It didn’t take long for Always to find itself on repeat in my iTunes. Recording, production value and songwriting all get high marks in my book.

For me, this song is kind of a journey that leads from a place of exhaustion to celebration.

The verses feel like the heart-cry of a psalmist…a sojourner…a weary faith-traveler desperately clinging to the hope that God is our help.

The chorus becomes a declaration and reminder to the soul that God does not abandon us and He is with us…always.

Oh my God, He will not delay
My refuge and strength always
I will not fear His promise is true
My God will come through always

Finally, the bridge is where it all lands with a powerful and simple recitation of scripture…I lift my eyes up, my help comes from the Lord. As the bridge builds, the weight of the journey begins to lift and a sense of freedom emerges. From there it leads into a celebratory anthem of singing that chorus again. I love it!

Continue Reading…

All Because of Jesus is one of those songs that I love…and I love to lead.  It’s has quickly found itself welcomed in churches of varying style and denominational distinction.  With great writing, a solid message and an ability to engage the listener, this song just simply connects.

I’ve mentioned this before, I’m a big fan of songs that sing about Jesus.  I love the anthemic melody and declaration that Jesus is the reason we’re alive.  There’s always a very cool energy when everyone in the room is singing this out together.

It’s all because of Jesus I’m alive
It’s all because the blood of Jesus Christ
It covers me and raised this dead man’s life
Yeah, it’s all because of Jesus I’m alive

With a driving tempo, it’s also a great 1st position song.  I don’t think there are a lot of amazing high-energy opening tunes available for the church, so it’s great to have one like All Because of Jesus on deck.

You can get it on iTunes HERE.

Continue Reading…

This week’s Song-Of-The-Week is actually a poem written by a friend of mine.  PC Walker is a College Pastor, Blogger and Speaker from Sacramento, CA.  PC is a legit guy and I love his authenticity.

I first read this poem when PC posted it to his blog, ragamuffinpc.com.  I had thought it was very cool and then got to hear him do a reading at The Worship Conference a couple months ago….WOW!  It was a powerful experience live and I was thrilled when I found out that he had a recorded version of it.

If your god has never flushed your face
and stolen your words
with waves of open ocean
or mountains that mouse your vocabulary

If your god does not leave you in awe
of amazing grace so unbalanced
you clamber to conceive it

your god is too small for me

You can download this poem and find PC’s podcast on iTunes HERE.

Continue Reading…

I’ve been leading the song ‘Our God‘ on a consistent basis lately.  This song seems to be resonating with many people and churches around the country.  Folks are pretty quick to engage and sing along which makes it a lot of fun to lead.

When I first gave the song a good listen, I really loved the vibe of the tune and the lyrical hook in the chorus.  The only complaint I have with this song is the fragmented lyric closing out the bridge:

And if our God is for us then who could ever stop us
And if our God with us then what could stand against

The message is solid, but I feel like this line kind of stands out and says ‘Hey, I’m not a complete sentence.’  However, people are really connecting to the song and singing out because it’s speaking the language of their hearts, so I’ve had to tell my grammar sensibility to stand down.

Overall I really dig this song.  Here is a video of me leading it a couple months ago. (Our God starts at 3:58.)

Continue Reading…

This weeks song is by an amazing artist who I’m proud to have as a dear friend.  Jason Gray is an artist on Centricity Records now, but he worked hard as an Indie for about 7 years before signing that deal.  He is a gifted songwriter with an incredible ability to kind of gut himself with candid authenticity while conveying the hope he holds onto through his faith.

Jason’s song, I Am New, really moves my soul.  The first time I heard this song, I was undone when the words of the bridge began to ring out.  I think that sometimes refreshment and freedom of the soul can happen when we simply speak words of truth out loud…even when we may not ‘feel’ that way in the moment.

Forgiven, beloved, hidden in Christ
Made in the image of the giver of life
Righteous and holy, reborn and remade
Accepted and worthy, this is our new name

We are both World Vision Artists and I was able to travel to Africa with Jason and his wife Taya a few years back.  When you get a chance to know the heart that motivates an artist it really helps you appreciate the depth of the work they produce.  If you aren’t familiar with Jason, fix that.  Go buy his records and see him live.  You can thank me later.

Continue Reading…