More Amazing Girls of The One Girl Music Video

1. Danielle Wilder

Danielle has been dancing alongside Shuree for the past year. For her, dance has become her ministry. As she goes around performing at different organizations and ministries, she loves to get to know Shuree’s fans and see how the songs have changed their lives. She has been dancing all her life and continues to show God’s faithfulness and movement within our lives through her presence on stage.

For Danielle, if she could change the world she would get rid of poverty. She says, “there are so many places in the world where people are struggling just to survive.” She explained how it is so easy to get caught up in our own problems and we forget about the less fortunate. Danielle has a heart for the poor and the powerless, the overlooked and the forgotten. Danielle has a vision for this broken world, and hopes for change in these third world countries.

2. Vantenia Kelley

Ventenia is an amazing woman who founded the Christian sorority Alpha Delta Omega. This national Christian sorority helps young women foster sisterhood, strive for excellence and build a deeper relationship with Christ.

For Ventenia, if she could change the world in some way, she would end poverty and make it impossible to commit crimes against children. She has a passion for children and says, “So many children are dying and being harmed, I would love for that to change."

3. Julie Tarling

Julie is a very talented young woman who can sing, dance and play piano. She is a person who is so aware of the gifts that God has given her. She believes that using your gifts is the way you can change the world. She says. “I would use my voice and talent to make people smile and make people happier.” This is such a mature mindset of what God has called us to do. She strives to use the gifts that God has placed upon her to bring the good news to this broken world. It’s powerful to see such a young women use her talents for God’s kingdom! 

The Amazing Girls of The One Girl Music Video!

1. The Estoll Sisters

Hannah and Kaitlyn Estoll are two amazing young women, who have volunteered their time at their Church’s Awana. For Hannah (15), she has led worship and helped kids recite memory verses in small groups. “I love to see kids enrich themselves in the word,” Hannah says. Not only does Hannah help change the lives of kids in Awana she also has a vision for a better world. “If I could change anything in this world, I would change the drama that goes on in school.” Hannah has a heart for the broken and bullied, where she strives to empower kids in her school. She is a young women who wants to express through her actions and words that she has a passion, purpose and power. Hannah says, “I can help people like that (who have been bullied), I can be their friend, and show them that they have power.”

Kaitlyn Estoll (13) has also volunteered her time at Awana, while helping out with her younger sister she has loved seeing groups memorize verses, learn about God and have fun with one another. Kaitlyn says, “I love seeing kids get a chance to learn about God and still have fun while doing it.” She is also fascinated with the stories of the missionaries who come and share their experiences in building the kingdom of God. Kaitlyn also has a vision for a better world, for her she would like to change stereotyping. When interviewing her, Kaitlyn’s voice arose with passion as she said, “I may be small but I am still strong, I may look really weak but I’m not on the inside.” Kaitlyn is a young women who believes in the strength and power that is within all human beings, no matter their size.

Hannah and Kaitlyn’s younger sister Paige (7) is also involved with Awana. Her favorite things about Awana are playing games and also listening to the stories from the missionaries.

These sisters will be the change the world would like to see, a team of young women who are on fire for God and are beautiful reflections of Christ’s playfulness and His story.

To learn more about Awana click the link below:

http://www.awana.org/

2. Leah Allman

Leah Allman (12) has a passion and a love for people. She dedicates her time fundraising for an organization called Smile Train. This organization provides corrective surgery to children with cleft lips and palates. After Leah donated to Smile Train, she fell in love with their mission and decided to help fund raise for them. For the past 2 yrs, Leah and her family have been holding a Waffle Breakfast at their house. Leah says, “My friends, neighbors and family come this event.” When asked how many people usually come to this event, she says, “About 150 people.”  AMAZING! Not only are they raising money to help with Smile Train but also providing a place for people to come and be a part of a community. After talking with Leah, she has shown that her heart is filled with compassion towards people. Not only does Leah serve by making waffles at her house but she also goes out to a Nursing Home with her Mother and dog Brittany to lighten up people’s days. She says, “Some people have to leave their pets at home and they miss them, so it makes them happy to see a dog come in.” For Leah, if she could change the world in some way, she would want everyone to feel like they belong. She says, “Thinking about orphans and seeing people at the nursing home, not everyone has a family, I would like people to feel like they belong somewhere.” Leah has a heart that is filled with compassion for humanity, and I believe she will continue to change the world with her love.


