When you think of Jeremy Camp, the words "shy" and "quiet" don't come to mind. Energetic? Yes. Passionate? Definitely. Straightforward? Absolutely. Camp's thoughtful lyrics and booming voice have earned him legions of fans and accolades including 16 No. 1 songs, five Dove Awards, three ASCAP Songwriter of the Year wins and an American Music Award nomination. So why would someone so well known for his willingness to speak his mind and share his heart title his latest release Speaking Louder Than Before? After all, his message has always come through loud and clear.
Jeremy Camp is a renewed man, that's why. Over the course of four studio discs and one live album, this grown up pastor's kid has shared his life with us. Through his songs we've seen the joy and the sorrow, his devotion to God, his fear of falling short and his certainty that Jesus is the answer to life's toughest questions. Even when Jeremy's message became painfully persona when losing his first wife to cancer just months after their wedding, he boldly wore the mantle of comforter, soothing the pain of others by sharing his story, listening patiently to theirs, and providing them with songs that expressed what they were feeling when their grief left them unable to speak. It was that life-altering tragedy that inspired his early career.
Now, remarried with two young children and a new home base in Nashville, Camp feels like he's starting fresh. "It's so new because I'm in such a different place," he says. "I'm 30 years old now. I've been doing this for a while and so much has happened since it began. At this point, I have a more clear-cut purpose and vision of what I'm meant to do. I'm more purposeful in what I'm sharing." Being more purposeful is important now that time on the road can mean time away from his family. So Speaking Louder isn't so much about Camp turning up the volume as it is finding greater clarity in what God's called him to do. And while he continues to grow and mature as an artist and a man, it only makes sense that this rocker with a preacher's heart would use his platform to proclaim louder than ever the message he knows today's kids need to hear.
Speaking Louder's songs will resonate with people of any age, but Camp's message this time around is directed squarely at youth. "I see the hurt, the lack of direction, in this new generation," the former youth leader says. "I always had a passion for youth, but this album is really aimed at them." He just planned on delivering that message from a different location. The Camp clan was planning to settle down in Jeremy's home state of Indiana, build a home, plant some roots. It seemed like the right time to take that next step. But as he was reading his Bible one day, Camp says he sensed God saying, "don't put your tent pegs in too deep here." Soon after, he felt directed to move to Nashville. Since relocating, he's found his place, encouraging other artists by sharing what he's learned. The Camps also found a spiritual home in a church just outside of Nashville. Adrienne is involved in the women's ministry and leads worship (drawing on her experience in the Christian band The Benjamin Gate), while Isabella, nearly four, and Arianne, two, were welcomed with open arms by a congregation completely unfazed by what their dad does for a living. The positive effects are visible to others, too. "My mom told me, 'you just seem more at peace and more settled than you ever have,'" Camp recounts.
It's a good thing life at home is calm, because Camp admits he's "the busiest I've ever been," balancing work and family life. It helps that the Camps have made a commitment not to be apart for more than a week at a time. "My priority is my family the girls are at such a crucial age that I just want to pour into them even more but I also know what I'm called to do. We tell the girls, 'dad's going out and sharing Jesus with people.'"
If life had gone just a little differently, Camp would probably be standing behind a pulpit instead of a microphone. But he spreads his message through music, anthemic songs with all the depth of a Sunday sermon. Sometimes waiting for that divine inspiration can be a little nerve-wracking, though. Camp was scheduled to start recording Speaking Louder Than Before in May 2008 with Grammy-winning producer Brown Bannister (Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Third Day, Rich Mullins). The album's first single, "There Will Be a Day," wasn't penned until April. Talk about cutting it close. "It wasn't because I wasn't prepared," Camp insists. "It was because I refused to force it." In the end, he replaced a several of the songs written earlier in the year with newer tunes that may draw some attention because of the urgency that he addresses.
"Some people might think I'm being preachy. I'm not angry; I'm not pointing a finger. Really, my heart is breaking. I'm talking about loving people and serving people." And it's not a message he necessarily believes everyone is called to deliver. "I'm telling my story," he clarifies. I'm pointing that finger at me." As he works to live out what he's teaching others, Camp admits it's a battle to stay on track. "If my heart's not breaking for the lost, I won't come across the way I need to." That realization keeps him on his face before God, turning to passages like Psalm 119, where's he's regularly reminded that he's not the one building this house. "I've given up on making this life my home," he says, adding, "I don't want to put my messy handprints all over this."
