NEW MUSIC
PHIL WICKHAM Song Spotlight “ The Jesus Way ”
A few standout cuts include the opener , “ In the Room ” which is a get out of your seat rocker perfectly written and delivered as a foot stomping service opener extoling the presence of God that exists when two or three are gathered in worship . The energy of this track is infectious as we are reminded of what God does during worship as He moves , speaks , changes , forgives and heals His people in the room .
“ Faithful and True ” features the soulful voice of Dee Williams leading God ’ s people as they confidently extol the faithfulness and truth of our God , while “ Amen Hallelujah ” brings us to the return of Jesus to reclaim us taken from the book of Revelations . Long time New Life Worship Pastor , Jon Egan leads the charge here and his voice sounds just as shimmering and sincere as it did when he started with New Life more than 20 years ago .
“ The Earth Is the Lord ’ s ” is a stirring prayer proclaiming the creative and awesome power of God both as creator and savior . Jennifer Wilson ’ s commanding alto soars with the warm background of violins and cellos as she tells the story of humanity from creation to resurrection .
“ Where The Story Ends ” points the worshiper to both the present moment and the future that Jesus won on the cross and how He gives hope in every circumstance .
I enjoyed a lot of the songs on this latest venture from Jon Egan and New Life Worship . Many of the songs here are vertically themed songs of praise , honor and worship directed to a God who is always good and who is head over heels in love with those He created .
Veteran worship artist Phil Wickham writes a lot of great songs . From “ This Is Amazing Grace ” to “ Living Hope ” and “ House of the Lord ”, it is fair to say that Wickham is one of the most accomplished popular songwriters of our day . Back in 2023 , he released one of his bestselling albums , I Believe which introduced the church to the incredibly popular track , “ This Is Our God ”. That album also featured one of my all-time favorite songs , “ The Jesus Way ” which was just re-released back in March of this year as a stripped-down acoustic version of the powerful original .
This creatively written ballad is both a call to believers to daily walk the walk of a believer while simultaneously announcing all that He gave up for us so that we can proclaim Him in all we do .
This most recent version begins with a fingerpicking soft acoustic backed with steel guitar undertones as Wickham ’ s airy tenor tells of a man who will not repay evil for evil yet returns blessings for curses , forgiveness for hurt and love in spite of hate .
Verse 2 continues in a similar vein but moves to our call to action as believers of the faith . Here , we experience a few ways we can bring hope to the hopeless , help to the helpless and knowledge of our Savior to those whose eyes are darkened . These two verses are smartly written and confidently , yet humbly delivered as Wickham winds up to the first chorus .
The chorus is a powerful declaration as Wickham proclaims ; I follow Jesus , I follow Jesus . He wore my sin , I ’ ll gladly wear His
name . He is the treasure , He is the answer . Oh I choose the Jesus way . These phrases are wonderfully placed and we are reminded that as believers , our motivation for good works comes from the example and sacrifice of Christ alone .
Verse 3 ventures into the depths of what full surrender looks like as Wickham sings about being chained , struck and ultimately killed for the Gospel . These phrases are not often lived out in our own daily existence as Christians here in the U . S . but do indeed play out in other parts of the world . This verse is a powerful reminder of just how much some have suffered for the sake of the Gospel while putting our own lives into perspective .
Wickham ’ s voice soars into the vocal stratosphere over and over on verse 4 as we hear about all the ways we can choose to live like Jesus including surrender , forgiveness , grace and to worship in all circumstances .
The fact is , God chose us from the dawn of time to be His own . He knows our name and every part of us . We are His , but we do have a daily choice of how we will announce and demonstrate the Gospel in our lives , and I think sometimes we forget that loving God , loving people and living like Jesus are our primary responsibility as we respond to grace . “ The Jesus Way ” is a perfect reminder to all of us who claim Him as Lord . Go and do likewise .
Gerod Bass Worship leader in Tacoma , WA . Mentor with Worship Catalyst . Singer , songwriter , guitarist with a passion for impacting lives for the sake of the Gospel . www . oslc . com
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