The Piano Guys... LIVE!!!

Hey, hey, hey, look who's late!!!!
It's me!!!! I'm late again!!! What a shock!! I mean really!!!

Yeah, back again with no excuse aside from I just wasn't really feelin' the blog post I had written. But I shall continue on with it and hopefully have it up by this Friday.
   Ah gee, I hope you all are doing well. Hope your week was great and that this one is going alright too. And if not, my advice to you is to just keep going and try to focus on the good. Try making something, try drawing something, try writing something. Keep going, my friend. :)
   So yes, as the title might have revealed, I did something very special this week with my dad. We went and saw The Piano guys live!!!! And let me just say. It was... Awesome.
   Steven and Jon were amazing. Man, they just put their heart into it and it went spectacular!! I took a lot of pictures, so prepare yourself for this photo dump.

Here's the arena before the concert. Dad and I got there about 1 hr 45 min early, so we had plenty of time to get in, find our seat, get some merch.

The stage before the concert

And so it begins! 

I think it was right about here when something quite startling happened. We were seated about 5 seats from the stairs. There are three people seated right next to the stairs, which also means that I didn't have to sit next to a stranger, thank the Lord. :) But so, about three songs into the concert. We're sitting there listening to the music and already having a good time. You should be able to see in the next few pictures that there isn't much of a guardrail between the seats and what must be about a 10-12 foot drop off to the next row of seats. And this lady. This poor lady slips on the stairs and falls backwards into the people sitting by the stairs. Thank goodness they caught her so she didn't go flying off into oblivion. :P She was alright, a little shaken up. But yeah, that was quite the fright of the night! 

The played Five Secrets, which was awesome and beautiful, and probably one of my favorites of the night. And one of the coolest parts of it was that they had one of the local youth orchestras come out and play some of the symphony part!!

"Through a Father's Eyes"

And here's the arena during intermission. According to Steven and Jon, there were about 4,500 people.

Another shot that shows more of the back of the room, and also the head of the man who was sitting in front of us. 

Steven's solo

Jon's solo

Ah, here was another interesting part! Jon actually broke one of the piano strings! A member of the crew had to come out and cut it off. 

They played the Amazing Grace and Fight Song mashup for their last song, which was another one of my favorites. And there were live bagpipes, which was so cool!!!

And for an encore, all of the guys came out and played "What Makes You Beautiful". I really wanted to record the standing ovation, because it was awesome. But I was too busy clapping to record. :P

And finally, here's my merch. I got a sweet sticker that I'm planning on putting in my new sketchbook when I get it. And also a t-shirt that was actually for 2015's tour, but I was too cheap to spend $5 more. :P

And so ends my awesome night. There were actually a lot more songs, but I tried to take a picture of every one of them, but I didn't want to take up too much of your time, heehee. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you soon.

MR

S'more Christmas Music!!!!

Hello again dearest readers!!!
   How's your week been? Mine's been quite good, thankfully. I have a recital coming up a week from today so I'm extremely nervous to the point of tears. But yeah, I'm cool.
   So. I was going to do a blog tag today, because I have two that I need to catch up on. I started writing it like, Wednesday, and I had a few of the questions answered and things like that. And I finished it up tonight. But I've had the tab minimized all week, and went I went to publish it it wouldn't let me, so I thought I'd save it and try again from a new tab.
   But apparently it didn't save.
   I had only three of the answered questions saved, and I... I just couldn't. So I'm giving you all some Christmas music instead!
    Actually, I've been compiling a list for this very purpose. And I've got some pretty good ones, if I do say so myself. Let me begin by saying that these aren't "traditional" Christmas songs. I covered most of my favorites in that genre last year. So I've got a few songs that are written my CCM artists that are just some of the greatest not-traditional Christmas songs I've ever heard....
   Let's begin.

1. "I Believe" by Natalie Grant

2. "The Night Before Christmas" by Brandon Heath

3. "Joseph's Lullaby" by Mercy Me

4. "How Many Kings" by Downhere

5. "One Child" by Natalie Grant

(I don't really get how the pictures in this video really go with the song, but I couldn't find a good video, and the song is amazing, so whatever. :P)

   I have, like, a lot more I could do, but then there would be at least ten songs and that's just too much for you guys. So, I'm going to stop here! 

   Hope you all enjoyed it, and that you have a very merry, wonderfilled, Christmas-y week!!!

