Tag: review

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GLOSSOLALIA // NEW EP FROM JAKE BERRY

glossolalia-jake-berry

My friend Jake Berry has just released his debut EP, Glossolalia. It’s excellent! Jake is a massively talented singer-songwriter and I think his voice is as good as Jeff Buckley’s.

I’m giving away 5 FREE downloads to the first 5 people to comment on this blog post. (I’m currently getting spammed, so if this is your first comment, I will have to approve it before it goes live.)

You can listen to the EP at the bottom of this post.

I asked Jake a few questions to find out a bit more about his heart behind the release.
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HOPE BEYOND CURE: BOOK REVIEW // GUEST POST BY ADAM SCOTT (@ADAMNSCOTT)

hope-beyond-cure

I recently noticed my friend, Adam Scott, share online that he had just finished reading a book for the second time. The book? ‘Hope Beyond Cure’ by Dave McDonald. Knowing some of Adam’s story I asked him if he’d be willing to share how this book has impacted him in particular. Ads is one of the ministers at St Mark’s Pennant Hills (Sydney).

“It’s actually very serious.”

That was the last thing I wanted to hear from the doctors treating me.

An MRI had apparently revealed a large arterial tear in my neck & the consensus was that I’d probably had a stroke.  It all started feeling very serious.  I was 28 years old, laying in a hospital bed, surrounded by pensioners who were apparently healthier than I was – go figure!

It was the first time in my life that someone spoke candidly & clinically with me about the reality of dying and it was terrifying. I’d always expected dying to be a future, far-off, unfortunate but inevitable reality, but someone with more authority on the subject was telling me that perhaps my presumptions were wrong.

That’s probably why I’ve appreciated reading ‘Hope Beyond Cure’ by David McDonald as much as I have. It’s a book written by a pastor who was humble enough to admit that facing death can be terrifying & perhaps our presumptions are wrong.

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THE DISPATCH // NEW @MARSHILLMUSIC EP

The newest band out of Mars Hill Church – THE DISPATCH – have just launched their self-titled EP. I received a copy a week ago and have had it on repeat for the whole week! Mars Hill bands continue to produce solid new songs and contemporary arrangements of older songs. THE DISPATCH has two originals and two fresh arrangements.

THE DISPATCH

Here’s my brief run down of the tracks…

  • Track 1 – The Word – straight up, all about Jesus. Lyrics from the prologue of John’s Gospel.
  • Track 2 – By His Grace – epic themes of being saved by God through grace, faith and Christ from the book of Ephesians.
  • Track 3 – The Solid Rock – Edward Mote’s My Hope is Built is a classic hymn and this is a good version. Good beat and much more singable than one that has been sung in Sydney for the last 20 years.
  • Track 4 – How Deep the Father’s Love – this modern day hymn from Getty & Townend is an amazing song that will be sung for many years to come! So it’s worth having new arrangements. This is probably my favourite version of the song and also my favourite track on the EP. It is very folky, driven by quality picking on the acoustic guitar. The female voice and the slightly faster tempo make it a beautiful rendition.

We do lots of Mars Hill arrangements in our church and youth community. I can see all of these songs getting a run in the future. Highly recommend.

Go download the EP now. It’s only $4!!

See the band bio below…

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We Are The Outpost – AWAKEN – EP

We Are The Outpost have just launched a killer EP, AWAKEN. It’s seriously good, I’ve had it on repeat for the last week! Jesus-centred lyrics, solid tunes, well produced. The band was birthed out of the youth ministry of MBM Rooty Hill (Western Sydney, Australia).

BUY IT NOW ON ITUNES

I dig all 4 tracks, but the stand outs for me are 1 & 2.

(1) Anchored Hope – I was told by one of the younger guys at church that this song had a post-hardcore feel. I’m not sure what that means, but I guess it’s good! This song is jam packed with goodness from the New Testament book of Hebrews. The song begins with “burn your white flags, look up ahead” (this refrain is then repeated at the end). The idea of burning your white flag is all about not surrendering, not giving up, continuing to persevere and trust in Jesus until the end. This song will definitely be put on the playlist at SOULIES. It’s also got a good beat for exercise and running!

(2) Hallowed – Cliff Richard did an okay job back in 1999 with his Millennium Prayer hit in getting the words of The Lord’s Payer stuck in your head. We Are The Outpost do a much better job! I would love it if youth ministries all over the place got the words of The Lord’s Prayer stuck in their head through Hallowed. It’s got a little bit of a The Temper Trap feel to it. Tidy work.

If you’re part of making music happen in your youth ministry/church – get into this gear! If you’re not, get into it anyway – it will be good for your soul.

BUY IT NOW ON ITUNES

Props to Matt Sparks for running a sweet youth ministry. And BIG props to Steve Vassallo for writing & producing this EP and for his ongoing work with the band.

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A River With No End // Ghost Ship

Ghost Ship are a rootsy/bluesy band from Mars Hill Church. I’ve had their recent EP on repeat for the last few weeks. I dig the opening track – One God – with its call to turn from idols and serve the True and Living God. My favourite track is The Revelation of Jesus Christ – it’s more or less straight from Revelation 21 with an accompanying banjo to boot.

You can listen to the whole EP for free on Bandcamp. You can also get free copies of lyrics and chord charts etc. I listened to it lots of times before purchasing it. Because I really liked it, I paid $6 instead of the asking price of $3. Generous, I know.

Check it. Let me know what you think.

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Simply Sing – Fresh Songs for Churches

When my friend Matt Mulready contacted me and said I should check out his new music project, I knew it would be good. But let me be honest, it’s much better than I was expecting!! Let me explain. Simply Sing is seeking “to equip God’s family with fresh songs that teach and respond to the saving work of Jesus.” Cool aim. I knew that the songs would do that. They do. The music is great, and the lyrics are really encouraging.

After I downloaded the tracks I prepared myself to listen to some basic demo’s. This is when I was blown away (not literally, I’m pretty heavy and the wind would need to be pretty strong). The tracks that they’ve produced aren’t basic demo’s. They are really tight, well produced and recorded songs. Sweet!

Simply Sing have released 5 songs with the launch of the website. For a limited time it includes a free download of See the Man. The other tracks are priced cheaper than tracks on iTunes. Win. I really enjoy the new music to the old hymn There is a Green Hill. It’s a tough call, but of the 5 tracks my favourite is At your Feet. Check out these great lyrics from verse 1 and the chorus:

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THINK by John Piper

John Piper writes books quicker than I can read them. But I still try! I thoroughly enjoyed one of his recent books: Think: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God. Here’s part of the official blurb from the publisher, Crossway: “We often pit thinking and feeling against each other, especially when it comes to the Christian experience. Glorifying God with our minds and hearts, however, is not either-or, but both-and. Focusing on the life of the mind will help you to know God better, love him more, and care for the world.”

Here’s a promo video for the book:

In Think Piper has two biblical texts that form the main point of the book. 2 Timothy 2:7 – “Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything” (ESV) and Proverbs 2:3-6 – “…if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding…” (ESV)

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