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They’re Living Out Their Mission To Be Unspoken Testimonies To God’s Love And Power

by Jennifer Alden
written by Jennifer Alden

Unspoken Releases Its First Single Of 2022, “Love Is Everything We Need”; YouTube Premieres Video Featuring Cameos By Victoria Jackson, Richard Lee Jackson, And More

On February 18, Centricity Music recording artist Unspoken released “Love Is Everything We Need” to radio, digital retail and streaming outlets everywhere. The band’s debut single of 2022 is also the lead song from its first full-length album in three years, which is slated to release in July.

Receiving over 236 million on-demand streams, 125 million music video views, 457,000 album sales and 870,000 track sales, Unspoken’s music is as distinct as its roots. Its soulful, pop-flavored songs are led by the Adam Levine-esque vocals of Chad Mattson.

With no fear of mixing it up, whether backed by a horn section, gospel choir or hip-hop rhythms, the band released its self-titled album in 2014. The album featured “Start A Fire,” the band’s first radio single and No. 1 AC hit that launched them into headliner positions on tour the following year. The band’s sophomore album, Follow Through (2016), debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard Top Christian Album Chart while its current album, Reason (2019), sparked the band’s biggest, multiformat No. 1 hit song so far, “Reason.” Unspoken’s Top 10 AC hits include: “Who You Are,” “Lift My Life Up,” “Good Fight” and “You’ve Always Been.” Having toured with TobyMac, Casting Crowns, Mercy Me, Big Daddy Weave and more, Unspoken band members are living out their mission to be unspoken testimonies to God’s love and power, and to speak what oftentimes goes unspoken.

A Song of Distinction

Revealing the impetus behind the new song, Unspoken’s lead vocalist Chad Mattson shares, “These last couple of years, we, as believers, have had to have some really strong conversations because in our culture, we find it hard to disagree on certain things, and still love and be kind to each other.”

“There is this polarization of beliefs, yet Jesus reveals to us in John chapter 13 that it’s love that identifies us with being his kids (his children). We can disagree, but we can all agree on the fact that we need to love and respect each other, even when we are at different places in our lives politically, socially, even religiously. ‘Love Is Everything We Need’ is a song of encouragement for believers, to find ways to love each other, even when we don’t see eye to eye on everything. Our love is one of the biggest testimonies we have,” explains Mattson.

“Love Is Everything We Need” is a heartfelt and deeply enriched song, with lyrics that are lovingly written, simple in their understanding, and an encouragement to us all. They are an instant reminder of the twice-told tale of who we are as followers of Christ, and why we must press on in our journey.

I have personally followed Unspoken for many years of their career. I am especially grateful for the various artists who did not give up in the middle of this pandemic, instead pressing in and taking their music to this deeper place: a place of revelation.

Through All the Ages

We, as believers, need to hold fast to this truth of knowing who we are in Christ, Who we belong to, and why it is that we can never stop believing. Doubt can play many tricks on our mind, leading us down a rabbit hole of many untruths.

Unspoken’s “Love Is Everything We Need” speaks this truth to our current generation, and the many generations to come. It is a truth that will precede us, through all the ages.

Watch the “Love Is Everything We Need” YouTube Premieres feature now.

https://youtu.be/iVAm7D6q008

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Oh Lord Lead Us: A Continuing Journey Of Faith

by Jennifer Alden
written by Jennifer Alden

On July 23, Jonathan Cain, singer and songwriter of the highly acclaimed group, Journey, released his first solo single of 2021, “Oh Lord Lead Us,” to digital outlets worldwide. Jonathan shares, “Being beaten down, closed up, and churches shuttered. The lockdown. Quarantine. All this stuff. It seemed like this is a new season. We’ve got to make ourselves brand new again. The song was a prayer for a reset and renewal. I just thought we needed something that had a little joy in it.”

As an aspiring singer/songwriter in Los Angeles, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and longtime Journey member Jonathan Cain was advised by record executives to pursue a different vocation.

“They told me that I couldn’t sing and I couldn’t really write and I should get a day job,” Jonathan recalls. “Somebody asked me, ‘What are you going to do now, Jon?’ and I told him, ‘I’m going to find somebody to sing my songs’.”

