Sweet Becomes Sour: When a Breakup Is THE Scar You Have to Deal With

By Alice Ogutu

Side note: My bae will be sharing a few of her lessons and experiences on this blog from time to time. I’m letting her have this space to do so. I am sure these experiences will benefit all of us. Ukiona amekujenga sana (hehe), you may say so to her here on her Facebook or here on her Google+ to appreciate her writing. (But one sad thing is that she actually visits Facebook kinda once in a month, haha... But she'll respond to your Google+ message within the day). Also, if the above methods seem unsuitable to you, you may just drop a comment below the post (if necessary) and she’ll appreciate it.

So here goes…

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Sweet becomes sour: dealing with relationship breakups

I weep from heartbreak every time I hear of this. It’s never an easy thing to hear, especially when it happens to someone close. 

Loving someone and being loved back is the sweetest and best experience one can ever hope to have. With loving comes the risk of being hurt and disappointed, but this doesn't mean we should not love. Imagine how much God loves us yet we hurt Him every waking second; yet this has not made Him stop loving or caring for us. He loves us no matter what. Some of us love Him back because we have come to know and appreciate Him, while some don’t love Him because they have not come know Him for who He really is - they only hear of and about Him is sketchy ways.

When we decide to love someone, we always have some expectations from them, we want to be vulnerable but are afraid of the ‘what ifs’, the ‘buts’ and the ‘maybes’, so we tend to just give a part and not all of it.

I understand the pain that one feels when they are lied to by a person they trust and love, someone they gave their hearts to. I understand because I have been on both sides of this coin. I have lied and betrayed before and the same has happened to me in equal measures.

This is really hard for me to talk about but I will because I am not going to allow the enemy to take this chance from those who need to hear what I have to say. I won’t give him the pleasure or the satisfaction to see me drown in my guilt or pain of the past, because right now I am free, Jesus has made me free: He told me that when I repent and confess my sins, admit my guilt and ask for forgiveness sincerely and remorsefully then He will not count them against me, He will cast them far away just as the East is from the West.

God is a father, and I know this. The point is, most of us don’t have this connection with our parents making it difficult to have the same connection with God; so we wholly trust in the partners who come into our lives, thus when we are hurt, the pain clouds our minds and we might do despicable things to those around us and even to ourselves.

Let’s talk about what to do when you’ve been hurt or betrayed (the sweet becomes sour) and when your heart/trust is broken and forgiveness is the last thing you wanna do.

Have a look at this scenario; 
You are with this person whom you adore, they mean the whole world to you. You have given your whole to them. One day, you hear rumors spreading around about whom they’ve been seen with at the shopping centers or other public places. You get worried and wonder if these rumors are true, you ask and you just get a brush answer from them. So you let it slide because you know that they can never do such a thing to you.

Then on this one occasion, you actually see them with the same person, and how they act raises a lot of questions in your mind, turns out you actually know this ‘friend’. Now you’re pissed and decide to leave the place. Later on, the person you love tells you the whole story, how they have been helping this friend with a few issues and how things escalated, and how they tried to avoid all their approaches but in the end gave in because “they are just human”. At this point their betrayal is so much for you to handle, and you don’t even want to see them or be near them. So what should you do in such a case?

When you’re the one who has been betrayed, it doesn’t matter whether you’re a lady or a guy, the pain and the experience are the same. The only difference is how you handle it, and what kind of a relationship you were in.

Now, I’ll not speak of those who are used to being abused, or being lied to, or to those who always let their beloved off the hook even when they are on the wrong (we will talk about this some other day); I am going to talk to those who are in a relationship like mine. 

I think I’ll have to describe to you my relationship. I’ll try as much as possible not to just give you the good bit of it but also the bad: I’ll give you both because no relationship is ever a sweet and smooth ride all along.

Am writing this with the approval of my beloved. Our relationship is one of a kind, you know, the kind I’ve always dreamt of having given that my first really broke me up, and made me not to trust men. But then my bae came along, he is such a gentleman, I guess that is what caught my eye at first, he was always mindful of others and ready to help if it was within his capabilities. So when I fell for him, a part of me wanted to believe that he would treat me right and not like the previous guy. I was hurt with the thought of being in another relationship but he was patient, and he loved me all the same.

