So, I saw The Dark Knight. Wow. It was awesome and disturbing. But awesome. But also sad since you were watching the role that possibly led to Heath Ledger’s death. But I totally LOVE Batman Begins and the followup did not dissapoint. I’m sure they’ll do another.

What was the last movie you saw? Let’s hear about it.

Love to all.
Natalie

In case you missed it, check out the NEWS Section of this blog to check out my new video for “I Will Not Be Moved”.  Also make sure to send your friends and put it on your websites.  Thanks so much.

-natalie.

For day 23 of this years 40 Day Fast I have the opportunity to talk about an organization I have been able to start and be a part of called The Home Foundation.

In 2004, I was sitting comfortably in my suburban house, drinking tea and half-watching an episode of Law And Order.  As I was chilling out, or really more zoning out, infront of my television, something on the screen caught my attention. a little girl was being sold as a sex slave to some man in a suit in New York City. New York? What?  Okay, so I know it’s just a tv show, but I thought law and order was always loosely based on some sort of reality. and some guy was buying a kid out of a van. I’ve bought designer knock-off hand bags out of a van in NYC, but a child?  Come-on, this was in no way real, right?  Or was it?  I couldn’t shake what I was seeing. They were depicting human trafficking, which at that point I had never heard of before. I Googled. When in doubt, that’s what I do, I Google. what I discovered through that one search rocked me to the core and would change my life forever.

Slavery still exists today. The sale of human beings is the fastest growing trade in the world. Yep, you read that correctly. some of the victims are as young as 5 years of age. and it’s happening everywhere. In total, the United Nations estimates that there are 12.5 million trafficked children, women and men worldwide. But many say there are millions more that we don’t know about, and estimate the figure may be closer to 25 million victims worldwide.  After I saw Law And Order and did a significant amount of research, I traveled to India. With my own eyes I saw little girls for sale on the street. I will never forget looking up in a second story window and seeing a little girl, probably not more than 7 years of age, looking at me through the bars of a cage.  I was horrified. I was sickened. I was motivated. I had to do something. what, I did not know. but I knew i must do something.  

After I returned home to Nashville, the police broke up a brothel 1 mile from my front door.  There were underage girls in the brothel, as young as 12.  This is not just an international problem. Each year, an estimated 17,500 people are trafficked into the United States. some may be right next door.

I founded The Home Foundation in 2005.  You can visit the website and read stories of real-life victims.  We have completed an orphanage in Mumbai and also in Bangladesh. We have supported heroic organizations such as World Vision, shared Hope International, International Justice Mission and the Salvation Army.  We have raised awareness as I have shared about human trafficking to the over 2 million people I have sung to in the last couple of years.  I am most excited about our brand new College Internship Program.  This summer, we sent our first 3 college students to India for a 10-week internship. we hope to send atleast 12 students in 2009.  I have seen students respond to this issue all over the country.  It has been inspiring to watch groups of young adults become creative in the ways they can raise awareness and raise money to fight human trafficking.

So what now?  Well, the Gospel Music Channel has agreed to give us air time for a public service campaign, so we are working on that. But we must continue to educate the public about this issue. We all have a responsibility to be an abolitionist.  You can make a difference.  Educate yourself on this issue and discover the ways that you can be involved.  YOU can make a difference.  We must bring this evil which hides in the dark into the light.  We must be the voice for those who have none.  We must let them know that they have not been forgotten.  So, as if you haven’t been disgusted enough by this issue, remember this:  The average age of a young girl who is forced into prostitution is 10.  She is raped repeatedly, the average is around 20-30 times a night.  If she does not meet her quota, she will be beat by her “pimp”.  Many of these young girls are sold by their own parents. The parents don’t know what they are doing, but are told that the child will be given a good job with fair money and an opportunity to go to school. Parents fall for the lie, feeling
they have no other choices or options for their children.

