Replenishing your Soul and Christy Nockels new album “Into the Glorious”

 Are you a mom, wife, (or husband or dad), daughter, son, employee, business owner, volunteer, chef, chauffeur, friend, mentor…basically a human being in today’s fast paced society?  If you are, you might be tired and often just simply exhausted by the on-going responsibilities and busyness of everyday life.

I know with all the various hats and roles I have in my life, I often think of myself last.  As a woman, mother, daughter, family member, and friend, I tend to put the needs of others around me before my own.  When my children are not feeling well, I run to the doctor’s office to have them thoroughly examine.  When I am under the weather, I continue and push through the pain and try (most of the times unsuccessfully) to ‘self-medicate’ myself as to not inconvenience my family.  As an entrepreneur and small business owner, I usually find myself working longer hours each week then I did many times in my decade of business travel and working in PR and HR for federal government agencies.  I am responsible for my own deadlines now but I am a strict boss with myself and can be found putting in ‘overtime’ long after everyone else is resting.  I can admit that I don’t always take care of myself the way I should nor really should be doing in order to continue to keep up with the demands of my (and my family) schedule(s).  With a difficult economic situation, tough job market, recurring layoffs, and strained budgets, it easy to understand why so many everywhere – regardless of race or creed – are stressed to the maximum.

Vacation, hobbies, massages, etc. can all be such wonderful forms of much needed relaxation but so can God’s Word.  When I was younger (and sans husband and children), I used to read my Bible and have my quiet devotional time with the Lord before I went to sleep each night.  Now, when I try to read my Bible at night, I often fall asleep with it open on my chest or the pages stuck to my forehead.  I have realized over the years that I am truly a morning person and not an night owl. (Naturally, being a morning person does not always coincide in favorably with my late nights working).  However, for me there is something very special about the still  and tranquility of the early morning.  The quiet hush over a yet to be awoken household can allow me to really focus and begin my day with reaffirming the Lord’s words and promises over my life, my family, and my business (including this site).  Christian music, for me, is a powerful tool and necessary component to my faith.  I love Gospel, Contemporary, Traditional Hymns and even Christian Salsa/Merengue (and believe me Christian Caribbean/Latino music does it exists and its great).  In those early morning hours, I am looking for music to uplift and speak to me.

Today, April 3, 2012,  is the album release date of Christy Nockels new album, Into the Glorious.  One of the first things I noticed as I was previewing the album is Christy’s clear and melodic voice.  Her singing helped to bring clarity to my always running my mind and allowed me to focus so I could prepare myself for a dedicated time to be in the Lord’s presence.  The album title of Into the Glorious is quite poignant because her music is doing just that …going back to the basic, eliminating outside distractions, and focusing our attention in the importance aspect of replenishing our bodies within the Word of God.

Christy Nockels – Into the Glorious from sixstepsrecords on Vimeo.

A little bio on Christy Nockels:

Christy Nockels was born in Ft. Worth, TX as a “seminary baby”. She grew up in Oklahoma as the daughter of a pastor and a piano teacher, which infused her heart early with a love for both music and God’s word.

Christy met her husband Nathan in 1993 at the Christian Artists Seminar in Estes Park, CO. They married in 1995 and the two began serving as worship leaders in their local church in Oklahoma…a City, while Nathan finished college at Oklahoma Baptist University. It was during these early years that they began writing songs together in their tiny, one bedroom apartment. In 1996, the two made an album entitled “Holy Roar” under the name “Sons & Daughters” with fellow worship leader and friend, Charlie Hall. Louie Giglio, the founder of Passion Conferences, got a hold of this album and invited Christy, Nathan and Charlie to attend the very first Passion Conference in Austin, TX in 1997. Later that year, Christy and Nathan moved to Texas where they led worship for Metro Bible Study, a weekly gathering of 3000 young adults at Houston’s First Baptist Church. It was there that they were “discovered” by the folks at Rocketown Records, a small label owned by Michael W. Smith. Eventually they signed a recording contract as “Watermark” and moved to Nashville, TN in 1998.

Together as Watermark, Christy and Nathan recorded five albums with Rocketown Records. They composed a journey full of songs, 7 of which were #1 radio singles. They have been nominated for numerous Dove Awards, including Christy’s nominations for Female Vocalist of the Year, and their album A Grateful People was up for both Inspirational Album of the Year and Praise & Worship Album of the Year. After 5 albums, Christy and Nathan felt led to end their Watermark season to focus on other areas of ministry. This gave Christy more time at home with their children, and more availability to focus on leading worship and even teaching some for various women’s events. Christy and Nathan have continued to serve at Passion Conferences and in 2008, they moved to Atlanta, GA to be a founding family of Passion City Church. Christy will be releasing her first solo worship project with sixstepsrecords, produced by Nathan, in June of 2009. Christy’s heart through leading worship and song writing is to help people communicate intimately with the living God, and to leave a legacy of proclaiming Jesus’ fame to this generation. Christy’s most treasured legacy is her three children, Noah (8), Elliana (6) and Annie Rose (18 months).

To connect with Christy online, visit www.christynockels.com
iTunes: http://smarturl.it/intotheglorious?iqid=moms&?u1=moms
Amazon: http://smarturl.it/intotheglorious2
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Christy-Nockels/45996475052?ref=ts
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/christynockels
Follow the conversation on Twitter by using hashtag: #IntoTheGlorious