But things got messy, I fell into temptation after an argument with him, I betrayed him and then concealed the fact that I did. It was so difficult to carry the guilt because as time passed, I loved him more, and I was afraid of what would be when he came to know of the truth. This guilt put a strain in our relationship and other challenges just built up. I didn’t talk to him about it, till one day he asked me for a break to mend our relationship by mending myself.

During this time, I reconciled with God and I realized that I was not only drifting from my boyfriend but also from God, and this hurt me more. So I decided to work on it, do all I can to be right with God, and am happy to say that God was faithful, and He became the father and friend I desperately needed. He helped me overcome my guilt, sorrow, shame, pain and also showed me how to love just as He loves me.

I got the strength to confess of my transgressions to my boyfriend and asked for his forgiveness and a chance to mend our relationship. I knew that he would be hurt with the truth but I was ready to accept the decision he would have made pertaining us, if he wanted to walk away I was ready to let him go. And if he wanted to stay I was ready to love him and allow myself to grow with him.

Till date I thank God for giving me a guy who loves Him and is ready to obey Him. God said that we should forgive as Christ forgave us, we should love as Christ loves us, and we should give each other an opportunity to live without guilt in our lives. I have experienced that. 

Now, I know you may be saying that my story is too good to be true, but it is not, this is exactly what happened. I wrote it to prove that I have seen both sides of the coin of betrayal: I have been betrayed, and I have also betrayed; so whatever I share below is my personal experience of how you can deal with a breakup or with betrayal;

1.    Be ready to forgive

Whether the relationship will continue or not, people need to forgive each other. I say this because I know that not all will recover from such a betrayal. It usually doesn’t matter whether the mistake seems small or big in your eyes, you should be ready to give forgiveness. Why? Because God commands it from us (Matthew 6:14-15.) This should be done sincerely and honestly. This action shows that you have accepted what happened and are ready to move on. I understand that it won’t be easy but remember that with God all things are possible for He is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all we could ever think or imagine.

2.    Forgive yourself

This is usually the hardest thing, take it from me. I know how that feels. But if you put your heart and mind to it, then you will do it. What I know is that whether you are the one who is hurt or who has hurt someone, without forgiveness you cannot move past the mistake or experience. You need love, courage, understanding and trust. These can only be amply achieved through being at peace with yourself and setting yourself free from the guilt that may be haunting you (that’s what “forgive yourself” actually stands for.) Whether your relationship will come to an end or you will find the strength to move past it altogether, setting yourself free from regret and pity is a very practical step in healing. 

3.    Talk to someone… and talk to God

In our lives, we have at least one person who is our listening board. They may be a person, or it may be God. They are there because they are our friends and we talk to them with a lot of ease about most of the things happening in our lives. Whoever this person may be, talk to them about what you're going through, about how the betrayal makes you feel, and what the pain you're feeling makes you want to do. I say this because this person will think clearly for you and help you see that which you're blinded to due to the anger you may be harboring. I didn't trust myself completely, I couldn't pray, I felt like it was all over for me and the pain was too much. But I had a friend, a Christian one. He helped me, listened to me, prayed for and with me until I was able to move on past it. It even has reached a point where I can now look at my ex without hurting and without bitterness.

4.    Don't blame yourself

Blaming yourself is very dangerous. Looking back, I realize that if I didn't have the help of my Father (God), it is unimaginable where I would be right now. I was so depressed and thought that my ex treated me the way he did because I was not enough (yeah, that’s always an issue with us ladies, no?). My self-esteem was at ‘2’ (on a scale of 1 to 10.) I sallied in self-pity, and blamed myself for everything that had happened. I had to start from scratch to build myself up again, to love myself. God reminded me that I am fearfully and wonderfully made, and with Him I got through it all.

Right now, I am happy and in a new and different relationship. I am free to love God and myself. I am confident in the person I have become and I am grateful for the experience/s I have had. In all this, the lesson I have learnt is to never forget that God is ready to be with us through the sweet and through the sour.

Until next time,

Alice Ogutu.

Relationships: Is There Lust in Your Relationship? This May Help.

There are things we Christians in relationships and marriages rarely talk about yet they are the very things that are at the root of breakups and divorces. One of them is lust.

Is lust giving you sleepless nights?

Dictionary.com defines lust as "an intense sexual desire or appetite"

As far as we know, it comes in two forms:

1. Lusting over your boyfriend/girlfriend.
2. Lusting over another person that you're not in a relationship with (whether single or married).

