both of these songs have been getting a lot of airtime on my computer recently. i love the new arrangements/additions to these classic choruses.
both hillsong and mr. hughes have, in my opinion, a wonderful sense of musicality and dynamics in worship and i think each of these tracks are absolute homeruns.
the question is: which song would you be more excited about singing on a sunday morning?
i wasn’t always a Delirious? fan. in fact, like this blog post (if you didn’t know, Delirious? has officially retired), i was pretty late to the party.
i always knew they were around, even went to a show of theirs back in high school. but i think i was only there for whoever was opening for them.
back then the only album of theirs i had was King Of Fools and, to be honest, the only track i found myself listening to was King Or Cripple, a favorite of mine to the present date.
but it wasn’t till after college that i started to really pay attention to their music.
it was their song Jesus’ Blood on the Glo album that first drew me in. there was something striking about the simplicity of the song itself countered with the incredible complexity of the production. i remember listening to that song on repeat driving from fresno to hanford in the final weeks of my senior year, each time finding myself enjoying it more and more.
when i got my hands on The Mission Bell, their 2005 album, it stayed on a continual ipod loop for weeks and weeks. it was in those weeks where i realized how special and unique their song-writing was. even the songs that i didn’t love were meaningful and thought-provoking…all of them were, most of all, worshipful.
as i dug deeper into their catalog i was always impressed at how they could grow in their music while never losing the atmosphere of praise in the songs. each record was so unique it was not always easy to tell which was from 2005 and which was from 1995.
then, in 2008, came Kingdom Of Comfort, their final studio album.
to me, it exemplified everything that inspires me about their music. originality. incredible production. challenging musicality. beautiful arrangements. lyrical variety. show-stopping performance. and a worship that is personal and powerful.
that’s where My Soul Sings comes in.
this song (that is hopefully playing as you read this post) demonstrates who Delirious? is in my listening. the song is perfect. i am hard-pressed to find a more lush and composed piece of music that glorifies the Lord.
i could listen to this song (and several others from this band) forever and ever. it really does make my soul want to sing.
if you happen to be one of the few people out there who hasn’t yet discovered these precious praise songs from across the pond, it’s time to join in.
and if you are a fan already, i would urge you to return this week to a Delirious? playlist.
very seldom do i find music that makes me want to love the Lord more, but these guys do it every time.
it’s sunday and that means it’s time for another round of Star Struck, a post series where i share a post that i ‘starred’ in Google Reader sometime this week for any number of silly reasons.
ok…honestly, i want to highlight a non-lifehacker post…but their information is just so darn unique and helpful. so, here’s a plea for everyone else in my reader to step it up so that this occasional post-series can be more than a lifehacker regurgitation!
that said, our friends @lifehacker have done it again with a great how-to on an unusual neck-tie knot.
their post illustrates (with video) the procedure of tying a ‘merovingian’ knot (per the uber-stylish folks of the Matrix).
since i can’t recommend the video they embedded (since so many people have a hard time speaking without coarseness), here’s another version:
so, seems to me that summer is one of those times of year where people set out to accomplish some arbitrary goals, like…recarpet their loft or start eating farm fresh or read/finish a book.
if the latter applies to you, then let me heartily suggest one of the free ebooks from Gospel For Asia.
author kp yohannan (who is also the founder/director of gfa) has penned a number of books on a wide variety of topics. his most popular by far is Revolution In World Missions, which you can get free from GFA.
honestly, if you’re looking for a book to read, check out GFA’s resource page, where you’ll find books on a wide variety of topics:
i downloaded A Life Of Balance and am looking forward to putting it in line after the other 4 books i need to read.
anyway, i certainly haven’t made it a habit of plugging products during positive post tuesday, but this morning i am compelled.
here’s why:
last night kelly and i went to see the movie that everyone is talking about.
now, aside from being BIG pixar fans, we were still blown away by this gem of a film.
here’s the thing; i loved it because it was well made. it was well acted. it was well produced. it was well scored.
it looked good. it sounded good. it was funny. it was thoughtful.
but most of all, it reminded me of many of the values that i hold so dear.
things like self-sacrifice. unconditional love. the joy and wonder of marriage. things that are so important to people like us, yet so often neglected, overlooked and even mocked in mainstream america planet earth.
pixar has given us a movie that dares the viewers to love others more and love ourselves less. it is a movie that glorifies family and togetherness and love that is willing to put someone else first.
i think on average we’re pretty quick to allow something through our eyes and into our minds that sends much different messages. and, once in there, it’s really hard to get out.
look, i like movies, but last night i was reminded of how important it is to put good things in, rather than bad not good. i was reminded that i love my wife. that i can choose to help others and that people all around me are struggling with all sorts of things.
now, the difference between me and pixar is that i know the ultimate answer to life is Jesus Christ. but i must say that the drive home from the theater was a great time of reflection and enjoyment for me as i thought about all the good things God has done for us and how a little animated movie reminded me of them.
it’s sunday and that means it’s time for another round of Star Struck, a post series where i share a post that i ‘starred’ in Google Reader sometime this week for any number of silly reasons.
today’s installment is, once again, courtesy of the fine folks over @lifehacker, whose post on wednesday the 15th provided a possibly fantastic resource.
it’s called ContactHelp and it’s a web database that gives you tips, helps and techniques to getting through automated customer service lines and connected to a real life person. GOLD!
it was definitely star worthy, so, head over to lifehacker and read about it yourself.