MR

End

Merry Christmas, dearest readers!!!
   How are you all doing? I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and a marvelous week! I certainly did. We got all of our Christmas decorations up and ready to go, and our house just looks so purty. :) I've got lights up in my room, and stockings, and a big red bow and a little Christmas tree. Agh. I'm just so happy!!!! Christmas is definitely my favorite time of the year. :D
   But hark! I bring good news, good news indeed! Something that I am most excited about.

   Nearly one year ago, in January 2015, I finally started writing my book. You might even remember the blog post I had dedicated to it. On Thursday of this last week, I reached an even more monumental point in my journey as a writer.
   I finished the first draft of my book.
   The finished page count is 253. There are 34 chapters. And, minus chapter titles and the like, it has 167,488 words.
   Guys. I looked it up. The average maximum acceptable length of a first time fantasy novel is 115,000 words. Yeah, editing is going to be soooooo much fun, I can hardly wait! *Insert sarcasm here*
   I have a lot of work ahead of me still. I will, however, be taking the month of December off. This way I can get my mind to cool down a little, focus on this crochet order that I am desperately trying to finish before Christmas, write some short stories and enjoy the season in general! So starting January 2016, I'll get to work on editing.
   But until then....
   I don't want to stop writing entirely. There are at least 2 fanfics that I'd like to write during this time, and maybe a short story. So hopefully next week I'll have a fic for you. (Sneak peek: it'll either be one for Winnie the Pooh or one for BH6. What a shocker)
   Yeah, I'm excited about a lot of things at the moment, hehheh! One of which is the fact that I'll be turning 16 this month, which I actually find more than a little scary...
   Anywho. I'm not going to be ignoring Christmas in my blog posts, though. My fanfics might be Christmas themed, we'll see. Either way, there will be Christmas-y things included. For starters, I'll be including a Christmas song or two I like. Maybe a Christmas verse, or a Christmas memory of mine. And maybe, maybe, there might be a few bonus blog posts having to do with the season...
   So keep your eyes open for those. And I'd love to hear some of your guys' favorite parts of Christmas! So yeah, it'll be fun! :D
   Before I stop rambling and leave you all alone, I wanted to quickly share some of the things I've learned the last year in my writing adventure that really helped me to get through and write as much as I did. Hopefully, it might be able to help some of you all who are doing the same. :)

1. Write persistently and as much as you can stand. Then write a little more.
   This was an incredible game-changer for me. For about the first 9 months, I was writing nearly everyday, but only about 500 words. Now don't get me wrong, there's absolutely nothing wrong with this. I was getting stuff done, but I wasn't really feeling what I was doing. I wasn't getting involved with my story. But for about the last 3 months, I started pushing myself to write 1,000, 2,000, sometimes even 3,000 words a day. And that helped me so much. Not to mention that I would have gotten my book done a lot sooner if I had done that from the beginning...

2. Find the time of day where you're most inspired.
    I feel most writerly in the evenings. Or late at night. Or in the wee hours of the morning. Obviously, this can be a bit of a problem, but it helped me get more done and to enjoy what I was doing a little more. And if you feel inspired at some other point in the day besides the time you set aside to write, you stop what you're doing and go write. 'Cause if you're feeling it, you gotta get it down or it's gonna be gone.

3. Stuck on what you're writing? Get up and move!
   Sometimes when something wasn't working out for me, I wold grab my outline and pace back and forth in my room. I'd quietly talk to myself about what I was doing, what wasn't working, what I wanted to happen in my story. And nearly every time, if not every time, I would figure something out. I got past some huge plot holes, added some huge things to my story. It helped me. A lot. 


Wow guys. I have so much more I feel like I could share. Not that I am BY ANY MEANS an expert, or even have the slightest clue of what I'm doing, but I feel like I've learned a lot by doing this. And man, it feels so good to be done! Wahoo!
   So yeah, I hope these few things could help someone out a bit. On one last note, I want to remind you to never give up. You might need to re-write that last 1,000 words you just slaved over for the last hour and a half or you might have to rethink some things. Whatever you do, don't. Give. Up. And that's an order.
   To start the Christmas season off, I'm going to share this song with you all. It's "Christmas Is" by Francesca Battestelli, and it is a great one to get you in the Christmas spirit! Hope you enjoy, and have a wonderful week!

