Addison Road and Hope

We have a precious new friend. Her name is Jenny. She's a young wife and mother to a beautiful baby girl. She's also the very real, transparent, and talented lead singer for Addison Road.

And...Addison Road just so happens to be our most favorite band. And we just so happened to drive 5 hours to see them in concert a few days ago.

Awhile back, we watched a 20/20 show on country teen star Taylor Swift. Camera crews went backstage with her before one of her concerts where we saw a plush lounge area set up complete with fully stocked snack bar, expensive furniture and candles lit for a luxurious, relaxing place to wait until time to go on stage to sing.

Let's just say this isn't exactly the same picture for our Addison Road. Traveling on the road for months at a time in a borrowed tour bus with the baby...setting up their own equipment.....eating Ramen Noodles before a concert?  No, not the lap of luxury by any stretch of the imagination.

So why do they do it? Is it worth it?

They do it bc they are certain of the calling Father has on their lives. Yes, it is worth it because hearts are touched and lives are changed because of their testimony and their God-breathed music. You see, Jenny doesn't sing lyrics about the Lord because it's a nice rhyme or sweet sentiment. They share lyrics about hope, redemption, true beauty, faith because they have LIVED THEM.

Just in the past year alone, the members of Addison Road have had their trailer with all their equipment/band stuff inside stolen TWICE, they've had TWO wrecks, and just recently, their borrowed tour bus and trailer with ALL THEIR CLOTHES AND MERCH exploded and burnt to the ground. Besides that, some of the band members have had  family crises and Jenny had a baby!

When my life is like a storm
rising waters all I want is the shore
You say I'll be ok
Make it through the rain
You are my shelter from the storm
I'm not my own, I've been carried by You all my life...
Everything rides on hope now
Everything rides on faith somehow
When the world has broken me down
Your love sets me free

We (my girls, my sister in law, my niece and I) had the privilege to meet Jenny (and the rest of the band) at the concert. Before I said a word, she recognized US from my comments on her blog and she was as excited as we were to meet her.( I scored some major "Cool Mom" points bc of that, too.) She's the real deal....nothing fake or diva.

At the end of the day, she is a wife and mom who just so happens to have a beautiful voice, a heart for God and a passion for people. The guys in the band are just regular, normal guys who happen to be gifted songwriters and musicians.

In his book The Misunderstood God, Darin Hufford writes:

"Hope is extremely precious; life depends on hope and God made it that way. It is very dear to His heart because of the power it possesses for His children when placed in the right things. The purpose of hope is for it to be inserted into truth. When hope is placed in Truth, it tows us through life's trials. There is nothing a person cannot endure if their hope is placed in Truth."

I believe I can safely say that the members of Addison Road have their hope placed in Truth. As I stood at the concert with Appledoodle's arms wrapped around my neck and her little voice singing Hope Now with Jenny as loud as she could, I realized once again and can say without a doubt that my hope is placed in Truth, too. Everything rides on Hope, now.

Appledumplin' dancing at the concert 

with her autographed shirt on...