CHRISTIAN MUSIC NEWS UPDATE 1/20/12

      2. WINTER JAM OFF TO JAMMED START  The first weekend of this year’s Winter Jam tour (coming to Grand Rapids April 1), saw it perform to more than 32,000 persons in its first three shows (West Virginia and North Carolina).
They followed that up with a sold out show in Atlanta last weekend.
Skillet is headlining this year’s tour, with Building 429, Peter Furler and Sanctus Real and others also on the program.

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            3. WEB SERIES FROM STEVEN….

Every other Thursday for 25 weeks, Steven Curtis Chapman is releasing a web performance and conversation based on different songs from throughout his career.
He already covered his song “Speechless” and next week Thursday (1/26) will post a video blog about his next song. (His first album, by the way – “First Hand” – was released 25 years ago.)

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         4.  WORLD TRAVELERS

Kerri Roberts absorbed five vaccinations last week as she is getting ready to go to Bolivia with Food for the Hungry later this month.
Jeremy Camp is in The Philippines doing worship and concerts there.
And Casting Crowns is leaving Saturday (1/21) for a couple of weeks in Australia and New Zeeland, performing at several churches as well as the Christian music Parachute Festival. Lead singer Mark Hall says he’s also doing some youth minister training during the trip.

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                           Baked Goods (Not) For Sale..

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                  5.   COMEBACK RUMOR

Remember a band from the 1990s called “Big Tent Revival?”  Rumor has it they’re getting back together later this year – at least temporarily.  Lead singer Steve Wiggins and the band had their signature, story-song hit “Two Sets of Joneses.”

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        6.  HEAVY METAL SEMINARIAN…

Heavy metal band bassist Dave Ellefson is attending Concordia Lutheran Seminary in suburban St. Louis, Mo.
The bass player for Megadeth, who grew up in a Christian home in which his parents were active in the church, says this step is a natural progression in his Christian faith.
Interestingly, fellow Megadeath member Dave Mustaine is also a believer.
Read the report in the Clayton-Richmond Heights Patch at  http://clayton-richmondheights.patch.com/articles/seminarian-pursues-heavy-metal-and-heavenly-message  

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             7.   CROWDER CROWDS UP THE CHARTS

 The David Crowder Band’s farewell project “Give Us Rest” landed No. 2 on the overall Billboard charts last week in its debut (only behind Adele’s “21″) which was the same spot where Casting Crowns’ latest project debuted.

The double disc “Give Us Rest” sold more than 50 thousand copies its first week, and was No. 1 on the itunes album chart and was reviewed in USA Today.
According to lead singer David Crowder: “When I got a phone call letting me know that we were debuting at number two on Billboard, I think, as far as memory serves, I pointed to the sky, yelled something, then un-ironically, with the purest of heart, totally Tebowed right in the middle of the street I had unknowingly wandered into.”

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            8.  LIFE TRANSITIONS

Singer-songwriter Wes King turns 45 on 1/20.

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             9.  SANCTITY SUNDAY

Rebecca St. James is urging support for this Sunday (1/22) as “Sanctity of Human Life Sunday.”�
The singer-songwriter has long been involved in the crisis pregnancy center movement, and starred in the 2009 pro-life film “Sarah’s Choice,” with its song “Little Ones.”

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          10.  SHUSTS AND A “BEAUTIFUL AFTERSHOCK”

 After the birth of their son last Friday (1/13), singer Aaron Shust and his wife Sarah learned that little Michael likely has Down Syndrome.
“The tears that we have cried have gone from shock and fear to utter awe at God’s magnificent love,” blogged Shust of the flood of responses he received to the news from fans – many of them parents of Down Syndrome children.
“We are good. By the grace of God we are good. Thank you for your prayers and stories and encouragements.”
Read more of their story (with photo) at http://aaronshust.blogspot.com/2012/01/michael-aaron-update-3.html 

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You can read Terry’s newspaper articles at http://connect.mlive.com/user/tdeboer/index.html

Or at www.westmichiganchristian.com