MR
 

 

Favorite Soundtracks of a Certain Blogger

Hey everyone! :)
   It's me again, hehheh. How are my dear readers this week? I truly hope you're all doing well. And if you aren't, I hope you have a better time with things this week. :) I've been kind of busy, as a matter of fact. We started school on Tuesday, so I mean, yeah. I'm a teacher in a Wednesday night program our church does, and that started last week. And I've been trying to get my book finished before the end of this month. And I'm re-starting teaching piano lessons this Tuesday. Agghhhh.......
   It doesn't sound like too much, but it feels like a lot to me. XP
   But anywho.
   Like I mentioned last week, since I am doing a lot of writing I'm not going to have a whole lot of time to do big long blog posts. So they're going to be pretty simple. :) As you have probably already devised from the title of this post, I am going to be blogging about my favorite movie soundtracks.
   I haven't done a music post in a long time, okay!!!
   So yeah. That's what's goin' down.
   I'm not going to go in order from my most favorite or anything like that. I honestly don't think I could choose one. And if I gave you a list of ALL of my favorite soundtracks, we would be here FOR A VERY LONG TIME. Thus, I am going to keep it down to five soundtracks. And if you absolutely love my taste in music, ((As you should *Polishes fingernails against shirt* *Smirks*)) I can always do a sequel. I will be sharing a few of my favorite tracks from my favorite respective soundtracks as well.
   SO.
   My gosh, I can go on forever. Let's get started with this thing!


Interstellar
By Hans Zimmer


Okay guys. I can't stop listening to this. I mean, I SERIOUSLY CAN'T.  It's so beautiful!! I just loved the movie, and this soundtrack... Gaaaahhhhhh. *Drools*

1. Stay

2. Detach

3. Mountains

How to Train Your Dragon 

By John Powell

ASDFGHJKL!! IF YA'LL DIDN'T KNOW I LOVE THIS MOVIE THAN IT'S TIME YOU KNEW. I LOVES IT. And if you haven't heard the soundtrack... There's a reason it made it to this post, okay. 

1. Forbidden Friendship

2. Where's Hiccup?

3. See you Tomorrow

How to Train Your Dragon 2

By John Powell

Guys. GUYS. The soundtrack for this movie is even better than the first. IT'S EVEN BETTER!!!! IT'S AMAZING!!! And oh my gosh, I don't know which favorites to chooooosssseeeee......

1. Meet Drago

2. Stoick Saves Hiccup

3. Flying With Mother 

(I'll have you know I could have chosen way more than these few. Way. More)

Big Hero 6

By Henry Jackman

It's no secret how much I love this movie. I mean, I love it. And the soundtrack for it.... YAASSSS!!!!! 

1. Family Reunion 

2. Silent Sparrow

3. I Am Satisfied With My Care

(I like all the sad ones, okay?!)

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

By Henry Jackman

Yesh. YESH. This soundtrack is so coooooool!!!!!! I mean, SO COOL. And I mean, it's Captain America people. I haven't listened to this soundtrack quite enough to know all of the individual tracks, so I'm just going to 'give you this one. It's a pretty good example of the entire soundtrack, and... It's cool! 

1. The Lemurian Star

Thank you all so much for reading and listening! I really hope you enjoyed this little music dump. It wasn't exactly little, but that's beside the point. Thank you all again, and see you next time!

MR

A Short Interlude

Ahoy, readers!!!
   Wowzers, I'm putting up a blog post early! Is the world coming to an end?!?!?!?!
   Well, I don't think so. But I am going on vacation!! To the coast!!! In, like, seven hours!!!! And I'm really excited, if you couldn't tell from all of the exclamation marks, haha! XD
   All this to say, I won't be posting on Monday. If I had any kind of a brain, I would have just gotten my character interview ready to post today so I wouldn't have to wait until next week. But I completely spaced it. So, I will have the interview with my dearest Breeta ready to post a week from this coming Monday!! And maybe some super awesome pictures, if y'all would like to see them. :)
   I kind of feel bad about leaving you guys with this pathetic post, so I am going to share with you all a song I found that fits perfectly with two of my characters; Brutan and Loorarc specifically. It's called "Fix You" by Coldplay, and when I first heard it, I just kind of... Freaked out. Because it is SO PREFECT for them! ((I'm going to put up an interview with Rar in a few weeks so you can get to know him better))
   Go ahead and have a listen, if you feel so inclined...