To learn more about Smile Train click the link below:http://www.smiletrain.org/

3. Sarah Giove
 

Sarah (25) is a remarkable young woman passionate for the youth. Sarah has

volunteered her time leading worship at a High School group at the Compass Church called The Landing.  The group dedicates itself in helping youth overcome struggle and pain. The group was launched last October and has seen significant growth in the number of students who come. Sarah says, “At first we were blessed to see people show up, in the beginning there were about 8 students and now we have grown to see 25-30 students come.” Sarah has such a passion for the students in High School saying, “when I was in High School it was pivotal point in my life where I questioned if I really believed in God, do I really believe in all this or was it something I was just brought up in?” Working at The Landing, Sarah is able to see students wrestle with these same questions and see the growth in their walk with Christ in the midst of their struggle.

If Sarah could change the world she would like to see a change in the way our culture sees beauty. She says, “We worship youth and beauty too much, and we miss out on the beauty in maturity and wisdom.” For Sarah, she wants to see older women speak up and show the world that there is beauty in growing up and growing old.

To learn more about The Landing check out the link below:

http://www.thecompass.net/central/thelanding 

#BringBackOurGirls

After over 200 girls were abducted from their dormitories at the Government Girls Secondary school in Nigeria, the world still feels the cries of their family and friends. Although a leader of the local terrorist group Boko Haram has claimed responsibility, the Nigerian government seems helpless. But the world has not lost hope! Today, many have joined the #BringBackOurGirls social media campaign; and many male stars have been uploading images saying: ‘Real men don’t buy girls. It’s powerful to see thousands come together for a crisis happening in Africa. Humanity is yearning for change in a world full of daily calamity and chaos, but there is hope, and there will be change. As the world comes together to fight the darkness, let us not be afraid to be the change that we want to see!  

I Want More!

I want more, is a phrase we hear so often. It’s not a bad thing, but what IS more? Often times we see on advertisements, “BUT wait there’s more!” or “You get this and SO MUCH MORE!” But what is THIS more? This more we see on TV and Ads and in magazines has a focus on more clothes, more good lucks, and more minutes on our phone.  But what if I can tell you, “BUT wait there’s more!” God gives us SO MUCH more than any new piece of clothing or new piece of technology!

This May, I will be performing at the I Want More Conference! At this one day conference, we will be exploring what MORE God can give us! God has declared promises of peace, strength, power, hope and so much more! He is the ultimate provider and I am so blessed to be able to learn how Jesus presents himself as the ONE we want more of! I can truly say that we are His beloved, and I am amazed by His grace and love that cover us day after day.

To find out more about the I Want More Teen Girls Conference check out their website at: http://www.iwantmoreconference.com/

Dance. Dance. Dance.

Dancing: It’s the way the beat hits your chest, and the music pumps through you like an electric shock. For me music allows you to connect: body and beat, soul and sound. It’s about connecting people of all different backgrounds from race, age, religion and gender to “Just Dance!” (as Lady Ga Ga would say).  Dance connects us to our history and to our present culture- dance creates and dance celebrates the movement of our bodies! The importance of movement is- it allows for people to follow. So, what kind of movement are you dancing today that people have the option of following? It’s so easy to move in the way of our culture, where we define people for the group they’re in or the clothes they wear, or the shoes they have, or the new phone they just upgraded to. But what does it look like to move in a way that God calls us to dance?

