Continued from page 1

"Friend Of God"
Artist: Lakewood Church
Writers: Israel Houghton and Michael Gungor, published in 2003
"And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith, 'Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness': and he was called the Friend of God." - James 2:23 Co-writer Israel Houghton has said that "Friend Of God" is a song that has deeply impacted him. Recalling the writing process with Michael Gungor, Israel says they were "blown away" as the lyrics hit them. "It's one thing for us to call God our 'friend'," says Israel. "But when you are singing, 'He calls me friend' and you begin to really understand how he sees you. . . that's powerful."

"Love The Lord"
Artist: Lincoln Brewster
Writer: Lincoln Brewster, published in 2005
At the suggestion of a friend, Lincoln Brewster decided to write some songs inspired by the corresponding Scriptures from Pastor Rick Warren's 40 Days Of Purpose sermons. Lincoln began with the topic of worship and drew directly from Luke 10:27, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. . ." Though at first he wasn't sure of the strength of the song, he played it for his church and discovered that people connected immediately. So he began playing the song whenever he was on tour or visiting other churches and the reaction was the same. "It's simple, it's memorable. . . it's truth," said Lincoln.

"Your Name"
Artist: Paul Baloche
Writer: Paul Baloche and Glenn Packiam, published in 2006
While visiting New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Paul Baloche suggested that he and Glenn Packiam, a songwriter and associate pastor at New Life, connect for a writing session. "There really wasn't a place for us to meet except in the nursery," recalls Glenn. So, there they sat in the nursery, with a beautiful view of the mountains but with the very present smell of a church nursery. Glenn shared with Paul a message that he'd given recently that was drawn from Psalm 65 about rediscovering awe and living in wonder. Then the two worshipped for a while. Glenn read the Scripture and almost immediately, the song poured out. Though that was the first time the two had written together, it was the beginning of many writing sessions that would birth numerous new songs for the Church.

"Lord Have Mercy"
Artist: Eoghan Heaslip
Writer: Steve Merkel, published in 2000
Before the Berlin Wall came down, Steve Merkel spent time in Poland ministering with Catholic believers. It was a season that opened his heart to the beauty of liturgy and the richness of our shared faith. When he returned home, he often led worship at his local charismatic church on Sundays and at Catholic services during the week. Along the way, it became clear to Steve that both streams needed the other. So while working on a liturgical worship album for Integrity Music in the late '90s, Steve was inspired to write a "Kyrie for the Common Man." "I dropped the bucket down into the well of my life and truly documented the things for which I needed the mercy of the Lord," says Steve. "'Lord Have Mercy' became the musical setting formed from the prayers that came up from that well."

"Healer"
Artist: Kari Jobe
Writer: Mike Gugliemucci, published in 2007
So many great worship songs are simply declarations of truth, lyrics that cause us to sing God's promises over ourselves. The song "Healer" is one of these. Isaiah 53 tells us that Jesus "bore our transgressions. . . the punishment for our peace was upon him and by his stripes we are healed." "Healer" touches on the core of what we are promised through relationship with Christ. Not only does singing these truths touch our spirits, they are a witness to others. "Jesus you're all I need. . . Nothing is impossible for you."

"Today Is The Day"
Artist: Lincoln Brewster
Writer: Paul Baloche and Lincoln Brewster, published in 2008
Following a music conference at his church in California, Lincoln Brewster invited friend Paul Baloche to stay over so that the two could spend some time writing. The following morning as they lingered over breakfast in the Brewster's kitchen, Lincoln reminded Paul of a verse, I'm casting my cares aside, I'm leaving my past behind, that Paul had shared with him years earlier as they were working on another song. "I loved this verse. . . I always liked that thought process and those lyrics and the melody," recalls Lincoln who suggested they use it to craft a new version of the classic song, "This Is The Day". The result is an up-tempo reminder to live in the present, trusting the sovereignty of God.

Jon Egan
Jon Egan

"I Am Free"
Artist: New Life Worship
Writer: Jon Egan, published in 2004
For years, Jon Egan struggled with anxiety and depression. After a particularly difficult struggle with anxiety over his ability to lead worship, he found himself once again asking God for freedom from fear. But this time, he distinctly heard God tell him, "You are free. . . look to the cross and open your eyes." Jon recalls hearing God tell him to quit focusing on his fears and instead focus on who he said Jon was, not who Jon thought he was. As this truth settled into Jon's spirit, he picked up his guitar and decided that rather than singing about how he wanted to be free, he would instead declare the truth that he IS free!

"Trading My Sorrows"
Artist: Darrell Evans
Writer: Darrell Evans, published in 1998
The inspiration for "Trading My Sorrows" came to Darrell Evans as his band played softly during a time of prayer at his church. As people came to the altar, Darrell thought about what we bring to the cross and what we leave with in exchange. And he sang out: "I'm trading my sorrow, I'm trading my shame. I'm laying them down for the joy of the Lord." Darrell says his band began to play along. And though the moment had begun as a sombre one, the music took on a celebratory feel as the worshippers were overcome with joy as they too sang out about this divine exchange. Darrell later took those initial lyrics and, inspired by 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 and Psalm 30:5, he finished the song.

"You Are Good"
Artist: Lakewood Church
Writer: Israel Houghton, published in 2001
Born to an unwed teenage mother whose parents had urged her to have an abortion, Israel Houghton could easily have become a statistic, but for the goodness of God. Eight months into her pregnancy and abandoned by her family, Israel's mother met Jesus on a street corner when a complete stranger walked up to her and shared the Gospel. That "chance" encounter radically changed his mother's life and his own. So when Israel penned "You Are Good", drawing from Psalm 100, he did so from a very personal place. He knows the radical goodness, love and mercy of God.

"Revelation Song"
Artist: Gateway Worship
Writer: Jennie Lee Riddle, published in 2004
Jennie Lee Riddle traces the inspiration for "Revelation Song" back to the classic Gerrit Gustafson song "I Hear Angels". Jennie loved the picture of heavenly worship in Gerrit's song and for years sang it over her children as a lullaby. One day, while caring for her son and thinking about that imagery, she asked the Holy Spirit to help her write a song that painted a picture of creation worshipping around the throne. Recalling Ezekiel 1:26-28 and Revelation 4, Jennie put her son down to play and picked up the guitar she had only just learned to play. And out poured the words, "Clothed in rainbows of living color, flashes of lightening, rolls of thunder." Jennie shared the song with her local church and from there it quickly spread to the global Church.

"My Saviour Lives"
Artist: New Life Worship
Writers: Jon Egan & Glenn Packiam, published in 2006
While teaching about collaboration at a songwriters' retreat, Jon Egan and Glenn Packiam discovered that they each had a section of a song that was incomplete. So Jon and Glenn, who are close friends and co-workers at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, began the work of putting the two sections together. Rarely is a song written in such a fashion. It seemed that God was burning the same message in each of their hearts, a persuasive testament to the strength of a team.

"How He Loves"
Artist: John Mark McMillan
Writer: John Mark McMillan, published in 2005
In November 2002, while in a Jacksonville, Florida, to record a new album, John Mark McMillan received word that one of his closest childhood friends had died following a car accident. John Mark was devastated. "I had pages of dialogue with God in the days that followed, some angry, mostly confused, but also I wrote a lot of songs," he says. The first song from that season, much of it written the day after the accident, was the song "How He Loves". John Mark says the song was every bit a "tribute to a friend, a cry for understanding, and the worship that resulted from it all." CR

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.