You may know Tim for his thought-provoking posts. But do you know that he is also a member of our independent artist network? He promotes Compassion at his concerts and through his website and CD sales.

Tim’s latest CD, So Human, has just been released; actually, the release party is this Friday, and we asked him if he’d be willing to give away a couple of copies. He said yes.

Before we tell you how you can get your hands on the CD, let’s find out what it’s all about.

“During my life as a Christian, I have seen a lot of people disillusioned about what this religion is all about. And I think, to a great extent, it could be our fault. ‘Everyday with Jesus is sweeter than the day before’ the old hymn says. I know what that hymn is trying to say, but the message often gets misconstrued. There are no bad days? There are no ‘down’ days? You see, I fear that we may often (although unintentionally) give the impression that once you accept Christ, you’re on an ‘escalator ride to God.’

I don’t know about you, but my spiritual journey has been more of a roller coaster ride than an escalator. That’s why I recorded this new album, So Human. It’s an honest look at my spiritual journey. I’ve never been this transparent in my songwriting before. There are songs for those peak moments, when you feel like you could reach out and touch God and there are songs for those valleys where you feel like He couldn’t hear you if you shouted at the top of your lungs. And I admit, I’ve done some shouting. (Just being honest here.) I want my music to be a real reflection of who I am, who God is in my life and what it’s like to take this journey. I think it’s important that believers know that there are others out there who have very real lives — lives that come with heartache as well as joy; peace as well as turmoil.

One of the songs on the album, Where Are You? was borne out of one of those dark moments. It seems odd to talk about it now, but I was really struggling with not being a dad. I wanted to be a father so much. I prayed. My wife and I prayed. We wanted children. Still, after 12 years of marriage . . . no kids. I became angry at God. Then, completely broken. I felt like it was too late to be repaired. God was too far away to hear my cries. Where Are You? Wouldn’t you know it? God gave us a son! And now, baby #2 is on the way! And yes, being a dad is everything I hoped it would be — and more! Sometimes, I think God waits for you to have those “valley” moments before He can work with you. He needs you to be broken. That’s why the song right after ‘Where Are You ‘is called ‘Here I Am’ — God revealing Himself in a powerful way.”

So, for the contest:

Write a blog post about one of your “peak” or “valley” moments, and in the post, link back here. Then, leave us a comment so we know you’re participating.

On Monday, November 24, we’ll put all of your entries into a hat and draw a winner for an autographed copy of Tim’s new CD.

And for a second chance to win: go to Tim’s Facebook page and leave a comment there!

Yep. Just leave a comment and you’ll have a chance to win the other autographed CD he’s giving us. That’ll be a random drawing too. And it’ll happen on the same day, November 24.

While you’re at Tim’s Facebook page, be sure to “Become a Fan.”

We look forward to reading your stories of your spiritual journey.

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

Thank you for giving us a glimpse into how “hope lives” in your lives — how He lives.

And thank you for participating.

Would you please take some time to read what these three ladies wrote about hope in their lives?

Help us make the hard choice of who gets our non-eternal prize — autographed copies of Party Divas and Hope Lives.

• Hope Lives! – by Princess Leia
• Hope lives because everyone makes a difference. – by Trena Irwin
• Six Times – by Juli Jarvis

Thank you for voting.

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

It took some time to hoodwink someone into donating a prize, but we finally found Amber.

Well, we knew where Amber was the whole time, so the truth is that we finally thought to ask her to donate autographed copies of her two books, Party Divas and Hope Lives.

What’s the gist of the contest?

• Write a blog post describing how “hope lives” in your life.
• Link back to this post in your post.
• Leave us a comment, including a link to your blog, so we know you’re participating.
• If you don’t have a blog, you can still participate. Just tell us how “hope lives” in your life by commenting on this post.
• We’ll choose three finalists.
• You’ll pick a winner from the three finalists.

Simple. Right?

Oh, one other thing. Write your “hope lives” post by Tuesday, November 11. Voting will be between November 12 and 15, with the winner announced on Monday, November 17.

Hmmm. Guess that was really three things.

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates