Album Review: "Until The Whole World Hears"--Casting Crowns

I wish I could just gush about this album. Jordan's sister gave it to him as a gift for Christmas, and I fell in love with it! I have always enjoyed Casting Crowns' music--it is hard-hitting and truthful, with amazing instrumentals and vocals. And while I don't often listen to their first album (their six-year-old debut), I find that I can never really tire of their songs because they never stop being true and I always need to hear what they have to say.

The title of Crowns' fourth studio album, Until The Whole World Hears, comes from lead singer and songwriter Mark Hall's mentor, who would always end his e-mails with the phrase. This is the rocky single many people have heard on the radio calling listeners to "ready yourselves"--you know, the one with all the "Whoa-oa-oas" and some excellent electric guitar riffs. :) The second track on the album "If We've Ever Needed You" is a song about crying out to God in desperate need. This song is followed by "Always Enough," a sweet, piano-led melody inspired by a student in Hall's youth group who lost his father in Afghanistan. The line "In a dry and weary land, Lord, You are the rain" ends the song and, I think, sums up its message. 

"Joyful, Joyful" is a fun, rockier version of the 1907 hymn set to Beethoven's classic "Hymn to Joy." You can't help but love the violin on this one, as well as the way the group breaks out during the chorus. And the tracks "At Your Feet" and "Blessed Redeemer," my two favorite songs on Until The Whole World Hears, are filled with striking harmonies that I can never get enough of. I just can't help it--I'm a sucker for good harmony, and violinist Melodee DeVevo does it oh, so well. In fact, my friend, Jenny, and I are going to sing the latter at church on the 17th, which is why this is at the forefront of my mind once again. Not only do I love the story of this 21st century rendition of the 1920's hymn, but I am enamored by the sound, as well.

The song "Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me)" amazingly describes the gospel in the chorus:

Living, He loved me
Dying, He saved me
Buried, He carried my sins far away
Rising, He justified freely forever
One day He’s coming
Oh glorious day, oh glorious day

Based on Psalm 63, "Holy One" is another e-guitar-led tune calling everyone to praise the Holy One--a call Casting Crowns makes difficult to ignore. "To Know You" and "Mercy" are songs that speak of brokenness and finding rest in the One who is enough. You'll find that "Jesus Hold Me Now" is a song based off of the story in Luke 15 about the prodigal son. Mark Hall describes it this way:  "The Prodigal Son is a big story for me. I always thought it was amazing how they never mention his name. That’s because I think he has a lot of names and one of them is Mark." Lastly, you may stumble upon the "secret" song, "Shadow of Your Wings," which is a precursor to Holy One that originated with the youth group band and was one of the first "up-beat rocker songs" Mark had ever written.

Okay, so I know that my reviews are totally prejudiced (I'll admit it, Ryan) nor are they very technical, but I will honestly share whether or not I like something and why. And, honestly, I find it difficult not to like anything on this album. Normally, you have that one song that you always skip, but not on this one (except maybe the secret song, but that doesn't count, does it?). Until The Whole World Hears is an encouraging, convicting collection of songs with just the right variety of slower and up-tempo songs. I love that, in one song, I can feel the electric guitar leading the way, in another the piano, while in another it's the violin--and all of the combinations in between. This is definitely a must-try. Hop on Pandora or Grooveshark and see what I mean!

Digital Devices

I publish the monthly newsletter for our church; in it, I have a small column entitled, "Digital Devices." "Digital Devices" is a continuing segment that aims to provide readers with God-honoring digital and online tools to aid in their pursuit of knowing and loving God and His people. Having a little more space to fill, I wrote the following:

Recently, I have been researching e-readers like the Amazon Kindle and the Barnes and Noble Nook. I love the idea of having so many books at my fingertips at one time, as well as the frugality of acquiring many novels and study materials at half price; however, I do realize that, while the reader may pay for itself in savings, it would also cause me to purchase more books. Researching this product and talking about it with others has caused me to reflect on my conflicting desires. On the one hand, I really would like to possess "the latest thing;" on the other hand, I do not want to feel cheated and would like to know that I am getting my money's worth by not spending more than someone else did. All of this led me to wonder, "How has the evolution of electronics caused us to view wealth and materialism?"

