Celebration Radio KAMB
90 East 16th Street, Merced CA 95340
Office: (209) 723-1015 • 1-800-692-5777 • Fax: (209) 723-1945 • kamb@celebrationradio.com
Studio / Contest Line: 1-877-664-1015
Office: (209) 723-1015 • 1-800-692-5777 • Fax: (209) 723-1945 • kamb@celebrationradio.com
Studio / Contest Line: 1-877-664-1015
Our mission is to inspire people to know Jesus personally and challenge them to follow Him faithfully through the creative use of interactive media.
(209) 723-1015 or (800) 692-5777
Email: kamb@celebrationradio.com
Celebration Radio KAMB
90 East 16th Street, Merced, CA 95340
101.5FM Merced - Modesto - Fresno . . . 100.9FM South San Jose . . . 103.1FM Santa Cruz . . . 96.3FM Salinas . . . 107.1FM Sonora
The post-Easter season is often filled with excitement as we move forward from our celebrations and into Spring. The further we get from our Christian holidays, though, the harder it can be to hold onto renewed joys. Recognizing that, all of us at KAMB want to encourage you to keep your heart’s fire stoked for the Lord. Trials seem to especially settle in again following such times of great spiritual uplift, and now is the time to lean into God’s unwavering goodness. The latest hit Something Better by Blanca is a perfect reminder for anyone struggling to remember that goodness today.
Blanca has been a CCM artist since 2003 when the band Group 1 Crew started. She stayed on with the band for 10 years before pursuing a solo career, simply known as Blanca. Since stepping out on her own, Blanca’s songs have achieved high Billboard rankings and she has collaborated with several other CCM artists. In addition to her musical success in English, Blanca has also re-released albums and recorded original music in Spanish. Seizing the opportunity to unite her Latin roots with praise music has also allowed Blanca to reach a wider audience.
In recent years, Blanca has navigated through great hardships in her personal life which have led to further growth in her faith and music. She lost both her parents within several years of each other and then endured the grief of divorce in 2019. Rather than allowing such loss to cripple her, though, Blanca has used her experiences to glorify God through her music. The latest example of her resilience and steadfast faith in God is her latest collaboration with Tauren Wells: Something Better.
Something Better is a beautiful reminder of God’s absolute love and healing in the worst of circumstances. There are a lot of times when a situation can feel overwhelming and inescapable. We come to the end of ourselves without an answer in sight and no idea how to move forward. Yet, God always comes through. He not only pulls us out of our grief and hopelessness, but He also brings us to Something Better. Throughout the song, Blanca draws from her own hardships to demonstrate such goodness in her own life. She starts by describing her loneliness and uncertainty, but ultimately ends by singing of God’s faithfulness to her. God has taken everything that Blanca has endured and turned it into Something Better than it was. He can—and will—do the same for us, too; we just have to let Him.
Check out Blanca’s music video for Something Better by clicking on the link below!
It's been a couple years I've been on my own Now I know that I'm not alone You've given me a reason to carry on, to carry on, eah, yeah Yeah, everything is different now-a-days I lost a few ones along the way I had to learn to trust it'll be okay, it'll be okay Every moment I was sure I wouldn't make it through I was safe because of you I don't know how, but you take all my pain And you turn it into something better Ooh, something better There's not a tear that you let go to waste No, you turn it into something better Ooh, something better You say you never leave and you really don't A kind of love that I've never known You took over my heart and you made a home You made a home And all the broken pieces within You put them together again And with you a new story begins, begins I don't know how, but you take all my pain And you turn it into something better Ooh, something better There's not a tear that you let go to waste No, you turn it into something better Ooh, something better Ha, ha, ha, ha, haa ah, something better Ha-a, ha, ha, ha, ah ah, something better Something in the way you move I never understood That it all works for my good (yeah) Every moment I was sure I wouldn't make it through I was safe because of you I don't know how, but you take all my pain And you turn it into something better Ooh, something better There's not a tear that you let go to waste No, you turn it into something better Ooh, something better Ha, ha, ha, ha, haa ah, something better Ha-a, ha, ha, ha, ah ah, something better Ha, ha-a, ha-a, ha-a, haa ha, something better Ha-a, ha-a, ha-a, ha-a, ah ah, something better-uh ah
Nothing is too great for our God to turn into Something Better. Don’t let the lies of sorrow and shame cloud out the truth of God’s nature. All of us carry heavy burdens that the Lord is willing to take from us and transform. Rather than allowing the weight of them to cripple us, we should remember Blanca’s song and press on. God has never failed us, and He certainly won’t start now.
