How He Loves

I’m not allowed to embed it but David Crowder*Band’s new song How He Loves is now on the Youtube and if you follow the link below your ears will be delighted by its wonderfulness.

YouTube - davidcrowderband’s Channel.

Comfortable

Carlos Whittaker posted something great yesterday over @ RagamuffinSoul.

He was filming a video for his new album which comes out next January (and I am very excited for by the way) when Danny, a man who is homeless in Atlanta, came up and started to join in worshipping God:

Listen really carefully to their conversation at the end or read it on Carlos’ blog.

“He places some of us in that valley” – that’s what Danny said.

The valley, though we’d much rather be up the mountain, is a very important, powerful place.

I haven’t been in the valley for quite some time and I’ve done everything I can this semester to avoid it. At. All. Costs. God’s been shouting me down but I’ve been clambering to stay at the top. It’s kind of lonely up here if I’m being honest.

As Carlos sings:

Save us from these comforts.
Break us of our need for the familiar
Spare us any joy that’s not of You
And we will worship You

Gavin DeGraw

Spotify strikes again! Really loving this guy at the moment. Any One Tree Hill fans might recognise the bottom one I Don’t Want to Be. One of my favourites is the first one though, Dancing Shoes.

Christ my sanity

Charlie Hall – Mystery

more about “Christ my sanity“, posted with vodpod

Sweet Jesus Christ my sanity
Sweet Jesus Christ my clarity
Bread of heaven, broken for me
Cup of salvation held up to drink
Jesus the Mystery

Christ has die and
Christ is risen,
and Christ will come again

Sweet Jesus Christ my sanity
Sweet Jesus Christ my clarity
Bread of heaven broken for me
Cup of salvation held up to drink
Jesus the Mystery

Christ has die and
Christ is risen,
and Christ will come again

I am a friend of God

Jeremy Camp – Give Me Jesus

Mike Mangione

The other day Faye introduced us all to Starsailor, though I’m pretty sure I’m the “young friend” who was in need of educating.

So I thought I’d return the favour and draw your attention to this genius from Chicago, Mike Mangione:

I have to give my brother the credit for telling me about Mike – thanks Ad!

more YouTube banter

a “satirical comment on certain elements of the 21st century Worship Music Industry”.

Cry Out to Jesus

Cry out to Jesus – Third Day

(scroll to the music player and its the fifth one in the list)

Also love this one:

New Hillsong United

New album coming from Hillsong United in May of this year – I love their stuff and can’t wait for this.

Casting Crowns – Prayer For A Friend

David Crowder Webcams

The David Crowder Band are back in the studio recording their latest album and, thanks to the joys of modern technology, we get to watch them doing it!!

They’ve set webcams up all over the place so we can see what they’re up to. 

It’s a little creepy but cool too. 

Can’t wait to hear what they come up with!!

Music and Worship

I’ll feel there has been a lack of posting this week. It saddens me. I may now have something to blog about however.

As I mentioned in my last late night post I was at the Snow Patrol concert in Aberdeen on Thursday night. I was very, very excited about it and it totally lived up to my expectations. There are photos are on their website – they may show the brilliance better than I can describe it. They sang lots of great songs, old and new, and including some of my favourites Set Fire to the Third Bar and The Planets Bend Between Us but to be honest I love all their stuff. It was a really good night.

But I did feel that there was something lacking and I’ve come to a conclusion, over the course of the past twenty four hours, that music just isn’t the same when it’s not being used to worship God, or certainly, live music just isn’t the same.

There’s something about standing alongside your brothers and sisters in Christ, whom though you’ve never met before you know you have a certain connection with, and singing your heart out to God. On Thursday when the lead singer, Gary, got the audience to sing at the top of their lungs, I joined in but it just wasn’t as cool as when your shouting to God. And whilst I knew almost all the words to almost all the songs, and was able to sing along, there was no overwhelming sense of joy or peace as I did so. There was no funny knotted feeling in my stomach like I get when I just know God is moving and working in and around me. It just wasn’t the same.

And as I looked around me, at the seven thousand pluss people there,  it dawned on me that they all think that that’s as good as it gets. They think the adrenalin and the alcohol and the proximity to fame and the ridiculous volume, make for an awesome night that can be beaten by little or nothing. The reality is that worshipping God is so much more amazing!!

Do you think music is something else we’ve messed up? Have we corrupted its purpose as well? 

Whatever we’ve done to it I do think that music and an appreciation of it is something God has blessed us with. It makes us stand out on this planet, I think. And I think God loves it and wants us to use it to worship Him, whether its good old school organ stuff or new fangled indie/rock/funk -whatever. 

If only I was more musical . . .

Parachute Band

They’re coming to Frenzy this year and I’ve just listened to their newest album, Technicolour,  for the first time – seriously recommend it!

This song is from their last album:

Healer

Healer – Hillsong – Mike Guglielmucci

The controversy that surrounds this song cannot detract from how good it is. I can’t stop listening to it – over and over again.