Have a wonderful May & June!
Ellen

11-7-04 right now i'm at the studio (2fish recording studios) with justin (manager/producer/engineer) and maggie (bassist/cool cat).

it's been a long day but we're making some progress in the grand scheme of things. today is a guitar and bass day. i haven't really had to do a whole lot. i DID get to engineer on 2 guitar tracks, which was kind of cool for me because i'm not exactly a computer whiz... i'm too antsy.

i have 2 pretty big shows coming up in december:

12/9--club3degrees--> it's such a cool place and it's so sweet-lookin, and it's like THEE place to be, i'm really honored to be asked to play there. so if you're not doing anything that night.... GO!

12/18--crossings at carnegie--> this show is in a really cool building. it's an old carnegie library that has been transformed into an art gallery/venue. we sold out last time we played there... love to do it again :)

remember, you can get all the info at ellen marvin.com

peace, God bless. ellen

11/2/04 well guys, i voted! and as i turned in my ballot everyone cheered and sang the national anthem! no, not really. although one of the volunteers hugged me. isn't that special?

here's what i've been up to:

*still recording the album--which is looking good
*writing some new music--expect to hear some at shows in the near future :)
*i'll be having a photo shoot soon; new pics will be on the site soon!

thats all for now.
talk soon.
love, ellen

10/25 hello my friends! big news today that should've been on here much earlier (but as you know i'm kind of slow on keeping you updated).

***in other news***
YAY! we're making some progress with the album! hopefully it will be done sometime early in the new year. your prayers for this process and also for spiritual growth for everyone involved in the ministry would be greatly appreciated. thanks guys!

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:13)

><> ><>ellen<>< <><

9-19-04 I'm pretty exctied because my birthday is on 9/22; I'll be 18, and that means I get to vote.

I can't say I've ever been into politics, but I know that it is very important to vote, and I want to make a good decision. I know that I'm only one person out of a LOT of people to vote, but that doesn't belittle my choice. Man, if we all thought "I'm just one person...what can I do to make a difference," we wouldn't get to far in this life now would we???

Last Thursday I had the opportunity to see something that I will remember for my whole life. I saw our president, George W. Bush, speak here in Rochester, MN. It was really cool. This guy is for real. It's not an easy task to lead a country like ours. (Without God's help, this task would seem nearly impossible.) Luckily, for his sake and for ours, he has realized that he can't do the job alone. I really believe that President Bush knows that he is under the authority of God, and he makes his decisions based on what is truly right and wrong. I support President Bush and the things that he stands for. After all, America is sooo great because of the way that our forefathers got things going. They were Christians and they based a lot of the legal systems, etc. on their beliefs.

Enough said for now.

<>< <>< ellen <>< <><

7-18-04 where do i begin?! it's been awhile since i've written anything to you all. well, on june 27th i (along with my manager justin and band-member kale) were invited to a celebrity party. i got to meet musicians from the bands puddle of mudd, staind, godsmack, um... james taylor's daughter... there were also some athletes and actors there that i recognized but didn't talk to much (see pictures). it was pretty cool. i really liked talking with the guys from the bands that i previously listed; they had a lot of respectable advice... they HAVE been doing the 'music thing' for a while! so that was way cool. they seemed pretty interested in hearing about my music, and i thought that was pretty humble of them because they wouldn't have to care about little old me- so you can tell that it's all about the music for some of those guys. in fact, i remember when greg upcurch, the drummer from puddle of mudd, was telling me how "there is no better feeling in the world then playing music in front of a ton of people... just rocking out (or something similar to that)" and i thought to myself... yeah, playing music is pretty cool. one thing i did realize later was that as cool as playing music is, feeling God's presence is the best feeling i've ever had. just all out worshipping-- now that's good stuff. i do deeply respect everything greg had to say... but playing music for God is the best feeling, better than playing for people. i certainly and thoroughly enjoy playing music for Jesus.

moving right along, i took a little vacation time july 1-5th. went to iowa and nebraska, learned a lot of valuable lessons, and had a great time with friends and family. celebrated freedom with many fireworks over the 4th. fun stuff.

when i returned from the vacation it was time to work hard. we had 5 performances in about a week, plus practices (w/ the band) plus one full day of recording at two fish studios.

