The Update

Over the last weekend I went to a conference called Spring Blitz with the youth group. At this conference a man named Craig Sanborn was speaking on the subject of the media. He talked about how the media has more effect on us than we think. He said that right now it's thought to be ok to swear and put sexual things in music and magazines or on tv. Notice the key word in that sentence. It's THOUGHT to be ok. It's not ok. In fact, it's far from it.

Philippians 4:8 says 'Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.'

This verse pretty much says ' Are the things you listen to, watch, and read pleasing to God?'
I felt like a hypocrite. I was shocked at all the stuff in the media but when I took a look at the things I watch, read, and listen to, I noticed that I had been dragged in by it all. I COULD have said to myself  "The stuff I listen to isn't as bad as all that other stuff" but it's all the same. Swearing is swearing. Sexuality is sexuality. I felt I had to stop listening, watching and reading these things that are evil in the sight of God.

I got rid of half of all my music and posters. I got rid of anything with swearing or bad messages. I paid for those things and it made it hard to let it go, but I knew it was something I had to do. It was something that would help me take care of my soul, which is something that is way better than all the music, tv shows and books in the whole world. As a teen, the media bombards me everyday and it's a lot of negative things. I want to be filled with positive thoughts and actions and I feel this way with a passion. 

It's only been a few days but I can feel the change it's made in my life. I think better thoughts about things and other people and I feel closer to God. It's my hope that this message will touch you like it's touched me and that you will fight with me to get closer to God. It is important to me and I hope to make it important to others. Join me in The Rage Against the Media.

Kaycee Clark is part of the NSL:jh, a singer in the NSL Band, and an all around awesome gal!

If you were at Blitz this weekend, or if you checked out this week’s “Song of the Week” then you are familiar with Remedy Drive. Their new album is fantastic, and NSL highly recommends that you pick it up.

But what’s even better is you can score the whole album for less than a Big Mac meal! AmazonMP3 has ‘Daylight is Coming’ for only $5! That is sweet indeed.

So head on over there and get the Remedy Drive album for $5! [just click the pic]

More music available on the NSL Jukebox. In preparation for their album release tomorrow, we bring you Anberlin’s last effort, Cities.

This alternative rock band has been around for quite a while on Tooth & Nail Records, but they are getting ready for their first release on a major label, and it’s about time.

The skillful use of unique sounds and the emotional outpouring through instrument and voice are the cornerstone of Anberlin’s unique sound. They’ve spent their time touring around with the Warped Tour where new fans are made at each stop. This is great background music for a drive or when you’re just hanging out, so go and check them out.

*If you need instructions on how to use the NSL Jukebox, you can find them here.

New music is available on the NSL Jukebox from Kids In The Way.
Apparitions of Melody is the sophomore release from Kids in the Way. It offers the same post-hardcore flavor that they have become known for, with a delicate mix of melodic vocals and hardcore screaming.
This rough and driving album offers some insightful lyrics and great music for you just need it to be loud. Check it out!
*If you need instructions on how to use the NSL Jukebox, you can find them here.

Three new albums are available on the NSL Jukebox. Some great stuff from David Crowder Band.
David Crowder Band puts out some of the most fun worship music you can find. A electro-geeky sound mixed with over-the-top praise and hard driving anthems. It's a safe bet that there's something for everybody on one of these three albums.
Head to the NSL Jukebox now and you'll find:
Remedy - The latest release from DCB, played regularly at NSL Events
A Collision - The previous release, with some funky hoe-down style.
Illuminate - The infamous release with many of the Band's most popular tracks. Chances are that you've sung some of these songs in church before.
So head on over and check it out.
*If you need instructions on how to use the NSL Jukebox, you can find them here.

It’s tricky to find an album as eclectic as Polarity from southern rockers The Wedding. Now available for listening on the NSL Jukebox!

The album starts out with brass horns, and rocks until the end with piano-driven tracks, post-hardcore screaming, melodic pop-punk throwbacks, and a surprise ending that honors their Arkansas roots.

This one holds something for everyone, and is a fun listen all the way through. So head on over the NSL Jukebox and check it out!

Need a reminder on how the Jukebox works? Get it here.

There is some Splash-Camp inspired new music is available on the NSL Jukebox!

