The Remnant, a worship band all the way from Kansas, will be coming to Junior High 1 this year to lead worship from Monday through Friday of the week.

What perhaps is most exciting about The Remnant coming – beside the fact that they are awesome – is that Melissa Halverson is part of the group. Melissa was on permanent staff several years ago when she was known as Melissa Munro so it will be a homecoming for her for sure. Melissa’s husband, Michael, is also in the group, which, according to the description on their Facebook page:

…is comprised mainly of Highschool & College aged students, under the direction of Michael & Melissa Halverson. We have a heart to reach not only our generation, but every age group God brings our way. We believe worship is more than words & melodies – it should be a reflection of the constant adoration we feel in our hearts. Worship isn’t about a fad or culture. It’s not about a beat or lyric. We stand firmly on the word of God in John 4:23 that worship is being simply & honestly ourselves before God; & must engage our spirits in the pursuit of truth.

The Remnant will be doing a special concert on Wednesday, July 7, at 7:30 p.m. so if you aren’t already going to be at Junior High 1 that week, make sure you come out. The concert is free, but a love offering will be taken.

“We are very excited to come!,” Melissa said in an e-mail. “By the time we get there we will have been on the road for a month… It’s the last stop on our summer tour and the guys are pumped! It will be a first-time camp experience for all of them (my husband included). It will be great for me to be back, Delanco has a very special place in my heart!”

Their new album Freedom’s Found A Way was released earlier this month. You can Goodshop it on iTunes by searching for “Freedom’s Found A Way.”

Tenth Avenue North's new CD, The Light Meets The Dark, comes out on May 11

Our good friends, Tenth Avenue North, have been busy this year. They started with the Winter Jam 2010 in January traveling to more than forty cities with bands like – Third Day, Newsboys, Fireflight, and some others. I luckily got to see them in late January when the Winter Jam Tour stopped in Reading, PA and, of course, they performed awesome. After the Winter Jam 2010, they started the Until The Whole World Hears Tour with Casting Crowns and Caleb – which they are still currently on, but will be ending this Saturday, May 1st. They took a short break during the tour to attend (they were up for two nominees) and play at the 41st Annual GMA Dove Awards. Tenth Avenue North won for Song of the Year for “By Your Side”, which they performed a mini version of that night as well. Mike Donehey, leader vocals and guitar, also took home an additional award for his work on the multi-artist worship project, Glory Revealed II, which was recognized in the Special Event Album category.

Busy, right? I wasn’t joking, and I’m not even done yet!

Tenth Avenue North brand new album, The Light Meets The Dark, is available on May 11. The guys are very excited for the release, and can’t wait for everyone to get to listen to it. Some songs from the new album have been released as singles the last couple of weeks until the album comes out. The three songs are “Healing Begins,” “Strong Enough To Save,” and “You Are More.” The other song coming out as a single before the full album is, “Truth Is Who You Are” on May 4. The four songs are actually the first four songs on the album, which is made up of 11 tracks. You can preview the tracklist and sample the other songs at www.tenthavenuenorth.com. Continue reading »

I was just looking at the photos Colleen Kane McCullough took at yesterday’s Open House for CJ in the camp Dining Hall.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make it but this photo of a T-shirt with the inscription “I Survived Peak 2009″ and the picture of the UPS truck made me do what the kids these days abbreviate as LOL. I wasn’t just typing laughter either. I laughed out loud for a good half-minute.

CJ survived all right. By the grace of God he is still with us after his on the job at UPS slip and fall during peak 2009.

That we can have a good laugh seeing a shirt like this is an incredible testimony to God’s healing power and the remarkable way He brought all of us who know CJ – and many who’ve never met the man – together in prayer since we all heard the terrible news in December.
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