lifestories

Lifesong CD

Hi Jeff, My son lent me your CD "Lifesong". I have been so touched by it, not as one would expect. It has brought me to tears with the message of the lost and hurting. I am 70 years old and have been a born again christian since the age of 34 and have had my share of pain and have shared others pains leading may to Jesus over the years but I have never been touched this much by song or any other thing in all those years. I am now daily asking the Lord what He wants me to do while crying out for the lost.
  I want to encourage you to keep these songs coming as they must be a great witness to others. Your ministry has caused me to look at my life and again wonder if God has some think more for me to do in this life. I did think that I was retired but I question this now after hearing the pain of the lost. At present I am listening to" Love them like Jesus". Also "Set Me Free" and I can see the pain of the drug addicted. I felt just like that may years ago as I went through deep depression so the message is very strong to me.
  I pray Gods very best favour for you in you ministry. Rex Southon  
 --
 Rex & Margaret

My miracle son

I have been though a lot in my life. Unknowingly when I thought I was alone God was there, Even in my worst of times.

 

I got married in 1998 at th age of 28. Became pregnant a few months later. On feb 3,1999, My life forever changed. I began to develope complications and I was dying. My doc told me I would have to have an emergency C-section to save me and my baby. Everyone around me was in a panic. My nurse told me you must be the strong one because you are so calm. Truly it was not the the situation I wanted to be in, but it was what it was. My family and were told I could die on the table and that premie boys are "weak".

 

I didn't make any deals with God. I just prayed that if it was my time to go and I didn't wake up that my family would be ok, that my baby would survive and thrive. I did tell God that if I woke up, that my life would forever change.

 

I had no fear and the docs and nurses ran around me sticking my viens with needles prepping me for surgery. I told God I trusted Him and put my life before Him in His hands. My life ran through my mind like a video tape playing in a VCR. I knew at that point I had done all that I could do in my life. The last thing I remember was getting stuck by a needle filled with something to knock me out, it burned and tears came to my eyes. My nurses words to me were I will be here through the surgery and I will be here when you wake up.

 

There are no words for me to say that could describe this. When I woke up 2 hours after, I was alive. My son 4-1/2pounds  was thriving and not the "weak" baby my doc said he would be. I was in Surgical ICU and didn't see him for 3 days. He was in the hospital for a total of 13 days.I went to the hospital everyday untill he was released. He is now 8 years old. He is 4' 11", weighs about 130 pounds and is the biggest kid in his class. So much for being "weak"! 

 

I am not perfect, I do fall down. I am learning daily how to be a better person, a bettter christian. I try to be a positive spirit. I talk about God, Jesus and the Bible any time I get a chance to anyone who wants to listen. I want to be a part of that line that proves God and His Son exist and don't have to be seen. I am proof of life, second chances, what ever you want to call it.

 

My LifeSong is that I was given an oportunity to show people that God/Jesus are there and there is always a better way to find happiness in life through Christ. I have been Blessed and continue to be Blessed everyday that I am able to spend my life with family and friends. I try to pass those blessing on to others by showing them they can have the happiness I have with the Grace of God.

 

 

I went to your concert here in Lafayette on Oct 30th. I enjoyed every minute of it. Sharing the word of Christ through music is the most exciting way to reach people. Music is a universal laguage. Yall share amazing stories through your music.

Praise You In The Storm

My name is Andy Martin, and I recently had a strong connection with one of your songs that I felt I needed to share. In early December, my wife discovered a lump at a routine exam and had tests done to determine what it was. We went on with our normal lives while the tests were performed and evaluated, going to church where I play guitar in the band at the Contemporary service, and enjoying the approaching holiday season with our three young kids. On Christmas Eve we went to exercise at our gym, and listening to music as I always do during my runs your song "Praise You In This Storm" came up in the random playlist. When I got home, I was greeted by my wife crying, saying the doctor had just called and she had breast cancer. The words to that song immediately came in my head, and I believe that it was God's way of preparing me for the news that I was about to receive. That song in particular has helped to give me the strength to support my wife and children during this difficult time, the worst of which will be starting soon with chemotherapy and radiation treatments. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the wonderful music you produce as a way to spread His word and bring joy and hope to all of us.

Your Music

Hello Guys:

 

I just want to say first off thank you so much for all your music, it fills in where others only touch the surface.  My name is Kathy, I am like so many other humans and going through those daily challenges, not much different than any others.  I am 42 and have for the past 7 years had my life turned upside down and inside out,  There are days that I really wonder why I am still here, I feel like a burden to my family............. a ten ton weight so to say.  I have days I really wish that god would call me home for the sake of my family, so that they could continue on without the worry of the " what if's".  Some would see this as a person who is depressed, in fact some in my family cannot even begin to imagine why I have made some life decisions that I have made.  I am here to say.........no I really don't think it is depressions although I can see where some my see it as such, I have come to acceptance, that life throws you lemons sometimes, and we as humans seem to think we need to fix all.  Here is my story.