This summer, I am able to partner with The Shine Movement! This one day conference will teach young girls to dance and explore how God calls us to move. I can’t wait to dance like crazy with these amazing girls! Through The Shine Movement, we will be reminded that we are not defined by the phones we carry, the brands we wear, or the friends that we hang out with! God calls us beloved and beautiful, and I believe He calls us to DANCE our butts off in celebration that we are called to SHINE!

To learn more about The Shine Movement check out this link below and partner alongside of us to shine!

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/shine-movement--2

A call to fight against Music & Media's negative impact on our culture

I'm making a call for moral obligation: Concerned with the principles of right and wrong behavior and the goodness or badness of human character. 

Gun violence in Chicago has been in the national spotlight over the past year, with 506 murders in 2012, an increase of 17 percent over the previous year. So far this January, there have been 42 homicides and 157 shootings, according to Chicago police. We have already seen over 200 homicides&shooting in Chicago and we are only one month into 2013! 

I posted this on my FB page earlier this month and was even more convinced  today after hearing about 15 year old  Hadiya Pendleton an honor student who had just performed at President Obama's inaugural with her high school band being shot dead on a playground here in Chicago.
A gang banger jumped a fence ran up to the girl and her friends, opened fire for no reason, and shot her in the back she was dead within an hour. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57566690/teen-girl-who-performed-at-obama-inauguration-killed-in-chicago-shooting/

Music and Media has played a major role in the glamorization of violence, guns, and gang activity. It is a business that glorifies bad character and has a disregard for young lives 

We need to have a culture where we are mutually accountable for how music and media shape culture. Parents, Radio Program Directors, Record Companies, Artists and Listeners should have more then a voice in what we allow to shape our culture but a mind in it, a thought deeper then "Who cares it doesn't effect me" or "Oh well what can I do" or" I will look out only for myself." MLK said, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." 


Let me give you a close to home example of how immorality in music and media all tie together: A 17-year-old gangster rapper from Chicago, signed a $3 million dollar recording contract with Interscope Records last year after spending two months under house arrest for pointing a gun at a police officer. He is also under speculation for the death of Chicago teen who challenged him online and ended up dead. His biggest audience youth and young adults. You may have heard this rappers biggest hit, “I Don’t Like,” a great song, mostly due to the powerful beat constructed by his producer but one of the catchiest parts is rapper chanting “bang bang” in the background—a sound that has become all too common in Chicago, CHICAGO HAS SEEN over 530 youth killed over past 4 years due to homicides a tragic number that is reflective of guns and gang violence. -Chicago Tribune. More young people are killed in Chicago than any other American city. You can't protect your kid from a stray bullet, in some communities they fly through windows, in parks while children swing, and out of cars to sidewalks where kids jump rope. 

This is not a blog based on my opinion, there are hard cold facts to this watch what  
ABC NEWS has to say: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MGHU_BOHPw&feature=youtu.be


Music shapes culture and this Chicago rapper has and is shaping the tragedy's we see today and we see his tense words are more then a song. "It's just his freedom of speech" some may say, but can we really sit still and not speak out? We need to fight to hold the record company and their social deviant artists accountable when the music they produce, write, and release perpetuates, encourages and fuels the death of the innocent young? Homicide victims in the city outnumber troops killed in Afghanistan.-The Chicago Reporter. America seeks to protect the innocent but if there is no accountability there is corruption. 

Regardless of what an artists musical ability, they should not be rewarded millions of dollars for perpetuating a culture that continues to erode culture and steal life from the young and  innocent.

Our world is loud...

I love to sleep. Early mornings are my enemy and late nights are my friend. Today I could not sleep and I was wooed to the kitchen before the sun rose for a cup of tea. As I began opening and shutting the cupboards I realized how loud I was being. The silence seemed to scream be quiet! I then thought about how my day would unfold, the sound of the shower, the microwave beeping, the car engine starting, the radio blasting:) and people yacking. I realized that our world is loud and I miss the silence. Not sure what this means, I'm not wanting to become an early bird, but I realize I must find silence somewhere, somehow. This morning the silence gave me a peace, a peace I was missing, a peace found only in the quiet.

