Winter Snow by Audrey Assad has quickly become one of my favorite songs. The melody is so intimate and the lyric paints a beautiful picture of a Savior whose very entrance into the earth wasn’t forceful, regal or grand, but rather graceful… blanketing… covering.
Could’ve come like a mighty storm
with all the strength of a hurricane
You could’ve come like a forrest fire
with the power of heaven in your flame
But you came like a winter snow
quiet and soft and slow
Falling from the sky in the night
to the earth below
Could’ve swept in like a tidal wave
or an ocean to ravish our hearts
You could have come through like a roaring flood
to wipe away the things we’ve scarred
No, your voice wasn’t in a bush burning
No, your voice wasn’t in a rushing wind
It was still, it was small, it was hidden
Thanks everybody who participated in the Israel Houghton “Love God. Love People.” CD Giveaway. You guys rock! I love being able to do these giveaways and get great stuff into people’s hands!
Congratulations to the following 5 people, each of whom will receive a copy of Israel Houghton’s “Love God. Love People.” CD BEFORE IT HITS STORES AUGUST 31, courtesy of Integrity Music.
If you didn’t win a copy of “Love God. Love People.” you should definitely pick up a copy when it releases in stores and online next Tuesday, August 31!
I’ve got some more cool giveaways coming up, so stay tuned!
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” – Matthew 28:36-40
It is around this core Biblical theme where Israel Houghton chose to center the heart of his new album, “Love God. Love People.” Israel is no stranger to pushing the musical envelope and creating a virtual stylistic melting pot and the new album, recorded at London’s famed Abbey Road Studios, is bursting at the seams with fresh sounds and expressions, all the while never straying too far from the signature Israel Houghton sound.
Songs like “Yahweh (The Lifter)” and the first single “You Hold My World” could easily be adopted by church worship teams while the title track and Israel’s take on Chris Tomlin’s “Our God” bring new sounds into the mix, and the result is quite remarkable.
My favorite song is probably “Surprises”, which features a guest vocal from Fred Hammond. I love the lyrical concept, the production and the way the song progresses and develops, ending much different than it began. It’s quite dope, actually.
Here’s a little taste of what you can expect from the album:
“Love God. Love People.” does not release until August 31, but the good people at Integrity Music are giving 5 AnIdolHeart.com readers an opportunity to WIN IT BEFORE YOU CAN BUY IT! Pretty awesome, eh? Who loves ya, baby?!?!
There are 2 ways to enter!
1. Leave a comment below with what your favorite worship song is right now.
This giveaway will only go until 10:00am CT Tuesday, August 24. At that time, I will randomly select 5 entries from all the comments and tweets and those 5 people will each receive a copy of Israel Houghton’s “Love God. Love People.” before it is even available in stores, courtesy of Integrity Music!
I live in Nashville, where we are experiencing a natural disaster of historic proportions. We received more rain in 2 days than Nashville historically has seen in all of May… which produced massive widespread flooding unlike anything this town has ever seen. Homes by the hundreds (if not thousands), popular attractions and landmarks and entire parts of the city are buried under water. Historic downtown Franklin… the Gaylord Opryland hotel… scenic Bellevue… downtown Nashville… the Grand Ole Opry… entire interstates… completely flooded. (photo courtesy of Kelsey Wynn)
The steady stream of live news, Twitpics, videos, images and media over the past 48 hours have been almost numbing. But there is no time to be numb, because there is loss, devastation and people who need help just about everywhere you look. I am grateful that I did not experience any personal loss, but my heart is just broken for the many who lost so much.
You can really never explain away the pain caused by this kind of destruction. It is a sobering reminder that we are not really in control as much as we like to think we are. In his new book, “Plan B”, Pete Wilson talks about the illusion of control, saying “the greatest of all illusions is the illusion of control.” I don’t know if I have ever personally witnessed a greater example of that in my life than right now.
Stories of complete destruction are being written all over Nashville. But in the midst of the chaos and hopelessness, other stories are also being written… stories of redemption and restoration… stories of community… stories of survival… stories of hope.
All day today, the song “God Of This City” has been running through my head. As I watch the constant twitter stream of images and damage reports, I find my heart singing…
You’re the God of this City
You’re the King of these people
You’re the Lord of this nation
You are
As I watch the news reports that the Cumberland river is continuing to rise even at this very moment, and people all over this city grasp for hope and ask “what now?” while others ask “how can I help?”, I’m singing…
You’re the Light in this darkness
You’re the Hope to the hopeless
You’re the Peace to the restless
You are
But as the waters continue to rise, they do not rise alone. I cannot escape an overwhelming sense of hope that is also rising, as this city reaches out to each other, becoming the hands and feet of Jesus to the broken. I do not pretend to know or understand what God is doing or how He is working. But I’ll tell you what I do know… a song is also rising…
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this city
Thanks everybody who participated in the Passion “Awakening” CD Giveaway! I really enjoyed reading everyone’s personal “Awakening” moments and I appreciate all the RTs!
Congratulations to the following 5 people, each of whom will receive a copy of the Passion “Awakening” CD, courtesy of Sparrow Records.
