Solveig Leithaug - TIME - CD Release Blog Tour and Give Away!!

Time highlights guest vocals by Anthony Skinner, Cindy Morgan, Kelly Willard and Solveig’s daughter Kari Julianna. Eight of the project’s eleven songs are new and were written by Solveig with award-winning songwriters such as: Reba Rambo-McGuire, Cindy Morgan, Sarah Hart, Anthony Skinner, and Kelly Willard.

​Time was produced by Steve Hindalong and features some of Nashville’s finest musicians including Jeff Taylor, Stu Garrard, Matt Slocum, and others along with Solveig’s signature acoustic guitars.

Enjoy an interview with Solvieg about her new project Time.

About Solveig:

Dove Award-winning recording artist Solveig Leithaug is hesitant to admit that she is an internationally loved singer-songwriter and masterful guitar player. In fact, her decades of phenomenal success is not the result of a desire to “get ahead” but simply an outpouring of support from people across the globe who have connected with her music and her heart. Her gentle-yet-powerful gift for writing and communicating a song catches listeners by surprise and invites them into the joys and challenges that have refined her artistically and spiritually.

With fifteen solo recordings, including her newest release Time (spring 2017), and three best-selling children’s CD’s to her credit, Solveig consistently breaks new ground with each release. Her music is a brilliant blend of heart and art, fitting for a wide variety of events and venues of all sizes.

She performs around 30-40 concerts per year, and tours frequently in her native Norway. Her repertoire ranges from original songs that mirror her life and faith, to her own arrangements of traditional Scandinavian folksongs and classic hymns. Solveig has performed in over twenty nations, from Parliament functions, national and international conferences to cathedrals, prisons, jazz-cafes and outdoor festivals. She is featured on the Billboard chart-topping Gaither Homecoming Series with her live performances of her original song “Everything Has Its Season” on Women of Homecoming, Volume 1 (DVD and CD), and the classic “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” on How Great Thou Art (DVD and CD) from The Grand Ole Opry. Millions have watched her perform on Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) TV-programs over the years.

Award-winning songwriter Gloria Gaither comments on Solveig’s music: “Listening to Solveig singing is like the pure vibrations of an innocent soul. She bypasses our cynical scar tissue and stylistic prejudices and goes–like the laughter of a child–straight to the heart.”

An ordained minister since 1994, Solveig is a commentary writer for Thomas Nelson’s Women of Destiny Bible and contributed devotionals for Thomas Nelson’s 2012 Gaither Homecoming Bible. She currently serves as a founding board member for Compassion International in their Nordic region.

Summarizing her goal as an artist, Solveig states: “Whether performing with a band, full orchestra and choir, or alone with my guitar, my prayer has always been that my music will be an artistic bridge of hope, connecting the listener to their Creator.”

In addition to her roles as an actively touring artist, and songwriter, Solveig is first a wife to Jim, a mom and a stepmom. Her family resides near Nashville, Tennessee.

Enter the Free Giveaway for a TIME CD

We will be giving away a FREE copy of the TIME CD to two people on Friday, June 3o, 2017. Please leave a comment on this blog related to the interview and topics discussed to enter the random drawing. You will be contacted for your mailing address. USA addresses only. 

Grace is Greater by Kyle Idleman - REVEIWED

About the Book:
No sin is so great, no bitterness so deep that God's grace cannot transform the heart and rewrite the story. But grace is so hard for us to understand.

It doesn't make sense. 
It's not fair. 
It can't possibly cover over what I've done. Perhaps nothing is as difficult to explain as God's grace. The best way--perhaps the only real way--to understand it is to experience it.

In Grace Is Greater, bestselling author and pastor Kyle Idleman leads us past our hang-ups toward an understanding of grace that is bigger than our mistakes, our failures, our desire for revenge, and our seemingly impossible situations. Through powerful stories of grace experienced, this book will help you truly grasp God's grace . . . even if the Christians around you have failed to live it.

My Thoughts:

“God’s grace to you is that he will work through your pain to accomplish his good purpose in your life.” (p. 182)

Grace seems elusive sometimes.   Especially when you are hurting.  This isn’t a book about hurting people, but rather how God reveals His grace to us through every circumstance of our lives.   To be honest, sometimes doubt and fear overtake our hearts and minds, and we choose to refuse the grace that God so freely offers to us.

