Not share in the “burn-me-a-CD” kind of way. People in this town do not look to kindly on that. I don’t want to get shunned in the streets.

Instead, I will list for you some new stuff I’m listening to and show you how to purchase that for yourself. Were you to choose to listen to it on Spotify or Rdio before you buy it, well… I have nothing to do with that. I’m not the boss of you.

This music isn’t all necessarily new in 2012, it’s just new to me in 2012. So there’s that.

[And let me say that I'm not sure 100% of these songs have 0% cuss words... I honestly can't remember. So listen with some discernment, mainly because I don't have time to word check every single song on these albums. Thank you and carry on.]

. . . . .

The Head And The Heart … I get to hear this band in March with my Besty Betsy and I am  happy about that. If they were a math equation, they would be

Mumford & Sons + a girl – a banjo + piano – keyboard

Because I’m a musical mathematician, that’s why.

. . . . .

Easy by Rascal Flatts … Sometimes a song says a thing perfectly, and I haven’t even broken up with anyone lately. I just like dramatically singing in my car. [You're welcome.] Also, I LOVE Natasha Bedingfield’s part.

. . . . .

Give Us Rest by David Crowder Band … I absolutely love this band. So so much. This is their final album and they do not disappoint. Thirty four tracks? Cut it out.

. . . . .

Deluxe Companion by Mumford & Sons … Don’t roll your eyes at me. I know I already own the recorded album and I just purchased the live album. I am a sucker for all things Mumford. You know this. And the live album? Well. It’s different. Sorta. Ahem.

. . . . .

Amen by Eden’s Edge … Two weekends ago I was strutting through the airport and I could not get this song out of my head. Thanks to the magical technology of Anita iPhone and an iTunes gift card, I bought this song right there in the terminal. Oh 2012, you’re so cool.

Also, this is a great song. [I like country music. Sue me.]

. . . . .

Kopecky Family Band … I’m spending a little time spinning this beauty today since I’m going to their show tonight. Me thinks it will be a nice time. I haven’t been to a proper concert since returning from Scotland [except Christmas stuff], so it will be great to hear live music.

. . . . .

Reason To Sing by All Sons & Daughters … I dig this band. They work hard. They make great worship music. I think we’ll be singing their masterpieces for many years to come.

Fun fact. When I type “sons” into my iTunes, I get to listen to this album and then Mumford. Not mad about that.

. . . . .

All My Devotion by Kristene Mueller … welp. This worship song plays a few times a day in my life. It’ll ruin you [in a good way].

“Take it all, take it all. Just give me Jesus.”

Phew… I want to mean that every time I sing it. So I’ll sing it until I do.

. . . . .

What are you listening to right now? 

. . . . .

There is no reason why I love these songs. I just do. Do I feel a smidge of shame? Maybe. But do I turn the station when the radio plays one of these? Absolutely not.

These are the Top 5 songs that I love dearly, even if it isn’t cool to love them. These are the songs that I remember singing as a child, or as a teen, and knowing that they would follow me into my adult life and be in my heart forevermore.

Don’t judge me. Celebrate with me. Watch the videos, relax into the music. Realize that in days gone by, there was some interesting songs being made that WE ALL STILL LOVE. Okay? Okay. Proceed.

1. Islands in the Stream

Dolly + Kenny = a win. Every time.

. . . . .

2. Fancy

Don’t even get me started. You know how I feel about Reba. If you haven’t read this post from when I stood beside Reba, do it. And mourn with me.

. . . . .

3. I Just Called To Say I Love You

The first boy who thinks to call me and sing this chorus will have my undying affection.

. . . . .

4. Uptown Girl

I grew up singing this song with my Mom. [Uh, dear Mama, do you care that I just told the Internet that you had a thing for Billy Joel in the 80s? Would you like me to also mention that you loved Tom Selleck from Magnum PI?

No? Ok. I won't then.]

. . . . .

5. To Be With You

Right? Who is with me? You know you loved this song. You KNOW you did. You still love it. You still do. It’s okay. This is a safe place. No judgement here.

