put legs to what God spoke to their hearts and has experienced His blessings in return. 

 “My husband, Ronny, is a businessman and I (Cathy) recently obtained my degree in Spanish.  We have one daughter, Courtney, who is 24, and a son Michael, who is 16.  We reside on a farm in Franklin, Tennessee, a 160 acre retreat called “Rancho El Paso.”  The name was inspired by the Lord a couple of years before we were introduced to Rancho Los Amigos just across the border from El Paso, Texas!  The children from Rancho Los Amigos are always surprised when they visit and see our sign at the entrance.

Although our church is very involved in missions and evangelism, our first mission trip outside of the country was with our daughter’s school in 1997.  We had supported Youth With a Mission over the years, but had never been to any of the operating locations until then.  That is when we first became involved with Rancho Los Amigos.  On that trip we helped build a home, did some evangelism, and visited the children.

Cathy pictured with the children of Ranco El Paso

When we returned home, we began to sponsor one of the boys we had met there.  He really stole our hearts!  During the summer, he came to stay with us for 6 weeks.  Then at Christmas, he and his brother spent 3 weeks with us.  Shortly afterward, their mother was released from prison and their family was reunited.  Later, I had a dream about them and felt that the Lord wanted us to visit them.  They were not easy to find, but the staff of Rancho Los Amigos helped us locate the boys and allowed them to stay at Rancho for a couple of days while we visited.  We had the most blessed time!  It was awesome that their mom was willing to “share” them both with us.  We visited them again a few years later and they are now wonderful grown men. 

On our second trip to Rancho Los Amigos we were able to spend more time and witness first-hand what goes in to providing for the children.   It was an amazing revelation to us and we felt called to help in any way we could.  We began to host various children at holidays as well as hosting a drama team of some of the children who visited the USA during the summer.  The Lord knit our hearts with the children as we watch them grow and mature through the years.  He also called us to support those who lay down their lives for the sake of these children. 

Looking back over the past ten years, we have lost track of how many times we have been able to visit the home!  We have celebrated Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve with them, enjoyed snowball fights, hosted Vacation Bible School, babysat for staff retreats, been on wild bus rides through the mountains of Mexico with them, hosted construction teams to help with ‘face-lifts’ to the property…and the list goes on!  Each time we visited, we found God to be faithful in returning the blessings ten-fold.  Blessings never go in just one direction!  Our friends who have visited there have felt the same, many of them returning again and again, just as we have. 

We have reaped another huge blessing through our relationship with Rancho Los Amigos.  We can honestly say that the current home directors have become like family to us!

Everyone had been praying for a couple to come and wisely ‘parent’ the children, but I do not believe anyone expected the answer to those prayers to be quite so amazing.  Fernando and Maria Luisa Carpinteyro had already successfully raised their four kids, who grew up to become missionaries, so who would be better than this wonderful couple to disciple the children!  They and their family have poured wisdom, love, and numerous talents into this home.  I use the word “home” very literally, because it truly feels like a home that just happens to have 33 kids living in it!  We are continually blown away by their tireless dedication and amazing ingenuity as they seek to train the children up “in the way that they should go.”  We are confident that the children of Rancho Los Amigos, due to the godly instruction they receive, when they are old, will not depart from the Lord, just as Proverbs 22:6 promises.

We encourage people to become involved with Rancho Los Amigos for many reasons.  It’s not too often that you can have such a personal relationship with a child that you sponsor and with those who are taking care of them.  I would tell others to come and see for themselves what an awesome thing the Lord is doing for the ‘least of these’ through a few selfless individuals who are heeding God’s call.

Here’s a word to the wise, however…be prepared for your life to change forever!”