During pre-production, Camp was still bringing songs to Bannister, whose excitement was just the encouragement that was needed. Once in the studio, Camp recorded for five straight days, 12 hours each day, with some of Nashville's best session players backing him up and offering input that resulted in a larger sound than ever before. With its epic feel, haunting strings and plenty of ear candy, Louder goes far beyond any of Camp's previous projects, but the inspiration solidly remains the same.
The track "You Will Be There" is drawn directly from Psalm 139, while "I Know Who I Am" is based on Paul's impassioned speech in Romans 7 about doing the things he doesn't want to and failing to do what he knows he should (who can't relate to that?). Camp credits Bannister's "true heart and passion for what he's doing" with bringing out the best in him. "He knows how to get in my head and help me figure out how to get across what I want to." There's also the very personal song "Healing Hand of God," which serves as an epilogue of sorts to the story of Camp's loss of his first wife, a subject he needed encouragement to revisit. "I never want this to be just a story. It was my life, it was her life, and it was hard. But I still have people who come up to me every night who have lost someone, and God showed me that this is still part of His plan for me. It's a chapter of my life He still wants me share." But as the years have passed, he's been given a new perspective on his pain, singing now about finding rest in the shadow of His wing. The worshipful track "Surrender" serves as a fitting album closer.
Camp's calling isn't for the faint of heart. He knows he's to be the image of Christ to those he comes across, to show love and serve at all times. It's what he sings about and it's what he lives. "God called us to be the light of the world as we represent Him," he says emphatically, his conviction never wavering. "When you're speaking the truth, when you know what you believe, you speak loud." If that's the case, it's no wonder Camp goes through life with the volume turned all the way up.
Jeremy Speaks Loudly About...
Sharing the Gospel at his concerts: "Realizing that I have a platform to share with thousands of people, I always share the gospel every night, speaking the truth in love. I also know I need to be an example of Christ every day, too."
Love without truth: "Society today is all about love and no rules. We tiptoe around people, but if you love someone and never tell them the truth, their life will never be changed. When you speak the truth, that is love."
Talking to others about our faith: "God's Word is living and active and when you're experiencing God moving and living in your life, that will come out naturally when you're talking to somebody."
The role of the Bible in our lives: "The Bible is all we need, but there is a departure from the Word of God -- we're replacing it with other things."
His new campaign, Speak Up, Speak Now, Speak Loud: "It's an agenda without an agenda. The Speak Up comes from Paul saying, 'I didn't come to you with persuasive words, the Holy Spirit did the work.' It's not about what you can do on your own power. God just wants us to spend time with Him and have a willing heart. Speak Now comes from the urgency of the scary times we live in. Lastly, Speak Loud challenges us to hear loud this declaration from out across the nations where people are crying out. It's not about volume, it's about the substance behind what we're saying."
The teaching tools that accompany this album: For each song, Camp has created commentaries that feature him in a video song-by-song for the whole album. There are also music videos, and whether you've purchase a physical CD or download of Speaking Louder Than Before, you'll get access to these extras.
Hello,
My name is Cody Pellerin and I was born and raised in Phoenix Arizona. What is there for a boy to do in Phoenix Arizona you ask? That is just the middle of the desert! There are cowboys, lizards, and tumbleweeds blowing around, right?
Well………
My parents and close family are all pretty extreme people. Anything from doing 120mph in a boat, to jumping a dirt bike 90 feet off the back of a sand dune in Southern California, to traveling somewhere in Mexico where no one speaks our language just to “hanging” out.
My parents put me in the water when I was 2 weeks old. I had one of those life jackets with the little head flap so my dome wouldn’t fall in the water and drown me. They later (about 3 or 4 years old) gave me a little blow up raft and threw me in the ocean and said “Paddle!!!!” About this same time my dad bought me my first dirt bike. It was a Yamaha Trizinger!!! I still remember it. It was black and yellow and I had a matching helmet. Every other week we would go to the dunes in Cali or to the Cinders in Northern Arizona and ride. I remember hanging on to those handle bars with every bit of strength I had chasing my dad thru trails, dunes, desert, and forest. I also remember hitting trees, trying to jump and wrecking, flying of ledges and wiping out. I would hit the ground, cry a bit, and do it again.
