Media

This Valley Chord Charts

  1. Open Sea
  2. Give Us This Day
  3. Emmanuel
  4. We The Redeemed
  5. A God Like You, A Man Like Me
  6. Jetties
  7. This Valley
  8. As We Go
  9. Creation Song
  10. Right By My Side
  11. Love Alive

Song Tutorials

This Valley Song Stories

Open Sea

“Open Sea” was a poem I wrote at about 4 a.m during a sleepless night. Danielle and I had recently received the bad news on our pregnancy and I found myself in a pivotal moment. Would I give up and sink or kick and push through the current to see what was on the other side? Would I let hard times strip me of my hope and my faith, or trust God to carry me? Open Sea revolves around the imagery of being shipwrecked and set adrift during a storm.

Give Us This Day

I wrote “Give us This Day” while on a plane ride up to my friends wedding in Seattle. We had delivered Micaela Grace the day before. I was pretty shaken up and life just seemed like a fog all around me. I was worried about our future and what would happen next. Would we ever have kids? How long would we grieve? I was so unsettled and unsure of everything. I began reading through the following passage: Matthew 6:25-34 25“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[a]? 28“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” I also turned to Matthew 6:9-13 (Lord’s Prayer) I began to pray and meditate on these passages and write a prayer of my own asking God for the peace, strength, and clarity to make it through each day, one at a time. I asked God to give me the ability to see and appreciate the life already provided; to remember the promises He had already fulfilled. We are all so blessed in ways we often don’t realize or appreciate. We can experience joy and happiness when we let go of our problems and put our energy into seeking God’s heart and His kingdom.

Emmanuel

This song revolves around the Hebrew “Emmanuel” or “Immanuel” meaning “God with Us.” Isaiah 7:14 prophesied that a savior, born of a virgin, would be called Emmanuel…This was the promise of Jesus, as found in Matthew 1:23. God did not just create the world and leave…He came and interceded on our behalf. He entered into His creation so we could be restored to our state as righteous and holy people. What a cause for celebration and worship! The Creator calls desires to know us! His spirit dwells with us! We are not alone, we are not abandoned. A little piece of trivia: the arrangement and feel of this song was inspired by Duran Duran’s “Rio” album.

We The Redeemed

“We The Redeemed” is a song of response. We, the people of God, who have been freed and redeemed, will bring more than our words to our King. We will lay our lives down as an offering…We will submit ourselves wholeheartedly to Christ’s authority. As Romans 6:8 says “Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.”We have partnered in Christ’s death and resurrection, now we will partner with Him in life. We respond as Paul calls us to in Romans 12:1: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship.”

A God Like You, A Man Like Me

This song was another poem written when I should have been sleeping. Its really a “transcript” of a conversation I was having with God. I was so frustrated over some continued sin in my life that I couldn’t really understand why God would forgive me. I realized I couldn’t forgive myself. I just felt so dirty and worthless. This song is about sanctification and not salvation. Its about the believer’s struggle to reconcile his sinful nature with God’s grace and forgiveness. Towards the end of the conversation I realized that I did have God’s forgiveness, and if He could have the grace to cast my sins as far as the east is from the west, then I must honor Him and let it go. Yes we need to run from sin and temptation, but when we do slip, we must confess, accept God’s unconditional love and forgiveness, and move on. Satan wants guilt and shame to hold God’s people back. Christ wants us to step out of the prison He freed us from! He has great plans for his people, and His ways are greater than our ways.

Jetties

“Jetties” is a sort of response to “A God Like You, A Man Like Me.” It’s the “ I get it” moment where the listener, now understanding a bit more of God’s nature, responds in dedication, commitment, and worship through life submission. That is the pattern of our life. As God reveals himself to us and imparts His wisdom, we MUST respond. No words can accurately describe God’s character, so sometimes we must rest in silence and allow God’s presence to wash over us.

This Valley

God is with us in the fight and the in the fire. Sometimes, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3, God pulls us out. Other times, like Stephen the Martyr in Acts 7, we perish. In both situations, God is with us till the end. All the way. God was with Danielle and I, but our baby still died. I felt His presence more in those months than I remember in my whole life, and I still didn’t get what I wanted. Our faith cannot be based on situational outcomes. Romans 8:28 says “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” We don’t always understand life, but God can use trial to mature and grow His people. My faith is stronger because of the struggles of last year, though I would have never chosen that path on my own.

As We Go

“As We Go” was a song I wrote around the vision of Camber, my church’s college group. I wanted a song that could be an anthem for a group of people striving to live missionally. If we have experienced God’s grace, we MUST go and share. It cannot be contained. In the Great Commission, Christ calls His people to make disciples and to spread the gospel as we go throughout the world. Christ expected us to be going, the actual command is to “make disciples.” God can change the world through broken people. We go in the knowledge of His truth and the presence of His Spirit. Like Peter, we must leave our comfort in pursuit of God’s glory. Out of obedience we share our faith as we go, God will take care of the rest.

Creation Song

This is a song I wrote while driving back to Phoenix from my Ventura, Ca. As usual, about 10% of my brain was focused on the road and the rest was off in the ether (ask my wife!). I have always seen God’s fingerprint in nature and creation. In this particular moment, I was driving through the fields of wind turbines near Palm Springs during a rainstorm and was overwhelmed by the fact that all of creations points to the creator (natural revelation). I had no one to share my moment with, so I spoke some lyrics into my trusty iPhone, and am now sharing it with you!

Right By My Side

This is song of honesty and brokenness with a similar theme as “This Valley” though more melancholy. Plain and simple. In this specific moment I was overwhelmed with anger and grief. We had just delivered our stillborn baby at 26 weeks, and reality began overtake the adrenaline that had been running through the last week. I felt like I was barely hanging on. I wanted to give up on everything. I was burnt out. I literally repeated and prayed the words “ You are here with me, You are by my side” as a reminder that I was not alone in this struggle. God is with us in the pain, but the pain is still there.

Love Alive

“Love Alive” is a jammin’ song, and though it didn’t exactly come out of the same life stage as the rest, I wanted to close out the record with a upbeat, victorious song. Christ’s Love has conquered death. He reigns supreme, and we are His children! He welcomes the lost and the stray! Similar to “As We Go,” “Love Alive” proclaims that the hope Christ brings is too much to keep to yourself. You have to let it out!