![]() "By the time my head hits the pillow tonight, I’ll have released a new album. We planned all along to release it quietly. Gently. Before corona. Before quarantine. This was made as an offering to the Lord. Built as an altar of affection. It is for the marking and maintaining of the gift of communion between God and man. How blessed are we? That the God of all creation comes close to us. This man Jesus... He is everything. This album is for being still and knowing Him." - Steffany Gretzinger on the eve of the album release "An offering to the Lord", "an altar of affection" -- both perfect descriptions of this album as a whole. Each song holds the weight of the Gospel message and the freedom that it yields. Each lyric so perfectly orchestrated and ordained by the Father for His Own Glory, so anointed, and drenched in His presence. I believe it is impossible to not be engulfed in a worshipful spirit when the sweet fragrance of Gretzinger's words rise up to Heaven. I believe this album beautifully, simply, and profoundly highlights the intimate relationship between the believer and Jesus Christ, the idea of sanctification, and the deepest desire of the Lord's heart to heal the broken and sinful and redeem them to Himself. The album begs to be listened to without distractions: with earbuds and eyes closed, looking out the window on a rainy day, with the lights down low and your Bible on your lap, laying on the ground or on the floor with only the sounds of the music or the sounds of nature. It is an altar of worship for the King. Be still with this album and meditate on Who God is. It has brought me closer to Him and has allowed me to enter the Throne room in the most gentle way. The atmosphere created by this album is of pure light. 1. "Remember""Remember" emphasizes the humility of Christ and the Heart of God to demolish any boundary between us and Him. "You took the altar / And made it a table" Gretzinger speaks -- in awe -- of how the Lord loves us so dearly that He was willing to come in such a humble way and create a space in which we can feast with Him and still have the desire and the pull to worship Him at the altar. This line is so simplistic but holds such symbolic meaning of the Old and New Covenants and how the altar (of works and sacrifice) was converted through His blood into a table at which He wants to see each and every one of us seated. Gretzinger later reflects on this reality with a prayer, understanding the power that this New Covenant holds to change the hearts of believers and non-believers alike. She reflects on the ongoing relationship we have with Jesus and how only He has the power to change a heart of stone into a heart of flesh. "Don't let me stay the same / Only Your Love can change me" The song ends with a revelation of how understanding this reality is what will bring wholeness to brokenness and that Only through the blood of Jesus and the mentorship of the Holy Spirit will we be able to reconcile ourselves back to the Father's desires for us. "What was broken and severed / It will come back together / As I remember you" 2. "More to Me""More to Me" is a pure adoration for the Lord. It recognizes His eternal worthiness of honor and praise and is set as a prayer to Him, acknowledging that He is above all earthly things. The song could serve as a reminder and a declaration for the listener. While praying the lyrics of this song, let them permeate our spirits and become truths. Let Him truly become the One that means the most in our lives when we constantly seem to be ruled by the voices, influences, and pressures of others. It is a reminder to constantly choose God over all else; to choose God before others. It is a reminder of our lifestyle of submission and surrender to Him. The bridge always grabs my heart: "Let me set a table / For the One that I love / This is my desire / All I have is ready / To fulfill Your longing / What do You desire?" Setting the table for the Lord like He does for us -- taking the altar and making it a table. Submitting everything to the Lord -- ALL that we have -- and asking Him to do what He wants with it. It is an intimate trust and desire to honor the Lord that drives us to this lifestyle. Let this be so in each believer. 