 

7 years ago I began to have issues with my heart, I went to several doctors, listened to what they said tried treatments that they recommended and questioned when things seemed out of control.  It landed me times of being labeled a crazy mother, to being sicker than I was and being told I should learn to complain more. I have had 10 procedures that in the beginning have worked but as time faultered they failed.  In the last year have been placed on disability not knowing where I fit in.............. I have always dreamed of being the one that worked until I died but have suddenly been faced with you need to rest to survive.  Man what a change from what my ultimate plan was............ I have had times of anger not fully understanding the whys and what fors, to times of tears not fully understanding the why me and the lesson to be learned.  LIfe is precious, so many don't realize that every breath you take should be savored. 

--

Ptaise You In The Storm

 

My name is Leanne. I just turned 16 and I went to your concert on the 19^th of November.   It was not the first one I had ever been to, but this one was different than all the other ones I have been to, simply because I have always loved your song “Praise You in This Storm.”  I never knew why you wrote that song until you brought Laurie on the stage, and you began to tell the story about her daughter, Erin.

 

As you began to tell us why you wrote the song, tears came to my eyes. I had a brother die when I was in the third grade; I had a very hard time dealing with this being I was just in the third grade. I didn’t understand why God had done this to me. I would wake up in the middle of the night yelling for my brother. I would refuse to go to school; I would tell my mom that I wasn’t going to school until brother came home. As I got older, I learned to deal with my grief buy playing sports and hanging out with my friends. But the biggest thing I could do to calm myself down was listening to music. When I heard your song, it meant so much to me.

 

When I learned why you wrote it at your concert, it meant even more. I guess the good Lord knew what he was doing when he took my brother away to live with him. I wish he could be here with me today. God has a plan for everyone and maybe we're just not meant to understand until we meet Him in the Promised Land. Your song has helped me cope with the death of my brother. God bless you.

 

Does Anybody Hear Her?

I am Ashley I am a 20 year old female. I live in Evansville, IN. I have really had a hard time My 21st Birthday is comeing up and it's not one I am looking foward to. It all started on my sweet 16. My dad past away. He ended up killing his self. Before that I always went to church and I was the youth leader. But after that day I fell away from god.. Pretty bad. I ended up getting into drugs and not going to church. I even dropped out of high school. My 17 Birthday I was so depressed I locked myself in my room the wholeday. And then came my 18 b-day. and that was not very good either I ran away from home with a guy who hit me. I ended up running from him and stayed with a friend where I started doing even more drugs. Then my 20th birthday I was sitting at home and I started listening to your music. I listen to a song you sing called "Does anybody hear her" I listen to that song and it fit me so perfect. I started to cry and prayed to god to forgive me for fadeing away from him the way I did. I noticed that you know there was a reason why father past away and I pray that god will forgive him for what he did and my father will be home when I get there. I wanted to thank you all because if it was not for you I would not have god in my life again. I am happy to say that now I have gotten my GED and I am going to college to become a nurse. I am still looking for a new church because I just moved to IN and God is with me everyday. That song saved my life.. You all saved my life.

Lifestories- The Book

My name is Dustin Paulson, and I'm currently weathering a storm in my life right now. I recently found out that my Dad has been having an affair and my parents are getting a divorce. Although this is sadly all too common in our country...It's even more sad when you've been raised in the love of Christ from your Mother and Father. It leaves a question that I may never get the answer to...WHY would my Dad or any man at that rate do such a thing? It's crazy how the enemy just moves in times of strife. I love the story Mark Hall paints about hell's gates...their rusty and he's on the defense to our Lord and Savior. This thought helped me weather his lies....He can't beat me or anyone for that matter who dwell in Christ. I spent the night I found out praying. I can count easily on one hand how many times God has "spoken" to me but that night He did...he told me I need to Praise Him in this storm. Instantly I felt peace, knowing He was in control and that things could be so much worse for me (thinking of all the hurting people in this world). It took me a day for it to hit me that CC has their song, Praise Him In This Storm. Then it dawned on me that I went to their concert when they were in town in St. Paul ( I got tickets from a friend at the last minute). I went and it was amazing! They gave out Mark Hall's book and I have finally started reading it. I just want to thank Mark Hall for his honesty and his sincere heart for Christ. I can't wait for pg 119! Its through LIFESTORIES that I realize I have a life story and if I can keep my eyes on God and continue to praise him no matter what then maybe one day just one person will hear my story and it will help them and their walk. Thanks again! Isaiah 40:31 I'm trying to sore over this storm!

PS Hearing Marks story I've seriously considered going into youth ministry instead of giving into all the lies of the enemy of not being good enough.

