William Chong

Keith and Kristyn Getty: Awaken the Dawn

A collection of well-crafted modern hymns destined for building up the next generation of believers. A

In a time when most Christian artists are aiming for relevance in their music and lyrics, and churches increasingly opt for praise songs where you’re not sure whether you’re singing about God, your girlfriend/boyfriend or pet cat, the Gettys are certainly a breath of fresh air. Songwriter Keith Getty is most well-known for co-writing the now-mainstream worship standard, “In Christ Alone”, while Kristyn (née Lennox) is a stellar soprano who continues her noteworthy singing and career through the couple’s sophomore release.

“Awaken the Dawn” is a tour-de-force of easy-to-grasp melodies, powerful lyrics, orchestrated in a lush, Celtic style drawn from the Getty’s Irish roots. It’s a clutch of 12 modern hymns that chronologically traces the journey of a worship service in a seamless concept-album style. From the call to worship “Hear, O Israel” through to the final closing numbers of “May the Peace of God” and “What Grace is Mine”, each song reflects the Gettys’ intention of writing songs to “get people of every generation all across the world to sing… songs that will build up the Church and enable people to express more about who God is.” The album title comes from Psalm 57 – read out on the penultimate track by Kristyn in a charmingly Irish brogue.

On listening through the album, there’s a number of gems suitable for congregational praise. “By Faith” stands out as an uplifting anthem where the church can exhort: “We will stand as children of the promise”, while “Behold the Lamb (Communion Song)” – co-written with Stuart Townend – is tailor-made for celebrating communion together. Unorthodox time signature aside, “Creation Sings the Father’s Song” uniquely traces the reason for Christian hope through three verses detailing creation, the fall, redemption and consummation. It’s capped off with a resounding and memorable chorus of “Hallelujah! Let all creation stand and sing… the wonders of creation’s King”.

Other tracks are more comtemplative but equally rich in theology and thoughtfulness. “Compassion Hymn” and “Still, My Soul, Be Still” hone in on God’s peace and compassion, while “When Trials Come” speaks an honest, Job-like account of trusting God even when it hurts. The album closes with “What Grace is Mine“, a hauntingly moving arrangement set to the tune of well-known Irish melody “O Danny Boy”. Kristyn has penned new lyrics that proclaim the Gospel with power and clarity:

“What grace is mine that He who dwells in endless light
Called through the night to find my distant soul
And from his scars poured mercy that would plead for me
That I might live and in his name be known

So I will go wherever He is calling me
I lose my life to find my life in Him
I give my all to gain the hope that never dies
I bow my heart, take up my cross and follow Him …”

This is an album you’ll likely want to savour with your iPod or CD player on repeat, as the words become more and more alive through each playing. At my own church we’ve immensely enjoyed singing some of these songs congregationally. The songs in this album seems set to be well-learnt and enjoyed by theophiles young and old, in countries all around the world.

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Website: http://www.gettymusic.com
Buy their CD: Gettymusic

Disclosures: None to declare.

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Had a great day today. Just rediscovering the peacefulness of the guitar, and a great hymn to go with it.

Lyrics:

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain:
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
- Horatio Spafford, 1873

This is a more overtly Christian contemporary song – clean chords, a standard verse-chorus x2, bridge chorus x2 structure and distilled lyrics in a humble attempt to be clear-cut.

The song is a metaphorical sketch of my own (and others, no doubt) experiences and challenges in presenting the gospel to a generation that’s largely apathetic or hostile to the thought of being accountable to someone other than themselves. The start of verse two references Philip Pullman, though I’ve used it as a reminder to myself re: accountability.

I have to say that using something like Garageband made it much easier for a soundtech-illiterate guy like me to put songs together. I’m now onto using Logic, which is an entirely different beast altogether.

As always, all songs are available for downloading, thanks to metatoaster‘s generous hosting. Comments/feedback/critiques are always welcome: either by using the comments box, or by flicking me an email).

Have a good day everyone!

