Inspiration & Advice from The Advice

The Advice

There are many kinds of writers in the world: journalists, novelists, poets, speechwriters, and songwriters. Whether we create long stories or pare down our words into short poems, we all want to share Christ with the world through our writing.

Music inspires me to write. I love the single, Love Me Like That, from a great Christian band called The Advice. I've invited them here today to talk about songwriting, how to incorporate the Christian message into our work and to give us a few words of advice about perseverance.  ~ Angie

Do you compose your lyrics as a group or is one person the principal lyricist?
It's really a song-to-song basis. Occasionally one of us will bring a song finished from top to bottom, but most of the time, at least two of the five band members are involved on every song. (from Matt Houston-vocals/guitar)

Your song, Your Love Sets Me Free is another one of my favorites -- it's one of those great songs that gets stuck in your head -- in a good way. What's the story behind it?
Your Love Me Sets Free was written back in 2009. It was the first song we wrote for the new record. Like many of our songs, this song was a collaboration of the whole band pitching in ideas. One of us brought the chorus, another brought a verse, and we all got together to fill in the rest. 

The story we wanted to tell with this song is that of Ephesians, Chapter 2. Before we know Christ we're dead people living out our selfish desires. But God, rich in mercy and love, makes us alive with Christ. God's in the business of making dead people alive! Falling in love with Jesus is an experience like no other! It's the only way to experience true life! (from Aaron Bowen/Keyboards)

What's the message you want to send with your music?
That being a Christian doesn't mean you have to be boring. God wants you to have fun. He wants you to be happy. I think sometimes christians can get really caught up in the legalism rules and forget about the freedom that God's love and saving grace brings us. (from Jared Houston/Guitar)

Being a Christian in the music world must be hard at times. Have you ever been demeaned for your faith?
No, not really. If I have, it obviously didn't bother me. LOL! I just know that no matter what happens here on earth, I'm supposed to count it joy! (from Jared Houston)

It's hard to make a living in the arts, especially if you're a Christian. Do you have any advice for our audience of Christian writers?
It is definitely a tough market to make a living in. The best advice that we could give to someone striving to make it as a Christian artist/writer is the always put God first. In Matthew 6:33 it says to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and he will give you everything you need. Our God knows what we need and he will never leave us or forsake us. We've just got to be faithful to him.

The second part to this answer is ... DON'T GIVE UP! In our 10+ years of being a band, we have come across some amazingly talented artists, but they never made it because they gave up too early. If God has put a dream and a passion for something in your heart, run for it with everything you've got! You never want to be the old man or woman wondering "What if...," so whatever your passion is, pursue it with your whole heart and keep Him first. (from Matt Houston)

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Our God knows what we need and he will never leave us or forsake us. Click to Tweet
You never want to be the old man or woman wondering "What if..." Click to Tweet
If God has put a dream and a passion ... in your heart, run for it with everything you've got!  Click to Tweet

About the Band

The Advice

Like many bands just starting out, The Advice spent their weekends practicing in their parents’ basement for gigs at coffeehouses and local churches around their hometown of Greenville, South Carolina. In the beginning stages the band focused on honing their sound and their line-up, says guitarist, Jared Houston “All of those different musicians we had in the early years of the band really helped shape our sound today.”

By 2007 the band had settled into their sound, and their final line-up. With Jeff Madden on bass, Aaron Bowen on keys, Sanchez Fair on drums, and guitars by the Houston brothers, with Matt providing lead vocals. These five provided the structure where their upbeat, catchy songs could flourish.

The Advice

Music may be the universal language, but it is only in a relationship with God that people are truly united with one another. Bowen summarizes, “As a band, we want to set an example of what it means to love your neighbor as yourself. We truly believe that God’s love is color blind, and we want that to be evident in every area of our ministry.”

