My lovely daughter, Amy, gave me some “iTunes” gift cards for my birthday, and I’ve carried them
around with me for more than a month. I’ve been waiting for the chance to
redeem them, but it’s a complicated process when you don’t have high speed
internet at your home. I do all of my
‘internet’ stuff in my office at the church, and lately it’s just been too cold
to go there in the mornings. Yesterday,
I finally took the time to download some music, and I’ve been listening to it
ever since.
If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you
know I’m big on the Presence of God. My
office here at the church is one of my favorite places to slip into the lap of
the Savior, and let Him soothe my soul.
My second favorite place is in the embrace of awesome praise, and
worship music. We are blessed in our
church to have an abundance of talented musicians, which makes our praise, and
worship dynamic beyond explanation, but I can’t take them with me to work. So, I was thankful to download the latest
from my favorite worship band ‘Jesus Culture,’
titled “Live from New York.”
WOW! Don’t you hate
it when three letters are all you can utter about something so good? Wow!
I have followed this dynamic group of young people for over
three years, and have been moved through every emotion you can imagine as I’ve
listened to their sincere heart for Christ.
Each album has thrilled me with their unique blend of driving rhythms,
superb guitar work, and soul wrenching vocals.
In my opinion, (I know I’m in trouble when I say this) they took the
mantle of Hillsong, and smote the waters with it. Each album has a different flavor, driven by what they are
experiencing in their spiritual growth.
“Live from New York” is right
on par with my favorite album “Love Never
Fails.”
What can you say about Kim Walker/Smith? Her amazing range, power, and anointing move
the live audience to a point of worshipful rapture. If you’ve never seen a video of her in concert, you’ve missed
seeing the spirit of King David in a waif of a child. When I hear her sing, I know the Father of
all creation had her in mind when he created vocal chords. I’m sure he put them in us, so they would be
there for her to praise Him. Her
rendition of ‘Pursuit,’ and ‘Walk with me,’ caused me to have to stop what I was doing
today, fall to my knees, and weep. She
took both songs into a place I wasn’t expecting. What is fun about her, is that she’s just as comfortable rocking
out at the top of her lungs. There is a
passion in her that infects everyone.
Christ Quilala is beyond description. He is a consummate worship leader, vocalist,
and musician. When he pairs with Kim,
the music moves beyond simple formula into a powerful expression of adoration,
and worship. Chris obviously loves
Jesus with his entire being, and it shows in his passion for worship. Every time I hear him sing, I wish I could
sing with the purity of voice he has. I
just turn the music up louder and pretend I do. HA!
An unusual, but welcome addition to this album was Martin
Smith of Delirious. I’ve never been
a huge fan of Delirious, probably because my hearing isn’t what it used
to be, and I have to work hard to understand what he’s saying when he sings. (I
am all about the lyrics.) He is a
worship leader, and anointed vocalist.
You can tell his influence upon the mood of the album, as it moves from
anthem, to driving praise, to anthem, to adoration.
I’ve only listened to the album four times today, so I
haven’t found all my favorites yet. I
usually have to listen to an album about twenty times to know what I like and
don’t like. I’m like a kid in a candy
store. I want to taste it all, and then
chew on it a while.
Right now, I am completely in love with “Pursuit,” “Walk With Me,” “I am in Love
With You,” “Show Me Your Glory/Majesty.”
The cover of “I am in Love With You,” is flawless, I’m sure
Darrell would be proud.
If you are into rocking worship, driven praise,
and passionate adoration, this album is a must have.