This has sent us thinking: how many saved people (both married and unmarried) will say they have never struggled with lust? Two percent? One percent? None!?

Here is a small illustration we'll use: if you read Judges 1:28-36, you'll realize that the Israelite tribes conquered the promised land but did not completely chase out the Canaanites. They experienced partial victory. That was not God’s plan for them, it is something they decided for themselves and which they became comfortable with.

We think it's the same thing most of us in relationships do with lust: we conquer it partially, become comfortable around it, and allow it to keep on living in us. In this way, lust keeps waiting to erupt at any time when given chance. The sexual desires trap us and make us helpless leaving us VERY vulnerable to sexual sin. 

Because of this, we consider that the only way to overcome lust is to strive to conquer over it completely.

Note: Just to make it clear, my girlfriend and I have not completely overcome lust, but we are somewhere. We'll declare victory over it as young people after marriage maybe, but just not yet. It is an on-going battle that God helps us overcome one day at a time. We had struggled with it for awhile, and we saw that it was leading us into a pit. (Yeah, we just want you to notice that this relationship over here is not as perfect as you may think - that it is God who sustains us.) We have been tempted several times, but God is faithful. Also, we are talking about this in the present continuous tense so that you understand that it's something that is ongoing and that even in marriage, people still struggle with lust (they just pretend they don't, but they do). Lust has no boundaries; it's just a different kind though when people get married.

Therefore because our relationship is very familiar with lust, and we have managed to do something about it - and are still improving on what we are doing - I'll show you what we have done that might just help you guys.

Here is what we have done:

1.      Intentionally drawing near to God.

If there are fights that have been endless in our relationship, they have been fights on both ends of how intentional we are with God. We realized this: if only one person is REALLY serious and committed to God and the other is simply playing games with Him, the imbalance will cause the less committed person to be often used by the devil as an agent of his traps. It is as plain as that, and people who think being unequally yoked is a good idea should thoroughly read between the lines. This is because the "less serious" person will continually be a catalyst for trouble: a source of all kinds of sexual trouble.

So to save the day, you both need to DO SOMETHING about your spiritual growth. Grow. Grow separately, grow together. Simply grow. Grow in God. That’s the best thing you can ever do for your relationship: intentionally growing together spiritually, morally and emotionally.

2.      Make a commitment to each other that sex (or even the thought of having it) is not an option.  

Lust and sex are two sides of the same coin. To kill one, you have to annihilate the other. There needs to be a law (or whatever you call it) about sex not being an option. Someone will be tempted to want to break it (that law). Someone will be tempted to edit it. You'll even edit it once in awhile thinking that there is no harm to it. But let us promise you something here: the first edition on the law will lead to a second edition, then a third one, and before you know it, sex will be knocking at your door so ferociously that you just may not be able to deny it entry.  

We are trying to be careful here, and there are so many things tagged to it: guarding the things you say, sieving through the places you are in together etc. Christian relationships need boundaries and we need to set them. Boundaries on speech, boundaries that will ensure you don't fall into sexual temptation, boundaries on interactions with the opposite sex, boundaries on how long our hearts and eyes are allowed to linger on anything. Boundaries.  

The fight is still on. So dear LORD, help us.

3.      Sieve through what you watch (on TV, on the streets, on your PC, on your phone etc.)

Everything is not good for your soul, whether you're alone or with your beloved. (1 Corinthians 6:12, NIV) An example is when you watch programs, movies that sexually excite you. By now am sure you know what excites your body, so you may ignore it thinking: “we're not doing anything wrong, it's just on the screen”, but you have to understand that our imagination is very powerful and no one is safe from its traps. So be watchful, and guard yourselves from foreign material that may not be building you up. 

The apostle Paul says flee from sexual temptation (2 Timothy 2:22) and the best way to do that is through working out our faith with fear and trembling and regarding everything as dung in order to gain Christ, the hope of glory.

4.      Guard yourself against unprofitable friendships.

The friends we have determine a lot what we will become in the future.

Immature friends in spiritual vitality and the unsaved (and it is good that you have such friends too because that’s what we are in this world for) need to be given boundaries on what they may throw our way in terms of discussions. This is because these groups of friends may not see anything wrong with discussing topics of sexual nature with vulgar language and dangerous sexual intonations. The questions we should ask even as we talk about such matters with them are:

a)      With what intention do they talk about it?

b)      How do you feel when you hear them talk about it? (Is it sexually provoking your imagination?)

c)      Can you join in in the conversation, or will it make you uncomfortable?