Encouraged by his father’s words to “don’t stop believin’,” Jonathan pressed forward, eventually writing, touring and recording two albums with The Babys before joining Journey, rounding out the lineup and songwriting prowess on the band’s defining 10X Multi-Platinum album, Escape, which fittingly opens with the 5X Platinum single, “Don’t Stop Believin’.” Along with penning Journey’s mega hit “Faithfully,” as well as co-creating huge anthems like “Open Arms,” “Who’s Crying Now” and many more, Jonathan’s musical contributions along the way, including with Bad English, have earned him numerous Billboard hits; multiple Gold, Platinum and Diamond-selling records; a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; and a GRAMMY® nomination, among other accolades.

Jonathan Cain

Now, more than 40 years into his career, Jonathan Cain continues with Journey, contributing a wealth of new songs to the band’s forthcoming studio album. In addition, Jonathan is a seasoned solo artist—a venture that allows him to come out from behind his keyboard and step into the shoes of a lead vocalist, proving those early critics wrong on every front.

Following a transformational encounter with God, Jonathan committed time and space to begin writing songs about his growing faith, culminating in five albums in five years: What God Wants to Hear (2016), Unsung Noel (2017), The Songs You Leave Behind (2018), More Like Jesus (2019) and Piano Worship (2020). Continuing his tradition of crafting a new solo project each year, Jonathan is currently working on a worship record slated to drop in the Fall of 2021.

The collection’s lead single, “Oh Lord Lead Us,” could very well be a post-pandemic anthem, but the story that led to the song itself was a lifetime in the making.

A Journey of Faith

Jonathan Cain’s personal journey of faith, which he chronicles in his 2018 memoir named after Journey’s career-defining song, Don’t Stop Believin’, began when he was a kid growing up in Chicago. As a young choir boy, he entertained thoughts of going into the ministry, but when his school caught fire killing 92 of his peers and three nuns, Jonathan, only in third grade at the time, found his faith on shaky ground.

Decades later, after experiencing both personal and professional success and watching it all come crashing down, Jonathan found himself in Florida crying out to that same God of his youth. He soon discovered redemption and, ultimately, unconditional love when he met his now wife, Paula White-Cain, who serves as the senior pastor at City of Destiny church in Central Florida.

“I started out wanting to be a priest when I was 8-years-old,” Jonathan shares of the way his life has come full circle, “and I ended up marrying a pastor. I was a choir boy, and now I’m leading worship.”

Music, Ministry, and More

Jonathan leads worship weekly at City of Destiny, the first place he often debuts his new music. “It’s always been the testing grounds. When I write something, I will usually play it at church and see if it moves people. I don’t force my music on our people. I just kind of drop it on them once in a while,” he says. “I’ve enjoyed getting away from the piano and just leading worship and getting people to connect. That’s our job, really. My wife, Paula, she always teaches that God rides on the waves of sound.”

“Oh Lord Lead Us” rides a powerful wave with the help of a wealth of studio pros who brought the driving track to life. Produced by Jonathan Cain, mixed by David Kalmusky (Justin Bieber, The Fray, Keith Urban), mastered by GRAMMY® Award-winning Adam Ayans (Paul McCartney, Carrie Underwood, Foo Fighters), and featuring Journey background vocalist Jason Derlatka, “Oh Lord Lead Us” was recorded at Jonathan’s state-of-the-art Addiction Sound Studios in Nashville with select parts crafted remotely due to the pandemic.

Jonathan wrote the track as a prayer for the new year, as 2021 came into sharp focus following a season of hardship echoed around the world. Inspired by a passage in 1 Chronicles 16:11, “Oh Lord Lead Us” takes its lyrics directly from Scripture. “Being around all this Bible teaching, I get excited when I see something that triggers my imagination,” remarks Jonathan, who grew up Catholic. 

Oh Lord Lead Us

The joyful single’s artwork, capturing the sun setting behind the mountains with Jonathan Cain in the forefront, was shot at Nevada’s Red Rock Canyon. “That valley has been unchanged for close to a million years,” Jonathan explains. “It’s just exactly the way God intended it to be. So it just seemed like a holy place to go.”

It also felt like the ideal setting for the song’s music video, but weather delays and rental car shortages prevented Jonathan from getting to the location on time. Arriving later than originally planned but determined to use the area’s natural beauty as the video’s backdrop, Jonathan and the director got up before dawn to shoot against the bright blue sky now seen in the official clip. Right as they wrapped, the skies promptly darkened, brewing up a storm.

