INTERVIEWS AND ARTIST SPOTLIGHTS!!Click here for more!

 

THIRD DAY: Worship 24/7
by Diana Hong

"We all have offerings we can give… We can all worship God with our talents. We can all worship God in our relationships. We can all worship God with our entire lives." -Third Day

Third Day gets it! Mac, Tai, Mark, David and Brad understand what true worship involves. Worship is not just about singing songs and lifting hands in Spirit and Truth, but allowing the Spirit to bleed into every other area of your life. Worship is emptying the cup of your heart everyday before the ultimate Giver so that His blessings fill to the brim and overflow onto the people who surround you. Worship is about your whole life faithfully pointing to Jesus and His love, so that people cannot help but want to know Him too. Worship is about making God bigger and us smaller.

One way Third Day is magnifying God in peoples' lives is by using their recognition and talents to help in practical ways through Habitat for Humanity. Habitat is an international organization dedicated to eliminating poverty housing by building and selling homes to families with no-profit, zero-interest mortgages. Tai Anderson, Third Day's bassist shared, "We wholeheartedly believe in the mission of the Habitat for Humanity to eliminate poverty housing around the world. We hope to use this platform to challenge worship expressed through service to the world around us."

The Come Together Tour was a huge part in Third Day's efforts to help families connected with Habitat. Most concert fans had no idea that a portion of every ticket had been promised to Habitat even before they stepped through the doors. The 76-city tour reached more than 300,000 fans. As a result, the band was able to raise more than $230,000 to build houses in Nashville, Atlanta, West Palm Beach, Indonesia, Guatemala, South Africa, Nepal and Thailand.

Besides donating funds, Third Day will build eight houses here and abroad. The second home built in the U.S. was finished this past summer for a local family in Alabama. "Third Day has not only helped us build more houses thanks to their donation, but they have also brought Christ's love in action and activated servanthood to their many fans across the United States" says Millard Fuller, founder and president of Habitat for Humanity International. "Third Day is committing their time, talent and resources - you can't ask for much more than that. They are truly putting their faith into action and demonstrating their tremendous commitment to Habitat by building side by side with future homeowners, as well as agreeing to fully fund eight houses."

Third Day's vision extends beyond borders, crossing cultural, racial, economic and denominational barriers. Third Day's worship extends beyond stadiums, churches and their music. The sweet fragrance of worship filters through their lives making lyrics such as those in "Sing a Song" from their new album Offerings II come alive!

I want to live my life for you, Lord/ Lord, for You I want to live my life/ I want to praise the name of Jesus/ Pray above all things You're glorified.

Emblazoned hearts of five guys desiring to express their faith in Jesus have resonated not only in songs, but ultimately, in lives. Despite years of recognition, hit records, and sold out concerts, Third Day unceasingly seeks out channels by which their worshipful hearts can bless others and their Creator.

"By this, all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." - John 13:35

All information in this report taken from www.thirdday.com and www.habitat.com


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



STEPHANIE CUOMO - All About Worship
by Diana Hong

NEW ARTIST SPOTLIGHT EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Stephanie Cuomo is all about the singing and exalting the praises of Jesus. Her first solo album, Awaken Me, is a collection of worship songs that reflect her personality as well as the truths that make up the foundation of her faith. Stephanie and drummer/husband Dan Cuomo, visited our studios to share more behind her first album and how they both came to know Jesus.

The Fish: What is the significance behind the title of your first project?

Stephanie Cuomo: It's actually a lyric from the song "Be Here Now." The second verse says "awaken me, in slumber I have closed my eyes." So I just took it from that. As for this disk, it was like an awakening for me as well. I had to convince the rest of my team that that's what I wanted it to be called. That song means so much to me. When I did my CD release show, I talked about that song before I sang it and since then it's become a transition for me. It just says " [Jesus] be here now."


The Fish: The first song is co-written by you and Angela Aki. Can you share a little bit behind the song?