3. "Forever Amen""Forever Amen" is a simple prayer of the heart. The opening lines describe the essence of Christian life in the spirit: "Let me hear the sound of Your Voice / And I will leave it all behind / Let me hear the sound of Your Voice / And I'll come running" 1. Seeking the Voice and the Will of God. 2. Tuning out distractions and discerning His voice 3. Lovingly and eagerly obeying His voice I just LOVE the image of someone so madly in love with God that at one single word He speaks, they would just drop everything and come running into His arms. It is just so incredibly beautiful and a life I long to emulate. The song is a deep understanding of what it means to be loved by God and to love God. It affirms the fact that our sole purpose is to love and serve God, and in embracing our identity in that way, it would become the motivation of our hearts and lives to leave anything behind that God would ask of us. "You'll be my forever / My forever Amen" He has been, is, and will forever be our everything and a truth we can stand firm on. The softness and power of this song has made it a personal favorite of mine from this album. 4. "No One Ever Cared for Me like Jesus"There is not enough that I could say about this song. The first time I listened to it, it brought tears to my eyes. It is a love song to Jesus; of Jesus. The song is filled with revelation of God's provision and the ability of Christ to not only carry our burdens, but to carry US. The title alone is enough to push a believer into looking back on their life and see where Jesus has been with them. It is the revelation after the believer prays the Serenity Prayer. It is the warmth right before a season of gratitude and thanksgiving to the Lord. I love how Gretzinger goes on to say that she hopes her children and her children's children understand and see the love she has for Jesus and the love He has for her. Let this be the prayer of us all -- to bring generations of people to Jesus -- all with the same depth of love and reverence for who He is. The image of a child watching their mother or father live a life intimately with Jesus is just so beautiful to me, and that is what I see when I hear this song. It reminds me of a worship lesson I watched Steffany give a few months back. She told a story in which she apologized to her young daughter for the way she had spoken or reprimanded her, and then she told her that she needed to go spend time with Jesus to help her. It's just a beautiful picture of how she is loving her daughter and the Lord the best she can. I pray we can understand that no one has ever been so deeply and intentionally loving toward us as Jesus has. It is true that no one has ever cared more deeply than He. I pray this song will move your heart the same way it moved mine. "I'm still in love / You're stil enough for me / Still all I want / You're still my Everything" 5. "The Olive Grove""The Olive Grove" is a purely orchestral/instrumental track and I always receive a prompting from the Holy Spirit to dance in the spirit. It just builds and builds and builds and as it becomes more powerful I can feel my joy rise up and tears fill my eyes. It is simply a beautiful piece that sounds like what would be playing in the background on the day I was saved and began dancing with the Lord. Listening to it as I write this section of this post, the Lord gave me a vision of a very broken person hearing the Word and just running and running after Jesus. And when they finally catch up to Him, He embraces them and they begin a glorious dance together; through darkness and light, and mountain tops and valleys and as the song ends, they end up yet again in the arms of the Lord in the Kingdom. The melody washes over my spirit in a way that even words cannot. There are no adequate words to describe the beauty of this track. It makes way for so much prophecy and vision from the Lord. I encourage you to listen while closing your eyes and seeing what vision the Lord might give you. 6. "This Close""This Close" reveals the heart of God to seek after us and constantly be ready to accept and listen to our worries and prayers. It affirms the scriptures that say that His ears are open to receive our prayers and that He bends down to hear us. It reveals how intimately He knows our hearts and how we should never strive for His love and acceptance since He so freely gives it to us, knowing our longings, pain, and brokenness. Not only does He love you, but He loves you uniquely. He knows exactly how you need to be loved, and that is exactly what this song is about. The ease of the Love of God. "You're not struggling to hear me / So I'm not striving to be heard / I am sure the One who made me/ Is catching every word" His willingness and sovereignty to already go ahead of us and give us the things we need and want just because He loves us is incredible and so beautifully reflected in these lyrics. Let this be the prayer of those who are stuck in striving, who are slaves to the law, or have trouble accepting or understanding the Grace that God has for us -- He already has offered all of His love. ALL of it. Let it be the exhale of the spirits that are heavy-laden; to know that God knows every detail of who we are and He is with open arms to hold us. That His presence should be a place of restoration and exhale while He takes all of our burdens and works them for good. 7. "Center of All History""Center of All History" is a simplistic, yet deep and full understanding and description of the Gospel message. Its plain description of the Christian life brings the listener back to the foundation of their faith and restores wonder for what God has done and Who He is. It is a declaration of the sovereignty and holiness of God and how He is the center of all things. He is the end of the Old Covenant and the beginning of the New. He is the center. Let Him be the center of our lives. 