Strong and Courageous!

Some of you may know our song 'Strong and Courageous', but I want to tell you more of the story behind the song and why it is so special to us.

This song was originally born out of us leading worship on a Sunday morning at a local church for the kids Sunday School large group time. The theme verse one particular Sunday was Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. That week Michelle challenged me to write a song for the service that weekend based on the theme verse. So, I sat down and scratched out a simple little chorus and we used it that weekend. It was a hit! We liked it and the kids LOVED it so we decided to work on it some more and come up with some verses and a bridge and voila 'Strong and Courageous' was born! It is a hit with kids and adults, and it is so much fun to see everyone doing the brave, strong and courageous motions!

Well, that is not where the story ends. Our daughter, Gabriella, has a friend named Sadie whom she calls her 'best friend.' Whenever they are together they pretend that they are princesses or fairies or ballerinas, something very girly, it is so cute! A little over a year ago Sadie and her family found out that she had a giant tumor growing in her abdomen. She and her family have gone through so much in the last year with Sadie having multiple surgeries, chemo, radiation and being in and out of the hospital. However, long before anyone knew that Sadie had cancer, her family had adopted a family verse, and that verse is Joshua 1:9, the same verse we based our song 'Strong and Courageous' on.

As Sadie has gone through all of this she continues to hold on to the truth in Joshua 1:9, "God is always with you." She is brave and strong and courageous and does not let anything hold her down! She is an incredible testimony of God's love!

As we were recording our "Live to Love" CD, we asked if Sadie would come in and say the scripture at the beginning of the song, 'Strong and Courageous'. She was a little reluctant at first, but then when she heard her voice on the recording she was very excited! It is so beautiful to hear her say the verse and know that she is living it out! You can listen to the song by clicking on it below. Enjoy!

There is one more part to this story that I don't want you to miss. For the last few years, instead of having a birthday party, Gabriella has wanted to do a fundraiser. She has such a compassionate heart, (just like her mother) and loves helping people. This years fundraiser is going to be on March 1st at Fralo's Art of Pizza in Leon Springs. Instead of bringing gifts, Gabi wants everyone to come out to Fralo's to eat pizza and enter the raffle to raise money for new bedding, art supplies and games for the kids receiving cancer treatments at the facility where Sadie gets her treatments. All of the details are below in the flyer. We would love to see you there! And remember....Be brave and strong and courageous, because God is ALWAYS with you!