I received my Mandisa CD in the mail this week. It is AWESOME!! I love it, and I think my children do too. I just heard Bailey singing "Only the World" in her room this afternoon. There are some very hip-hop type tunes on there, as well as two beautiful slower songs with amazing lyrics. All of them in complete praise to the Father. I highly recommend the purchase.

It's funny, because a few weeks ago I got the Katherine McPhee CD. If you aren't a fan of American Idol (which I can't really claim to be anymore) you may not know that these two were both contestants last year. Both lost to Taylor Hicks, which is completely unexplainable.

Anyway, I enjoy Katherine McPhee's CD, but in a much different way. Her songs all reflect her search to find happiness, mostly through relationships with men. There are some really fun tunes, but some really empty ones as well. Bailey loves "Open Toes" because it has a fantastic beat and is fun to sing and dance to. But it's all about stuff. It's about her fascination with open-toed shoes (Never too many open toes; a girl needs plenty open toes.) The bridge says, "Nothing feels better than spending my treasure on me. Finally, I'm where I want to be." That's just a pretty hollow sentiment. (I must admit, though, I totally dig the second track, "Over It." It's a great song, even if it is about breaking up.)

But when you compare the two CDs, Mandisa's is way ahead in my book. She also sings about seeking happiness and fullfillment. But she's looking in a different place. And she's found it. She is a true beauty.

Reflecting that, her second track is called "True Beauty." It's about the difference in the way God sees beauty versus man. Part of the chorus goes, "What's inside of you; what's inside of me; The hands that made the moon and stars, the mountains and the seas; made you wonderful, beautiful, marvelously..."

Bradley is in the backseat playing his gameboy. He says, ever so nonchalantly, "I don't want to see what's inside either one of us."

The kid makes me LAUGH!!!