Get Involved:

Find out more about Rancho Los Amigos: http://ywamepj.org/page.aspx?ID=35820

Tell us your GivStory: http://www.givmusic.com/submit-your-givstory/

 Nashville, TN (February 8, 2010) —- Kanopy Tours announces the upcoming Bloom Tour 2010 that features Margaret Becker, JJ Heller (who has the Top 15 hit in the country with “Your Hands”) and friends.  The tour will run April – May and will provide an intimate evening of story and song from the heart of Becker, while showcasing the talents of Heller and friends.  The tour is being produced by MaxxLIVE and Patton House Entertainment, with World Vision sponsoring the dates.  Tour dates will be announced soon.

“I’m excited to get to be a part of the Bloom Tour with JJ Heller ,” says Becker. “I think it’s going to be a blast to be on stage with her as we get to connect with our friends, both new and longstanding, who share our love for music and helping people. When I’m asked to be a part of something that helps people in need, which is exactly what this tour is doing through World Vision, then that’s something I really do want to be a part of!”

“I have such a passion for excellence in the live show arena,” says Andrew Patton, President, Patton House Entertainment.  “Tying this group of musicians together with the MaxxLIVE  team is going to be exciting and rewarding.  We have had the pleasure of producing a number of tours in the past and this one should be one of the finest.”

With an illustrious career that spans twenty-three years and garnered eighteen albums, more than two dozen #1 singles, multiple Dove Awards, four Grammy nominations and seven Songwriter of the Year Awards, Becker, who has performed in front of over three-million people and sold over 2.8 million records, remains one of the most respected singer/songwriters in the Christian industry. Not one to rest on her laurels, Becker continues to receive accolades as her latest project, “Gift Of Love,” which was co-written with David M. Edwards, has been nominated for Choral Project of the Year from Worship Leader Magazine.  Since her debut in 1987, Becker’s professional, personal and spiritual growth has also allowed her to expand into other creative areas.  Over the years, Becker has contributed essays to a number of Christian publications, contributed to various women’s magazines, authored three books, has been a recording producer for such artists as Kelly Minter, Rita Springer & Ginny Owens, opened her own publishing company and is a much sought-after public speaker. Becker has served as an ambassador/artist for World Vision the past seventeen years, and was their first artist-associate in the successful artist associates program and in being such, has helped to shed light on the relief  to the less-fortunate provided by World Vision.

JJ Heller has skyrocketed to fame with her latest single, “Your Hands,” which was debuted on the Fox Network show, So You Think You Can Dance, and is currently in the Top 14 of Billboard/R&R’s National Christian Audience chart.  The song is from Heller’s third project, Painted Red.  Heller began her music career in the spring of 2003, and 6 years and 3 albums later her acoustic-folk sound and heartfelt lyrics have netted the Nashville-based artist a loyal following.  Heller is married to songwriter, Dave Heller, who is the co-writer of her hit single and in December 2008 they welcomed their first child, Lucy Love.

For more information on Bloom Tour 2010 please visit online at www.kanopytours.com

A GivStory by Mark Schultz

A few summers ago I was contacted by Family Christian Stores’ Foundation,  The James Fund. A non-profit organization dedicated to meeting the needs of orphans and widows around the world. They contacted me because I was also adopted and they thought that I would make a good spokesperson for the organization. They took me down to an orphanage in Mexico and there I met a husband and wife team that started an organization called Back 2 Back. They were the hands and feet for the churches and orphanages in the area, providing them with food and education.  I will never forget one of the girls there. She was giving us a lesson about kids and orphans.  During this lesson, she took out an ordinary piece of paper and asked us to visualize the paper being an orphan’s heart. She said children come to the orphanage and they are not like any of the other kids in their community. She then rips the piece of paper in half and says “now you are working with just this half piece.” She then explains that the children will want to go to school, but they don’t have the money.  She then rips off another piece of the paper. She gives several examples until she is left holding a piece of paper the size of a thumb print and says “this is what orphans’ heart will typically look like.” She said that each time we give to these orphans we are investing another little piece of paper back into their hearts.  

I thought to myself  “What can I do to make a difference?” I’m adopted and I have a heart for kids….