If you can answer these questions and be okay with the answers, then you may be on the right track to talk about lust and sex freely with them.

5.      Talk about it with your boyfriend/girlfriend.

OMG! This is the biggest problem in Christian relationships (we think). If I were to ask you when you last talked about sex with your partner, what would you say? Last year? 2 years ago? Never!? Here, everyone is trying to be so good and holy (especially during this period people call courtship - we have our own views on courtship anyway) that they cannot openly talk to each other about sex. I think it's what makes most Christian relationships weird and plastic. Let's confess it: we have made Christian relationships empty and meaningless to the world either by pretending we don't struggle with some things or by avoiding talks about them altogether.

Here is what we recommend: talk about it. Talk about lust, and talk about sex together. Talk about how you both feel about lust and sex. Talk about your sexual desires (if present or not) and strategize ways to help each other overcome them. Unless you tell the other person that by doing this or that they're causing you to head in the wrong direction, you will move in cycles of lust and sex all the length of your relationship and probably into your marriage. So talk about it.

Lastly,

6.      Pray about it.

There is nothing God can't do. Really. You two may have taken the right path, done the right things and set the right boundaries but lust keeps popping up it's nasty head quite so often. You may even have fasted (oh yeah, our relationship has proved that fasting without DOING SOMETHING about the thing that should be corrected is actually useless) but to no avail.

Don't give up yet. Pray. Pray for one another. Pray against lust and sexual sin. Pray that the Holy Spirit fills both of you with the right desires whenever you meet, that you'll still reflect Christ even in the most secret parts of your relationship.  

There is nothing God can't do, and because He created us with desires (which are good desires by the way - they just need to be directed wisely and at the right time) He is the only One who may have have an idea on how to "switch" them on/off. He can take away the unseasonable thirsting and replace it with good and balanced desires.

Isn't it God who once asked Jeremiah, "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for Me?" (Jeremiah 32:27, ESV). He can master over our flesh. He can do all things. Trust Him. Trust Him with the affairs and difficult parts of your relationship.  

Also, pray with/for your friends. That way, God can also help them as He helps you overcome it.

Conclusion

Read this post with this reminder at the back of your mind: Morris and his girlfriend have not made it yet, but we are helping each other head in the right direction. You're not alone in this fight, so don't fight alone. May the LORD help us.

Proverbs 27:17 (ESV) "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another."

Alice Ogutu and Bonface Morris.

2016 Youth Day Sermon (and Photos)

So last Sunday was a Youth Day at our church. Youth Day is an annual event that happens on every second Sunday of June in the Kenya Assemblies of God denomination.

Guys had fun, and were given a chance (as elsewhere in the Kenya Assemblies of God fraternity across the country) to lead the service and serve the LORD (and actually the church) in unique ways.

Part of the Youth team at K.A.G. Kakamega with Mrs. Bishop Alulu and some kids

I want to take this moment to appreciate the efforts and commitment made by my leadership team (the two Celestines - yeah that sounds weird, but also cool - Patrick and Mrs. Bridget) and our youth (both the ones that were present and the rest that weren't able to attend the occasion due to various understandable reasons.) This was my best Youth Day ever since I took up on leadership. I'm proud to be their leader. 

Here is the sermon I preached in the second service;

Them of the day: Do Something

Dressing code: Black/fuchsia 

Sermon title: Do Something

Key verses:

1.    Titus 2:7-8 (NLT) “And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of   every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching. ”

2.    Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV) “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

• Today’s world is full of life coaches, teachers and opinionated people who teach us good things about life and how it should be done. We applaud and appreciate what they do.

• But looking deeper, no matter how much we learn or are taught, it is not enough to keep telling people to do things if we are not showing them;

a)    What is being done

b)    Who is doing it

c)    Where it should be done

d)    When it should be done

e)    Why is should be done and,

f)     Who else is doing it that it has benefited.

Unless we sieve whatever areas of growth we desire/intent to improve upon by use of the above points, we are likely to come out on the other side without reasonable change. The steps above help us do something about everything that needs attention in our lives.

