Tag: Music

Discovering New Music 

Discovering New Music 

  

Summer licenses you to try new things. Like fries with mayonnaise or pancakes for dinner. Both great I might add. 

Here are some Christian worship artists who aren’t currently in the present mainstream, like Hillsong United, but nonetheless very “ears-worthy”: 

  1. Starfield.     They’re aren’t your typical Christian radio band. These boys from Canada write songs that are personal to their relationship with God, sojourning a style of music that is beyond relevant, rather relative to the listener with God while he worships. Since their launch in 2000, Starfield aspires to create music that prints people’s experience with God onto notes. My favorites like “All for You” and “Alive in this Moment” spur this “this is exactly how I’m feeling with God” vibes. 
  2. Audrey Assad.    Assad stimulates quiet moments with her music, encouraging me to listen carefully to her words and see the relationships between my heart and where my heart should be. Her rendition of “Open the Eyes of My Heart” awakens a sense of revival within to the sincere message of the song, for these such anthems have a way of becoming cliché, or more so me becoming complacent. Listen also to “Deliver Me”. 
  3. Glorious Unseen.   Tears broke from my eyes when “Hear Our Prayers” streamed from my earbuds. It is a sober heartcry, imploring God to tune His ears to our brokenness. It’s rare you hear repentance songs, so this is one definitely for the set list. 

More than bringing variety to your playlist, I hope these artists’ music move you powerfully with their unique expressions of praise to our beloved Savior. 

Maybe while you’re at McDonald’s, trying fries with mayonnaise. 

Our God by Chris Tomlin

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God is passionate for His glory to shown on the earth. He desires that the earth look to Him and accredit Him for their existence, their success, their capabilities, their strength – their everything pretty much.

The Lord thunders His own greatness in Isaiah 45:5-7:

“I am the Lord, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me, that they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting that there is none besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other.”

Chris Tomlin’s song “Our God” really grabs you by the shoulders and rattles you to remind us that “Our God is greater”. This song touch me personally when I was under a stockpile of stress. I was in over my head with assignment deadlines and on top of that I was under the weather.

Thank God for Pandora. I had my playlist on and then this song faded in:

Water you turned into wine, opened the eyes of the blind there’s no one like you, none like You!
Into the darkness you shine out of the ashes we rise there’s no one like you none like You!

The problems around me grew strangely dim as I listened intently to the song. Then the chorus rolled in:

Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other.
Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power, Our God! Our God!

I felt like an idiot for a brief instant. I thought: “I’ve been adopted by the God who is all awesome in power and I am here moaning in anxiety?”

Romans 8:31 rung loudly in my soul: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Sounds very familiar to the bridge of the song doesn’t it?

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

God is passionate about exerting His power to us so we can see and confess His awesomeness. God delights in these situations, because it’s an opportunity for us to experience His excellent, everlasting strength when we call on Him for help.

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. (2 Chronicles 16:9 NKJV).

(Read about God’s glory and our prayers: Giving God Burdens, Your Obedience, His Glory)

Our God is greater than all and fill in the blank. I’m so grateful that God has blessed us with songs like these that awake our soul to turn our eyes upon God and trust in Him.

If you haven’t heard the song yet, check it out:

Why I Heart Hillsong United

  
This is my favorite band. Period. Birthed from Hillsong Church, which has blessed the world with powerful anthems of praise to God, United evolved from a youth group band into this thunder in the desert today, raising a voice to share the truth of Jesus.

“Life with God is fun, it’s an adventure,” says Joel Houston, leader of United. The lively Australian band has produced 13 albums in their 15 years of existence. They have continued to create music that drives hearts to know the truth of Jesus and enjoy a relationship with Him. “…our prayer and passion is that you are empowered to live life with God, encouraged to stay on the course and excited about all that He has for your future.“*

I was first exposed to United on the  Hillsong TV program. I really didn’t care for them. Then when I became a volunteer on the hope sharing ship ministry, OM Ships, I couldn’t escape from them. They were playing everywhere. Eventually, I started to take a regard to listen to their lyrics. There I found the treasure in their music. Almost every song has some link, root or connotation to Jesus and or His Word.  Through their worship in music, I saw an urge for understanding in the words of a God-praising song.                                                      

 ‘So often we hear the Word, sing it and yet not really understand what it truly means for us,” commented band member Mia Fieldes,  “To me, understanding makes all the difference.”**

I strongly feel that United is attempting to express the truth of Jesus in a creative style that would effectively connect and impact this generation.

