Thought Quotient

sixstepsrecords/Sparrow Records lead-worshiper and 2006 GMA Artist and Male Vocalist of the Year, Chris Tomlin, receives his first and second GRAMMY nominations for the 49th Annual GRAMMY Awards. Announced today by The Recording Academy, Tomlin was given nods for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album for See The Morning, his No. 1 selling, critically acclaimed album released Sept. 26, and Best Gospel Performance for “Made to Worship,” his current, record breaking single that is No. 1 for the 12th consecutive week at Christian radio.

“What? Wow! God is amazing,” exclaimed Tomlin, caught off guard by the news. “It’s an honor to be nominated by my peers for a GRAMMY.”

The past year has been filled with milestones for Chris Tomlin. In February, he was presented with his first Gold record for his 2004 release, Arriving, which made radio history by producing three No. 1 singles and three songs in the R&R AC top 30 simultaneously (two songs in the top 10). When GMA Music Award nominations were announced later that month Tomlin led all artists with 10 nominations and two months later walked away with 5 awards, including the top honors for Artist of Year, Male Vocalist of the Year and Song of the Year. On Nov. 27, he was lauded by TIME magazine as perhaps the most sung artist anywhere. Tomlin has written 17 Top CCLI songs sung by millions around the world every week as people gather to worship, including “Forever,” “Holy Is The Lord” and “We Fall Down.”

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You can check out Switchfoot’s latest video at the links below…

‘Oh! Gravity!’

• Windows Media
• Real Media

Never doubt the power of God’s Word. It is powerful beyond anything our human minds can ever come up with.
Imagine a guy - Donny - who struggled with his occupation.

He had no hope. He started searching.

One day, Donny pulled the car over and ask Christ to come into his life. He then turned on the radio and heard a song playing called “When God Ran”. The song referenced the prodigal son. Chills came upon him. Two months later, Donny is speaking at 2 churches over a course of one weekend not scared to talk about leaving his previous occupation - porn - and coming to Christ.

Read the rest of Donny’s story over at XXXchurch.com.

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There has never before been a time of urgency like this in our Christian history. Our youth are under assault and many are just now realizing it. We need leaders who will rise up, be branded by God and stand strong in their commitment to follow Christ. This year’s ATF tour will be about the making of these warriors.

ATF bands are serious about reaching this generation and they have a passion for young people. Don’t miss hearing their hearts and their awesome music. This year’s ATF bands include KJ-52, Skillet, P.O.D., Pillar, Casting Crowns, Mercy Me, Grits, Hawk Nelson, Jeremy Camp, Falling Up, Sarah Kelly, Flyleaf, Hillsong United, and The Autumn Ashley Band. Don’t miss this opportunity. Register for an ATF near your community now.

Call 1.866.293.8368 or go here for more info.

Tour dates:
Dec 8-9 Orange County, CA
Jan 26-27 Tampa, FL
Jan 26-27 Houston, TX
Feb 16-17 Minneapolis, MN
Feb 16-17 Baton Rogue, LA
Feb 23-24 San Antonio, TX
Feb 23-24 Boise, ID
March 2-3 Tulsa, OK
March 9-10 San Francisco, CA
March16-17 Norfolk, VA
March16-17 Muncie, IN
March23-24 Nashville, TN
March23-24 Miami, FL
March30-31 Dallas, TX
March30-31 Winston-Salem
April 13-14 Detroit, MI
April 20-21 Kansas City, MO
April 20-21 Portland, OR
April 27-28 Denver, CO
April 27-28 San Diego, CA
May 4-5 Pittsburgh, PA
May 4-5 Tacoma, WA
May 11-12 Baltimore, MA
May 18-19 Des Moines, IA

Related Links:

• Battle Cry Xanga & MySpace Graphics
• Thought Quotient - Battle Cry archives

“Get up in the morning, grab God’s grace, and head into your day leaning hard on Jesus - because there is nothing better than hearing those words “well done” from our Savior. It’s what a rich welcome into heaven is all about.” - Joni Eareckson Tada

Peter 1:3-7

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith–more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire–may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

The band Skillet was recently interviewed by the folks over at www.battlecry.com. Here’s the text of that article…

If you think that bands write music simply to make money, “make it big”, and have fun, then you’ve got another thing coming when you meet Skillet’s John Cooper, Korey Cooper, Ben Kasica, and Lori Peters. Now I’m not saying they don’t like to have fun; they are some of the most laid-back people I’ve met, and there was definitely a lot of laughter even amidst our interview. But the heart of their music goes much deeper than fun and volume, deeper even than their amazing lyrics and unique sound. It’s the band’s desperate desire to reach this generation that sets Skillet apart from others in their genre. They don’t just sing what “feels” right; they listen to what God is speaking into their lives and weave His heart into the very core of their music.

During my interview with them, their heart for youth was so potent that even Korey, who usually lets John take the wheel when it comes to interviews, couldn’t help but burst in on the subject, “It’s easier just to say that Jesus is the answer without any practical application for their lives. And then the kids are like, ‘I don’t have any idea what that means. It’s not applying to my life.’ They don’t understand.”

Devotion echoed in her voice as she continued.

“And it is true, big picture. But you’ve gotta make it to where they can relate it to their lives, otherwise it’s just this nebulous thing. And then you’ve got so many kids that are in the church, they’re not Christians, they know ‘Jesus is the answer’ they know that’s what you’re going to say to them. They don’t know what that means. And they could care less. And there are so many people out there that are like that. They’re jaded by the church. And I’m not even talking about the ones that were judged, or that saw hypocrites. I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about the ones that it just didn’t work for them because they didn’t know how to apply it. And there’s tons of kids out there like that.”

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