If I want to play video games for hours upon hours every day, I can do that. Because I’m free. But as soon as that becomes the pattern of my life, I have used my freedom to become a slave. The video game is my master. I come when it calls, and I give myself to it completely. And when I play video games that much, I can’t help but build my life around them. When I’m not playing them, I’m thinking about them, or looking up information about them, or wishing I was playing them.

In a somewhat less drastic sense, that was me until a couple years ago. Of course, my days were filled with school and homework, but once that was done (and usually before the latter was finished), I was all about video games. If I wasn’t playing them, I wanted to be playing them, and they were probably on my mind. Because I was free to do what I wanted, I did just that, and it was dominating my life. I think it’s safe to say I was a slave to video games, and by the way I lived, I worshiped them as an idol.

But it doesn’t have to be video games. It can be practically anything- a strong desire, a car, a house, a job… you name it. This isn’t to say that these things don’t have their places- I still enjoy playing an fun and well constructed video game. And this is also not to say that freedom is a bad thing. God has blessed us with freedom in America, and I’m thankful for that blessing. However, we need to be careful lest we abuse that freedom and allow ourselves become slaves to the very things we’re free to enjoy.

There’s a catch though: we’ll always be a slave to something. Our lives will all revolve around something or someone, whether we like it or not. As for me, I’ll be a slave to righteousness. Jesus has saved me from slavery to sin, and now I’m a slave of the good master, the one who loves me and gave Himself up for me.

“What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.” (Romans 6: 15-19)

Listen on Spotify here.

I just listened to Audrey Assad for the first time this past week, and her voice and songs have already been such a blessing to me, I highly recommend you listen to her music (especially her new album that just came out on Tuesday, Heart). “Everything Is Yours” is a sweet song of worship that expresses the right response to understanding that everything belongs to God. Everything does indeed belong to God; everything we have is simply what God has made us a steward over, and as the one with power over all things, He is also very present in all our circumstances. With that in mind, we shouldn’t hold onto those things too tightly, but let them go when God takes them from us. It’s all His to begin with!

“The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof,
the world and those who dwell therein,
for he has founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.” (Psalm 24: 1-2)

Lyrics:

When all the world is blossoming
And everything around is bursting into life
And I don’t have to strain to hear the beat of Your heart
When all the world is under fire
When skies are threatening to thunder and rain
And I am overcome by fears that I can’t see

If everything is Yours
Everything is Yours
I’m letting it go
No, it was never mine to hold
Never mine

Who could command the stars to sing
Or hold the raging seas from breaking through the doors
And tend the fragile roses with the very same hands

If everything is Yours
Everything is Yours
I’m letting it go (I am)
‘Cause everything is Yours

Let it go
It was never mine to hold

It seems like these days, a lot of the really popular music is pretty noisy and overproduced. If these artists have genuine talent, it’s easily missed behind all the noise. So it’s delightfully refreshing when an artist like Audrey Assad comes around and releases a record like Heart, where less really is more. The music highlights rather than hides Assad’s lovely voice, and the lyrics are sincere and well written. There are a lot of reasons to love and appreciate Heart, because it’s simply an excellent album through and through.

It’s immediately apparent that Assad’s music does indeed have a lot of Heart. The tile accurately reflects the honesty and depth of these songs, both musically and lyrically. They rarely stray from a relatively simple arrangement, but Assad’s solid composition combined with her sweet lyrics and stunning voice make these songs stand out. “Blessed are the Ones” is my personal favorite track on the album because of how it brings all of those elements together, featuring a glorious melody while keeping it simple and never getting in your face. The truth is that it doesn’t need to to make you listen, especially when you consider the musical value along with uplifting lyrics like, “So further up and further in, we have nowhere else to go / As we plant the seeds of toil and tears, it’s beauty we will sow.”

Although “Blessed are the Ones” starts the album off on such a high note, Heart hardly loses any steam from there. Assad holds on to the pop feel that made many of her past songs so delightfully upbeat in “Even the Winter,” “Won Me Over,” “No Turning Back,” and “Sparrow,” but it’s toned down a bit and as a result, improvements in her songwriting shine brightly on these tracks. She also leaves her more radio-friendly senses behind for some other gems like “O My Soul,” “Breaking You,” “Wherever You Go,” and “Lament.” There is no filler to be found on this record- every song is a sweet blessing to the ears and the heart. She has held on to all of the notable qualities of her first album while refining her sound to an even more mature and artistic level.

The strongest musical point of the record is easily Assad’s voice. Her voice rarely comes across as big and strong, but the beauty of it is in the way it proves that it really doesn’t have to be. Her vocals are consistently sweet with a sort of calming, quiet tenderness. Furthermore, the other musicians who helped record this album do a fantastic job of keeping everything simple and laid back enough to highlight her voice as the centerpiece of the music.

