Wrestling the Angels

Song by Song

Offering - To me, this is basically one of the benchmark songs on the record based primarily on the opening line "I will not give what costs me nothing." It's expensive to live for Jesus, requiring a lot of sacrifices when it comes to putting Him at the forefront of our lives. I hope people can worship along with me to this song, while encouraging them to offer up something of great value to the Lord - He is worth it.

Open Up the Sky - Often we want certain things, yet the Lord wants to give us something grander. Sometimes as Christians we're guilty of boxing ourselves in; this song talks about leaving those preconceived notions behind. There's a line that says "I had set my sights with such narrow mindedness," which is basically a prompt for us to reach past the limits and confines of our own thinking. Sometimes we can get too caught up in our own dreams that we miss the greater picture around us.

Shade - This is kind of a worship tune yet it's poetic at the same time. "I've had enough of counterfeit love" is the opening line and I think there are a lot of people who can identify with that experience. Regardless of where you've been, the essence of Christ is that He's our shade and our resting place. This is a song of proclamation, esteeming Him as our refuge.

Smiled on Me - Most of our time is spent traveling around in our Dodge Ram Diesel pick-up truck. We wrote this song with our friend and producer Michael Aukofer as a celebration of this life that we get to live on the road, and we used the bits of wisdom we learned from people (and a parrot) that we've met along the way.

Wrestling the Angels - After wrestling through the night with the angel of the Lord, Jacob bravely breathed the words: "I will not let you go until you bless me." Jacob was willing to stay in the fight and wrestle through the night because he knew that whatever blessing the Lord had for him was worth the wait and worth the fight. And so he walked away with a limp - a changed and different man. This is the way I want to walk away from all of my encounters with the Lord. And if wrestling and limping and struggling are the means by which I can take hold of Him and His blessing, I am honored to be counted in.

Love Has Come - This song loosely references the Mary/Martha contrast in scripture. Christ is here with us everyday, yet we can often miss Him in the midst of our busyness and agendas. Mary chose what was needful: to sit at His feet. "Love Has Come" focuses on the importance of simply being as opposed to doing.

Say the Word - I love the whole idea surrounding the type of God we serve - a God who is very powerful, shakes mountains, calms storms, and speaks without making a sound. This one's about finding a real intimacy and communion with God, pleading for to speak into our lives in a way that only He can.

Miss You Here - I really took this from the part of Romans where Paul talks about seeing God in all of creation. God is always present; His image is painted upon the faces of people and His glory is sketched in His creation. One of my greatest fears would be to miss Him in the here and now.

Yet Will I Praise - I'm especially personally attached to this one. Gleaning from the well-known prayer of Habbakuk, this song talks about trusting and praising God at all times, even in the toughest moments. Despite the difficulties in life, we can choose to praise, knowing He is the God of our joy as well as our pain.

Walk Me Through - When we experience challenges in life, we can turn to Christ because He's been in our shoes. He's breathed our breath, walked our steps, and has tasted all the elements of what it means to be human. Only He fully understands every pain, frustration, and temptation we may be going through, thus the cry for Him to walk me through.

Captives Dance - It's kind of like and Old Testament meets modern day story. The Israelites were wandering in captivity but were always looking towards the day when the clouds would break free. We may have been born into this world captive, but because of Christ's coming, He's given us the capacity to dance freely, though we once were captives.

You're Listening - This is probably the most honest and soul baring song on the record. When my soul aches or the things I've hoped for slip away, the Lord may not answer me in the way I'd like Him to, but He hears me. He's compassionate even when I don't understand. We can still take comfort in knowing that our good and faithful God is listening.