so looking to the sky i will sing and from my heart to YOU i bring…
Author: loia
Loia writes a life, not a lane — Christian, writer, musician & singer.
Life stories and dreams — shaped by music, faith, memory, poetry, and silence. `'.,°~
Hey yall… so I have two great Hank songs for you today… both are among my favorites…
🤠 “Old Nashville Cowboys” Year Released: 1979 Album: Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound
🎶 “Always Loving You” Year Released: 1979 Album: Family Tradition
Here’s a cool fact… in 1988 my best friend passed away… and we received an autographed picture that read “sorry to hear about Joey…” signed by Hank… thought that was so cool… the song Always Loving You… always reminds me of those days and my friend…
One last ride for Tonic— a small send-off to a band that carried seasons of my life. Their songs were companions more than tracks… Windows down… volume up… thanks for the road…
“Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, And therefore is wing’d Cupid painted blind.”
…
FGL ¡¡`’.-
“my love is… never gonna run dry, never gonna come up empty… now until the day I die, unconditionally… You know I’m always gonna be here for ya No one’s ever gonna love you more than God, your mama, and me…”
…
Me `’.,°~
Paint my heart to stay- the pyro kind… burning red and flame…
…
…
Song of Solomon 8:6–7
“Set me as a seal upon your heart… for love is strong as death… Many waters cannot quench love… neither can floods drown it…”
Before the charts and the stages, there were just three sisters, a living room, and a faith that needed a voice — growing up in Elgin, Illinois.
BarlowGirl — Rebecca, Alyssa, and Lauren — grew up making music the way most people learn conversation: naturally, together. They started in churches and youth events, not chasing careers, just serving with what they had.
What set them apart was unity — three voices, one heart — and the fact that they’re great musicians who truly rock. Drums, bass, guitars, keys, harmonies… real grit, real skill, real sound — not just message.
When they stepped onto bigger stages, they never lost that core. No image games. No shortcuts. Just faith, honesty, and rock-solid music.
If you’re new to BarlowGirl, you’re not discovering a band — you’re meeting a family who turned worship into rock and conviction into legacy.
I’ve got two live acoustic studio versions of these songs for you today…
🎵 Never Alone (2004) — BarlowGirl
🎵 Beautiful Ending (2009) — Love & War
I hope you have a blessed Sunday.
…….🗣️❓🏁✨❓✨✨❓🧍♂️➡️🫵❤️✨✨…🏁🤗🫵🤗’…
The blonde girl is Lauren… she plays drums… but not today lol
The song begins at 1:33 mark 👇
…
Deuteronomy 33:27 (NIV)
“The eternal God is your refuge… and underneath are the everlasting arms…”
It was the summer of 1995… I was 21… going through much… trying to figure life out…
I’d just moved in with a guy I worked with… only been there a few weeks… it was the weekend… I’d been out late hanging with my friends…
when I finally came home… I headed down the hall toward my bedroom…
As I got closer… I could hear a guitar playing… a girl singing… the sound was coming from my room…
I was like wth!?…
I opened my door…
There on my bed… a black-haired girl I had never seen before… strumming my guitar… singing… completely lost in it… like she owned the night… no curfew in sight…
she wasn’t wearing any clothes… my brain just blue-screened…
I was frozen… my tongue super stuck…
she looks at me… with friendly eyes… smiles and says Hey
“your roommate said it was ok…”
Her name was Rachel… she and I became friends… we often jammed together…
she was a part-time exotic dancer… aka… a stripper…
my roommate was dating her friend… so many nights… she and her friends… plural… ended up at my house…
but she never wanted to hang out with the rest of them… she just wanted to chill… sing songs… play guitar…
She was a great musician… had a great voice… music was her dream…
Many times I’d come home late find her in my room… doing her thing…
I’d grab my other guitar… and we’d play for hours…
I had a small recording studio we’d lay down tracks… we recorded all kinds of covers… had these freestyle… ad-lib jam sessions… just chasing whatever sound showed up…
It was definitely a crazy summer… but also kind of holy in its own way…
it’s beautiful how musicians can come together and bond… doesn’t matter who or what you are… your background or anything…
musicians and artists just immediately have that thing. that links us… that invisible wire… heart to heart… song to song…
what I remember most those nights… isn’t the chaos…
it’s the music…
two guitars… chasing songs in the middle of the night… letting the sound carry through a messy season of life…
…
I did much praying that summer…
cryin’ out in the night…
sometimes with words… sometimes with songs…
finding healing…
wherever I could…
..
Oh yeah I might be crazy… But that’s not the same as insane… And I’m scared… But that’s not the same as being afraid…
Sports have always been a huge part of my life. They’ve been there for as long as I can remember. I come from a long line of athletes. My grandfather even had an opportunity to pitch for the Detroit Tigers, but he chose to serve in World War II instead. My father was a great athlete too, and he was also my coach growing up, teaching me the game—and a lot about life—along the way…
I love a lot of sports, but my two main ones are American football and baseball. I played Little League all through my childhood and into my teens. I didn’t just throw on a uniform and participate—I excelled. I was a star, haha. I’m normally pretty humble, but I want to be accurate here so you can feel what I’m putting down 😅 I was mainly a pitcher, but in between starts I played shortstop and left field, doing whatever my team needed… I also hit for power and average.
In little league.. I once made an insane diving catch in left field to win the game… the crowd went nuts… bum-rushed me and carried me off the field on their shoulders cheering haha…
Sports were where I learned who I was when things got hard…
I kept it going into junior high and high school, playing both baseball and football. On the football field I lined up at quarterback, wide receiver, and at cornerback on defense, and I excelled there too. The dream was always to try and go pro in baseball, but along the way I got pulled into the music scene and ended up chasing that route instead. Even then, I never really left sports behind. I kept playing, jumping into league softball over the years and staying connected to the game any way I could.
As far as watching sports, my heart stays close to home. I love the Atlanta Braves and Falcons, and when it comes to college football, I’m a huge Georgia fan—Go Dawgs! Major League Baseball, the NFL, and college football are my mainstays, but I also enjoy basketball and golf, both playing and watching. Sports have always been more than just games to me. I’m thankful I grew up the way I did, grateful for the chance to play, I miss them days…
My first year in little league… im holding the bat wrong in this pic.. my hands are opposite how they should be lol
1 Corinthians 9:24–26 (NIV)
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize… Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever…
Heart of Loia `'.,°~ 