The Music

Holy God
(Revelation 21:3; Psalm 33:21)
God is many things to His children. Yes, He is a holy, sovereign God. He is also the Savior, who came to save this world from eternal hell. He is a friend, who listens to his children and helps them in times of need. He is a Father, with an unending, unconditional love. He is the King, the ruler of this universe and every other. Because of all that He is, we should praise His name forever. The Bible tells us that if we don't praise Him, the rocks of the Earth will cry out in praise. Because of His love, we should give our lives and service to Him.

When I Fall
(Isaiah 44:22; Romans 5:8; Romans 6:14)
When I Fall is a very important song because people need to understand the forgiving, loving nature of God. Romans 6:14 says that sin will not have power over us because we have been given the grace of God. Our sins have been blotted out and separated as far as the east is from the west. Forgiveness is one of the great attributes of God. Through His model of forgiveness, we should learn to forgive others and ourselves.

Beautiful
(John 8:12; 2 Corinthians 4:6; Isaiah 60:2)
One of the hardest things that we have to learn is that we are Beautiful in the light of Jesus. It doesn't matter what we have done in the past or what we will do in the future, Jesus' light illuminates everything in its path. Because of this awesome fact, we don't have to live in darkness, loneliness or fear. We are reminded by the Lord God Himself that He loves us even though He knows everything about us. We cannot live apart from Him. When we try, our endeavors become trite, unsuccessful attempts at a happiness we cannot come to on our own. The one way to true happiness and beauty is acceptance of Jesus Christ and living near the Heart of God.

He's With Me
(Matthew 14:28-31; Mark 4:39)
The story of Peter walking on the water reminds me of my daily life with the Lord. Peter saw Jesus walking on the water and asked Jesus if he could do the same. Peter stepped out onto the water in faith. As long as Peter kept his eyes on Christ, Peter was able to stay on top of the water, but soon Peter was distracted with fear and doubt. He took his eyes off Jesus and immediately began to sink. Our daily lives are so much like Peter's story. As long as we keep focused on Christ and refuse to be riddled with fear and doubt, we will be able to accomplish great things. As soon as we lose our focus, our lives begin to sink.

In God We Trust
(Mark 10:21, Psalm 28:7)
In God We Trust is a statement that is used over and over again in our daily lives. We see it on our money. We see it on billboard signs. We hear it at church, in the grocery store, at the bank, the mall; just about everywhere. What does it really mean? Do we really trust in God or is it just a comment to make us feel better? David suggested in Psalm that he trusted God more than he trusted anything, even his own sword. He wasn't afraid of men, for what were mere men, compared to the Lord Himself?
I'm not sure many have that same trust in God today. I guess what bothers me the most is that we really don't put our faith and trust in God. We just say we do. In 2001, when the World Trade Center was destroyed and so many lives were lost, God came to the forefront of America's daily life. Not only did people become patriotic all of a sudden, but people started talking about God. It reminded me of a saying -people look up when there's no where else to look. Almost as quickly as that happened, people forgot once more the God they were so anxious to call out to. (sounds like the people of Israel, when Moses led them out of Egypt) This song is a wake up call to all those who say they trust in God, but really don't…they put their trust in the things of this world.

The Heart of God
(John 14:2-3; Romans 5:8)

There is a place where we can go when we have trials and temptation. This is a very special place that only those who accept Christ may dwell. It is a place that is near the Heart of God. God is a loving father, who lovingly draws his children close to Him. He wants his children to live their lives in comfort and sweet peace. We can only have this peace and comfort when we choose to dwell near the Heart of God.

I Will Not Fear
(Psalm 23; John 14:27; Psalm 56:3 )
Psalm 23 is a favorite verse of mine. The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want...He restores my soul and leads me in the right paths. I wrote this song on my very first trip to Nashville. I was at my hotel and quite worried about staying there alone. It was storming outside and the electricity suddenly went off. The only thing I could do was pray and recite Bible verses. The only verse that would come to mind was Psalm 23. When the electricity finally came back on, I started writing and these are the lyrics God gave me: I will not fear, I will not faint, Death is a shadow, not reality for a Saint. You are always with me, comforting and cleansing, anointing me with your eternal grace. I will not fear, I will not faint. "NO FEAR" has new meaning to me.

Let Me
(Matthew 19:14; Proverbs 4:1)
I wrote the lyrics for this song as a testimony to my children. It didn't start out as a rock song though. When I first came up with the idea, the music sounded sort of like a country song. I wanted my kids to have a song that I wrote just for them so they'd always know how much I love them. I wanted them to be able to sing along with it and enjoy the song. Eric Copeland took the lyrics and the music and turned it into this great rock tune which is really a blast to sing. My kids always ask to hear this song first. It was only right that I have my daughter sing an intro to the song. As we were tracking this song, Dave Cleveland (guitars) added so much to the flavor of the song. His guitar solo of "Jesus Loves the Little Children" was amazing! He only played the solo once in the studio and that's all we needed. All I have left to say is "ROCK ON."

Fire Falls
(Jeremiah 29:11-13; Romans 6:23)
This song is a challenge to those who have not yet trust Christ as their Savior. When everything in life seems to be consumed by the fires of this world, what will you do? When life is so difficult, there seems to be no answers and no one to turn to, what will you do? There is a simple answer, yet many find it difficult to accept. Some will never accept, because they can't see past the flames. Jesus Christ is the ultimate fireman. He will put out the fires of life and in the end extinguish your fiery path to hell. The Bible reminds us that "the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus."

Great is Thy Faithfulness
(Lamentations 3:22-24; I John 1:9)
Great is Thy Faithfulness is such a great song. The words, written by poet Thomas Chisholm, come directly from Lamentations 3. The song first appeared in a hymnal around 1923 and its composer said, "This particular poem held such an appeal that I prayed most earnestly that my tune might carry over its message in a worthy way, and the subsequent history of its use indicates that God answered prayer." It is true; God has used this song over and over through the years. I love to sing this song because the melody is beautiful and the words are true. God is faithful. He never changes. Creation sings His praises and so will I - every day of my life.