Forgiveness and Faith

Christmas is almost here! I love Christmas and I especially love why we celebrate this event. I thought I would share  with you just a small portion of what God's gift of the birth, life, death and resurrection of Our Lord Jesus means to me. One of my favorite scriptures is a parable told by Jesus to his disciples in the Book of Matthew. And, since seven is my favorite number, I especially love this  explanation: 

The term 70x7 is synonymous with God's eternal forgiveness. Matthew 18:21-22 in the new King James version of the Bible reads: Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven  times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven."

This is a short song I wrote ... not really a song, but more like a poem or prose with music. I hope you enjoy it and that it will  bless you as well. (psst ... whispering ...  turn off the music in the sidebar and play my video:)

So Much To Share!

Hello to all my blogger buddies. Time can really get away from us. I've been busy with school and bunches of other things.

First, let me share with you this awesome song by For King & Country. It really speaks to me and I hope it will speak to you as well. Note: Joel and Luke of For King & Country are younger brothers of Rebecca St. James, award-winning recording artist, writer, actress. Rebecca started "opening" for singers at age 12. The family moved from Australia to Nashville when Rebecca was in her teens... record deal! :)

Friday night, December 7th, 6:00 - 8:00 join me to kick off the new Huntsville Songwriter's Round at Emma's on Pratt Avenue. Mrs. Klein, owner of Emma's Tea Room saw the need for more venues for us songwriters and did not waste any time setting things up. So, come join us for an evening of songs with a good variety of pop, country, Christian, Americana!

MaryJustice Lucas (me), Larry Cole, Marge Loveday,

Megan McMillan, Ron Brown, Karen Newsum,

Laura Lynn Hardy, Matt Morrow and Emma Klein.

So, after the fun of Friday night, I'm off to UAH for a fun morning of ACT testing! But for now, off to church! 

Songwriters: MaryJustice and Emma

Hello to all my Blogger Buddies,

I hope you enjoyed Veteran's Day and said "Thanks" to all those you know who served and are serving in our military forces. In fact, please do that every time you see someone in uniform. Do not forget our law enforcement who are here to "Serve and Protect"!

I want to invite everyone within "range" to join me and my friend, Emma Klein for a great show we have put together for you. Here are the details:

Friday NOV 16th - 6:00pm - 8:00pm

Flint River Coffee Company

1443 Winchester Road NE

Huntsville, AL 35811
(256) 859-0109

MaryJustice Lucas

Emma Klein

Those of you who have been reading my blog for the past several years know I started singing songs I wrote in public when I was 13, and really jumped into it full force at age 14. I would like to introduce, Emma Klein, another 14 year-old songwriter who is has jumped into the business with eyes wide-open! This is our second show together and expect to see more! I am so pleased to introduce Emma to my Blogger Sphere! We are totally different in genres and vocals so expect some great variety! We look forward to this show and seeing you there!

So if you are in the area, drop in for some great coffee and entertainment.

Here is a video of  "Surrendering" from The Rutledge a couple of weeks ago. I have a new YouTube Channel that is for live performances only. I have playlists of originals and some covers as well as playlists of duets with some of my fellow songwriters. We have so much fun singing together. I hope you will enjoy this song. But, please don't forget to watch MaryJustice Lucas Official Channel. New Pro-videos soon! (Turn off the player in the sidebar.) 

  

Please leave comments here or at MaryJusticeLive on YouTube. Thanks! You know I love you guys! 

Veteran's Day 2012! Just Saying "Thank You" Does Not Seem To Be Enough!

In times of peace it operates as part of the Department of Homeland Security, serving as the nation's front-line agency for enforcing the nation's laws at sea, protecting the marine environment and the nation's vast coastline and ports, and saving life.  In times of war, or at the direction of the President, the Coast Guard serves as part of the Navy Department. 

On March 5, the U.S. Navy Seabees celebrate their 70th birthday. Well into their seventh decade, the Seabees of today continue the hard work of their predecessors from World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Somalia and Bosnia.

The merchant marine is a civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Navy, but not a uniformed service, except in times of war when, in accordance with the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, mariners are considered military personnel. In a time of "national emergency", the President can permanently seize any merchant marine vessel. 

