I am so so so excited to announce the release of my 2nd full-length Independent album, Tapestry! (READ THE PRESS RELEASE HERE!) It will be coming out on October 19th!! YAAY! If you already pre-ordered it at the festivals, it will be coming to your mail-box right around then! Thank you all for hangin in there with me, it has been a treck, but we are almost there! I am so so excited to share the new project with you…ah!

We will be planning the CD Release Party soon, so keep an eye out for the date nearest you in mid-October. I am excited to hang out and share the new music with as many of you as I can gather up for the celebration, so if you are interested in booking a date for the small release tour, shoot us an email to gailgrigg@gmail.com. We want to have a party with you and your friends and family to celebrate the new season! Otherwise, look out for dates coming in Spokane, Quincy, and Wenatchee where we can meet up. We would love to hook up a party where you are at, but we need your help getting booked there. You Western WA friends of mine, let’s work somethin out, okay? Of course, we will fly and/or drive if you are passionate about it.

Lastly, because I am and Indie artist, word of mouth is very important. If you are interested in helping us get the word on the street, please send an email to gailgrigg@gmail.com , or simply help by sharing the information on your Facebook or Myspace profiles. Your help means so much to me! It’s a family ministry, ya’ll let’s do this togther! (i’m being silly but I really am COMPLETELY serious)

Thanks again, looking forward to hanging out with you SOON!!

Your sista, Holly

(READ THE PRESS RELEASE HERE!)

———————————————–

Creation Festival NW 2009…. July 23rd.

That will always be the day I remember as THE day that I first
handedly recognized the POWER and protection of prayer.
Playing at Creation was in fact a time that I “accomplished my
childhood dream”.. It really was. But accomplishing a dream.. What is
that? What does it really mean?

There were several wonderful volunteer people back stage all week who
drove artists around from place to place–from stage to stage or to
and from interviews (it was pretty fun…) One guy in particular,
though, really took an opportunity to invest in my life. He shared a
story with me about an opportunity he had to climb Mt. Hood! (BTW..he
is going take my bro and I rock climbing! I cannot wait!!!) He and his
experienced climbing buddies went on this climb, and soon realized
they were not going to reach the top because of weather. His buddies
were so upset. Their outlook of the trip was not positive–because
they didn’t reach the “goal”. Jerry (my new friend) told me what
amazed him, though, was that his outlook of the trip would always be
completley opposite from theirs. Being his first time climbing, he was
still stoked after the “unsuccessful” trip up the mountain. His
•journey• was enjoyable the entire time. Jerry said that everyone
else was so focused on the destination that they missed out completely
on the journey they had just been on…

From this conversation, as well as the question everyone keeps
asking..”What’s NEXT, Holly?.. What are you aiming for now?”.. From
these two occurrances in my life this last weekend, I started to
realize truly what it means to remember to enjoy the journey. To stop
the normality of planning your future. Planning your goals…

I am merely human! My mind and imagination.. My desires and passions..
Are SO WEAK and lame next to God’s ability to create and plan my life.
There is no way I could have created something as majestic as the
mountains. Something as clear as glass… The WORD of GOD says, “do
not worry about tomorrow..” Now I don’t know about you, but if GOD is
telling me that, I think it is best. I think I should listen
He is all about being thankful daily– all about the DAILY-ness of
life. So why do we always spend soo much time thinking about where it
is we are going? Or where it is we haven’t made it to? EVERY DAY is a
gift. I’m in the process of learning to embrace it.

God has allowed me many “successes” this year. Many more than I could
ever have asked for or dreamt of, and I am overwhelmed with gratitude.
I honestly feel like living with my face in the dirt, crying at the
feet of Jesus, because I KNOW who I am. I am a SINNER. I am NOT
deserving of the things He has given me. Not at all. I have my own
struggles and hate them. They make me feel so miserable!! You know
what I mean? It is FRUSTRATING!!! But God keeps on giving!! He really
does! He keeps giving me another day and another song and another
chance to sing and walk and eat and talk.. A home. Family. FOOD.
Blessings.

