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Mandisa sings a beautiful song that inspires me, “Overcomer,” so when I was given a chance to review her new cd, “Out of the Dark,” I was so excited to hear her new songs. I’ve also been following her since she was on American Idol, and I always look forward to hearing her new music.

About Mandisa

Mandisa wrote her song “Overcomer” in 2013 to encourage her close friend Kisha, who was battling breast cancer. Mandisa really believed and prayed that God was going to heal her, but when Kisha went to be with Jesus in 2014, Mandisa’s foundation was shaken in a way she never expected. She fell into a deep pit of depression for close to 3 years, shutting out her friends, family and the rest of the world. Mandisa believes if she had kept going down that road she was on, she would not be here today… but God stepped in and lifted her out of that pit by using her close friends to communicate their love for her and God’s love for her. This album is Mandisa’s way of letting her fans into her story – it’s called ‘Out Of The Dark’ because that is exactly where God lifted her out of!

You can watch her talk openly about this on Good Morning America last week here: Mandisa Overcoming Depression.

She also shares the story behind her new Out Of The Dark CD on YouTube:

Song list for “Out of the Dark CD”

1. Voicemail Intro
2. I’m Still Here
3. Out Of The Dark
4. Unfinished
5. Bleed The Same Intro
6. Bleed The Same
7. Comeback Kid
8. What You’re Worth
9. Dear John Praise Report
10. Good News
11. Prove Me Wrong
12. Mothdisa Interlude
13. The One He Speaks Through
14. Shine
15. My First Love
16. Shame Off
17. Keep Getting Up
18. Back To Life

This CD is so neat and so unique! There are 4 tracks where it’s either Mandisa speaking or other people sharing encouraging words with her, and us. It’s also such a beautiful and honest set of songs. She shares with us her journey of coming out of her depression. She is also joined by Kirk Franklin, Toby Mac and Jeremy Camp on some of her songs. As I was listening to the CD, I would think, that’s my favorite song; and then I would hear the next one and think the same thing. So, I’ve narrowed it down to 5 favorites.

“Unfinished” is a really encouraging song about how when you feel discouraged, you need to pick yourself back up and remember that God is not done with you yet. There’s even an acoustic video for it on YouTube:

“Bleed the Same” is prefaced by a message from Kirk Franklin. The song is about all of the racial tension going on in the world, and how we all need to remember that “we all bleed the same.” I just thought this was outstanding!

“Prove Me Wrong” is such a beautiful, honest look into what Mandisa felt and still feels about the loss of her friend. Anyone who’s ever lost someone, especially someone too soon, can really relate to this song.

“The One He Speaks Through” is a wonderful song about how God can use you in ordinary situations to help someone when they need it and to “accomplish His perfect plan to reach the world.” When I’m subbing, I always try to see the needs in those children and hug them when they need a hug, and listen when they need someone to listen to them.

“My First Love” is a song that I loved signing along with. It’s about how when we’re discouraged and in a dark place, we need God to show himself to us and bring us back to Him, our “first love.”

I think there’s something for everyone on this CD. There’s so much encouragement on here for whatever you’re going through, knowing that someone else went through it too, and made it to the other side. There are upbeat songs that you just want to get up and dance too, and then there’s slower songs that just make you feel cared for and understood. It’s just a great CD!

Where to Find the Out of the Dark CD

You can purchase Mandisa’s Out Of The Dark CD on THIS LINK. It has links to various sources of the cd, like iTunes, Google Play, etc. It’s also available on Amazon.

Giveaway Information

I am also running a giveaway for you. You have a chance to win a free copy of Mandisa’s Out Of The Dark CD. This giveaway is open to the US. All you have to do is fill out the Rafflecopter form below, fill out one option or as many as you want. The giveaway ends at 12:01 a.m. eastern time on 05/27/17.

Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post. Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

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Laura Story sings one of my favorite songs, “Blessings,” so when I was given a chance to review her new cd, “Open Hands,” I was so excited to hear her new songs.

