Featured Artist

Invisible Children

2010-07-01T14:00:00Z

I'm going to start by saying that I don't know what these guys' personal beliefs are. I don't know because they don't say on their website but they sure do act like they know Jesus. Here are three guys who went to Africa on an adventure, and God used their abilities to tell the story of how His kids in Uganda are suffering. He wanted to get the word out so we would see a need and act like Jesus, and a few gutsy young film makers from California were apparently the right guys for the job. What many people don't understand about making movies is that if you don't have a story worth telling you should just be quiet. A film should do more good than harm. It should open our eyes and make us think...and a really good one should make us move. It should move our hearts to actually do something to make the world a better place instead of just sit on our butts in theaters soaking it all in. And that is exactly what this little documentary of theirs did. In the same way that so many movies end up doing more harm than good, so many relief efforts do the same. We are sometimes too quick to jump to the rescue and we don't take the time to get to know those who need help and ask them what they really need. That's been Invisible Children's approach to helping the kids in this war torn country, and they're getting things done. They've been instrumental in passing legislation that will help stop the LRA from stealing children and ruining their lives. Pretty cool for a couple of young film students who just went looking for an adventure. God says He knows the plans He has for you and the works He has prepared in advance for you to do (Jeremiah 29:11, Ephesians 2:10). These guys had no idea how God was going to use them to help thousands...what could He do with you? Check them out - www.invisiblechildren.com

The Afters

2010-06-02T04:04:40Z

One cool thing about Twitter is that you can learn important stuff in small snippets. I'm more of a small snippet person than a "long, winded, let's talk about this for days" person. What I just discovered in the land of Twippets (just made that up) or Tweets is that my friend Esther Havens (whom I blogged about here) has a brother in a band called The Afters. Who knew? Well obviously her family knew, and probably a lot of other people connected to them, but for me this was news so I will pass it on to you along with a chance to check out their new single "Light Up the Sky". And for you coffee drinkers, this band got started when a couple of guys who worked at Starbucks decided to play a gig together just for fun. God's creative like that. Click here to check out their new site and song, and here for their MySpace page. Let me know what you think.

Francesca Battistelli

2010-04-16T22:42:14Z

“This has been the hardest, scariest, most rewarding year of my life. I have known sorrow, and I have known joy,” she shares. “God has spoken quietly the words of His heart, and He has shown me colors in the grayest hues of winter. He has sung songs over me in solitude, and He has never let go of my fragile, paper heart. He knows every corner of it—the tattered, torn, and untouched places. He knows the songs that move it, the words that pierce it, and the people He uses to change it. I am forever safe in His hands.” Fragile paper heart. I like that. That's exactly what mine feels like some days. I know you guys have probably heard of Francesca, and you probably sing her songs when they come on the radio, but if you haven't read up on who she really is you might want to. And if you want to, I'm here to help you out with a link. Don't thank me. I'm happy to help :) Click here for the bio on her website. Then stick around a while and see what else you can find out about her and why she does what she does.

Fee

2010-04-01T14:00:00Z

I first heard Steve Fee play at a Passion event years ago after God showed up in a truly awesome display of thunder and lightening and scared the pants off everyone. Thousands of us were camped on a hillside, turning in for the night, when the rain began and lightening started smashing into the hill where our tent was set up. As a river of water made it's way through the middle of our tent and we were all evacuated downhill to a safer place, we began wondering what we were thinking when we invited God to come worship with us for the weekend. The next morning Fee did a beautiful job of helping us all sing praise to a God who knows how to make a great entrance, complete with his own terrifying sound and lighting effects. Spend a little time getting to know Fee here on their MySpace page - http://www.myspace.com/stevefee. I think you'll like them.

Kari Jobe

2010-03-01T14:00:00Z

On her website Kari Jobe says that she knew at 10 that she would be a worship leader. “I remember hearing a worship song that applied perfectly to a family that I knew and I knew that I wanted to write songs like that, for hurting people, songs that someone could speak to the Lord when they can’t find the words.” As one of those people who often turns to a good song when I can't find the right words to say, I appreciate Kari's heart as a worship leader and am thankful that God gave some people the ability to say the right thing at the right time and put it to music. I'm also incredibly thankful for people who can lead others into worship and let it be all about Jesus instead of it turning into their own little show. Here she is talking about how this whole thing started between her and Jesus: For more on Kari, check out her website at karijobe.com.