Connect with The Advice

http://www.theadviceband.com/ to hear singles (including Love Me Like That), tour dates and more information about the band.

https://www.facebook.com/TheAdviceBand

https://twitter.com/TheAdvice

To contact The Advice: chip@waterfrontmanagement.com

Writing in the Face of Adversity by Cynthia Howerter

Cynthia Howerter

Shortly before my husband lost his job in 2008, I asked the Lord to tell me His will for my life. Because I gave up my teaching career 24 years earlier to be a stay-at-home mom, my teaching skills were as obsolete as dinosaurs. With my children at college, I yearned for a career—but one ordained by the Lord. When God told me to “Write. You have a story to tell,” I could never have imagined that the story He wanted me to write was one that had yet to unfold.

My husband’s job loss actually set my writing career in motion. After obeying God and selling our house, we moved halfway across Pennsylvania to stay with my aunt while my husband searched for a job. Knowing no one except Auntie and my husband, I had plenty of time on my hands—time to write.

A story came to me soon after we moved into Auntie’s house, and I wrote almost daily for the 18 months we lived with her. The story was about searching for faith when all appeared lost, and as I wrote, the characters encountered unimaginable twists and turns filled with fear and trials. My own days of seeking God’s presence in the midst of hopelessness drove the story. As my faith deepened, so did the faith of my characters.

The story turned into a novel. Although it will never be published or win an award, it served several purposes during our months of adversity. Through the pages, I sought God and eventually found Him. As the plot unfolded, I learned that God never wastes our pain; what I was learning through the refining fires of unemployment was reflected in the characters’ lives and allowed them to become believable people. As my characters learned to trust in the Lord no matter what frightening events stood in their paths, I learned that I could trust God to get me through—not out of—the absolute worst times of my life. Writing this novel taught me how to weave my faith and experiences into stories that could touch the hearts of readers. In retrospect, God used this first novel to prepare me for my next book.

My second book, God’s Provision in Tough Times, was published and released on June 20 on Amazon.com. An anthology, it is co-authored by La-Tan Roland Murphy, and features 15 contributing writers. The book contains 25 true stories describing God’s provision during each writer’s personal experiences of unemployment, underemployment, and financial despair.

Just when I thought I had no employable skills, God provided a new career using the trials of my life and my deepening faith as the foundation for stories He wants me to tell.

Do you have a novel in the drawer that's helped you cope? How has writing your unseen story helped you deal with hard times? Share your stories of encouragement with us in the Comments below.

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I could never have imagined the story He wanted me to write. Click to Tweet
As my faith deepened, so did the faith of my characters. Click to Tweet

About the Author

Cynthia Howerter is a Pennsylvania girl who now lives in Virginia with her husband. She is a member of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) as well as Colonial American Christian Writers, and will be contributing articles to the Colonial Quills website.

Her love for history, especially the American Revolutionary War period, along with being a member of the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution), give Cynthia a wealth of

God's Provision in Tough Times
by Cynthia Howerter
and La-Tan Roland Murphy

knowledge to use as a writer. People matter to Cynthia, especially her family for whom she gave up law school in order to be a stay-at-home mom. Her love for people spills over into her everyday life. She enjoys using her expertise as a genealogist to help others find their roots. Along with speaking at genealogical events, Cynthia has written several genealogical histories about the nearly 8,000 people she has researched.

Visit her at her website, Soar With Eagles: http://cynthiahowerter.com

Cynthia and her co-author La-Tan Roland Murphy have written an anthology, God’s Provision in Tough Times, that deals with unemployment, underemployment, and financial hardship. Both women, along with their fifteen contributing writers, have personally experienced unemployment and the difficulties brought on by a lack of income.

Contributors to the anthology include Eva Marie Everson, James L. Rubart, Deborah Raney, Dan Walsh, Ramona Richards, Cecil Stokes, Torry Martin, Eddie Jones, Carrie Fancett Pagels, Roger E. Bruner, Felicia Bowen Bridges, Beth K. Fortune, Alycia J. Morales, Dee Dee Parker, and Tamara D. Fickas. God’s Provision in Tough Times was released on June 20, 2013, by Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. It is available now on Amazon.