This week we just completed a brand new studio album, to be released in August. The title is ‘We Shall Not be Shaken’ - and many of the songs centre around the stability, constancy and faithfulness of our God. There’s so much uncertainty in the world we live in - the economic troubles being a recent example. And there amidst all of the confusion and worries we find our unchangeable, unshakeable God - standing as steadfast and strong as ever. Jesus is the solid ground, the firm place to stand. And He is perfectly faithful. As Tozer reminds us, God is never ‘partly’ anything. He is full-on in everything He says and does and is. God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all. God remains faithful, even when we are unfaithful, because He cannot disown who He is.
Our constant and unfailing God deserves our constant, stable, unfaltering worship. God is everything He says He is. I hope these new songs might help you voice that worship to Him, as you seek to be everything that you say you are.
Recording the album has been a great journey - and a great team. From co-writers, to the record label, to the musicians, to the producer we’ve had an amazing pool of gifting and creativity to draw upon. The first song ‘This is how we know’ is available now on Itunes USA. Enjoy!
Matt
This is going to be an exciting year! Beth and I (and our fantastic kids) have loved being on the journey with the Passion movement over the last few years. 2008 was the year when Passion got it’s passport out and visited 17 cities around the world. It was massively inspiring to see all that God did on this tour, as the Passion events officially went ‘global’.
This year we’re going ‘local’. February 15th will mark the first of several monthly gatherings in Atlanta, the initial steps on the journey to plant Passion City Church. (www.passioncitychurch.com). We’re thrilled to be here in Atlanta to be part of this, and can’t wait to see the kingdom of God stories which are going to unfold before our eyes as we embark on this adventure.
I want to live with a great sense of expectancy this year, and hope you will do the same. As William Carey, the well known missionary to India once said: “Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God.” If you’re still looking for a new year’s resolution, that would be a great one. Carey also encouraged us that “The future is as bright as the promises of God.” In other words, it’s pretty dazzling…
I encourage you to run into this year with a glad and expectant heart, echoing the Psalmist’s confidence that, “The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me.” (Psalm 138)
It’s been a fantastic 6 weeks - the most nations we’ve ever had the privilege of visiting in such a short period of time. Starting off in the Ukraine with Passion, we went on to Sweden, Uganda, France and back to the UK (and managed a quick USA visit in between!) Then the tour with Hillsong London kicked in, and we had the joy of visiting Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Italy, Switzerland and Holland. On a natural level, just seeing so many places and meeting so many different people in such a short period of time has been inspiring. We’ve been in some beautiful and buzzing cities. But looking beyond that, it’s been exhilarating to look through the ‘kingdom of God’ lens and get a tiny little view of what is going on in this world. God is orchestrating far more than any of us are really aware of, that’s for sure!
Every single event was an encouragement to the soul: a joy to see people gathering together so passionately and purposefully for the worship of Christ. It’s hard to single any of the events out, but the 4 or 5000 folk who showed up in the Czech Republic (on the night of an important national football match!) took us all by surprise. I’ve never been to there before, and walked away so fired up that the anthem of Jesus is being sung out loud and strong in that nation. But as I said, I can’t single it out because every new place was truly a highlight. Every city had it’s own distinctives; Kampala taught us all how to dance, Budapest showed us how to express joy when you’re not allowed to (dancing/jumping was banned that night, as there were a few thousand of us standing on the roof of a shopping mall complex!). Yet in the midst of enjoying and celebrating these various distinctives, one thing was clear to see: we are one choir, one voice, one people…. with an amazing God.
Thanks to all who came to these events - they would have been a little boring without you!
Approached from any angle, our God is glorious, majestic, loving and holy. You can search as long as you like but You will find no gaps in His greatness or goodness. He is steadfast, constant and perfect.
When we study a person for a while, before long we will find some kind of ‘chink’ in their armour – some kind of inconsistency perhaps. For although we may each have admirable qualities, none of us are as steadfast, faithful or unflawed as we would hope to be. God, however, is different. He tells us He is holy, and it is the whole truth and nothing but the truth. He tells us He is love, and everywhere you look you will find His love. He tells us He is faithful, and as we investigate we discover that He is absolutely true to His word. He is the perfect and unfailing King of glory. He is the incomparable God of holiness – set apart to be worshipped and adored. Constantly He shines with splendour. Moment after moment He radiates grace, peace and love. There is no lapse in His character or inconsistency in His nature. Our God is everything he says He is… for now and all eternity.
