Contemporary Christian Music

"Made Me Glad" by Darlene Zschech

2009-05-28T13:20:00.001+08:00

I will bless the Lord forever
I will trust Him at all times
He has delivered me from all fear
He has set my feet upon a rock
I will not be moved
And I'll say of the Lord

You are my shield, my strength
My portion, deliverer
My shelter, strong tower
My very present help in time of need

Whom have I in heaven but You
There's none I desire beside You
You have made me glad
And I'll say of the Lord

You are my shield, my strength
My portion, deliverer
My shelter, strong tower
My very present help in time of need

'The Walk' by Steven Curtis Chapman

2008-09-28T00:42:00.004+08:00

This is one of the songs I would never get tired listening to. This has two versions and the version that I listen to is the Abbey Road version which, I think are both available in Stephen Curtis Chapman's albums, Greatest Hits and Abbey Road Sessions.

I really enjoy this song so much because of the instrumental solos. Below are lyrics of 'The Walk'.

Steven Curtis Chapman
Greatest Hits

The Abbey Road Sessions

The Walk
Artist: Steven Curtis Chapman

I've got a Grandpa Rudd
He gave thirty years to the lumber yard
Loving his family and working hard
Got a faith like a solid rock
He's just doing the walk
I've got a friend named Larry
He sends me letters from a foreign land
He moved there with his kids and his pretty wife Mary
To answer a holy call
He's just doing the walk

You can run with the big dogs
You can fly with the eagles
You can jump through all the hoops
And climb the ladder to the top
But when it all comes down
You know it all comes down to the walk

There's a man I know
He said He'd come to show us the way
He died on a cross and He rose from the grave
And proved He was more than talk
He taught us the walk
And now I'm singing my songs
Standing up on a big, bright stage
And I do my dance while the music plays
But when the music stops
Am I doing the walk

You can run with the big dogs
You can fly with the eagles
You can jump through all the hoops
And climb the ladder to the top
But when it all comes down
You know it all comes down to this

Do justly, love mercy
Walk humbly with your God

'Cause you can run with the big dogs
You can fly with the eagles
You can jump through all the hoops
And climb the ladder to the top
But when it all comes down
You know it all comes down, down, down, down, down
To the walk

Lyrics of "All" from the Album Elevate, Youth Alive NSW

2008-09-11T18:51:00.005+08:00

A fast paced song that I like is entitled "All". "All" was written by Sam Towns and I first heard the song from the album Elevate from Youth Alive NSW. This is a good praise song for youth services and the lyrics are vertical (addressed to God) and they are about giving your all to Him. Below are the lyrics of the song "All".

All
Album: Elevate, Youth Alive NSW

Verse 1:
This love You've given me
Unconditional
It moves my heart to sing
Of the wonders of Your name

I want to shout aloud
All you've done for me
I just can't hold it back

Chorus:
Jesus, you're all
All that I need
All of my life
I'm gonna give you all of me
You've lifted me up
Filled me with hope
You are the one I live for

Bridge:
Each day it's something different
Your love is always new
My life will never be the same
'Cause I found You

Deeply In Love by Hillsong Music Australia

2008-09-01T19:46:00.005+08:00

I like this song because the instrumentation is like a serenade. The song sounds like a love song that is used to serenade someone. In the last chorus, the lyrics "You have" are replaced with 'Jesus, You've' and it reveals Who the love song is for. The lyrics of the song are below.

Deeply In Love
Hillsong Music Australia

In my life You've heard me say
I love You
How do I show you it`s true
hear my heart, it longs for more of You..
I`ve fallen deeply in love with You..

You have stolen my heart
I`m captivated by You
Never will you and I part
I`ve fallen deeply in love with You

You and I, together forever
Nothing can, stand in the way
My love for you, grows stronger
each new day.
I`ve fallen deeply in love with You

You have stolen my heart
I`m captivated by you
Never will you and I part
I`ve fallen deeply in love with You

Jesus, You've stolen my heart
I`m captivated by you
Never will you and I part
I`ve fallen deeply in love with You

Two Versions of Return of the Revolution by The O.C. Supertones

2008-08-31T22:08:00.000+08:00

Let me first lay down the lyrics of the song/rap so I can explain better why I like this one.

"Return of the Revolution" by The O.C. Supertones

There ain’t no stopping us now
I’d like to say that from the outset
Not up in this business just to get what we can get
But bet that
We gonna bring it to you loud and clear
How loud I gotta say it ’fore you people start to hear
I can name our problems

But I know a solution
Bring back the revolution.
The revolution comes and we all stand as on
Rises from the darkness and shines like the sun
As the sun gets higher, our church catches fire
Down from our pride and up from the mire.
It’s a dream that I’ve had and I hope it comes true
I forgot to say the revolution starts with you.
See wisdom and knowledge is one thing that we lack

You’ve been a Christian for how long and you’re still on similac
So I call on Martin Luther and all the reformation back
Then the common people couldn’t read god’s revelation
You had to be a monk or a priest or read Latin
That was all before the revolution happened
But the fire cooled down ever since that generation
We put down the Bible and picked up the play station
And we can’t defend our faith ’cause we don’t even know it
We say we love His word but pick a funny way to show it.
The world walks by and we don’t have a thing to say
I call it as I see ’em
And that’s what I see today

Chorus:
The revolution returns
The reformation lives on
The great awakening is now
Sleepers open your eyes
A war is on, our battle cry is no compromise
No compromise, yeah, no compromise
A war is on, our battle cry is no compromise
So throw your fist up and pray the revolution rise
A war is on, our battle cry is no compromise

Our hearts have grown so cold
And we’ve such numb souls
But shirts and bumper stickers
Man we got ’em by the truckload
Is true religion what you have around your wrist
What does the scripture say of this