   So, on this vacation, I'm planning on doing a lot of drawing and fanfic writing and picture taking. And I'm think about doing, em, a "blog post series" on all of those things after the character interviews. If I even end up getting any work done, hehheh. 

   But, I hope you all have a great couple of weeks doing whatever it is you're doing! I'm certainly planning on it! :D Until next time...

   

MR

 

Meshed Together

Hello readers!
   I hope you're having a great Memorial day. I write these posts at night so I'm not sure what the weather is going to be like tomorrow (AKA Memorial day), but I think it's supposed to be beautiful! We did have a little storm tonight. It was mostly just lightning, which I always love to see. I have this crazy love of thunder and lightning storms and rain and stuff like that....

   I am again going to fail to make a blog post in theme with today's holiday. Maybe I'll get around to something like that at a later date. But I've wanted to do this post for awhile now, and I felt like today was a good day to do it.
   Awhile ago, I made a little post about some things that have happened in my life during the year of 2014. In that post, I mentioned that my grandma had died. My great-grandma Beverly Brown to be precise. She went home to her Savior the day before Mother's Day of 2014. And I honestly cannot even tell you how much I love my Grandma.
   She was one of the sweetest ladies I have ever known. There were all of these little things about her that I loved. A long time ago, my younger brother used to mess with the flappy skin on her arm, and she would always give him a pinch because of it. And she just had this Grandma smell to her! You'd bend down to give her a hug and just be overwhelmed with it in the best way, and she'd be crying and saying "oh, oh," in this special way of hers because she hadn't seen us in years. She always gave me the cutest little Avon things too. I have this one angel necklace from her that I wore one year when I watched the Kentucky Derby online, and I actually wore it to her memorial service as well. She had her down days, but my dad could get her to laugh. Her laugh was this sweet little old lady laugh that just made you smile and want to reach across the phone and give her a hug. And my grandma was so forgiving and loving to everyone. To my dad, to her daughters, my grandpa... Everyone!
   My grandma had been sick for awhile, and we knew that she didn't have much longer. And early one Saturday morning (or early to me, at least), the Saturday before Mother's Day, my dad came into my room and told me that Grandma Bev had died. I knew it was coming, but I was still heartbroken. I cried quietly for a little while and I decided I wasn't ready to get up yet. So I went back to sleep. Eventually I did get up, and we spent a lot of that day talking about Grandma and the things we remembered about her. It was a sad day, but we knew that Grandma was home in heaven with Jesus. So it was a happy day too.
   And now I have to tell about our dear friends the Hohenstreets. Our families have known each other for years, and we have been close friends for a long time. My brother has always been friends with their two boys, my mother with Mrs. Beth, and my dad with Mr. Seth, who is also the pastor of our church. I was friends with all of them.
   But when I was about ten, I wanted nothing more than to have a friend. I mean, like the kind of friend that knew all of your secrets and you knew all of hers. That kind of thing. Well, then the Hohenstreets had little Grace. Gracie is about 8 years younger than me, but I love her so, so much. She is just the sweetest little girl and she really is one of my best friends now. I have friends that are my age, but Grace came along when I really needed her.
   So, since we are such good friends with the Hohenstreets, we had told them about our Grandma. And that evening, they asked us if it would be okay if they stopped by to say hello and bring us some candy bars. Of course, we said yes.
   And the moment they walked in the door, I knew something was up. Grace kept stopping in the middle of playing with me (which is a REALLY big deal) to go upstairs and whisper something to her mom. My brain was frantically scrambling with what could be going on, and I did come up with a few guesses.
   Right as they were getting ready to leave, they finally admitted that there was something going on. Mrs. Beth told Gracie to go ahead and tell us, but sweet little Grace got shy. So my brother offered up the guess that Pretty, Grace's cat, was pregnant. This was relatively funny, but it was even more so when the real answer was revealed.
   Mrs. Beth was, in fact, pregnant.
   And I am still struck by this. On the day my Grandma died, our best friends were going to have another baby. I mean, what?!? This just doesn't seem right. Things like that are supposed to come one at a time, in order. Well no, actually, they're not.
   This whole thing served to remind me that life is a bittersweet tangled mess of a  journey. Every day you experience pain, every day you experience joy. Maybe not on the same level as what happened to me, but you still do. Your whole life is like that. The ups and downs and the happies and sads are all meshed and woven together. It may seem crazy as its happening, but you suddenly look up and see this big, beautiful tapestry. And it wouldn't be as beautiful if it was all just pink and yellow and red, would it? Life needs some blues and purples to help even everything out and to highlight the brighter colors. Without that, what would your tapestry look like?
   You just have to keep holding on and trust that if God can make a plan to save the entire world, then he can take care of your life and that he has a reason for those crazy days where it seems like there's too much of everything for you to handle.
   As a closing note, I wanted to share this song with all of you. It's called "Emphasis" by Sleeping at Last. It has swiftly become one of my favorites, and I hope it touches all of you. :)