It’s been a while since I’ve left some thoughts on this blog… but after a fantastic trip to California it would be impossible not to. The Passion regional gathering hit Los Angeles last weekend and over 4000 students gathered at the Nokia Theatre there. As always it was a powerful time, but what struck me the most is that Passion’s heartbeat for the nations (which has always been in the mix) is being turned up more and more. During the weekend together we sowed into 4 of the forthcoming world tour stops with prayer and other resources - Seoul, Tokyo, Jakarta and Vancouver - and there were representatives there from each city. At the same time, the Do Something Now campaign saw those gathered at the conference bringing many 2260 towels and 10,500 pairs and socks to be distributed to shelters caring for the homeless in LA. Plus enough money was given to be able to build 18 wells in Africa. So in other words it was not “just another conference”…
On the Saturday I taught a new song, ‘God of our Yesterdays’. It reminds us that we worship the God of yesterday, today and forever - and that He is the God of our yesterdays, the God us here today, and the God of all our tomorrows. I don’t know about you, but I find that a really re-assuring thought.
Also during the weekend Chris Tomlin led us in a great new song written by the Belfast-based band ‘Bluetree’. Titled ‘God of this city’ it’s a song of worshipful faith that will find it’s way out to many, many cities of this world. No doubt it’ll be an important piece of each night on the Passion World tour which will hit around 20 cities later this year.
(see www.268generation.com). Both these new songs, by the way, are on the new Passion live album (also titled ‘God of this city’) which is released on Feb 5th.
So the good news is… He is God of your yesterdays, your present and your future. He is God of where you live. He is GOD…
Late Saturday night we were on an open-air stage in beautiful weather, surrounded by beautiful scenic mountains - and the sun slowly going down. What a fantastic environment to lead worship. My band and I were at the Big Boss Festival - my very first time in Switzerland. I’ve grown up impressed by their watches and their chocalate (!) - and it was a delight to connect with this crowd of young people and worship God together.
I love leading worship outside. There are so many clues right there before us as to the wonders of the One we are approaching. Switzerland was an amazing example - the fresh air, the summer sun, the beautiful blue sky - and finally the sun setting and the night sky appearing. All of these aid me greatly in what I’m on that stage to do - point people towards the glory of God. As the Psalmist said “There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard” (Psalm 19). Creation speaks a universal language - one that trandsends people groups, history and cultures - and brings a message straight to our hearts. As we sang ‘How great is our God’ that night we had some of the reasons for believing that right there before our very eyes.
Worshipping God indoors is great, for sure. But sometimes those bland ceiling tiles aren’t going to help you out much as a worship leader. There’s a time to drag everyone outside and worship Jesus under the night sky. Go for it!
Matt
Wow - simply an amazing time. We had the privilege of leading worship in Seoul, Hong Kong, Manila and Tokyo - and everywhere we went we met with a lots of young people throwing themselves into the worship of Jesus. We were so encouraged that many of the songs had made their way over to these places ahead of us - and humbled that we got to lead these little songs on Asian soil. It only goes to confirm what we know to be true - that there is a new song rising up in this generation. It’s a song of passion and purpose, reverence and joy. It’s the song of the free, the cry of the redeemed. It has no borders - it flows freely in the north, the south, the east and the west. It is the eternal anthem of praise for the God of heaven. What a privilege to see a little glimpse of it here and now on the earth. Yet there’s so much more to come…
I’m nearly at the end of the tour with Chris Tomlin and Louie Giglio. It’s been a great journey. I love hanging out with the fantastic team we have - and getting to see a bit more of the good old US of A. But more than anything it’s so great to see what happens time after time when people are exposed to the truth of God and given space to respond in worship. Every evening we’ve been lifting high in praise the God who never lets go. The One who is holding it all together even when our lives seems to be falling apart. We’ve had so many reports back of how God has been faithful even in the harshest circumstances of life. And how these people have made that all-important choice to keep worshipping him amidst these times. People who have lost their children in war. People who have seen their marriages break apart in cruel ways. And many more stories beside. And yet they all have one thing in common - they’ve found their way onto the pathway of praise. Not only is that the most God-honouring place to be found in such a time - it’s also the safest and wisest. Thanks so much to everyone who has sent us these encouraging stories along the way.
