tag:faithrefined.net,2005:/blogs/news?p=2News2020-01-24T13:26:09-05:00Faith:REFINEDfalsetag:faithrefined.net,2005:Post/61685522009-03-15T20:00:00-04:002019-12-16T11:35:42-05:00"Alleluia" wins songwriting award!
<p>The latest single by Faith:REFINED, "Alleluia", has been named an Honor Award winner in the 10th Annual Great American Song Contest. Over 1500 songwriters from forty countries around the world entered the 2008 event. In addition to top winners in each category, the judges selected approximately 100 Finalists. The link to this section is near the end of Winners section here: http://www.greatamericansong.com/winners.html
"Alleluia" can be found on Faith:REFINED's sophmore CD of the same name.
<a href="http://www.greatamericansong.com/honorary.html" data-imported="1">
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Faith:REFINEDtag:faithrefined.net,2005:Post/61685512009-02-27T19:00:00-05:002019-12-16T11:35:42-05:00Faith:REFINED announces our newest member!
<p>We are please to welcome Jason Elkins, lead vocals and bass player! Jason had his first show with us last night, (Feb. 27th) and he ROCKED THE HOUSE! We are so blessed to have him!</p>
Faith:REFINEDtag:faithrefined.net,2005:Post/61685502008-04-17T20:00:00-04:002019-12-16T11:35:42-05:00Faith:REFINED Nominated for KCCM Contemporay Artist of the Year!
<p>Debbie L. Rice & Faith:REFINED are proud to announce that they have been nominated for Contemporary Artist of the Year at the annual KCCM King Cat Music Awards to be held April 26th, in Kansas City. The KCCM Awards serves to recognize King Cat Music artists in a variety of award categories including Best Group, Best Songwriter, Best in Pop and other music genres. This event is opened to the public. Musicians and fans are encouraged to attend. Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased at www.KCCMAwards.com. More information about the KCCM Awards is available from Connie Whitlock at 816-540-4197 (info@kingcatmusic.com.com)</p>
Faith:REFINEDtag:faithrefined.net,2005:Post/61685492008-02-11T19:00:00-05:002019-12-16T11:35:41-05:00"Alleluia" added to Indieheaven.com Fan Faves Chart!
<p>Our newest song, "Alleluia", has been added to the Indieheaven.com Fan Faves chart. You can find this song under the "Praise & Worship" tab, or under the "View All" tab at the following link:
www.indieheaven.com/fanfaves.php</p>
Faith:REFINEDtag:faithrefined.net,2005:Post/61685482008-01-02T19:00:00-05:002019-12-16T11:35:41-05:00Faith:REFINED Nominated for Momentum Awards!
<p>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -
Faith:REFINED Nominated “Contemporary Artist of the Year”
IndieHeaven’s Momentum Awards
Lake Jackson, TX, January 3rd, 2007 – IndieHeaven.com, the leading organization supporting Independent artists in Christian music, is pleased to announce that Faith:REFINED has been nominated “Contemporary Artist of the Year” in the 3rd annual "Momentum Awards". This prestigious award will be handed out at the upcoming IndieHeaven CIA Summit2008 conference March 29, 2008.
IndieHeaven founder and CIA Summit director Keith Mohr states, "It's important to recognize and applaud the efforts made in recent years by artists who are independent. By providing them the recognition they have earned, we hope to increase their platform and awareness. There are many independent artists who are doing an incredible job with their music and most importantly their mission. We look forward to the awards being a part of our annual artist’s conference." Visit www.ciasummit.com for more information about the Christian Independent Alliance Summit.
Faith:REFINED was founded in 2005 by keyboardist/songwriter Debbie L. Rice. Now made up of an eclectic mixture of vocalists, songwriters and musicians, this Contemporary Christian band continues to surprise with their mixture of Pop, Rock, Country & Children's songs, all blended together with their message of Faith.
Located on the shores of the Texas Gulf Coast in Lake Jackson, Faith:REFINED is made up of vocalists Pamela Bieri, guitarist Ray Miller, bass player Nick Benavidez, and keyboardist Debbie L. Rice. Faith:REFINED's mission is to bring God's message of Faith to believers and non-believers alike. Main songwriter Debbie L. Rice shows through her music the wonderful things God has done in her life, and the growth she has experienced by placing her trust and faith in Him during times of difficulty. Having faced cancer, bankruptcy, foreclosure, divorce, loss of her house to a tropical storm, the death of her father, repossession, and being forced to move herself and her infant son 4 times in 5 years, you would think her music would be full of anger, grief and sorrow. Instead, she tells of the love, provision and blessing God gives to you when you put Him first in your life and put your life in His hands.