B.A.T.L.E. AIDS - Teens Awareness

"I had the best time at the B.A.T.L.E. AIDS (Bands, Awareness, Teens & Live Entertainment) event at Lowe Mill Entertainment Center! An important message for all teens to hear.

SO MUCH TALENT: Boats Against Current,  Saints Don't Grieve, Kids Full of Cars, Izzy Miller & Smokin' Joe Gambrell , and The Ledges!

And so many sweet and amazing people! I just want to say thank you to everyone and for all your kind words.

 Megan Plotka, Cassidy Roby, James Park, me and Hazel Sarmiento

Thank you, Teen Council, for inviting me and creating such a wonderful event! Thank you Cassidy Roby and Hazel Sarmiento for making the night even more fun! Love ya'll!  

It was so good to see Dalton Tibbles, Maddie Davie, and Mason Baumann! Thank you, James Park, for your support and kind words! You are so sweet!

Megan Plotka, thank you! When you said that my music made you feel something, you made my night!

I've always said even if I never make it big with my music career, win an AMA or a Grammy (haha), or walk the red carpet, if I can write music that makes people feel something, then I am completely satisfied and happy. That's exactly what I want to do as a performing songwriter :) So thank you so much for telling me that! God has blessed me so much and continues to bless me.

May all the glory be HIS
Sincerely,
MaryJustice

If you are in the neighborhood, come join us!

All day Event Today - I'm singing at 3:30! See you there!

Teens Only Concert Tonight - I'm singing at 10pm! 

See you there!

Sunday, November 4th Nashville Tennessee! See you there!

Two Big Events ~ Sat, Nov 3rd, 2012

Gates Open at 9:00 AM

Hi to all my Blogger Buddies! Saturday will be a busy day for me. If you are in the area of Elkmont, Alabama, please come to the First Annual Hilltop Artist Festival. Artisans of all kinds will have booths along the main street in this historic town in North Alabama, nestled between Athens and Ardmore, Alabama. No flea market merchandise here!

There will be music all day!

I'm singing around 3:30!

**NEXT ~ LOWE MILL ~ Huntsville**

**FOR TEENS ONLY**

I'm on at 10:00

Teens Only ** Donations 

Time For A Commercial!!

Hello to all my Blogger Buddies! I would love for you to help me out. I need a big bunch of subscribers to my YouTube Channel and lots of plays on my videos. New videos will go up soon, hopefully of my original songs. And, while I'm doing this "commercial," I would love for you to "fan" me on ReverbNation, and LIKE  my Facebook Music Page with a big "thumbs up." Your support means to much to me. I notice you are stopping by to visit my blog, but would really love to get some comments from everyone!

This video was shot by one of my YouTube and Facebook friends, Stephen Wong from Philadelphia. He happened to be in Nashville pitching one of his songs and came to the Hotel Indigo to hear me. It is so nice to "run into" someone you only "see" on Facebook! Thanks, Mr. Wong!  I wrote this song after my friend called one day to tell me she met this neat boy that she really liked. She told me all his great qualities and then said "I never know when he's telling the truth." I didn't think that was a good thing, but it inspired me to write this song! That's what songwriters do ... if it makes us feel ... good, bad, hurt, or even  indifferent, we write about it! :)

Cover video of ColdPlay's Fix You ... my first "pro" video. Had a great crew on this video. Took about 45 minutes for Jeff Wyatt Wilson of Nashville to shoot this. He was great to work with. I'm playing guitar, but Charles Jones, the boss, is playing  lead guitar on this. Eric Nelson  on drums and my back-up singer.

So, thanks for stopping by. Gotta run. On Saturday, November 3rd, if you are looking for something nice to do and are nearby, drop by The Hilltop Arts Festival in Historic Downtown Elkmont, Alabama. No flea market stuff here ... all art by local artists and music all day. I'm singing around 3:30. Opens at 9:00 am and ends with poetry reading in the Red Caboose that evening.

'Til next time ... love you guys!

Madd Talent Artist Contest Is Back

November 2, 3, 4, 2012
Rutledge Live Music Venue

Big Three-Day Event!