To find Something Better by Blanca and other worship music, check out our Ways to Listen and Where to Listen pages.
Isaiah 61:1-3 God trades in our brokenness for His blessings.
John 10:10 Jesus brings restoration into the lives of believers.
2 Corinthians 5:17 We are made new in Christ.
Sources
To find out more about Blanca and Something Better, you can visit the Grammys and The Christian Beat webpages. You can also check out her website by clicking here.
As Christmas quickly approaches, the joy of the season sounds aloud through the halls of Celebration Radio. KAMB is looking forward to the new year and all that God has in store for us, but in these last few moments of 2022, we want to highlight an artist that will propel you, your kids, and your grandkids into 2023.
Ellie is a friendly familiar voice heard regularly on KAMB. Her solo debut, As Sure As The Sun (2014), landed her a Top 10 hit on Christian radio with “The Broken Beautiful” and a GMA Dove Award for “New Artist of the Year.” Since then, she has been hard at work. She has released three full-length albums of music and three children’s books with accompanying (EP) musical projects. Her latest release, Sounding Joy, became available on September 20th this year. (B&H Kids/B&H Publishing Group).
Sounding Joy, is a creative dive into the question; what does joy sound like? The reader travels through a beautiful Christmastime story full of life wonderfully illustrated by Laura Ramos. Christmas is celebrated in a way that only Ellie could do. She encourages each reader, young and old, to lift up their voice and repeat the sounding joy!
Purchase your copy of Ellie’s kid’s book “Sounding Joy” – https://www.ellieholcomb.com/store
Ellie keeps a full writing, touring, and performance schedule, while being a wife to fellow musician, Drew Holcomb, and a mom to their three kids. Ellie shared with The Christian Beat,
“My book and album (Sounding Joy) were inspired by the song ‘Joy to the World,’ and it’s an invitation to sing about the hope we have because God put skin on and moved into the neighborhood,”
Ellie Holcomb
She is full of energy and successfully imparts that same energy into this song that will get you dancing through your kitchen as you prepare the Christmas goods and keep you singing long after the dirty dishes are clean and put away in the cupboard.
“Sounding Joy” |Ellie Holcomb|LIVE Acoustic Performance
“Sounding Joy” Written by Nathan Dugger and Ellie Holcomb
What does joy sound like? Is it quiet like snow? Does joy sound like the laughter of friends that you know? Is joy like the sound of a kiss on your cheek Or like holding your breath when you play hide and seek? Maybe joy sounds real loud like a” Hip Hip Hooray!” Or a whispered “I love you” at the end of the day? Well, joy sounds a little like all of these things, But a long time ago joy sounded like wings Sounding joy, joy, joy! If you can imagine, on a dark winter’s night, The sky filled with angels all shining with light And suddenly the shepherds and sheep down below Were surrounded by songs from that heavenly host Glad tidings! Great Joy! We are never alone God sent His Son to make heaven our home So, every Christmas, each girl, and each boy Could lift up their voice and repeat SOUNDING JOY Sounding joy, joy, joy! Sounding joy, joy, joy! So, every Christmas, we string up the lights To remember the way that those angels shone bright And we sing all the songs, and we bang all the drums To remember the day that God sent his Son Glad tidings! Great Joy! We are never alone God sent His Son to make heaven our home So, every Christmas, each girl, and each boy Could lift their voice and repeat SOUNDING JOY Sounding joy, joy, joy! Sounding joy, joy, joy! Sounding joy to the world, the Lord is come
Ellie is a great follow @ellieholcomb on Instagram and her website has many resources to encourage your growth and personal walk with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
View her personal BLOG, DEVOTIONAL CONTENT, and MERCHANDISE (including her “Sounding Joy” project.) https://www.ellieholcomb.com/new-page
You can hear Ellie’s song, Sounding Joy on Celebration Radio when you listen to KAMB in your area or online. Look at all the great Christmas songs playing on the Christmas Festival of Music page.
References:
https://www.ellieholcomb.com/new-page
https://www.breathecast.com/news/ellie-holcomb-set-to-release-a-childrens-christmas-book.html
https://www.thechristianbeat.org/ellie-holcomb-set-to-release-christmas-ep/
As we welcome this Christmas season, KAMB is excited to celebrate Christ’s birth with our listening family. Throughout the next few weeks, you’ll hear covers of traditional Christmas music as well as brand new songs by your favorite artists. One of the latest holiday hits is God Made a Way, a collaboration by Brandon Heath and Tasha Layton.