The experience could very well be a metaphor for Jonathan’s life—a story of stormy skies and vast horizon, perfect timing and God’s faithfulness, and the subject of much of his new music. While “Oh Lord Lead Us” previews his next studio effort, which Jonathan says will boast more vertical lyrics and congregational-friendly choruses, it’s only one brick in the ministry he’s building. He is also the host of the “Anchored” podcast, where he discusses everything from faith, family and marriage to manhood and music. And he regularly appears on his wife’s television shows, “Paula Today” and “Faithfully,” seen on the Life Network for Women and Daystar Television. In addition, he’s working on new Journey music, with the band also headlining this summer’s Lollapalooza festival in Chicago.

Don’t Stop Believin’

Whether he’s ministering with his wife, testing out new songs on his congregation or playing to millions alongside his Journey bandmates, Jonathan Cain’s faith always takes center stage. “During Journey events I can minister to people who haven’t considered Jesus and who can see the light in my life. I always say, ‘When all else fails, consider Jesus.’ It’s a game changer, absolutely. There are not very many rock ‘n’ rollers praising the name, shouting hallelujah. I take my spiritual life to Journey and have the confidence of being Spirit-filled,” he attests. “Now, more than ever, it’s time to be transparent and stand up for what you believe. If you’re a follower of Jesus, it’s OK to say so. I’m not out there evangelizing. If people can just see my Jesus on me, that’d be fine.”

That’s one reason Jonathan Cain is so grateful to be able to craft solo music that more explicitly displays his faith, while simultaneously continuing to record and tour with Journey. No matter the genre his music is classified under, Jonathan strives to create songs that are both hopeful and timeless. “When you write songs for God, they’re time posts,” he offers. “I’ve found that out as I go back into my old catalog and sing songs. They’re still relevant. They don’t get old, and that’s kind of neat as a writer. They’re there forever, and if somebody wants to sing them, they can,” Jonathan explains.

Although he’s been playing music for four decades, Jonathan Cain continues to climb to the next level, showing no signs of slowing down. If anything, he’s writing some of the best music of his career—music marked by a changed life. “I continue to grow in lots of ways,” he says. “I’m looking forward to seeing where God’s going to take me next.”

Courtesy of Hoganson Media Relations

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Sinach: Original Recording Artist, Singer And Songwriter Of ‘Way Maker,’ Being Recognized Across The Globe

by Jennifer Alden
written by Jennifer Alden

Sinach—⁠a physics major whose pastor called her to sing—⁠is now one of the most recognized artists in worship music across the globe.

Topping the Charts

Sinach is a multi-award-winning Nigerian gospel singer, songwriter, recording artist, stage performer, and philanthropist. In her 30+ year career, she has recorded ten albums and has won numerous awards. Sinach is known globally for writing and recording several hits, such as “Way Maker,” “I Know Who I Am,” “Rejoice,” “The Name of Jesus,” “There’s An Overflow,” and so much more.

Sinach is the first singer-songwriter to top the Billboard Christian Songwriter chart for twelve weeks in a row and the only woman known to consecutively hold this No. 1 spot. Her writings have ministered to millions bringing healing, hope and encouragement, and in strengthening their faith.

“Way Maker,” which has truly made a global impact, has been covered by more than 60 recording artists, such as Leeland, Michael W. Smith (whose version went No. 1 at radio), Mandisa, Bethel, Passion (feat. Kristian Stanfill, Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes), Maranda Curtis, American Idol contestants Genevieve Linkowski and David Archuletta, and REVERE featuring Darlene Zschech and William McDowell.

In her career, Sinach has performed in several countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, U.S, Antigua, Barbuda, Trinidad, Tobago, Grenada, Uganda, Barbados and the U.K.

This Nigeria-based songwriter, recording artist Sinach, whose full name is Osinachi Okoro Egbu, has eight siblings, including two sets of twins, and at one time, her music was just a hobby. Sinach was a physics major pursuing a different line of work until her pastor encouraged her that she was called to share her music. Today, Sinach is one of the most recognizable names and faces in worship music across the globe.

Sinach’s “Way Maker,” which has over 175M views on her YouTube channel alone, became an anthem during the rise of the pandemic, winning the 2020 GMA Dove Award® Song of the Year. With a total of over 562 million views on YouTube and 1.58 million subscribers, she has written more than 200 songs in her career.