While looking to shed some light on my question, I stumbled upon a dictionary topic about this very subject in the Holman Bible Dictionary by D. Glenn Saul. In it, he discusses the Bible and wealth as well as the Bible and materialism:

The Bible has two basic attitudes toward wealth. In the first place, wealth is acknowledged to be a blessing from God. This can be seen from the witness of the Old Testament. God chose Abram and promised to bless him and make his name great (Genesis 12:1-3). In the process, Abram became rich (Genesis 13:2). Further, we are told that God blessed Isaac; and he became very rich (Genesis 26:12-14). Solomon's wealth was seen as a sign of God's favor (1 Kings 3:13; 1 Kings 10:23). Job, too, was blessed by God, and his wealth increased greatly (Job 42:12).

Saul goes on to say that poverty is not a sign of God's disfavor. "In the parable of the seed and the sower Jesus warned that riches and the pursuit of pleasure may keep some from maturing in the faith. ...Personal worth and success are not to be measured in terms of material wealth or possessions. This is different from the way that the world views possessions." 

© Mattwatt | Dreamstime.com

Clearly, we are supposed to be different from the world in this. It seems that now, more than ever, we face the temptation of wanting "the latest thing." Who wants a second generation version when the fourth generation was just released? Who wants a 36-inch television, when your neighbor has a 50-inch one? Should I upgrade to a Blu-ray Disc player? We say that money has no power over us, then we contradict that with our lives.

When I was sixteen, I dreamt about the fancy cars I wanted. I knew that having a brand-new, shiny vehicle would somehow give me that sigh of contentment. Instead, I got the '94 Geo Metro passed down to me. What a blow.

Now, I realize that there are much better things I could spend my money on than a new car that loses its value so quickly. Yet, I wonder if I consistently invest my money in the things Christ sees value in.

For a while members of the Jerusalem church pooled their resources for the common good (Acts 2:44-45). To provide for the needs of those in their midst, owners of land and property sold it and gave it to the apostles (Acts 4:34-35). While this kind of sharing may not be a requirement, it provides a model for the responsibility that Christians have for one another.

Saul reminds us that Jesus viewed money or wealth as a spiritual power, "identifying wealth as an object of worship, a rival to God." He also reminds us of the encouragement in Hebrews to "Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have (Hebrews 13:5, NRSV)." We have learned that the problem is not with money—the problem is with us. We can easily be led astray by the attraction that we find in the things money can buy. "Paul may be implying that people who love money will resort to all kinds of things to get it. The desire for money has a way of enslaving the person seeking it."  Romans 6:6 tells us that "our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin."

Christians are to learn to possess money and not be possessed by it. Wealth is to be channeled into ministries that serve people and spread the gospel. The pursuit of wealth as an end in itself, or the desire for luxury and personal indulgence are evidences of materialism. Christians must take a stand against the persistent idolatry of materialism that focuses on the material stuff of this world and not God.

Showers of Blessing

Alright, let's count them up. This year, I have attended...at least eight showers and would have attended more, had I RSVP'd "yes" to them all. Some of them I've thrown, some of them I've just attended. I love the anticipation of the event--whether it be an upcoming wedding, the birth of a baby, or seeing a newborn grow into a little person. This weekend, I had the privilege of helping with a baby shower for one of my best friends, Annie. 

I met Annie and her twin sister at that camp that keeps making its way into my posts when someone ran up to me and said, "Come on! Come on! You have to meet these 4'11" twin Egyptian girls! They're the same size as you!" A year later, when I was a freshman in college, I looked Annie up to see if I could ride with her to church. Six months later we were good friends, another six months passed and we were roommates, and four-and-a-half years later we would have still been roommates had I not married and acquired a new roommate. :)

I am really thankful for the many friends that I have and how many of them are sincerely close friends that I can say with all truthfulness really know me. 

It was so much fun to see people I hadn't seen in a long time and to see everyone share in the excitement of one person whom they all had in common. My dear friend looked so cute and received a lot of really fun gifts. Plus, her sister made an amazing centerpiece and another friend planned some really fun and creative games.

I have often offered to plan and make the food for showers or parties. For some reason, that's what I feel most comfortable with. But I never remember to take pictures! Why?! Anyway, I like to do themes when I'm making food for a group--something to connect all the items together. It could be as simple as a seasonal or a cultural theme. This time, I picked a theme of "miniature" or "bite-size". Here's my list:

• Roasted red pepper, sesame, and black bean hummuses with white and wheat French bread cubes
• Baby BLTs (cherry tomatoes with a creamy, bacon-y filling)
• Sliced strawberries with fruit dip
• Mini peanut butter pies
• Mocha punch (why just have punch when you could have mocha punch?)