A few years ago my wife rode her bicycle across the country and I had always admired her for that. I thought that maybe I could ride my bike to help raise money for some of the kids I had seen. So, I called up my manager and told him my crazy idea. Before I knew it I was riding my bike across the country all the way from California to New Hampshire playing thirteen concerts along the way. At the end of the eight week tour we were able to raise a quarter of a million dollars. It was one of the greatest feelings of my life!

I have been doing music professionally for over ten years and I would call giving money to kids that really need it the highlight of my career.

 Most of the money that we raised went to the The James Fund orphanages, but some of the money was also given to World Vision. From my relationship with The James Fund I started to learn more about World Vision. I soon realized that they were also working within organizations and helping kids, orphans, and families. I thought “what a great ministry… I want to get involved.” I thought that I could help by playing concerts and helping to get children sponsored all over the world. It’s been an amazing journey. I was in the Dominican Republic a few months ago and was invited to a World Vision building that housed children with AIDS. The children were drawing on pieces of paper and smiling. Not quite the vision that comes to mind when you think about AIDS, but there they were smiling and happy. One of the teachers asked the students if anyone wanted to volunteer to sing a song.  A little girl began to sing a beautiful song in Spanish. The song translated in English says “God I Love You More Than My Own Life.”  When they translated it for me I was just floored because I realized that with AIDS, she didn’t know how long she had to live. I also found out that this child had an amazing dream, to become a doctor!  I immediately called my wife, who is a doctor, and told her about this sweet little girl. Her immediate response was “Go get her!”  So, of course we immediately signed up to become her sponsor family and are an active part of her life through sponsorship, letters, and encouragement.  I am honored to have the opportunity to be a part of her life  and to be a fan and advocate for a great organization like World Vision . I can’t think of anything in life that is more rewarding than giving hope to others in need.

To learn more visit:

World Vision www.worldvision.org

Mark Schutlz  www.markschultzmusic.com

Tell us your GivStory http://www.givmusic.com/submit-your-givstory/

That’s right, another FREE download! This time we are giving away a FREE comedy snippet from Jeff Allen.  Jeff is on a tour with a hilarious group of comedians called Apostles of Comedy. Their show is good clean fun for the whole family. Just watch the trailer below to see for yourself! Check out the tour dates below to see when they are coming to a city near you!

Would you like to share the laughs with your friends?? Here’s how:

1. Click on the ‘Get This’ icon at the bottom of the widget (Facebook, Twitter, E-mail, etc.) or the + sign for more than 80 social network choices!
2. Add to your account…
3. …and Share!

(Nashville, Tennessee) Word Records and UMCOR  (United Methodist Committee on Relief) have partnered to present a benefit concert for Haiti relief. Point of Grace, Mark Schultz, and many special guests will perform at this Feb. 6 event.  All proceeds will go directly to benefit the relief efforts in Haiti. Every donations made to UMCOR is used 100% for Haiti relief. This means that 0% of donated money will be used for administrative or other operating costs.

The concert will take place at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb 6, at Brentwood United Methodist Church. The concert is free and open to the public. Tickets are available online here.

Point of Grace – www.pointofgrace.net

Mark Schultz – www.markschultzmusic.com

Brentwood United Methodist Church – www.bumc.net

UMCOR – www.umcor.com

(Colorado Springs, CO) WAY-FM and World Vision announce a national tour featuring Jeremy Camp, The Afters, Chasen, with special guest Jason Gray. The tour will kick off January 20 in Charleston, SC and will travel to a total of 8 WAY-FM radio markets, finishing up in Louisville, KY on February 12.

Steve Quant, Director of Media Acquisition for World Vision stated, “I’m always amazed at the generosity of God’s people. Audiences in these eight cities will not only enjoy a night of powerful music, but will also fuel World Vision’s efforts by forever changing lives of children all over the globe.”

The tour is a component of the partnership between the two organizations that began last summer. Lloyd Parker, WAY-FM Chief Operating Officer noted, “The tour was designed to bring the outstanding ministry of World Vision to the local station level. Working with key WAY-FM artists like Jeremy Camp and also The Afters will give a great evening of music to our listeners.”

