Hear the heart behind the new song “You Are Faithful” from songwriter Amanda Lee Potaczek. You can download this song + 2 more for free at www.noisetrade.com/1000generations.

Notes: Hear the heart behind 1000 Generations’ song “You Are Faithful” from their free EP release “The Last 3 Songs.” Download this tune + 2 more at www.noisetrade.com/1000generations.

Let me start by saying that I love our tribe of 1000 Generations so freaking much. This truly has nothing to do with some internal struggle in the band. Over the years, we have truly become a family. I know them inside and out, and they me. We will continue to do life and music together, just not as “1000 Generations.” The reason we’re moving on is a bit a hairball, but I will try to peel back some of the layers for you.

The most focused and happy I felt with the band was probably around the time of releasing our 2nd album, “To Those Who Cry.” It felt pure. It felt honest. It was life-giving. Somewhere along the way though, I started getting caught up in “bigger, better, stronger, faster.” This became especially apparent to me after we started seeing some chart success at radio.

Getting radio was such a blessing. Yet for me, it seemed like all I did for a while was watch the charts to see where we were. I started having good days or bad days depending on our rise or fall. I hated it, and wasn’t feeling very good about myself either.

Around the same time, I started producing other artist friends of mine. I was having SO much fun. I wanted to get into this more, but never could find enough time.

I also started having a strong desire to go back to school to work on a Master’s of Science in Music Technology. I have always loved the nerdy, tech side of music just as much as the creative, emotional side. But we were on the road almost all the time.

I started losing passion for touring because my once clear, God-given mission with the band started getting hazy. What were we supposed to be doing? We tossed around a lot of good ideas but without a clear directive from God, I knew we were just floundering doing our own thing. I didn’t like this idea at all, and I know the other guys didn’t either.

Finally, Amanda and I started having this crazy desire to procreate. We noticed the world differently. We saw “families” for the first time, and wondered what that might look like for the two of us! There really is something to the whole “biological clock” thing I think. Prior to this, we really poured as many of our waking hours solely into 1000 Generations. That was our family.

All this started adding up until the day came that I just asked Amanda, “are we really supposed to continue 1000 Generations?” We’d worked so hard to establish a dream in our hearts, so even the thought of quitting seemed ridiculous. But I couldn’t shake the feelings. “What if it’s time to let it go?” Scary thoughts.

Around December 2011, Amanda and I got together with the rest of the band, and asked them what they thought we should all do. After going round and round for a few hours, we all came to the conclusion that without clear directives from God, 1000 Generations doesn’t make sense. It was bittersweet. It still is.

So what are we going to do now? First, we’re going to finish out this year strong as a band. We are thrilled about the upcoming events left on our calendar, and plan to put out a few more videos and things here and there. Apart from that, we’re not really sure. I know that I want to produce more artists, and spend more time with my amazing family (I also have this secret desire to release a children’s project that parents wouldn’t actually mind playing on car trips because the music is creative and good). We’ll just have to wait and see.

If you haven’t already, be sure to share “The Last 3 Songs” with your friends because they’re completely free. We did this as a way to say that we love you and sincerely appreciate you as one of the many who’ve supported us and our music throughout the years.

Keep watching as next week Amanda will release a YouTube video here sharing her heart behind writing one of the songs on the free release, “You Are Faithful.”

With love,
Steven

This was not an easy decision for us to make. We love one another, love the music, and love you, our friends. In the coming weeks, I’m going to blog further about our decision and where we see things headed.

For now though, we wanted to share with you our latest material that we’ve been working on since the release of our last album, “Wrecked For the Ordinary.” We’re very proud of this material and wanted it to see the light of day. So, we’ve decided to release a very special EP (available online only) of our last 3 works. These songs are available as of today!

We invite you to take a listen and download “The Last 3 Songs” by simply clicking here. If you like them, share them with your friends and community. We want them to be an encouragement to all who’ll listen. The songs can be downloaded for free, but if you dig them, please consider leaving a tip.

Know that we’ll continue to play a few shows till the end of the year, and also have some upcoming “stories behind the songs” videos planned for our website. Most importantly, we want to thank YOU for being a friend of ours throughout the years. We are so blessed to have you in our lives, and that you have allowed us and our music a place in your heart. We hope to stay in touch!

If you’d like, we invite you to share your favorite 1000 Generations songs, shows, and/or moments on Twitter by including @stevenpotaczek and #1000Generations in your post(s). We’ll also be posting our favorite moments and songs in the coming weeks and months.

Without further adue, click here for “The Last 3 Songs.”

With love,
Steven Andy Potaczek
1000 Generations

I found myself anxious and angry for a short time today. The reason was that I’m not able to eat the things I want to. Then the revelation came.

I get anxious about fasting because I feel like I’m giving up (too much) control. Hear me out. Sometimes I feel like there is so much in my life that is out of my control. As a result, I realized today that I cling to whatever vestiges of control I actually have. Eating is a BIG one.

Like I said in an earlier post, typically if I feel the desire to go out for pizza, I’m going out for pizza! Eating is sort of the one area of my life that I don’t skimp on. PF Chang’s craving? Cool, let’s go. It’s a sense of control for me. I want, I take.

Control isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But in that moment of revelation something else showed up: I fear letting go of control because somewhere deep down, I feel like letting go of the few areas I actually have authority over will mean that I’ll lose my mind. Kind of weird logic isn’t it?