When I was about 5 my parents for some weird reason bought me some Hockey sticks. Still not really sure cause it was like 120 degrees out side. I later signed up for some house hockey leagues and was hooked. Playing 4 or 5 times a week.
By the time I was a young teenager I was on the water every week driving boats at 80 mph or faster, Jumping off 50 foot cliffs into the water, water skiing, knee boarding, going way to fast on dirt bikes, jumping my bicycle off ramps me and my brother built, playing competitive hockey with guys 5 years older then me, and traveling more then all my friends.
I remember being about 14 years old and going to places like Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, and Mexico City. Traveling way out into the middle of the jungle and thinking, “We are never going to get out of here!” Eating foods I didn’t even know existed, seeing things that were new to my eyes, and doing things I never dreamed of.
Somewhere in the middle of all this my love for music was growing. Why? My oldest memories also have music playing in the background of my mind. I remember sitting around a campfire eating marsh mallows after a long day of riding, hanging out in the boat, sitting on the beach, staring another hockey player in the eyes at a face off and hearing bands like Van Halen, Motley Crew, Guns & Roses, Bon Jovi, Skid Row, and Metalica in the back ground. This stuff got my blood pumping!!!
When I was 14 my parents bought me a guitar, but there was a catch. As always if I was going to do something it had to be all or nothing. In my parents house half hearted attempts were not aloud. So the catch was if I got a guitar I would take music lessons. Which like everything else I enjoyed in my life went from something small to being a part of my lifestyle. I went from taking one 30 minute lesson a week to one 1 hour lesson a week along with music theory classes in school and being in a private music school with all college students. It seemed like over night I was out playing my college professors of music and I was 15!
I started a band….they broke up. I started another…..they broke up. By the time I was 18 I had played in about 20 different bands and played in every club in the valley. All of these bands lasted anywhere from 2 weeks to six months.
At the age of 19 I had just graduated high school and was trying to start another band. I had my eye on the drum skills of Jordan Messer who was 16. Somehow instead of me stealing him to join my band Jordan convinced me to check out something he was trying to get going. So Jordan, Adam, and I started what we all today know as Stellar Kart.
Somewhere in the middle of this great spaghetti puzzle is me, an extreme guy who for some reason likes bumps and bruises, a guy who travels and then travels some more just for fun. Everything I do is to the max. My wife wanted a Siberian husky so I bought her three! I wanted to be healthy so I work out all the time and eat well all the time. I wanted to see the world so I travel out of the country at least once a year and sometimes 2 or 3 times in a year with my wife. I have touched the soil of every state in our country including Alaska and Hawaii. With Stellar Kart we have played every major city in the Country and travel over seas.
Now that I have read this I guess I should take a break and try to relax a bit. But then again that wouldn’t be nearly as much fun…..right?
Hello, my name is Adam Agee (pronounced A-Jee) and I have the good fortune of singing and playing guitar for Stellar Kart. My birthday is June 9th, which also happens to be Johnny Depp’s birthday. We are friends because of that fact. I am married to a beautiful girl named Sharon and we have a 1-year-old daughter named Emma who is the cutest human God has ever created.
I was born in Mobridge, South Dakota where my dad was the pastor of Mobridge Baptist Church. The winters there were amazingly cold and I would beg my dad to throw me into the 20-foot high snowdrifts outside our house. It was here where I developed my love for hunting and fishing because they were not just hobbies, they were a main source of food for our family.
Then, when I was in elementary school, my dad got a job as a pastor in Norman, Oklahoma. We lived there for several years and then halfway through my 8th grade year we moved to Arizona. Moving halfway through your 8th grade year is not fun. Or easy. I don’t recommend it. Of course, the junior high years were awkward being that I had glasses…and braces…and bad hair…and no sense of style, but I tried to make the most of it by playing every sport that was offered to me. Basketball, Football, Golf, and Baseball occupied most of my time, but all the while I kept up with school and was a decent student.
