Life In The Tension

Hello, family & friends!

Today it is raining (perfect for staying home & working on wedding thank-you notes :) ), and it's my first taste of 'home' amidst the 75 degree January I've been enjoying since declaring my love for Patrick before GOD and many of you, and heading south to Pasadena, CA.

WEDDING PHOTOS
If any of you would like to see photos of the blessed event, Angela Cardas (our photographer) did some incredible things with her camera:  CLICK HERE and enter the password amyandpatrick for your viewing pleasure.

WEDDING SLIDESHOW
Patrick has posted the slideshow that we played at the beginning of the ceremony, if any of you would like to see it...or to see it again :)...CLICK HERE

NEW JOB
While Patrick pursues a PhD in Systematic Theology, I'm hot on the trail of gainful employment...which, as of yet, seems less anxious to find me than I am to find it. :)  Thanks to all who've been praying; it is a daily lesson (and/or test :) ) in trusting GOD, and I have to temper my impatience to see what He has for me next.

much love to you all--
Amy Oden

Hi, friends!

THAT HOLY NIGHT ON SALE NOW!
My new Christmas CD will continue to be on sale through Christmas. Visit
http://amy.dualravens.com

RADIO INTERVIEW SATURDAY NIGHT: LISTEN ONLINE
I'm going to be interviewed live on Rockin' Ron's radio station on Saturday, December 20th at 10pm Central Time (that's 8pm for West Coasters!). You can listen through the website at
http://www.bethelks.edu/KBCU/

TOP 20 and POWERPRAISE
My song "Joy to the World" has the honor of being featured in two places this month, the Top 20 Indieheaven Christmas Songs:
http://www.indieheaven.com/top20
AND
the latest edition of PowerPraise Radio:
http://www.indieheaven.com/powerpraiseradio

THE EVE OF CHRISTMAS EVE
Portland area friends are invited to attend Two Rivers Church's Annual Eve of Christmas Eve service on Tuesday, December 23rd, at 7pm. This special service will feature skits & songs by yours truly :).
For details, visit
http://www.tworiverschurch.net/

Merry Christmas to you all!
:) Amy

Hello again, friends!

THAT HOLY NIGHT ON SALE NOW!!
I hope that you enjoyed your Thanksgivings :)!  For those of you now ready to dive head first into the Christmas season and need a soundtrack to go with it, my new Christmas CD is now available for purchase through Indieheaven:  www.indieheaven.com/artists/amygustafson

And for those of you cursing the radio stations for playing Christmas music already, well...it'll be available there all month long :).

VOTE FOR "JOY TO THE WORLD"
I got the happy news this morning that my single "Joy To The World" was selected to be on Indieheaven's Top 20 Chart for the month of December.  You can help me out by rating the song (1 to 5 stars):  www.indieheaven.com/top20

SPREAD THE WORD!!!
If you've already got your copy of the CD (thank you!), or if you've listened online & like what you hear, could you donate a few minutes to my ministry and let others know about this project?  Without a record label backing us, we indie musicians rely heavily on word of mouth, and in my case, that means words from your mouths :)...or emails...or, you know, sandwich boards on your street corners...heh heh heh...

Thanks so much for your continued support!
Grace & peace to you--
Amy

Happy Holidays, friends!!

I'm happy to announce the release of That Holy Night (A Christmas EP)!!!

It's available for $9.99 and can be purchased now through my new website, with a special offer through midnight on November 30) of free shipping on all domestic orders! 

GET YOUR COPY NOW! :)  You can also hear samples of the songs, and read the lyrics & the stories behind them.

If you like what you see and hear, help me out by getting the word out; pass the link on to friends & family that you think might also enjoy it!

Thanks for your continued support!  I wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving & a blessed Christmas season to come!

Amy

(Anyone who'd like to receive updates via email, please email me at liveinthetension at yahoo.com)

Hello, friends!