Creation Festival for me this year was exactly that. Something I don’t
deserve, but because God loves
His children, He just disreguards, completely forgets, and forgives us
of the wrongs we always commit.. He just keeps expressing His love to
us by DAILY giving us what we need, and some!!

I don’t want to get trapped focusing on what I don’t have.. Or where
I haven’t gone or can’t do.. Because- TODAY He is blessing me. TODAY
He is trying to show me how much he loves me, and I do NOT want to
miss it.

Creation was perhaps the greatest weekend of my entire life. Meeting
Chris Tomlin and telling him, as tears flooded my eyes, the HUGE
influence and blessing He has been in my LIFE was incredible. Words
cannot describe how I felt when he told me that he had just finished
reading about me in the Shine newspaper article as I introduced
myself.. Words cannot describe what it feels like being on the
“artist” docket for Creation 2009 and not just a girl dreaming about
it. Words cannot describe what it felt like to be blessed by Harry
Thomas and the entire Creation Festival crew and volunteers. (BOB LENZ
and Life! Promotions) Words cannot describe what it felt like to know
that my hometown community supports what I am doing and truly
encourage me. And not the last, but for this blog, words CANNOT
describe what it was like to sing on the mainstage at the Gorge
Ampetheater, looking out and seeing friends, family, teachers, and all
the new faces who where truly interested in the message God has laid
on my heart. It definitely was my most favorite time of sharing that I
have ever had, even with only 2 songs! It ROCKED!!
What I am truly meaning to say, however, is that this is what we get
everyday. Not only on main stage experiences!

This really was of the greatest moments in my life, if not thee
greatest. But what God has shown me is that not only was His blessing
“GREAT” last week, his blessings on our lives are GREAT every DAY!!!
EVERY SINGLE DAY!! “His mercies are new EVERY morning..” I know I have
spent many many days thinking about where I am going and what “goals”
I have. I have wasted many days worrying about how I’m going to get
there! So I’m learning now that truly– the blessing I felt and
experienced at Creation ‘09 was, yes, amazing… BUT.. It is just like
that every single day in the life of a child of God. No, not everyday
is an incredible opportunity to play at Creation Festival.. But YES–
in every way He has blessed us. No blessing is greater than another.
Some feel different, some look different. But in all things, Christ IS
the same. Today I need to be looking out for the blessings He has
given me so I don’t miss them. So I don’t miss out on the beauiful
love language my Father is trying to show me. TODAY. I am learning to
focus on TODAY. Please join me– to miss out makes me feel so blah and
out of the loop. Will you? I do not know where I’m going next year. I
do not know what I see in the future. I don’t know. At the pit of me I
don’t care to know because there is too much going on inside of today.
Will you choose to not figure out your future with me? It is a scary
step, but NOT a bit when you know that the master of the universe
holds you in His hand.

In His Grace always,
Holly

We can do for people or God as much as we want, but the treasure God stores up for us isn’t according to IF or how we do those things or not. It’s what motivates us to do them at all, that matters to God. Am I doing these things for him (or people) simply for the APPROVAL of God,(which is a lie we’ve made up, because we cannot..we are unable..to DO enough things for God to make us right with him, have approval by works, like we tend to believe) or do i choose to do these things because glorifying Him is so important, that ultimately that’s what’s on our mind motivating us? Or, do we get lost in trying to complete the check-list of “how to serve God best” so we can sooth our messy conscience for a moment? Do we want to accomplish more, or do more, for God, than we want to seek or understand why His glory is so important that it should be and can be what motivates our every act??

CLICK HERE!! =) “Undertow”

blessings and blessings and blessings be to you!!

-Holly

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But let’s go back a little farther first. Last Sunday we started in Naperville (near Chicago), leading worship/sharing new songs at a church we met last year called Our Saviour’s. I was so blessed to come back this year and hug our friends before heading to Lifest! It was a little crazy with RibFest going on, but hey — Leann Rimes was in town Talk about raannndomm! lol. A very special thanks to my Our Saviour’s family…Pastor Joe, Pastor Mark, Mike, the church body, and all of you that joined in supporting the ministry by either buying the pre-sale CD for the new record coming out in September, or the old album. You all blessed us immeasurably, and we are so glad to have you in our lives.