Have a wonderful week readers!

MR

What's Up With Modern Music?

   Has anyone else noticed the lack of depth in today's music, specifically in today's Christian music? Because I have, and it irritates me to no end. It seems like every time I turn on the radio, my ears are bombarded by this meaningless noise. Most of the songs I hear are nothing but this upbeat tune with some mindless lyrics that are repeated over and over again. And sure, it's sometimes nice to have a fun song that you can jam out to without thinking about. But every song that airs on the radio is a little too far, don't you think?
   What happened to songs like "And Can It Be"? Take a minute and listen to this song and think about the lyrics. It will touch your heart and bring tears to your eyes! What about "Be Thou My Vision", or "There Is a Fountain"? You can pretty much take any hymn out of any old hymnal and find something worth your time.    Now compare these songs to today's Contemporary Christian Music. Pretty big difference, huh? Don't get me wrong, there are quite a few CCM songs that I really like! I've even posted about a few of them before. But the fact of the matter is, most of today's Christian music is horribly shallow and meaningless. And I actually have a theory for what has happened to change it from what it used to be. ((That's right, I'm not just posting some big long rant. I actually have a point to my argument, heehee. :D ))
   As a writer, I am constantly trying to figure out how to "show and not tell" in my writing. For those of you who aren't writers, this means not boring the reader with this long description of what's going on, and instead showing them what's actually happening. For example, instead of saying "she desperately wanted to hold Jimmy's hand, but she was too afraid", you should say something along the lines of "her hand tentatively reached toward Jimmy's, but she jerked it back before they touched". See what I'm trying to say?
   In the music of old, the writers painted this beautiful picture of what Jesus did for us and our relationship with him. Take a look at this verse from "And Can It Be":

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,

Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;

Thine eye diffused a quickening ray—

I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;

My chains fell off, my heart was free,

I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

   That is amazing!!! Charles Wesley, the writer of this hymn, succeeded in showing and not telling in this song. He used an allegorical representation of salvation to get his point across. But not all hymns use this method. Some hymns do tell instead of show. Look at this verse from "There Is A Fountain":

1. The dying thief rejoiced to see
   That fountain in His day;
   And there have I, though vile as he,
   Washed all my sins away.

   The writer just states what's going on, but he tells it in such a beautiful way! Songwriters of today have lost that. It feels like there is no heart to their music, like they're not putting any thought or effort into their writing. If you picked up a book that was written that way, you'd read a few pages and put it back. Why? Because the writing's poor. And books with poor writing are no fun to read, are they? Well, I think that songs with poor writing and no heart behind their lyrics aren't fun to listen to. 

   Please don't take me wrong, I'm sure that there are tons of artists who still have heart in their music. Actually, I know there is, because those are the guys I like to listen to. All I"m saying is that it seems like the majority of them have lost that. It feels like they're just putting out another song to add it to their new album that thousands people are going to buy without putting any emotion into it. And when the point of their music should be to praise God with it, then doing that isn't right.

   I could be absolutely wrong about all this, but this is just the general impression I get from modern music. I really wish I didn't get this impression, but I do. I miss the deep, powerful music that we have in our hymnals, the stuff that changes lives. And I hope to see more of that in today's music. :)
   MR

((I WILL be posting next Monday!!! It'll  be some general news about what's going on with my life and stuff. Hope to see you next week!))
  

   

A song for your listening pleasure!

   G'day readers!
   How's life been? Good, I hope! I've had a pretty good last few weeks. Taken a few fun walks, drawn a few pictures, crocheted a few things.. The usual!
   This post shan't be long. I just thought I'd share with you a song that I enjoy.
   "Music again?!?" You're probably thinking.
   Yes, music again. Truth is, I love music! I love to play music, I love to sing music, I love to listen to it. I just love it! And I also love to share my fabulous music taste with you all. XP
   So here it is!

