Burning Lights

Can you believe it? This week's Billboard 200 album chart is not filled with the usual pop artists at the top. Nope. This week, Christian music artist Chris Tomlin holds the number one spot with his newest album release, Burning Lights. His new album was released on January 8, 2013. I was very excited for Tomlin's new album to come out! He is one of my favorite Christian artists, and his music always resonates with me. After listening to his new album, I believe I know the message he is sharing with his audience. Burning Lights is a collection of tributes which declare our dependence on God, our lives of service to Him, and the joy that accompanies this amazing gift. 

Chris Tomlin's new songs accurately capture the God of the Bible. Tomlin does this by portraying Him in vivid terms such as 'the God of Angel Armies' and 'a great God of countless wonders'. Tomlin's song, "Awake my Soul" features the voices of LeCrae. LeCrae powerfully speaks the words of Ezekiel's prophecy concerning Israel, found in Ezekiel 37 (The Valley of Dry Bone). One of my favorite songs on Burning Lights has to be "Lay Me Down." Although there was already a live recording of "Lay Me Down" from Passion 2012, this is a studio recording. "Lay Me Down" is an unashamed declaration of faith and desire to serve God. "I lay me down, I am not my own, I belong to You alone, lay me down, lay me down...there is no life apart from You, lay me down" is the bold testimonial of this song. This song has a special place in my heart, which I will talk about in my next post.     

Passion 2013

January 1-4 I attended the 2013 Passion Conference. The four-day conference, held in the Georgia Dome, featured speakers like  Beth Moore, Louie Giglio, Francis Chan, and John Piper in addition to worship led by Chris Tomlin, Kristian Standfill, Charlie Hall, Christy Nockles, Matt Redman, Jesus Culture, and David Crowder (plus a short concert by Lecrae). This year’s conference was attended by 60,000 18-25 year olds from all 50 states and 50 different countries. In addition, over $3 million was donated to end modern day slavery as a part of the End It Movement. Passion is about uniting as believers to glorify the name of Jesus Christ through worship with music and preaching.

“If you live for others approval, you will die by their rejection.” - Lecrae

“Jesus is the key that unlocks the mystery of history. Once unlocked, it is clear He’s the center of the story.” - John Piper

Passion is an experience that you can hardly describe without cheapening it in some way. God's presence is so heavily felt in that place, that it would seem impossible to leave unchanged.