Reflections 2012

When one year comes to an end and another begins. Reflections. Thoughts from the year past and hopes for the one just begun.
Last year was amazing. Things happened and God showed up in ways I honestly never dreamed possible. Never dreamed. I often say that they are God’s dreams and hopes and He is certainly to credit for bringing them to life.
I believe that with all of my heart.
Jeremiah 29:11-14 says “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares The Lord.
These are the promises I am holding tightest to now. The wonders of 2012 bring more excitement and along with that, uncertainty. I don’t know what God’s plans are for me and my family this year. But, I know that He has plans for us. Amazing plans. Hopeful plans. My job is to seek Him, call on Him, pray, find and be found in Him. I couldn’t imagine a better existence than one that seeks God and finds Him.
My prayer is that You will seek Him and by seeking Him, you will find Him and be found.
It’s going to be a special year. Happy seeking, friends!

Big week! Radiant You is out!

Well, I can officially say that my first record has been released. What a week! I can’t believe how far we have come and how wonderful this process has been. I just want to tell you all thank you again. It is because of my friends, family and new fans that I have a record to share. My heart longed to have a record so that people could grow closer to God and so that they could share the music with their communities and their churches. I have that now. And, I am so grateful to all of you. Thank you for sharing. Thank you for telling your friends and family. They can find me on iTunes here:

http://smarturl.it/rebekahme

And, on bandcamp you can hear every song : http://rebekahme.bandcamp.com/

A Debut Single, a Video Preview and Pre-Orders

It has been a crazy few days, um weeks, months! But, I’m sure it’s only going to get crazier. I attempted to spend the entire Summer with my children. Crazy and fun. We had theme weeks to keep us busy. Who knows what next year and next Summer will be like. So, I wanted to spend as much “normal” time with them as possible. 

Meanwhile, I’m getting really close to the release date for my debut album- RADIANT YOU. This week, everyone who pre-ordered received the first single- THE GLORY OF IT ALL in their inbox. Approximately 11pm, Thursday evening. Some went to spam folders. Check if you were supposed to get it, because I was really thorough checking to make sure no emails were missing.

First, we shared this preview video of THE GLORY OF IT ALL It’s still getting lots of views on Youtube! Yay!

Then, the full song, THE GLORY OF IT ALL was released to all my pre-order fans/friends.

And, the response has been overwhelming. I love the song. I wrote it soon after starting work and beginning to lead worship at my home church, St. Andrew’s. It is a song that is close to my heart and describes my struggle to want to be close to God, turning from Him and claiming that I am going to make a choice everyday to choose Him. Follow Him and hopefully discover Him and THE GLORY OF IT ALL along the way. If you pre-ordered and didn’t get the single, email me or message me on facebook and I’ll send it to you. Thank you for sharing my page with your friends and for supporting this call I am following. I couldn’t do it without you.

Since the advanced downloads went out, I’m being asked more and more about pre-orders. If you would like the entire record ahead of the release date of September 18, 2012, just click here PREORDERS and select “Buy Now” on the page. Anyone who preorders prior to September 15, will get an advanced download of the entire album including the digital booklet (all the artwork, pictures, lyrics, credits, thank you page, etc in the cd/album packaging). 

PREORDERS are a really great thing for artists. Everything we sell ahead of time, will be reported on the album release date. This is a good thing. So, the more the merrier.

And, have you visited and liked my facebook page? New “likes” will also receive an advanced digital download of THE GLORY OF IT ALL. Tell your friends too. This music was made to make a difference. A positive, beautiful difference. Be radiant today and always. Let His spirit shine a light upon You!

love,

Rebekah

 

What are the Els up to?

Summer 2012 is almost here and we have been super busy this Spring. The kids are all doing really well. We had a spell with a couple of them struggling with respiratory issues, but all seems to be much better now. Here is an update on all of the ELS.

 

Trinity is 3 and a half years old. She is just finishing preschool. And, she had her dance recital last week. She is a wonderful dancer, full of energy and ideas. She loves to make new friends, tell stories and learn about family history. She still has a very low and unique sounding speaking voice. It’s fun to hear her talk. And, she talks with those big brown eyes too.

Leeland will turn 2 this Summer. He is so much fun. He loves his siblings so very much and enjoys doing everything that they do. He really loves baseball and has mastered his swing along with sound effects. He’ll also say “homerun” or “strike” when he (pretend) hits the ball. He was on breathing treatments for several weeks and as I would hold him in my lap he would point to the television with the remote control saying “baseball, baseball, baseball.” I would (sometimes) let him watch part of a game if I could find one on tv. He is a joy!

Trinity’s dance recital

Moustapha and I attended a friend’s wedding at the Hyatt Lost Pines. This is a pic from the golf cart ride to the wedding ceremony.

Listening to my album mixes has become a regular occurance for all of us. Luckily, the kids all really like the music. I’m hoping they are a good test market for the target audience. :-) If so, we’re making a really popular cd.

Bakri is nearly finished with first grade. It has been a wonderful year of growth for him. He has made some great friends. And, his reading abilities have amazed us. He loves to read big books and will spend hours reading. He is also great at spelling and art. Here he is on “all art day” doing a chalk painting on the sidewalk of his interpretation of Boats at Saintes-Marie. He still loves baseball and he and Maddux have enjoyed another year of playing on the same team.

Maddux, second from the left, is five and a half years old. He is graduating from pre-k soon and he will officially be a kindergartener. He loves his school and friends. Maddux learned to read and write this year. It helps to have an older child working along side other children. So, while Bakri was working on reading, Maddux was picking it up too. Now he can read everything. He will tell me when I’m in a left turn only lane or that I’m not supposed to cross a double white line or read any sign on the side of the road. He keeps me on my toes and remembers everything!