A few days to relax and catch up with friends before Lifest was probably one of the greatest blessings of the week, as well. I loved seeing my friends Lem, Beth(and Mark, too!) for a crazy-fun interview called the “Shameless Promo Show” they do for their photography business. They even incorporated my band singing a silly liner for the show. ha!

Not only did we get to see those friends, but we also were able to catch up with a few others, as well. Including Bob Lenz(!), Joyel!, John, Life! Promotions team, Ben and Lyssa King (OuterEdge.com), Aaron and Lisa Randerson (ILYA music video!), Mike and Terri Randerson (Aaron’s parents!), as well as several new fans (friends) and friends who helped out in the ILYA music video (that’s you, Ben, Shoshauna, Sierra, Luke, Alissa, Jenny, Ryan & Christina!). What a blessing. There are so many others I’m forgetting at the moment, so forgive me if I have forgotten you. I’m a little tired right now so my brain tends to have a short here and there. ha. Anyway, this trip was very much refreshing. Needed and appreciated.

However, let’s get back to the gig. We played on Friday, and let’s just say it was a pretty hot one. To be honest, my makeup felt like it was dripping off my face and I wanted to jump in a lake mid-show…but other than that, it was wonderful As usual, it passed very quickly, and soon enough we found ourselves hugging fans and tearie-eyed because it was over…but in the same moment very thankful for the opportunity and excited about what God was doing. In my mind, it was like God was toasting, “Here’s to the beginning of another chapter, Holly!” It truly was another moment in my life that I won’t forget. This trip will go down in my memory log for sure. Why? I would say this past year and a half has been of my most difficult, challenging, frustrating, and confusing yet…in so many different ways. But playing the new music for the first time was like my spirit was saying “Okay, Holly…the last year and a half has been lived, now let’s share the story.” It was pretty cool I guess. I don’t know if this year will be better in that aspect or not, but it was in a way, it was closure to a rough time, and a beginning to another.

Anyway, Lifest is such a wonderful event, and I am so thankful that God has blessed me with the opportunity to know Bob and the team…to travel with my family and friends to do exactly what we love to do. If you ever get the opportunity to attend Lifest or meet the Life! Promotions team, don’t hesitate. They will bless you like you cannot believe. If you want to experience a taste of what real love is like, they are all over it.

Welp…I guess that’s it for now. This week will be filled with rehearsing for Creation Fest on the 23rd in Enumclaw. Hope to see you there!!

Holly

PS: while at Lifest, my mom, brother, and I were able to see Rebecca St. James and her brother, Joel in concert, as well as watch her movie “Sarah’s Choice“. After the movie we were blessed to talk with them for a bit, and were blessed beyond WOW. ha. Pray for their family, it’s amazing to see and experience the anointing God has placed on their life. It brought me to tears seeing another family on the road, but one much farther down the road than we are currently. It was one of those “stop-dead-in-your-tracks and think about your life” moments. Unforgettable.

( Pictures to come soon. )

Hm.

Ever get frustrated at yourself for not being in the Word of God?

To be honest, I would say one of the battles I constantly face is digging into the Word and studying it daily. Why am I saying this? Because it would be a lie for me to make you guys all believe that I am “holier” because I’m constantly twittering or updating my status with Bible verses. It’s not true. My struggles are no different.

