Today at 3:00pm, I experienced an emotion I had not felt since my university days. It was the rush (relief?) of turning in your "final project"; in this case, my mix, mastered and soon-to-be-multiplied CD, "In That Day". Emotions often trigger memories. For me, the completion of an album, the "final paper frenzy", the juggling of multiple projects simultaneously all made me think back to when I made my first album, "Is Anyone Out There?" in good ol' Minnesota. I like to refer to songs (and albums) as musical photographs. Like photographs, songs capture a specific moment in your life. I think about songs I wrote when I was a 15-year-old fledgling songwriter; where I used to cringe, I've come to cherish these musical polaroids and the season in my life they represent. 

Listening to my first album after a long time evoked both nostalgia and insight. Nostalgia for all the obvious reasons and perhaps the not-so-obvious reasons of the beauty that results from brokenness. Insight because, like when looking at an old photograph, you suddenly realize how much you've changed. Or grown. Or lost weight. 

But I digress. My purpose in writing is twofold: first, as suggested by the title, I am trying to kick start an old habit of writing. I figure writing is much like working out. If you're doing it regularly, you can't imagine not doing it. But if you take too long a break, it's hard to get re-started. 

Second, I wanted to share with you the excitement that I am feeling about this new album. Every song on this album was birthed in the place of worship and prayer. Many began as spontaneous choruses while I was leading a Friday Night Burn or Worship with the Word set. Some were birthed in a crowded Prayer Room, others with one or two in attendance during a devotional worship set. But every song has a story. More than a story. I believe, a message. My desire is to over the weeks to delve into each and share not just the story behind the song, but His story behind each. But until then, please feel free to check out the album that will be released digitally really soon and through physical CDs on December 10, 2011. (Please check out the Album Release Dates.)
Until He returns.