High school is very glamorized these days through movies like High School Musical, High School Musical 2, High School Musical 3…and various TV shows, but for me high school was much different. I went to four different high schools in four years. We moved from Prescott Valley to Phoenix right after the start of my sophomore year so I wound up having to home school for that year. Then, I went to school junior year and it looked like life was getting back to normal when, right before my senior year started, that school said they would not accept my home school credits and would not let me graduate, even though I had a 3.8 GPA my junior year. So…here’s where it gets interesting.
I wound up going to an alternative school and finishing my senior year there. It was a little scary at first because I was one of the only non-violent offenders there. I did learn a lot that year, both in and out of the classroom.
So graduation came and I could not wait to get out of high school. I had worked odd jobs since I was fourteen (my favorite was being a bagboy at Safeway…67th Ave and Beardsley) and at the time of graduation had a great job working for an architect. I did not want to give up that great job so I wound up just going to work straight out of high school. I did that for another year until my boss decided to move away. He asked me to go with him, but I said no and gave in to…college.
I was nineteen when I decided to pick up a guitar. I actually started playing to impress a girl, but it didn’t work. I kept playing and practicing and picked it up pretty quickly. I started attending Arizona State University and even played guitar in the Baptist Student Union’s praise band. I was still not very good and could only really play songs in the key of G, but I kept playing. Jordan’s dad is the one who taught me how to play and as soon as I was able to change chords fast enough, we began to jam (and I mean that in the loosest sense of the word…it sounded more like cars crashing into each other.) We began to play music for the youth group and started leading worship. Our youth pastor Trei actually gave us keys to the church so we could practice…scary. It was in college that I met my wife, she was a senior and I was a freshman , and she is absolutely the best thing to ever happen in my life. I can’t believe I got married when I was twenty-one, but looking back I wouldn’t change a thing.
While in college and about a year after I started playing guitar, I helped start a church called theBridge in Tempe, AZ right next to the university. I led worship and we tried to inspire the students and everyone who attended to BE the church and not just GO to church. We tried our best to serve the local community and be a light on campus. I worked at theBridge until Stellar Kart became a national touring reality and since then have played about 1,000 shows all over the world.
I believe that all my experiences, good and bad, have shaped my mind and heart to try my best to be all things to all people. I hope that my life story will encourage others and make a difference in the world. I love God and I love my family. My parents, sister Amy, and all my other family have been there for me all along and I would not be here right now without their support. Thank you for your time and remember, “If you can dream it, you can do it.”
Hi everyone, my name is Brian Calcara. I am originally from Cedar Rapids , IA. For those of you that don’t know where Iowa is, it is below Minnesota and above Missouri . It’s to the right of Kansas and to the left of Illinois . I had a pretty cool childhood growing up, I spent most of my time playing wiffle ball in the summer and sledding in the winter. I remember on rainy days we would play ball in our basement which was painted like the Royals stadium. I’m not kidding, my parents knew this guy who painted our basement to look identical to the Kansas City Royals stadium. You see, my parents both grew up in K.C. so the liking for the teams sort of rubbed off on me.
When I wasn’t playing real sports I would play rec-games like ping-pong. I love ping-pong more than about anything. I remember one year for Christmas we got a ping-pong table and that’s all I did most of the year. When I made it to high school my love for sports fell by the way side. I started to get into music. My dad said, “I will buy you guitars as long as you always use them for God’s glory.” My brothers and I agreed. My dad took us to the music store. My brother picked out a guitar and I picked out a guitar, or what I thought was a guitar, was really a bass. That’s right, I didn’t know the difference between a guitar and a bass at the time. So, that’s how I started playing bass. My brothers and I formed a band called Ramshackle. I know that name is kind of funny. We couldn’t think of anything else so Ramshackle became our name by default.
When I finished high school, I decided to go to college so that we could keep Ramshackle together. My older brothers T.J., Adam, and my friend Ryan who was our drummer, all went to college at the University of Northern Iowa so I followed. After about two years of college Ramshackle decided to call it quits. College became enough worry of its own without the band. So we all went our separate ways. I was at a loss of what to do with my life at that point. I was a general studies major in college, and I had always dreamed of going on the road and playing music, but my luck seemed to have run out. Ramshackle was no more.