G1RLS in the music industry!

Just a thought... I know it's hard out there in this sexist music industry. We all have our stories of being sidelined or being mistreated I'm sure....BUT nothing can stop a G1RL who holds her head up high, stays true to her convictions, and never settles for less then her personal best. Don't give up. Working hard and smart will get you far. A quiet strength will move mountains for you so G1RLS let's get ready to take the music industry by storm 1 Girl at an time! God give us POWER to walk in our purpose and passions for your glory...AMEN!

I am never alone on this journey. His presence with me is always UNDENIABLE.

He has always been with me showing Himself through the most unexpected things
He sometimes appears in a friends tender words or sunbeams kissing my skin
He is present in the feeling of strength in my body when I run
He speaks through a verse from the good book that leads me on His way
He radiates in a flickering candle and erupts in me as I overflow with tears
He reminds me of a bad memory and shows me it has been redeemed

I am astounded. I am greatful. I am in love with a God who has loved me before I even came into earthly existence.

I am never alone on this journey.
His presence with me is always UNDENIABLE.

WATCH THIS ANYONE WHO HAS NEVER FELT GOOD ENOUGH!!! Whitney Houston Funeral - Kevin Costner

MUST WATCH!! ALL WHO DON'T THINK THEY ARE GOOD ENOUGH!

Where Did Whitney's Broken Heart Go? Whitney Houston

My dear Whitney inspired me to start singing at the age of 7.
As a little girl she was my hero, my role model, my inspiration.

"Where do Broken Hearts Go" was one of her #1 songs and the first song I sang publicly. As a kid, I did not know the meaning of the song, I just loved her voice.

Today I'm older and have lost a sister to a drug overdose, and now a past role model. This leads me to see the song tile " Where Do Broken Hearts Go" in a different light.

My sister was broken, my family was broken, I am broken. Where do we go? Whitney and my sister turned to drugs. We all turn to something with our brokeness in hopes to find relief, refuge, courage, strength. I have found out through it all that only turning to God can bring this to us! JEREMIAH 29:11 say's "I know the plans I have for you, plans to give you a future and a hope."

He desires us to live hopeful lives full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and self control. He has a plan for each one of our lives and can make the broken pieces of our life beautiful, and heal our pain.

I know it's hard to fathom that the invisible God cares about our broken hearts. I know it's easier to soothe our pain with other things that seem more immediate. The only problem is the solutions we turn to outside of God are never everlasting and can lead to death.

Whitney was a woman God gave life to, God gave a gift to, God gave a future to. Along the way she became a broken hearted woman who God still desired to give hope and healing and a future to.

Whitney, I believe, lived her life asking the question "Where do Broken Hearts Go" but she could not find her way home.


God is that home. Nothing else will do. He cares for us and can heal us. Turn to Him.

Now Lord I pray that you would take Whitney in your arms as you have been waiting for her. Would you also take those reading this in your arms and show them your love is waiting there, and you will ALWAYS LOVE THEM.

Goodnight all and thank you God for the gift that was Whitney Houston

Love,

Shuree

Soul Surfer...I know I'm late in watching it but....

Just got done watching the Movie Soul Surfer!
I know it may sound weird but I was praying and having a heart to heart with God about a few physical struggles I have been having. I felt Him saying, "My strength is made perfect in your weakness.""http://www.youversion.com/bible/verse/msg/2cor/12/9

Then after that I felt like He said watch Soul Surfer and see how I was able to use Bethany Hamilton in her weakness and how she became STRONGER! I was like ummmm God this is weird! A movie about a shark attack? Anyway I was willing to give it a try...

