Questions and Answers

If you know me or read my blog much, you know music is a major part of my life.

I like all kinds, bust mostly stick with Christian music, because I find it helps renew my mind and helps keep my focus where it should be throughout the day.



I first heard of  the artist, Shaun Groves several years ago when he hit the CCM market big with the wonderful song "Welcome Home".
Then the song "Twilight" came out and I was a bonafide fan.

In the years since Shaun has moved on from major record labels and began a life changing adventure with Compassion International -a organization that The Hubs and I personally support and love.

I have followed his journey at his blog http://shaungroves.com/.

His stories have inspired me, challenged me, irritated me, caused me to think, made me laugh, blush and cry.

Recently Shaun has stepped back into the recording studio ( I'm so anxious to get my hands on a copy!) and is set to release his newest recording "Third World Symphony."

You can listen to it here.

Or purchase it here.

In anticipation of this newest CD's  release Shaun invited bloggers to send him 3 questions and to share those answers with their readers.

So, I took a deep breath and threw my questions in the mix.

1) What is the hardest part of explaining what you do for Compassion?

Very insightful question. It is a problem when some asks what I do for a living. There's really no category for what I do. Technically I'm an advocate for children living in poverty. Which means, in plain English, that I use every form of communication I can to tell the world about them and how to better serve them through Compassion International. Sometimes I'm leading a group of bloggers overseas for a week to write about the effectiveness of Compassion's ministry. Some days I'm singing. Others I'm speaking at a church or festival. My youngest, just six, recently told someone her daddy rides on airplanes for his job. Which is pretty accurate. Maybe I just put that on my taxes next year: airplane rider.

2) What is the biggest take away you want for people when they listen to Third World Symphony?

I want them to no longer think of the third world as a place of poverty and hunger and hopelessness in need of our help but as a place brimming with faith, love, gratitude and hope that can help us in so many ways discover who God is and the wonderful life together he's given us.

3)If you could get rid of one myth about dealing with poverty around the world, what would it be?

That poverty is economic. It's not. It's cognitive, physical, social, emotional, spiritual, environmental, and economic. If we provide meals and clothes to a family, they may sell them for a TV - because we have not addressed their cognitive poverty. If we educate a child she may still die from malaria or chicken pox or cholera because we have not addressed her physical and environmental poverty. We can teach a child to cut hair or fix motors or plant crops but if he does not know Jesus he will work to pay his bills but have no greater purpose for his life. So, poverty must be treated like a cancer that has metastasized throughout the whole of a person's life, not as an infection isolated in one part of the body. Holistic development is the most effective poverty killer.

Thanks, Shaun, for great music and for personally challenging me in my own walk!

Thanks, Readers for you know. . .reading-now go listen to this great CD, then pre -ordered it and get an autographed copy when it's released August 30!