Thought Quotient

I sat in the middle of a field at the festival yesterday and talked to a dear friend of mine who�s wrestling with brokenness� it was so good to have camaraderie with her in that� heavy-heartedness. I�ve been there. I am there. I was sharing with another friend this morning that I�m reading �The Ragamuffin Gospel� by Brennan Manning and listening a bunch to Derek Webb�s �Wedding Dress� and how those two things seem to sum up where my heart has been� knowing that I�m so messy� such a ragamuffin� and yet God�s love for me is so much more infinite than what I could ever hope� that it covers me, even in seasons of wandering.

- Bethany Dillon

Check out Bethany’s online journal on her website for more thoughts from her as she logs in from the road. She is currently on the Restored Tour with Jeremy Camp, Tree63, and The Afters.

In church today, one of the worship songs we sang was ‘Your Love Is Extravagant.’ The lyrics were on a projection screen as we sang. We got to the bridge which contained these words which seemed to jump off the screen…

Spread wide in the arms of Christ
Is the love that covers sin
No greater love have I ever known
Than You considered me a friend
Capture my heart again

Rocketown recording artist Alathea recently announced the band�s partnership with women�s speaker Ronda Paulson to present a series of women�s conferences and retreats across the United States. The four friends from East Tennessee are creating a women�s conference and retreat program that is both affordable and intimate and can be offered to churches in their own venues.

Alathea�s lead singer and chief songwriter Mandee Radford said, �Our goal is to offer a place where the women of a specific community can come together to connect with each other and share in their individual journeys as followers of Jesus. We want to tailor the event to the group, spending as much time listening as we spend speaking, so that we all leave the table full, refueled and refreshed.�

YouthSpecialties President of Events Tic Long commented, �I have seen Atathea in front of college students, youth pastors and senior pastors, and every time they won big. It is way more than their unique musical style and talent which is captivating and appeals to a wide cross-section of ages. It�s the fact that they are fun, articulate, relational, insightful and talk honestly about life and faith. People relate to them because what they say rings true. They talk about the struggles as well as the joys of following Jesus. I could not recommend them more highly.�

Radford, along with bandmates Cristi Johnson and Carrie Buell, are looking forward to their partnership with long-time friend Ronda Paulson. An author and motivational speaker, Paulson currently averages 12-15 speaking engagements per year for women�s groups, church camps, organizations and retreats.

Radford said, �Ronda is like my favorite instrument, the banjo. When I hear the banjo played, I�m either laughing or crying � the crazy little instrument can strike both chords. Ronda has the natural ability to bring out deep laughter in the midst of exposing our greatest losses and sorrows. And the end result feels like new hope as we hold on to God�s unswerving love for us.�

Be in prayer as another dangerously strong hurricane is moving through the gulf reminiscent of Hurricane Katrina. Here’s more from the AP…

Rita Plows Across Gulf; Patients Evacuated

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff urged residents in the threatened areas to get out.

“You can’t play around with this storm,” he said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” He aded: “The lesson is that when the storm hits, the best place to be is to be out of the path of the storm.”

At 11 a.m. EDT, Rita was centered about 260 miles west of Key West, Fla., and 775 miles southeast of Corpus Christi, Texas, moving west at near 13 mph. Forecasters predicted it would come ashore Saturday somewhere between northern Mexico and western Louisiana, most likely in Texas.

Meteorologist Chris Landsea of the National Hurricane Center in Miami said Rita could strengthen to a Category 5 with wind over 155 mph as it moves over the warm waters of the gulf, or it could ease to a Category 3, with wind of less than 130 mph.

Related links:
Hurricane Expert Sees Storms Increasing
Katrina’s official deaths top 1,000
Accuweather Hurricane Center

Bethany Dillon has just finished a music video for the song ‘Dreamer’ - which will be the end credit song in the October 21 DreamWorks motion picture of the same name. Wanna check out the new video? Take your pick from the links below…

Real Media

Windows Media 56k

Windows Media 100k

Windows Media 300k

Update:
Check it out…
Bethany Dillon at the DREAMER movie premiere

Listen to Bethany Dillon music at the ThoughtQuotient Music Store.
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Former America Idol contender, 19 year old Christian pop artist, Joanna Martino, has signed with Patton House Entertainment.

Martino’s first single, ‘Right Where You Want Me’ from her debut album My World, will be released to radio October 14th.

Described by her producer, Drew Cline, as “an artist with an unmistakeable fresh fire,” the Michigan born teenager was, at 16, one of the youngest artists to move through multiple rounds of judging in Los Angeles on Fox’s hit series American Idol. Her professionalism and remarkable vocals won her a staging among the final 80 contestants in the program’s second season. One of five children in a close knit Italian family, Joanna relocated to Nashville shortly after high school. She noted in a recent interview: “My family has always encouraged me to pursue my dreams. They have supported me and prayed for me through this entire journey.”

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