November 12th, 2009

Album in the Works

Well folks, I am currently in the process of recording/producing my first full length worship album. God has taught me a lot during our pregnancy and loss, and I have condensed most of my journey during those 6 months into 11 songs.  The album, “This Valley” really addresses the fact that our faith cannot be contingent upon an outcome. God is with you in the fire, whether you live or die in the flames. We lost our baby and it broke our hearts, but in that brokeness I felt the presence of God like I never have before. The title songs revolves around the idea that God is with us in the fight, in the moments when we just can’t go on. Even in the moments when it feels like we are caught in a desert or the valley, God calls us to obey, surrender, repent, and worship. Its not easy and its not always happy, but its our calling.

All 11 songs started as lyrics from a prayer journal as I began to converse with God and struggle through the reality of losing our firstborn. As a worship leader, I had to examine myself and see if I truly believed everything I said and sang on stage. Half of the album is geared towards the corporate worship setting, and the other half reflects some honest and hard personal conversations I had with God. This is the first full collection of music I have worked on that started lyrically…This may happen once or twice but normally I have a catchy tune or riff to build upon. It has been a fun challenge to craft melodies and song structures around pre-existing meters.

God has revealed himself to me during a pivotal time in my life, and I don’t want it to stop with me, so I’m putting it out in song. I hope you guys will enjoy! I will have some snippets up soon, but right now, I have to get back to tracking electric guitar!

July 16th, 2009

Free Download- Love Alive

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Love Alive Right click and select ‘save as’ to download.

“Love Alive” is a worship song I just finished in the last few weeks. It was a journey for me to write this song. In the midst of our pregnancy complications, I really felt God challenging me to look at the big picture and to soak in His grace, instead of just focusing on the day to day hardships. Through weeks of prayer I was reminded of the immensity of what Christ did for us and what that really meant to me. It affects absolutely everything I do. The more we let that amazing truth grow in our hearts, the more we have to share it…We just can’t contain something of such great porportions. I hope you enjoy this live version.

Additional Musicians:

Ashur Benjamin- Bass, Casey Block- Drums, Phil Tipping- Keys, Brett Reinhart- Guitar