 Save Our Souls [3:42m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Downloads 3038

Save Our Souls – WILLIAM CHONG
I can see the fiction in their eyes
As they talk towards their prison
They don’t know that He has risen
Yea they ask me why I’m saved inside
Why do I claim that I’m born again?
Well undying love’s the reason

What would you know about heaven’s gold?
He’s on his way today or tomorrow
What would you do if you knew the truth
the proof is right there waiting in the living Word
He’s the one who saved our souls

A subtle knife to bleed your purpose dry
Can you trust your worldly arrow
When it all comes down tomorrow
I’d rather have my trust in Jesus Christ
With the anchor that was Calvary
What a joy He rescued me!

Made us whole
He took us home when he saved our souls

I’ve been questioned on authenticity
and endured the worldly shame
Accusations, inconsistencies
Yet the logic’s still the same

Sons of Korah: RAIN

An enthralling musical journey through some of the Bible’s most enduring psalms. A

3000-year-old Psalms. Contemporary music. It’s a surprising mix for those unfamiliar with the rich and hauntingly evocative sounds of Sons of Korah. Their latest album, RAIN, is another well-crafted addition to a discology that has enriched and inspired listeners around the world.

Currently led by Matthew Jacoby and Rod Gear, the Australia-based outfit has been carving out their music since 1993. RAIN delves into psalms that span a wide range of human emotion, employing a musical clarity that leaves one more appreciative of the sacred texts their tracks are based on.

From the soft acoustic guitars and mandolins in He Sits Enthroned (Ps 99) to strong and taiko-like drums in Overwhelmed (Ps 14b), Sons of Korah confidently draw from many contemporary musical styles. There’s the soft Wurlitzer-chords lamenting and thirsting for God in Streams of Water (Ps 42a) under a mournful A minor drone; when Jacoby sings lyrics like “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul thirsts for the living God”, it paints a grittier, and refreshingly realistic take on the psalm.

And when he sings in The Pilgrim Song that “better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere” (Ps 81), it’s equally honest and sincere. Through it all, theologically-trained Jacoby is astute in picking out the right chorus sections, verses and harmonies – who would have thought that Psalm 139 could be turned into a CCM-like praise song in Still with You?

Other highlights heart-wrenching rebuke of “The Fool” (Ps 14a), and a few numbers that suggest what a psalm would sound like as sincere piano ballads in the vein of Elton John’s Your Song. There are strong musical hooks throughout the album that encourage you to literally sing through your Bible reading, and it’s got fantastic production values that set it apart from the plethora of Christian up-and-coming demo EPs.

These guys are experienced, and continue to excel in marrying timely music with timeless lyrics. Kiwis looking to catch Sons of Korah’s music can also celebrate: they’re committing to a New Zealand tour in March 2009.

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Sons of Korah website: http://www.sonsofkorah.com
Buy their CD: CRS Online NZ; CRS Online (International customers)
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/sonsofkorahmusic
Artist contact: matt at sonsofkorah dot com

Disclosures: None to declare.

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If you like listening to sermon recordings on your iPod/car stereo but invariably find yourself drowsy after the first few minutes, then this might be for you….

Mixing together slick and polished hip-hop, techno and ambient sounds to some of the top pastors in the Reformed tradition, 10:31 Sermon Jams (myspace; website) is the brainchild of Minnesota, US Christian artists Bryan Guenther and Caleb Hoisington. In their own words:

This ministry is based on 1 Corinthians 10:31, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Our main focus is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and to make His name famous. Our goal is to take biblically saturated sermons and turn them into mini clips for edification for the household of faith and tracts to unbelievers.

I think the massively bass-thumpy “War” one (John Piper) is the most hilarious, yet surprisingly engaging to listen to. That synth ostinato on the top really gets the tension going…

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In other news, practised at my first worship band practice recently, and had to focus a bit to get to grips with the various songs. The team I’m in for Sunday is reasonably polished and it’s a special Boys Brigade service at HBC, which means playing a very march-like hymn on the violin!

This article briefly works through the debate in�Christian churches on their stance on music during services. However it also highlights a long-running question which I’ll try and allude to more often in the future, once I’ve successfully formulated clearer thoughts about it.

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If you sampled 5 different churches today, sometimes the differences in�their songs and musical styles during the service are more apparent than differences in theology and teaching.

One church may employ a full rock band and professional singers to lead the singing, choosing “praise” songs written to express in the simplest of terms how much they love the Lord.