To register your vote for Faith:REFINED as the “Contemporary Artist of the Year” in this year’s Momentum awards, please visit http://www.indieheaven.com/momentum_awards.php. You can also register your vote for their hit single, “They Chose Me” in the Song of the Year category by typing it in as “They Chose Me” by Faith:REFINED.
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<center><a href="http://www.indieheaven.com/momentum_awards.php" data-imported="1">
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Faith:REFINEDtag:faithrefined.net,2005:Post/61685472007-11-15T19:00:00-05:002019-12-16T11:35:41-05:00Faith:REFINED October '07 Newsletter
<p>November...the time of year we stop and give Thanks for all that we have been blessed with. For some, it may be the only time all year they stop and reflect on what they are thankful for. For those of us who call Jesus our Lord and Savior, everyday is Thanksgiving! We have been blessed with a living Savior who loves us, forgives us, and makes us like new! I can't think of anything else I can be more grateful for than Him. Amen!
November is also the time for family, food, and fun. I hope each of you has a wonderful time planned for the Thanksgiving Holiday. Our family always gets together and has the traditional turkey, green-bean casserole (my contribution!), potatoes, stuffing and of course...dessert. (Yum!) Not everyone is blessed to have a family they can get together with. I have a single friend who volunteers at a Homeless Shelter each year on Thanksgiving Day so he can help serve dinner to those less fortunate than him. Others may have family too far away, or may be enduring the Holiday alone by choice. Whatever your situation, I hope you do take the time to remember how much you are loved by the King.
Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before Him with Thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.
Psalm 95:1-2
Featured Member of the Month
Our newest member is Lead & Acoustic Guitarist, Ray Miller. Raymond lives in Lake Jackson, TX with his wife Bridget and three children: Colby, Ragan, and Dalton. He is a member of Willow Drive Baptist Church where he also plays in the praise band. Ray is a veterinarian and the Medical Director of the veterinary hospital where he is currently working. As a former college baseball player, Ray is very involved in the sports his children play and with three kids someone is always playing something! When he is not on the playing field or strumming his guitar, Ray enjoys camping, hiking, biking, and fishing. You can hear Ray on our latest single, "Walk On" at www.indieheaven.com/artists/debbielrice.
Welcome to the band Ray!!
"By Faith" CD and latest singles available!
You can purchase our 1st CD, "By Faith", and all of our latest singles on our Indieheaven.com website. The songs are available for digital download as singles too.
Our Price: $ 0.99/single
or $8.00/CD
Visit our store at:
Indieheaven.com
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH
Our summer newsletter asked the question, "What was the best summer vacation you ever had?". Our best answer came from Jamisu Hipp with her answer below:
When I was growing up we went on many vacations. We, being my mom, brother, cousins, friends, and myself. In the summer of 1975 my father decided to join in on the family vacation time with much coaxing from my mother. My father owned his own business in the small town we lived in and would not leave it longer than a weekend. This was the summer I was fifteen years old. This year it was just our family, mom, dad, brother and myself. We went to Wimberly Texas and had a great time. I had never heard my dad laugh like that, the people that knew him say I have his laugh. While on a weeks vacation, my dad made a decision to close his business on Sundays from then on. That made the whole trip for me. My father went home to be with Jesus fourteen months later.
Thank you Jamisu for sharing with us! Jamisu received a copy of our latest singles for sending us her answer. With the approach of the Holiday season upon us, this months question is:
What is your Favorite Holiday Recipe?
Anything from the main meal to dessert (YUM!), share with us the reason, the season (Turkey day? Easter?), and the recipe (of course!), and you too can win a copy of our latest singles CD. Don't forget to include your mailing address..we won't post it, promise! Send your replies to:
dlrice@debbielrice.com
THEY CHOSE ME
November is National Adoption Month, and our latest video "They Chose Me" is ready just in time!
