Meet You – “You’ve got me looking in circles, smiling at little angels.” I wrote this song just before my son was born. I was getting excited about meeting my first child, wanting to show him the world. No One Who Compares – “There is no one who could suffice, the wrath of God in sacrifice.” This is a song we do a lot in worship services. It’s a nice, driving tune that speaks of the abundant love of Christ, and our responsibility to give thanks for that love. Some will Rise – “Some of us will rise and sing, some will be dancing.” When I was in college I would lead worship five nights a week for totally disparate groups of believers. I found that even as believers in a common faith we can be a pretty judgmental about the way that other believers worship. I got into the word to find out what true physical worship was supposed to look like. King David was probably the greatest example of how to worship. Sometimes he would dance for joy and sometimes he was silent on his face before God. I discovered there are lots of ways to express worship. God of The Redeemed – “Lord You are my hope, my hope.” Throughout the Psalms we read of the great redemption power of Christ. This song is an anthem that celebrates that fact. Erick Cole and I originally wrote this for our church in the Palisades, but it turned into something I wanted to put on the album because of what my brother Jeff did with it in the studio. Love Divine – “Search me O God and know my heart.” I didn’t grow up with the hymns. The church I grew up in didn’t sing hymns. I discovered a lot of these hymns in the last five years. Lyrically they are amazing. “Love Divine” is the hymn, “Cleanse Me,” with an added chorus. So Much More – “A flower fades, a sparrow falls.” I co-wrote this with my brother Jeff. He wrote a lot of the lyrics and I shaped a lot of the melody. It is about being overwhelmed by the vastness and goodness of God. Fruit of Lips – “You’re my rock, You’re my heartbeat.” This song comes directly from the scriptures. Psalms 19:14 and Hebrew 13:15 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight. It’s about offering up the sacrifice of praise. It’s about living life in between Sundays in such a way that when we come back together on Sunday, we have something to offer. He Lives – “He lives who once was dead.” This is my version of the hymn, “I Know That My Redeemer Lives” with a new chorus. Picture in My Mind – “It’s a story that is felt, so much more than it’s heard.” This is a love song about missing my wife when I am on the road and just want to be home. I penned it in the mountains of Colorado one night thinking about home. You Have Loved – “You have loved, loved, loved us all.” This song pretty much sums up the record. How amazing it is that Christ has poured out his love on us when we really don’t deserve it. We like to think that Christ died for people who were basically pretty good, but just messed up a little from time to time. But Christ died for people who are full-on sinners. Pretty amazing. Bonus Tracks: Change My Mind – “I need You to change my mind so I can see again.” This is a rock song that is a little outside the box, and I love it! When I say ‘Change my mind’ I’m not saying ‘I am about to make the wrong decision, so change my mind.’ I’m saying, ‘My mind is crazy sometimes, so help me control my thoughts.’ It is all about the grace of God. The Man I’m Meant to Be – “All I know is I’ve been living lies all my life.” My dad was and is my hero. I saw so much integrity in him that I wanted to be like him. Now I’m a father and it is hard work. This song is about being a daddy and not always being perfect at it. It’s about walking the walk and not just talking about it. I Found Love – “I know where I come from, I know who I am.” It is not cool to be a Christian in Los Angeles, and almost every Christian I know in LA is trying to be cool. Christian musicians don’t mind you knowing they are Christians, but they don’t want to be called a Christian band. I’m not of that breed. If it’s good music, it is good music. I wanted to remind myself of where I come from. Come Again – “Peace of mind comes to mind.” This is the song that I connect with the most, artistically. It is melancholy and has some crazy guitars. I like the sound of it. It’s really about coming before the Lord with a cheerful, humble heart, reminding ourselves that these are not just songs, but they are a way that we connect with Almighty God. I found myself going through the motions at one point as a worship leader, and not meaning every word I sang. This is a response to that. Have Your Way – “Have Thine own way, Lord.” This is another song that was based on a hymn. Folks who grew up in the church will probably recognize a lot of “Have Thine Own Way” in this song. Hallelujah – “Today the walls are coming down.” I wrote this for the youth group at my church in California. We meet every week and I play by myself acoustically with them, so a wanted an easy guitar tune that would work well musically in that environment. Lyrically, it talks about becoming the worshipper God’s calling us to be, forgetting about what we may look like to the world. |