the recording, by the way, was splendid!!! God answered our prayers and gave us grace at the studio. we recorded 5 SOLID drum tracks for the songs you adore me, timeless portrait, my life, call your name (played by chris dass) AND THEN- we also had a "guest" drummer- brett schonemann- a great friend formerly in the band PHILMORE! he played on the song foreshadow. it sounds SWEET i might add. both chris and brett rocked.

so... lots to do still as far as recording goes. been working with the band quite a bit, but there is always more to do. i've been learning that i need to look forward to EVERY day that God gives me; the days when i'm working hard for more than 12 hours or the days when i'm sitting on my bum not doing a whole lot. every day is a blessing!

well, i've been typing here for a while. if anyone actually reads this far... um... i'll give you a high five next time i see you. good job. :) i'll be writing another journal entry some time soon. it's only fair to keep you posted, because if you are reading this, then you are supporting my music and ministry, and for that i am very thankful. may God bless you abundantly today and always. peace and love, ellen

5-30-04 i heard an awesome message today when i went to church before a show i had in mason city (both were wonderful by the way, and thanks to all of the people that organized and helped out).

COLD... is lacking heat.
DARKNESS... is lacking light.
EVIL... is lacking God.

we have a Glorious and Magnificant Creator. our God is a Good God. He gives us freedom, but surely nothing evil comes from Him. have you ever wondered how you get through tough times (car accidents, abortion, divorces, depression, health issues, broken hearts)... God can take a bad situation and turn it around. He's done it in my life and can do it in yours. May God bless you and speak to you TODAY! love, ellen

4-18-04 well this is a crazy week. i've got 6 gigs in 8 days. that seems unreal to me... but also pretty cool. God's really been showing me things lately-in other words i've just come around to realize some of His signs. He really knows how to speak to me though; He really knows how to make me think/ make me smile/ remind me that He loves me...and the list goes on because He is soooo good.

i'd love to hear from you- e-mail me if you'd like to. (by the way i love talking about God stuff, so if you have any questions or just want to talk about Him, i'm open to that, and i'll do my best in representing my Lord!) i'd also like everyone to know: because i am a Christian, that means i'm trying my best to live Christ-like. Christ loves ALL people. i've become a new person, a born-again Christian. i know that it is possible for ALL people... ALL PEOPLE!!! why would i judge someone for their sins??? who am i to judge??? i am a sinner just like you, but- there is hope through Jesus Christ!!!!

Here is a promise from God to us:
"Come now, let us reason together,"
says the LORD . "Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.
(Isaiah 1:18)

so pretty much- if we talk to Jesus, and tell Him about what we've done (He already knows anyways!) He and ONLY He can wash our sins away. if thats not AWESOME then i don't know what is.

peace and love, el

4-1-04 you guys......i have decided to move to kentucky.

so my last gig was rockin. caitlyn smith and runway36 are really cool. all of y'all who were at the show, u rock too. Jesus is super duper awesome! anyone agree with me? anyone disagree with me?--- if so, i'd really like to tell you why i think the way i do!

april fools-> i'm not moving to kentucky. why would i move to kentucky?!?! come on, kids. seriously now. (no offense to all you kentuckians)

God bless you all! -ellen-

p.s. sorry for the lame joke, it was pretty much really random, but you know me! :) love ya!

3-18-04 i just recieved and replied to an email from friend of mine. what a great girl she is... but what horrible things she's been through. She knows that she needs something new, otherwise she wouldn't have told me all of these things. She's looking for a change, and that means she's going to get it. I know first hand that people can change, because I did. She can too. (And hey, you're reading this now... so you can too!) Here's the thing- the only way to happiness is through Jesus Christ. It seems like a big step to give up your life to Jesus. And to just all of the sudden do so, well I guess it kind of is. Don't get me wrong-- it is completely life-changing and well worth it. But if it seems scary to do it all at once, then take baby steps. But let me tell you something, once you feel the love you aren't ever going to want to stop feeling it... so hurry up! start your walk, buddy! you decide the pace, as long as you're on your way, thats what matters. you are running the race. take your time, but don't waste your time. God bless, ellen

3-1-04 happy march! ah... the month of st. patrick's day, and spring begins this month too. thats crazy... i guess that means that winter is just about over! then again... hard to say.