Listen, I’m not a hero, I’m just human. And if we have a heart beating on the inside of us, how could we possibly turn away from the most innocent among us being ravaged and raped?  I wasted so many years worrying about things that don’t matter and striving for things that are just not that important.  I admit that I have been way too self-involved and self-absorbed most days to even take notice of the rest of the world. But thank God he woke me from my selfish slumber and stirred me to action.  I only have one life. I want to make it matter.  Whatever issue it is that stirs you to action, I pray you will respond.  When God calls, all he asks us to do is answer. We seek justice for the oppressed and i pray you will join the fight.

thehomefoundation.net

Also make sure to check out Kjaere’s post as part of the 40 Day Fast.

Natalie.

Hello, friends. We are heading back on the bus from NYC to Nashville. Thought we would show you a little peak into our ride home. Sorry the video is a little bumpy. “Auntie” Tiff shot it while the bus was cruisin’. The back of the bus has been turned into a nursery and I climbed into one of the crib bunks. Gracie and Bella are total roadies. This will let you see how big they are getting. I love being a singer, but this will give you a glimpse into the role I love best….mommy.

 Xo,

Natalie

Okay, so I had the most amazing day yesterday. First, The Grammy’s decided to do a Salute to Gospel Music, honoring some legendary figures who have made so many contributions to the Gospel music industry. They held it at the Lincoln Theater in Washington DC and decided to honor The Winans, Sandi Patty, and Walter and Edwin Hawkins. They brought special guests in to sing a tribute to each of the honorees. This is where I came in.  So, when they asked Sandi Patty if she could have anyone come and sing a tribute for her who would it be, she said…. (drum roll please) ME!

When I was a little girl singing Sandi Patty songs into my hairbrush, if you would have told me that I would be singing for her one day at a Grammy event I would have said you were crazy. What a special night. I sang Love In Any Language, an oldie but a goodie Did I mention Patti LaBelle was there? Oh yes, in all her glory and she raised the roof. And Sandi showed why she was the female vocalist of the year for 11 years in a row as she sang We Shall Behold Him. It was so awesome. (For all my young friends on here, you may not know Sandi’s voice, but she is a legend. Just ask your mom*wink*)

And if that weren’t enough, check out what happened earlier in the day. There was a press conference at the Capitol. The president of the Grammy’s spoke, several members of congress and a few senators and…..ME! Yep, I was playing with the big dogs. It was so very surreal. I asked myself a million times in my mind, “what am I doing here”? Surely there was someone more important and eloquent than I who could have spoken, but God opened the door for me and I nervously walked through it. Something very cool is happening this September. Thanks to The Gospel Music Channel president, who had the dream and determination to make it a reality, every September from this year on has been proclaimed by the United States Congress as “Gospel Music Heritage Month.” How cool is that? I spoke about it on behalf of the Artist community during the press conference at the Capitol. I am so grateful for such a memorable day.

It’s easy, isn’t it, to get caught up in the snags of life. Wishing for something more, something different, something better. And often, God drops little surprises from Heaven that make us smile and the journey a little easier. That was yesterday for me. If we’re not careful, we may miss our daily God-moments. Don’t miss yours. And hold on, because a blessing is right around the corner. 

with a grateful heart….

Natalie

Have you ever cut your own hair? My bangs were constantly in my eyes and driving me INSANE! So, I’m in St Louis for Women of Faith and I decided to give myself a trim in the dressing room bathroom. It turned out pretty good, actually. Considering the scissors were eyebrow scissors. (Tiff, we must talk about why you have eyebrow scissors!) Anyway, now I’m thinking my layers could use a little trim. Uh, oh, I’m moving past the bangs! Put down the scissors, Natalie!!! Have you ever had a hair debacle?

My worst hair moment of all time was in the fifth grade when my sister Allison gave me a perm. My hair looked like a bunch of cauliflower. Then there was my new-wave phase with one side short and the other side long. Oh yes, that is a true story. Thank God for hats. When you see me wearing one, there is a bad hair day being hid underneath.

Cheers to a good hair day!
Nat

Hey guys.  I hope you all are well.

I just wanted to share two quick things with you about the blogroll thing. I am getting a lot of submissions that I am not able to post because a blog address isn’t being added.

If you don’t put anything in the ‘your domain name’ section, I won’t have anywhere to link to.  If you have more than one blog that you want me to link to, add a second one with another name.

Also, make sure that you are also putting a link to this blog on your blogroll.  That way we can share the love.  If you have already submitted your name and/or blog but needed to fix something, go ahead and submit it again and I will get you added.