Also, the key change at 2:30? That’s the stuff that magic is made of.

. . . . .

YOUR TURN!

Go ahead. Fess up. What are some songs that are your guilty pleasure?

. . . . .

Tis the season, y’all. Tis.

So let’s talk about our favorite Christmas songs. There are Many. Sundry. Piles. Zillions. I know. And you are going to put some in the comments that I’m gonna smack myself in the head and say, “Ugh. Yep. I should have put that in my Top 5.” But alas, you win. You always do.

So here are my top 5 favorite Christmas songs as best I can recall at this particular moment.

1. Oh Come All Ye Faithful

Dear Mariah, quit giving me goosebumps. Thanks.

2. White Christmas

I always found the ballerinas to be strange in this scene. But the song is so lovely.

3. Christmas Time Is Here

I hear this song, and I feel like it is the last day of school before Christmas holidays and I’m 10 years old and I can’t wait to eat a candy cane on the bus ride home. Nostalgia, thou art a strange friend.

4. Feliz Navidad

Members of the Downs family have been known, in the past, to furiously dance to this song. I’m just saying.

5. Mary Did You Know

It just makes me tear up every time. “…this child that you delivered will soon deliver you….” Goosebumps all over again.

. . . . .

YOUR TURN!

What are some of your favorite Christmas songs??

Congrats to Jenny for winning the beautiful print from Bit O Whimsey! Remember the rest of us get 10% off our purchase using the code ANNIEBLOGS2011 until October 31. Getcha some.

. . . . .

Happy Friday! Each Friday, we like to list 5 of our favorite things. Play along!

When I decided to move to Nashville, I made a playlist. I ran through that thing a bazillion times. It seemed that every time I heard those songs, courage rose up in me. They were the gas in my tank. I’ve added a few since then, new ones that speak to my soul. So today, I want to share with you, in no particular order, the….

TOP 5 SONGS THAT MAKE ME BRAVE

1. Always by Switchfoot 

Favorite lyric: “Hallelujah, I’m caving in. Hallelujah, I’m in love again. Hallelujah, I’m a wretched man. Hallelujah, every breath is a second chance.”

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is enough to have a quiet time over. Jon Foreman’s lyrics do that to me a lot. Like, a lot.

. . . . .

2. You Won’t Relent by Misty Edwards

Phew. This one is great for reminding me that God is the One pursuing, the One moving things [people], the One who truly does all the work. In brave moments, it’s good to remember who is in charge. [Answer: not you.]

Favorite lyric : “Come be the fire inside of me, come be the flame upon my heart.”

[cheesy video. My apologies. All the ones of Misty were 10 minutes long... oh Jesus Culture. You and your long worship songs. ]

. . . . .

3. Vision of You by Shane & Shane

Favorite lyric: “And may the vision of You be the death of me.”

Pre-Nash, I used to sing this. And weep. Every time. That line meant the world to me. I needed to say that to Jesus- I needed my desires to die to His until they could live in sync with what God had for me. It’s so funny to me, even now, three years later, I hear that lyric and tears come to my eyes.

Because I still need a vision of Jesus to be the death of me.

. . . . .

4. After the Storm by Mumford & Sons

My friends are laughing right now. Because they know what you are about to learn what they all know. I absolutely adore Mumford & Sons. You can read about it here. Obsessed? That’s too strong a word. But barely.

This song soothes. When things feel too hard, I turn here and I think about God.

Favorite lyric : “There will come a time, you’ll see, with no more tears. And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears. Get over your hill and see what you find there. With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair.”

. . . . .

5. Don’t Get Comfortable by Brandon Heath

I like Brandon. He’s a great guy. But I don’t listen to tons of his music. However, when I was packing up my house in 2008 [long before I liked him and thought he was a great guy], I found this CD. I played it. And this song moved me. Majorly.

Favorite lyric : “I am gonna move this mountain, then I’m gonna move you in. Yesterday, this is not yesterday. You were standing on My shoulders. Now you’re standing on the edge.”

