New Single out now!

Track 5 from the newest CD from Ablaze Ministries' Encounter Band! Tune in to my first song in a recording studio in 7 years! I love this song so much and hope you enjoy worshipping with me :)

"Since Your Love" was originally recorded by United Pursuit
©2015 United Pursuit Music (ASCAP) and Capitol CMG Genesis (ASCAP)

"People Get Ready" Cover

People Get Ready is a song originally written and sung by Curtis Mayfield in 1971. I heard the song as a child on a Country Christian cassette tape (I know I know, don't ask). I loved the song then and heard it recorded again by Rod Stewart in 1993. 

I don't think I have heard it since around that time. Yet, since the beginning of Advent, the song has been stuck in my head every! single! day! In this season of waiting and preparing for the Lord, I have been reminded by this song that we are not only preparing for December 25th, but also for the Lord's eventual return, or the day we meet him face to face.

So every time this song has popped into my head, I have asked myself, "Am I ready?" And it has inspired me not only to strive for Christ more this Advent season, but to continue seeking Him in new ways even after Christmas has come and gone.

For my full thoughts on the song, check out the first segment of episode 62 of the Forte Catholic Podcast.

I hope you enjoy the cover with the help of my friend Becka Landry on the keys! Merry Christmas!

Even So Come

The big joke among musicians during Advent is that there is only one song we can play.....O Come O Come Emmanuel. While it is only partially true, it is the one song everyone associates with the Advent season. O Come O Come is one of my favorite songs of the year but I did set out to find a new song that could be my "Advent Song of the Year" and I found it. 

"Even So Come" by Kristian Stanfill and the Passion Worship Band became an instant favorite of mine in this season. The lyrics are beautiful(I have provided them below) and it is a great song to pray with and is frankly enjoyable to play. 

I wanted to share with you my cover of the song in this last week of Advent so that it may be an encouragement to you in these closing days of the Advent season. For a more in depth look at the lyrics and why I love the song so much, you can check out my recent podcast where we listen to the song and dissect it. 

I am praying that everyone who reads and listens to this may have a blessed Christmas. Enjoy!

All of creation
All of the earth
Make straight a highway
A path for the Lord
Jesus is coming soon

Call back the sinner
Wake up the saint
Let every nation shout of Your fame
Jesus is coming soon

Like a bride waiting for her groom
We'll be a Church ready for You
Every heart longing for our King
We sing
Even so come
Lord Jesus, come

There will be justice
All will be new
Your name forever
Faithful and true
Jesus is coming soon

So we wait
We wait for You
God, we wait
You're coming soon

The Psalms

My favorite part of preparing the music for Mass every week is writing the music for the Psalm. The musical setting is always different and allows me to pray with the words of the Psalms in a new way each Mass.

It is fun to be creative and "sing to the Lord a new song"(Ps 96:1) by taking the ageless words of Scripture and allowing my mood and creativity to bring to life each week. As many of you know, David wrote most of the Psalms. He was the King of creativity and drew on his life situations in his writing. I often try to imagine what it would be like listening to him play and sing each Psalm for the first time. 

The Psalms are one of my favorite books of the Bible to pray with. There are some that are joyful, some that are laments and others in between. They truly capture the human experience. No matter how I am feeling when I come to church that day, I always know that the psalm can speak to the depths of my heart.

Below are some of my favorite verses from the Psalms about music and a video of the most recent Psalm I sang for Mass on Nov 17th. Enjoy :)

Psalm 95:1 "O come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!"

Ps 71:23 "My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to thee; my soul also, which thou hast rescued."

Ps 150:1-6 "1 Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty firmament! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his exceeding greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with timbrel and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that breathes praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!"

"Make a loud noise and rejoice and sing praise."
Psalm 98:4

High Above It All

Things are going crazy

Our nation and world are in so much pain with huge, polarizing issues like the refugee crisis, racial tension and our presidential debate. At times, it can seem as though so much is going wrong that we slip into despair, not knowing what we can do to help the situation or even how to react. 

For quite some time now, I have been wanting to post about the racial tensions going on in our country today, but couldn't figure out what to say. Many good friends and great bloggers have done a great job talking about it but I have been at a loss for words.

I saw quite a deal of racism in my small town growing up and it has always infuriated me and it pains me to see it creeping back up again. It seems as though every day, I see another african-american man or a police officer being killed or mistreated. The whole thing saddens me. It also baffles me. After all of the progress we made as a country in racial unity over the past many years, it seems that recently we have begun to digress. I don't know how and I don't know why. I have seen numbers and statistics thrown out from either side of the debate about who is or isn't to blame and don't know what I can do to help the situation. But I think ultimately, all we can do is love those around us and work on unity with all people, starting in our families, neighborhoods, churches and schools. We have to start somewhere, but it still hurts.

Peace in the storm

There is only one thing that gets me through crazy times: realizing that God has led His people through many crazy times. The song below, High Above It All by For All Seasons, has been a cornerstone for me over the past year. I first heard it at the National Youth Workers Convention last year and it keeps popping back up. I want to walk through some of these lyrics and explain how they have helped me through times when I don't understand what is going on and don't know what to do. It has applied to my life with the situations like the vicious presidential debate, saddening racial tensions, etc. but it has also helped me through personal trials and confusion about what is going on in my own life.

The song starts like this...

"I've come to seek your face, I long for you. You are my hiding place, my safe refuge. I find my hope in You. Your peace it carries me through."

God is our safe refuge amidst all turmoil and strife. He calls us to him because we cannot walk through this crazy world without Him. We need his presence and can only receive true strength and peace from Him. 

Then the chorus hits...

"Waters roar and mountains fall, You remain high above it all. You are high above it all. Kingdoms rage and nations shake but you remain high above it all. You are high above it all, Almighty God"

When the "waters are roaring" in our life, God is bigger. When everything around us in falling apart, God is holding us together. When nations and communities are rocked and weakened, God is still strong and there for us. This is such a great reminder that God stays the same through all the change and nothing that happens in this world can take anything away from Him or from His love for His people. God is bigger and completely in charge and I must trust Him when things seem to be out of control from my human perspective.

Then finally, the bridge...

There is triumph in Your presence, healing in Your peace.
So I will lift my voice, proclaiming victory!

God is the only thing that is going to ultimately solve all of the struggle and hurt in the world. He knows human suffering. He Himself came down from Heaven to become one of us, to suffer with and for us on the cross, but also to claim victory over sin, death, and hurt. He offers you and I that healing, peace and victory. We can receive it in His presence, no matter what is going on around us.

I pray that as you move throughout the rest of your day, with all the craziness in our world and the busyness in your life, that you will find what you are looking for and what you need in the Lord's presence today. When everything is falling apart and bringing you down, God is above it all and wants to lift you up.

FOR ALL SEASONS - "LIVE SESSIONS, VOL 2" Buy Now: (https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/live-sessions-vol.-2/id1118445907)

Written by: Josh Farro & Sam Tinnesz (FAS original) Videography: Michael Charlson Mixed by: Jared Fox Mastered by: Drew Lavyne