like , " Well this is stuff God ' s telling me about me . I ' m working out my salvation with fear and trembling ." And the humor of God allows me to somehow sing my way through it .
I think it is trying to remind people and to encourage people ... And Jesus says , " Take my yoke upon your shoulders . My yoke is easy , and my burden is light ." And everyone ' s just walking around heavy-hearted and heavy handed . And there is something beautiful about the notion of Christians just leaning more into God . I think it was Saint Augustine who said , " To be able to pray as if everything depends on God , and then act and live as if everything depends on you ." And somehow holding those seemingly two opposing ideas in the tension that they deserve . And being a witness through that .
I remember being on a retreat years ago , a silent retreat , and journaling and feeling like what the Lord was telling me was ... And it was embarrassing . And I told the retreat director . I said , " I feel like sometimes all God wants me to do is go stand up in front of people and let them love me ." But I think that that ' s so much of ... So much of the Christian life is more about bearing witness to the fact that we ' re loved .
And walking in the reality of that , it creates a buoyancy , I think , for the people around you .
[ WM ] Amen . The last time we talked we discussed the great Oscar Peterson . In certain jazz performances and recordings , there is a strong sense of intimacy in performance and approach . It ’ s in the touch of the instrument . Miles Davis , Wayne Shorter , and Oscar
Peterson certainly demonstrated this . As a former jazz student , do you realize that you bring this dynamic to your worship leading ?
[ Matt ] Well I sure hope I do . One of the musicians that played on this record is a guitar player by the name of Taylor Johnson , who ' s really a fantastic guitar player . And we ' ve known each other for a long time . I remember once on the road , this was a decade ago , we were talking about playing and I said , " I love watching you play because I can tell you ' re not thinking about what you ' re playing anymore ."
And so I would say it ' s always my hope in my songwriting and in my faculties , whether it ' s as a singer or as a piano player , but it is as a songwriter that it all feels a little ... the best music does feel effortless .