They honor me with words
But their hearts are far away
I call ’em like I see ’em
And that’s what I see today
So I call on John Edwards
Who preached us all awake
We try to be emotional but here is our mistake
As a church we lack repentance and we lack true affection
Not only in our minds but our hearts need correction
And man that’s true religion, resignation and contrition
To love each other so much that we’d die before division

(chorus)

So what about you
Will you join us
Will you admit that the waters around us have grown
You better start swimming or you’ll sink like a stone
Do you stand with us or do we stand alone
It’s time that we stand up, enlist for the war
I’ve tasted battle and now I want more
I’ve known the truth and been cut to the core
But I’m back in the game to even the score
And I mean to go out with both my guns blazing
Amazed at a God who’s so truly amazing
To triumph in battle as the spirit enables
Can’t turn back the clock but we can turn the tables.

I first heard this song when I bought the album "The O.C. Supertones, Live, Vol. 1". This wasn't the first song I heard from them. I heard of "Little Man" from a WOW album and that made me want to hear their other songs. Being a rocker by heart, I immediately liked this song. Many songs (not just rock) are sung with much passion and this song is one of them. The lyrics and the music both contribute to the effect that is desired on listeners - to be challenged. I found this song's music and lyrics really thought provoking for Christian high school and college students. Also, having been a youth minister, this song makes me nod my head about how Christian youth should reassess their walk in the Lord, whether they are just in it for the hype of are they really in it even when the going gets tough.

As for the other version, it came out in the O.C. Supertones' "Loud and Clear" album. I like the live one better but I also like the effect of the loud siren at the beginning of the song of the non-live version.

Two Versions of Hero by Superchick

2008-08-30T19:44:00.000+08:00

This song became the theme song for our upcoming summer youth camp. The theme of the camp was "Heroes: Ordinary People with an Extraordinary Calling" which is based on Hebrews 11 (the heroes of our faith). The song Hero by Superchick has actually two versions. The first version I heard was from Superchick's "Last One Picked" album which is rock and some techno beats mixed with a little bit of orchestral arrangements and starts with a major chord (I think). The second version is what I began to like better which is the Red Pill Mix from Superchick's Regeneration album (which has a lot of remixed tracks from their previous albums). The Red Pill mix has an added rap part and starts out with a minor chord but has more orchestral arrangements. These two versions will be performed at our upcoming youth camp (with a little variation in the Red Pill mix rap), twice as a band performance (one band performance per version) and once as a human video. The lyrics of Hero, Red Pill mix by Superchick is below.

"Hero (Red Pill Mix)" by Superchick

[Verse 1:]
No one sits with him, he doesn't fit in
But we feel like we do when we make fun of him
Cause you want to belong do you go along?
Cause his pain is the price paid for you to belong
It's not like you hate him or want him to die
But maybe he goes home and thinks suicide
Or he comes back to school with a gun at his side
Any kindness from you might have saved his life

[Tag:]
Heroes are made when you make a choice

[Chorus:]
You could be a hero
Heroes do what's right
You could be a hero
You might save a life
You could be a hero, You could join the fight
For what's right for what's right for what's right

[Verse 2:]
No one talks to her, she feels so alone
She's in too much pain to survive on her own
The hurt she can't handle overflows to a knife
She writes on her arm, wants to give up her life
Each day she goes on is a day that she is brave,
Fighting the lie that giving up is the way,
Each moment of courage her own life she saves
When she throws the pills out a hero is made

[Tag:]
Heroes are made when you make a choice

[Chorus]

[Verse 3:]
No one talks to him about how he lives
He thinks that the choices he makes are just his
Doesn't know he's a leader with the way he behaves
And others will follow the choices he's made
He lives on the edge, he's old enough to decide
His brother who wants to be him is just nine
He can do what he wants because it's his right
The choices he makes change a nine year old's life

[Chorus]

[Rap]
Little Mikey D. was the one in class who everyday got brutally harassed
This went on for years until he decided that never again would he shed another tear
So he walked through the door, grabbed a 44 out of his father's dresser drawer
And said I can't take life no more
And like that life can be lost

But this ain't even about that
All of us just sat back and watched it happen
Thinkin' it's not my responsibility to solve a problem that isn't about me
This is our problem
This is just one of the daily scenarios which we choose to close our eyes
Instead of doing the right thing

If we make a choice and be the voice for those who won't speak up for themselves
How many lives would be saved, changed, rearranged
Now it's our time to pick a side
So don't keep walkin' by
Not wantin' to intervene
Cause you wanna exist and never be saved
So let's wake up and change the world
Our time is now!

[Chorus] with "Our time is now!"

Contemporary Christian Artists to be Featured Soon

2008-03-29T22:22:00.004+08:00

This is a list of the contemporary Christian artists that are in my personal music library. I just want to let everyone know that I am not an expert on the contemporary Christian music scene. This blog is not an authority on contemporary Christian music but I hope to share my personal collection of contemporary Christian music from different genres (as I understand them), but mostly those that I listen to. I hope to share their lyrics and the style they use to communicate their message and how their songs and music blessed me personally.

Contemporary Christian Artists list (from my personal collection):

Abraham Laboriel
Circadian Rhythm
Darrel Evans
dc Talk
The Elms
Emmanuel
Gary Valenciano
Hillsong Music Australia
Israel and New Breed
Justo Almario
Matt Redman
Noel Richards
The OC Supertones
Passion
Paul Baloche
PAX217
P.O.D.
Rebecca St. James
Relient K
Steven Curtis Chapman
Superchic[k]
Switchfoot
Ted Amper
Third Day
Tree 63
Youth Alive