Hello friends!

Thanks for all your comments about how your weekend went. Fun to hear about it all!

Today I’m writing songs over at EMI Studios. I just took a late lunch break and made a home video in my Jeep. So watch out for that either tonight or tomorrow!

If you are wishing it was Friday and the weekend already, I have something to recommend to help get you through the week with a smile on your face! New music always helps life feels better, so here is my recommendation this week.

Joel and Luke are both great friends of mine and I’ve known them for about 3 years now. They are brothers and come from the "land down under" – Australia! So they have funny accents, similar to mine : )

Ever since I first met them, they’ve been writing AMAZING songs and I’ve been bugging them to finally record and release them on a CD! Well, the brilliant news is – it’s here!

If you want some insight into their "sound" it’s epic and edgy…some rock, some pop…very hooky, very emotive.. and their harmonies are incredible. They are bound for a great future, and I know they will reach a massive audience. So you heard about them here first ; )

You can buy their EP by clicking here  and great news – its only $5.95!

You can also visit their Myspace page, to get a taste of what their songs sound like and see some fun photos and video! www.myspace.com/joelandluke

Let me know what you think if you get it!

Question for you….

"What new music have you heard lately, that you could recommend to our community here?"

Love,
Vicky

Happy Monday, Blog-friends!

I got back late last night from what we British call a "truly brilliant" weekend, visiting Buckhead Church in Atlanta to hang out and lead worship. Here’s a snapshot of me and my team with Carlos & Heather Whittaker, our new and awesome friends who invited us and hosted us. (L to R: Stephen Proctor, me, Heather, Carlos, Jason Francis)

We arrived Saturday afternoon and did Soundcheck with new friend Rachel Bos, then headed to the Whittakers for an amazing dinner. Heather’s oven was broken, so somehow she cooked us an incredible meal in a toaster oven – read all about it on her Blog! The truth is I couldn’t have made that glorious meal, even if I’d had a FULL kitchen of PROFESSIONAL ovens at my disposal!!! Ah, I need to learn to cook one day! Heather has inspired me : ) It was SUCH a great evening…

Sunday morning, we arrived at Buckhead Church at 6.30am and did a service run through. Their Production – lights, sound, video and all things technical are incredible! Check out some photos of how  great it looked during worship on Sunday….

After the 9am and 11am services, we hit California Pizza Kitchen in the Lennox Mall for some yummy lunch, where I also got to go to my favorite store  – Urban Outfitters : ) Then we headed back for the 6pm service..really cool to get to play with the band 3 times in one day and get to know them all. This is the church’s Green Room for chilling in between services…its beautiful…

My set was Yesterday Today and Forever & Everlasting God on guitar (with their smokin’ band!), then Above All Else on piano.

If you don’t already read Carlos & Heather’s Blogs, I think you should check ‘em out! RagamuffinSoul and Whittakerwoman. Here’s a pic of their 3 kids to make you smile… I had even got a goodnight kiss on Saturday from Losiah, their tiny and super-cute adopted Korean son!

So tell me, how was your weekend? What did you do?…

Cheers!
Vicky

Greetings Blog-friends!

So GMA Week is now over. I never did really explain what GMA is – I know tons of you are reading from other nations, so apologies for that lack of explanation! : ) It’s an American thing and I didn’t know anything about it until I moved here. Its a week long convention where everyone involved in Christian Music gathers in Nashville at The Rennaissance Hotel and Convention Center and holds tons of meetings, interviews, radio and TV broadcasts, and then finishes it all up on the final night with the Dove Awards – a televised award show for whichever artists and songs have won awards that year. Apologies again to my international friends, for speaking about this mysterious "GMA" week without explaining it! : ) So thats where Ive been the past week…

One of the biggest highlights of it was that one of my favorite friends and mentors, Melody Green was in town. This is she and I in the photo above. She and I met several years ago, and ever since our first coffee together I knew God had gifted me with any amazing friend, and with someone who would speak much wisdom into my life. She was married to Keith Green until his tragic death, and has continued since his passing away to be a key voice for God to our generation. We had several great hang times the past week, and I walked away feeling like I had been strengthened and encouraged in my passion to keep serving Jesus!