Her voice carries her honest lyrics beautifully as well. “Won Me Over” expresses what God has done for her with the lyrics, “I was full of fear and prone to wander / lost and lonely till the day you won me over,” while in “Lament” her sincerity also shows as she sings, “I’m Mary and I’m Martha all at the same time / I’m sitting at His feet and yet I’m dying to be recognized.” “Wherever You Go” is sung from God’s perspective, and as such it’s a beautiful reminder that God will never leave us (“Fathers and mothers don’t always come through / but I’m never gonna stop following you”). Finally, “New Song” fittingly ends the album in all-out worship, expressing the inadequacy of our songs in giving God the glory and praise He deserves. These are just a few highlights; there is hardly a lyrical weak spot on the entire album.

Audrey Assad delivers a refreshing and beautiful record with Heart. It’s sweetly composed and beautifully performed, and highlights a voice that doesn’t have to be big and punchy to be deeply captivating and powerful. To top it all off, the record is sincere and frequently worshipful, and it grows on you tremendously with every listen. Don’t miss Audrey Assad’s latest- it’s definitely going to be on a lot of “Best of 2012″ lists at the end of this year, and for good reason.

I’ll be redirecting you to JesusFreakHideout.com for this review: I submitted it to them a couple days ago and they posted it! Check it out here. Thanks JFH!

Worship music of notable lyrical and musical quality seems to be a rarity in today’s music scene. Artists like Gungor and the David Crowder*Band have put out some solid releases full of excellent songs, though, and now Rend Collective Experiment have definitely joined that group of gifted artists. RCE is quite unlike any other artist I’ve ever heard before, bringing about 15 people and a seemingly unfathomable amount of instruments together in the creation of their music. Their second album, Homemade Worship by Handmade People, is a sweet expression of that uniqueness with creative and diverse songs that all keep the focus on Christ, making for an absolutely excellent worship album.

RCE’s songs are probably unlike any worship music you’ve ever heard before. Whether it’s because they have roughly 15 people who write and record or they’re just really creative, they never repeat themselves musically. The music feels rock solid at the core, which is probably a testament to the effectiveness of the plentiful, random noisemakers in their percussion section, the many voices that sing along, and the sheer abundance of instruments the members play.

These songs also feel authentic, musically and lyrically. The record was recorded in RCE members’ own homes, hence the “homemade worship” part of the title, and that at least partly explains the music’s authenticity. Ultimately, though, it’s the outpouring of the RCE members’ hearts that gives the music that undeniably genuine appeal. Songs like “The Cost” and “Desert Soul” prove to be some of the best songs of the album, sounding like worshipful and even desperate prayers set to sweet, stunning, and sometimes incredibly atmospheric music.

“Desert Soul” actually just might be one of the best songs that will come out this year. The way it progresses and builds over almost seven minutes is powerful, and the lyrics express a true acknowledgment of the spiritual deadness we would be living in without God’s salvation (“All that I am is dry bones without You, Lord / a desert soul / for I am broken but running towards You, God / You make me whole”). “Praise Like Fireworks” and “Build Your Kingdom Here” are also great with their upbeat, thumping melodies, while “The Cost” and “You Are My Vision” (the band’s unique take on the hymn “Be Thou My Vision”) are sheer fun and “True Intimacy” is bouncy and unique.

With Homemade Worship By Handmade People, Rend Collective Experiment have released an album that shines with a fantastic display of creativity and authenticity. The record shines with a solid set of pure and enjoyable worship songs, and it should not be missed by anyone who loves to worship God through music. I am excited to see what the future has in store for this unique and genuine group of musicians.

Throughout more than a decade of writing and recording excellent worship music together, the David Crowder*Band has rocked the Christian music world on at least a few occasions, never strictly adhering to the norm in their music but rather always coming up with something fresh, creative, worshipful, and just downright impressive. With the release of the lengthy Give Us Rest or (A Requiem Mass in C [The Happiest of All Keys]), the Crowder*Band has said their goodbye as a band so they can move on to new chapters in their lives. It is sad indeed to think about the possibility that these incredibly gifted musicians might never make an album together again, and yet now that this hotly anticipated final album has released, it actually seems that they might never have been able to top it, at least in terms of its expansive scope. The Crowder*Band saved the best for last, that’s for certain; in fact, they might have just released one of the greatest albums ever to hit the Christian music market.

One reason I make such a grand statement is that this album is positively massive. Though in its sheer size it loses some of the cohesiveness that their prior release, Church Music, boasted, it’s easy to forgive when the songs are so plentiful, diverse, and excellent. Including a whopping 34 tracks that together span a solid 100 minutes, Give Us Rest certainly has quantity on its side; thankfully, neither musical nor lyrical quality has been sacrificed to reach that length. Every track has its place on this album: even the short interludes feel natural and enhance the effects of their corresponding songs.

