Featured Artists
is a new place on the FRM site that provides a place for
artists to express their talents to others beyond church
walls.
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Our Featured Artist is
Jill Tanis
I've been around
music my whole life. My mom really influenced me musically.
She always sang and played piano. I studied music in college
for several years and sang in various jazz groups. As an
adult I sang in church for a time, and I've been playing
guitar for about 9 years now.
After writing these most recent songs, I did have a desire to
share them with others and I prayed that I'd be able to share
them with whoever God wanted me to...basically that God would
bring the people into my life that wanted to hear them. The
day after I prayed that, I met Ray Brown at a jam session in
Sutter Creek where I played one of my songs, and he offered to
record it at his home studio. We've become good friends, and
Ray is the one who recorded the songs and also played the
other instrumental parts (bass, fiddle, keyboard) on In Your
Shoes and Leaf on the Wind.
Other Featured Artists
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My husband is my
very best friend and the best thing that ever happened to me
after Jesus. We met at church, and together have been
through these experiences of questioning "the system" and
choosing to follow where God leads us. We've been out of church
(buildings) for about 2 years. We live in Amador County (been
here about 3 years now) and we're in the process of opening
a family winery. We have a small vineyard and Andrew makes
great wines.
Kallie's Song
Kallie's Song was
written some time after Leaf on the Wind, during a time of
working through feelings. This song is a little sassy because
that's where I was at at the time. But the main message is that
Jesus says to Kallie, "You are mine!" in the midst of
institutional church folks saying she'd 'fallen away' because
she left their building behind. It's Jesus speaking to the
people who are judging Kallie, and to Kallie herself (who is me
and anyone else who relates to the song)...maybe Jesus feels
sassy sometimes too! Again, the main message of the song is
that Jesus says to Kallie, "You are mine!" It doesn't matter
how others see you or judge you. you are mine.
In Your Shoes |
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Leaf On The Wind
Leaf on the Wind,
was written when I was going through a difficult time I would
call depression, that was partly brought on by some hurtful
experiences in the institutional church. I was searching for
the reality God spoke of in the bible but just wasn't finding
it. I was reaching out to God and 'trying so hard' to make it
work, yet I was so very empty inside. I cried out to God and
felt his answer back. don't strive, don't resist, flow on me
like a leaf on the wind and I'll carry you where my love is
moving. That was the beginning of being set free from religious
bondage and obligation. Shortly after writing this song, I was
reading the passage in John where Jesus says "The wind blows
wherever it pleases. You hear it's sound, but you cannot tell
where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with
everyone born of the Spirit."
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As for info on me and my
family... my husband Andrew & I have been married 8 years and we
have 5 kids. He's in the building industry and I homeschool.
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In Your Shoes,
expresses my genuine desire to show others Jesus. During some
wonderful experiences with some folks I would have never spent
time with back in my church days, I realized my pridefulness and
began to understand humility and what it means to see others as
better than myself. What I discovered is that the very
people I was thinking needed my "help" were the ones who had so
much to teach me. I'm still experiencing this in some wonderful
relationships God has brought into my life and I'm loving it.
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