. . . . .

And because I am always going to tell you something funny versus saving my pride, I’m here to confess that this song was on my list too.

Don’t judge me. I was ready, set, but I didn’t want to go. Also, I’m disheartened that I couldn’t find a video with Miley, because that’s the version I own on my iPod listened to sometimes.

. . . .

YOUR TURN!

What songs push you towards courage? 

Share on, friends, as many or as few songs as you like. 

. . . . .

Also, happy 30th birthday to my sister Tatum! Woot. Welcome to the 30s. You’re gonna love it. Being 30 is way cooler than people in their 20s want you to believe. Love you!

Apparently.

I never swore I’d be interesting.

But. I did try to be honest and interesting [mildly] in my most recent (in)courage post – The Challenge of Packing. I’d love if you would pop over there and tell me your thoughts. [Also- the last line is missing a word... I've told the important people. It shall be fixed.]

[You know I have the privilege of writing for (in)courage, right? Pretty much, it's a dream.]

Also. Because I love you, I’ll give you some insider deets. I did manage to pack too many hoodies, very little fleece [you are welcome, Amber Lehman], and a pair of shoes that don’t belong to me. [More on that next week.]

This is also funny: EVERY DAY I worry about repacking and making everything fit, especially since I’m coming home at Christmas and I want to bring gifts. Apparently I love to worry about things that matter NOT AT ALL right now.

I found one thing that I want to bring home that I absolutely can’t. Out Of The Blue. Gracious. I saw them perform yesterday and it was an absolute pleasure. So for your weekend, I present to you a song by the boys that will not fit in my suitcase, no matter how hard I try.

P.S- anyone who knows the Stoltzfus family- doesn’t the lead guy look like a missing Stoltz brother? I. KNOW. I thought so too.

P.P.S- totes sorry about missing Top 5 Friday. Why don’t you read back on some oldies and play along today?

P.P.P.S- Happy weekend.

Saviour King from Hillsong United

And now the weak say I have strength

By the spirit of power that raised Christ from the dead

And now the poor stand and confess

That my portion is Him and I’m more than blessed

Let now our hearts burn with a flame

A fire consuming all for your Son’s holy name

And with the heavens we declare

You are our King

We love You Lord, we worship You

You are our God, You alone are good

You asked Your Son to carry this

The heavy cross our weight of sin

I love You Lord, I worship You

Hope which was lost, now stands renewed

I give my life to honor this

The love of Christ, the Saviour King

Let now Your church shine as the bride

That you soar in Your heart as You offered up Your life

Let now the lost be welcomed home

By the saved and redeemed those adopted as Your own

I give my life to honor this

The love of Christ, the Saviour King

Let’s make a TOP 5 list every FRIDAY!

TOP 5 FRIDAY!

Starting today! Yay!

[I'm feeling very exclamatory today. Probably has something to do with a lack of sleep. Thanks a mil, boot camp. Now you're causing me to inappropriately use punctuation.]

So, here’s the first list- our most loved songs. Here’s how you figure out your most loved songs on iTunes. Open your music library, click on “plays” and it will list them by the most plays.

I was telling some friends on Tuesday night about doing this and I said, “the lame thing is that my first eight songs or so are from two bands, so I’m just gonna skip to the top 5 songs from different artists.”

Then Luke looked me dead in the eyes and said, “if you do that, I’m going to tell all your blog readers that you are a LIAR.” And I kinda think he would do it.

So I’m going to make two lists.

Here are my LITERAL top 5 most loved songs, even though it is a boring list because it is just Mumford and Brooke Fraser.

I don’t want you to judge me [reading this list or any in the future].

But I’m going to list the top 5 most loved songs from different artists.

1. After the Storm // Mumford & Sons (real #1)

• This is true. I absolutely love this song. It makes me think of Heaven and it makes my heart feel light.

