Todd Agnew has a brand new album on the way, and we got the opportunity to hang out with him a while back to hear all about it. The record is called, “How To Be Loved,” and it really chronicles a new understanding of receiving God’s love. Todd talked about how much of this understanding started when he bought his first house, moved back to Texas and became husband, and stepfather all in the course of a weekend.

I came in wanting to do stuff for them, to take care of them, and my wife was asking me if I could receive from them, be loved by them. I really had to say, ‘I have no idea what you’re taking about.’ Then I finally translated that, and realized, ‘Oh, God, I see what You’re doing! I have to learn to receive that same love from You.’

During our visit with Todd he also gave us a deeper look behind some of his favorite songs off the album, and we’re looking forward to sharing those with you over the next several weeks. Check out this week’s song called “The One You Want.”

This song is a very personal song. It’s about feeling like I’m not worthy of God loving me, but he does. It’s this idea that if Jesus is a bridegroom, then by definition I am a bride; and that there is something lovely in me that he loves and is drawn to, and that he wants a relationship with me. That doesn’t mean that I have this huge self-worth or anything like that. It just means that I am created, and I am redeemed. And then no matter how I feel about it, I’m still the one he loves. - Todd Agnew

A couple years ago Phil Wickham got together with a bunch of friends for a very special night of worship called “Singalong” and the entire show was recorded & given out for free on his site! The album was amazing, so we were super excited to hear Phil’s announcement recently about another “Singalong” album coming soon.

Watch this video message from Phil to learn more about it-

Let me just say that if you haven’t heard Phil play live, then you are REALLY missing out! Here’s a look at a few songs from Phil’s first “Singalong” to give you an idea of what you have to look forward to Also, if you haven’t had the chance to download that album, be sure to head over to iTunes to go check it out!

If you haven’t discovered pinterest yet (ladies especially), you are missing out! Pinterest is a great new website where you can discover all kinds of new ideas for crafts, recipes, photography, weddings… It is like an online bulletin board of great ideas!

FreeCCM is now on Pinterest and is going to be posting a lot of the things we have on our site as well as other things we find that we like! Be on the lookout for contests using Pinterest. If you are not a Pinterest member and would like to become one, email info@freeccm.com, and we will send you an invite!

My favorite quote of the day that I found on Pinterest is:

Nothing great has been and nothing great can be accomplished without passion. – G.W.F. Hegel

That is so true!

What is your favorite quote? Let us know if you found it on Pinterest!

KALE. If you had asked me a couple years ago what that word meant, I would have had to grab a dictionary. Somehow I managed to grow up my entire life without ever learning what this food item was, much less even hearing the word. Now I have come to find out that during all of those years of my life I was actually missing out on one of the healthiest vegetables on the planet. According to my research, this super food is an excellent source of antioxidant vitamins A, C, and K, amongst many, many other nutrients. (Seriously, I was going to try and provide the full info for you, but when I Googled the word “kale” I got an entire book’s worth about all the benefits it brings.) If you’re interested in learning more, check out this site for some great info.

CHIPS. If I was being completely honest with you about my true feelings for kale, I would have to admit that I don’t really like the taste of it by itself. It’s a leafy green that you can eat like salad if you like, but I have really needed some more tasty alternatives for working it into my diet. As Nicki suggested last week, it is the perfect veggie to throw into a soup or smoothie (which I love) but my favorite use of kale so far would have to be the wonderful chips that they make. I don’t know about you, but I think snacky foods are sometimes the hardest to find healthy options for. I mean, I’ve never met someone who didn’t like chips! So here’s a great alternative to get your chip fix, but without all of that bad stuff that chips normally bring with them.

Kale Chips

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch kale
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick kale stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner.
• Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
• Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.

*You might also try adding garlic or parmesan cheese to enhance the tastiness

Let us know how they turn out for you, and if you have any other good kale recipes!

Laura

Sara Groves has another beautiful new music video out called “Miracle” that we wanted to share. Take a look below, and then scroll down to see what she had to say about the song in our behind the scenes interview.

I remember getting the idea for this song, “Miracle” when I was driving to jury duty. It was raining, and I was thinking, “What is the good news in relation to?” We had some friends who were going through a really difficult divorce, and I wondered about the good news of that particular circumstance of a couple falling apart.

Then I thought, “The good news of the miracle of love and God’s work in our hearts is that we literally can see things that we can’t see, heal in ways that we couldn’t heal, and we know things that we could not have known on our own. I’ve experienced this in so many ways in my life, especially in my marriage, where I’m able to feel feelings that I thought wouldn’t be possible again. But then I go before the Lord and ask, “Help me feel things that I can’t feel, help me understand things that I can’t understand,” and I’m always amazed at how short of a time it actually takes before I’m feeling that love and engaging again. But, not only just to this level of survival, but thriving in this place of wonder at what God has done in my heart.