Jimmy Needham

2010-02-01T14:00:00Z

I liked Jimmy Needham the very first time I heard the song Dearly Loved. The lyrics, the sound, all of it. How do you not like lyrics like these? (You can hear it here on his MySpace page) To the slaughters you are being led Being told that it's a party That this God is in your head And every single lie Sounds just like the greatest truth But the one truth you're not hearing Is that he died for you So good. So true. Then the other day I went to see what he had to say for himself on his website (http://www.jimmyneedham.com) and I liked that too. Here are a few quotes that I feel like a lot of us can probably relate to: “Many of the songs on my first album were birthed out my frustration with friends who claimed to love the Lord but were going out and getting hammered every weekend,” “I discovered that zeal and passion for God is a good thing, but if you don’t love people, it doesn’t count for much,” There's a lot more worth reading and listening to so go check him out when you have a little free time and here's another great song if you want to hear more:

JJ Heller

2010-01-01T14:00:00Z

"When my world is shaking, Heaven stands. When my heart is breaking, I never leave Your hands." That's the chorus to Your Hands by JJ Heller and I love it. My friend Miranda told me about her the other day so I'm checking her out and thought you guys might want to also. Here's a quote from her bio page that says a lot about who she is and the music she writes: “I feel called to be honest about what’s going on in my life -- to talk and sing about the struggles that I face so that my listeners realize that they are not alone...For some reason, Christians (including myself) sometimes think, ‘if I’m following the Lord and doing the best I can, that life will be easy,’ and it’s not. That’s where grace comes in, and that’s where we grow.” Oooo, here's another quote I like - “We have the choice to live in fear, or to live in the hope that God is in every moment with us, that’s one of the major themes of this season in my life.” This is someone I could hang out with for a while. If you don't already know the song, check out Your Hands and some of her other stuff and let me know what you think. Here's her website - http://jjheller.com/home.asp - and from there you can check out her MySpace, Facebook, Blog and more.

Another Christmas with Dave

2009-12-01T14:00:00Z

I know I've featured Dave Barnes before so this is really more of a Featured Artist Christmas Moment. If you haven't seen any of his YouTube (or Jutubth as he would say) videos, you've missed out...so hereth a leetle prethent for ju. He's a bit mental but funny and quite festive in an awkward "why is he wearing that shirt" kind of way. And isn't that the combination everyone looks for in both a man and an artist? Yes, yes it is. Merry Christmas from Dave and of course from us here at Virtuous Reality. GO JESUS!!!!

Owl City

2009-11-01T18:37:40Z

First thought - "Who is this strange techno-man and why do people like him so much?" Second thought - "Oh no, the 80's are back." Third thought - "He's actually kind of catchy and I LOVE what he's done with his website! Just the fact that you can post a thought, an idea, and he's posting along with you...it's different...I like different." Followed by more thoughts and more listening, and I think I like this guy...although he's a little peppier than any man I have ever met. What I like most about him, however, is that he says on his MySpace page "I follow Jesus Christ wholeheartedly. He is my life, my strength, my all." That's enough for me. My guess is that you guys have been listening to him for a while so let us know what you think! What is it you like about him and his music?

I wish Brooke Fraser was my friend

2009-10-01T14:00:00Z

There are certain people you see, or listen to, or hear about that you just wish you could be friends with. I wish I could be friends with Brooke Fraser. The kind of friends who love Jesus and encourage each other...and sing loud in the car together and she wouldn't judge me even though she has an incredible voice. It's her lyrics that draw me in. Like these from Shadowfeet: Walking, stumbling on these shadowfeet toward home, a land that I've never seen I am changing, less and less asleep made of different stuff than when I began I love those lyrics. They make me think about where I am compared to where I used to be and how thankful I am that God is changing me and making me more like Him and less like the jerk I am without Him. I also think there's a lot of C.S. Lewis going on in those words, and any fan of Lewis is a friend of mine. You won't see a lot of Jesus talk on her website (click here to go there) because I had read that she doesn't like to use her faith to sell her stuff. She is, I believe, part of the worship team at Hillsong church in Australia (someday...someday I will go there...God willing) and has written some of my all-time favorite worship songs like Hosanna and Lead Me to the Cross. Below is the video to Shadowfeet if you want to hear the song and click here to check out her MySpace page.