This is a very thoughtfully written book, and I’m still working through parts of it.  Like many people, I struggle to accept God’s great love for me fully, because I don’t feel “worthy”.  But that’s not what grace is about.  Grace can’t be earned, and I’ll never be worthy.  But, when I open my heart to receive God’s grace, my life is transformed in ways I can’t begin to understand.

I am happy to recommend this book to believers who want to go deeper in their understanding of God’s glorious grace!  He is an amazing God who loves us far more than we will even begin to understand.  That’s what grace is all about!!

About the Author:

Kyle Idleman is teaching pastor at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky, the fifth largest church in America, where he speaks to more than twenty thousand people each weekend. He is the bestselling and award-winning author of Not a Fan, as well as Gods at War and The End of Me. He is a frequent speaker for national conventions and influential churches across the country. Kyle and his wife, DesiRae, have four children and live on a farm.

Award-Winning Docudrama ‘MULLY,’ Explores the Life of Orphan-Turned-Father of ‘The World’s Largest Family’ in Cinemas for Three Nights this October

Fathom Events and FOR GOOD. Partner to Present This Inspiring True Story on Big Screens Nationwide,

Including Interviews With Charles and Esther Mully

DENVER – June 21, 2017 – From Award-winning actor/director Scott Haze and Academy Award^™-winning executive producer James Moll comes the dramatic story of the life of Charles M. Mully, who is one of Africa’s most respected humanitarians as the father of “The World’s Largest Family,” with more than 12,000 children he has rescued.  Filmed on location in Kenya, Africa, which is both the emotional and cinematic backdrop for the docudrama, “MULLY” takes audiences on the journey of one man who has personally experienced each remote edge of that spectrum, from the deepest depths of poverty to becoming a burning fire of hope in Kenya’s dark night.

Audiences can experience “MULLY” in movie theaters nationwide on Tuesday, October 3, Wednesday, October 4 and Thursday, October 5 only at 7:00 p.m. local time. This event will also feature interviews with Charles Mully and his wife, Esther, captured exclusively for this cinema experience.

Tickets for “MULLY” can be purchased online beginning Friday, June 23 by visiting www.FathomEvents.com  or at participating theater box offices. Fans throughout the U.S. will be able to enjoy the event in select movie theaters. For a complete list of theater locations visit the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).

What happens when a six-year-old boy is abandoned by his family and left to raise himself on the streets? “MULLY” isn’t your ordinary rags-to-riches tale; it’s the true story of Charles Mully, whose unlikely stratospheric rise to wealth and power leaves him questioning his existence, searching for meaning in life. Against the better judgment of his family and community, Mully sets out to enrich the fate of orphaned children across Kenya. Jeopardizing his life and the security of his family, he risks everything and sets in motion an astonishing series of events that changed not only his life forever, but also thousands of children and the larger community.  

“The story of Charles Mully is an unimaginable journey of selflessness,” Director Scott Haze said. “My hope is that the works of this man and his wife will echo across the face of the earth and that we will all pause for a moment and realize that through faith and hard work, anything is possible. This includes changing the world one child at a time.”

“MULLY” is produced and directed by Scott Haze (“Child of God,” “Granite Mountain,” “Thank You For Your Service”). Executive Producers include Academy Award-winning producer James Moll (“Foo Fighters: Back and Forth” “The Last Days”), John Bardis, and Paul Blavin, alongside producers Lukas Behnken of Sterling Light Productions, and Elissa Shay. Golden Globe and Emmy Award^®-nominee Benjamin Wallfisch (“Atonement,” “12 Years A Slave”) composed the feature’s powerful musical score.

“Fathom is pleased help bring the remarkable story of Charles Mully to cinema audiences nationwide,” Fathom events VP of Programming, Kymberli Frueh said. “He is a beacon of hope in the darkest depths of poverty for orphaned children in Kenya, and his community-driven humanitarian work is an inspiration.”