So now that I've watched it here is what SOUL SURFER spoke to me:

Through the movie I loved how she was just a normal girl livin her life and having fun...but then the unexpected came and in an instant she lost an arm.

That is how suffering seems to come, in an instant. She was a brave girl in my book even before the shark attack, I mean she surfed waves! That's hardcore! But what I loved was how the movie showed that even a brave GIRL gets scared and want's to quit.

She went through that but then trained harder, looked HIGHER, and accepted 5th place as first place...WHAT ?? FIFTH PLACE AS FIRST?

My fav scene in the movie is when she surfed her butt of and at the last minute caught a game changing wave that could have made her come in first but it was too late so it did not count. Her Dad was upset because the judges did not count it but Bethany said it counted, it counted for me, it counted for all the people who are watching my life and needing courage to go the distance! (Paraphrasing:) But anyway she had a perspective shift. She knew that God had opened up the heavens for her to share her life and story with so many others who felt like they had half of what they needed to live in passion, purpose and power!

Bethany learned that her "half then"" was "more then" enough, Living out the scripture, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." Read more about Bethany a true G1RL here: http://www.soulsurfer.com/story.html

G1RL Fairytale! So little ones can understand!

One day a little girl woke up and wanted to change the world.
Suddenly she heard loud noises coming from downstairs.
She got dressed quickly and walked down the stairs slowly peeking over the railing to see what was making all the noise. She saw a mysterious girl standing on the kitchen table dancing and singing at the top of her lungs "One Girl Can Change the World!"

The little girl ran up to her and said who are you and what are you doing??
The mysterious girl jumped off the table and said "I'm a G1RL and I am here to teach YOU how G1RL can change the world! The little girl responded, "Wait how did you that's what I wanted to do?" The G1RL shouted,"Every girl was created with a PURPOSE and the Creator knows EXACTLY what that is and when it's time for her to find out! NOW is your time! Are you ready to become a G1RL who changes the world?"
The little girl jumped up and down and said yes! The G1Rl sang OK y'all ready!Let's go!!

The first thing I must teach you are the 3 P's, every G1RL knows these and lives by them.


The First P is Passion!

You see every G1RL knows what its like to be sad sometimes and she wants to help others who are sad.
She wants to make sure the world is a better place. What do you see in your world you want to change?? The little girl was quiet for a while and then said, "Sometimes I see people on the street that are asking for food, that makes me sad."
The G1RL said,"There ya go!! There is one of your passions, to help those in need!"

The Second P is Purpose!

Every G1RL was created with a special purpose by the Creator! You know how the rain has a purpose to make sure the flowers grow? The little girl said, yes…
Well, in the same way you were created for something special that will make the world a better place!

The Creator cares about the hungry people on the street just as much as you do and He has given you a heart to bring love and kindness to those around you. Each G1RL was specially designed to share her heart with the world.

Ever heard of Mother Theresa? No..said the little girl. We'll Mother Teresa's was a G1RL who started a charity to help the hungry, sick, and orphans all over the world! In fact, she started 610 charity missions and traveled to 123 countries!
The little girl gasped, "I can't go to 123 countries! I don't have a plane!"
The G1RL laughed and said, "You may not have a plane but you have power, to do great things, and ...

The 3rd P is POWER!!

The Creator has and will give you the power you need to LIVE OUT LOUD the purpose He has for you! So tell me what you love to do?
The little girl responded, "I lOOOVVE baking cookies and making mash potatoes from scratch!" The G1RL said, "Cooking! Perfect! That's one of your POWERS!!"

Now that you know the 3 P's are you ready to change the world?
The little girl screamed YES! Then asked where her superhero costume was? The G1RL responded, "Don't worry we will get you into your rockstar superhero costume but just remember a G1RL is more then a pretty and fancy clothes she's got a brain and rocks hard to change the world!"

So they got her dressed in her costume and went into the kitchen and made enough cookies and mash potatoes to serve 100 people!! They then went out into the streets and gave the food to everyone they saw what was hungry.