Another congregation may sing with the help of just a choir group, or a guitar. Some may prefer singing through a set hymnal with multiple verses. Some congregations include songs that don’t even reference God. And then some�split their morning and evening services, with hymns in the morning and CCM in the evening (perhaps they couldn’t decide.)

Is this a recent phenomenon? No. For a time, hymns by Isaac Watts were the source of church divisions among 19th century worshippers. Four-part hymns were a big issue when first introduced – some even objecting to having musical notation written out! Music is but one of many things that the body of Christ seems to enjoy dividing itself over.

Let’s look at�one of the extremes in today’s musical spectrum. One view deems any form of musical accompaniment to a cappella singing to be inappropriate. By selectively quoting Romans 14:23, which says:��

“But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.”

… this writer’s logic is that anything not expressly condemned by the Bible shouldn’t be done anyways. By this same logic, the internet forum the article was presented on should technically be taboo too, not�to�mention the millions of new�things not available�2000 years prior�-�I’d question the wisdom of a blanket ban of�everything without explicit written Biblical approval.

It’s also useful to note�the context -�chapter 14 was written to Romans who were concerned about which meats were clean and unclean. In 1 Timothy 4:3-5, it’s pretty clear that “every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused.” I concede that Romans is most complex and requires lots of think-thinking to delve through – but to conclude that anything in this world today not mentioned in the Bible is pretty much a legalistic, pseudo-Amish view of the Bible.

We could conceivably apply this to the debate on, say, “clean and unclean” types of music in the church setting. The question is not whether the Bible explicitly approves of music or not. David accompanied his psalms with a harp – would you then say that only harps should be used to praise God?

Here is the opposite end of the music worship spectrum – CCM. Applying rock and pop styles of today to praise Jesus Christ is immensely popular among young Christians, and a big pulling factor for many services. It makes it “relevant” to people today, and some of the praise songs speak right into your heart, as if they were directly inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Yet some people will choose to leave a church because they find they “just can’t worship there” – not very far off from, they “just don’t like the music there.” Some will even equate this good endorphins to good worship. I wonder if this is the right attitude to church.

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There are more important considerations in church besides music. Our attitude should be to exalt God in whatever capacity we are able to. When we choose an exclusive, non-negotiable musical preference in worshipping God, we are selfishly saying, “My musical tastes are more important than my taste for God.”

You can sing 5 verses of theologically-rich “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” and not even understand the words, or care to. You can scream out “Hosannah in the highest” and not mean it.

Our worship,�will always be imperfect and a miniscule offering that’s dwarfed by the enormity of His sacrifice for us. But at the very least, our main focus is on God. I love this quote from John Fischer, who says:

“It�s our life, not a worship service, that will make us worshipers. We don�t go to church to worship; we go to church because we are already worshipers. And if someone is a true worshiper, which means their whole life is an act of worship, then what happens for 30 minutes of music once a week is a small thing indeed.”

It’s all about perspective, it seems.

Worship shouldn’t be just about the music. It should be an attitude-change – a commitment of emotion, intellect and will.

Hello! Trying this out, the full version of “Birthday Wish”. I uploaded a 10-second clip on my site’s previous incarnation, but yeah. That went away, and now a full uncut version is in its place! I tend to work this song on Easters, it seems – wrote it a few Easters ago, performed it for the first time some birthdays ago, and remixed it during the most recent Easter weekend (2007).

If you’re keen on more music, I’m working on it – in the meantime I’ve got http://williamchong.com/music-collection/ up.

Anyways, have a listen and comments and constructive crit would be much appreciated!

 Birthday Wish [4:07m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

Birthday Wish – WILLIAM CHONG
Lyrics

You were selfless when you had Your will be done
Graceful when they didn’t know what they were doing
and perfect at “Father into Your hands You commit Your spirit”
I wish I could be as selfless as You
I wish I could be as graceful as You
I wish I could be as perfect as You
For a start I’ll praise You and wish You

Happy birthday dear Jesus
Born to take our sins away
Happy birthday to You Lord

You were helpless when you entered the world
Punished for our iniquities
Yet you loved us so much
You raised Your hands on top of a hill to give up Your spirit
Oh I will try really hard to be as loving as You
It’s the least I can do to show how grateful I am
And thank You for giving me the greatest birthday gift
to spend forever with You and wish You

Happy birthday dear Jesus
born to take our sins away
Happy birthday to You Lord