“JOY COMES THROUGH the MOURNING”
...is a book/CD project to help people deal with their grief from a Christian perspective. Here are some of the highlights:
The book is a collection of poems and short stories written by regular everyday people -- stories from the heart that tell of their grief experiences and how they got through those difficult times by leaning on their faith in the Savior, Jesus Christ. So far, I have 12+ such writings with more to be written. Everyone grieves differently, so each story will be unique.
There will also be several photographs of the families, nature, scenery, etc. along with inspirational artwork, quotations and Bible Scripture verses. Three former co-workers, who are semi-professional photographers, are allowing me to choose from their entire collections, and I have a couple of friends who are very talented artists. Picture a coffee table-style gift book, similar to “HIS NAME is JESUS” by Max Lucado and "PEACE in HIS PRESENCE" by Sarah Young.
The CD will be interactive with the book, as the songs on the CD will be in the same order as the lyrics printed in the book and intertwined with the writings to make a very meaningful presentation. The music will be made up of local middle Tennessee artists alongside nationally known artists. Here's a list of proposed songs:
"Joy Follows Suffering" (instrumental) Michael W. Smith
"To the One" Anadara
"More Than the Grains" Steve Missall
(Natalie Grant's) "Held" Meredith Morris
"The Prayer" singers TBA
"He is With You" Mandisa
"Blessings" Laura Story
(Philips, Craig and Dean's) "Shine On Us" Mitchel Jon
(Hillary Scott's) "Thy Will" singer TBA
"Tell Your Heart to Beat Again" Danny Gokey
"The Other Side" Colton Dixon
"I Am Home" Austin Tyler Jones
And for the "Life of Jesus" section:
(Hillsong's) "What a Beautiful Name" Anadara, Steve, Meredith, Mitchel, Austin, Terri
(Michael W. Smith's) "All is Well" Terri Alvord with the Nashville Philharmonic Flute Ensemble
"As it is in Heaven" Michael W. Smith
"Crown Him/Majesty" Chris Tomlin
"Forever" Kari Jobe
"We Believe" Newsboys
The main mission of “JOY COMES THROUGH the MOURNING” is to minister to those who are grieving by sharing stories and music, and to guide them to a deeper relationship with Jesus.
**This project will become a reality in the near future, when the funds become available through the sales of Route 24/7 Diner products.**