Austin Stone Worship

(*Disclaimer, I called in the big guns for this post! My ever-talented, gracious husband weighed in with an experienced voice on this subject matter.)

We love worship music in this home. My husband, being a worship leader, immerses himself in it daily. I immerse myself in it to keep me focused and to sometimes lighten my load throughout the day. I find that when I have music playing, it encourages me to pray more often and leads me into more of a worship-full attitude.

However, we try to be mindful of the types of worship music we play. All worship songs are not created equal. I have sung along with some songs, only to wonder 5 minutes later "What was I just singing?!"  We try to be mindful of the music that fills our minds. So, when we do sing along, our mouths aren't proclaiming un-truths. We want to be sure that the worship music we listen to is theologically sound.

Several years ago, we discovered Austin Stone Worship. The purchases we have made have not been made in vain. Our minds are filled with great music, our hearts are stirred with great affection, and our voices sing along to great Truth!

So, when Austin Stone Worship announced their new live worship record, King of Love, we were STOKED!

I was honored to receive the album and to test-drive it before it hits the world's ears with full-force!

Here I am, being pretty excited, texting a picture to the Hubs!

This past week has been a joy to dive into the music from Austin Stone Worship on the new King of Love record. From the very first track on the record, the music is full of intense guitar riffs backed with heart-pounding drums. Throughout the rest of the album, there is a blessed melding of the melodic voices to the wonderfully mixed instruments. From original tracks to classic hymns, this record is filled with a great mix of high-energy songs accompanied by a mix of slower-paced songs. No matter the pace of the song, they are all Gospel saturated and Christ exalting.  They have spurred my heart into an attitude of worship.

The songs stuck in my head, even when they weren't playing over the speakers. I found myself humming the lyrics and melodies of King of Love all throughout the week. Even better, my husband has full access to SO MANY resources from Austin Stone Worship to encourage him in leading our body of believers through some of the songs. So, now I can listen to the CD in the car, and I can sing along in our own live-worship experience on Sundays.

Bless yourself, or a friend, when this album comes out on October 22! (Available on iTunes or Amazon.) And if you're musically talented, like my husband, check out their website for their AMAZING resources!

Mu-sack!

We're a musical family. Some of us are more talented than others at being musical. (Insert praise for my husband's giftedness here.) But we're musical in the sense that we LOVE LOVE LOVE music in our home! And in the car. And in the grocery store. And walking down the street. And just about everywhere.

We've already discussed how a good song makes me react, over here. I would be lying if I didn't tell you that my children have the same reactions, too. Sweet Bella girl was really getting her groove on in a clothing store the other day. And Jade's little melodies always seem to be filling the quiet spaces of our home. Even our munchkin Jo-Jo can be heard spouting off a word or two to his favorite tunes!

And we love all kinds of music 'round these here parts. There's a little jazz, some folk, (lots of) pop, a little rock 'n roll, and a good amount of worship. But my absolute favorite music to listen to are songs chalked full of Scriptures. You put simple truths to a good tune.. and it STICKS! (Just the other day I put my daughter's teachers name into a cartoon jingle that we are both familiar with. And, voila! She had her teacher's name down packed!) I want to be intentional in what's filling our little one's ears. I want them to store up the Word in their hearts. And well, when you put great, BIG truths to a good tune.. it STICKS!

We've had this CD for about a year now. And we have not tired of it yet! The tunes are catchy, and are packed with the Truth that I want my kids to know. (And hey, it even serves as a good reminder for me too! There have been a few times I've found myself cleaning or folding laundry whilst these peppy little songs pass the time!) I love playing this on the way to drop our oldest little Brantner off to school. It gets all of us so excited and ready for the day!

I love playing it when we are acting a fool in our living room with a "pick-me-up" afternoon dance party!

I love playing it .. well just a lot.. I just love paying it!

I highly recommend it! You can check it out here: Mighty Spirit Kids, iTunes, or Amazon