Unfortunately, my camera died after just a few pictures, so I hardly got any food pictures, and absolutely no people photos! Still, I had so much fun and, as much work as it always is, would do it again in a heartbeat. :D

Roasted red pepper, sesame, and black bean hummuses

Baby BLT's...get it? Baby?

Photo Friday

Three-and-a-half years already....

Your Roots Will Make You Strong

Disclaimer:  This will be somewhat long and not a guy-friendly post, so you may want to grab a snack!

For me, 2010 will always be marked by the many weddings I had the joy of participating in. Every wedding has its own personality, and there is usually a sense of the couple's unique love story throughout the day. I do not usually define myself as an overly sentimental person, but getting married has opened my eyes to the wonder and expectation involved in one's wedding day, and I have learned to get wrapped up in the couple's perspective of hope and commitment. 

On our wedding day, Jordan and I chose a passage from Ephesians 3 to define our day, our marriage, and our lives:

When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

I love that sentence, "Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong." I would never have gotten married had I not had a confident assurance that the redeeming love of God would be the soil into which the roots of our marriage would grow. So, my greatest joy has been to watch my friends make this same commitment in a way that was theirs alone.

In January, I was a bridesmaid in Beth and Dan's wedding:

This couple had waited quite awhile for their day to come, and when it did, you never saw bigger smiles in your life! One of my favorite aspects of their wedding was seeing Dan lead worship during his own ceremony. I love watching them because I know that they want to always point to God first, and their day was such a testimony of His work in their lives. A winter wedding was so much fun, and little details like silver pine cone necklaces for the bridesmaids added special touches that rounded out the day.

In May, I was a matron (major dislike of that word) of honor in Becky and Jake's wedding:

Becky and Jake's thoughts were on everyone but themselves that day--okay, I know they were thinking about each other quite a bit, but their concerns were for everyone else. Their ceremony was such a special time of honoring the people who have been a godly influence in their lives and a humble expression of their thanks to the One who brought them together. Plus, I love that Becky's decorations (browns, deep orange, and a deep green) were purchased with the intention of later decorating their new home.

In June, I had the privilege of singing in worship at Emily and Brian's wedding, as well as singing a solo during their unity candle ceremony:

I miss Emily and Brian a lot! Soon after their honeymoon, these two moved down south for a job Brian accepted while Emily finishes college. It was so much fun to get to witness these two as they grew in friendship, then see their dating relationship begin, progress, and eventually lead to marriage. Emily and I had many talks about marriage, and I really respect these two for being honest about the struggle involved in building a relationship God's way. Though on their day I was a bit distracted with making sure I did my part right, I loved seeing these two demonstrating love in Christ.

In July, I took a break while Jordan ushered in a Fourth of July weekend wedding.

In August, I embarked on a new venture and coordinated decorations for Bekah and Nate's wedding:

This was my first time experiencing an outdoor wedding. It was amazing to see how God worked everything out for their day. The wedding took place in Bekah's parents' backyard, which was flooded before and after the wedding, but dry for the weekend of the wedding. To me, it felt a little like taking a trip back to the Pride and Prejudice era. There was definitely an ethereal quality to the day; yet, it was also a relaxing time with a picnic reception. One of my favorite aspects of this wedding was the vows these two wrote themselves that reflected their priorities, their perspective on marriage, and their deep joy in each other. Bekah has a wonderful eye for decorating and all things vintage, and helping her vision become real was really enjoyable because of her good taste!

Labor Day weekend, I was again a matron of honor in Ruth and Matt's wedding:

Ruth and Matt's wedding was a perfect balance of solemnity and fun. Their ceremony focused on God and the families that raised them to become the people they are today. When each of their parents came on stage to encircle them in quiet prayer for their new life together, that's when the tears came to my eyes. What an awesome foundation these two have! I really enjoyed their reception and the photo booth that the best man built for the couple so guests could get their pictures taken, too. Another fun aspect of the reception was the way that the host dismissed tables to the buffet lines--someone would draw a table number out of a basket, and when your table number was called, your whole table had to excitedly yell out your number back, or your table would be skipped. :)

I think I may be done with my involvement in weddings for awhile, but after all that shower-throwing and the weddings themselves, I am starting to wonder if my new hobby should be wedding planning.... Any thoughts?

Here are just a few more pictures I can't resist including:

Singing at Emily and Brian's wedding

How cute was Bekah's idea of buttons around the flowers as centerpieces?