Tag: Christian

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** PAUSED **

… Press Pray to Continue.

The road to moving home is never fully smooth, and pretty much always throws up the odd surprise along with a bit of tension and even a few tears. When it’s God telling you to move, you kinda hope, and pray, that the road will be smooth and that things will almost fall into place.

A naive perspective I know – but when you’re talking about God then it can also be seen as a trusting faith as you step into what God’s called you to. Yes, I know that when God calls the road is rarely smooth and rosy (just look at Moses, Joseph, Mary, John the Baptist etc…) – even so, we were hoping that this would be the case here.

Instead we are now at a point where we’ve had to press the pause button on the story of our move. Yup, we’ve had to take the house off the market *sob*

We’d set ourselves a target time, due to various reasons, of the October half-term as the cut-off date for the move and when we finally hit the point where that wasn’t going to happen we made the painful call to take the house off.

And it hurts. We KNOW that God is telling us to move. We KNOW that Rugby is our destination. If we ever drive past it there’s a longing and a pain in the pit of our stomachs. What makes it worse is we know that there’s a good reason for the delay, it’s just that God hasn’t told us yet. This is obviously a part of the process He wants us to go through and there are things we need to do/learn/act upon/whatever during this hiatus in proceedings.

We’ve not dropped the plans. We’ve not decided that we’re not moving. We don’t feel that “we got it wrong”. We just don’t fully know Gods roadmap for the journey He is sending us on.

The house will go back on the market next spring and we’ll be praying and looking to move sometime in the summer ahead of new school years and, in the case of our eldest, college. In the interim period we’ll be getting on with life and doing a few more jobs on the house that need doing…

And then we’ll kick it all off and hopefully we’ll move to Rugby.

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Purpose, Conviction, Vision and…. patience

 

I’ve mentioned here in the past that I can struggle with the P-word sometimes. Patience is something that I can often lack, and always need more of.

What makes things worse is when you have a clear sense of purpose, a definite goal and total faith in what you are doing… but you still have to wait.

As you cannot help but have noticed, we are moving house. We know God’s calling us to move, we know where, we have complete faith in that – but the time still ticks by and that exposes the patience, or lack thereof. After waiting for so long for the starters pistol to fire, we know that we’re on the final straight and we can see the finishing line in front of us (appropriate metaphor for this year really). Unfortunately it’s one of those scenarios where time seems to slow down, and the goal seems to move further away with each step closer we take.

There’s no doubt that this is the right move and there is no doubt that this is what God wants us to be doing – but we’re definitely at that point of wishing it was all over and done with (well, except the move itself as that needs to wait until the summer hols :-D)

If you happen to have a spare 30 seconds, please shoot a prayer upstairs for us!

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One to watch: The Digital Age

Band: The Digital Age
Website: http://thedigitalagemusic.com
Twitter: Mark / Mike D / Jack / Bwack
YouTube: http://youtube.com/thedigitalagemusic
Facebook: http://facebook.com/thedigitalage

It’s been a while since I’ve done a music review (sorry!) and then two come along in one evening! This is slightly different but I thought that these boys from Waco, Texas, deserve a bit of a Preview and are definitely worth having on your radar, twitter feed and youtube subscription list – not forgetting your list of favourite websites of course.

When the David Crowder*Band ended in January there were plenty of us who mourned the loss of a group who pushed the boundaries in terms of sound, technology, musical complexity (and simplicity) and also managing to fuse classic songs with new material and some real quirkiness thrown in for good measure.

It seemed to be a recipe that no other group could duplicate, and anyone who tried would surely be a pale imitation.

Then along came the announcement of a new band called “The Digital Age” – made up of the *Band part of the David Crowder*Band 😀

Continuing the “rockumentary” series of video blogs they launched the new band, deciding that they were “better together” and over recent months they’ve been working together on a new studio and posting some tasty rehearsal videos that really look good enough to drop the rehearsal tag.

Of the first two to be posted one was the great classic hymn “How Great Thou Art”, and it gave me chills to hear – resonating oh so well with my heart for a mix of the best of church history and modern worship (read my blog here for more.) The sound was that warming familiar sound we’ve come to know and love from such a talented bunch of musicians who have such worship-filled hearts, but it is also different. With the distinctive vocals of David Crowder taken away it has allowed for a surprisingly rich and diverse lyrical performances and the overall sound is recognisable but with enough of a difference to make you second guess yourself.

There are now 4 rehearsal videos out, “All The Poor And Powerless” being the other classic from the first pairing and then “After All (Holy)” and “Oh My God/I Am A Seed” taken from the last DC*B album. They are all worth viewing, over and over again. Repeatedly. Seriously!

With the promise of more videos and some released music coming you definitely want to get on board and join The Digital Age! Trust me, you won’t regret it.

P.S. Enjoy the 4 Rehearsal Videos below 🙂

[youtube]http://youtu.be/0S9_POAQCIQ?hd=1[/youtube][youtube]http://youtu.be/-iG2wUL1vTY?hd=1[/youtube]
[youtube]http://youtu.be/lqgJ9OCy3Kg?hd=1[/youtube][youtube]http://youtu.be/ES70naqpE-A?hd=1[/youtube]

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Music Review: “Dubbed and Freq’d” TobyMac (and others)

Title:Dubbed and Freq’d (a remix project)
Artist: TobyMac (and others)
Genre: Rock/Hip-Hop/Dance

iTunes / YouTube / Spotify

Tracklisting:

  1. Made to Love (Telemitry Remix)
  2. No Ordinary Love (G-Man Remix)
  3. Showstopper (Capital Kings Remix)
  4. City on Our Knees (Golden Snax Remix)
  5. Tonight (Capital Kings Remix)
  6. Hold On (Telemitry Remix)
  7. Get Back Up (Broke Remix)
  8. Boomin (UTB Remix) (Featuring Shonlock)
  9. Lose My Soul (Shoc Remix)
  10. Captured (KP Remix)
  11. Ignition (Hot Wired Remix)
  12. Start Somewhere (X-Zach’d Remix)

Review: Taking well-known, and well-loved songs, and submitting them for a remix treatment can be a risky prospect. There are those who cherish the originals and cannot bear to hear any other version than the definitive first one. There are remixes that can miss the meaning and heart of a track, leaving an incoherent mess that doesn’t flow. There are remixes that are nothing more than ramping up the drums’n’bass, adding a techno beat and looping the odd lyric.