It reminds me of Exodus 17, where Moses was in the thick of a battle campaign, but was feeling weary. For some reason, God would give him victory when he lifted up his arms. But his arms got tired. When his arms fell down, the enemy would start winning the warfare. You can read all about it in Exodus 17 and get the full story! But when Moses’ arms got tired, God sent him two helpers/strengtheners/encouragers. Aaron stood on one side of him, and Hur on the other. They took one arm each and lifted up his hands. That way, the army won the battle and Moses strength returned to him.

Melody is one of the many precious people God has placed in my life to "lift up my arms" – to come along side me and strengthen and encourage me in the thick of ministry and Kingdom activity! So my question today is:

"Do you have people like that in your life, who come along side you and "lift up your arms" where you need encouragement and input? If not, would you consider seeking them out?"

We can do nothing alone…we are the Body of Christ and it takes all the members working together to move the Body forward.

I’m off to Carlos’s church tomorrow http://www.ragamuffinsoul.com Exciting!

Love,
vicky

I’m excited to be Blogging from GMA Week, for CCM Magazine! This blog will be featured on CMCentral.com, their site!  So Here’s the run down on Day 1 of Gospel Music Week…

Firstly,
I thought I’d show you a sneak peek of me getting my hair done… I
figured some crazy hair dye would be a fun way to prepare for the week,
so I went to the salon and got my two-tone blond and black hair color
re-done! Years ago I used to have a desk job in an office, so now that
I’m a full time worship leader/songwriter I like embracing the
opportunity to have crazy hair for once in my life!

Today, Sunday, I kicked off the morning with a 6am alarm clock
call. I drove from my home in Franklin to the Nashville Rennaissance
Hotel for the 8am Morning Worship..early…owch! Beth Moore spoke and
Travis Cottrell led worship. Both rocked! Travis hit some seriously big
powerful notes for an 8am set, which was impressive! At the worship
event I ran into Bill Martin from the JOYFM radio station in FL. He is
a reader of my Blog (vickybeeching.com) and it was fun to chat about Blogging with him! Here’s a snapshot of us.

After that I headed to the Nashville classic food place "The
Pancake Pantry" with friends. After some Sweet Potato Pancakes, I
headed back to GMA.

Had coffee with Julie Reid of Worship Leader
Magazine, a great chat with Bill and Kathy who run Alive Festival, then
some Earl Grey tea with one of my precious mentors Melody Green.
Following that I headed to the evening Worship Event where Michael W,
Israel and Mandisa led us in awesome praise! Rebecca St James shared
some excellent words about Compassion International and an offering was
taken – I forget the exact figures but a really encouraging amount of
money was raised for Compassion tonight! Great to know that children’s
lives were changed tonight by those donations!

So its been a brilliant kick off for GMA 2008 as the day was so
filled with worship and teaching. Feels like Jesus really is the center
of it all. Plus I got to eat pancakes, which makes any day a great
day!! More to come tomorrow (blogging that is, not pancakes….thats my
carb quota for the week!)

Have any of you Blog readers been to Nashville or to GMA Week? Any of you live here? Anyone watched the Dove Awards? If so, feel free to share your thoughts, insights and musings about it all here!

Love,
Vicky

Greetings Blog-buddies!

Here are the final few photos I took as I flew out of London, and the Welcome to the USA sign that greeted me upon arrival into Washington Dulles Airport…
Thanks for all the cool "what should I do during my day off in London?" ideas! Here’s what I did:

- Rode on the Underground…I love how crowded it is, and how fast it goes! Thought I was getting my purse snatched at one point..but it was just someone bumping into me!