Anyway, I just wanted to write you all a blog that might potentially help you, if you are anything like me and struggle sometimes to find the passion for the literal Word of God. Anyway, God revealed something pretty cool to me this morning, and I’m loving it so much that a blog had to be written

When I find myself really distraught or frustrated..confused or hurt..the only thing that ever seems to bring peace back into my life is when I look at the Name of God. When I strip all the theology away and gaze straight into the character of God. Ex: CREATOR, Healor, Protector, Provider, Sustainer, FAITHFUL…etc. These qualities are immovable. It is WHO HE IS. When I remember to stare at him, then in every situation I go through I can TRUST that He is what He says He is, and not worry, taking away the messy horizontal issues in my life. So…with that being said, the last few years I have really been chewing on the Creator-ness of God. Because He is the Creator, He created TIME–meaning He is outside of time. He is above it… And because the Word of God (Bible) is His words [an expression of His character..they come from within Him, as our words come from within us to express ourselves], they they too stand above time. They are, in essence, the character of God.

So what I am trying to get at today, is not to confuse you..but to encourage you–because not only is 1)God outside and above time (our situations..he sees all), but 2) His word has been above time and will be above time forever as well.. Because its essense is God himself. We can learn to see the Word as something that is bigger than this moment right now. Something so alive that all of life around us is but a blink.

The Word of God. It is God. It is power to a life (ours) that is (at this current time) able to see only so far.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.” Deuteronomy 6:5

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” John 1:1

As you might have heard me say at a concert or worship set, it is crucial to me that my life is an open book. Or in better words, that I am real with you guys. I am not trying to be anyone other than me, Holly Starr Grigg, because I believe that the most powerful story I have, will always be my own. God gave me this life, this story, so why would I, why should I, try to make a story out of my life that isn’t the one I was given to tell? So with that..

First of all, a disclaimer…music is fun. I love what God is doing, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything other than His will. But what is my life like? How am I doing right now…is the question. Honestly, you guys are my life. I spend every minute of my day focusing on the next time I will see you at a concert, or even see you at the store. My mind is constantly spinning with new ideas and, right now, tons of details to finish up the new record. I am always thinking about my band…how to love them and thank them enough when I am so busy all the time. And most importantly, I am thinking about my family. Being in the music industry has many blessings and many challenges, and my family has been the most affected by it all, so my mind is constantly thinking about how much they give and how much I can’t give them back..so in reality, I am humbled a lot. To add to all of this, there are things such as the photo shoot that I just did that needs my attention, writing blogs, =) (which i enjoy so much!), and simply being a sister and daughter… from the road. Sometimes it gets overwhelming, and I feel like I can’t handle it anymore. Some days I screw up big time and choose my self over serving my parents… And sometimes I don’t choose love over hate…and I HATE that about me. I HATE it. Through it all, though, God is teaching me probably the greatest lesson thus far in my life about who He is. 1) Spend my time being only accountable to HIM (see last blog, i believe..) and 2) accept his grace. Grace changes my life. It changes everything I just said. It takes my worst day and gives me a pillow to rest my head on..It takes my efforts to love you all and loves you, when I can’t. It takes my pain, and makes sense of it. Grace is the power to complete and accomplish what I will never be able to do on my own…or really do at all.

So..in my personal life..I am learning to rest in God’s Grace–every day. Every single moment. Every single breath. Every single blog. Every single concert. When I can’t find the words, it’s trusting that He will connect the dots in a way that I don’t even see yet. It’s trusting that He will be the sister, friend, musician, and lover that He wants to be through me, instead of me trying to do it. Really, it keeps all coming back to Proverbs 3:5,6..my life verse:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understandings. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

Being able to use the gift of music to share my passion for Christ is SO AMAZING..and I LOVE IT SO MUCH. I am so thankful for what I am doing!! But my life is also at times very confusing, it is very busy, and it proves to be very alone at times. I miss my friends, and I miss not having so much to think about all the time. BUT…God is faithful, and God is love. So when I feel overwhelmed, it only takes a minute for Him to remind me that all He does in my life (and everyone’s, for that matter!) is because He is showing me His love in a way that I haven’t seen yet.

If you are interested in praying for me, I would ask that you do. Pray that I would continually be being overwhelmed by the greatness of God…and finding my rest in Him alone. As the summer time comes, and the schedule gets even more heated…I want to keep focused on the right things instead of being distracted by the petty things.

Blessings, and know that I am praying for you, too.

