Less Like Scars

This song was initially inspired by our new post-Sept. 11th life. With every experience in life, we have the choice to approach it saying "this is going to be the death of me" or "this is going to make me stronger." I didn't want to discount the pain people have experienced, but I also wanted to give God credit for how he transforms and redeems the dark times in our lives.


Every Minute

The more I travel and the more I experience, the more I realize how important my close friends and family are to me. I wrote this song to all the people I love, trying to express my wish to gather them all in one place. It may never happen this side of Heaven, but in the meantime I'll continue to wear out my welcome with those I love whenever I get the chance.


Fly

A lot of husbands think they are loving their wives by providing for them, but often it's the little things. You could give me a car or a "you look beautiful tonight" and I'll take the latter. So this is a song from a woman's perspective about the often-unrecognized power a husband has to empower his wife.


You Did That For Me

I heard Pierce Pettis perform this song twice in concert, but then it wasn't included on his last album so I e-mailed his wife. She told me to feel free to record it myself so I did. I love the kind of blues-y, Bonnie Raitt sound of it. And I love how it turned out because Phil Madeira on the dobro just kills me.


One More Thing

With a growing career and a new baby, it has become more important than ever to set limits. It's so hard to turn down wonderful opportunities, but there's always "just one more thing" and I need to keep my priorities in order. To me, love is when you put down that one more thing and say, "Honey, I'm going to put you first." My husband Troy and I are working on doing that more often.


All Right Here

This is just a simple observation song. When I talk to you, I'm talking to all your experiences. We're all carrying stuff around and our history leaks out whether we want it to or not. I believe we have to incorporate all that happens into who we are because that's our story. And God's going to use it bring glory to Himself.


Remember Surrender

Growing up, there was a lot of "altar time" in our church and I continue to appreciate that opportunity to go to the altar and lay down the stuff I'm carrying around. All of us get wrapped up. This song is the spiritual equivalent of waving smelling salts under someone's nose, of saying "do you remember those moments when you just let go?"


Maybe There's a Loving God

This song looks at life through the eyes of a teenage girl struggling to find her place. While the world tells her she's just a great cosmic accident, she begins to ponder the idea that maybe there's something more. While I never doubted God as a teenager, the stars were a constant reminder. If He has a plan for a ball of gas, I have to believe He has a plan for me. With teenagers, we often see anger and attitude and angst, and we respond accordingly. The song is an attempt to encourage adults to look past teens' behavior to the deeper issues they're wrestling with.


This Peace

Sometimes I feel like we've turned Christianity into self-help. We want our Christian walk to be pleasant even as we're told "in this world you will have trouble." There will be a peace that passes understanding when we face trials, but there's an element of Heaven we won't have until we get there. We were never promised peace on Earth. Instead, we were told to expect trouble. But we've also been assured that if we ask, we'll be given the strength to handle whatever comes.


Tornado

This song is about those people who are constantly turning your life upside down, the ones who require you to forgive and forgive and forgive. I started wondering just what that forgiveness would look like and decided to take a very tongue-in-cheek approach to a very heavy topic. Everyone has someone like this in their life at one time or another, and that whole idea of how to forgive them when they never really seem sorry for the messes they make seemed worth exploring.


First Song That I Sing

This song is based on an excerpt by C.S. Lewis titled "Your First Job." In it, he talks about how your first job isn't to eat breakfast or read the paper. Your first job is to ward off all the things that will vie for your time that day and keep you from God. From the minute you wake up there are distractions. This song is a reminder that one of the most important things we can do each day is to push them aside to make room for what's truly important.


You Cannot Lose My Love

This song is for my son, Kirby, but it could be from God as well. This baby came out of my body and while I didn't know him, I felt immediately protective. This fierceness came out in me. Experiencing that helped to realize how fiercely God loves us and there's nothing we can ever do that will change the way He feels.


Jesus, You're Beautiful