Thanks everyone.  Have a great night.

-nat

Hey Internet friends.

I know there are a lot of you out there that have blogs and are already linking here, but I wanted to mention something new we are starting here where you can add your blog to my blogroll in the spirit of creating a special community.  Here’s how it will work.  Over on the right you will see a new link called “blogroll”.  Click on that and enter your information.  I will check out your blog once it’s submitted and as long as there isn’t anything inappropriate on it I will link back to you.  Make sure your blog is linking here.  Sounds fun right?  

Also, once you are linked on there, make sure to go check out some of those blogs.  

Happy Linking.

-nat

g’day, mate!

Wait a second….wrong country. Sorry about that. I’m not in australia, but I am in England and it is AMAZING! We weathered the flight okay, the babies slept the entire flight (thank you for your prayers), and have adjusted incredibly. BIG news….Bella is now walking - everywhere! She is still stumbly-bumbly, but she’s walking! And now that gracie sees her walking, she has taken her first steps. She is now up to 7 steps! Yep, and all this happened in England. Incredible. The church we are working with here is amazing. Check them out. They are Abundant Life Church in Bradford, UK. This place is awesome. The worship is so authentic and real and the teaching is life-changing. Order their stuff. you won’t regret it. We have also had a bit of time to see around the beautiful British countryside. It is so breathtaking. I haven’t seen a billboard since i’ve been here. How refreshing.

I’m back in the good ‘ol USA on Monday. I’ll write more soon. Till then, I’ll
tell the queen you say hello

xo,
natalie

 hello peeps,

i have some many things i want to talk to you about. actually, there are 2 things that have been on my heart in particular, that i want to blog at length about and just don’t have the time
today. so check back often in the next little while and i will get to it very soon!

okay - just a quick little update on what’s been happening. we finished the “Relentless” tour on sunday night. oh my goodness, we pulled off some pretty funny tour pranks. first, when Ashmont Hill started the show, we had to do a few things to them. their newbies - i mean, we HAD to prank them, right?

so Phil and Will always love to take their mics off the stand all dramatically. so what did we do? we taped them to the stand. so in the middle of the song, they are trying to grab their mic off the stand and it won’t budge. pretty funny.  funnier, however, is what we did to Jimmy Needham.  I met with the announcer of the concert and told him to prep the audience. then we distracted Jimmy while he did so. we asked the announcer to tell the crowd not to clap at the end of Jimmy’s first song. not a clap, not a whistle, not a peep. so Jimmy takes the stage, playing and singing his heart out, trying to get the crowd all revved up. he finished his song and nobody made a sound! Jimmy looked like a deer in the headlights and whispered in to his mic, “that was it. that was the end of my song.” still nothing. he looked like he was going to throw up. them myself and my band popped out from back stage and started cheering like crazy for him and then the audience went nuts for him. it was HILARIOUS. heartless, maybe, but too funny. he knew we were going to do something, but he never expected that. it was awesome.

But then my band pulled one off on me. one my song, “what are you waiting for”, i turned to look at my guitar player, only it wasn’t my guitar player. it was my bass player. and my guitar player was on bass. and my drummer was on keys. and yep, you guessed it, my keys player was on drums. it totally threw me and i started cracking up. i could barely sing the song. scarier, though, is that they actually made it through the song on different instruments. those boys are talented. but i pray i never see matt on the drums again. (sorry, matt!) i love the people i travel with. they make life on the road very fun.

we then had a video shoot on monday night. it is for “I will not be moved”. i think it will be my coolest video yet. we shot it at the old state prison in Nashville, at night nonetheless - freaky! it is where they filmed alot of “the green mile”. that was cool. can’t wait for you to see it. the pic above is of me and the band at the shoot. sorry you’re not in the pic, tiff! where were you?!!! yes, tiffany, my incredible BGV is in the video, and she looked awesome.

now i am frantically doing laundry and packing for my trip to England. we leave tomorrow and it is going to be an awesome trip. but pray for the flight if you think about it. we are taking the twins. 2 babies on a 10 hour flight to England? help me, Jesus!

much love,
natalie