Divine Invitation
Creations Call - Shimmering, echoing guitars on a vast-horizon soundscape morph into torrents of distortion and waves of harmonies. The lyrics are from Luke 19 where Jesus says that if the people are silent that the rocks will cry outcreation cries out to worship God, Eric says. The pounding oceans, the songs of the birds, the howling windsthey all point to a Creator.
Words That You Say - A spare, angular melody quietly climbs the splintery steps toward heavena plea to sup with Jesus. I think sometimes people, myself included, come to church desiring an experience rather than a true turning of their wills to God, Nick reveals. This song is a prayer of devotion.
Infinite - Dark, minor key verses find sunshine in a powerful chorus of exuberance, hope, and praise. Faith is real when life seems dark and hopeless, Eric confesses. The measure of ones view of God is tested in those times. The bigger the view I have of God, the more I will trust Him through the darker parts of life. This song reaches both ends of the spectrum. Nick adds: I ask myself, How strong is my belief, really? How central is this belief in my life? I have found these questions mobilizing, especially in my struggle for true faith.
Divine Invitation - Malinas Fender Rhodes keyboard carries the misty gray melody for this hushed, reverent balladuntil the band crushes it with a pained, passionate conclusion. The chorus comes from the writings of St. Augustine, Malina reveals. That our souls are restless until we find our rest in God. Theres a place where we belong, where we have a home, where our longing can be metand that is our divine invitation.
Spirit Waltz - Quiet acoustics gently cradle beautiful, inventive vocals. Life with God is like a dance, Eric explains. Our hunger for Him is like a heart breaking, yet that heart can never break enough. Malina adds, God is someone we know to be true, almost as if Hes a well dug deep in us, full of water for our lives, our homes. And we barely know the depth of our longing for Him.
When I Search - This isnt a song that says, This is what I know, but a song that says, This is what Im seeking, Eric notes. That keeps us humble and launches us into an unbiased journey into the heart of God. Nick adds, Its about how desperate as a world, a church, and individuals we are for Godand how only he can satisfy. Its based on passages in Isaiah.
Rains Pour Down - Keyboards, drums, bass, and jangling guitars combine to capture the essence of being drenched by water from above. Hebrews 6 talks about the land that drinks in the rain, Eric explains. We are like dry ground, and the spirit of God flows like a flood. Lenny sums it up: God gives us what we need to grow.
In the Burning - Desperate, fiery vocals. Dry, parched guitars. Tension in every note. Its the music of a soul almost crazy, urgently longing for the cool, healing touch of God. When youre passionate to know God, Eric admits, you somehow get lost and overwhelmed in the process.
Weight Of The World - A lone piano and Erics emotional vocal make this brief track perhaps the most arresting on the album. The song sounds heavy, the words feel heavy, Eric reveals. Our God carries all this weight, and his sovereignty is overpowering. Malina adds, Its loosely based on C.S. Lewis The Weight of Glory. The song is a confession of faith. Ultimately we cannot understand who God is or even how He can be what He says He iswe can only believe. Says Lenny, God makes the world go roundliterally.
Please - The band collectively wades into deeper and deeper waters of sound until theyre washed over by whirlpools of everything from guitar noise and vocal harmonies to hand bells, sleigh bells, and church bells. One of my biggest fears is that God really isnt true and the security Ive found in an intimate God will be gone, Malina bravely admits. The chorus puts a voice to that by pleading for God to say, Im true! Im near! I do know you! John adds, Its about longing for God in tough times even though we cannot see him, touch him, or feel him.
Better Is One Day - Matt Redmans neo-classic takes on a moody Euro tone here, full of at once ethereal and heavy-handed guitars. Says Nick: Dallas Willard talks about the kingdom of God being here, for the taking, and how Jesus says to revise your plans for living because Gods goodness, His will, His sovereign hand is here, present, and available.
I Fall - The band closes out the album with a postmodern lullaby full of falsetto voices, eerie chords and atmospherics, all whispering divine love to the listener. This is my favorite song on the album, no question, Malina says. Its a love song containing profound mysterythat God would know me and pursue me, and that I am intrigued and drawn to Him. The song totally takes me to another place. Kinda like when it snows and everything is quiet. Its about a much more intriguing eternity I can connect with than Sunday school streets of gold.