- Got a Starbucks at the Tube Station, just to see if Americanos taste best in the States or England…both are awesome!

- Walked down Oxford Street, the best shopping area in London. Went into H&M and TopShop. Bought some white shoes…they have velcro and are decorated with tape cassettes! Check ‘em out:

After shopping, I had Italian lunch (Ok it was just a mozarella and basil panini, but it felt more legitimately Euro as I was near to Italy!!!). I travelled past Buckingham Palace, saw Harrods, got off at Victoria Station, just because that’s my name! Then my English record label A&R Les Moir took me for a lovely dinner at Chez Girard, at one of the nicest Hotels in the city. So it was a brilliant day!

Tomorrow "GMA Week" begins, and I’ll be one of the "CCM Magazine Bloggers", along with David Crowder and a couple of other artists. We’ll be reporting on the comings and goings at GMA Week, so look for those daily updates on my Blog from Sunday through Thursday!

God has spoken to me so much during my England trip. Before I left for the UK I decided I needed to go into ‘40 Days of Prayer’ to really seek God. I feel like I’m at an exciting moment in my life… like I’m on the verge of stepping into what He’s created me for. But its still all taking shape… So I’m seeking HIm for direction, wisdom and revelation. I feel like He is going to open some exciting doors in the coming days and week, and I want to do my part by setting aside this block of time to really pray, fast and listen to Him. So I"d love your prayers for these 40 days, that He’ll show me where He is leading, and that my heart will hear Him clearly.

This community is really growing and building here… I’m so excited about that! As lots of you are new readers, why don’t we do another ‘introduce yourself’ question, so that you old timers like Jonathan, Nathan, CovenantMD and the gang can tell us some things we dont know about you yet, and the newcomers to the Blog can say a first time hello!

1. Coffee or tea?
2. Book or film?
3. Historic walking holiday or laying on a warm beach?
4. Dog or cat?
5. Polaroid or digital?
6.  Mac or PC? (ooh…controversial!!)
7. Favorite scripture verses at the moment?

So lots of Blogging to come daily from GMA Week…watch this space! May Jesus be near to you today, may He sneak up on you and surprise you with His presence, and may you share His love with everyone you meet : )

Vicky

Ps. Anyone out there any good at webdesign, or photoshop? I’m making a site for my "Worship In Action" project and am shamelessly asking for some (free) help! : )

Hi friends!

Check out these fun photos from the conference I played at this past week in England… The black and white effect is crazy eh?

Sorry I cant write more…gotta go sleeeeeeep!

Question for you:

"What should I do on my 2 remaining days in London?"

I have a few meetings, but also time for fun and sightseeing, shopping etc…. Send me your ideas!

Vicky

Hello again from the U.K.!

Its been a great few days… just finished another night of worship here at the Spring Harvest conference down on the coast. Here’s a few photos to make you feel like you are right here with me!

Loved reading all your ‘favorite three course meal’ comments…made me hungry! I featured a photo of a fish and chip shop above, as this week that’s the meal Ive most looked forward to as I’ve missed british fish’n'chips! havent had it yet…am saving it as a reward for the end of the conference, as the calories intake is probably worth about a week’s allowance!!!

One thing that’s really struck me being home in the UK, is how honest and raw British people are. In a good way, that is. They just ’say it like it is’. My grandad used to say english people "called a spade a spade". Thats a well known english saying, which means that you just say things as they are. I like that! Sometimes it offends people and hurts feelings, as brits dont usually dress up what they think! But in Christianity I think its a really powerful thing… God wants us to draw near to Him with total honesty and tell Him how our hearts are doing, without pretending or trying to be happier or more victorious than we really are.

David in the Psalms shows us that worship and prayer should be gut-level honest and real. He yelled at God through tears, as well as singing praise at the top of his lungs. He doubted God, was frustrated with Him, asked ‘where ARE you??". David’s worship lyrics would make most churches uncomfortable
today…. we need to embrace just how real God invites us to be. He says "come as you are!" and He loves it when we share the deepest, realest parts of our hearts with Him.