"We are humbled to help shine a bright light on this extraordinarily inspirational story of the world's largest family,” FOR GOOD. Founder Paul Blavin said.  "’Mully’ has changed my life, literally. Charles and Esther Mully are the most faithful, generous, loving people that I have ever met. ‘Mully’ will inspire everyone who sees it in powerful, personal ways. Don't miss it!”

About Fathom Events

Fathom Events is recognized as the leading domestic distributor of event cinema with participating affiliate theaters in all 100 of the top Designated Market Areas^®, and ranks as one of the largest overall distributors of content to movie theaters. Owned by AMC Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: AMC), Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK) and Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC) (known collectively as AC JV, LLC), Fathom Events offers a variety of one-of-a-kind entertainment events such as live, high-definition performances of the Metropolitan Opera, dance and theatre productions like the Bolshoi Ballet and National Theatre Live, sporting events like “Canelo Álvarez vs. Julio César Chávez, Jr.,” concerts with artists like Michael Bublé, Rush and Mötley Crüe, the yearlong TCM Big Screen Classics film series, inspirational events such as To Joey With Love and Facing Darkness, and anime titles such as Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away. Fathom Events takes audiences behind the scenes and offers unique extras including audience Q&As, backstage footage and interviews with cast and crew, creating the ultimate VIP experience. Fathom Events’ live digital broadcast network (“DBN”) is the largest cinema broadcast network in North America, bringing live and pre-recorded events to 897 locations and 1,387 screens in 181 DMAs. For more information, visit www.fathomevents.com.

About FOR GOOD.FOR GOOD. is the Emmy-winning, Oscar^® and Grammy Award^®-nominated production company behind the project. Committed to harnessing the power of exceptional art to inspire hope, compel action and igniting lasting impact, FOR GOOD. is led by Paul Blavin, Executive Producer of the award winning documentary “The Hunting Ground,” and the Emmy Award-winning original song “Til It Happens to You,” written by Diane Warren and performed by Lady Gaga. FOR GOOD. has partnered with numerous creative talents to bring “MULLY” to audiences in partnership with Fathom, sharing its bold and unwavering vision for a better world.

The Great Chattanooga Bicycle Race by Mike H Mizrahi - REVIEWED

About the Book:
Chattanooga society is turned upside down as a young woman has the audacity to ride a bicycle-in bloomers!

It's 1895. Anna Gaines, 19, struggles to conquer her insecurities after a horrible fall years ago from her beloved horse, Longstreet. On a visit with her aunt in Brooklyn, she's drawn to the new pastime of bicycling. But back at home, cycling is a scandalous sport for a proper lady. Southern women did not engage in activities meant for men.

Anna has her eye on Peter Sawyer, president of the Cycling Club. As community outrage grows, an unexpected turn of events pits Anna against Peter in a race between the sexes.

Will Anna prove that women deserve the same right as men to ride "the wheel?" Will she choose to live a quiet, traditional life of a housewife and mother? Or will she pursue college and become one of the "new women" emerging into the twentieth century on the seat of a bicycle? What will become of the spark between Anna and Peter?


Faith, patience, and courage help Anna to become the person she was meant to be.

Find out more and purchase your copy HERE!

My Thoughts:

“You find the source of all things righteous, and you be fine no matter what you trying to do.”  (p.125)

These words of wisdom come to Anna Gaines ears from a very unlikely source….a woman with very little to be thankful for.  Yet this woman, Hattie, becomes the source of eternal perspective in Anna’s life on the cusp of a very difficult social battle in her hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee.  The battle: a woman’s right to ride a bicycle in public wearing clothing suitable for such a pursuit. 

Mike Mizrahi has written an intriguing historical fiction tale centered around the introduction of women cyclers in the late 1800’s.   Bicycles were referred to as “wheels” when first introduced, and it is Anna’s aunt from New York that introduces her to this wondrous vehicle.  When Anna returns to her hometown of Chattanooga and is presented with a wheel of her own, she never imagined the social and moral ramifications of riding it for pleasure.  When it becomes apparent that she has become the object of social injustice, she begins taking to the streets of Chattanooga and inspiring others to do the same.

