Jesus Freak Hideout CD Review

I recently had my debut album reviewed by a big Christian music website. The risk with having your CD reviewed by pros is that they don’t care whether they’re positive or not. They tell you like it is. All in all, a quick but positive review.

Song featured on compilation album

One of my songs, “Rising Glory”, has recently been featured on an East Coast compilation album called, “Unified By Grace”. The purpose of the album is to raise money for the Nuymbarie Medical Clinic in West Ankole, Uganda. They are in need of anti-malarial medicines. I’m excited to be a part of this album, though I don’t know of all the artists involved.

I will soon have a number of physical copies if you’d like one, or just follow the iTunes link.

Check it out!

“Near” CDs are now available on CD Baby

My new CD is now available on CD Baby as a CD or a digital download. Spread the word. Tell your friends. Buy it as a Christmas gift. Join me in spreading the message.

Thanks for listening!

Song Story – “Holding Onto You”

I’ve always learned from my Mom the importance of a quiet time with God – extended moments spent everyday in quietness and worship before the Master. This truth and discipline has kept me in many a distressing time.

The content of this song is extremely vulnerable and personal. As a musician and a worship leader, I’ve had to deal with many compliments, criticisms, and learning how to distinguish between what I do and who I am. Also, 2005-2006 was an unbearably distressing year of physical suffering – multiple doctors and hospitals finding no diagnosis for me. Through this time, even my closest friends no longer knew what to say to me. I felt alone.

This song emerged out of that season because I really was not alone. Christ was my anchor.

I had to leave North Central University when I wrote this because my health was so bad. I never sang it, but my friend Kati Tollefson and friends from school ministered through this song while I was at home trying to get well. I cried for a long time when I heard the first recording back in 2006. It was encouraging to see God use this song without me being there. God is good at getting His glory while keeping me in the shadows sometimes!

I hope this song can be a source of strength to you. It came out of a dark place and God has lifted me out!

When all the songs are sung
And all the crowds are gone
When I must be myself again
When there’s no friend in sight
No gifts to hide behind
Speak to my heart its confidence

It’s You and all You are
Satisfying the deepest part of me

Draw me nearer
To Your heart, to Your love
Let me rest here
Holding onto You forever

When darkness fills my eyes
No light, no joy, no pride
When hope’s the last thing on my mind
I’ll stand before Your face
Press into Your embrace
Receiving all I need today

My hope
My strength
My truth
Always

Song Story: “For the Glory”

One of my personal goals as a writer is to craft songs that challenge and inspire. If the Bible says something that is hard (“Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me”), I want to do what it says. We need songs that speak of the tender heart of God but also songs that lead us to embrace the cost of following Jesus. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer famously quoted, “When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die”.

“For the Glory” is a song for the church that articulates its mission and heart. Our purpose is to bring glory to God on this earth. We are giving our lives to see the nations stand before God at the end of the age, clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ! I wanted to write a song that reminded us of what Christ graciously demands – offering all we are, knowing the Word, praying without ceasing, taking hold of the cross, counting the cost, etc.

May you be challenged to count the cost of what it means to follow Christ today and surrender all in pursuit of His highest glory!

Song Story: “That All May Worship”

The song “That All May Worship” was directly inspired by one of the most uncomfortable Bible passages that I know of – Amos 5:18-27. The harsh language that God used towards the Israelites really made me think about the nature of our worship today. I like to think of this song as a “redeemed” cry of Israel.

Throughout the Old Testament era Israel was a stubborn, rebellious nation. They were called to reveal the one true God to the nations – instead they peddled in the pagan sins of those very nations. Amos chapter 5 expresses Israel’s sin of longing for the coming day of God, yet refusing to lay their lives down and extend their hands in true justice and mercy “today”.

They were neglecting the poor. They refused justice and righteousness in court. They despised the truth – all the while living in luxurious mansions, caring for lush vineyards.

It is GOOD to desire the coming day of God (In the New Testament we are actually commanded to speed its coming), but if we are neglecting the very will of God for today, than something is wrong. I pray that this song would be a “redeemed” cry of Israel for the church today – that we would shout with expectancy, “Come Lord!”, yet at the same time give our lives away for the Kingdom and glory of God on earth today.

I had the verse and chorus crafted for months and couldn’t seem to give it that finishing touch. My good friend, Brad Bichsel, helped me write a bridge that really blows the top off for me. I love the choir of voices that help me sing on the bridge. I suggest you lend your voice as well.

We worship the risen Christ who is calling all nations to Himself!