Brandon Heath has been a CCM favorite for several years. He initially began writing songs as a teen in Nashville. Around that same time, he also began exploring Christianity and soon came to faith in Christ. Both passions were eventually combined and led him to success in CCM. Heath released his first major album in 2006 and has followed it with several other albums throughout the past 18 years. From them, KAMB listeners will recognize songs like “Give Me Your Eyes”, “Your Love”, “Jesus In Disguise”, and others. With every great album, Heath has also received various music awards including eight Dove Awards, Grammy nominations, and an Emmy. In addition to his individual successes, Heath has also participated in several collaborations with other artists. His most recent work led him to fellow CCM artist, Tasha Layton.
Unlike Heath, Tasha Layton grew up in a Christian home but faced difficulty in her faith after a church split. Her trials prompted her to pursue religious studies in college, eventually leading her back to Christianity. After graduating, Layton moved to California and earned a Master of Divinity degree while working as a worship leader. She also spent a few years exploring her musical talents by auditioning for the ninth season of American Idol and later becoming a back-up vocalist for Katy Perry. In 2019, she made her debut into CCM. Layton’s popularity among listeners rose at a rapid pace as her two later songs— “Into the Sea” and “Look What You’ve Done”—attracted further attention. Thus far, her music has landed high rankings on Christian Billboard charts and a spot as a Top 5 female Christian artist in 2021.
As both Brandon Heath and Tasha Layton continue developing their careers, they also welcome Christmas through their beautiful collaboration God Made a Way.
God Made a Way is a gentle and heartfelt reminder of exactly what God did for us by sending Jesus. Much like our infant Savior, the song is sweet but powerful in its delivery. Every lyric tells the story of Jesus’ birth and the love God demonstrated through it. Heath starts the song by singing of the birth, while Layton’s first words express a longing to have been there. The pair end the song by voicing a moment of reflection during the present time we live in. God Made a Way reminds us to pause and consider what the true celebration is all about this season. As the artists sing, we are invited to listen and sit in awe of our Savior with them. So much miraculous power and divine grace was swaddled in the tiny bundle of a baby. We were condemned, but our Lord intervened because of His love for us. What a night it must have been, and what a miracle we can grasp onto because God Made a Way.
Watch the new music video for God Made a Way now by clicking on the link below!
That night when Jesus was born Back two thousand years or so Guess in the grand scheme of time It wasn't really that long ago When Mary laid down Holding onto Joseph It wasn't his child but He believed she was chosen That night when Jesus was born Two thousand years ago When God made a way God made a way A way in a manger God made a way God made a way A way in a manger Wish I could follow the star To that little town of Bethlehem Walk through the fields where those wise men And shepherds watched over him But what would I say, what would I bring What else could I do but just worship my king Wish I could follow the star To that little town of Bethlehem Where God made a way God made a way A way in a manger God made a way God made a way A way in a manger In his infinite love It had to be done He did the impossible And gave up his son Jesus God made a way A way in a manger For God so loved the world And God still loves the world Look at all His hands have made It was God who made a way For God so loved the world And God still loves the world His only son to save It was God who made a way As I sit down in the quiet In the dark of this living room Snow falling outside my window I can't help but think of you That God made a way God made a way A way in a manger There was no other way God made a way A way in a manger
Much of this Christmas season may already be overwhelming you. There are relatives to see, friends to catch up with, meals to prepare, and probably some gifts to exchange. However, as you go about the busyness of the holidays, remember Who this season is about. Enjoy the time you have with loved ones and eat all the food you can handle, but also remember Jesus.
When you turn your radios on over these next few weeks, listen in for God Made a Way. In addition to Brandon Heath and Tasha Layton, you will also hear great music from other artists you love. To find more listening options for KAMB, visit our Ways to Listen and Where to Listen pages.
Luke 2:1-20 The story of Jesus’ birth and those who came to visit him.
Isaiah 7:14 One of the prophecies regarding Jesus’ birth.
Genesis 3:15 Another prophecy regarding Jesus’ birth.
Sources
To visit Brandon Heath’s website and discover more about him and his music, click here. To find out more about Tasha Layton, visit her website here.
Or call M-F: Office (209) 723-1015 or Studio/Contest Line 1-877-664-1015