Thanks for the fun comments on the last blog’s "what you would take to a desert island" question! I’m loving the community we are building here : )

Today I had a radio interview on the phone with radio station "WRBS" in Baltimore. After that I drove to the EMI studio to do songwriting, stopping for a grande americano on the way! 

You may be wondering about the photo here – yep it is  me when I was little!…. "Mini-Me"! All will be explained in a moment…

My ‘blog thought’ today was inspired by Chris Scotland, the DJ doing the radio interview this morning. He asked me if I have a phrase or motto that governs my life. I said I did – it comes from a movie called Dead Poets Society. I dont agree with the whole movie as the lead character commits suicide which is wrong. But the theme of the movie is "carpe diem", Latin for "Seize the day". The movie emphasises that life is short…They quote a Robert Herrick poem:

"Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, Old Time is still a-flying:
And this same flower that smiles to-day, Tomorrow will be dying"

Robin Williams, the lead actor, challenges the pupils in his school saying "Carpe diem…make your lives extraodinary!". This has always been my goal – to seizie every moment, because eternity is just a breath away. Looking at this photo of me as a child, I am amazed how fast the past 20 years have flown by. Days turn into weeks into months into years into decades. We feel we have much time ahead when in reality we do not…

The Switchfoot lyric says it best: "This is your life – are you who you want to be?" If you knew tomorrow would be your final day, how would you live it? How does that mean we should change the way we live our lives?

Thoughts?…..

love,
vb

Today I worked on two new songs at my Publisher’s studio…. Excited with the ideas! I’m so grateful that I get to create music about Jesus as my day job!!! : )

Well, its almost midnight and I need to go to sleep so I can wake up and go back to the studio to write again tomorrow! I need my beauty sleep ; )

But here’s a question to get you thinking and commenting…. (drum roll….!):

"If you were stuck on a desert island, what three things would you take with you?"

(They cant be people, only things!). I want to get to know ‘Y’all" (as they say in Nashville!), so I think you answering that question will give me some more insight into "all y’all"! After you guys have posted your comments, I’ll post my answer and you can see what I’d take on a desert island!

Ok, time to go make my bedtime cup of tea….(you can take the girl out of England, but you can’t take the English-ness out of the girl! haha)

Vicky : )

Did you guys have a good weekend? Hope so…

I did! After a long sleep-in on Saturday (I love sleeping late on my days off!), I spent the afternoon at Starbucks getting to know a new friend – Bruce Marchiano, the actor who played Jesus in the film "Matthew".

The movie came out some years ago and is a word-for-word filming of the Gospel of Matthew. It’s still my favorite acted portrayal of what Jesus is really like. Bruce, an actor based in LA, played the part with so much joy and passion, showing Jesus with a huge smile on his face more often than not. I saw it years ago but to this day it has changed the way I view Christ and was a milestone in my understanding of Him. It shook off the aloof, pale, sad and effeminate Jesus’ that I had seen in other movies and showed me how full of life, fun and joy the Son of God truly was and is!

Bruce and I met to chat about the new movie he is working on, as I am keen to spread the word about it. It will be a filming of the Gospel Of John – word for word from Scripture. This time Bruce is directing as well as acting, and is believing the Holy Spirit will really use the movie to facilitate salvation across the nations… pretty exciting!

Click here to check out the vision for the film: The Gospel According To John Movie and if
you want to get hold of the Matthew movie (I think you will love it!) click here:
Matthew Movie

Speaking of films, have you guys seen any movies recently that you’d recommend to me and our Blog Community here? I’m always keen for new ideas of what to watch! Share any recommendations below!

Vicky  : )

Hey friends! Hows your week been? Glad it’s Friday?

I had an awesome day today, the highlight of which was a brilliant songwriting session with a new friend Matt Bronleewe. He’s an awesome producer and also an incredible author… If you are in need of a gripping book with a historical twist, check out "Illuminated". I have only read the first two chapters but am already hooked!! You can buy it from www.mattbronleewe.com or any good bookstore… I know what I’ll be doing in my spare time this weekend… yep, finishing "Illuminated"!