10:00 am - 5:00pm

SUBMIT YOUR VIDEO RESPONSES FOR THE CONTEST (UNDER MY VIDEO) AT THIS LINK 

You must be registered for the contest for your responses to be approved.
Register Here

 Special Event ​

Saturday 3, 2012

Meet and Greet with Rick Barker, former manager for Taylor Swift,

and other Professional Singers/Songwriters
Attend one of the many clinics (Guitar, Bass, Drums, Vocal)
Special guest speakers throughout the day on Saturday only

To Qualify:

You must be 24 years and under to compete

You may submit a video to be judged on big screen or perform live on stage at The Rutledge.

Contestant may be a singer with band, or a solo artist, but  judging will  be based only on the singing performance,  not the band

Your submission cannot be longer than 4 minutes

For more information visit our website at www.maddtalentmgmt.com

Entry Fee - $35.00
Entry deadline - Midnight November 1, 2012

My best wishes to all the contestants!

My! My! Time Flies!

Here it is, the middle of October! I have so much to tell you about that I'm not sure where to start. First, let me say that I am busy with school, very busy.There was a lot going on in September and I'm picking up where I left off from my last posts.

I had an awesome time at James Breedwell's Songwriter Round at Dave and Buster's in Nashville. James invites songwriters to put together  rounds of fellow songwriters. Thank you, Russ David for inviting me to join you. The show was on the patio, the weather was perfect and the huge Grand Ole Opry sign was   "all lit up" across from us. Nice audience! Perfect!

Our friends, Earl and Polly, had their annual songwriters week-end at their home on the Flint River. Beautiful,  is all I can say. Beautiful weather, great friends, wonderful food and music of course. We are songwriters so we had to have Open Mic! We call it the Earl and Pollyroo. It was good to see friends we don't see often because everyone is out singing somewhere all the time.

Home school does not have a football team so I seldom go to a game.  We went down to Hayden to my cousin Dalyn Gilbert's Middle School game. It was  fun sitting in the bleachers with Dalyn and his teammates while the first game was played. That's Dalyn in the middle bringing down the opposition. This photo was made at another game, and I wanted to show him in action. Go Dalyn! 

Last week, I went to Capricorn Sound Works to record a song. Finished that, then shot a video to advertise the upcoming Madd Talent Contest. More about that later, but here is a link to the video. Then, drove over to  Hotel Indigo for Jack Scott's Songwriter Round. Donny Grace, our local NSAI coordinator invited me to join him and Emma Klein to do a round. Thanks, Donny. 

Donny Grace, Emma Klein, MaryJustice at Hotel Indigo

The last time I was at Hotel Indigo, one of my YouTube and Facebook friends, Stephen Wong of Pennsylvania, happened to be in Nashville and stopped in to hear me sing. What a surprise! So, imagine my astonishment when  my ReverbNation and Facebook friend, singer/songwriter Scott Ruthenberg from Australia, posted on my wall that he would be there. From Australia?? I thought he was kidding, but he happened to be in Nashville pitching songs and was staying right around the corner! Now, how awesome is that! It was nice meeting you Scott.

That was on Thursday, and Friday night I had a showcase at the Coffee Tree with my favorite singing partner, Matt Morrow. As usual, we had a great crowd and lots of fun. I was so pleased to see my friends from our church youth group  and a couple of former classmates. Thanks, Matt, for joining me!

So, on Sunday Mom and I made a trip down to Morris to visit my grandfather who is not feeling well. He is taking chemotherapy and having a rough time right now. Please pray for him. We do appreciate your prayers and good thoughts.

Well, Blogger Buddies, I think that catches you up. I probably forgot something major but good things are happening. Friday night I'll join Matt and Jessie Good for another show at the Coffee Tree. Drop in if your in the area as this is a very special show!

I am READY for Destin Beach, Florida.... Look out! I will show up any day!

Thank you, Lord. I am so blessed by you.

Del McGee's St. Jude Benefit

Hello to all my Blogger Buddies!

September has been, and continues to be a busy month for me. Awesome and full of shows. I've met some new songwriters and played at some new places. Thanks to my fellow songwriter, Del McGee, for inviting me to perform at his annual fundraiser for St. Jude's Hospital at the Stem and Stein in Madison on September 8, 2012. Del has been doing this for several years now. All donations and pledges go straight to St. Jude's to benefit the hospital, patients and their families. Del pays all expenses associated with putting on a show like this. He does an awesome job!  