Stephanie Cuomo: I had never written a song before. Angela is a good friend of mine and she is always pushing me to write. She's a really good writer and she's written a ton of stuff so it was somewhat intimidating to write with her but she was so wonderful. We would get together at her house and she would make up a chord progression and we had a little cheap tape recorder and she'd send me home with it. I had always wanted to write but it's intimidating because I have so many friends that are great writers. So it's intimidating when you have no writing experience. She wrote the chord progression and had a little idea so she started off with the song. I wrote the chorus and melody and a lot of the words in the verses. However, the cool "déjà vu" is her line.


The Fish: What's your favorite song on the album and why?

Stephanie Cuomo: It depends on the day. I really like "In You, I Trust." I love the strings on it. It really depends because there's so much variety on the record so it really does depend on how you're feeling at the time and what songs move you at the time. I really like "In Your Hands" because it's so bare and transparent. "Take Me Away," of course, is the fun disco song.

The Fish: The photography on your CD is really cool. Where did you have it done?

Stephanie Cuomo: The car is from a guy who leads worship at our church. I have a thing for old cars. I loved going to vintage car shows with my dad while growing up. The photographer is actually a really good friend of mine. She goes to Frontline (local church ministry) and they have a company called Sota Design. Her and the guy she works with are head of our artist community at Frontline. So we're really good friends. She's just a fabulous photographer, and her husband, who also works for Sota Design, did the whole layout.

The Fish: Are you thinking about doing any other albums?

Stephanie Cuomo: It's in the discussion mode. We're not completely sure what we're going to do. I'd love to do a worship record sometime.

Dan Cuomo: It's a lot of work that goes into it. It's fun but it's time consuming. You wanna do it right and put good time into it because you want it to come out good, you want it to sound good. We're taking our time and we're still really excited about this one.

Stephanie Cuomo: Even though it was a lot of work, it was great to be able to do this project and still have my job and still have my weekly ministry at Frontline. The flexibility, the faith, confidence and support that I've gotten through this whole experience has meant a lot to me.

The Fish: How did you come to a personal relationship with Christ?

Dan Cuomo: I was about nine years old. I was at church one day and I finally asked my mom, "I want what you have." We prayed together, but I don't think it was really until I was a teenager that I really came to the Lord and really started focusing on figuring out who I was. I attended Christian schools my whole life so I was really fortunate.

Stephanie Cuomo: Same for me, I grew up in a Christian family. Both my parents grew up in Christian families also. I think I was eight when we were having a kid's revival. I was baptized shortly after that. But, when high school came around, I lost track of a lot of things and then rededicated my life right before my junior year in college.

The Fish: Frontline, a young adult ministry at Mclean Bible Church, is the ministry you're a part of. What is your heart and vision for the younger generation of today?

Stephanie Cuomo: I started working at Mclean Bible two weeks after I graduated college. I didn't really know what I wanted to do with my career. I was a public relations major in college. Sometimes, I would come to Frontline when I came home from college to visit my family. But Frontline was just one of a kind. I just loved what they were doing. It was exciting, different and I had never really been part of a church with such a focus and passion for the young adults. That is really what our church is about. Equipping younger leaders. When I first started, I saw so much potential. I'm now the main worship leader for Frontline and oversee the whole creative arts department. So it's been a huge journey over the last six years, but I just love to see people worship. It's an honor to be a part of their week as they really focus and sing corporately to God.

Worship music from Stephanie Cuomo can be heard on XM 32, The Fish. Visit her website www.stephaniecuomo.com.
Images courtesy of Stephanie Cuomo


© 2001 Salem Media of Virginia, Inc., a Salem Communications Corporation company. The contents and compilation of this site - including its assembly, design, text, illustrations, photographs, logos, etc. - are the intellectual property of Salem Media of Virginia, unless otherwise indicated. All rights, titles and interests are reserved. Site designed and maintained by Thomas Kenny.