Example:

There is a story told of three fishermen and the hole in their boat. These three agreed that they had a problem affecting all of them that might cost them their source of income: the hole in the boat. But instead of planning on a practical way on how to fix the hole, they kept saying this:

“Someone should do something about this hole someday.”

This went on for days and weeks… and later, the boat couldn’t float on water anymore because the hole had grown bigger and their weight and the weight of fish they were catching was greater. That is when they realized that they should have done something the very moment they discovered a hole in their boat. They also realized that no matter how much they prayed, God wasn’t going to do/fix the things (i.e. the hole in the boat) they were supposed to do/fix because He had already given them the wisdom, the strength and the will to do so. There are things God fixes, and holes in boats aren’t some of them: not that He cannot, but because He should not.

The mistake the three fishermen made was;

1. They didn’t specify who was doing what task in trying to fix the hole in their boat.
2. They didn’t delegate the actual tasks involved in fixing the hole (i.e. cutting wood, getting other material etc.)
3. They didn’t specify the day the task was to be done.

In order not to be caught unawares like the three fishermen in the story above, here are steps towards doing something early enough:

1. Stop pitying yourself for not doing something about everything that is wrong. It doesn't help.
2. Recognize the something that you can do and pray that you will start doing it: God has promised to give us strength to do ALL good.
3. Have friends that frequently pester you to do something about everything that needs attention in your life. Hebrews 10:24 (ESV) "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works."

4. Stop complaining about things not being done yet you are doing nothing to help it.
5. Stop getting worried that you may not make it because it will not be you who does the work, but the God in you. Philippians 2:12-13 (NIV) 12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed - not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence - continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

6. Christ promises to be with those who are doing something. Matthew 28:20 (NIV) and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

7. Doing something about your spiritual life and growth means doing something about the most important part of your life.
8. Set goals. All goals need actionable plans. Without setting goals, we are likely to do nothing or to do so little and still feel accomplished. An example of setting a goal would be; what are you doing differently today from since you began doing it a while ago? Yes, you've been doing something, but is it adding value to people's lives or God's Kingdom?

Examples of people who did something.

1. John 2:12-19 (NIV) shows us Jesus doing something about temple con artists selling things at its courts. He didn't just sit there praying, He did something by chasing them out.  
2. David in 1 Samuel 17 stopped by an army that was afraid to do anything about a pagan who was insulting God (Goliath). He took a step by offering himself to fight the giant yet he had never fought nor had he ever been known to be a soldier.

Conclusion

The challenge to us therefore is: will we be like Jesus and David (people who stood up, believed in God and in themselves and made a difference by doing something) or will we remain like King Saul and the Israelites in David’s day who trembled every time Goliath came out?

The choice is ours, so let’s choose well.

  

Part of the Youth team at K.A.G. Kakamega (2)

Bonface Morris.

That's the World I Want! (Extended Edition)

That's the world I want!!

Prologue

Very few things are impossible. In fact, nothing is impossible.

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I want a world where I can freely share my weaknesses and humbly boast about my strengths.

It's a funny world where people forget my titles but embrace my every entitlement.

I want such a world.

I want a world where people will understand that others make mistakes, understand them anyway but still hold them accountable.

I want people to mean what they say and to say what they mean.

I want sincerity and honesty, I want generosity and acceptance of diversity.

It's a funny world yeah,

But that's the world I want!

I want a world where people neither judge too much nor too little,

Where people don't pretend to be what they are not.

A world where the rocks don't brittle and thoughts don't wobble.

I want a little more of truth and a little more of love; and little more of the old tolerance (yes, ask Don Carson about it) and a little more of truism.

I want a world where Christians understand that it's okay to feel out of control, and that you cannot always be in control.

I want a world where we understand that becoming perfect is everyone's goal, but being perfect is Christ Himself.

A world where struggles are celebrated so long as they are helping us achieve perfection, which is Christ Himself.

And I want a world where non-Christians understand that Christians lose it too - and that’s okay - and that it's what Christianity is all about: losing it so that God can align it.

I want something I don't see today.

That's the world I want!

I want a world where people don't read between the lines because sometimes there is actually nothing to be read.

I want people to sometimes take things just the way they are: to enjoy the face-value of things.

I want some bit more of WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get). Nothing more and nothing less.

I want a world where when people see spoons, they see spoons and not spades.

In such a world, we will feed well and farm well.

In such a world, we will fight less and jabber less.

Yes, that's the world I want!!