The book is about a rare Bible, and the adventures of people desperately wanting to get their hands on it. It got me thinking about how many Bibles I have on my shelf… In some parts of the world the Bible is illegal or banned… Some people in Asia long to see a copy of the Word but are unable to… I want to stop taking for granted the fact that I own Bibles, and make sure I that read them and use them and remember their great worth. Who knows, someday even we in ’safe’ countries like the USA and Europe might find ourselves under religious persecution, and will wish we had memorized more Scripture while we had Bibles in our hands….  Any thoughts on that? Do you think we will live to see persecution hit our nation and generation??..Might seem like an odd thought, but I"m keen to hear your opinions on it!

Vicky

P.s. thanks for the interested comments on the Bono entry yesterday.. I’m loving this Blog community!!

So tonight I went to see "U2 3D", the U2 concert now showing in movie theatres in 3D… Yes I wore the weird yellow 3D glasses….here they are!

Wearing them looked pretty dumb but I promise you -they totally make it feel like you are there in the front row watching Bono, the
Edge, Larry and Adam playing in a stadium of thousands…wow!

I would totally recommend it.. I came away so inspired by the way music can touch and unite people so powerfully…Its going to inspire my songwriting a ton this week : ) The only bad part of the movie experience was that I ate a whole box of chocolate chip cookie dough bites… hmm…the diet resumes tomoro ; )

Seriously though, I had a rather disturbing moment in the movie when Bono’s "co-exist" logo flashed on the screen and he said that Christians, Jews, Muslims, were all the sons of Abraham and that we need to be one…Like religion is to blame for bloodshed and war, and that to say ‘Jesus is the only way’ is to be divisive.. Thats how it came across to me anyways… There’s something very dark about that… Any thoughts people? Share below!

Love to ya!
vicky

Hey Blog-friends!

Today I had a "songwriting day" over at my publisher EMI’s studio…really good times! After that, a quick stop at Starbucks for a soy hot chocolate, then Tuesday evening church. The sermon tonight was awesome. The passage that jumped out at me was from 1 Samuel 3 where God is calling Samuel and he thinks its Eli, the Priest who is sleeping nearby to him. Eli tells Samuel that it is the Lord that is speaking to him. Next time the voice comes, he answeres "speak Lord, for your servant is listening".

How many times does God speak to us, and we write it off as someone else or explain it away with natural causes rather than super natural ones? I long to be someone who is finely tuned in to the voice of God, like a radio tuned into the right station. I believe He has much to say to us each day, if we will just give him our ears and our hearts. I want 2008 to be a year where God has much more of my daily attention – what could be more important that hearing what the Creator of the Universe wants to communcate? May we be a generation who say with all our hearts: "speak Lord, for your servant is listening!"

Peace,
Vicky

P.s. I have a question for any guitarists / gear lovers out there… I
borrowed a new guitar for the concert in North Carolina last weekend -
(photos below). Its a "Taylor T5" – feels and plays like an acoustic, but
its built more like an electric (slim-line, light weight…really easy
to travel with…). I really liked it… if anyone has any experience
using them, let me know what you think! I’m thinking of trading in my current acoustic and replacing it with the T5 in black..

Hey! So this is another photo from last night’s concert in North Carolina and it made me smile! These Mums came up to me and said it was all three of their babies first ever concert! Apparently they were all smiling and clapping their tiny hands all the way through my songs! How cute : )

This morning me, my band (Dave and Daniel) and road manager (Jason) drove home to Nashville in the van.. The sky was crystal clear blue and I remembered how BEAUTIFUL tennessee is. Taco Bell for lunch (had a much better quesadilla there than the one I TRIED to cook the other day!), then spent the evening at my favorite coffee shop… Nice!

