(1) Jonas Myrin – Dreams Plans Everything: As a renowned songwriter originally from Sweden, Jonas Myrin has worked with artists like Natasha Bedingfield, Christina Aguilera, Shakira, Snow Patrol or The Darkness. This year, he received his first Grammy Award. After his debut single “Day of the Battle” – with more than 100.00 sold units – his first solo album is released in June 2013. “I write about what I know and what I see. Love, the past, the future, heartbreaks, mistakes and starting over again. My album is about my journey”. We are looking forward to it!
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(2)Hillsong UNITED – Zion: After a two year wait, UNITED has released their third album Zion this February. Zion is filled with fresh and electronic sounds as a reinvention of the expression of modern worship. Behind that lies the realization that God is doing His thing, and He has already done it – He is establishing His Church, and it’s through us. As UNITED’s Joel Houston puts it “The album was birthed out of our cry, God I want to be a part of what it is you’re doing. If that means write a song, we’ll write the best songs we can. If it means serving the poor and those who are hurting, then we’re going to do it better than we’ve ever done it before.”
“Going around and asking for money from others makes me uncomfortable – even if it is for charity. And besides, it would be more effective if I just put my money in”. I was sitting in a café with a friend talking about my church’s fourth annual Fun Run campaign. Taking part in the Berliner Wasserbetriebe Team Staffel relay race, our runners ask people in their everyday life to sponsor them to raise money for a water project supplying clean drinking water to a whole village in a part of this world lacking this basic supply. My friend’s statement made me think about the why behind this campaign. Of course, the obvious reason is to change the lives of the families who don’t have access to clean drinking water for the better. But there is also real potential to see the lives of our sponsors changed. In our part of the world, many people seem to have everything but still feel lack in their life. When you decide to GIVE of what you have, something beautiful happens. Your heart becomes soft and joyful as you focus on what you do have and are able to share with others. Albert Einstein once said: “Strange is our situation here upon earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to divine a purpose. From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: that man is here for the sake of other men”. I truly believe that this is so because we are made in the image of God our Father. And His heart beats for us, His children. So much that He was willing to send His Son to give up His life for us in order to bring us back into a living relationship with Him. So the potential of the Charity:Water Fun Run campaign is that positive change is sparked just as much in the lives of the receivers as in the lives of the sponsors and the runners. For more on Berlin Connect’s dedication to social kindness involvement, go to http://www.myberlinconnect.de/social-kindness/.