NEW MUSIC
As of yesterday, the new Christmas EP project is completed & in the hands of the printer!  I am thrilled with the results--my producer Jordan Richter did an excellent job!!

Today I posted four of the songs on Indieheaven.com to give everyone a preview of coming attractions.  Go to www.indieheaven.com/artists/amygustafson to hear the new songs; I'd love to hear your feedback as well!

I also added the track "Joy To The World" to the Fan Faves chart, for those of you who have already turned in your election ballots & are itchin' to vote for something else :).

MINDY & AMY ARE AT IT AGAIN...
Mark your calendars!  Much to my delight, Mindy Boyd is coming back to Oregon in a couple weeks and we'll be putting on a laid-back, acoustic, worshipful show together at my church's brand new building...

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16th, 7:00 pm
Two Rivers Church (across from Oak Grove Cinemas)
16083 SE McLoughlin Blvd.
Milwaukie, OR

We'd LOVE to see you there!!

Thanks to all of you for your continued support!  Details on the CD release, digital downloads, and live events coming soon!!

Amy

Four weeks ago I signed the contract for my dress.

Not just any dress, the dress.  My wedding dress.  My once-in-a-lifetime huge white sparkly princess wedding dress.  (I’d post a photo but I have to keep it secret from you-know-who ;). ) 

Through the years, I have been wedding dress shopping with many of my friends; I have watched them try on these uniquely large white gowns; I have witnessed each find the one that eventually and finally made them gush and say, “WOW!  This is it.” 

But until July 2008, it had never been me walking out of the oversized dressing rooms, standing on the raised platforms, twirling in the mirror.  And so—I admit—it was a bit surreal, sort of an out-of-body experience.  I heard myself uttering comments that my friends had uttered, comments that never made so much sense before.

“How do you know?  How are you supposed to choose?”

“It’s a beautiful dress, [insert ‘but…’]”

“Yes, it’s flattering…but all wedding dresses are made to be flattering…”

The comments which now make sense are seemingly nonsensically uttered from women who look more stunningly beautiful than they’ve ever looked in the history of their lives…and yet they’re standing there entirely unconvinced.  “How can this be?” I have wondered for years.  “How can you not see how incredible you look?!”

But now I know why:  These are women who are waiting for the “WOW!”—the dress that, upon the very first glimpse in the mirror, proclaims, “I AM YOUR WEDDING DRESS!”

Perhaps it is a hope bred in young girls read too many fairy tales, I don’t know.  But I do know that I too went into the wedding-dress-shopping experience with the same expectation that one dress would stand out above them all. 

Some dress choices were easy to axe:  bad for my coloring, not the most flattering cut, or way over budget.  But many of the dresses really were very pretty.  They just weren’t…well, “WOW!” 

And so after what must have been—oh, gosh!—thirty “beautiful, but…” dresses, I confess I began to feel discouraged.  As the kind saleslady zipped me up for the thirty-first-or-so time, I thought, “Maybe it’s not going to happen.  Maybe there won’t be one that stands out above the rest.  Maybe I will just have to pick from the ones that I’ve already tried on.”

But then…it happened.

I walked out of the oversized dressing room, caught a glimpse of my reflection, the discouragement instantaneously melting away as I heard myself say, “WOW!”  My shopping companions gasped, the saleslady cheered, other shoppers applauded, the heavens parted, the light of God descended upon me, and angels began singing the Hallelujah chorus.

And I smiled, sighed happily, and thought, “There you are at last!”

Even still, as I sat in the shop again a week later, poised to sign the contract committing me to the dress, I needed some encouragement.  The kind saleslady gave the best pep talk she could muster, and I joked, “Well, it took me 30 years to commit to a man…one week for a dress is sudden in comparison.”

And that was when—as songwriter David Wilcox says—the metaphor jumped me.  For those of us perhaps read too many fairy tales as young girls, it is not just the “WOW!” dress that we are looking out for; it is also the “WOW!” man that we hope and pray to find.

