Off to the races!

Our new CD project is underway. We just spent 3 days co-writing with one of our producers Don Koch. He's a great writer and producer, and we're excited to work with him again. It's going to be a great journey. I'm eager to see how these songs take shape and sound through speakers. I feel so ready to have a new album out this year.

Songs and albums have a way of representing where an artist is at their present season. If we're going to remain true to artistry, we have to reflect the current place we're at. We sense God is leading us in a direction into more worshipful songs. Yet we aren't preparing to make a normal worship record. It's not going to look just like a CCM record, either. We've always had our feet in both worlds, so to speak. Maybe that's just where God has placed our feet. I find such peace in letting God plant us where He wants us.

We are also "indie" artists. Many definitions are made for the word "indie", but I see so many different types of independent artists. Some are part-time, and some make a living out of it. We happen to love being independent right now, and have experienced the label side of things before. There have been many seasons since we started this 11 years ago...

Whatever the case is for indie artists, people shouldn't validate their artistry based on record sales or numbers attending a concert. Some artists are never meant to fill stadiums. I much prefer some to sing for me in a small venue where I can chat with them afterwards, wouldn't you agree? There is great purpose to that.

If you're an indie artist, keep up the good work and don't give up. If you're doing what you love, and see the positive effects of it, don't let petty things like MySpace friends numbers discourage you. Keep making great music and try your best to perform it everywhere possible...

Becca

Download Compassion Compilation FREE!

We proudly support the work Compassion International is doing around the world. They are releasing children from poverty in Jesus' Name! Check out the latest Compilation they've released featuring one of our songs, "My Heart is Alive"...

This month only, get a free download of our song and 17 others from fellow Compassion artists. Go to the link and sign up for NRT membership, then download! By doing this, you're supporting Compassion's ministry! New Release Tuesday will donate $0.25 to Compassion every time someone downloads this album.

Here is the link. Please pass on the link to all your friends!

http://www.newreleasetuesday.com/freemusic_compassion.php

It's a New Year

Happy New Year! Bryan and I just got back from a Christmas trip to South Carolina. We spent a couple days in Charleston. It's a beautiful city with quaint shops, rich history, and characteristic houses. Bryan, an SC native, was my tour guide (see him pointing to Fort Sumter out in the harbor!) so with maps in hand, so I knew we would see as much as possible in 48 hours.

Most of Charleston is best seen by walking around, or taking a carriage ride. When we set out for the east coast, I thought spending a holiday at the beach would mean an escape from winter. But when it snowed and the frigid temps hit, it was a rude awakening. I came to discover that even Myrtle Beach (100 degrees sometimes in the summer) gets cold in the winter. My father-in-law got the fireplace lit and it felt like a classic Christmas. I was missing my Colorado family, though. Thanks to Skype we were able to video chat with Mom, Dad, Elissa and Chad on Christmas Day.

Bryan's family dog Wilson is a Boston Terrier. I rarely saw him calm. He apparently stole Santa's cookies early Christmas morning. We woke up to find the plate licked clean, but the milk was untouched.

Looking back at 2010, I have had a very full and blessed year. I got to marry an amazing godly man and begin a new journey with him. As the Sonflowerz we toured many great states and saw God work in the hearts of thousands of moms and daughters at the regional “You and Your Girl” events with LifeWay all year long.

Between wedding planning (for two couples in our double wedding...that got interesting!), seeing my only sister get married, to going on the road with the team and enduring long drives and airport layovers, it’s been a crazy ride in 2010. And with each year, I see God’s faithfulness in a new way.

Remembering what God has done is such an important thing. It is one way we are drawn to worship Him. Sometimes I'll grab a piece of paper and a pen, and take some moments of silence to pray, it’s amazing what God brings to my heart and remembrance. Writing down a list of things we’re grateful for isn’t just for Thanksgiving day. How easy it is to leave these things to the holidays, or "special times". It should be a part of each season of our lives, shouldn't it?

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone, and the new has come." 2 Corinthians 5:17

Our salvation brings something new, leaving what was behind. We step forward into a new destiny and discover that we're made for relationship with God. When a new year comes, we are leaving the old and moving into something new.

Don't let the worries of yesterday keep you from walking out 2011 in faith and obedience. Christ has made all things new.

Here are some of my favorite pictures capturing highlights from 2010...

The Perfect Size?

Somewhere in our culture, an idea formed. It's the idea that there is a perfect size out there and every girl needs to fit that perfect size. We compare and contrast ourselves with other girls all our lives. It doesn't stop with age. The older we get, the more money we're able to pay to get the look we want.

The battle is inside of each of us. As women, our hearts and identity is so wrapped up in the things we believe about ourselves. And often it's the media, the culture that tells us what to believe. If we can fit the perfect size, have the hair and the clothes that make us feel pretty, we believe we are beautiful. But the moment one of those things doesn't work, it's like a set of dominoes lined up and knocked down in a moment.