Tour Itinerary:

January 20 Charleston, SC

January 22 West Palm Beach, FL

January 28 Wichita, KS

January 29 Denver, CO

February 5 Ft Myers, FL

February 6 Tallahassee, FL

February 11 Huntsville, AL

February 12 Louisville, KY

Markets served by WMG include Denver, CO; Nashville, TN; West Palm Beach/Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Huntsville, AL; Louisville, KY; Colorado Springs, CO; Charleston, SC and Wichita, KS with additional cities and affiliates listed on www.wayfm.com

World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. www.worldvision.org

A Guest Blog Post by Chad Houck

As 2009’s final weeks and days pass, I find myself at what has often in the past been a difficult season.  It’s that season where I evaluate my past year, perhaps contemplate setting some new lofty goals, and maybe even lay out a few new practices that I’d like to implement into my life.  About every third year or so, I been known to buy a gym membership that I later fail to utilize and try to get out of come March.  That’s right, New Years and its accompanying resolutions are right around the corner.

Personally, thanks to the lessons I’ve learned over the past year of my life, I plan to approach this New Year a bit differently.  I won’t be setting any earth shatteringly high bars to leap over.  I likely won’t even set any “resolutions” at all, save one -  to begin.

You see, I’ve come to realize that the primary reason I’ve failed to achieve certain goals or to take advantage of certain opportunities that I’ve encountered may not have had anything to do with the difficulty of the final objective.  In fact, probably more often than not, the things I either wanted or needed to do weren’t even that difficult.  I just never got the ball rolling.  I simply failed to begin to do something.

Lately, however, I’ve come to realize just how far you can go in the 365 days following that all-important first step.

Perhaps there is no better example of this than a young friend of mine from Arizona named Austin.

Austin Gutwein

If you met him today, you’d likely be amazed at by how humble this remarkably influential young man is.  At a surprisingly young age, he is directly responsible for the development of 2 clinics and a high school in Zambia, Africa, as well as additional projects in Kenya and Swaziland.  In 2007, the organization that he founded (at the age of 11) provided bicycles and World Vision’s AIDS caregiver kits to 250 indigenous AIDS caregivers in Sinazongwe, Zambia.  For Austin, 2009 will be remembered as the year that his organization crossed the $1,000,000 mark in funding for AIDS orphans in Sub-Saharan Africa.  Oh, and also as the year that he turned 15.

Austin Gutwein didn’t set out to build the world’s largest basketball free-throw shoot-a-thon. In 2004, after watching a World Vision video about AIDS orphans in Africa, he realized that these were children just like him.  He felt that God was calling him to do something to help them, so on World AIDS day, with his friends and family sponsoring him, 9 year-old Austin shot 2,057 free throws, one for each child that would be orphaned by AIDS during his typical school day.  As his father Daniel counted the shots, Austin’s solo effort raised just over $3000 that day.   More importantly, however, it was the beginning of Hoops of Hope.

Austin will be the first to tell you that he had no idea where those initial shots would lead.  The following year he was joined on the court by several friends and collectively they raised over $35,000, supporting and caring for 100 orphans.  2006 saw the first school built in Zambia, providing 1,000 children the opportunity to envision a future with an education – But it never would have continued if it hadn’t begun.

Occasionally we see an opportunity before us but we fail to respond. Perhaps we think that one irrelevant person, one insignificant compliment, or one inconsequential donation won’t really matter.  We trivialize our participation as volunteers in our communities, as mentors in the lives of others, or as donors to a cause we believe in, because we don’t think we have the qualifications, credentials, or capacity to REALLY make a difference.  In doing so, we negate the impact we could have had and the change we could have brought forth if we had simply been willing to take that all-important first step… to begin.

Today, in Sub-Saharan Africa, there is an entire community of young people whose paths have been irreversibly altered, possibly even rescued from the curse of AIDS that is systematically killing their generation. They have been impacted by the choice of one solitary nine year old that had the courage to believe he could make a difference, and by the lives of every single individual that has hosted, shot at, sponsored a shooter, or attended a Hoops Of Hope event since.