If you’ve ever seen the music video for 1000 Generations’ song “Fail Us Not,” you know that a struggle for me is anxiety. It’s awful and at times it feels out of control. Somehow over the years, I’ve tied my “sanity” to my sense of (false) control. Again, it doesn’t matter that it’s food; it’s simply control. Odd, but true.

So here I sit with this revelation. My next step is to simply bring this before my Father and repent. I’m ready to be free of all that tries to hold me down.

How about you? Are there any areas of control that give you a sense of (false) authority? I know that’s a deep one, but I’m just curious if you struggle with something weird and illogical like this to?

With love,
Steven

What is Lent? Is it an official Christian holiday? Was it instituted in the Bible? What does it mean to observe Lent, and are Christians “required” to do so? For the interested, we’ll try to answer those questions here.

Lent is the span of time in the church calendar that starts with Ash Wednesday and ends with Easter Sunday. Ash Wednesday commemorates the beginning of Jesus’ 40-day fasting and temptation in the desert, and Easter Sunday commemorates Jesus’ resurrection from the grave after his crucifixion.

Lent, then, is generally observed as a time for Christians to reflect, repent, and pray as a way of preparing their hearts for Easter. It is commonly observed by many Christian denominations—Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and others—although not every Christian church or denomination does so. Because Lent is not officially instituted in Scripture, observing it isn’t in any way a “requirement” of Christianity. However, Christians from many different theological persuasions choose to observe it as a way of focusing their thoughts on Jesus Christ during the Easter season.

How does one observe Lent? It differs from person to person and church to church, but some of the things Christians opt to do to observe Lent include:

• On the first day of Lent (Ash Wednesday), some Christians mark their foreheads with ash as a symbol of sorrow and mourning over their sin. (See Job 42 for an example of ash used as a symbol of repentance.)
• Special worship services, or additions to regular worship services, that focus in various ways on man’s need for repentance. This often takes the form of extra Scripture readings and prayer.
• Some Christians choose to give up a habit or behavior during Lent as an exercise in prayerful self-denial. This might range from something as simple as not drinking soda during Lent to a full-blown program of fasting.
• Some Christians commit to a special devotional activity during Lent—for example, daily Scripture reading, regular prayer for a specific person or topic throughout Lent, or volunteer work in their community.

The choice to observe Lent is a personal one—the whole point is to focus your heart and mind on Jesus during the journey to Easter. There’s no requirement to observe it, nor should you feel guilted into participating. However, millions of Christians around the world do observe Lent each year; if you’ve never done so, why not give it a try? Whether you observe Lent in a small or major way, you’ll be amazed at what happens when you devote a part of each day to reflecting on Jesus Christ and God’s Word.

We invite you to consider other ways that you can deepen your relationship with Jesus over the coming weeks. Whether you call it “Lent observance” or “daily devotions” or anything else, time spent reflecting on Jesus Christ is time well spent!

Last week though I came across a book called Breaking the Vicious Cycle. In the book, the author addresses the root problem of many intestinal problems and proposes an incredibly specific diet. This diet breaks foods down into “allowed (or legal)” carbs and “not allowed (or illegal) carbs.

The allowed carbohydrates are monosaccharides and have a single molecule structure that allow them to be easily absorbed by the intestine wall. Complex carbohydrates which are disaccharides (double molecules) and polysaccharides (chain molecules) are not allowed. Complex carbohydrates that are not easily digested feed harmful bacteria in our intestines causing them to overgrow producing by products and inflaming the intestine wall. The diet works by starving out these bacteria and restoring the balance of bacteria in our gut.

I have decided to give it a try.

I’m really nervous about doing this though! It is hyper-selective. For instance: no dairy (ice cream, cheese), no grains (bread), no starches (potatoes, pasta), no soda, no beer, no sugar. The list goes on, but what it basically leaves available to eat is veggies, fruits, and meat.

Definitely on the "illegal" list

Through evaluating whether or not I should try this diet, I’ve realized that I am currently not ‘master’ over food. Right now: if I want a pizza, I go get a pizza. I know very well that this should not be so. I am angered at the thought of being limited to specific foods. “…But everyone else gets to eat Taco Bell!!,” I hear in my mind.

Add to all this, the author suggests that the patient be on the diet for a year. A YEAR!!

Will this diet work? I honestly have no idea. It sounds logical to me, but my doctor seemed pretty clear that proctitis is related to the nervous system only. I’m not saying he’s wrong; I am saying that I don’t want to resign myself to this if I don’t have to.

SO, I’m committing myself to this diet for the Lenten season (Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday). That’s around 2 months. If I see improvement (which the author says I will), then I’ll probably stick with it longer. If not, then I’ll still be able to use it as a way to “buffet” my body and offer my diet as a sacrifice to God.

(For me at least) I know this is going to be hard. I really like food. In all honesty, I think I may even be using food sometimes as an emotional crutch, so I know this could prove challenging. As a result, I’m starting a blog within my blog here.

During this Lenten season, I’m going to be writing about my experiences on the diet to share with you the good and the bad, my victories and my struggles. I want to try a season of extreme health. I’m nervous, but I think I can do it.

I know that some people have fasted the entire Lenten season from food altogether. Hey, great for them. This is challenging for me! Help me out if you would by saying a few prayers for me, and encouraging me from time to time to keep pressing on. Cause starting Wednesday, no more pizza and ice cream. At least, for awhile…

To health,
Steven