So, now a quick thought for songwriters. Not from me, but something I came across from Bono of U2. Speaking on songwriting he said “You can have 1000 ideas, but unless you capture an emotion, it’s an essay.” What a great thought. It can be so easy to generate ideas for songs - and put some kind of theme together. But if it’s merely a cerebral exercise it may only take us so far. Truth-based songs will always resonate to some degree, but taking it further, if that truth is delivered with passion, purpose and emotion it will be even more compelling. When writing a worship song we’re not just trying to give people some information. We’re trying to convey the awe-inspiring wonders of Jesus, and describing how our hearts, minds and souls respond when faced with these things. Just take a look at the Psalms - these songs are full of passion and emotion - poured out in the most full-on adoration, intercession and praise you’ll ever come across. They are built on truth, and oozing with emotion. So there you go - a tiny little thought on songwriting, courtesy of Bono.
Hi everyone, and once again a massive thanks for all these inspiring comments. The tour with Chris and Louie has been going great, and on many of the nights we’ve been singing the song ‘Shine’ from my new album. The song came into being as a response to the verse in Phillipians 2 - which says that in this generation we, as the church, ’shine like stars in the universe’. If you know anything about stars, that’s a pretty amazing thought. Seeing them from such unfathomable distances away, we can be unaware of just how outrageous these stars are. Take the Sun as an example. They says it’s about 27 million degrees fahrenheit in its unfathmomably hot core. And burning up about 5 or 6 million tonnes of it’s own mass every second. Or, check out the star Sirius. This one is about twice the mass and diameter of the sun, and 23 times as luminous. So when the bible tells us ‘we shine like stars’ in this generation, that’s some pretty intense stuff. What I love most about this verse though is how affirming it is. It doesn’t say ‘go and try your best and if you’re an expert at Christianity one day you might even shine’. No, it says ‘you DO shine’ - we already shine - even on our bad days. That’s good news for the lady who’s showing up at the office every day wondering if her being there really makes a difference. Or the guy at college living on campus and losing confidence in his ability to shine because of how full-on environment it is. It’s so easy to lose our confidence in this area - and this verse is so helpful and encouraging. I’ll end with an old line from Charles Spurgeon, which sums it all up for me: “Never lose heart in the power of the gospel”.
Thanks for the comments people have been posting up - it’s good to be able to encourage each other on this journey… so thanks! I’m writing this having just finished our first night of the ‘How Great is our God’ tour, in Phoenix, AZ. I’m excited to be travelling around again with my great friends Chris Tomlin and Louie Giglio - and hope we can really make an impact on our short stops in these US cities. There is such a good team dynamic between the three of us, and though of course it’s Chris’ tour, he is an inspiring team-player. He has a great way of being open-handed and hearted with the stuff he’s entrusted with - which may be one reason why God keeps trusting him with more! So on these nights we’ll be leading quite a few moments in the evening together… and I think we’re going to have some great evenings of worship.
Tonight, between ‘Blessed Be You Name’ and ‘You Never Let Go’ I shared some thoughts from Psalm 9:10 - which says to God, “Those who know Your name trust You”. It’s a profound thought that can change our lives if we get hold of it. The Psalmist isn’t saying anyone who remembers what God is called will trust Him - but by saying ‘knows Your name’ he’s talking about hearts that know the nature and character of God - the very essence of who God is, if you like. So he’s saying ‘God, those who really know what You’re like will put their trust in You’. That is so true. When we get to grips with just how powerful, loving, strong, kind and wise He is, we will find ourselves trusting our lives to God. He’s the One who holds all thing together, including our lives. He’s the God who has never been outwitted, outsmarted or out-manoevured. He has never lost control of a situation. He’s the God of love, mercy and kindness. The Father who never lets go. When the truths of who He is sink in - right to the very depths of our souls - we will begin to trust God even in the most confusing or desperate times of life.