So what is YOUR plan this new year? Whatever your dreams may be, when you wake up on the morning of January 1, 2010, my prayer for you is that you take advantage of the opportunity to begin.

Chad Houck is the director of Share5.  Along with his wife and two children, he has spent the last 14 months living in a 35’ motorhome, traveling the United States sharing their lives and their hearts with people and communities in need.  You can learn more about them at their website at http://share5.org.  Chad will be releasing his first book, “Share Well With Others” in early 2010.  It was begun in January of 2009.

Austin Gutwein’s Hoops of Hope shoot-a-thons now take place across the United States and in China, Pakistan, Qatar, Canada, Korea, and Portugal.  Austin is currently touring on the Revolve Tour and is launching his own “AllStars Festival” 12 city Tour in 2010.  You can find tour schedules as well as Austin’s new book, “Take Your Best Shot”, on his website at http://HoopsofHope.org

Nearly $80,000 Donated To Help Poor

The 19 Genre-Defining Artists Featured on CompassionArt: Creating Freedom From
Poverty CD/DVD Provide First Wave of Funding

(Nashville, TN) December 22, 2009 – The award-winning CompassionArt charity announces its first grants to 16 charitable projects chosen by the CompassionArt songwriters. The four “headline” projects will each receive $9,944 (£6,000) and the 12 individual artist nominated projects will each receive $3,315 (£2,000) for a total of $79,556 (£48,000).
The grants come from personal gifts and proceeds being raised by the CompassionArt: Creating Freedom From Poverty CD and 50-minute DVD documentary, and its companion book, The Art of Compassion, written by the 12 world-acclaimed CompassionArt songwriters. In an unprecedented effort to engage people everywhere to help end world poverty, song and artist royalties received from these acclaimed projects will be donated to the poorest of the poor.

“It’s exciting to see the vision of CompassionArt and its songwriters coming to fruition; to see the labor of love that began with an unlikely gathering of songwriters almost two years ago now tangibly helping to ease the suffering for thousands in projects all over the world,” says CompassionArt founder Martin Smith. “The amazing thing is that this is only the beginning, as these CompassionArt songs take hold and inspire more and more people and worship leaders to get involved.”

Anyone can help support CompassionArt’s charitable efforts through purchasing the CompassionArt CD/DVD and book for themselves, family, friends or as Christmas gifts ( http://compassionart.tv/created/), as well as through personal donations ( http://compassionart.tv/donate/).

The following outlines where the initial grant money will be used:

FOUR HEADLINE PROJECTS

1) South America – Grants from CompassionArt will be used to help buy a boat to carry ministry teams, doctors, etc., to the sick and needy in places near Santa Isobella, Brazil that are only reachable by boat.

2) Worldwide – Grants will be used for “Start Freedom,” an education campaign for schools and young people, teaching them about the issues surrounding human trafficking and the power they have to make a difference. Start Freedom aims to create freedom from the oppression and poverty that is caused by human trafficking by reaching out to local communities worldwide, equipping young people to empower and act on behalf of their peers who have no voice.

3) India and Cambodia – Funds will be used to help provide food, education and more in a Phnom Penh, Cambodia rubbish dump, a sprawling 100-acre garbage dump where hundreds of children work. Toiling through the mountains of trash as early as 3 a.m., the children hope to make 50 to 75 cents a day to help feed their families. The funds will help two buses rebuilt into mobile feeding and education centers to establish a place where these children could eat a good meal, take a shower and learn basic reading and writing skills.

4) Africa – The grant will be used toward building a Creative Arts Center, helping to restore hope to orphaned children to abused mothers and those whose lives have been devastated by suffering in Uganda. The Creative Life Center will encourage artistic education and plans for a better future for all.

12 SONGWRITER – NOMINATED PROJECTS

1. Nominated by Darlene Zschech, the grant will be used in the Village of Hope (VOH) project in the Gasabo District of Kigali, Rwanda. VOH is a self-sustaining, holistic model for the complete needs of the child, widow, orphan and community, providing much needed housing, healthcare, education and community for the most vulnerable families who were victims of the Rwandan genocide in 1994.