This tender ballad about adoption will have you reaching for a Kleenex, and hopefully will make you think about adoption in a whole new way. Inspired by an interview heard on the radio with Christian recording artist Mark Schultz, this heart-wrenching song was written by Debbie L. Rice. Debbie's father was adopted, and Debbie is also the mother of a little girl adopted from China. To view the video, just click on the image above, or go to the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3MdQP3OK4s
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QUICK LINKS
Check our our newest website!
www.faithrefined.net
Our Indieheaven.com website:
www.indieheaven.com/artists/debbielrice
Faith:REFINED on King Cat Music.com:
http://www.kingcatmusic.com/debbielrice
To vote for our latest song on the Indieheaven.com Fan Faves chart:
www.indieheaven.com/fanfaves.php
Faith:REFINED on MCTMG Radio: http://mctmgchristianradio.com/
Debbie L. Rice & Faith:REFINED on MySpace:
www.myspace.com/debbielrice
Faith:REFINED on Indie911.com
http://www.indie911.com/debbie-l-rice-and-faithrefined
Wishing you the best of the Thanksgiving Holidays! We are so Thankful to have you as our friends and supporters. Please drop us a line at dlrice@debbielrice.com , we love to hear from you!
Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good. His love endures forever. (Psalm 136:1)
Debbie L. Rice
& Faith:REFINED</p>
Faith:REFINEDtag:faithrefined.net,2005:Post/61685432007-11-15T19:00:00-05:002019-12-16T11:35:41-05:00Indieheaven.com Fan Faves
<p>Our single, "They Chose Me" has recently been added to the Indieheaven.com Fan Faves chart! Please take a moment to vote for us at the following link:
www.indieheaven.com/fanfaves.php
Also, the video for this song has been added to the IH video page! Visit www.indieheaven.com and then scroll down to the middle of the page where the video's are. (It says "It's like MTV...). Ours is the 3rd video!</p>
Faith:REFINEDtag:faithrefined.net,2005:Post/61685442007-10-14T20:00:00-04:002019-12-16T11:35:41-05:00Our newest member
<p>We'd like to announce the addition of our newest member, Ray Miller! Ray is a fantastic acoustic & lead guitarist and we are so blessed to have him join our group. Ray can be heard on our latest single, "Walk On".</p>
Faith:REFINEDtag:faithrefined.net,2005:Post/61685422007-10-05T20:00:00-04:002019-12-16T11:35:40-05:00Summer 07 Newsletter
<p>Faith:REFINED Summer '07 Newsletter
I hope everyone is having a GREAT Summer!! Faith:REFINED has been taking some time off to write new music, make new contacts, re-organize and refresh. But don't worry, we will be back when the school season starts, with some new material, and maybe some new faces! In the mean time, we have kept busy with several songwriting competitions, church performances and life in general. Your e-mails have greatly encouraged us, and we love hearing from you. Feel free to drop us a note anytime at dlrice@debbielrice.com. You never know, you just may see your message here in our newsletter!
Latest News:
Praise God! We just received the following news:
Congratulations, you have been selected to receive an Honorable Mention in the 11th Annual "Unisong" International Song contest.
This year featured the highest overall quality of songs, lyrics, and writers ever submitted by far, with the most diverse and varied entries from a multitude of countries representing every continent on Earth except Antarctica (and songwriting penguins out there).
The judging therefore was extremely competitive and to be singled out anywhere in the top 15% of all songs submitted was no easy feat.
Your song, "They Chose Me" received an Honorable Mention in the L.U.N.C. H. category, (www.lunchensemble.com) where all net proceeds will go to benefit social programs they sponsor in the areas of hunger, homelessness, substance abuse, & domestic abuse. All songs entered in this special category had to address any of these four main themes or similar variations.
Results are posted on our website at: http://www.unisong.com.
Thank you Lord!
(You can hear this song on our Indieheaven page: www.indieheaven.com/artists/debbielrice)
Prayer Requests
Please keep our wonderful vocalist, Melinda Bedrich, and her family in your prayers. Melinda's mother, Delores Key, recently went to be with Jesus after a long and courageous battle with Cancer. We know as believers that she is dancing with Jesus, but the loss is still hard to take. Mrs. Key was a beautiful lady, and she lead many to the Lord, including her own children. She was a delight to be around, and a source of inspiration and happiness to all who knew her. Our prayers and thoughts are with Melinda during this time.
Featured Member of the Month:
Nick Benevidez, Bass Player Extraordinaire!!