i've been battling a really sore throat (hope its not strep) and yesterday i just didn't feel that great at all. it became what i like to call a "couch day". i rarely have those. i'm not patient enough to sit that long. but when i'm sick... its different. so i watched the movie 'ever after'. thats a good flick. i'm a sucker for the fairy-tale-love-story thing i guess. i highly recommend the movie though. i also watched the oscars on tv. i think its cool that certain people were getting recognized for awesome work. i kind of wish that that one little girl who was in the movie whale rider would've won best actress. she was really good in that movie.

anyways...music stuff has been coming along great lately. i've been working with some amazing musicians; i feel so blessed. kale, bryan, hudson, and justin: thanks for putting up with long practices! as for the rest of you: we'll be doing a lot of recording over the next couple months so keep that in your prayers please!

here's a random little reminder i found:
remember, science is merely a means of observing and learning from what is already there. much of what people call science is not proven fact at all but theory or hypothesis ("a working conclusion that attempts to account for a set of facts"). these theories can be very persuasive. but theories are constantly being proven and disproven, and what one generation takes as fact can change with new information (the notion that the earth is flat was "fact" for centuries)!!!!!!

2-17-04 so... last night i chopped my hair off! whew and it feels good too! 6-7 inches! the best part is that i "donated" it to locks of love... which means that an awesome little kid that has cancer is going to get to use my hair. for all you girls, or guys too, with long hair... consider the option! what a great charity.

i just got booked for 'bash the farm'! (june 11th and 12th, i play on the 11th!) plan ahead so that you can come and check that out this summer... bring some friends... that will be an awesome festival... phillmore and 38th parallell will be there!

question of the day (not like there is a question every day... but still...)

Do you spend enough time with God?

even if you have a busy schedule, there are times when you can talk to or just hang out with the God. here are a couple ways to squeeze in some more "God time" that i can think of...
-in the car (especially for those of you who can drive. put on a good worship cd or just pray while you're driving. its fun! i promise.)
-before you go to bed (say a prayer. or read a few paragraphs, or more of course, in the bible. it really doesn't take that long, and you'll have something interesting to think about before you go to sleep)
-while you're getting ready in the morning (throw in a good cd and get down with your bad self!)
-rather than watching another t.v. show....
what are some of your guys' creative ways to spend some more time with God? email me!!! i'll post the new ideas i get!!!! peace&Godbless, ellen

2-14-04 happy valentines day everybody.

Dear friends, we should love each other, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has become God's child and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love to us: He sent his one and only Son into the world so that we could have life through him. This is what real love is: It is not our love for God; it is God's love for us in sending his Son to be the way to take away our sins. Dear friends, if God loved us that much we also should love each other. No one has ever seen God, but if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is made perfect in us.
1 John 4:7-12

can you believe that verse? it says love at least once in every line. thats a lot of love.

So these three things continue forever: faith, hope and love, And the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13
peace&love, ellen

2-12-04: i've been getting some great emails from you all. keep them coming! i spent the weekend with some great friends of mine as they were going through a death in the family. i was reminded of a lot of things. first- living for God should be the constant priority for all of us. second- family and friends are sooo important to our lives. third- when people pass away, it's really only an interruption in our relationship with them, because it won't be long before we'll see them again (in heaven). and along with that... our life is just a highway, a runway, to our real homes. the homes that we know of right now may as well be tents! think about it. we pretty much live in fancy tents! but... the great thing is... there is a home for each of us... and we can feel it a little bit, because we long for it, but one day we will get to live in our real homes. and that will rule. these thoughts were a little bit random, but well, you know, sometimes thats the way it goes. peace&Godbless you all!

2-4-04: last weekend was a blast. i played in mason city at New Hope Church, and had an awesome time! thanks to everyone that was there! big thanks to bill's family, brett, don and the other musicians. can't wait to see you all again!

1-27-04: hey y'all! it's me... ellen! i'm so excited about this web site... it's so much fun! keep checkin back for lots of info on whats goin on with my music and life. and of course- feel free to contact me through email (ellen@ellenmarvin.com) or post a message on the forum. rock on. this is the first journal entry of the web site... not quite sure where to start!?!?! first off- thank YOU for supporting me, my career, my life, my ministry, its great. thank you so much! second- i wanna know whats goin on in YOUR life... honestly i do. so drop me a line! i'd love to meet you, or if i already know you i'd love to hear from you. last but definately not least- my Lord, my Jesus, there are none like You. i could and will sing of Your love forever. God is soooo great! spread the word. it is cool to be excited about God. thats my story, and i'm stickin to it. hehe. have a good one! peace&love, ellen