I started to pray for direction. I remembered in the past that if I asked God for guidance he would always give it to me. I prayed almost everyday that God would show me what he wanted for me. I think at that point I became content. I realized that I had to be content with what God had given me, which was 61 credits as a general studies major, an awesome girlfriend, Sarah, who would later become my wife, and a job as a barista at Starbucks, training began Tuesday.
Then, on a Monday afternoon, I got a phone call from a friend from church. My friend Walt informed me that some friends of his in Stellar Kart needed a bass player. Stellar Kart’s bass player had just quit the band and they needed someone to come out with them on their first national tour. My friend Ryan (drummer in Ramshackle) said he would help me make an audition tape. I bought the Stellar Kart CD “All Gas, No Brake” and practiced. I practiced all afternoon so that I could record the audition tape that night. My audition tape turned out to be awful. I played mostly the wrong notes. I was pretty rusty because I had set my bass down for the past couple of months. But, I sent it to Stellar Kart anyway, that same night. I knew that if it was what God wanted he would make it work.
The next day my friends Adam, Cody and Jordan called and invited me to play bass with them. I dropped all my college classes, quit Starbucks before I started, and said “goodbye” to my girlfriend Sarah. I was flying to Phoenix .
So that’s how I became the bass player of Stellar Kart. I’ve been with the band for three years now and I really enjoy what I do. I would like to thank you for reading and for supporting us.
I - Jordan Messer came into this world the morning of April 27th 1984. In Yuma, Arizona is where I took my first breath. For my 4th birthday my dad brought home my first drumset (2 hours later) the heads were already busted through and were not able to come back to life so they were thrown in the trash. The second attempt my parents brought home was another set that didn't last much longer than a few days. So then came the third attempt. As it came through the door, I had never seen anything like it (in my four years with a heart beat). It was black and had so many toms that once it was set, i had to spin my chair around so i could bang every single one of them. That was a TAMA i don't even know the signature kit classic, Everyday after school i spent sitting behind the monster, practicing everything my dad had taught me from the night before.
As my 4th grade was ending my dad got a new job up in phoenix, Arizona. So my family which consists of my mom and dad and my two sisters, My sisters were older and brutal. They enjoyed dressing me up like a girl and curling my mullet hair, but i bet it happens to every boy growing up with sisters, or maybe not. Anyways i couldn't of asked for a better family.
Growing up I stayed close to drumming and my sport of choice, baseball. I was usually found on the pitchers mound being talked to by my coach and as fun as baseball was, my drums at home were lonely and picking up dust. So after hitting a few more batters with my not so curveball, i decided to call off my baseball career and just all sports in general until my friends and i had a wacked out idea to play freshman football. I had never played on a football team before and that lasted a week and a half. The helmets were just too tight. So as the coach said waterbreak, we took off running to the locker room leaving the helmets and pads behind.
My high school days were packed spent at the malls listening to new bands with headphones in the music store, buying new clothes and wishing to find a new girlfriend. At Age 17 I started a band with my friend Adam. We really needed a good guitar player to make our little band work and the next day is where i noticed this huge bodybuilder dude Cody, who was in my systematics (weightlifting) class. He walked into the locker room with a guitar in hand and sat down and started playing sweet little somethings to all of us who were changing into our gym clothes. I liked him and asked him to join the band. He said nope but later yes. We together wrote enough songs to have my dad record a couple records for us. Amazingly they sold millions.......Wait nope that was a dream, but we did sell out of the few thousand we had made. This was definitely what i wanted to spend the rest of my life doing, unfortunately no paying shows were in the books. Only free shows out in the middle of the desert playing to our loyal families and the nearby cows and horses. Now that my amazing parents gave me a car, I needed money for gas and date nights. So i got hooked with a job. I worked for an indoor painting company everyday after school. I was a hard worker, well it was hard keeping my feet out of the paint cans and spilling the paint, but yeah i was a hard worker and the pay was great.