United We Stand is gives the rockstar treatment to worship music from the leading worship leaders at Hillsong United. Stunning instrumentals, progressive beats, and some serious ruckus of worship is all there for you to enjoy! This is some great praise music (seriously, you need to listen to it to understand).

And for those of you who were at Splash Camps, you’ll recognize a lot of the songs and style as what the Splash Band played while we were at camp!

So crank up the speakers and head over to check it out!

Need a refresher? Get directions for the NSL Jukebox here.

There is some Splash-Camp inspired new music is available on the NSL Jukebox!

United We Stand is gives the rockstar treatment to worship music from the leading worship leaders at Hillsong United. Stunning instrumentals, progressive beats, and some serious ruckus of worship is all there for you to enjoy! This is some great praise music (seriously, you need to listen to it to understand).

And for those of you who were at Splash Camps, you’ll recognize a lot of the songs and style as what the Splash Band played while we were at camp!

So crank up the speakers and head over to check it out!

Need a refresher? Get directions for the NSL Jukebox here.

The entire Starfield catalog is now available at the NSL Jukebox. All 3 albums are there for you to stream and listen to while you are doing homework, cruising MySpace or Facebook, or just chilling.

Starfield is the perfect blend of worship and rock music, with some deliciously insightful lyrics and some great riffs, they are great for kickin' back or thinkin' hard about God's role in our lives. Each album has a decent mix of loud 'n' proud music with some quieter reflective stuff, and ever since some NSL groupies went to their concert a couple years ago they've been a Northwood favorite.

So had on over to the NSL Jukebox and check it out!

[Reminder: The username is: students@northwoodcc.org | The password is: BeMore]

There's a new album available at the NSL Jukebox. The self-titled debut from High Flight Society is now available. If you're a fan of The Wedding, Jonezetta, or The Almost you'll probably enjoy it, so head on over and check it out!

Back in the day when neon nylon was in, Goonies was a new release, and I was a young(er) lad, there were these things called Mixtapes. If you had some songs you wanted a friend to hear, you couldn't just tell them to look it up online... there was no online. (Creepy, huh?)
And we didn't burn CDs either, that was way too expensive. Instead we would record the CDs on to a tape (see picture below) and give it to them. Thus the Mixtape was born.
I found a neat website that let's you live the glory days of yesteryear, and decided to make a mix of the things you could find on the NSL Jukebox, enjoy!

With it being Easter weekend I figured it was only appropriate to upload the Third Day catalog to the NSL Jukebox. If you hadn't guessed, the band's name comes from Jesus rising from the dead on the third day. These souther rockers have been around since the mid 90's, and that's given them a chance to fine tune their sound.

One song in particular is great for this time of year. Off their self-title debut album (cover art to the right) is a song called Thief is the story of Jesus' crucifixion told from the perspective of one of the thieves perspectives. It's a really powerful song, and one of my favorites to listen to on Good Friday.

So head on over to the NSL Jukebox [click here] and listen to some of the best acoustic rock and great lyrics in Christian music.

Note: If you don't remember how to use the jukebox, read the earlier post here [click here].

There's a new album on the NSL Jukebox. "Anybody Out There" by Burlap to Cashmere is a creative acoustic rock album with a subtle Latin influence and thoughtful melodic lyrics.

It's playful and fun at times, and provocative and insightful at others. Take some time to listen to some of the lyrics and see what you can dig out.

Looking for some great tunes with an even greater message? Look no further than the NSL Jukebox. The latest addition to the online arsenal of Northwood Student Life.

The NSL Jukebox is a place for you find new music and listen to old favorites. Did you hear some great music in a youth leader’s car on a trip? Did you like something that was playing when you showed up on Sunday morning? Maybe it’ll be online. If it isn’t, just tell Luke you liked it and we’ll see if we can’t get it up and playing.
Here’s how it works.

· Follow this link.

· Log in:
username: students@northwoodcc.org
password: bemore

· Pick an album

· Hit play!

It’s that simple! Right now there's just a few albums (some Skillet and Day of Fire, plus pretty much every Switchfoot song). We’ll add music pretty regularly so watch to see what tunes we’ve found. This is a great way to find some great music that also shares the same message as NSL. “Jesus Rocks, He Loves Us, and He Wants Us To Be More.”