Greatest Lord

This acclaimed artist released her latest album, Greatest Lord, April 1 from Integrity Music. The powerful, 13-song worship album includes guest features from artists spanning three continents, including: Darlene Zschech, Jekalyn Carr, Nathaniel Bassey, Micah Stampley, Leeland, Maranda Curtis, and more.

A worship project declaring God’s sovereignty and Lordship over all situations and circumstances the world is currently going through, Sinach created Greatest Lord to help Christians all over the world recognize Jesus as the solution to today’s hurting world. It is her hope that each song will be an inspiration to worship and declare the Word of God in praise, worship and faith proclamations.

You can check out last year’s Christianity Today story at this link. And be sure to watch Sinach, along with Mandisa and Leeland, sing “Way Maker” during last fall’s GMA Dove Awards (below).

To learn more, please visit www.sinachmusic.com.

https://youtu.be/Oa9FYhKbvks

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Cross Point Music’s ‘Oh The Wonder’: Everyone’s Welcome, Nobody’s Perfect And Anything Is Possible!

by Jennifer Alden
written by Jennifer Alden

In the heart of Music City sits a church that believes everyone’s welcome, nobody’s perfect and anything’s possible. It’s a mantra that’s carried Cross Point Church across the past 15 years of its existence and a vision that’s shaped its primary musical expression, Cross Point Music, into a collective that seeks out collaboration both inside and outside the walls of their church.

Never Going Back

Nashville’s Cross Point Music soon releases its first-ever LP, Never Going Back. It comes out on July 23 from Centricity Music. This collective includes nearly 400 volunteer musicians, vocalists, and songwriters. Worship leaders Mike Grayson and Cheryl Stark anchor the initiative. The new seven-song LP features the lead single, “Oh The Wonder,” available now on digital and streaming outlets everywhere.

Led by Grayson and co-written by Grayson, Stark, Heath Balltzglier (North Point Worship), and Matt Armstrong, “Oh The Wonder” is a song full of joy, and this never-ending hope that we each receive in His death on the cross. It was written during the pandemic last August, as members of the Cross Point Music worship team were prayerfully asking God, “Where are we and where do we need to go? What’s next? Lord, give us a song for where you are taking us!”

“There was a moment, a sense of freedom to move,” reflects Grayson, who is the former frontman of MIKESCHAIR. “We felt like the Lord was saying, ‘Joy is coming, and help people see it.’ It felt so weird to still be on Zoom – we weren’t even in the same room – writing a song about joy and acknowledging the joy we have because of what Jesus has done. Even in the midst of the pandemic, this is still true.”

I’ve got joy that’s found in a heavenly hope
Peace like a river down in my soul
I’m held by the power of the Holy Ghost
Oh what a wonder
(“Oh The Wonder” bridge)

“I remember when we wrote the bridge of the song, Mike said, ‘That was the moment for me where the skies began to part’,” recalls Stark, who previously served as a country writer for Sony/ATV and is married to Apollo LTD member Adam Stark.

“I knew that for him this was a huge moment of perspective shift. Hey, we are not going to be stuck here forever. We have to keep our eyes on Jesus, and this is where we are going,” Stark explains.

“My prayer is that our church and the people of God would see that His faithfulness has gotten them to where they are,” adds Stark, calling attention to Psalm 126, “…and the prayers that they prayed in their darkest moments, they will return back home with armfuls of laughter and blessing.”

Cross Point Music Team

Along with the new single, the full Never Going Back LP is the result of the Cross Point Music team realizing that God has been propelling them forward, even through this incredibly tough pandemic season that began right after their main downtown Nashville church campus was largely destroyed by a tornado. (A story we shared in a previous article.)

“We have learned so much about worship and who God is that we never want to go back,” affirms Grayson. “We all learned how to worship again from a place of ‘I’ve got nothing but me and my room.’ No stage, no lights, no people even. You’re singing to a phone and it’s like, ‘Lord, I trust that you are going to use it.”

“I’m so pumped for people to experience what came from these songs and these recordings,” continues Grayson. “The fact that this recording all happened in the last year is only a God thing. That we were able to write, record and videotape songs…it is a celebration of what God did and what He is continuing to do.”

Cross Point Church

Cross Point is a multi-site church for the spiritually curious. It is a place for people to find and follow Jesus. Moreover, their robust web presence reaches people all around the world, through this digital discipleship and online evangelism.