As my four years of C's for classes that matter and A's for team sports flew by, I graduated Mountain Ridge High School in 2002 with a huge smile, but smile would slowly fall upside down knowing next up in my life I was to leave off to college. Well i didn't really leave, it was only a twenty minute drive. I was not into school at all but, college here i came (only to stay on my moms insurance.) Luckily college only lasted a year until we decided to all drop out and jump in the van and go play shows outside of phoenix and see how far we could get. We ended up staying gone away from home for over three months. In that time we played a lot of shows and recorded a new record that eventually got us a record deal with WORD/ TIME WARNER.
I was so super stoked to sign my name and make this dream a reality. After seeing a lot of the world, Three records have been released nationally. My long time amazing girlfriend that i needed money for all our date nights became my amazing wife on september 9th 2006. I now have a full drum sponsorship with TRUTH CUSTOM DRUMS, drumsticks made by PRO MARK with my name on them, and shoes,shirts, and whatever they make from VANS SHOE CO. I can only thank GOD above for giving me this life i live. I am truly blessed. Thankfully, we are not done yet, I have so much more I want to do and see.
"A few weeks back, the Internet was abuzz with rumors of a Jonas sighting at a jewelry store in Texas. Eyewitnesses supposedly placed the Jonas boys there with Momma Jonas. It wasn’t long before the rumors began spinning that Kevin was buying an engagement ring for his girlfriend.
Of course we had to get to the bottom of this and the verdict is….
Eh not so much!
Here’s the truth straight from the boys’ mouths!
Kevin: No, not ring shopping.
Nick: Our mom wasn’t even there.
Kevin: If you look at the pictures, you can see there was no one in the store with us.
Joe: We were shopping in the mall and we were doing Christmas shopping and we love David Yurman, we all have like, David Yurman pieces and his brand new jewelry just came out so we’re like, “Oh, let’s go in there.” We were joking, we were saying, “Oh, one of us is going to be ring shopping,” and an hour later…
Nick: I think our Aunt, actually, it was so funny because she was in there with us and we were shopping for a couple people but just for fun, she looked at this ring and it had this HUGE ring…
Kevin: It was like this big! [Holds out fingers]
Joe: She held it up and there were all these fans in the window and Kevin’s behind her and I was like [opens mouths and puts hands on cheeks] ahhh!! Nooo!! It was so bad! Put it down!
Kevin: Whatever we did buy, we hid and went to the back room cause we didn’t want our secret gifts for our parents to get out, so.
Nick: There’s a couple [of rumors out there] that are pretty funny.
Kevin: Yeah, there’s always some…
Nick: I like that, that was my favorite one.
Kevin: No, that our mom was there and…
Nick: I was like, “Kevin, thanks for telling me that you’re getting engaged! I was in the store with you!”
Kevin: My dad calls me, my dad actually called me, “Is there something I should know Kevin?” I’m like, “Dad, really? Like, come on!” So it was really funny.
We knew there wasn’t much truth to THAT rumor. Thanks to the guys for helping squash it!"
I think that people really need to be careful about things that they hear. I mean rumors are really dangerous. So, if you ever tell sombody something that you found out, make sure it's true first. Or even better, not say anything at all. And if it's something really weird, and your dying to know if it's true, ask the person that it's about. In a nice way of course. =)
Here is a cool thing that I just read that Nick Jonas wrote.
D-Vision is a big part of our Change for the Children Foundation and its goal is to support people with Diabetes and help raise money to raise awareness, do research and find a cure.
In November 2005, I found out that I had Type 1 Diabetes. A month or two before I was diagnosed, I began to notice the usual symptoms: losing weight, the bad attitude, being thirsty, going to the bathroom all the time. I lost about fifteen pounds in two to three weeks, and it was just insane. I had a terrible attitude, which was totally odd for me because I’m actually a nice person. Especially being on the road around people all the time, you have to keep that positive energy going. And it was hard.
I took some time off from our tour to see a doctor, who packed me off to the hospital immediately when she heard my symptoms. My blood sugar was over 700. For someone who had no bad medical history ever to suddenly have the shock of diabetes was a bit overwhelming in itself, and then I had to learn all about it, learn all these things in such a short period of time. All of it was crazy. I also wondered if I could continue making music, but I had the support of my friends and the band to be there with me. My dad was back at home with my three other brothers, but my mom stayed at the hospital with me every night.
