Somebody to Love . . .

Does controversy draw you nearer to God?

We, in North America do not really know what persecution for our faith feels like.  There are a few examples though.  Right away, I think of the young girl from the Columbine shootings, Cassie Bernall, who died for her faith.  However most of us don't know expeiences like that personally.

There are people who are taking risks of a different kind here in North America.

Maybe you've heard of the hype already that is surrounding Marc Martel.  Or maybe, if you're like me you ride a little further to the back of the information bus.  Marc is the lead singer of the band Downhere.  They are a fantastic Canadian, Christian rock band. (For those who are going to Breakfroth, they are preforming Sunday night.)

Their newest hit on the radio waves is Let Me Rediscover You.  I have included the official band's video.  It is cool camera work, by the way.




Today, I have been thinking about this man, Marc.  I have been praying for his family.  Let me take you on a You Tube tour of the controversy that has surrounded this man and his family for the last month.


Enter a young musician who became lead singer of a band called Downhere when he joined forces with his Bible School room mate over ten years ago.  They have a very distinct sound as a band that many have come to love.  However he is quickly becoming known as the new "Freddie Mercury".

If you're lost, Freddie Mercury was the lead singer of the British Rock band Queen from the 1970's.  Mercury's band was known for creating some of the great Rock hits that are still being played today.  "We are the Champions", "Bohemian Rhapsody", "We Will Rock You" and the "Show Must Go On", are just a few titles that made this band a classic.

I have to admit my first real encounter with the band Queen came from a movie called Wayne's World.  (Watcher beware - it is silly!) After that my husband shared with me more of the band's well-known hits.

Freddie Mercury died in 1991 which ended their legacy of rock music.

Many people have commented over the years of how much Marc sounds like the late Freddie.  But I am sure no one would have anticipated the viral hype that has been seen over the last month. A friend told Marc about an on line contest to find the best Freddie Mercury sound-a-like.  The last remaining band members of Queen are planning a 40th Anniversary tour and are looking for the right guy to be "Freddie".

Marc sent in his audition video and everything went crazy from there.  Within the first day, his audition reached 400,000 hits and went viral from there.  Today, as I write this post he has 4,570,105 hits.  The comment section was all a buzz.  Folks were thinking he was lip-syncing because it sounded so much like the real Freddie.  In fact someone made a dubbed video with Marc's audition and the real Freddie singing the song together.  It is quite amazing actually.

People were thinking he was the next best thing to Freddie until it was revealed that he was a Christian.  I cannot post what people started to write after that, but it wasn't all that complimentary. There is an article from a Christian Magazine posted here that will go into more detail about the media hype.

Marc was invited to be on the Ellen DeGeneres show where he wowed the audience even more.

Here is the thing, as I see it ... God is at work in the music industry folks.  He wants to call all his children home - even if they don't call themselves His child. It is similar to the post I created a very long time ago when Carrie Underwood sang a well-known Hymn at a Music Awards show.  People who had a faith as a child and had perhaps walked away, or forgotten it, or tried to hide it came out of the woodwork moved by the Presence of God. God is doing it again.  Which is why I love the new song, Let Me Rediscover You even more.  As unbelievers search Marc out on the internet and find You Tube videos like this one, they will hopefully be reunited with a God they never knew.

Your praises can't be over sung!

Let (the World) rediscover You!

Thank you Marc for what you are doing and what you stand for and your willingness to be used by God!


If you would like to see into this chaos through the eyes of Marc himself, check out this interview.  Or this News segment here.

If this interests you be sure to check out the public voting phase of the contest that starts November 14th to the 25th.  The finals will be announced in December and then the 'New' Queen will go on tour in the summer of 2012.