8. "Christ the Lord Is with Me""Christ the Lord Is with Me" is just such an important and beautiful revelation. That the King who conquered death and got nailed to a Cross for our sin is with us, in us, for us. Lyrics in this song come directly from scripture. What I love about this song and most others on the album is that the lyrics are so simple, but so deep and profound and reveal the glory and wonder and majesty of who God is in such a new way. My wonder of this reality that Christ is with me in a constant way is renewed through this song. Much like "No One Ever Cared for Me like Jesus", it prompts me to look back on my life and see that I was never separated once from the Love of Christ. The song ends with Steffany's daughter, Wonder, singing the chorus. It is a beautiful symbol of how we must maintain child-like faith and wonder for the Truth of who God is. "Now I live with confidence / That nothing in the universe / Could ever separate me from Jesus' everlasting love" 9. "Great Assembly""Great Assembly" is what I view the Lord desires for His Bride. The lyrics simply speak for themselves: "We long, we long / We long for You and no one else / Could satisfy us like You do, Jesus / We long, we long / We long for You and no one else / Could satisfy us like You do" I just see a vision of what Heaven will look like through these lyrics: "Gathered in this great assembly / We will cry out You are Worthy / Can You feel our hearts explode with praise / Joined with those who’ve gone before us / Cover You in endless worship /You will be forever crowned with praise" It is the knowledge that Jesus is enough and He is the satisfaction to our deepest longings and the healing to our most wounded areas of life. That when we join together in His name, Praise is endless and perfected. We are the Bride of Christ and this song so beautifully depicts what that means and how the Lord deserves to be worshiped for all eternity. This album captures the intimacy and anointing of the Christian life in a way I've never seen before. I find myself in a place where I long to savor this album. I've never felt this way about anything else I've listened to in my life. I want it to be sanctified and set apart forever. I find myself holding back from listening too much for fear that it will lose its anointing and power in my spirit. Every time I do listen, I find myself engulfed in praise in a way no other album has moved me before. Each song feels like I am clothing the Lord with a garment of praise. I believe this album is one that brings the movements of the spirit -- both ours and His -- during quiet time to a new tangible level. I cannot stop listening, yet every time, I remember that it must never be over-played. I believe each lyric was inspired by the very mouth of God. I pray that you would listen to this album in one sitting and experience Jesus in a completely new, intimate way. Selah. Listen here:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/4INKppNLM2RZwGmggvpMvY Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/forever-amen/1503028577 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/albums/B085YFQR7J?ref=dm_sh_c24b-d7fd-dmcp-60a2-e4e61&musicTerritory=US&marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1azGmqJN7ok&list=PLTNJ1xzSK3u8qehbyZUp4YrRj_e4xCnwQ&index=2&t=0s&src=Linkfire&lId=9857bf2f-84b3-400b-b693-af90fb642f11&cId=f44bf6c6-02cf-438a-97f9-5a1f92319921&aId=2 Pandora: https://pandora.app.link/WLccZGqUe8 Learn more about Jesus Christ ➳
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Hello everybody! I thought I'd do a quick blog post this week that's a little more laid-back and fun, so I decided to tell you all about some of my favorite Christian-lifestyle things! I'm planning on doing one of these every once in a while, so this is the 1st edition! Anyways, I hope you love some of these things as much as I do, or find something you'd like to try! ❤
Music🎜
I THRIVE off of Christian music!! It has been one of the biggest tools for me to connect with the presence of God and grow in my relationship with Him. I have over 600 Christian songs on my phone, and several playlists pertaining to different emotions, themes, and topics. I basically only listen to Christian music, so I have many favorites to share with you!