And after 30 (albeit full) years of life, I confess I was beginning to feel a bit discouraged.  “Maybe it’s not going to happen,” I thought. “Maybe other people have been right all this time and my expectations are too high.  Maybe there won’t be one man who stands out above the rest…”

And then my mind would reel through the men I’ve known in the past.  Now some were obviously not at all the one for me, and some were eliminated as possibilities because of their own lack of interest or choice not to pursue, which frankly I could do little about.  But there were plenty that I’d been attracted to, that had many good qualities, that—for some reason or another—I chose not to let become more than a friend.  Perhaps I’d been too harsh, I’d think, perhaps I should’ve given them more of a chance…

But then, amidst all my wondering and potential regret…it happened.  I met him.  The man who—with his wit and wisdom and passion and conviction—made me say, “WOW!”

And he continues to make me say, “WOW!”  The more I get to know him, the more I am utterly amazed at how much he is everything I ever wanted—much of which I didn’t even realize until I saw it in him.  We both marvel at how well-matched we are, at how our life paths and passions and dreams align.  And despite what often seemed like a very long time, we are both so glad that we waited, that we held out for the “WOW!”

There were a couple other dresses I really did honestly like.  I certainly could’ve been a satisfied bride in either one of them.  And I’m sure that other men would’ve made fine husbands.  There are many good, solid, respectable men, and perhaps we would’ve had enough in common to get along for a lifetime.

But as the kind saleslady said, “If you could have your very favorite, why would you ever choose your second favorite?”

And so I signed the contract…and went home smiling all over.

Okay, so he's technically my fiance now.  But we make do for the alliteration.

Yesterday my dear Patrick's book got a mention on the hugely popular blog site Instapundit.com, and he instantly noticed all the attention he got from it on amazon.com and on his own site.

The blurb:

IN THE MAIL: Patrick Oden's It's a Dance: Moving with the Holy Spirit. The cover letter invokes An Army of Davids, and the back cover reads, "Get a new grasp of the Holy Spirit by listening to this conversation in a pub."

We consider this a huge & timely blessing!  If you haven't checked out and/or purchased his book, I highly recommend you do so now.  His book had an enormously huge impact on my theology of ministry & of the Holy Spirit, and the effects are still rippling through my life, over a year later!

It also had a huge amount to do with why I fell in love with him.

But that's another story :).

Dear friends,

I hope you all are enjoying your summer, wherever you may be!  It's been a long while since I've written an update letter, but big things are afoot, and it's high time I let you know.

Musical News
As opposed to my 2007, most of my 2008 has been spent off the stage & out of the coffeehouse, but that's largely because the next project has been brewing.  I'm heading back to the studio in August to begin recording my next CD:  That Holy Night (A Christmas EP) which you will be hearing about more & more in weeks to come.  GOD has given me the incredible opportunity to work with Jordan Richter, a producer in the Portland area who's spent time in Nashville and worked with many recognizable names in music.  I'm so excited about all that I will learn from the experience, as well as the quality of the finished product!  Stay tuned...:)

Magical News
For those who haven't already heard, I'm engaged to be married to Patrick Oden!  It seems that I have somehow managed to snag the most wonderful man on earth (I always suspected he was out there somewhere...;) ) and we're planning a January 3, 2009, wedding.  He's starting a PhD program at Fuller Theological Seminary in the fall, which means I'll be moving to Pasadena, CA, after the wedding.  The wedding, however, will be in Canby, OR, and we look forward to seeing many of you there! :)

Check out our newly-posted-and-still-being-created wedding website for answers to the inevitable questions.  Thank you to all who've already expressed your congratulations & support!

with much love,
Amy

"Remember last summer when I asked you what all this darkness was for?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said.

"Well, now that I know, I have a hard time putting it into words myself," I smiled.

This Story of the Day just made my day:

Night Demons

I want mine to do that, too...

:)