 
   The song is called "Love Never Fails" by Brandon Heath. I have always found this a beautiful and encouraging song. I hope you enjoy it too. :)
   I should be back soon with something. A story, perhaps? Maybe some drawings? Maybe a deeply moving and inspirational post? ;D Whatever it's about, barring any disaster or slacking on my part, it should be up next week!
   But until then, I bid you all a very fond farewell!
          MR

Christmas Music!

   Hark, dear readers! I hear the sound of sleigh bells jingling down the hill! The air is ripe with the smell of cocoa and cinnamon and cookies! I see the colors of red, green, gold, and silver everywhere I look! That can only mean one thing... Christmas is FINALLY here!!!

   Ah yes, the most wonderful time of the year is upon us at long last! Decorations are going up, trees are selling and the joyous sound of Christmas music fills the air. Which brings us to the subject of this post. Christmas music, one of my most favorite parts of the season. The old Christmas hymns have such deep, powerful lyrics that vividly describe Christ's birth and the events surrounding it. A lot of the newer Christmas song help to reawaken our Christmas spirit and remind us of the true meaning of Christmas. Just listening to them sends a thrill of joy through me! So, I thought I'd take the time to share with you five of my favorite Christmas songs, to help light up your Christmas spirit! 

   

1. Oh Holy Night!

This is my number one favorite Christmas song! It is sung by Josh Groban, and written by Adolphe-Charles Adam and Placide Cappeau. 

2. O Come, O Come Emmanuel

Such a beautiful song that captures the longing of Israel for their Saviour! I have always loved this one! It was written by John Mason Neale and Henry Sloane Coffin. This particular version is sung by Bebo Norman. 

3. Just a Girl

This song always brings tears to my eye!. It is the touching story of how the innkeeper denied Mary and Joseph a place to stay, and his realization of what he had done. The song is written and sang by Brandon Heath.

4. Believe

   I have always loved The Polar Express, and this song is one of the reasons why! It is beautiful, and never ceases to get me in the Christmas spirit! It is sung and written by Josh Groban. 

5. Where Are You Christmas?

   Another song I love! It is sung by Faith Hill and written by Mariah Carey, James Horner, and Will Jennings. 

6. Peppermint Winter

 

  BOOM!! Surprise sixth song! :D I had to share this because it is Owl City, and it is awesome! Enjoy! This was written and sung by Owl City (<3).

   I hope you enjoyed this little marathon of Christmas musics, and that they helped to get you into the Christmas spirit! Check in next week to see a list of my five favorite Christmas movies! 

Merry Christmas, dear reader! 

MR

Disclaimer: I own neither these songs or these videos. And I just googled the singers and songwriters, so please feel free to correct me if my information is wrong. :)  

Music

   For my post this Friday, I decided to do a little something on music. A favorite song from each of my favorite genres. :) Now sit back, relax, and enjoy this melodic feast!


1.Classical

I love Classical music. From Beethoven to Mozart, and Chopin to Vivaldi, I could probably listen to it all day. There's nothing like a Classical piece to soothe a weary soul. For this category, I decided to choose 'Moonlight Sonata' by the wonderful pianist Ludwig Van Beethoven.       

2.Celtic

This is another category that I absolutely adore. A very kind couple in our church blessed me with a Celtic album recently, and I was thrilled, to say the least. :) For Celtic, I have decided to post 'May it Be' by Celtic Woman

3.Hymns

Who doesn't love a good old fashioned hymn? Songs like 'Amazing Grace', 'How Great Thou Art', and 'The Old Rugged Cross' are pretty well known throughout our culture. This is probably the most difficult of all the categories I've listed for me to choose a favorite. There are so many wonderful songs to choose from! But, I would have to say that 'It Is Well With My Soul' by Horatio G. Spafford would be my favorite. :) 

((In this video, the band Selah sings this song. So, not only is this my favorite hymn, but one of my favorite bands is singing it too!)) 

    

4. Contemporary Christian

My last genre! :D This is another tough category to pick a favorite song from. But, I would have to say that 'Redeemed' by Big Daddy Weave is my favorite. 

Thank you for reading! 

MR

P.S. This is my very first time doing links, so hopefully they work! :D