I know it has impacted me.

By listening them, I am continually refreshed in my love for Jesus. For me, it’s like a person heart crazy about someone puts a favorite love song to gravitate their minds to their affection for that person. Jesus is our True Lover. His compassion runs nails deep and scarred written. Whenever we mediate on Him, there should be a pull of excitement, a rush of thrill and anticipation. Life with God is fun, it’s an adventure.

Where some see just lights and noise, I see an all out expression of crazy love for Someone Who totally deserves it. More and more, hearts for God grow cold; so I think in this expanding desert of lovelessness, we could use some thunder. What everyone can take from this is that Jesus loves us extravagantly, and we should be excited in loving Him.

…And at least YouTube some of their songs for a taste see. Here are some favorites to sample: “Saviour King”, “From the Inside Out”, “Desperate People”, “Take Heart”, “Came to My Rescue”, “One Way Jesus”, “Here Now”…(I could go on you know).

 Thanks United! Keep Telling the World Jesus lives!

 

 

*Joel Houston, About Hillsong United, http://www.hillsongunited.com/about

**Mia Fieldes, Song Story: Saviour King, http://hillsongcollected.com/creative/song-story-saviour-king

A Fire Breathing Concert

Just returned from a phenomenal concert which featured some of the newest Christian music artists here in Antigua. All I have to say is:

What a fire.

Such a blazing passion that exhales itself through music and song. I’m so glad that I ignored the headache and dragged myself out of the house to experience tonight.

Acts 13:36 says, ““For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep…”(Acts 13:36 NKJV)

David died, completing the purpose God planned for David. God also says to us: “I know the plans I have for you”(Jer 29:11 NKJV) . God has a plan for every single one of us.

I want to see the world turned upside down in my generation! While I’m still breathing! I want to be a history maker for Jesus!!!

Maybe if I follow my purpose and you follow yours, we will make it happen!

I hope tonight was a flame to birth a wildfire of revival for this nation. “Greater things are yet to come!” (Bluetree, “God of this City”) Days like these you’re happy to be alive!

Take Heart

I wanted to bury myself. I had returned from my college video studio where I was working on a huge project. I had two problems: my equipment had malfunctioned and my project was overdue. I came that morning in hopes of checking out a camera to reshoot, but I watched in dismay as each of the cameras were handed out to other people who got there before me. It was bright and clear outside, but it felt like I was walking through a rainstorm. Then a song came on inside me. It was like my heart, for a brief moment, was a stereo. I listened as it remedied me softly:

“There is a light It burns brighter than the sun He steals the night And casts no shadow There is hope Should oceans rise and mountains fall He never fails…”

It was a song by Hillsong United entitled “Take Heart”. The song was a calm reminder of the Almighty God whom has conquered the grave and every circumstance that threatens to trodden us. It was hard to watch the street when a song such as this one was moving me to look up at Him (Jesus) from Whom all my help comes from.

When the chorus came around, I had to sing along:

[Chorus:] So take heart Let His love lead us through the night Hold on to hope And take courage again

Even if you feel separated from the world, nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. I felt impressed to give these verses to you, because my hope is that they will strengthen your heart as they did for me:

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,

Nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35-39 (NKJV). 

All our problems are dissolved in one statement. Jesus said:

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (NKJV)

It’s funny that God had me write this verse, because the bridge of the song breaks into this:

All our troubles And all our tears God our hope He has overcome All our failure And all our fear God our love He has overcome All our heartache And all our pain God our healer He has overcome All our burdens And all our shame God our freedom He has overcome

In the night of day, there is a Light that burns brighter than the sun: He is Jesus, the Light of the World (John 8:12). And He lives in you.

Beautiful Things by Gungor

While I’m still raving about Gungor, I highly recommend picking up their album, Beautiful Things (2010). I’ve been teasing my ear by listening to this album by Pandora and YouTube, but today I remedied myself by getting a copy. Both your heart and soul will be enriched as you joyfully praise and soberly reverence your Creator.