The new single, “Oh The Wonder,” and upcoming LP, Never Going Back, follows Cross Point Music’s debut EP Never Stop Singing that was released in January, featuring the title track along with three more original songs. Each song was organically birthed from the worship emanating from Cross Point Church, which serves about 10,000 people across six campuses in and around Music City.

Finally, for all the latest Cross Point Music news and more, please be sure to visit here.

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Unspoken: ‘Help Is On The Way’ Brings A Powerful Message

by Jennifer Alden
written by Jennifer Alden

Check out Centricity Music recording artist Unspoken, showcasing this raw, authentic pop musicality across each of the 12 songs featured on the band’s acclaimed, best selling album, Reason. When you give your burdens to the Lord, you can rest assured, He will take care of you.

Following the album’s title track becoming a multiformat No. 1 radio hit and two more Top 20 hit singles, “You’ve Always Been” and “Just Give Me Jesus,” the band released its fourth single from the album, “Help Is On The Way,” on February 5, 2021.

A hopeful message for today’s world, Help Is On The Way was co-written by Unspoken lead vocalist Chad Mattson with band member Jon Lowry and GRAMMY-nominated songwriter Jeff Pardo. 

The song and a remix of the track by David Spencer are also featured on Unspoken’s Reason Deluxe album.

Help Is On The Way

“The title of this song was a phrase that we used in our house often as we were going through a deep season of anxiety about three years ago,” remembers Mattson. 

“We’ve since come out on the other side, but that hope to know that God had already mapped out our victory before we even entered the struggle was something that gave us the strength to get through,” Mattson continues.

“David said in Psalm 37 to be patient and wait for the Lord to act. He also said in his older years in the same Psalm that he’s never seen the righteous forsaken. God is on your side. You may not know when, you may not know how, but you can trust that help is on the way,” Mattson explains.

Hits Deep Tour 2021

Playing “Help Is On The Way” and its bevy of hits and fan favorites, Unspoken joins Multi-Platinum®, seven-time GRAMMY®-winner TobyMac for his annual Hits Deep Tour. 

Supported Nationally by KLOVE, Air1 Radio, Food for the Hungry and Altrua HealthShare, the tour features 17 arena events in 12 cities along with additional guests Tauren Wells, We Are Messengers, Cochren & Co. and Terrian. 

Each event will implement socially distanced seating maps and will be working closely with both national and local health officials to meet or exceed current health and safety guidelines in each market.

For all the latest Unspoken tour, music, news, and more, please visit www.unspokenmusic.com.

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Worship Leader Premieres Lead Single/Video “Comfort, Oh Comfort,” Offering Timely Hope For Today’s World

by Jennifer Alden
written by Jennifer Alden

In 2011, singer-songwriter Caroline Cobb gave herself a goal to write a song for every book of the Bible in a year. That year of writing set in motion a passion to tell the stories of Scripture through music. She did this with imagination, artistry, and faithfulness to the text. As a result, this goal would lead her to her latest album, “A Seed, A Sunrise,” bringing together an artistic tapestry like no other.

Caroline’s forthcoming album A Seed, A Sunrise explores the longing of Advent, the joy of Christmas, and the anticipation of Jesus’ return, building on the previous story-telling albums the Blood + the Breath (2013) and a Home & a Hunger (2017), the latter being named among “The Best Albums of the 2010s” by The Gospel Coalition.

Featured by The Gospel Coalition, Doxology & Theology, Risen Motherhood and more, Caroline has been compared to Rich Mullins, Andrew Peterson, Sandra McCracken, and Ellie Holcomb. She and her husband live in Dallas, Texas with their three children Ellie, Harrison, and Libby.

To Look With Hope

Caroline Cobb launches her third album, A Seed, A Sunrise: Advent to Christmas Songs, to streaming, digital, and retail outlets internationally on November 20, 2020. The recording is beautifully crafted with rich, biblical imagery, artful arrangements, and poetic lyrics, stirring up both the longing for Jesus and the joy of His coming to help the Church rehearse and remember God’s Story. 

Following her acclaimed A Home & A Hunger album, named one of the “Best Albums of the 2010s” by The Gospel Coalition and listed among Under the Radar’s “Best Gourmet Albums of 2017,” A Seed, A Sunrise builds on Caroline’s previous full-length projects, both of which trace a biblical theme from creation to Christ’s return. For the new recording, Caroline draws heavily from Isaiah and other Old Testament prophets, as well as the gospel narratives.