Well…after recommending the E M Bounds book on Prayer yesterday, today I was reading through some of my favorite quotes on prayer…I’ll leave you with a few, to inspire you today : )

========

"I have so much to do that I spend several hours in prayer before I am able to do it" —John Wesley

"There is a mighty lot of difference between saying prayers and praying" — John G. Lake

"You
may pray for an hour and still not pray. You may meet God for a moment
and then be in touch with Him all day" — Fredrik Wisloff

"One can believe intellectually in the efficacy of prayer and never do any praying" — Catherine Marshall

" There
is a general kind of praying which fails for lack of precision. It is
as if a regiment of soldiers should all fire off their guns anywhere.
Possibly somebody would be killed, but the majority of the enemy would
be missed"  – Charles Haddon Spurgeon

"Pray, and let God worry" — Martin Luther

"The
Church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men.
The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men. He does
not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but
men…Men of prayer." –E. M. Bounds

"Prayer in its highest form is agonizing soul sweat" – Leonard Ravenhill

"Let
the fires go out in the boiler room of the church and the place will
still look smart and clean, but it will be cold. The Prayer Room is the
boiler room for its spiritual life"– Leonard Ravenhill

"God never gives us discernment in order that we may criticize, but that we may intercede" — Oswald Chambers

"A servant of the Lord stands bodily before men, but mentally he is knocking at the gates of heaven with prayer" – John Climacus

"Prayer does not fit us for the greater work, prayer is the greater work" – Oswald Chambers

Today was a great day! I’m in Boone, NC leading worship @ Student Life.  Had a fun dinner with the team, then a great final evening of the conference here. Thanks to Student Life for a great event – here’s me with some of the team – Dori, Callie, and Adam Robinson who did an awesome job of speaking!

Ok, I said that I’d be recommending books to you on this Blog… so here is book #1! It’s called "The Complete Works of E. M. Bounds on Prayer", by E. M. Bounds. I started reading it at the start of January and its really impacted my prayer life in a MAJOR way! Bounds was a man truly surrendered to Jesus in every way. He sets the bar so high – reading the book makes me want to be as surrendered as he was, as totally given to God as he was, as  passionate about seeking God’s face as he was. It makes me want to rise early  like he did and spend time gazing on God’s beauty, to ask Him for daring things in prayer. I recommend this book wholeheartedly!

In the introduction to the book, I read that Bounds visited my town of Franklin TN during the civil war. He was present in the Battle of Franklin, then returned to Franklin years later to help create the Confederate Cemetery at Carton Manor House. While living in Franklin he felt called to pray for revival in the town. He gathered godly people and each Tuesday night they knelt in the square and interceded for a divine breakthrough. He witnessed God moving and reviving the churches in Franklin as a result. Wow, I want to pray daring prayers and see God bring powerful answers!

Lord, make us a generation that seeks Your face, that stands before Your throne with much faith and prays for a great awakening across this land. Amen : )

Hope your day is going well : ) I just finished leading worship in North Carolina…It FREEZING here! Had a great evening – thanks to everyone for singing so loud, and it was amazing to see young adults raising their hands to commit their life to Jesus for the first time…yeehah!

Someone asked me tonight after the concert if I have any "weird or interesting hobbies" and I told them I’d post a photo-blog about my favorite hobby. Yep, its juggling fire! This photo is real I promise – me juggling three flaming batons! Dont try it at home folks ; ) Perhaps, after my ‘cooking disaster’ with the quesadillas yesterday I just have leanings toward pyromania!..

I’ve always liked unusual things and combination!…like fire juggling…like going on spiritual retreats in monasteries, sitting in libraries reading for hours, being the only girl in the guitar store playing with electric guitar amps and effects pedals, enjoying visiting silent reverential Catholic churches for mass one weekend then the next Sunday being at a loud exuberant rock-guitar worship service…like being a theology-serious charismatic…like being a "Brit-Chick" living in the US of A…! I guess over the years Ive learned to embrace it all as ‘good unique’ not ‘weird unique’…

God has made each of us totally individual and unlike anyone else. Remember that today – YOU are a ‘one-off’ and there will NEVER be another you! Do you feel pressured by media or by others to be different or to go with the crowd? Lets all celebrate our uniqueness and not fall into the trap of wanting to be like everyone else!

Night!
vb