In March 2007, almost a year and a half after my diagnosis, I publicly announced that I have diabetes at Carnival For a Cure. I knew I wanted to go public and that seemed like the right time. I guess I wanted to kind of get “comfortable” with my diabetes before telling the world about it.
I found it amazing just how many people know somebody with diabetes or have diabetes themselves. We’d get these stories about how some of the kids were really afraid to tell their friends and how my situation gave them courage to do that. The fact that I’m able to have somewhat of a spotlight to share my story, I just feel blessed. I carry a supply of guitar picks in my pocket, and whenever I meet another “diabetic buddy” as I call them, I give them a pick, a cool little thing.
I appreciate that I have a platform to be able to share my story. I have this passion to be able to share with young people my age and be a positive light in a situation that might not be so positive. I’ve heard stories about kids who were in depression because after they got diagnosed they were just so upset about what was going on. That just touched my heart, and I wanted to be able to do something about it. I hope that I can be that positive light.
I know that Diabetes is a huge part of my life and I can’t just forget about it, obviously. I have to keep taking care of it and managing it, and learning more things about it. Hopefully one day they’ll come up with some type of cure, and I hope I’ll be one of the first to know about it.
To anyone out there who has been diagnosed, don’t let it slow you down at all. I made a promise to myself on the way to the hospital that I wouldn’t let this thing slow me down and I’d just keep moving forward, and that’s what I did. Just keep a positive attitude and keep moving forward with it. Don’t be discouraged.
So that’s my story and what D-Vision is all about. I have a chance to help others in my situation. Thanks for taking the time to learn and for any support you can give.
Thanks,
P.S. You might know the song “A Little Bit Longer.” I wrote it on one of those days when my blood sugar was a little out of control and I was kind of bumming. I walked by this room we were staying at, and it was so weird – all of a sudden there was this big ballroom with a piano in it. So I went in there, sat down at the piano and wrote the song. Here are the lyrics I wrote that day...
My freinds Ashley and Samantha are having a contest. Here's what you need to do.
All right guys.... here's what you have to do to win some Nick Jonas posters!
RULES: 1.) Write a poem. Either about why you like the Jonas Brothers and/or Nick Jonas OR just a poem about them and/or him. 2.) Send the poem to us at: JonasSwiftLovatoFANS@gmail.com 3.) Don't make it SUPER long.... 4.) You MUSThave your poem sent to us by December 24, 2008 - 11:59:59 pm. If it is not to us by that time, you're poem will not be included in the contest. :( 5.) If you win, we will send you an email, and you will have to email us back your home address or just somewhere to ship the poster(s) to.
Places: 1st Place:
Gets to chooseONE of the large posters and TWO of the small posters.
2nd Place:
Gets to chooseONE of the remaining large posters and you will get ONE small poster, the one that hasn't been chosen.
3rd Place:
Gets the ONE large poster, and that would be the only poster that's left.
Note:
If one of the winners decides they do not want all of their prize, and they only want part of it, they can pass it on to the next place winner.
If this sounds confusing, just private message me, and I will explain it better.
PRIZES: Posters
Go to their blog (Sam and Ash) to see what the prizes look like. =) Hope you guys will do it. =)
Burning Up: On Tour with the Jonas Brothers is your backstage pass to life with Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas.
You'll get a behind-the-scenes look at the band warming up, performing, and goofing off backstage, as well as the downtime that the Brothers have between shows. In addition to photos of the group laying down tracks for A Little Bit Longer at the recording studio, giving radio interviews, and sightseeing in London, you'll see snapshots of them bowling, racing go-karts, and playing video games with the Bonus Jonas, younger brother Frankie.
All of the amazing photos are accompanied by a candid narrative by the Jonas Brothers themselves - they discuss everything from the songwriting process to the importance of family to their favorite kinds of ice cream...
So pick up your copy of this must-have tour book and get ready-you're going on tour with the Jonas Brothers!