About Laura Story

GRAMMY® award winning artist, speaker, songwriter, author and worship leader Laura Story has a gift for penning songs that connect with people all around the world. Among her successes as a solo artist with her smash hits “Mighty to Save” and “Blessings,” Laura has also penned hit songs for other renowned artists including Chris Tomlin’s “Indescribable.” Her solo artist music debut in 2008 with Great God Who Saves led to four Dove nominations and the award for “Inspirational Album of the Year.” In 2011, Laura released her sophomore project Blessings. The album and the emotionally powerful title was inspired by her real life trials and adversities, primarily her husband Martin’s diagnosis of a brain tumor. The album resonated with a huge audience and led to whirlwind career highlights for Laura, peaking at the No. 1 album spot for three consecutive weeks on Billboard’s Contemporary Christian Overall chart, topping the iTunes® Christian/Gospel Top Songs chart and holding the No. 1 spot for an impressive 28 consecutive weeks on the Christian charts. The success of the single “Blessings,” which was certified RIAA Gold, includes the GRAMMY® Award for Best Contemporary Christian Song, the Billboard Music Award for Top Christian Song and the Dove Awards for Song of the Year, Pop/Contemporary Song of the Year, Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year and Songwriter of the Year. The song inspired Laura’s first book, “What If Your Blessings Come Through Raindrops?” in 2012. God Of Every Story released in 2013 to much acclaim, and her first ever Christmas project God With Us, released in October of 2015. Laura recently released a new book and bible study curriculum When God Doesn’t Fix It; Lessons You Never Wanted to Learn, Truths You Can’t Live Without. She has a graduate degree from Covenant Theological Seminary and has served as a worship leader at Perimeter Church in Atlanta since 2005, but her greatest joy is being a wife to Martin and the mother to Ben, Griffin and Josie.

Song List for “Open Hands”

1. Death Was Arrested
2. Open Hands
3. You Came Running
4. Give You Faith
5. For the Love of My King
6. Awake My Soul (A 1000 Tongues)
7. Whisper
8. Every Word You Breathe
9. Majesty
10. Extraordinary
11. Grace Abounds

“Death was Arrested” is such a beautiful song and was one that I just automatically started signing along with in American Sign Language. It’s also an easy song to sing along with because it’s easy to catch on to the rhythm.

Open Hands is the follow-up to 2013’s critically-acclaimed God of Every Story, and in the years that have passed since her last release, Story has given birth to twins, making their brood a family of five. Now, as a mom to three kids—Josie, Benjamin and Griffin—the posture of “open hands” feels more necessary than ever before as she juggles ministry and motherhood.

“We never get to a point where we can do life apart from complete and total daily dependence on Jesus,” Story admits. “The irony is the less control we have, the more peace we have and the more, I would even say, success and joy we find. It’s a contrary picture to what the world tells us, but it’s gaining through letting go.”

“You Came Running” borrows imagery from the biblical narrative of the Prodigal Son. I think it’s a very encouraging song.

Poignant piano ballad “Give You Faith” finds the singer pondering the legacy she wants to leave her children. “The song is about releasing your kids into the hands of God,” she explains. “The most important thing that we could possibly give our children is to not just tell them about the faith that we have but to live out that faith as a family. Sometimes that means not giving them everything they want but showing them that the most important thing in my life isn’t even them—it’s actually my faith in Jesus Christ—and just point them to Jesus.”

That song just had me mesmerized because it describes exactly how I feel as a parent.

In true Story fashion, several selections (“Awake My Soul (1000 Tongues),” “For The Love of My King”) reimagine timeless hymns, which she refreshes with an original chorus.

“I’m pretty sure that the theology that I learned as a kid was from old hymns. It’s amazing, even now as an adult, how those hymns come back and really provide that sturdy foundation for life. It reminds me of how important it is for me to teach my kids those old hymns,” Story reflects, adding, “As long as I am singing, I will be singing hymns.”