Today, we are taking you back in time.  Come with us back to the days of profile themes, top friends, emo self-photos, &hearts–to Myspace.

In 2008, The Afters released a song called Myspace Girl that chronicled the story of how their former bass player met his wife! They made a pretty fun video to go along with it. As a tribute to this song, we are giving away a T-shirt from when the song came out and a full The Afters discography!

In order to be entered to win, leave a comment answering the following question:

What is your favorite social network? Go ahead and tell us why!

a. Myspace

b. Twitter

c. Facebook

d.Pinterest

e. Other

f. I don’t use social networks!

Enjoy this funny video

A contest winner has been chosen! Congratulations to Harold, our winner!

Hey everyone! One of our goals here at FreeCCM is to introduce readers to new music, and we know there is so much music out there that we don’t know about! From time to time, we receive submissions from artists, but we have never had a space to highlight those until now!

If you or someone you know is a new Christian artist or aspiring Christian artist, we would love for you to submit your music. You could potentially be featured as an artist of the month. We would feature a free download of your music and promote you to our fans! This is a great way to get the word about your music out to Christian music listeners! There is no guarantee that you will be featured, but we will review all submissions.

Here are the guidelines:

1. Email info@freeccm.com with the subject “Artist Spotlight Submission”

2. Attach an mp3 of a song or a link to somewhere we can listen to your music.

3. Be sure to include links to anything that will give us a better idea of who you are: website, facebook fan page, videos, bios, etc.

Feel free to email with any questions! We can’t wait to hear all of your music!

The guys of Phillips, Craig and Dean have been making music that glorifies the Lord for a very long time. They continue to sing songs that connect with the church and tell truths of God’s word! They have a new record coming out later this year, and their latest single “When The Stars Burn Down” just released to radio. Here is their story behind the song…

If you liked “Revelation Song” then get ready for the brand new Phillips, Craig & Dean single hitting radio airwaves now! The band is sharing a sneak peek of the song “When The Stars Burn Down” over on their Facebook page HERE, so if you’re a Facebook user be sure to go take a listen. In case you missed it last month, we also have a special behind the scenes interview with the guys about the song and what it means to them. Check it out below!

When I first heard “When the Stars Burn Down” it immediately had that same impact as “Revelation Song,” with that big worship moment where you’re transported out of this mortal world into the next. – Randy Phillips

I love this idea of the unveiling of Jesus Christ in glory and the melting down of the universe. And how when all that is said and done Jesus Christ is still Lord. – Shawn Craig

It is another one of those songs that, similar to “Revelation Song,” puts things into perspective of what life is really all about. – Dan Dean

And Now For Some Encouraging Words From Pastor Shawn Craig about New Year commitments…

The Book that Keeps on Giving

I don’t buy many movies. Why? Because once you’ve seen it, you know how the story goes and it takes the punch out it.

Not so with the Bible. It keeps on giving. Regular reading will prove this: the Bible is the one book that keeps on giving. Any student of scripture will tell you how often you read the verses you’ve read before but it comes alive to you in a way that it didn’t before. It keeps on giving. That’s another reason why I keep on reading it year after year.

Now is the time to renew commitment to reading God’s Word daily. I renew my commitment every year to have a daily dose of scripture. Sometimes I skip it and I regret it. But I get up the next day and start over. I don’t quit.

Even if you miss a day, don’t quit. What if you fail on a promise to kiss your wife everyday? Just because you miss a day, you don’t say, “Well, I failed to remember to kiss my wife today. So I quit.” No, you renew your commitment the next day! Simple illustration but it works!

Click here to see more from Pastor Shawn and get a good bible reading plan.

In our next episode of “Lessons With B” Shane teaches you how to play the 12th and final track from their album, “The One You Need.” Watch the video below to learn Shane & Shane’s  song “Praise Him.”

See the story behind the song “Praise Him” – Click here to watch
More Lessons With B: Liberty, Your Love, Without You, Future Version, Because He’s God, The One You Need, Miracle, Victory, Running To You, Grace Is Sufficient, Lift Up The Light

New Album In Stores Everywhere Now!
Click Here To Get Your Copy

“Praise Him” Lyrics

Everything that has a breath
Everything that takes a step
Everything from up above
And here on earth sing of His love
Everyone who’s on a mountain
Everyone in the driest place
Praise Him
Praise Him

Praise Him in the morning when the feeling’s gone
Praise Him in the evening when you’re all alone
Praise Him in the noonday when you’re moving along
Praise Him while you have another moment to sing this song

Let the praise roll on