The diversity and uniqueness of this musical Requiem Mass are unbelievably astounding. Fans of the band’s more congregation-friendly recordings will find more than a lot to like about “After All (Holy),” “Oh, Great Love of God,” “Fall On Your Knees,” and “There Is a Sound,” and those who have appreciated the band’s bluegrass endeavors will instantly fall in love with the properly paired “Oh My God” and “I Am a Seed.” However, the Crowder*Band has never been content to stick solely with what they know best: “God Have Mercy (Kyrie Eleison),” “Blessedness of Everlasting Light,” and the epic seven-part “Sequence” are quite surprising and unusual musically but no less excellent than the rest. The “Sequence” is especially noteworthy for its genre-busting movement through stunning pieces about the coming wrath, God’s act of love in sending Christ, and how God will spare His children on the day of judgment.

Another key ingredient in this album is simply that practically every song could easily be considered a highlight. After listening to the stunning “Oh Great God, Give Us Rest,” the first full song on the album, for the first time, I was already almost overwhelmed. But naturally, I kept listening, and was pleased by the masterful guitar picking of “Come Find Me,” the sweet worship of “Fall On Your Knees,” and the uplifting lead single “Let Me Feel You Shine.” “Oh My God” and “After All (Holy)” are also among the album’s finest tracks with their simple but soaring choruses. “Oh, Great Love of God” begs to be played with a huge crowd of worshipers singing at the top of their lungs, while “Sometimes” creates a beautiful metaphor of God’s love being like an endless ocean (“It’s Your love that we adore, it’s like a sea without a shore… let’s risk the ocean, there’s only grace.”) The closing hymns are also very well done; I couldn’t think of a better way to end the album than with a song like the unforgettable “Because He Lives.”

If you’re into this kind of music at all, or even if you aren’t, you really need to check out Give Us Rest. Naturally it isn’t flawless, but it’s a true masterpiece of epic proportions. There’s length, variety, and sheer quality at every turn, and it all creates a wonderful offering of worship to the Lord. The Crowder*Band will indeed be sorely missed, but they have left us what might be one of the greatest albums ever released to the Christian music market. Farewell, and thank you David, Jack, Hogan, Mike, Bwack, and Mark. You have blessed so many people, myself included, with fantastic music to enjoy and worship our amazing God with. You will be missed, and I’m confident that your work will be fondly remembered for many years to come.

By nature, we are lost, sinful people who are far from God, hopeless and on the road that leads to death. We are just dry bones, “desert souls,” without God’s gracious salvation. But He makes us whole. He and He alone can save us and take us out of darkness into His marvelous light. He is exactly what we need, because without His saving work for us, we would be under His perfect, righteous, and fully deserved judgment for violating His law. Praise the Lord that He has provided a way for us to be saved through His Son!

“The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ And I answered, ‘O Lord GOD, you know.’ Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the LORD.’

So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.’ So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

Then he said to me, ‘Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD.’” Ezekiel 37:1-14

Lyrics:

“I love You Lord
But I want to love You more
I need You God
But I want to need You more

I’m lost without
Your creative spark in me
I’m dead inside
Unless Your resurrection sings

I’m desperate for a desperate heart
I’m reaching out, I’m reaching

All that I am is dry bones
Without You Lord, a desert soul
I am broken but running
Towards You God, You make me whole

You are exactly what we need
Only You can satisfy”

I think if we all are really honest with ourselves, the truth is that sometimes, we get discouraged. Our sin can weigh us down with regret and sometimes we might even wonder how God could continue to love us. Even in the darkest and most sin-infested times of our lives, though, we should never question or doubt God’s love for us. God’s love truly is “like a sea without a shore:” once we’re in it, He will never let us go, no matter what unlovely things we might do. This doesn’t give us a license to keep on sinning; on the contrary, our immense gratitude to God should drive us to follow Him unswervingly and live in a way that glorifies His name! This ocean of God’s love is far more vast than we can comprehend, and yet we get to experience it as His beloved children. So “just set your sail and risk the ocean, there’s only grace!”