Host, Del McGee Singer/Songwriter

Roger Hoselton, MaryJustice, Robert Barnes

These are photos from the round I was in a  with Roger Hoselton and Robert Barnes, both awesome singers and songwriters. I had had a reaction to an antibiotic several days before the show and was so sick. High fever, Angelina Jolie lips! So, regretfully I had to leave after my round so I don't have photos of the rest of the show. I had to cut my set short on Jim Parker's show the night before. Took a few days to regain my strength.

Update!

WOW! A lot can happen in just a short time. I hope everyone is enjoying the cooler weather. As for me, I can't wait to start wearing my cozy sweaters and boots and all those terrific scarves! Well, enough about weather and fashion!

I had an awesome time at the Jim Parker Songwriter Series. Meeting the "stars" that Jim brings to his show at the VBC is a wonderful experience. I was so honored to get to open his show on September 7th, and to meet the pro-writers that wrote the songs made famous by "the big stars".  In my earlier post, you saw photos of everyone so I won't repeat those. And, I enjoyed my 30 minutes of "fame"! WOW!

Alan Rhody, Mike Loudermilk, Jill Colucci, Jim Parker, Me (barely in the photo!)

Wesley, MaryJustice, Alan Rhody Shirt

Did you know that Alan Rhody is also an artist? I am the proud owner of his one-of-a-kind, hand-painted, autographed T-shirts!

This is one of my newest songs. "Forgiveness and Faith"©

Needless to say, I had a really good time. The pre-show dinner was excellent and Jim so graciously included my entire family and very special friend, Wesley, in the dinner. Thanks, Jim. I love having you in my corner. You have been such a good friend since we first met at the Coffee Tree Books & Brew when our late and great friend, BD Chase, hosted the songwriters open mic. 

There's so much more, so watch for another update tomorrow or maybe the next. 'Til next time ....

Love you guys!

Exciting Things Happening!

Hello to all my Blogger Buddies, Facebook Friends and ReverbNation Friends, Tweets and YouTubers! 

I am so honored and happy to announce that I will be the Special Guest opening for The Jim Parker Songwriter's Series! Get your tickets at Ticket Masters

Friday, September 7th -  6:30PM 

 Von Braun Civic Center Playhouse - Huntsville, Alabama

I've been waiting on this for a year! And, I am excited! This is one of the best shows in Huntsville. Jim brings in the Pro-Writers who have written the songs you hear on the radio, in movies and televisions shows. Did I say I was thrilled to be part of this show? I've met some awesome people at these shows and love hearing them tell about the songs they have written and the inspiration behind them. Really gives you something to look up to and try to live up to if you are an aspiring songwriter! This show features Alan Rhody, Jill Colucci, Mike Loudermilk and of course Jim Parker. I hope to warm up the crowd for them. I am so blessed to have this opportunity!  See you all there!

So....moving right along!

Saturday, September 8th - 6:00 PM

 

St. Jude's Hospital Benefit

Hosted by Del McGee

 

 

 

10871 County Line Road Madison, AL 35758
(256) 325-3779

 

Del McGee is offering some of the best entertainment in North Alabama, and its all to benefit the children and the families of St Jude...

 

I'll be helping to kick off the show at

6:30 with Roger Hoselton and Robert Barnes

7:30

 Jim Parker from Huntsville Al
Will Stults from Russellville Al
Lori Lovelace of Muscle Shoals Al 
Cristina Lynn of Huntsville Al

Then at 9:00
Robin Stewart E Limestone, Al
Buddy "Chapman" James Birmingham

Tom "One Eyed Leotis" Smith Huntsville Al
Del McGee Taft, Tn

Y'all come help us raise some much needed money for the families of St Jude. Thanks, Del for including me in the wonderful event!

Moving right along....

Heading out early Sunday morning to Nashville for a session with the Madd Talent Music Director, Jeff Sturms and then on to shoot a video under the direction or "the boss", Charles Jones of Madd Talent Management and Production! I am so excited to be making this video with Just Hannah-Nash! More exciting things on the horizon. I am so blessed! Thank you Lord!