We are waiting for the kingdom come
We are desperate for Your glory, God
We are longing for the coming day
When every tribe and tongue will see Your face

Yet today we pray
Yes, our lives will say today

Let justice roll through our actions
Let mercy extend through our hands
That Christ may be seen by the nations
That all may worship Him

We worship the Lamb that was slain
We worship the Christ Who was stained
For the nations of earth to kneel and proclaim
You are God

Song Story – “Habakkuk’s Prayer”

This song has to have the most interesting title on the whole album. For a long time I have been fascinated by Habakkuk’s prayer at the end of his book. We all know we’re supposed to have joy in our trials, but when the pain is so strong, the last thing we want to do is rejoice. It’s in these situations I want my heart and mind to be informed by Scripture, not my own mind dictating my response.

This song was birthed directly out of a painful physical battle. To this day, I am still not fully healed, but I am awaiting the fulfillment of God’s promise for me.

Habakkuk’s prayer in 3:17-19 lists his own struggle with the promise of God’s justice. I almost decided against writing this song because the struggle of Habakkuk seemed irrelevant to today – fig trees, fruit, the produce of olives, flocks, herds – not your everyday prayer request.

But then I was confronted with this truth: if we dismiss parts of the Bible as irrelevant, we are in danger of deciding for ourselves what to apply and what not to apply.

I wrote this song mainly word for word from the ESV translation of the Bible, and added a few of my own struggles through this difficult time. Each line has significant meaning for me personally. I was feeling the ‘the pain of loss’ as a worship leader unable to sing, a musician unable to play an instrument, and a leader unable to lead due to health problems.

This is a song I go back to when the pain is strong and God feels far away. “I will take joy in the God of my salvation!”

Though the fig tree should not blossom
Nor fruit be on the vines
Though the produce of the olive fail
And the fields should yield no food
Though the flock be cut off from the fold
And their be no herd in the stalls
Though justice seems so far away
I know that I am yours
Yes, I am yours

And I will rejoice
I will rejoice in the Lord
I will rejoice
I will take joy in the God of my salvation
I will rejoice

Though weakness be my only state
And the pain of loss so strong
Though I don’t understand your ways
I know I’m held in your arms
And this will be my song

You are my strength, O Sovereign Lord
You make my feet just like the deer
You enable my heart to tread the mountains
You bring hope, You are hope

Song Story: “Way of Surrender”

Now that my album has finally been released, I will begin posting the remainder of my song stories. My intention here is to take you little deeper into why the song was written, how the song was written, and what it means to me.

“Way of Surrender” was the first song I ever wrote that I actually liked. Prior to this song were attempts at songwriting that were shameful, to say the least (though all songwriters need to write a lot of bad songs before they write a good one). Of all the songs on this album, this may be the most special to me.

I sought to articulate a couple of truths:

• That to follow Jesus means walking a path of surrender and dying to self
• That following Jesus is the greatest joy and pleasure in life
• That our true “calling” and highest aim in life must be to know and love Jesus Christ

Remember those early junior high/high school years where you are asking the question (and a million other people are asking you), “What am I going to do with my life? What is my calling?” I didn’t really know the specifics of what I was going to do at the time of this writing, but I did know this: I wanted to live in the presence of God and love Him with all of my heart.

This song is a constant reminder to me of who I am and what I am about. When I don’t feel this way, I sing this to myself and stir up the passion again. I hope it is a blessing to you.

My heart is stirred by just one thing – to know You, God
To come before You every day and stand in awe
To live within Your presence, Lord, is the call upon my life
This interchange of holy love is the source of my delight

This is my pleasure
This one thing do I long for

Jesus, You are my love
Reigning forever as Lord of my heart
Jesus, You are the way
The Way of Surrender I walk each day

The closer that I come to You the more I die
The more I come to realize “to live is Christ”
“Blessed are the pure in heart, they will see God”
For they are set apart and set upon this walk of love

More than pleasures, more than fame
More than these gifts I long for Your face
More than the riches I treasure in vain
More than this life I long for Your face

How can I buy a CD?

I know many of you are wondering how you can purchase my new CD, “Near”. I will be receiving a shipment of CDs tomorrow. Eventually, you will be able to get it at iTunes as a download, or at CD Baby as a CD. That will take a few weeks to get up and running.

Until then, you can purchase them at Allison Park Church or just shoot me an email at daves@allisonparkchurch.com.

Looking forward to sharing this with you…

Days away from album release!

Today I’m sending my album master and artwork to Discmakers for duplication. Discmakers is known for a fast turn-around, so I expect to have the album in about a week. I have been praying for this album over the last couple years that God would use it to do a number of things. Here’s what I’ve prayed:

• That God would use it to strengthen weary hearts
• That it would ‘draw attention to’ the glory of God
• That it would help people meditate on Scripture
• That it would challenge people to a deeper spiritual life

I pray that, if you purchase one of these CDs, it will assist you in your journey with God. Thanks for listening.

DS