Hi everyone!
It's been a while (quite a long while actually). December's been an absolutely crazy month... TheEDGE conference, jetsetting to Taiwan with the Mrs., planning and running the Christmas outreach at my home church, planning and running my office's year-end event, planning and running my brother-in-law's proposal to his girlfriend (now fiancee!)...
In the meantime, I've been listening to lots and lots of Third Day's Move, which I'm just loving more and more with every listen. Mac Powell + strings = AWESOMENESS! The proof is in the super track Surrender, which you can listen to in my initial impressions of the album.
I've also gotten my hands on the latest offering from The Afters, titled Light Up The Sky. It's an addictive album, has a very One Republic feel and vibe to it. I'll try and find time to review it soon!
Of course, I still have outstanding my reviews for Chris Tomlin's And If Our God Is For Us... and Charlie Hall's The Rising, I'm sorry!!! Please be patient and those will come real soon.
In the meantime, I just thought I'd share a little song called Sometimes By Step by a great Christian music pioneer, the late Rich Mullins. You would have heard that famous chorus in Hillsong Australia's latest offering A Beautiful Exchange - Brooke Fraser covers it in her beautiful song Like Incense.
I bought this album called Here In America, a collection of previously unreleased material by Rich Mullins quite a few years back (I think it might have been 7 to 8 years ago). While the CD was pleasant enough, it was the accompanying DVD that was a real treasure. On it was a full-length mini-concert of Rich singing his songs and sharing stories and Biblical insights, just months before his tragic death in a car accident in 1997.
I lent it out to a friend (I don't even remember who now) about 3 years back and it disappeared after that. Recently it re-surfaced and came back to me on 31 Dec. I was so elated I forced my wife to sit down with me and watch clips from what must be one of the most phenomenal Christian music performances of all time.
There was no hype, no lights, no big sets. There was just Rich, the Ragamuffin Band, a small audience and the indescribable sense of history being made in that small studio. And everytime I watch that DVD, it sends chills down my spine and gives me goosebumps. And occasionally, I cry.
Ok, fine. Frequently, I cry.
You have to watch it to know what I mean. Before he sings, Rich shares a bit about the nature and character of God, and there's no mistaking the earnestness and the pure, absolute genuinity of his words.
I might just organise a screening at home soon, so if any friends are interested, let me know and I'll give you the details! As soon as I get down to organising it, that is...