I want a world where people give, forgive, live and let live.

I want a world where both the "sane" and the "insane" can ride on the same bus, chat, alight and go their separate ways.

I want curiosity to kill us and wonder to submerge us; peace to fill us and joy to cover us.

I want love to imbibe us and honesty to disciple us.

I want truth to guide us and knowledge to sustain us.

I want a world where we are keen to learn and we never boast of the little we already know.

I want a world where we find wisdom not so that we may become superior to others but in order to guide the lost.

That's the world I want!!

I want the only confusion we know of to be: "I'm confused! I wanna do more! What can I do to save him/her?"

I want people to care, and not just to pretend that they care.

I want people to believe in God, not just to pretend that they do believe in Him.

I want leaders to serve, and not just lead.

I want people to believe in one another so that they're not secretly terrified of an "eminent attack".

I want justice and love to flow like a river and praise and worship to fill the valleys of animosity that separate us.

It is not an impossible world.

It is the world I see.

And, and, that's the world I want!!

*******

Epilogue

Read more insight from Brittney Moses, founder and president of UNASHAMED IMPACT here: Dear Christian, It’s Okay to Not Be Okay.

Bonface Morris.

Review and Download: Jesus Culture “Let It Echo” (2016 Album)

Genre: Contemporary Worship Music, CEDM.

Record label: Sparrow/Jesus Culture Music

Download the album here: Jesus Culture “Let It Echo” (2016 Live Album) Full Album Download (72MB, Standard mp3 quality)

Jesus Culture's 2016 album "Let It Echo" cover art

Introduction

Jesus Culture is a community of worship leaders and musicians whose heart is to see a generation impacted by encounters with the presence of God. Originating out of the Jesus Culture movement which began in 1999, they recorded their first album in 2005 at their youth and young adult conference in Redding, CA. Since then Jesus Culture has released 9 annual live albums and over 20 solo artist albums. Jesus Culture leads worship both at their local church in Sacramento, California and abroad through conference events and worldwide tours.

Jesus Culture has sold more than one million albums worldwide since their debut project in 2005 and have garnered more than 3.8 million followers on social media and over 34.5 million views on YouTube. Jesus Culture is focused on equipping a generation to transform society by bringing people into an encounter with God’s love through worship and discipleship. The songs they release capture the heart of the movement. (TheChristianBeat)

In summary (all you may need to know about this album):

1. Let It Echo is the 9^th live album by Jesus Culture and was released in January this year.
2. It is the first album recorded live at Jesus Culture’s church in Sacramento, California, USA.
3. It debuted on four Billboard charts including the Top Albums (Top 20), Digital Albums (Top 12), Christian Albums (No. 2) and the Top 200 charts (Top 40).
4. The group will be heading out on the "Let It Echo" tour beginning on June 22.
5. This week, the group announced the release of “Let It Echo Unplugged”, which will release on June 17 (right before their tour) featuring new, acoustic recordings from the January project.

Track listing

The album features 12 tracks and it is 73 minutes 1 second long. Here is the song listing in the album with the lead singer:

1. Never Gonna Stop Singing (Kim Walker-Smith)
2. Fierce (Chris Quilala)
3. Alive In You (Kim Walker-Smith)
4. In the River (Kim Walker-Smith)
5. Let It Echo (Heaven Fall) (Chris Quilala)
6. God With Us (Bryan Torwalt)
7. Miracles (Chris Quilala)
8. Set Me Ablaze (Katie Torwalt)
9. Everything and Nothing Else (Chris McClarney)
10. In Your Presence (Kim Walker-Smith)
11. I Stand in Awe (Chris Quilala)
12. Power in the Cross (Derek Johnson)

Album art, album title, song titles and lyrical content

I love something about the album cover art: simple, intuitive and “echoing” the message from the lowlands, to the city and into the valleys and mountaintops. The effect of the echo seems to cover more ground as the sound moves further.

Considering that this project includes other members of the Jesus Culture team who have not been on board for several previous projects since 2012’s Emerging Voices, I think much thought was put in getting the album and song titles. They are precise and not misleading, and this makes it excellent.

Also, it is good to note that there is something prophetic about this newly crafted set of songs in Let It Echo. They are not your average forgettable ditties that come and go.  Rather, they are the products of hearts that have lean in to what the Holy Spirit has to say to the church.  They articulate truths God has been wanting to speak to churches in ways that can stir the currents of revival.  "Let It Echo" was not an easy album to make for this worshipping community.  Rather, the album was birthed out of an arduous labor of pain, struggles, and uncertainties. 