That day the little girl became a G1RL and she lived out her 3 P's PASSION, PURPOSE AND POWER ever since.

Behind every G1RL is one man who believes she can change the world! MLK & Rosa Parks...

When Martin Luther King, Jr. heard that Mrs. Parks had been arrested, he called a meeting at his church. A huge crowd gathered to hear what he had to say. People wanted things to change, but they were afraid.


One day in December 1955, Mrs. Rosa Parks boarded a city bus in Montgomery, Alabama. She was tired from a busy day at work. She was tired of sitting in the back of the bus. But mostly, she was tired of the wrongness of things. It didn't make any sense. It had never made any sense.

There was a law in Alabama that required persons of color to ride in the back of the bus and to give up their seat to a white person if the bus was crowded. Why should she have to sit in the back? Why should she have to give up her seat just because she was colored?

That day, when the bus driver told her to move to allow a white person to be seated, Mrs. Parks refused. She did not argue. She simply refused to get up and move. She could have been hurt. Someone could have shoved her or hit her. No one did. The bus driver called the police. The police took Mrs. Parks away to jail.

It was not the first time someone had refused to move. But it was the first time that it was someone many people knew. Mrs. Parks had once worked as the secretary to the president of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.) That was an important job. She knew a lot of people, and they knew her. They knew she was soft-spoken and gentle and kind.

When Martin Luther King, Jr. heard that Mrs. Parks had been arrested, he called a meeting at his church. A huge crowd gathered to hear what he had to say. People wanted things to change, but they were afraid. They did not want to be arrested or attacked. People shrugged their shoulders and said there was nothing they could do. It was just the way things were. Dr. King believed there was something they could do. They could boycott. They could refuse to ride the buses. That would cost the city a lot of money. The city and bus officials would not like that.

On the morning of December 5th, not everyone, but many people of color refused to ride the bus. They walked. They rode mules. Those few people with cars acted as a shuttle service, taking others to work and wherever they needed to go.

It took a long time for the boycott to work. It took 381 days.

The first change came on November 13, 1956, when the Supreme Court ruled that Alabama's laws requiring segregation on buses - requiring persons of color to ride in the back of the bus, and to give up their seat in the colored section to a white person if the bus was crowded - were illegal. At first, the Montgomery city government ignored the Supreme Court ruling. About a month later, federal orders were given to the city and bus company officials that gave them a choice - they could obey the Supreme Court's ruling or they could go to jail themselves!

Many white people were glad. They wanted things to change. But some white people were angry. During the year-long boycott, they fought back with acts of terrorism. They threw a bomb at Dr. King's house. His wife and baby daughter were inside. His family did escape, but it was a terrifying thing. Every time something terrifying happened, even when they bombed his home knowing his wife and baby daughter were inside, Dr. King met anger with love. "We must learn to meet hate with love," he would say. "We must learn to meet hate with love."

Finally, just over a year after the courageous Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat, a very good thing happened. A few days before Christmas, Dr. King, a black minister, and his good friend Reverend Smiley, a white minister, sat together on the front seat of a Montgomery city bus. The battle for equal rights under the law was not won. There were many battles ahead before the job would be done. But that was a most special morning.

FREE TO LIVE AGAIN

Free to live again
Free from the lies again
To be a child again

Playing in a garden full of flowers
Away from the bitter taste of wasted time and the paranoid grind
Waiting for the next back stab or friendly jab that troubles your soul
but your to old to cry
So you unwind with artificial bliss, trying to get back this....


