Abba is on itunes.....

Abba is on itunes waiting for you......Click here to download Abba on itunes

South Africa....

 Next month my band and I are flying over the Atlantic Ocean to the beautiful nation of South Africa. We are meeting up with two of my favorite people in whole world, Suzy and Kamran Yaraei,  to host a school of worship in the city of Johannesburg.  Suzy and I have been dreaming about going to the nations together for years. This trip is the fulfillment of lots of prayers and prophetic words. I can hardly wait to see what PaPa is going to do. You can find out more info about the school at the link below.

www.centralparks.co.za

The evenings of April 14-15th are nights where we will waste the evenings worshiping the Lord and anyone is welcome.  If you live in South Africa you need to be there, if you don't live in South Africa book some tickets.....

Order the "Abba" Single

Abba |ˈäbä; ˈabä|

noun

(in the New Testament) an intimate term for God as father.

ORIGIN via Greek from Aramaic ‛abbā ‘daddy.’

I wrote this song from a prayer of Brennan Manning in his book  "The Furious Longing of God." The prayer is just five simple words:  Abba, I belong to you. He tells you to take this prayer into a quiet place and with the rhythm of the your breathing inhale Abba and exhale I belong to you.  As I began to pray this prayer the love of God began to wreck my heart. I realized that Jesus began a revolution with one word. When he said the word Father he changed everything. Now he has invited us into this reality, into this place of belonging. To call God our Daddy, our Papa, our Abba.

This limited edition single is a eleven and half minute version of "Abba" The album opens with a beautiful piano intro and flows into an extended experience of worship. This album also includes a message on worship called "Worship Echo's"

To Order this album click here

                                                                       

Born to do great things

I have never had great success writing music, by trying really hard to write music.  Most of the music I have written is what accidentally falls out of my lips when I find myself helpless in His Presence.  The times when I try to whip up some great lyrics or melodies, it doesn't happen.  It is in the moments when I get lost in the great love He has for me that songs beyond my reach flow out effortlessly.

I have discovered that I often stumble into singing the breakthrough I am going to need for the journey ahead.  Many times I have looked back at the songs I wrote years before and realized that they contain the keys I need for my current season.  When I wrote "I Will Not Be Silent" I was just running after the heart of God and shouting at the giants who were trying to silence my voice.  At the time it seemed like a very simple song.  Almost six years later I am just starting to unpack the revelation that God crammed into that song for me.  The first and second verse go something like this:

I will not be silent
I was born to worship
I will not be quiet
the voice of fear will hold me back no more
I will not give up 
what is my inheritance 
I was born to do great things 
God is alive,  He is inside of me.

I used to be afraid to speak in public. You know why I wrestled with that fear?  Because the enemy fears the voice God has given me.  Fear comes against us because the enemy is afraid of us.  The exact places where we are created to do great things are the same places the enemy targets us with fear. 

A few weeks ago I had the honor to share this message at an amazing school called "Fire and Fragrance" in Kona, Hawaii.  The school is apart of the incredible mission movement called Y.W.A.M. that has been carrying the heart of God to the nations for over fifty years. 

You can find out more about YWAM and Fire and Fragrance at www.fireandfragrance.com

You can hear the message I shared at "Fire and Fragrance"  on our latest podcast by clicking here 

A Mighty Raucous Evening

Mr. Webster defines the word "catalyst" as: an agent that provokes or speeds significant change or action.  If I could use one word to describe my friend John Mark McMillan's music; It would be the word catalyst. The sound that flows out of John Mark's heart and guitar is significantly changing what we thought worship was or could be. John Mark is launching something new this spring called  "A Mighty Raucous Evening"  Its more than just a tour, its about creating an expectation for something new.  To find out more click here- www.johnmarkmcmillan.wordpress.com

Sing Winter

Don't be afraid of the silence. God may be doing more when you can not hear him, than when he is speaking. Redemption comes like the silent snow that falls while we sleep. You wake up and the entire landscape has changed. The dark and barren colors of winter are transformed into a bright white glory that almost blinds you. When you look out the window you see a brand new world. The snowflakes echo the silent redemption plan of a King who came as a baby. A baby who became the Savior and who stood silent as a lamb before the shearer. His silent sacrifice covered the whole earth in redemption that turned the crimson stains as white as snow.

My wife and I bought our son Cadence a ukulele for Christmas. A few nights before Christmas, when we were supposed to be wrapping his present, we started writing a song on his ukulele. The song was about the snowflakes falling and winters silent song. The next morning after breakfast we slipped into the bedroom to finish the song. As we were finishing the last verse of the song, we were interrupted by the joyful squeals of my two children playing outside. We looked out our window and were astonished to see them playing in a surprise snow storm. None of the weather reports had even mentioned the slightest chance of snow. We could hardly believe that the snow started falling as we finished the last verse of the song. This little video was filmed from our back porch just a few minutes later.


Sing Winter

Hear the snowflakes falling, winter's calling my name.
The silent song she's singing, what's she trying to say

Can I fall like glory, to wash your year away
All that remains was, really meant to stay

Come and clothe me winter, I really need a change
With silent redemption, cover me in grace

Hear the song of beauty, melodies and sounds
Cover you in white love, a joy you lost but now you found

Sing, sing, winter, sing me your silent song.

Upcoming Night of Worship

Last month we gathered at Grace Church in High Point, NC for a night of worship. It was one of those nights when the Lord hijacked every moment with His love.  Come and join us on January 28th. Our agenda is His Presence and our desire is to waste this night pouring our love out upon Him.

For more info go to www.aplacefortheheart.org