Debbie L. Rice first met Bassist Nick Benavidez when they both served as counselors at Church camp. Nick was then a member of the Youth group, and although Debbie had seen him play bass with the Youth band at their church, this was the first time she had a chance to get to know him. "My son, Joshua, was in Nick's cabin at camp, so I was able to hear all about the fun Nick brought to their group...probably more than he wanted me to know!" Debbie says. Nick began playing bass at the age of 14. He played for the Willow Drive Baptist Youth for 4 years, and has played for various Churches and festivals along the way. He lives in Lake Jackson, and is currently attending college. Visit Nick at his MySpace page and say "Hi!"
www.myspace.com/nicholasbenavidez
Store:
You can purchase our 1st CD, "By Faith" at our Indieheaven website. Songs are available for digital download, or you can purchase the actual CD and have it shipped to you, from the following website:
www.indieheaven.com/artists/debbielrice
We also have several of our newest singles, Including "They Chose Me" available for digital download. You can purchase these individually at our Indieheaven.com website.
www.indieheaven.com/artists/debbielrice
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Faith:REFINED is:
(left to right) Nick Benevidez, Melinda Bedrich, Debbie L. Rice, Pamela Bieri, Tommy Meador
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Our God is Awesome! I have a story to share with you. I hope you take the time to read this:
Ok, this is going to be long, and I apologize in advance, but I have to explain things so I can show what an awesome God we have!!
This is about our song, "They Chose Me" which was recently at the Number 1 spot on the Indieheaven.com FanFaves chart. Our former guitarist Tommy heard an interview that Mark Schultz did on our local Christian Radio Station KSBJ (more about them later). Mark was discussing his "Bike across America Tour" in support of adoption. Tommy was so impressed with the interview that he called me and told me we needed to write a song about adoption. I have an adopted daughter (Emma, from China) and my father was adopted at birth so I have a heart for the subject too. I asked God for the inspiration, and had the song the very next day.
I've felt from the beginning that this song was not mine. It's meant to get out to a much larger audience than I can give it. So, I've wanted to give this song to Mark Schultz since he was the inspiration for it. But have you ever tried to communicate with a major CCM star?? Not happening!! I've tried all his websites, and the James Foundation (which is sponsoring his Bike Tour) but I've had no response. And that is understandable. I'm basically a 'nobody' in this business, and I understand how the system works, but I felt I had to at least try, right?
Fast Forward:
"They Chose Me" reached Number one on the Indieheaven.com Fan Faves chart fairly quickly thanks in part to this newsletter mail out and the support of all you! (Thanks again!!). Because of our excitement about reaching the top spot, I sent out another brief announcement to this distribution list just to let everyone know we had reached Number 1 and to Thank everyone for their support. I felt prompted to send the announcement to our local Christian Radio Station, KSBJ.
Now, KSBJ is one of the largest Christian Radio Stations in the Nation, often winning the Major Market Station of the Year every year. I decided to send my announcement to the station Music Director, Mr. Jim Beeler. However, I did not have his e-mail address, and I had already searched the website and Google for it with no luck. I tired several variations of Mr. Beeler's name with the KSBJ e-mail address and sent my announcement to all of them. Because I use Constant Contact for my distribution list, I am able to see who opens my e-mails. Praise God, one of the variations was opened by Mr. Beeler within the hour that it was sent! So, I knew he had read it, and I didn't really expect a reply. It was enough just to know that he now knew my name, my song's name, and all about Indieheaven. Maybe he would stop by someday and listen.
That was last month. A few weeks ago, I was listening to KSBJ and heard an announcement that stopped me in my tracks. Jim Beeler and KSBJ Station Manager Tim McDermont were traveling to Ohio to meet with Mark Schultz and take part in his Bike tour! Tim would ride along with Mark, and Jim Beeler would broadcast live from the tour! God told me this was not a coincidence. The one person at KSBJ that I had an email address for was going to be with the one person I really wanted to have my song given to! I immediately sent Mr.Beeler an e-mail explaining the whole situation to him. I included the lyrics and the song as an attachment. Now, in the real world, you would assume that...1st of all he would not open the e-mail because it had an attachment. 2nd, it might be filtered because of the attachment since this was his work address. 3rd, by the time I heard the announcement, they were due to leave in 2 days. Mr. Beeler might not even be coming back to work before he left on the trip, and 4th if he did, he may not take the time to read e-mails from people he didn't even know. BUT. This was a God thing, not the real world! Within the hour I had a reply from Mr. Beeler stating that he would do his best to give the song to Mark! That meant that at the very least he had to burn a CD and print out the lyrics. Praise God again!! I e-mailed him back, thanking him and letting him know I would be praying for him, Tim, their families, and Mark's mission. He replied with his Thanks. So now I had established an e-mail relationship with him. Maybe he would remember me.
A few days went by, and I was able to keep track of their trip through Marks Video blogs of the trip. You can check out the blogs here:
http://www.markacrossamerica.org/mapping_mark.php
If you go to that site and click on the BLOG tab, then scroll down to the video that says "June 28th, 2007 East Aurora", watch that one. Tim McDermont is the one in the Yellow Jersey (he's the station manager for KSBJ), and you can see Jim Beeler with Mark at the very end of the video. He's the one holding the microphone in the Maroon shirt.