“For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
   evil may not dwell with you.
The boastful shall not stand before your eyes;
   you hate all evildoers.
You destroy those who speak lies;
   the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,
   will enter your house.
I will bow down toward your holy temple
   in the fear of you.” (Psalm 5: 4-7)

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8: 38-39)

Lyrics:

“Sometimes every one of us feels
Like we’ll never be healed
Sometimes

Sometimes every one of us aches
Like we’ll never be saved
Sometimes

When you’ve given up
Let your healing come
Till you’re rising up
Let your healing come

It’s your love that we adore
It’s like a sea without a shore
We’re lost in you, we’re lost in you
Sometimes

Sometimes
It’s like we’ll never atone
For all the love we’ve known
Sometimes
Like in a smile or a song
When you feel love come
And that feeling’s gone
It flies

When we’ve given up
Let your healing come
When there’s nothing left
Let your healing come
Till we’re rising up
Let your healing come
Where you go, we will follow

It’s your love that we adore
It’s like a sea without a shore
We’re lost in you, we’re lost in you
It’s your love that we adore
It’s like a sea without a shore
Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid
Just set your sail

And risk the ocean, there’s only grace
Let’s risk the ocean, there’s only grace

It’s your love that we adore
It’s like a sea without a shore
We’re lost in you, we’re lost in you

Where you go we will follow
I’m on my knees
Where you go we will follow
Oh, God send me

Where you go we will follow
I’m on my knees
Where you go we will follow

Sometimes…”

“A guy and his wife making music.” In the simplest sense, I suppose this quote from Vocal Few‘s Facebook page sums them up. Vocal Few is, in fact, comprised of Matt MacDonald, lead singer and guitarist for Seattle rock band The Classic Crime, and his wife, Kristie. They just recently had their first child, and apparently this EP is meant to help them support this new baby girl. She’ll Be Right EP is not only worthwhile because it’s a way to help Matt and Kristie support their little girl, but also because it’s a simply delightful yet deeply moving, albeit rather short, set of songs.

The catchy and instantly likable “We’ll Make It Someday” starts the EP off strong. Kristie’s atmospheric piano playing provides a solid background as Matt’s guitar and vocals come in, and then the chorus is a real winner with some strong harmonies and sweet lyrics like, “However desperate and marginalized / we will be childishly hopeful and blind.” The EP’s slowest track, “The Fountain,” is next. It’s not one of my favorites but it has a sweet, swaying melody and beautiful lyrics about fulfillment. “Every Second” is easily the EP’s best track. There’s something deeply profound and moving about the lyrics (especially lines like, “Every second lived is worth each second of the pain”), and the melody carries the song beautifully. It’s one of those songs that feels just right, and I am quite confident it will be up with my favorite songs of the year. “Mexico” closes out the EP nicely with some solid guitar work from Matt and more sweeping melodies and nice harmonies.

For those accustomed to The Classic Crime’s signature rock sound, it might be a little surprising to hear Matt’s voice in this sort of acoustic, singer/songwriter sort of context, but he pulls it off brilliantly while still holding on to those qualities that make his voice so strong and distinct. Matt and Kristie complement each other very nicely, both with their instruments and their voices. The harmonies are sweet, and the unity of the piano and guitar is impeccable. Unfortunately, the EP is rather short with only four tracks, but what it lacks in quantity it makes up for in quality. I have no real complaints about the songs and how they are performed: She’ll Be Right is an enjoyable and well made release.

Classic Crime fans might be in for a bit of a surprise, but it’s most definitely a pleasant one. It’s very different even from Crime’s acoustic Seattle Sessions, but in that contrast, Matt’s versatility as a musician shines. He and his wife complement each other perfectly to deliver a short but sweet collection of songs. I unreservedly recommend She’ll Be Right to anyone remotely interested in this kind of music, and even if you don’t love it as much as I do, at least you’ll be helping the MacDonalds buy some diapers!

The beloved David Crowder*Band released their final album this week, Give Us Rest, which features a plethora of wonderful new worship songs. “After All (Holy)” just might be my favorite. Musically it’s simply stunning; I especially love how huge and epic the chorus is. And of course, the lyrics are simply wonderful. No matter how hard we may try, we can never imagine the full extent of God’s greatness and holiness even in our wildest dreams. After all, He is so beyond us, He is holy, yet He still loves us with love that is “infinitely beautiful and perfect,” and because of that He is worthy of all our praise.

“In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:

   ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!’

 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: ‘Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!’

 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.’” (Isaiah 6: 1-7)

Lyrics:

“I can’t comprehend Your infinitely beautiful and perfect love
Oh I’ve dreamed dreams of majesty as brilliant as a billion stars
But they’re never bright enough after all

You are Holy
Holy, Holy, Holy
Oh

I will sing a song for You my God with everything I have in me
But it’s never loud enough after all

You are Holy
Holy, Holy, Holy
Oh

Heaven and earth are full, full of Your glory, Your glory
My soul it overflows full of Your glory, Your glory
Oh blessed is He who reigns, full of Your glory, Your glory
My cup, it can’t contain all of Your glory, Your glory
Hosanna we are found after all You are

Holy, Holy, Holy
Holy, Holy, Holy
Oh

I can’t comprehend
Your infinitely beautiful…”