2. Shadowfeet // Brooke Fraser (real #2)

• This actually isn’t my favorite Brooke Fraser song, so I think it is crazytown that this is #2, but it is the first song on the Albertine album. So. That’s that.

[now I will skip to the next top song from a different artist....]

3. You & I // Ingrid Michaelson (real #9)

• This whole song is about falling in love and getting rich – two things I planned to do by 25 and now I’m just hoping to do before I expire.

4. Need You Now // Lady Antebellum (real #12)

• I wish I could say this was in support of my friends. In all honesty, it is because I like to sing Dave’s harmony. Sue me.

5. Static Waves // Andrew Belle (real #13)

• Laugh if you will. But I actually cannot really figure out what this song is about. But it sounds nice and Katie Herzig’s voice is cute as a button. So I listen to it a lot… approximately 43 times.

So there you have it!

Now. Your turn! In the comments, tell me your TOP 5 MOST LOVED SONGS!

[And there will be no judgement here. In fact, I may use up my iTunes gift card shopping for new songs all weekend because your favorites will become my favorite.]

Next Friday… TOP 5 FRIDAY: FAVORITE BOOKS! [So you can start your wheels a turnin'!]

You know I love to tell you about great music. Mumford and Sons. Dave Barnes. The Civil Wars. Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors.

And today? It is Mr. Matt Wertz.

There are a few musicians in town whose music I liked before I lived here. In most cases, becoming friends with the musician only made me like their music more.

[Except in one case when I was all, "Hey. I used to like your music but I think you are a total putz so I'm pretty sure your music is lame."]

But that wasn’t Wertz. I have nothing but the highest praise for Matt Wertz. He writes good music because he lives well. He is a good friend. He makes me laugh until my sides are totally aching. I absolutely adore him.

When I hear his music, it is who he is. It is true and honest. But it is also pop music and loud and a good time. This album is fun and deep and lovely and it is everything Spring. Your kids will love it. Your friends will love it. You will love it.

I absolutely adore this album.

So buy a copy of Weights & Wings, roll down your windows, and blast that puppy.

Or……

Speaking of Matt, here is something super cool. Like whoa cool.

Matt is an artist with Mocha Club. For $7/month, members on Matt’s team support the Women at Risk program. Through this program, former prostitutes in Ethiopia are given counseling and training and education so they are able to make an honest living.

And here’s what Matt is doing- anyone who joins Mocha Club and begins to donate $7/month to the Women at Risk program, he will give you a FREE COPY OF WEIGHTS & WINGS.

CLICK HERE to watch a video from Matt. [And there is a place to join on this page if thou art so inclined.]

Right? Amazing. So Matt’s just giving away one of the greatest new albums in 2011 if you will help women in Africa.

That’s nutso. And amazing.

So join Mocha Club and get Weights & Wings for FREE or just go grab a copy for yourself.

Either way, you win. You always do.

I hear ya.

And I’ve got just what the doctor ordered. The spiritual doctor, that is.

[Not the witch doctor. Not that kind of spiritual doctor. Sheesh. Weird.]

Roll up your sleeve. Be brave. This won’t hurt.

. . . . .

Shot #1: New worship song

My worship leader from Atlanta, Daniel Bashta, released his first song on iTunes yesterday- it’s called Like A Lion. And listen, if you love a good 5 minutes of worship in your day, this is your song.

Or, if you want your kids to dance around the house to some good worship music, this is your song.

Or, if you [I] like to dance around the house [my house] to some good worship music, this is your [my] song.

And then my worlds collided when one of my dearest Nash-friends Andy did work on the album and I was all, “Gracious does everyone on the entire earth know each other because sometimes it feels that way and would you please sing ‘It’s A Small World With Me’ now?”

Anyways.

Get Like A Lion. You’ll love it.

. . . . .

Shot #2: The Secret of Victory

Wow. This sermon from Sunday is one of the most powerful I have heard in a while. I was lucky enough to hear it live, and I’m telling you, it was all.I.could.do. not to yell, “come on, Cory!” while he was preaching. It was that strong of a word.