Take for instance the bittersweet moment that is felt when at the end of the song 'God With Us' Bryan Torwalt explains how the song came about: Bryan and his wife had lost their baby. This song story is also shared by Chris Quilala and his wife who lost their baby boy in 2014 and it inspired the writing of the song 'Miracles' as sung by Chris Quilala. Both Bryan and Chris so poignantly point out that these songs are victories for them. They speak about believing that God is still the God of miracles. They reaffirm our belief that God is still on the throne and is still able to do all things, regardless of what our situations look like.

Music style and acceptability

Let It Echo is definitely the most polished set of live albums released by Jesus Culture yet. The twelve new songs sound straight of a studio with a tight modern/rock sound, led by both Kim Walker-Smith and McClarney, along with familiar voices like Chris Quilala and Bryan & Katie Torwalt.

It represents a solid contemporary worship sound with songs that resound the urge of “echoing” the goodness and faithfulness of God in all situations.

It features both a contemporary worship sound together with an EDM undercurrent of elongated electronic beats, buoyant rhythms, and a brisk tempos.

As mentioned in the summary above, “Let It Echo” has received positive response from across the worship music lovers, performed well on top music charts and reviews upon reviews reiterate that it is one of the best albums done by Jesus Culture from since Come Away (2010).

Audibility, fluidity, quality and flow of music

The album flows well from song to song and the production is well managed. This is because (I think) several artists are featured on the album and that unlike their other worship recordings, these songs were recorded individually, during their various worship services, on different Sundays at their 1year old Jesus Culture Church in Sacramento, California.

The process really helped to remove the layers of expectation that a congregation might put on, when attending a worship concert, and instead brings us a recording that shows a more mature Jesus Culture ministering in a more intimate setting. The Jesus Culture team describes this offering to be one that captures the heart of a community seeking after Jesus with a desire to know Him more and to see this passion spread from cities to nations.

Kim Walker-Smith, as expected, gets to be the featured lead vocalist on the lion's share of the record.  She leads 4 out of the 12 cuts.  And unlike other worship teams that often delegate the softer ballads to their female leads, Walker-Smith takes on 3 power-chargers. 

Per-song Reviews

We welcome back Kim Walker-Smith’s powerful and emotive vocal with a happy dance as she opens up the album with the catchy ‘Never Gonna Stop Singing’. The song confirms that the collective has grown and no longer only caters for the younger listener. The track reminded me how much I appreciate Walker-Smith’s husky voice and effortless ability to sweep you up and take you along as she praises the King.

Chris Quilala is welcomed back with the powerful ‘Fierce’ – a mid-tempo, giant of a song that declares “Your love is fierce!” My favorite moment on the track is its bridge that takes the song down to a chant saying: “You chase me down/You seek me out/How could I be lost if you have called me found.” This is one of the many tracks on the album that are congregation friendly and will probably make its way onto many set lists. The same can be said for the catchy ‘Im alive’, which has an appealing chorus that will have you repeating it over and over.

Popular praise track, ‘In the River’, has fast become a favorite worldwide, with many churches already adding it to their Sunday set lists. The energetic, drum driven, freedom song has an easy to learn melody that simply declares “We come alive in the river!” 

Other notable cuts include ‘Power In The Cross’ led by Derek Johnson (a single from his album of last year), ‘God With Us’ by Bryan Torwalt – a worship ballad complemented by Torwalt’s rich vocals; and title track ‘Let It Echo,’ which is led by Quilala. All the three songs have the type of likable melodies and simple but moving lyrics that Jesus Culture has become known for.

The highlight on this album is a stunner of a song by vocal powerhouse, Katie Torwalt, called ‘Set Me Ablaze’. Torwalt croons and bellows with passion as she sings about having a desire for more of God. “Set me ablaze/with a single obsession!” This is one to listen to!

All in all, this shows that this is probably is one of the Jesus Culture albums yet!

Conclusion

“Let It Echo” may just be my favorite worship album of the year if Casting Crowns, Hillsong and the rest who have announced to be releasing new music soon won’t hit me with more greater stuff by the end of the year.

Keep singing.

Bonface Morris.