Kari JobeKari Jobe is my very favorite Christian artist. Her voice is so beautifully pure, and her songs are a gateway to the presence of God. She has an AMAZING heart for the Lord and I look up to her so much as a Christian, a singer, and a woman of God. I'm actually seeing her in concert TONIGHT!! Click on her picture to go to her site and check her out! |
HillsongHillsong Church is a global church based in Sydney, Australia, however their various music groups have been quite prominent in the Christian music world! They have 3 different groups: Hillsong United, Hillsong Worship, and Hillsong Young & Free. I love all of them so much!! Their music brings such peace to my life and fill me with the Spirit! Click on their picture to check them out! |
Bethel MusicBethel Music is a group of musicians and worship leaders from Bethel Chruch in Redding, CA. THEIR MUSIC IS SO. ANOINTED. I can't express how much Bethel Music's music has impacted my spirit. Their live spontaneous worship performances bring me to tears every time. Check out one of my faves on the right hand side of the screen on a PC or at the bottom on a mobile device (the YouTube video) and click on their pic to check them out! |
Albums
"The Garden"by Kari Jobe
"Love Riot" by Newsboys
"You Make Me Brave (Live)" by Bethel Music
"Brave New World" by Amanda Cook
"How can it Be" by Lauren Daigle
"Zion" by Hillsong United
"Love Ran Red" by Chris Tomlin
"Here as in Heaven" by Elevation Worship
"Let there be Light" by Hillsong Worship
"Majestic" by Kari Jobe
"Starlight" by Bethel Live
"Love Riot" by Newsboys
"You Make Me Brave (Live)" by Bethel Music
"Brave New World" by Amanda Cook
"How can it Be" by Lauren Daigle
"Zion" by Hillsong United
"Love Ran Red" by Chris Tomlin
"Here as in Heaven" by Elevation Worship
"Let there be Light" by Hillsong Worship
"Majestic" by Kari Jobe
"Starlight" by Bethel Live
Apps
YouVersion Bible AppThe YouVersion Bible App is essential for any Christian. I've talked about this app in a few of my other blog posts, but it's honestly just so amazing. Not only does it have the Bible available in any translation/version, but it also has built in devotionals on every topic imaginable, videos, and podcasts! It's such an incredible app and I can't even imagine my life without it! Click here to get it! |
First 5 by Proverbs 31 MinistriesFirst 5 is an amazing devotional app for Christian women. Each devotional only takes 5 minutes to read, as the name implies. Its purpose is to encourage women to start their day with the Lord: their first 5 minutes. Not only are the devotions great, but there are groups you can join to connect with more women of God! I love this app so much!! It's available on both the iTunes store and Google Play. |
Prayer MateThe Prayer Mate app is basically just an interactive prayer list. You can put everyone/everything into the app, organize them by category, and add details. Then when you go to pray, it will help you remember to pray for everything! It's a pretty simple app, but it's suuuper helpful! It's available on all app stores. |
PrayPray is (obviously) another prayer-related app, but it's very different. The Pray App allows you to join your faith community (your church) and then post things that you need prayer for. Other people in your faith community can pray for you, and it tells you who prayed for you as well. You can see others' prayer requests and pray for them too! It's again, pretty simple, but a great way to become aware of the power of prayer! Click here to get it! |
So there are some of my favorite things! That's definitely not it, but I want to save some of my other faves for another edition! I'll share some of my favorite songs, blogs, ministries, books, devotionals, websites, bibles, etc, so this series looks to be a pretty good one!
Let me know in the comments if you liked this type of blog post and what some of your favorite things are!
Let me know in the comments if you liked this type of blog post and what some of your favorite things are!
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About the Author
Hi! I'm Angie! I'm a college student, worship leader, pro-life advocate, future teacher, youth ministry intern, and above all else, follower of Jesus Christ. I would love to get to know you!
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