In Grace,
-Holly

Luke got 3rd at Track State in Pole Vault!!!

“He(God) was revealing to us Moses’ heart. God knew that he wasn’t going to do to the Israelites what He said, and he knew that Moses’ would intercede. God knows all! So why the story this way? To show us how dedicated Moses’ was to protecting the Name of God. Moses’ wasn’t about to let the other people outside of Israel see that God was not slow to anger and abounding in love, like He is. He wanted people to see the greatness of love and mercy God is! God’s glory was ultimately Moses’ heart…and that should be mine too. Not revenge.”

Night..?!

-h*

In conversation today with one of my dearest friends, she said something that arouse my spirit in such a beautiful way…

“God is love…that’s WHO He is…it’s his character. His essence. His definition. His natural way. He doesn’t love me because I deserve it, but simply because that is WHO HE IS. He doesn’t know not to love me..because that’s his ‘DNA’… ”

How much/how often do I honestly stress knowing what Love really is? I tend to believe I can grasp it..and from there move on to studying theology and “deeper” issues within belief/religion. But truthfully, as I have been contemplating and chewing on this, I am humbled to see how much I see how I would rather & have rather desired to understand my struggles and sins more than I have desired to seek Love. I have tended to pursue knowledge about God and Jesus rather than seeking to know what they ARE(Love) in essense… Does that make sense??

I am beginning to see how much I CANNOT and WILL NOT be able to understand or begin to comprehend the “deeper” issues of faith if I cannot even understand the heartbeat/lifeblood/’DNA’ of the One who wrote the “deeper” matters. I must scrape away all the knowledge I feel like I have attained and start over with Love again. Love. What is it? How does that change everything? A God who only knows to Love…

That changes everything I go through.

“How deep the Father’s love for us..how VAST beyond all measure..”

I’ve got to begin again a new search.. A new pursuit. The pursuit of God’s essence…love. All else that i seek (knowledge, understanding of issues/problems/situations i don’t understand) I can only conclude that it has been my pride to understand whats happening, rather than trusting his essence, & letting Love interprets the situation.

“GOD IS LOVE.”

…so much to think about. Night!

-h*

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I’m currently “in the studio” finishing up my 2nd album with Rusty Varenkamp. Something cool I just found out a few weeks back, was that Rusty was awarded Producer of the Year with his partner, Jason Ingram, at the 2010 Dove Awards (pretty much the Grammy’s for Christian music)! I can’t explain in words how excited I am for Rusty…I met him and his family earlier last year, and just fell in love with their heart to serve. They are the real deal..they really love Christ–first and foremost–which is #1. Rusty is so incredibly humble and diligent…which is so appreciated and seen by everyone around him. Congratulations, Rusty!!!! I am humbled that I am working with you on my new project..SO HUMBLED.

Friends..ALL I can say, is IT’S GOD, not me. Nothing I have done or will do can explain all this. Everything from the beginning of this road until now, God get’s ALL the credit. ALL. Yes, I have practiced and performed and what not…but HE opened the doors, HE provided, HE blessed the people…it is all HIM. And I want all the credit to go to Him alone. I can’t do a THING without Grace, so it’s gotta be done through Him, all for Him, and all to Him.

As I wrote in my earlier blog, I just got back from Texas (which was amaaaazing), and am leaving early Monday morning to head back to Nashville…this time for a very fun trip. =) I am going down for the new CD’s photo shoot! I am so very excited….Excited to see how the pics turn out, and excited to work with the team that is being set up down there. For those of you in Nashville, or if know of her, Kristen Barlowe will be doing my photography.(!!!!!) She is a friend’s friend, so I take absolutely no credit for that blessing, either. THANK YOU GOD!!! I had a great conference call with Kristen yesterday, and mannn..I am so excited!

All in all…there is a lot spinning around in my head right now! I am constantly blown away by how God has his hand upon my life, and I pray daily that I continue to seek him with all my heart. Trusting, being patient, never loosing hope, and persevering.

That’s all for now! Hope you are enjoying the sunshine…wherever you are! =)

-h*

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