I’ve known Cory for about ten years and he’s always been great, but I will tell you- there was something different on Sunday morning. Some Holy Spirit stuff. Some power of God stuff. Some victory talkin’ stuff.

I really can’t say this strongly enough and if I capitalize this whole section you won’t read it. [I know your ways, blog reader.] Just let me say- if you are a Christian and you are pursuing a stronger relationship with God, you should absolutely make time to watch this and take notes and pray through it.

It is worth thirty-two minutes and fifty-seven seconds of your Wednesday.

[Here is the link to Cory's sermon The Secret To Victory if you can't view the embedded version.]

Seriously. How many Sundays have I had a blog? [You do the math- this little corner of the internet sky has been alive since November 2006.] And how many Sundays have I told you to listen to the sermon from this week?

ONCE.

TODAY.

. . . . .

Shot #3: Time in the Word

I am happy [and shocked] to report that I am two months into reading the Bible in a year and I am [gasp] still on track.

If you recall, I am using this Disciple Journal Bible Reading Plan that only makes you read 25 days each month. And that has made all.the.difference for me. Just having those 3-5 extra slack days has made this task feel less like a race that I am losing. [That's not until Saturday.... sheesh.]

The second thing that has made this successful is that I read a little portion of four different sections of the Bible every day. So I don’t feel exhausted before I even start, like “Huh? 45 chapters of Leviticus? Save me.” Instead, it’s a piece of the OT, the Psalms, the Gospels, and Paul’s letters. Easy stuff. Fancy stuff.

If you want, join in now! Start in March. Let’s do this thang in 2011!

. . . . .

I know this post ran long, and I know that it is all about God stuff and I don’t often do that. But I guess there are times when the thing that is absolutely most important in my real life deserves to be the center of my bloggy attention. It’s all for Him anyways.

Acts 17:28

“For in Him we live and move and have our being.“

Amen.

To say it politely- I’m not perfect. And I got a four star reminder of that.

BUT. It was great to see my friends and it was a wonderful event. I was super glad to be there.

[Big sigh. Moving on.]

2. I drove back to Nashville on Sunday night and for once, I decided that I would make myself listen to FULL albums, no skipping, no This American Life, just albums start to finish. And I made myself sing every song. [I love singing. So this was the easier of the two requirements.]

Here’s what I listened to:

• Sigh No More, Mumford & Sons
• Barton Hollow, The Civil Wars
• Everybody, Ingrid Michaelson
• Speak Now, Taylor Swift
• Chasing Someday, Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors

I don’t know that this list matters to you at all. But here it is. It felt like a real accomplishment to listen to five straight albums. Very un-Annie. [I'm a shuffler. A major shuffler.]

3. My (in)courage friend, Heather, is raising money for her daughter. Some of our (in)courage sisters got together and donated a few items. The (in)courage email said “if you have a craft or a book you’d like to donate…” and I was looking to my right and to my left and then suddenly I was like, “Oh, you mean ME? Oh yeah! I have a book.” It my pleasure to donate a few books to help– so check out Heather’s Etsy site and buy some stuff, yo.

4. Speaking of books, my friend Seth Godin has a new book called Poke the Box releasing this week and the KINDLE VERSION OF POKE THE BOX COSTS ONLY ONE AMERICAN DOLLAR [until the end of TODAY]! $1.00. Seriously. So buy that puppy- it will change how you do business. I promise. [You may know the girl he talks about on page 1. I'm just saying. I died- in the good way.]

5. Also- this happened on the drive yesterday. Hair mustaches are all the rage in 2011.

[Do you love my serious face or what? I know. I'm a class act. Fully deserving of being in Seth Godin's book. Or. Possibly. This picture may cause him to rewrite the first two pages of the book, because I'm a nut job.]

6. Speaking of people who shouldn’t associate with yahoos like me, my (in)courage friend Ann Voskamp hit the NYT Best Sellers list last week with her AH-MAZE-ING book One Thousand Gifts. You need to read this book.

7. I miss Scotland.