Three days after they got back I could contain my curiosity no longer. I e-mailed Jim Beeler to ask him how it went. He told me he had personally placed the CD in Marks hands. (AMEN!) He said that Mark would probably not have time to listen to it until after the tour ended on the 15th of July. BUT HE HAS IT!!!! Our God is so awesome!
Please, please pray that Mark will find the time to listen to the CD, and that the song will find favor with him, and that he will want to adopt it as his own. He has the ability to reach so many more people with the message of the song than I do. Or perhaps the James Foundation could use it in their promotional material. I don't know HOW it's going to be used, but I just know that it will be used mightily for God. Please keep this in your prayers! I know God would not have brought it this far to just let it fall by the wayside now.
Thanks for taking the time to read this! Love you guys!
Quick Links
Indieheaven.com
Faith:REFINED on MySpace
Click HERE to vote for us on American Idol Underground!
(We have two songs on the American Idol charts, "In Your Silence" and "They Chose Me")
And, Just for some Summer Fun, we have added our favorite Kids song, "BreakOut" to the Indieheaven FanFaves Chart. Please give it a listen and your vote at:
www.indieheaven.com/fanfaves.php
Also, check us out on MCTMG Radio out of Nashville. They have a great site, and a way for you to download some FREE software that will allow you to listen to us and several other talented artists right from your desk top. You can find them at: http://mctmgradio.com
(just click on the "Listen" button, and rate us when you hear our song!)
and get the free software (Quick Picks) at: http://mctmgradio.com/MCTMG/qpod.php
Get your free copy of CCM Magazine here:
Hear our music on The Spirit Radio:
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Question of the MONTH:
Last month, we asked :
What is the best gift you have ever received or given for Mother's Day?
I must admit, that the best answer we recieved came from my own dear Mother. Her answer? Her children were the best gift she ever recieved! Awwwww, how could I not put that here? So Pat McCain (Mom), thank you for answering our Question of the Month!
This month's question:
What is the best Summer vacation you have ever had? Tell us where you are from, and the place you visited or the circumstances. Best vacation will win a FREE copy of our latest singles, including the Award winning "They Chose Me", so be sure and include your shipping address. Don't worry, I won't publish THAT information! But I will list the winner and runner's up here in our next newsletter. Send your information to me at dlrice@debbielrice.com
Thanks!
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Have a Safe and Wonderful Summer!!!!
The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.
(Psalm 126.3)
Debbie L. Rice
& Faith:REFINED</p>
Faith:REFINEDtag:faithrefined.net,2005:Post/61685452007-07-08T20:00:00-04:002019-12-16T11:35:41-05:00"They Chose Me" WINS!
<p>July 9th, 2007
Praise God! We just received the following news:
Congratulations, you have been selected to receive an Honorable Mention in the 11th Annual "Unisong" International Song contest.
This year featured the highest overall quality of songs, lyrics, and writers ever submitted by far, with the most diverse and varied entries from a multitude of countries representing every continent on Earth except Antarctica (and songwriting penguins out there).
The judging therefore was extremely competitive and to be singled out anywhere in the top 15% of all songs submitted was no easy feat.
Your song, "They Chose Me" received an Honorable Mention in the L.U.N.C. H. category, (www.lunchensemble.com) where all net proceeds will go to benefit social programs they sponsor in the areas of hunger, homelessness, substance abuse, & domestic abuse. All songs entered in this special category had to address any of these four main themes or similar variations.
Results are posted on our website at: http://www.unisong.com.
Thank you Lord!</p>
Faith:REFINEDtag:faithrefined.net,2005:Post/61685462007-06-15T20:00:00-04:002019-12-16T11:35:41-05:00"They Chose Me" at Number 1!
<p>June/July 2007 "They Chose Me" reaches the NUMBER ONE SPOT on the Fan Faves Chart!!
After 30 days, this song was taken off the chart (as they all are at 30 days), but we re-submitted it, and it's almost at Number 1 again! Praise God!
Also, this song was inspired by a radio interview with Mark Schultz where he described his "Bike Across America" tour in support of adoption. Our dream has been to get this song into Mark's hands. Well, just yesterday, the CD was placed directly in his hands! Pray for Mark to hear this song, and want to 'adopt' it as his own. God is Good!!</p>
Faith:REFINED