“When I looked at the lyrics and Scripture references for A Seed, A Sunrise, I noticed light and garden imagery woven throughout. But it wasn’t just light, it was more like a longing for the dawn after a long, dark night. And it wasn’t just a garden, it was the hope of beauty growing up from the desert, the hope of a tiny seed bringing forth the green of Eden in a desolate wilderness,” Caroline shares.

Comfort, Oh Comfort

Recorded live in the studio in February and produced by Isaac Wardell (Josh Garells, Sandra McCracken), the album also features Tyler Chester (Madi Cunningham, Switchfoot), Andrew Osenga (Andrew Peterson, Caedmon’s Call), gospel trio Resound (Lauren Daigle) and a fourteen-piece string orchestra.

The lead single from A Seed, A Sunrise, “Comfort, Oh Comfort,” which is available at digital and streaming outlets everywhere via https://ffm.to/comfort.opr, also becomes the album’s first concept video, premiering last week on Worship Leader. 

“I wrote this song for a friend walking through a hard season with her adult daughter,” Caroline says, who draws from passages in Isaiah that speak of gardens coming from the wasteland and rivers streaming in the desert. “But as I sang it, I realized it was also for me: there were ‘scorched and dry’ places in my life, seasons shadowed by grief. This song speaks comfort into our dry places and reminds us that through Jesus, we have the promise of full restoration one day.”

A Seed, A Sunrise

A Seed, A Sunrise also features “Joy (As Far as the Curse Is Found)” and “Hallelujah, Christ Is Born,” both rejoicing in the long-awaited birth of Jesus, and “There Will Be A Day (Isaiah 2)” and “Be on the Lookout,” which remind us to look with hope toward Jesus’ second arrival, even as we work to “take to the world His love and justice, singing ‘let His Kingdom come’!”

“Although we recorded this album just before the upheaval of 2020 began, these songs of longing and finding hope in Jesus seem all the more relevant in the midst of racial injustice, political division, fires, hurricanes and the COVID-19 pandemic,” Caroline explains. “My prayer is that these songs will be a needed balm for us, giving voice to both the desperate cry ‘how long, O Lord?’ and to the unwavering hope we have in Jesus. Longing and hope are not mutually exclusive. We need both right now.”

For all the latest Caroline Cobb music news, tour dates, and more, please visit www.carolinecobb.com.

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Tornado Rips Apart Church, COVID-19 Levies Restrictions, But Nothing Stops Church From Singing Praises

by Jennifer Alden
written by Jennifer Alden

A collective of nearly 400 volunteer musicians, vocalists and songwriters anchored by worship leaders Mike Grayson and Cheryl Stark, Cross Point Music serves over 10,000 people who call Cross Point Church home across six campuses in and around the Nashville area.

Written before COVID-19 forced churches across the nation to temporarily shutter, and before Cross Point’s doors were closed following a tornado that ripped through Middle Tennessee in March 2020, damaging a large portion of Cross Point’s main building in downtown Nashville, “Never Stop Singing” has become an anthem of hope, despite all of the adversity.

With a heart to pour into creative souls that come to the church’s multiple locations around Middle Tennessee, Cross Point Music’s mission as part of a global Church is much bigger than its songs; it’s about the people.

“Nashville’s ‘Music City’ and we attract so many songwriters from all over the world, but we were sensing that there’s a great need for community and growth for the individual songwriter,” shares Stark, who previously served as a country writer for Sony/ATV and is married to Apollo LTD member Adam Stark. “Hopefully, these songwriters are building relationships and growing in their craft, but also, our hope is that God awakens them to the God-given gift He’s given them.”

“We believe a song can come from anywhere, so that’s not just those faces you see on stage or leading songs. We’re really intentional about the fact that it’s not an exclusive club,” adds Grayson, who is the former frontman of MIKESCHAIR. “When you start inviting people from other churches into the mix, what you start to realize is the Holy Spirit is working in a bunch of different spots at once. And then the next thing you know, you’re writing a song that serves so many different people when you thought, ‘Oh man, I was just writing for my church’.”

Nowhere is this sentiment more apparent than on Cross Point Music’s latest single, “Never Stop Singing,” which was born out of one of their initial songwriting camps. Stefan Cashwell, from Atlanta’s Maverick City Music, leads the song’s recording. Cashwell penned the song alongside fellow songwriter Mary Beth Sudduth and Cross Point Franklin pastor Kevin Robison.