To be a child again
Free from the lies again
Free to live again


Inspired by a loved ones DUI, a friends crooked eye, and a project of wasted time.
SR

Broken is Beautiful Lyrics Shuree, Hayes, Lee, Oh Hush 2010

BROKEN IS BEAUTIFUL- Shuree

Verse 1

A diamond with a flaw
Shines more than them all
A crack in the wall
Let’s the light in
A heart that is bruised
Is tender from the wound
But I know what love can do
If you let it heal
 
Pre Chorus:

All the possibilities
When you see it differently

Chorus-
           
BROKEN IS BEAUTIFUL
THOUGH IT MAY NOT SEEM
BROKEN IS BEAUTIFUL
TAKE IT FROM ME
THAT BROKEN IS BEAUTIFUL

Verse 2

Dirty city streets
Trees without their leaves
There hiding underneath
Is love and beauty
It feels like you’ve lost your way
Running from your mistakes
Well that’s just the place
Where grace will find you

Chorus

Bridge:

I’ve been where you are
I’ve fallen apart
I’ve had my heart torn to pieces
I’ve laid down and cried
I’ve wanted to hide
Wooo
But then I found out!

Chorus



RAP:
I used to walk around with my head down
Trying real hard to shut out the sound
Your not black enough
Your not white enough
Your not bold enough
Your not cold enough

It took awhile to shut out the voices
But baby gurl you know its all about your choices

So if you ever been down PUT YOUR HANDS UP
Pushed Around PUT YOUR HANDS UP
Misunderstood PUT YOUR HANDS UP
Called no good PUT YOUR HANDS UP
Overlooked PUT YOUR HANDS UP
Now If your feelin me lift your voice up

Chorus

Jesus was an entertainer.

Many times I have heard people say we don't want to entertain we just want to keep everything Christ centered and not get in the way. After hearing this several times I did a little research and found the definition of entertain to be VERY interesting, it means:

en·ter·tain (ntr-tn)
v. en·ter·tained, en·ter·tain·ing, en·ter·tains
v.tr.
1. To hold the attention of with something amusing or diverting.

When I see this definition I am convicted that leading people to worship (to give their whole selves to God for His purposes) does not need to be VOID of entertainment.

Jesus chose to do a miracle that entertained people at a wedding by providing them wine to drink for their pleasure but ultimately for His glory! He did not do this just to provide a trick but Jesus performed these miracles and wonder works in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory [by it He displayed His greatness and His power openly], and His disciples believed in Him [adhered to, trusted in, and relied on Him]- JOHN 2

I desire to divert the attention of the people away from self away from all the distractions and internal roadblocks and CAPTURE their attention through art, beauty, creativity, story and once diverted, point them to CHRIST! Great painters have done this, Authors have done this, CREATION DOES THIS! I am amused by the handiwork of God and honestly nothing diverts my attention more towards God then a beautiful body of water.

Entertainment is not bad IF it is entertainment that conforms you to the mind of Christ.

As a worship leader and artist I walk in this tension and have concluded that entertainment is not bad IF the entertainment conforms you to the mind of Christ.


If turning water into wine could be used by God to divert the attention of people towards Him what more could He use?

What is Shuree's inner flame? Her fire?

So getting home tonight from opening for the Building 429/Royal Tailor/ Leeland Concert. First let me say thank you to all who came out and supported this event! I was blown away by how many of you showed your love and support!! Thank you!

Ok so in my song, "Nothing in This World" I talk about my inner flame and fire, and some people have asked what this means. My inner flame is what burns in my spirit, it's the same fire that empowered the saints of old to heal the sick, to feed the hungry, to speak to evil and shut it down, to see the unseen and to slay giants.

You see, the light, or flame is in all Gods children and we all must rely on it for our strength. What would happen if we all let it burn brightly, so brightly it could be seen, felt, and used to change the world around us?

Ephesians 20-21 God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

Why I write and sing....

Message from a fan below that reminded me of why I am making this album Broken is Beautiful:

You had a huge impact on my life, you're music and your story as well touched my heart in a very special way. I just wanted to thank you for sharing it with me and my family. I just recently lost a friend to suicide...And I remembered your story and "Broken is Beautiful" I don't think I would have taken it as well without the experience I had in Dekalb at Praisapolooza!! I love you