What are your core beliefs about yourself? Write them down. Examine where you got that belief from, and if it is a cultural idea or a biblical idea. The Bible is a foundation for the truth of who we are. I don't get any of my beliefs from another source than the Bible.

The voices in our society are quick to label us imperfect. For the girls in middle or high school, the competition is a daily battle. And it can be devastating battle to lose, when rumors and gossip spread like fire, and friendships betray. It seems hopeless when each school day brings another attack. But what does God say? Check out Psalm 139:14-16 to start with:

"For You created my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be."

God created you as beautiful. A picture of His glory. Though the world may not always applaud us, we aren't looking for approval there anyway. The game they want us to play will just cause us to lose in the end. No matter your size or your shape, we are stamped with approval from God, so we don't need approval from other people.

You are the perfect size! Don't believe the lies you hear, and if that takes putting down some of your magazines and picking up the Bible, do it. A confident woman is someone who knows her worth is not in what she owns, or how she fits a certain image. She smiles on the days ahead and keeps her eyes on Jesus, letting all the other voices disappear.

"She is clothed with strength and dignity. She can laugh at the days to come." Prov. 31:25

-Becca

My favorite time of year

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. This was our first Thanksgiving as married couples, which made it all the better. There was a plethora of food, and I was given the job of making sweet potato casserole. But the night before Thanksgiving, I realized that my so-called sweet potatoes were actually yams, which have a more yellow color. But I was determined to make this the best sweet potato/yam casserole yet. And the fact that there were NO leftovers said a lot. So I patted myself on the back!

Bryan and I just bought our Christmas tree from Lowes last night. I was looking at the Noble Firs, but Bryan said that we should have a Fraser Fir. "What's the difference?" I asked. "I don't know. My family always had them growing up." So, we brought home a Fraser Fir, which looks nice and now the smell of evergreen fills our apartment! That's the best part. Not the part where it takes hours to get the tree to be straight. That requires a lot of patience.

Wherever you are this Christmas, I hope you have a fantastic holiday!

~Becca

Don't miss these moments

I (Becca) live on the west side in Colorado Springs, which means wildlife are a-plenty. This morning, a large buck (aka male deer bigger than your dog) stood outside my window. I could have touched him if it wasn't for the wall between us. He looked calm, yet fully aware of everything around him. Another friendly creature that loves my yard is the magpie. As it swooped in towards the deer, I was sure that buck would show the bird who's bigger. Much to my surprise, the bird landed on the back of the deer as if to say "Hello neighbor." And the buck didn't mind at all!

The scene of this just drew me into worship, in awe of our Creator God. Fully in control. Full of mercy, strong yet gentle. We can be like the bird, and find rest in our God as He "quiets us with His love".

For the Lord your God is living among you.

He is a mighty savior.

He will take delight in you with gladness.

With His love, He will calm all your fears.

He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.

Zephaniah 3:17

A Perfect Day

We are posting the wedding photos you have been waiting to see! The exciting double wedding day was fantastic. Most of the details came together smoothly. No tripping on dresses, no crashing wedding cakes. There were only two small mishaps, which are now some of my favorite memories to chuckle over. Chad and I were at the alter enjoying the sweet moment of exchanging rings. As I went to slide his ring on, it got stuck on his knuckle. We were laughing as I struggled to finally get the ring in place.

Becca and Bryan had a comical moment at the alter, too. The pastor turned to them and pronounced them Mr. And Mrs. Bryan Nicholson by the power of the state of Oklahoma. The wrong state! All of our guests were roaring with laughter as the pastor corrected himself with the state of Colorado!

The wedding was beautiful, unforgettable and everything we hoped it to be. Leaving the church at the end of the reception, I wondered what other traffic on the road thought as they saw not one, but two cars driving away with “Just Married” written on the back.

Reflecting on the day I realize the most important part of a wedding is the relationships. Joining two lives, and two families (in our case three families). In many modern weddings, so much of the fuss and emphasis is on getting the look of the wedding just right. But, the heart of the wedding is the only thing that matters. During the process of a double wedding, I had to choose relationship over my own opinion. What color should the font be on the invitation? Who goes down the aisle first? Which one of us gets the real first dance? It was easy to decide these things because we have learned to value each other and our relationships over the little details of life. This is the goal of family and friends, not just weddings.

In the end, the church, the group of Christians you call yourself a part of, should be constantly at work to lift each other up. No matter what event you plan, Christmas pageant or summer picnic, God is most glorified when we are most unified. Jesus prayed that His followers would be one just as He and the Father are one (John 17:21). This is a high calling. As you pursue your passions, seek fulfillment of your life dreams, remember to also pursue unity in the Body of Christ at the same time. In this, Jesus will always be glorified. -Elissa