“We just knew immediately Stefan was supposed to carry that song,” Grayson shares. “The vision for Cross Point Music isn’t an exclusively Cross Point member thing. We would love to showcase unity in the Church. It really does come down to whoever is supposed to carry that song for that season.”

“Never Stop Singing” serves as the title-cut for Cross Point Music’s newest EP, slated for January 2021. This four-song collection includes three other originals organically birthed from the worship emanating from Cross Point Church.

For all the latest Cross Point Music news, visit https://crosspoint.tv/music/, Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, YouTube and Apple Music.

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May Christ Be All And I Be Nothing

by Jennifer Alden
written by Jennifer Alden

Members of Grace Worship united together, but separately, last week to record a “Home Edition” of “Christ Be All,” the title track of their new EP, releasing on April 24, 2020, from Grace Worship and The Fuel Music.

Before Jesus went to the cross, He prayed that His church would be one. Grace Worship desires to write and share songs that advance this mission through theologically rich and creatively beautiful art. By pulling from the heritage of Christian hymnody and integrating the church songs of today, the worship team hopes to make much of Jesus’ unifying mission through music that equips the church for worship across generations.

This unique blend, reaching across many generations and musical genres, is especially captured well in “Calvary’s Anthem.” The new single features lyrics from Robert Lowery’s classic hymn, “Nothing But the Blood,” along with verse lyrics to accompany its traditional Appalachian melody by Grace Presbyterian Church pastor Dr. Bryan Chapell. Additional melody, chorus and bridge is supplied by worship director Kevin King, who also sings the song and orchestrated the piece.

Kevin shares, “With brilliant brass, sensitive strings, and a powerful band, this track centers on Christ’s interceding work on the cross that causes hell’s hold to cease and frees us to a life of joyful worship.”

Christ Be All

Drawing on its 150-year church history (Grace Presbyterian Church) to bring a multi-generational focus to Christ Be All, the EP is centered on Jesus’ prayer in John 17 for the body to be “one,” honoring this rich heritage of Christian hymnody, while also incorporating modern anthemic choruses and pop hooks.

Kevin adds, “In light of a world that has suddenly become very isolated, Grace Worship still desires to be a family of worshipers that serves to unite the church to treasure Jesus. This ‘Home Edition’ of ‘Christ Be All’ is an effort to show that the church can still be one together, commune together, be creative together and love Jesus together, even amidst uncertain and lonely times. We pray that this video is an encouragement to people everywhere that Christ is for you, and His work in you is not done.”

“For ‘Christ Be All,’ we are connecting with the historic and renowned words of Andrew Murray as we seek to have the worshiper understand through song that it is to our joy to ‘become nothing’ (Philippians 2:7), as Jesus did; to lose our lives so we can find them in Him,” Kevin continues.

“Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.” – Psalm 29:2

Grace Worship explains that each person on Earth is created to worship: “Our hearts are designed to love what we treasure, and as Christians, we worship because of the provision of Jesus Christ, who makes us worthy of worshipping Him.”

Christ Be All incorporates words from Andrew Murray’s classic book, Humility, and is meant to help worshippers express, along with the Apostle Paul, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20), as they sing, “May Christ be all and I be nothing.”

For all the latest Grace Worship music news and more, please visit www.graceworship.com.

 

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“Thursday Night Homeshow” Event Meant To Bring Music, Encouragement Amidst Coronavirus Pandemic To A Digital Audience

by Jennifer Alden
written by Jennifer Alden

Centricity Music recording artists Unspoken and Apollo LTD team-up for an unprecedented night of music and encouragement amidst world-wide Coronavirus fears during a “Thursday Night Homeshow” Facebook Live event Thursday, March 19, 2020, beginning at 7:00 pm CDT / 8:00 pm EDT (USA).

The event will be streamed live at Facebook.com/UnspokenMusic and Facebook.com/ApolloLTD from the renowned Sound Kitchen studio in Franklin, TN, and will benefit Compassion International.

Along with being label-mates, Unspoken and Apollo LTD were featured artists on The Roadshow 2020 arena tour that was cancelled last week due to Coronavirus concerns. With the tour cancelled, and not content to just hunker down for the duration of the pandemic, the artists decided to take elements of what music fans would have seen in-person to the online platform.