I knew a bit about the history surrounding women’s rights, but I never dreamed there was such a melee over a woman riding a bicycle!  Well, it stands to reason there would be, considering the clothing changes that came in the wake of it, but man!! This give you an entirely different scope through which you can examine this social change!

This is a well-written novel filled with well-developed characters!  You will be surprised by some of the twists and turns along the way!  This novel was totally captivating, and will make time disappear as a mist!  So only read this at bedtime if you can afford to miss some hours of sleep!  This is a fabulous read!!

About the Author:

Mike Mizrahi has a master's degree in public relations, advertising and applied communication from Boston University. After a career in corporate public affairs, he retired to pursue a deep passion: writing.

Mizrahi and his wife, Karen, led a mission trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo four years ago and were so moved by the experience, Mizrahi wrote his first novel, which he hopes will one day be published. The Great Chattanooga Bicycle Race is his debut published work.

Mizrahi loves reading and writing stories about "sozo," which means to be rescued in Greek. He and Karen are very active in their church and community and love to hike, travel and go the movies together. The Mizrahis live in Woodland Hills, California, where they raised their children who are now adults.

Learn more about The Great Chattanooga Bicycle Race and Mike H. Mizrahi at www.mikehmizrahi.com or on Facebook (AuthorMikeMizrahi) and Twitter (@MikeHMiz). 

Hillsong United - Wonder - releases today!! June 9th! - REVIEWED

"If creation sings your praises so will I." - So Will I

If you want an intimate worship experience, Wonder is the album you've been waiting for!  The songs on this album take you into the presence of God and worships His majesty, His loving kindness toward His creation and His great salvation that He provided through His Son, Jesus.

I'm not sure I can express why this feels so intimate, but with every song, I just felt drawn closer and closer to God.  Most of the songs begin with a gentle softness and build into an expansive sound of worship and praise!  There is a lot of focus on God as Creator, and I enjoyed that immensely! Sometimes the world's issues and conflicts overwhelm our hearts and minds and we forget just how BIG God is!  This album really focuses on God's vastness, and His vast love for His creation!

I AM HIS CREATION!  YOU ARE HIS CREATION! And HE LOVES YOU!!  That is the message that resounds in my heart with each song that plays. Rain...Reign is one of my favorite songs because of this!  God is the Creator of all, and He is every bit as powerful, loving, merciful and great as He has always been, and He loves His creation with an covenant love!

You don't want to miss this album!!  Praise and worship Your Creator today!

MULTI-PLATINUM SELLING BILLBOARD NO. 1 CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN POWERHOUSE HILLSONG UNITED ANNOUNCES SURPRISE ALBUM, WONDER

*Review to follow soon!

The Two-Time Billboard Award and American Music Award Winners

Surprise Fans with Sixth Full Length Studio Album Available June 9

LOS ANGELES (May 19, 2017)— Today, the multi-platinum-selling Christian music powerhouse and chart leading Hillsong UNITED announced their sixth full-length studio album titled “Wonder,” set to be unveiled in all music stores on June 9^th. Undisputedly one of the genre’s most influential artists in the history of contemporary Christian music (over 2 million albums sold and 700 million career streams to date, remaining the #1 Christian artist on all social media platforms reaching over 9 million fans combined), the band that rocketed to no. 5 on Billboard’s Top 200 with their last record “Empires,” hopes to re-awaken the innate sense of Wonder within the human being.

“Have we lost the Wonder?” asked Joel Houston, front man for the modest Australia-born band that has since become an international phenomenon.

Explaining intrinsically what it means further, Houston continues, “The hope, the imagination to dream, to believe, the tenderness to listen and lead first with mercy, the grace to empathize, the courage to trust, the fearlessness to love without pretense or condition. To see beyond the facts without dismissing them. To respond beyond the fear without reciprocating it. To sing beyond the noise, without adding to it. This is the challenge, and this is what worship— if worship can be summed up as an expression of art and music and story— is ultimately designed to do. To elevate the conversation, re-awaken the soul to something other, and lift our eyes to the wonder of a superlative truth."    

With the announcement comes two instant grats on iTunes and Spotify for songs “Wonder” and “Splinters and Stones.”