2. Nominated by Michael W. Smith, the funds will support the salaries of Life Skill Educators who work directly with 8,200 children in six urban township communities located in the Deep South Peninsula of South Africa’s Western Cape. Offering Life Skills Education and After School Children’s Clubs, these programs function to prevent HIV by equipping youth with HIV facts, empowering them with skills to make responsible decisions, helping youth identify goals for their future and increasing confidence, while teaching Biblical principles to shape values and build strong character.

3. Nominated by Martin and Anna Smith, the grant money will be used for the Community Healthcare Training project at the Tondo Rubbish Dump and Navotas Cemetery in Manila, Philippines. The project works with over 1,000 people each week in communities living on the Tondo Dump and Navotas Cemetery, providing healthcare training, education, nutrition and family enhancement programs, guided by Godly values and beliefs, to some of the poorest Filipino communities. By promoting health, it is hoped to improve attendance at school and the family’s ability to work to earn a living for themselves.

4. Nominated by Matt Redman, the grant will help the Kasese Child Survival Programme, a church-based project in the Kamaiba Village of Kasese in SW Uganda that provides critical care for 38 mothers and 39 babies from pregnancy to the age of three. Kasese provides nutrition, medical assistance, economic development, parental education, social support and spiritual care for mothers and caregivers, ensuring that some the most vulnerable babies and toddlers in the community survive and thrive during the first years of life.

5. Nominated by Paul Baloche, the grant will help create an aftercare/transition home based in East Texas for some of the estimated 300,000 children being trafficked and exploited in America. With the home groundbreaking planned for early 2010, this specialized home will help meet the urgent physical, psychological, and spiritual needs of children rescued from trafficking and exploitation. There are only five to seven such specialized transition homes in the entire US.

6. Nominated by Graham Kendrick, the grant will be used for tuition and exam fees for fatherless, motherless and boundary-less young people ages 5 to 25 to attend Restoring The Sound (RTS), an accredited London College of Music Exam Centre based in Macassar township in Cape Town, South Africa. RTS is a music based arts empowerment project aimed at youngsters who would normally fall prey to gangs and drug abuse.

7. Nominated by Tim Hughes, the funds will go to help reduce the re-offending rate in the UK by equipping local churches to help ex-offenders to successfully re-integrate and make a positive contribution to society.

8. Nominated by Stu Garrard, Beanz Meanz Livez will partner with Living India and start an animal husbandry program to help the orphanage at Chandrakal (Hyderabad, India) to become self-sustaining. The program will begin with a barn, six cows and a dozen chickens. The grant will also be used to train the children in much needed skills for work.

9. Nominated by Steven Curtis Chapman, the grant will go to Maria’s Big House of Hope, a 60,000 square foot special needs care facility in Luoyang China. The facility is staffed, operational and currently cares for 80 special needs orphans. The grant will be used to feed and house these special children, as well as to further their physical care through medical treatments, surgeries and recovery.

10. Nominated by Andy Park, the funds will support an ongoing initiative in Tin Siu Wai, Hong Kong that looks after distressed and single families in an area that is known for teenage drug addicts, suicides and mental illness. The grant will help convert an old car park into a gathering place where people can gather for youth programs that help rescue children and single parents from the drug trade, etc.

11. Nominated by Chris Tomlin, the grant will go toward the ongoing operations costs of The Bulrushes, a home for orphaned and vulnerable babies in Kampala, Uganda. Tiny premature babies to toddlers found on rubbish heaps, in trash cans or abandoned in hospitals and police stations, are brought to this new home where they find acceptance, physical and medical care and unconditional love.

12. Nominated by Israel Houghton, Lakewood Missions will use the grant to help finish a new school building, specifically the ceilings for the Mosop Orphanage (Sotik, Kenya, East Africa), which cares for 87 children from 5 to 18 years of age.

