This past Sunday, I was playing piano for my church's worship team. We were singing a song that we had played at church many times before, and I was singing along. But while I was singing, I came to a realization: My worship had become a routine.

Well, as promised, today I'll be talking about the rest of the bands I saw at Lifest this year! There are a lot more than last year and they are all so great! There were a lot of good bands this year, many of which I saw for the first time, which was really cool! I also will be talking about my all time favorite concert EVER, so to find out what that is, read on!

This past week was Lifest 2016!!! I had been looking forward to it for so long and now it's already over, which is sad. But I did have a ton of fun while I was there, and today I want to share with you what I thought of all the bands that I watched while I was there!

So... my top 20 favorite songs. Seems pretty simple, but it really isn't. It's really really hard to narrow it down to a top 20. Don't believe me? Try it in the comments! I'm interested to see some of your favorite songs as well!
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I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I love music. I love listening to lyrics, instrumentation, and melodies. A good song will almost always brighten my mood. So I thought, why not write some songs of my own? Wouldn't that be awesome? And it would! However, I don't know if it is for me yet. I've been thinking about writing songs a lot, and while I would love to do it, there is one major question: Who is my music glorifying?


Right now, if I was writing songs, I would be concerned about myself. Not God. It's a heart issue. I want to be important. A lot of times, I feel lonely. Unimportant to anyone or anything. I want to matter. I want to make a difference. But what is that difference? Is it a difference in my personal life, or is it a difference for the Kingdom? If I decide to write music, I want to make sure it is for the right reason.


Correcting this heart issue? I can't do it on my own. But I know God can, if it is in His will. If he wants me to write music, it will happen. So I'm not going to worry about it. I'm just going to pray that he would help me discover His plan for me.


Right now, I don't think I am in a good position for songwriting. While I would LOVE to write music, it wouldn't be about Him, it would be about me. And that's why I'm not going to start writing any songs, not yet. But maybe, someday, it will happen. But whether it happens or not, I know God has a plan for me, and I intend to do whatever I can to follow that plan.

My third Artist of the Month post. Crazy... Next week will begin my 5th month of blogging! Where has the time gone? Anyways. This week's Artist of the Month is Citizen Way!


Citizen Way is a Christian Rock band. They were formed Elgin, Illinois. The band is composed of two sets of brothers. Ben Blascoe plays bass, while his brother David plays drums. Ben Calhoun plays guitar and vocals, while his brother Josh plays guitar, keys, and vocals. These four started their band in 2004, and have never had any lineup changes! (Fun fact: this is the first band I have ever seen that has been around for 11 years with no lineup changes. That's awesome.)


They all met at Judson University, which is also in Elgin. There, they formed their band, which was originally called "The Least of These". They later changed to their current name, Citizen Way.


One thing about this band that I think is really cool, involves their lead singer, Ben. In 2011, Ben had completely lost his voice, and was told by doctors that a cyst had formed in his throat and he may never be able to sing, or even talk, ever again. Ben surrendered to God's plan for him, and said he would continue to put his trust in God, even if he could never sing again. So he went through the surgery, and hours later, came out of the surgery room singing "Amazing Grace."


The band has put out three singles, one in 2012 and two in 2013. Their first and only (so far) album was released in 2013. It is a really good album, and they are a fairly well known band now. Their song "How Sweet the Sound" has about 854,500 views on YouTube as of August 31, 2015. My favorite songs of theirs are "Evidence" and "Should've Been Me." Definitely check them out!


--Have you ever heard any music by Citizen Way? If not, go listen to some of their songs. What do you think? Let me know in the comments!

Another round of bands you guys have recommended for me today! I must say, I'm totally not loving this post idea. Not only is it a great interesting topic, it gives me suggestions for new music to listen to, and possibly some new music for you guys too! Definitely check these bands out, they are all great! So let's begin!

The Museum (recommended by Mark McClellan)


I don't think this band has enough fans. Their music is too good for the small following they have. They deserve a lot more! I have added their songs to my playlist! Thank you for the recommendation. My favorite songs by them are "My Help Comes From the Lord" and "All Over the World"


Flyleaf (recommended by Matt Kittelson)


I LOVE THIS BAND. Seriously, this is like one of my favorite bands now. It reminds me a lot of Skillet, but with a female lead singer (and no violin). They are awesome. The first singer and the new singer are both great! I have been listening to their music constantly lately. My favorite songs by them are "Set Me on Fire" and "All Around Me".


Hawk Nelson (recommended by Jennifer Nelson)


He is pretty good! I hadn't heard that many of his songs, but I'll definitely be checking out more of them now! His music has a great message. His music is similar to Matthew West (at least that's what it reminds me of!). Thanks for the recommendation! My favorite songs by him are "Drops in the Ocean" and "Sold Out".


--Do you have any recommendations for me? Share them with me in the comments, and I may feature them on the blog!

I have to admit, it was pretty tough to find a new not well-known band that I could recommend. The most talented bands seem to be already well known. When you look for bands not well known, there usually is a reason they aren't well known. Who would have thought? But I found one that a friend recommended. (Thanks Meeko!) It's a band called ABANDON.


Abandon is awesome. They are not new, but they have had a lot of lineup changes over the years, so the newest guys haven't been in the band very long. But they are pretty good! Of course, they still have work to do, there's definitely stuff they can improve on, but if they keep it up, I think they could be a big band someday.


Their band name was inspired by Matthew 10:38, which says "And the that does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven." That's something that I like knowing. I always wonder how bands choose their names. It's cool seeing bands that have names inspired by Bible verses (that's what I did!).


Originally, the band was made up of two brothers, two cousins, and a friend. (Which is awesome.) Unfortunately, they have had a lot of lineup changes over the years, so it is no longer relatives, but it's still cool that it originally was that way.


I definitely recommend them. Some of my favorite songs by them: "Talk to Me", "Live it Out", and "Under Fire". Their 2012 album, "Control", is definitely my favorite of their albums! Go check them out!


--Have you heard Abandon? Do you like them? If you haven't, what is a not-very-well known band that you like? Let's talk in the comments!

As promised, this week I'm talking about some more of my favorite performances from Lifest 2015! (I know there aren't many... I promise, if I'm still blogging by next year, there will be MANY more!)


Chris Tomlin

Chris Tomlin was awesome!! It was so cool to see him in person. He is my favorite worship leader, ever. I can't understand how he can come up with so many great songs, and not have albums like 5 years apart! It's incredible. So happy I could worship with him and his band and Louie Giglio and all of the people there!


Jeremy Camp

Unfortunately, I was not at the grandstand for Jeremy Camp. But I was within hearing distance, and he was awesome! I didn't really think I liked Jeremy Camp, but now that I have heard him live, I'm a big fan. I'll be listening to him a lot more now! (Also, he is ripped. He was doing one handed pushups on stage while singing, and he didn't miss a note. That is so cool. If you missed it, check it out here: 


Disciple

Disciple is a not super well known band, but they should be. They are pretty awesome! I had to stay up past midnight to see them, but it was totally worth it. I would do it again! Definitely check them out! They are very similar to RED. Speaking of which...


RED

I had to stay up past 2:00 AM to watch them, but it was cool! They put on a really good show. My only complaint is they started half an hour late (I think they were having some technical issues) so I was exhausted the next morning, but it is what it is! Maybe next year they will start on time. Either way, I'll go see them again!