Track Listing for “Wonder”

1.               Wonder

2.               Shadow Step

3.               Future Marches In

4.               So Will I (100 Billion X)

5.               Splinters and Stones

6.               Glimmer in the Dust

7.               Greatest of These

8.               Shape of Your Heart

9.               Not Today

10.             Life

11.             Rain / Reign

12.             Water to Wine

Hillsong UNITED’s sixth full-length studio album “Wonder” is available for pre-order today and out on June 9^th everywhere music is sold. 

About Hillsong UNITED: 


Hillsong UNITED is a multi-award-winning, platinum-selling artist whose chart successes (repeatedly no. 1 on Billboard’s Christian charts and up to #5 on Billboard 200) are only bested by the millions of lives they’ve impacted across the globe. Reporting over 50 million people singing from a catalogue of UNITED songs every Sunday, the modest band born from a youth ministry out of Hillsong Church in Australia, touts a reach of over 9 million across all major social network platforms to date. Comprised of an evolving, eclectic mix of musicians and songwriters, the band is led by Joel Houston and Taya Smith, names that have become synonymous with Christian radio, dominating airwaves with every new release. Their last four studio albums have each topped the USA Christian chart, with “Zion” and “Empires” charting no. 1 (Zion recently also went Gold in the US); and “Oceans,” written by Houston and band member Matt Crocker recently went double platinum in the States, counting 200+ million streams and reigning on top of the Christian songs chart for a record 54 weeks. In studio, on tour or at home, Hillsong UNITED is committed to writing songs that speak truth, create a unique sound and connects people everywhere with God, evident by the success they’ve seen globally. With over 42 countries and six continents and counting, Hillsong UNITED continues to sell out arenas and stadiums around the world, including sold-out nights at the Forum, STAPLES Center and The Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, the Bridgestone Arena, American Airlines Arena, and the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC to scratch the surface. Hillsong UNITED profoundly functions from the deep understanding that everything they do is an expression of a really extraordinary God doing what only He can do, through really ordinary people. The sixth full-length studio album “Wonder” will be available June 9^th everywhere music is sold. For more on Hillsong UNITED visit www.hillsong.com/UNITED/ or @hillsongunited on all social platforms.

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Driver Confessional by David L. Winters - REVIEWED

About the Book:
Ride share driver Antonio cruises the streets of Washington, D.C. looking for his next fare.
He has an unusual gift for relaxing his customers and stimulating their desire to reveal more than they planned. By the completion of their ride, many feel so comfortable that they confess their sins great and small. Antonio's faith guides his discussions and points him in new directions. Suddenly, his peaceful world is turned upside down by a mysterious business woman. As she heads to a midnight rendezvous, she confesses more than Antonio can handle. Her story sends him into a world of espionage, international terrorism and danger.

Learn more and purchase your copy here.

My Thoughts:
I must confess that I have very mixed feelings about this book.  I love the idea of using the taxi-like driving service as the basis for discovery and as a window into the lives of a myriad of people and their life circumstances.  However, there has to be a more imaginative way of telling the tale other than changing the first letter of the service's name.  What's more, it wouldn't be much of a story without a dangerous element and other elements that make the driver wary or uncomfortable, but the internal thoughts of the driver become a bit distracting and sometimes confusing.

I don't mean this disrespectfully in any way, because I enjoyed the story for the most part.  But...I felt it didn't flow very smoothly.  One minute the driver was falling asleep in his home...then he was somewhere else...and to get out of a story web the author woke the driver up out of a dream....and I never could figure out what the significance the dream had - or why I had to read it.  Stuff that that kept happening, and there were time I felt quite confused.

I got back onto the story line, but inevitably, I'd find myself on another confusing side road.  I realize the story sort of lends itself to quick scene changes, but there were times I got lost completely.  Other than bumpy writing style, it is a great story, and a brilliant idea!  I'm glad there will be other opportunities for me to spend time with these characters.

About the Author:

David L Winters is an award-winning author, humorist and speaker, originally from Ohio, who lives in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. His first book, "Sabbatical of the Mind: The Journey from Anxiety to Peace," won several awards including a Silver Illumination Award from the Jenkins Group and two Finalist Medals from the Next Generation Indies Book Awards.