Not to Us (Psalm 115:1)

The entire concept of the album is summed up in the seven letters of three simple words.  It is the heart behind our message:  It's all about and for God.  On the surface, it may seem like a negative title, but we feel it's the most positive thing we can say.


Wonderful Maker

I spent a few days with Matt [Redman] on his sabbatical in California.  It was our first time to write together, so we were both a bit nervous about it.  We simply placed ourselves in a quiet spot in the back of a church for a couple of days.  "Wonderful Maker" really wrote itself.  We were trying to wrap our minds around the enormous idea of God creating the world and redeeming the world at the same time, and we both sensed something special in that room, in the wedding of lyric and melody.  I am so grateful to God for that time with Him and my friend Matt.


Come Home Running

This is simply the story of the prodigal son.  It's an honest song, and song that we all live.  It reminds me of the words from a hymn very close to me, "Prone to wander, oh I feel it, prone to leave the God I love; here's my heart, oh take it and seal it, seal it for they courts above."

Jesse [Reeves] and I had gone out to his parents' ranch just to be quiet and write.  It our makeshift "Lonesome Dove" studio, we finished this song.


Everything

I find it interesting that we respond and seek God when the trials and tragedies of life come our way, but seldom really praise or even acknowledge God for His blessings and goodness.  This song is a proclamation of the truth "that every good and perfect gift is from above..."


Come Let Us Worship (Psalm 95)

Inspired from this scripture of worship, as well as by many of my friends who seem to be holding on to God with their last grip.  That's where the lines "come and lay your burdens down...and we will never be forsaken" were birthed.


Overflow

Daniel [Carson] had given his journal to Jesse [Reeves] for us to look through as we were writing.  With each page, there were such uniquely written lines.  He has such a way with words.  One line in particular caught my attention:  "Your life is living me..."  There was already the rhyme and rhythm to Daniel's lines, the song that wrote itself once we found the melody...

This song didn't make the first cut of choices for the record, but as song that demand to be heart often do, it kept sticking it's hand up 'til we called on it.


Famous One (Psalm 19:1-4, Philippians 2:9-11)

I love the word "famous" to describe Jesus.  A lot of people don't understand words like "glorious" and "holy" but people understand the word "fame."  Our culture and society puts a high priority and value on it.  But if you really want to understand fame, there's no fame like that of Jesus.  It's way beyond earthly; it's eternal fame.  It's universal fame.  Every tongue will confess and every knee will bow.


Enough

Louie [Giglio] slipped me a page from his journal with yet another really big thought, the idea that God is more awesome than anything we've ever known, than anything we've ever seen, than anything we've ever wanted, than anything we've ever needed.  His scribbled page started with these words, "All of you is more than enough for all of me, for every thirst and every need."  I simply took it from there.


Unchanging

This may sound a bit weird, but "Unchanging" is one of those songs that the guitar seemed to write with me. No, I'm not crazy.  I know it's just a wooden box with metal and wires, but sometimes when I'm playing at home alone, it seems to inspire melodies and lyrics.  This song came out of a time alone with God, where it was simply me and my guitar singing and playing to Him.


The River

In Ezekiel 47, there is a prophecy of a river that flows from the heart of God.  It is a raging river that no one can cross.  Standing in the middle of the river, Zeke is asked an interesting question, "Can you see it?"  You would think that would be a crazy question if you were standing out in it, but how many times do we miss it?  It's running through our towns, through our work, our schools, our families, our money, and it often runs through us without even a notice.  Verse 9 says it best, "So where the river flows, everything will live."  That's what we want this music to be about, what we want our lives to be about, bringing life to dead places!