New Album Coming 11/8/24
“Longing for the Garden” (at the end of election week)
In case you haven’t heard, I have a new record coming out in about 6 weeks. I honestly don’t know what I was thinking, releasing a concept album about grief and healing at the end of election week. I am either brave and my timing is poignant, or I’m a fool. Whichever it is, “Longing for the Garden” is coming November 8th.
I’ll talk more about the album in the coming weeks leading up to release day. For now, I’ll say that each song on the record has a story.
I’ll share a story now - not one that directly affected/inspired a song on the album, but one that helps me think about why I continue to do what I’m doing - writing, arranging, practicing, scheduling studio time, recording, producing, hiring, promoting, distributing - making music (Important note: these things are not done alone, but with the help/partnership of so many wonderful people). Music is a powerful tool, helping engage parts of us that are not always easily accessible - for making sense of things that were previously locked up and undecipherable.
I was co-leading a prayer set with a friend on a Tuesday morning. We were in this flow/improv scripture-singing moment. He sang a line from Psalm 139 about the Lord’s care for us that was so tender, and I instantly became a weeping mess at the keyboard. I was taken back to a moment in my story that I had struggled to confront, a moment that needed to be approached with kindness. It felt as though a part of my heart had become a dry patch of ground - hydrophobic, perhaps, not allowing water in to nourish it. But that line of music came out and the garden of my heart cracked right open, and it was as though water flowed into those cracks and nourished my soul. It was surprising and a little bit painful, but it was beautiful, and it was healing. The tears fell for a long time that day, as they still do at times when I remember that moment. And it started with a song.
I hope the songs on this album and the stories they tell will help you access and explore the parts of your own story that the Lord is inviting you to nurture alongside Him. More to come…
You can pre-save or pre-order “Longing for the Garden” at the top right of this page.