Then there are remixes that make you sit bolt upright and re-assess the songs you know so well and hear them in a new way, maybe even picking up on the significance of lyrics that you know but never fully grasped.

For TobyMac fans a remix project is an exciting prospect, especially following the previous remixes of the “Momentum” and some of the “Portable Sounds” albums.

“Dubbed and Freq’d” takes tracks from “Portable Sounds” along with “Tonight” and hands them over to a bunch of folks to work their magic.

Now I must confess to being rather nervous as to what people would do to some of the tracks, especially as “Tonight” is a personal anthem of mine and “City On Our Knees” really stirs my heart… but there was still that excitement – especially as it is a new TobyMac release (although I really am getting desperate for a new full-on album – which I’ve just found out is coming out in August!!!!)

Kicking off with the classic “Made To Love”, mixed by Telemitry, you’re greeted by the familiar tune that’s become a popular concert anthem coupled with some nifty electronica and, yes, some added D’n’B – but that’s not a bad thing. It’s not overdone, and it doesn’t overpower the track. It’s a fresh twist that cleanses and refreshes the palate ahead of the audio feast that lies ahead.

“No Ordinary Love” has been given the Red Bull treatment, with an added dose of steroids. The track is faster, more clubby, and I honestly couldn’t tell you wether I prefer the original or this one. It’s seriously good and the vocal treatment, and added little riffs, elevate this song to a “No Ordinary Love 2.0”

The crowd-bouncer “Showstopper” is given a bit of spit-and-polish, but not as extensive an overhaul as several of the other tracks. It would be great at concerts though, just giving a new and exciting face-lift to really keep the fans on their toes.

The first of the big tests comes in track 4, “City On Our Knees”. It took a little while to grow on me as I’m afraid I fall into the “cherish” category with some songs, and yet this is a genius piece of work. Stripped back in many areas, and giving the vocals a real emphasis, this is ideal for a chillout session and also as a bit of a prayer-time backing. Yes there’s the ever-present D’n’B which won’t be to everyones tastes, but for a different twist on prayer music this really would work well – especially with youth or the young adults.

Without the vocals of Skillets John Cooper, the Capital Kings remix of “Tonight” probably represents my least favourite of the new mixes. It’s not that it’s bad, or even that it’s different to the original – it’s just lacking the added depth that came with the additional vocals from the Skillet frontman. It’s a good track that deserves its place on the collection, but it is the weakest in my opinion. Add in the original vocals, and return the punch that the original had in the chorus, and I really think this would be a masterpiece.

I’m not going to go through each of the remaining tracks individually in detail as the first 5 really do give a good sample of what to expect. So here’s a quick run through of some of them:

“Boomin'” – a chilled out, laid back version that almost contradicts the “Boomin’ out your stereo system” chorus but works in a really surprising way.

“Lose My Soul” kicks off with some sweet piano and is almost a ballad – one to add to a chill playlist!

“Start Somewhere” is full of swoops, sweeps and synths to begin with before kicking into an almost random mix of higher-tempo bits, alvin & the chipmunks lyrics in part and a staccato backing that ties in nicely with the whole “shots we’ve fired” vibe. Can’t help but think there’s a musical elephant in parts of it as well (take a listen and you’ll see what I mean :-D)

Would I recommend this? Oh Yeah! You can’t go wrong with this. Yeah some of the tracks don’t fully work, but your mileage may vary… at the end of the day this is another cracking remix project and deserves a place on your rotation!

Score: 4.5/5

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And after all…

In the midst of all the house move preparations and DIY chaos (more on that soon!), I’ve found a need for a simple connection with God. Through all the busy-ness and noise, just a still small voice before the throne of God.

There’s a song on the last David Crowder Band album (Give us Rest) called “After All (Holy)” that immediately moves me through the wonder of creation and the universe and into the throne room of God. The imagery of the almost hypnotic lyrics within the verses bring a stark and vivid sense of scale to everything and then the song moves into the most simple of choruses, just singing “Holy”.

That got me thinking about worship, something I love. Music stirs my heart and soul and can connect me to God in amazing and wonderful ways.

There are songs that proclaim biblical truths and foundational faith. There are songs that can paint pictures, consuming the mind and imagination in such a way that your only focus is on worship. There are songs that are musically brilliant and complex, that take you along for the ride. There are simple songs, that just declare one or two truths and can absorb you within the reiteration.

I find it fascinating to look at scripture and consider the worship we see in there. The book of Psalms is a glorious library of praise and worship that comes from the hearts of people experiencing all of the human emotions we know – love, hurt, despair, loneliness, desolation, depression, awe, wonder, majesty, fear, abandonment and more.

The Psalms can be simple, or a rich tapestry full of fine stitching that calls us to examine closely and really look at the detail.

But after all that… we can look at Isaiah 6:1-3

“It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew.

They were calling out to each other,
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies!
The whole earth is filled with his glory!”

The angels in the throne room of God aren’t singing complex exaltations. They aren’t delivering speeches in song.

They are simply singing “Holy”

And after all… that’s sometimes all that needs to be said.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7rjwkLpooY[/youtube]