Trinity at the water park

Leeland, Maddux and Bakri

We are looking forward to a fun Summer. My album will be finished soon, so I will have lots of work to do as far as marketing and delivering all the products to those that pre-ordered it. It’s an exciting time. We’ll try to swim a lot and play a lot this Summer too. Enjoy your Summer. Enjoy your life. It’s a gift. “Give thanks to the Lord. For He is good, so good to us!”

Many blessings,

-Rebekah

Inspiration and Encouragement everywhere

I was really encouraged by so many of you after my last post. Telling you that I’ve had doubts in my life, and that I’ve been discouraged, at times, by the words of others was difficult. It was humbling. But, it was honest. And, many of you said you have felt the same thing in your own lives and that it encouraged you to hear a little of my story.

So, that got me to thinking about the power that we have to encourage one another. When we see gifts in our friends, let’s tell them.

Do you have a friend who is an encourager? Tell him/her. Let them know what it means to you to see them encouraging others and how they are making a difference. Do you have a friend who has the gift of great counsel? Do they listen well and give great advice? Are they wise? Tell them. Are they a gifted photographer, artist, amazing mother or father, teacher, singer, community leader, blogger, friend, etc.? Tell them! I know that the negative words that are said can have such a powerful impact, almost crippling us from doing the things that we should do. But, I believe that we can overcome the negativity, and overcome those that just want to discourage us, by rising above and choosing to encourage others. I believe that God intends for us to do just that. Just a thought for this weekend.

Isaiah 40:28-31 says:

“Don’t you know? Haven’t you heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He doesn’t grow tired or weary. His understanding is beyond human reach, giving power to the tired and reviving the exhausted. Youths will become tired and weary, young men will certainly stumble; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength; they will fly up on wings like eagles; they will run and not be tired; they will walk and not be weary.”

And, below I share with you a photo of something I looked at everyday while in Nashville. It reminded me of several special ladies in my life who I love with all of my heart. Ladies that encouraged me every chance they got. I don’t believe this sign in this place was an accident. God is reminding me that He is with me. To wait. To be ready. To encourage others and to be encouraged. Be blessed, dear friends. Love, Rebekah

Thinking of Nannie
and Momma in Nashville

A (relaxing) and busy Easter weekend

I returned home from Nashville for the weekend on Good Friday. I had the best weekend with my sweet husband and lovely babies. I put a few pictures here. But, basically my relaxing weekend went like this:

Landed in Houston on Good Friday

Husband and 2 children picked me up from the airport

Met Grandmother (my momma) and 2 youngest children to pick them up

Went to Minute Maid Park for Opening Day of the Astros

Stayed for Friday Night Fireworks!

Put all the tired ones to bed…

Saturday morning I cooked a giant breakfast- homemade pancakes, eggs, bacon, the works

Then, oldest Els had a tee-ball game with their dad and I had Easter worship rehearsal with the youngest Els.

After rehearsal and the game, we had a family lunch at Pappadeaux.

Then, playtime and family time at home mixed in with all the laundry for the week…which kind of piles up for 6 people. And, my in-laws came by to see the kids for Easter with baskets of Easter presents.

That evening, we had a wedding celebration dinner for our friends who were in town from Hawaii

The next morning was EASTER morning! So, the Easter bunny visited Saturday night and Trinity and I headed off to church at 730am, while the other children slept a little more.

Our church service started at 845. It was a beautiful celebration of Easter. He is risen! He is risen indeed! My parents- grandfather and grandmother and my sister, Aunt Melinda, joined us for the service and celebration.

Afterwards, there was a church family brunch, butterfly release in the courtyard and an Easter egg hunt.

I’ve hosted Easter for both of our families for the last three years. This year, because of my recording schedule, I couldn’t host. I didn’t have time to roll grape leaves on Saturday or make my house presentable for our large family. But, I feel really passionately about having Lebanese Lamb and Rice filled Grape Leaves on Easter. It’s a middle eastern dish. The vine is a very significant point of imagery in the bible. Jesus said “I am the vine and You are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit.” I just love this verse. Knowing that we are called to be the branches, bearing fruit, reaching out, making a difference. The lamb is also symbolic of Jesus. In John 1, John the Baptist ”saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”" Having lamb and rice filled grape leaves for Easter has become a tradition that I really hold tight to.

So, while we were still with our church family, I started hearing this voice that said ,”Go to Phoencia and make grape leaves today.” I’m not sure who was speaking, but I answered. As we left church, I leaned over to Moustapha and said ,”I want to make grape leaves today.” So, we left church and he drove me to Phoenicia (which is now conveniently located downtown). I picked up everything I needed- ground lamb, lamb shanks, 2 16 oz. jars of grape leaves, lemons, green onion (I forgot mint), rice and I grabbed Labneh, fresh arabic bread and chick peas (to make fresh hummus for the week).

The kids had lunch at home and I spent the next 3 hours doing more laundry and rolling grape leaves. Our small family of 6 gathered around the table at 7pm that evening and we had the most amazing dinner. We celebrated, we prayed, we thanked God for Jesus and we loved on each other.  The truth is, I felt completely recharged when I returned to Nashville on Monday. Being with my husband and children and family and keeping busy all weekend didn’t leave me feeling drained, but rejuvenated and excited to sing my heart out this week. So, that is what I am doing now. I am singing my heart out. I am Praising God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit all week. What a blessed way to celebrate Easter!