“Every Word You Breathe” and “Extraordinary” are songs that are just full of encouraging words about how you can trust in God and how He’s always there for you when you need Him.

Reflecting on the world her kids are growing up in, Story wrote the album’s sparse closer, “Grace Abounds,” after weeks of turning on the television only to continue to watch stories of terror attacks, extreme injustice and racial tension make headlines day after day. “It’s easy to lose heart, and the song is about just acknowledging the brokenness. First of all, we can’t just pretend like it doesn’t exist,” she advises. “When it seemingly doesn’t make sense, I’m choosing to believe that God’s grace is enough. God’s grace is enough for any social injustice. God’s grace is enough for any loss that we go through. God’s grace is enough for any loneliness that we experience, for any relational strain and for any relational rejection.

“When it feels like hope can’t be found, when we don’t even know how we’re going to put one foot in front of the other,” she continues, “Scripture teaches us that’s when grace abounds.”

Where to Find the CD

*This post includes some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

You can purchase Laura Story’s “Open Hands” CD on iTunes or on Amazon.com.

Where to Find Laura Story

You can also find Laura Story on:
Laura Story Website
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram

Giveaway Information

I am also running a giveaway for you. You have a chance to win a free copy of The Garden CD. This giveaway is open to the US and Canada. All you have to do is fill out the Rafflecopter form below, fill out one option or as many as you want. The giveaway ends at 12:01 a.m. eastern time on 03/22/17.

Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post. Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

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Java Factory carefully handcrafts each of their specialty roasts with an obsessive attention to detail because they love coffee as much as you do. They labor over every flavor, note, and aroma to bring you coffees that are so smooth and flavorful you’ll want to drink them all day long. So, go ahead and have another, especially since they manufacture great taste one cup at a time. It is made with 100% Fresh Roasted Arabica coffee. They’re using a new filter system which delivers more taste per cup. It’s an affordable alternative to Keurig Green Mountain licensed K-Cups without compromising on quality or taste, and is compatible with Keurig K-Cup brewers compatible, including 2.0 brewers.

*This post includes some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

I was sent the Da Bomb to try. It’s extra bold dark roast, double caffeinated. This is the description of it found on Amazon.com: “Yes, this coffee comes with a warning label. Exploding with flavor and with double the caffeine of a regular cup of coffee, this extra-bold brew will leave you buzzing. Unless you plan on pulling an all-nighter, this brew is best for your morning rush. This extra-bold, dark roast coffee contains double the amount of caffeine found in a regular 8 oz single serve cup of coffee.”

This side of the box shows what the various flavor kcups will look like.

This side is the names of all their other flavors and a funny quote: “coffee doesn’t have to be serious just seriously good!”

This side of the box uses quotes to describe their other flavors: wakey wakey, choconut, dark & handsome, da bomb, vanilla dream and smooth caffeinator.

As soon as my husband and daughter got home and saw the new box of coffee, they were excited to see what new flavor we got to try. My husband really liked the previous Java Factory flavor we were sent to try so he was all ready to try this one. He read the title “Da Bomb” out loud and he and my daughter laughed because it’s an unusual name. Then he read that it’s extra bold dark roast and double caffeinated, and he said, “That’s too much for me!” He usually only drinks medium roast, but has tried dark roast before. Since this one contains double caffeine, he nor my daughter were able to try the coffee. However, once they read the description, they said the name of the coffee is definitely fitting.

I think this coffee would be really good for a lot of people that need that extra boost of caffeine in the morning to get going.

If you want to know more about Java Factory Da Bomb or any of their other coffee flavors, you can check them out on:
Amazon.com
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Instagram

I am also running a giveaway for you. You have a chance to win a free 40 count box of Java Factory Java Nagila coffee. This giveaway is open to the US. All you have to do is fill out the Rafflecopter form below, fill out one option or as many as you want. The giveaway ends at 12:01 a.m. eastern time on 03/22/17.

I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post, however all opinions expressed are my own.