Proud Army Wife

My name is Christina and I am an Army Wife and mom to a 10month old daughter.  My husband is currently deployed and serving in
Operation Iraqi Freedom.  Before my husband left we were in a world wind of stress and emotions and really didn't have time for church, or actually for God at all.  Even though I continue to pray daily and to pray for comfort and strength as a couple, we still struggle with the intense pressure of what Deployments bring. 
Yesterday he found your song, "Praise you in the Storm" off youtube.com where someone had made a tribute to our US Military.  Well, that just broke him and he emailed me the link and said how he had cried watching the video and he was really interested in this group called Casting Crowns, and to order him a cd immediately because they have such a powerful message.
Now this story may seem insignificant to you, but there are times in life when a story, a song.... all kinds of different things change someone. And this time it was a song, "Praise You in the Storm."  To see his heart break and to come back to our Savior and ask for strength for himself to lead these soldiers into battle and comfort for his wife to stay strong the time he will be gone, was a bigger answered prayer than I could have ever imagined.  Prayers work when the Lord's people are doing the right thing.  And Casting Crown, you are doing the "right" thing!  Thank you for writing music that moves you and your audience.  May God continue to bless everything you do you in life for now until forever.

 

The Word Is Alive

My name is Nathan O'Neal and I am fourteen years old and words cannot descibe the difficulty of these last few months. But I will try. My former youth director and I shared a very close friendship and relationship. At this time he was my biggest spiritual influence in my life. His name was Bro. Chris Dowdy. Well, our youth group went on a mission trip to Nicaragua in July. It was amazing. Everyone was ready for God to work in our lives. That was until we received word of Bro. Chris resigning. He resigned about a month after we got back from Nicaragua. This was devastating to me because I was very close with him and so this was really a step back for me. I was very very sad. And so I called him and he explained that I shouldn't be sad because we would still be able to talk to each other and hang out. But after I got off the phone my sadness turned to anger and I began to get very angry with God and my church. I thought it was all my preacher's fault and thought that nothing was worth getting hurt again so I stopped being close with the people of my church and I would cringe when the preacher would preach. I literally turned my back on God. I stopped praying. I stopped reading my Bible. I did not want to have anything to do with my church. I was very angry. Well, about two months later the oreacher announced we were getting a new youth director and his wife, Bro. JD and Mrs. Kim. They were so nice and were good Christian people. So, my anger began to subside a little and I started talking to the new youth director. Well, one of my friends began to pass around rumors about the new youth director because she missed our former youth director and did not like the new one just because he was new. This really discouraged me and I my anger began to come back a little. I had switched all my music to hard rock music and didn't care anything for my former favorite band (Casting Crowns). And one day I gave up and turned on "Praise You In This Storm" and I cried. Hard. I began to see that I was wrong. I prayed to my savior an d asked him to please just get me over my anger. One quick, short prayer. My first one in weeks. The next day I woke up and I was just not angry anymore. I could not be. It was very good. I prayed and thanked the Lord so much. Well I began to talk to my new youth director and his wife and we are becoming very close. And I thank God every day for them and what they are doing with are youth group. So my youth group went to winter reatreat camp in Georgia and it was amazing. The speaker was Bro. Steve Roberson who was the preacher when I got saved. And we had one girl from our youth group get saved. It was amazing. When we came back from camp everyonw was praying that we would all stick to our commitments that were made. We had a bonfire and everyone opened up and everyone was crying and sharing the things that God was doing in their lives. And I basically said what I am saying now. But we are still praying and watching for God's miracles to continue to happen. The word IS alive!

Storm

Hello.  My name is Sarah Roy.  I'll be 18 yrs. old next month.  I am an only child.  Back in December 2008, my mother was diagnosed with colon cancer for the second time in two years.  I remember it very clearly.  I knew that Mom had been having problems for the past couple of months and I knew that she had been scheduled for a doctor's appointment.  I came home from school that day and Mom called me over to her.  I sat down and she told me that the cancer had returned and that the doctor only gave her two to three months to live.  We held each other for a few minutes, then I ran upstairs to my room and cried and cried and cried.  I called two of my friends from school (I was still bawling.) and told them what had happened.  My one friend Christina (who was 14 at the time) had just lost her mom to cancer about three months earlier to a sudden diagnois of cancer.  Christina's mother loved your two songs: East to West and Every Man.  Anyway, sometimes for chapel, the guys that were in charge of the chapel songs would play your songs.  It came to the point that everytime that I would hear the song Praise You In The Storm, I would start to cry softly.  My mom passed away on Monday, July 7, 2008.  She had just turned 50 yrs. old on June 20th.  I  was with her when she died.  A lot of times, when I would start to feel low, the song Praise You in the Storm would start to go through my mind and I would being to praise God. 

     I also really enjoy your song :  Does Anybody Hear Her.  I have improved, but I still struggle with being alone.  I HATE to be alone.  I used to always feel like no one really listened or cared about me.  I have only recently discovered/realized that people do care about me.  I have managed to regain a good bit of my self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-respect.

     Thank you so much..!!!