A couple of years
And I'm gonna know your name
It's like I waited for ya forever
And I know this might sound insane
But it won't be long
Til we're gonna take this up
What I'm talking about is our future love
You're so far away
Maybe you're right next door
Got me picturing your face again
Something worth waiting for
I put all others behind me
They don't live up
I know you're my thing
You were made just for me
Chorus:
Baby, if they asked me
I would say I don't even know your name
And when they asked me, does it change?
No, it don't change a thing
'Cause there's something 'bout the way you'll love me
There's just something 'bout the way you'll know me
That I can't explain enough
There's just something 'bout our
Future love, future love, future love
There's just something 'bout our
Future love, future love, future love
Walking hand in hand
Don't have a second take
I can picture what you're wearing
And I swear I can hardly wait
The thought of all the ways we'll meat for the very first time
I can see the place, feel the love
First time
Chorus
There's just something 'bout our
Future love, future love, future love
There's just something 'bout our
Future love, future love, future love
Oh no, the minute you pull up next to me
We standing there like destiny
When it feels like you're fighting just to breathe
That's when you'll know
The minute I pull up next to you
Suddenly I don't know what to do
Everything inside you says that I'm the one
Chorus 2x
There's just something 'bout our
Future love, future love, future love
There's just something 'bout our
Future love, future love, future love
There's just something 'bout our
Future love, future love, future love
Future love, future love, future love
Future love, yeah, ooh, oh
I wanted to post the lyrics to this song because, I was talking to my dad about this song. And he was telling me why he didn't really like this song. I didn't really like what I was hearing at first, but I did understand and agree with my Dad. He was telling me how this song was about love. But not the kind of love from the Bible, but rather the love that us people call love. He told me that we as people consider love to mean warm and cuddly. A lot of people just try to make themselves feel better, of bring themselves up by loving a certain person. But that's not what love means. It's really important to make sure that you don't treat love as the a tule to make yourself feel better, or to bring yourself up. But to instead bring the other person up. =)
Some of you may have seen him on America's Got Talent. He got second place. Here is a little bit about him. I hope he comes out with a CD.
Eli Mattson grew up in the tiny rural community of Cotton, Minnesota (pop. 25) and playing the piano was simply in his blood, as he inherited a battered upright grand from his great, grandfather when he was 5 years old.With some guidance from his mother, he essentially taught himself to play by creating his own music since music instruction books weren't readily available in Cotton.When Eli's family moved to Green Bay 3 years later, Eli received his first formal piano training, and while he impressed his teachers with his abundant natural talent, he wasn't too impressed with what they were offering him.
“ I hated to practice and would keep adding notes and riffs to the lessons because I thought they were boring.”
Thankfully, Eli’s mother knew that formal training would serve her son well and convinced him to practice every day and pay attention in his lessons. At age14, Eli visited his aunt in Chicago who took him to see a blues act at Rosa’s Lounge. He was startled when the lead singer approached him and said, “I hear you are a piano player”. Eli took the opportunity to play the blues with the band through the night.From this first onstage experience as a young teenager, he knew for certain performing music would always be the main focus of his life.
When Eli was only 19, he was awarded a prestigious grant from the Peninsula Arts Association in Wisconsin to help further his music career.
While listening to Eli's music you will be rewarded with influences from a wide spectrum of pop, rock and blues.You might hear hints of Elton John, Creed, Billy Joel or Van Morrison, but most of all, you will hear someone original, someone worthwhile.
Here are some drawings that I did. I was kind of bored so I thought I would draw some pictures. Don't think that I am obsessed with them. =) Here are some pictures that I drew of the Jonas Brothers. Some of them are a little fuzzy looking, but they aren't really. Let me know what you think of them. =)
Who has watched some of the Jonas Brothers Living The Dream episodes? I have seen them, and they are pretty funny! Here are the links for the episodes that they are playing on the Disney Channel. I will keep posting new videos, so stay tuned.
This is an additional episode shown only on Disneychannel.com (So far) (I'm not really sure if this would air on Disney Channel or not)
This is a blog about a lot of different bands. I will be posting songs, videos and the background story of the bands. I hope you enjoy, and maybe hopefully learn something new about a band. If you can tell me other bands that you might want me to post about, I'd love to hear your ideas. And maybe I will post what you suggested. =)