*More information on all of CompassionArt’s charitable projects can be found at http://CompassionArt.tv.

These initial grants from CompassionArt are in addition to the Family Christian Stores initiative running through January 2010 where $1 for every CompassionArt: Creating Freedom From Poverty CD/DVD sold this year through Family Christian Stores, with an additional $1 for the first 25,000 units sold, will be donated through the James Fund foundation. Earlier this year, the CompassionArt: Creating Freedom From Poverty CD/DVD was named as the first-ever Family Christian Stores Album Of The Year.

The CompassionArt CD/DVD:

The 19 genre-defining songwriters/guest vocalists featured on the 14-song charity album, CompassionArt: Creating Freedom From Poverty, include: (Songwriters) Paul Baloche, Steven Curtis Chapman, Stu G, Israel Houghton, Tim Hughes, Graham Kendrick, Andy Park, Matt Redman, Martin Smith, Michael W. Smith, Chris Tomlin and Darlene Zschech; and (Guest Vocalists) Kirk Franklin, Amy Grant, Joel Houston, Leeland Mooring, Christy Nockels, tobyMac and CeCe Winans. Together, they combine for at least: 101 million albums sold, 103 No. 1 songs, 36 GRAMMY Awards, 213 Dove Awards, 18 Stellar Awards, 3 American Music Awards, and 116 CCLI Top 500 songs sung by millions in churches around the world.

In addition to EMI CMG releasing the CompassionArt: Creating Freedom From Poverty CD/DVD in North America in January of this year, the project also released November 2008 in Europe and Scandinavia through Kingsway, Asia, Africa and South America through Integrity and Australia and New Zealand through Crossroads.

About CompassionArt:

CompassionArt, a charity based in Littlehampton, England, held a songwriters’ retreat in January 2008 and began recording songs from the 12 world-acclaimed CompassionArt songwriters a month later for the CompassionArt: Creating Freedom From Poverty album at the famous Abbey Road Studios in London, England, with later recording sessions in Nashville, New York and Los Angeles. Recognized by Gospel Music Channel with its first “Gospel Angel Award” presented during the network’s telecast of 2008’s Dove Awards, more information on CompassionArt can be found at http://CompassionArt.tv.

CompassionArt is not associated or affiliated with, or otherwise sponsored or endorsed by, Compassion International, Inc. Compassion® is a registered trademark of Compassion International, Inc.

For more information, contact: Rick Hoganson, Hoganson Media Relations, 615-459-9870, Hoganson@comcast.net.

 “It’s A Miserable Life” is the third and final part in the “No Room at the Inn” series on homelessness by Chad Houck of http://share5.org

During this series, we have been encouraging you to actively participate in Mark Horvath’s  12 days of Christmas Homeless Push.  So why we didn’t choose to let you know of the push in time for it to end on Christmas Day?  Well, homelessness won’t end on Christmas Day, and the hardest times for a shelter, the greatest needs, come AFTER the holidays – when everyone thinks they’ve done their part.  Thanks to our slight yet intentional delay, your timing should be just about perfect!

No holiday brings out the nostalgia like Christmas.  Every year in my hometown of Boise, ID, Jimmy Stewart’s “It’s a Wonderful Life.” is played on the big screen in our historically restored Egyptian Theatre.  Legend has it that as a young soldier, USAF Col. Jimmy Stewart used to sit in the Egyptian’s orchestra pit and play the piano during his days stationed at nearby Mountain Home Air Force Base.  Those behind the traditional playing of the movie see it as a homecoming of sorts, so every year, with popcorn in hand, locals are treated to the return of Clarence the angel, George Bailey, Mr. Potter, Mary, and ZuZu’s petals.

 If you’ve never seen the movie, allow me to summarize.  George Bailey lives in a small town. As a child he decides that he is going to get out and make something of himself someday.  Time goes on, and he instead stays to support those around him.  One thing after another doesn’t work out, and in an ironic twist of fate, a simple mistake ends up causing George’s world to seemingly crash in on him.  In a moment of struggle and confusion, believing that he has no one he can turn to, George chooses to end his life.