Question  for you, my friends:

"How do you find being totally honest, raw and real with God? Is that
the way your prayer-conversation with Him is, or do you – like me -
sometimes slip into trying to put on a brave face and pretend all is
well?"

British hugs!
vb

Hello there Blog friends!

Greetings from England! I had an amazing flight – slept all 7 hours from Chicago to London Heathrow. The woman next to me couldnt believe that I managed it…but I did come VERY prepared with Tylenol PM tablets, deluxe furry eye-mask, ear plugs and a neck pillow…. Landed in Heathrow and after lunch with my parents we drove to their house and I spent the past 2 days with them and my wider family drinking lots of tea and having a great time!

This photo was taken the day I arrived and is proof that I AM still working on my lack of domestic skills….even my 4 year old niece was able to give me some cooking tips with her mini-kids-stove!!! I will be a great house-wife someday…until then I’ll just focus on playing my electric guitars : )

Tomorow I start leading worship at a conference in England…pray for God’s presence, and for energy as its 5 or 6 days long. I’m excited abut it!

My question from here across the Pond, inspired by all the European food around here!:

"If you had to choose your very favorite three course meal, what would it be? Appetizer, Entre, Dessert…. Share below and then I’ll share mine!

Also, very encouraging – my last Blog was about MONO Instrument Cases. They featured me on THEIR Blog today – check it out:

Love to you all!

Vicky

Hey friends!

After the last Theologically controversial blog – and I LOVE the dicussions in the comments section guys!! – today’s blog is about MUSIC GEAR! Thats my other favorite topic : )

A month or so ago I mentioned that I’d discovered a very cool looking soft/hard gig bag online at www.monocase.com. The case arrived yesterday!! Its even cooler than I imagined! Its the thinnest, most compact gig bag I’ve seen, but with serious protection and even a neck support system inside (as thats the most vulnerable point on a guitar if it gets knocked). This particular model is called the "Wingman Electric". They make them in Acoustic size too. They also have one other line of cases with a pocket on the front for storing a laptop etc if you want more room.

I’m flying to England in the morning and have already packed my MONO case ready for its first international expedition. Finally a soft case that protects well, looks awesome, and is sleek and waterproof. 10/10 stars from me!!!! Big thanks to Pat and Daniel at MONO for your support : )

Question for today…on a gear-related theme:

"What new product have you discovered lately that you would recommend?
Or what new trick/short cut/ technique with gear have you discovered recently that you could tell us about?"

Pray for me for safe travels as I fly to the Motherland in the morning. I’m going to try and finish The Shack – a book I’m reading – on my first domestic leg of the flight, then from USA out to London my plan is to SLEEEEEEP as much as I can…with earplugs, eye mask and sleeping tablets!!

Love to you all… I feel like I’m taking you all with me to the UK somehow : ) I will be sure to get online there and keep up the Blogging, including photos of the UK so you can see where I am and what I’m doing for the next 10 days of British Adventures!

Vicky

Hi friends!

Happy Friday! I thought to beat those "it’s still not quite the weekend" blues for anyone who wishes it was already Saturday (!)… I would take some home video footage of my Songwriting Day @ EMI, so you can get a glimpse of what it’s like in there. Hopefully this will while away some of your workday and make you smile!!

I have been busily songwriting recently and have a bunch of new songs demo’d (how DO you spell that??). They arent proper studio recording quality, but nevertheless I thought I’d share them with you! They will be posted on my Myspace one per week. If you head over there now you can hear the first one "Breath Of God" and let me know what you think! www.myspace.com/vickybeeching

Question for you today….I’ve missed the more "controversial" debates on this Blog! So here goes…. ; )

"Once saved, always saved?"

Looking forward to some good Theological discussions in the Comments section!

Smiling,
Vicky