Tag: music (page 1 of 4)

“For You, Lord” (A Song)

Our pastor has been inviting musicians within our church body to record and share songs with the congregation, and a few weeks ago, it was my turn.

I had written this song a month or so before he asked, for a friend who had been diagnosed with cancer and was just beginning treatment. But I have noticed that songs and poems in particular often mean one thing to me when I write them, but then take on an entirely difference shape once they’re finished—as though I thought we were building a really big sandbox, and God knew all along we were framing a house.

This song has that quality more than any others—it became a prayer I sang during those first weeks, as things around our state began closing and we started to understand that a white-coated savior wasn’t going to swoop in with a vaccine and make this all go away. When our pastor called and asked if I’d be interested in recording a song for our church—now worshiping in various rooms throughout our county—I knew exactly which song I would share.

I want to share it with you, too.

For You, Lord

You are my light and
my salvation—
what shall I fear?
You are the stronghold
of my life—
of what shall I be afraid?
Not of sickness or death,
suffering, fear, or shame.
Nothing can separate
me from your love
or remove from me
your grace.

You have said, “Seek my face,”
and so, O God,
you alone will I pursue.
But you know me, God,
how I go astray—
keep me close to you.
All the days of my life,
may I never know
a day apart from you.
You are my shelter,
my refuge,
and I will cling to you.

I will wait for you, Lord

When we reach those doors,
my hand in yours—
what, Lord, shall I say?
But the door long barred
swings open for
the passkey of your name.
You clothe me in your garments
of goodness,
mercy, peace, and joy;
you say, “Child of mine,
come inside—
enter and enjoy.”

I will wait for you, Lord

New albums from Caroline Cobb!

Caroline Cobb is my favorite songwriter. That’s a bold statement, but I thought a lot before committing to it, and I couldn’t think of a songwriter whose lyrics resonate more deeply with me, or whose melodies are as fun to sing as hers. And she just launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund two new albums that sound as beautiful as the two I already own and love!

Clinking of glasses! Shouts of huzzah!

I encourage you to visit her Kickstarter campaign to learn more about the vision for these new albums and to, please, support her work. Or if you’d like to know more about her and why she does what she does, you can read my—old, in internet years—interview with her on Deeply Rooted.

Rain for Roots

I am extremely late to this party, but I’m so happy to finally be here that I hardly mind.

For years, my friend Jen has recommended Sandra McCracken’s music and for years, I meant to give her songs a good listen. It wasn’t until recently that I finally did, and that discovery perhaps warrants its own post. It is worth mentioning here because she is one of the four women who compose and sing the lovely songs of Rain for Roots. The one who wrote the lyrics, though, is none other than our beloved Sally Lloyd-Jones.

Big Stories for Little Ones, by Rain for Roots | Little Book, Big Story

Sandra McCracken, Katy Bowser, Ellie Holcomb, and Flo Paris combine lovely folk melodies with the poems of Lloyd-Jones’ Baby’s Hug-a-Bible to make an album that brings gospel beauty to our kitchen and minivan. These poems put to music are lovely and fun to sing together as we remind on another just who God is and how he loves us.

Big Stories for Little Ones, by Rain for Roots | Little Book, Big Story

Big Stories for Little Ones is one of the most requested albums here right now, and I don’t cringe even a little when asked to put it on again. (I may even open the CD case with a delighted flourish.)


Big Stories for Little Ones
Rain for Roots (2012)

Sing the Bible, Vol. 3 (Giveaway!)

Last week, I raved about the new Slugs & Bugs album, Sing the Bible, Vol. 3. This week, I get to give two copies of it to two of you! What do you need to do to win one of these beauties? I’m so glad you asked.

Sing the Bible, Vol. 3, by Randall Goodgame and Slugs & Bugs | Little Book, Big Story

Enter the Giveaway

To enter, fill in as many options as you like in the widget below. The giveaway closes on Tuesday, May 29. After that, two winners will be randomly selected and notified by email.

Game on!

Slugs & Bugs: Sing the Bible, Vol. 3

My goals in life are simple: to live a life of obedience and peace in Christ; to faithfully raise our children and see them love Jesus; and to spontaneously sing “Not By Bread Alone” in perfect harmony with my kids.

I’ve been driven by this hope since the morning one daughter started chanting “cheese dip, cheese dip” during breakfast and the rest of us joined in, drawn by an irresistible urge, until we had sung the whole of “Mexican Rhapsody” (with parts! And harmonies!). That could explain why we listen to Slugs & Bugs Sing the Bible, Volume 3 on repeat in the minivan—we’re rehearsing. We’re preparing for that glorious moment when one of us leads off with “Man shall not live by bread alone . . .” and sets off a Rosenburg family flash mob.

One can hope.

Sing the Bible, Vol. 3, by Randall Goodgame and Slugs & Bugs | Little Book, Big Story

But even if nothing comes of this ambition, it is no hardship to listen to Sing the Bible, Vol. 3 over and over and over again: Sally Lloyd-Jones and Andrew Peterson return on this album (huzzah!), alongside the new (to Slugs & Bugs, anyway) voices of Sara Groves, Propaganda (our new favorite!), and more. Scripture, beauty, raccoons, and hilarity ensues as Randall Goodgame offers, once again, a beautiful blend of deep and delightful songs.

There are entire passages our family cannot read without singing now, and I think that is as it should be. There is something about parts of Scripture that want to be sung—they reach us deeply, and they sometimes demand a response deeper than silent reading. Listen to “Our Struggle” a few dozen times, sing along, and then try to read Ephesians 6:12-18 without bursting into song. (You might keep your mouth closed, but you and I both know you’re singing along on the inside.)

Goodgame’s songs have a way of storing not only the words of Scripture but the energy of it in our memories. We may not be ready to debut our “Not By Bread Alone” yet, but we can certainly sing whole passages of Scripture together at the slightest provocation.  And I am content with that.


Sing the Bible, Volume 3
Randall Goodgame; Slugs & Bugs (2017)