 Sounds like a wonderful movie doesn’t it?  If it were to end there, you would have to say “It’s a miserable life.”  Fortunately for George Bailey, that is not the end of the story.  His suicide attempt is cut short by the entrance of Clarence, his personal, albeit somewhat clumsy, Guardian Angel in training.  Saving George is Clarence’s chance to earn his wings.  George needs Clarence, and ironic as it may sound, Clarence needs George.

 Not long ago I met a man named Dave.  We were both coming out of Walmart at about 7am, headed to a far corner of the parking lot.  I had seen Dave earlier on my way in to get some milk.  Now, headed back out, I was carrying my milk and Dave was still empty handed.  He wore a thick flannel shirt jacket, worn jeans, and work boots.  Living the past year in a number of parking lots as we traveled told me that Dave had spent the night in his car in the same parking lot as us.  He had gone inside to ward off the chill of the 40-degree air. 
“Cold out here, isn’t it?” I said as I walked beside him.

“Yep, chilly” he replied.

“Did you sleep alright?”

Dave’s face went blank.  He seemed astonished that I knew he had slept in his car.  Realizing he would quickly try to escape the conversation, I immediately followed up by asking him if he had eaten.  He said no, and I asked if he liked coffee. 

“Sure” he replied.

“Then come on in.  I’ll make you some breakfast, and the coffee’s already started.”

First came a look of both confusion and disbelief, followed by about a 7 second delay as if he thought he was being set up or tricked.  With another encouraging “come on” from me, Dave stepped into our RV and took the seat that I offered him on the couch.

Within seconds, my kids were at his side.  Knowing he was in good hands, I set about making him a couple of breakfast burritos.  When they were ready, I sat him at the table, put his food on a real plate, and poured him a cup of hot coffee in a mug.  This was not a “to-go” meal.

Dave and I sat and talked and he shared a story not entirely different than that of George Bailey.  One circumstance after another had caved in on him, and now he had nowhere left to turn.  He said that he didn’t know if God still cared.  I told him that the food in front of him was a message from God sent by a courier to remind him that He did. 

As we wrapped up our meal, my kids handed Dave a care package with some candy, two water bottles, granola bars, a few drawings, and some socks.  Inside was a postcard with the message, “We hope that this package provides you with something of value, but more importantly reminds you that you are someone of value.” 

With the encouragement of Clarence and a little divine intervention, George Bailey realizes that the world would not have been a better place if he were never born.  As  Christmas Eve descends, he returns to his home, to his family, and to his community, where he finds that the very people that he thought would never miss him had come together to support him.  We never see Clarence again, but we know he got his wings. 

I knew I couldn’t fix Dave’s problem that day, but that wasn’t the point.  I was simply giving him what I could, providing him with the hope he needed to make it through another day, perhaps another week.  I was making sure the movie didn’t end too early.  On that particular morning, Dave needed to hear that he was valued.  Perhaps even more profoundly, however, I needed Dave to remind me that unless I choose to respond to those put before me, people in need will have needs that go unmet. 

As we wrap up this series, and as you go on your way this Christmas, challenge yourself to reflect. Take a moment to reread the 12 days of Christmas Homeless Push.   Ask yourself – Have you overlooked the homeless, lending to their invisibility, and if so, how can you begin to learn their names?  With open eyes that can clearly see the precious person and life that is before you, how can YOU give YOU?   We look forward to hearing your GivStories back here at GivMusic.com, and Merry Christmas.

Read Part I – No Room at the Inn 

Read Part II – Hidden in Plain Sight

Chad Houck is the director of Share5.  Along with his wife and two children, he has spent the last 14 months living in a 35’ motorhome, traveling the United States sharing their lives and their hearts with people and communities in need.  You can learn more about them at their website at http://share5.org.  Chad will be releasing his first book, “Share Well With Others” in early 2010.  It was begun in January of 2009.