The Reliques

2009-09-01T14:00:00Z

If you made it to our Virtue En Vogue event on August 18th you heard these girls play and sing and I, for one, thought they were great. I loved how personable,friendly and easy to talk to they were. I loved that they were happy to help us out with the event and that they even played along with their own fashion flair. Mostly I loved that they really seem to love Jesus. That's always my favorite thing about anyone. I'm not the only one who thought they were great. They won this year's 102.3 The River's Austin Artist Showcase and even Bobby Bones (popular local DJ) had something good to say about them. You can see all this and more on their MySpace page which I have to say looks better than any other MySpace page I've seen...seriously. You can also become a fan on Facebook and their stuff is available on iTunes. As always, pray for these girls. Anyone in the spotlight is in a very dangerous position.

The Jesus Painter

2009-08-01T21:21:15Z

Some of you may already be familiar with Mike Lewis (a.k.a. the Jesus Painter) but for those of you who like to create with your hands, who love to draw or paint or sculpt, this guy is pretty amazing. I first saw him years ago at a youth workers conference and he blew me away. He's made an art of showing people the face of God without ever opening his mouth. Pretty cool huh. You should see him in person. Check out his website if you want to read more about him - www.jesuspainter.com

Esther Havens Photography

2009-07-01T18:00:00Z

We're gonna branch out a little this week and spotlight an artist who works in pictures instead of music. I don't know how many of you are into photography but it takes a special talent to look at the world around us and frame a shot so that it tells a story instead of just freezes a moment in time. Anyone can take a picture, but not just anyone can show you the world in a single shot. Esther Havens can. She has an eye that sees beyond the surface and she's willing to go anywhere (literally anywhere) God is working in this world to help "open (people's) hearts and minds to see the third world conditions in a way that might challenge them to make a difference". If you want to know more, check out her website to see some of her amazing photos and read her blog. What this young woman does with a camera and natural light is truly impressive. I love it when God's people use their talents to bless Him and not for their own fame...I pray that's what Esther Havens is all about.

There's More to Kris Allen

2009-06-01T16:00:00Z

Have you guys already seen this? You're probably way ahead of me because I don't watch much American Idol but I was shocked (and apparently so was he) to hear that Kris Allen won this time around. I've only tuned in twice this season, once to see this Adam guy that everyone was talking about, and once accidentally in London where I was won over immediately by Kris' rendition of "Ain't No Sunshine". Man he did a beauty of a job with that one. From that point on I was hoping he would win but didn't really think it would happen because of all the hype behind Adam. Come to find out the guy seems to love Jesus and leads worship in his church. Who knew? Well, probably everyone who was paying attention...which wasn't me. So cheers to him and I hope and pray that he holds onto Jesus with everything he has because this idol life can ruin anyone. I pray that he stays quiet and humble and that Hollywood doesn't turn him into the worst possible Kris he could be. I also pray that we all remember that men make horrible idols and only God can live up to His hype.

Special request for TobyMac

2009-05-01T18:41:22Z

We recently had a request to feature TobyMac on our site and I thought how cool is it that someone who's been around as long as Toby is still loving Jesus and making music that's about Him. So I went looking for some good info but he doesn't seem to do a lot of talking about himself. Even his website is more about a camp he started with friends than it is about himself. See for youself - http://www.tobymac.com/ That's when I realized that I really like Toby Mac. Because I'm sick of people talking big about themselves but not having much to back up the talk. For example - I just recently heard from a friend in the entertainment industry that one of my favorite Christian bands is the worst group of people she's ever worked with. She said they were rude to everyone, didn't pay people for the work they did and even though they talked a good Jesus talk onstage, once they were off they were horrible. She even said that a friend of hers even gave up on Christianity because of how this one band acted. How sad is that? That being said, I appreciate a man who has followed Jesus faithfully for a long time (as far as I can tell) and loves his family a lot and is more concerned about living what he believes than talking about it. Check him out and let me know what you think.