“We were sad the tour cancelled, but we wanted to bring something fun to people as they deal with the craziness of the world,” says Unspoken lead singer Chad Mattson. “It’ll be a great time to hear some great music from the comfort of your own living room…Tell your friends!”

“The cancellation of Roadshow was a huge bummer, and took us all by surprise,” adds Apollo LTD’s Jordan Phillips and Adam Stark. “But In the spirit of unity, we still want to bring the show to you! We, along with our friends in Unspoken, look forward to ‘seeing’ you Thursday!”

During the Facebook Live event, Unspoken will perform fan favorites, including its declarative, soulful new hit single, “You’ve Always Been,” and its multi-format No.1 Billboard hit single and title track from the band’s acclaimed, full-length and third album Reason that is available now at physical, digital and streaming outlets globally.

The album showcases raw, authentic songs written out of the hard stuff of life alongside the band’s pop musicality for which it has become known.

Cinematic, alt-pop duo Apollo LTD will perform the first single, “You,” from its upcoming full-length debut album slated to release this fall along with songs from the duo’s widely acclaimed Out of Body LP, including hits like “Gold,” “On The Way Up” and “Heaven.” 

Phillips and Stark, two longtime friends who make up Apollo LTD, share the common goal to write honest songs that unite, turning the challenges that all humans face into reasons to band together.

During the Unspoken / Apollo LTD “Thursday Night Homeshow” Facebook Live event, Compassion International will be giving viewers the opportunity to sponsor a child, through a special sponsorship link set up at www.compassion.com/thursdaynighthomeshow.

Watch the powerful worship session anytime on the Blessed Life Facebook page! Click HERE!







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ArticlesFaithVideo

Our Great God – Loving God With All That We Are

by Jennifer Alden
written by Jennifer Alden

Phil King is a worship leader, teacher, author, and songwriter. His aim is to carry the presence of God everywhere he goes. Phil is a passionate believer that the arts, when it involves the lifting up of Jesus, has the power and ability to impact culture, shift government and heal society.

Phil King released his second single, “Our Great God,” from his full-length label debut album, All Glory, set to release on March 6, 2020. He shared, “There is power in singing songs about the cross and the resurrection of Jesus,” adding, “the Holy Spirit responds when we sing about this subject in particular because it’s the gospel, the good news.”

Our Great God

The newly released single, “Our Great God,” as well as his debut single “Song Of Redemption,” was recorded live on November 8, 2019, at Christ for the Nations Institute in Dallas and produced by UPPERROOM’s Matt Fish.

Phil King, who co-wrote the song with Trinity Fellowship Worship members, says, “‘Our Great God’ is a simple anthem declaring the greatness, grandeur of what Jesus did when He died and overcame every power and every authority that opposes Him and that held us captive.”

Phil King has worked alongside many notable acts such as Michael W. Smith, Lauren Daigle and Leeland. He has performed in front of the Presidential family (US), as well as many other government leaders.

Along with the new singles and companion “Our Great God” video, and NewReleaseToday.com-premiered “Song Of Redemption” video, Phil’s upcoming All Glory includes Revelation 4 and 5 inspired songs like the title track, “Greater Realms of Glory,” “Deliverance,” “Banner,” “So Worthy” and more. Every song on All Glory is uniquely singable.

“God is looking for true worshippers; people who worship in the Spirit and in truth,” Phil shares, quoting John 4:23. “My hope is that these simple songs help in that process. I feel this burden to always keep pointing people to Jesus.”

More About Phil King

Phil King further released his pro-life anthem “Not Forgotten,” which was written last year in response to a New York law that permitted late-term abortions. The song caught the attention of FOX News, CBN, EWTN and Focus on the Family, which tapped Phil to lead the song as the closing anthem for 20,000 people in Times Square at its “Alive from New York,” the largest pro-life event ever held in New York City.

Hailing from Turlock, CA and now based in Dallas, Phil King has led worship at conferences around the world, written a book on worship and released an independent album, Giants & Oceans, in 2014. His career began leading the worship department at Christ for the Nations Institute in Dallas. He is now a full-time worship pastor at Gateway Church. His aim continues to be to carry the presence of God everywhere he goes. He has a passion to deliver the message of loving God, with all that we are.

For the latest Phil King tour dates, music news and more, go to www.philkingmusic.com.

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