Passion - Everything Glorious

[SaintLewis]

'Passion' is a name synonymous with modern worship for many. Having pioneered such worship classics as "Holy is the Lord," "Better is One Day," "You are my King," and many others, the Passion team are back with another set, and in comparison to their earlier work it is a slightly disappointing lot. Where, in the past, Passion has given us almost entire albums of new material we can introduce to our churches, Everything Glorious comes up short. At best I can only imagine a few of these songs taking hold in local congregations.

There are a few highlights. "Jesus Paid it All" is an excellent, and very powerful re-working of the old hymn that is almost immediately singable, and simple enough for even the beginning worship leader to master. Matt Redman has given us another good song in "You Never let Go.” Though not quite on par with his many classics - the verses are simply too easy to ignore - the chorus is so powerful and anthemic that only a dead-man could resist singing along. The real reason to bother with "Everything Glorious", however, is the title track by David Crowder, and ChrisTomlin's beautiful "I Stand Amazed." Both are fairly easy to play, have simple, yet powerful lyrics, and choruses that truly lift one's attention heaven-ward.

Though it doesn't live up to the high standard of earlier Passion releases, Everything Glorious still is not entirely disappointing. However, as a worship leader, I’m hoping that the next Passion conference serves the church better in contributing new material to use in corporate worship, instead of becoming just an exciting spiritual experience for those who are able to attend. Here’s hoping.

Shannon Lewis
(originally published in The Phantom Tollbooth)

[chipshot0701]

Is anyone using Tomlins version and rewrite Amazing Grace my chains are gone?

Or is it My Chains Are Broken? (can't remember!) Curious if congregations are able to joinl in with singing it.

Its good but doesn't set me on fire.

MC

[fmckinnon]

Mike -
I've heard it and saw the video, but I've not yet introduced it ... it's a nice tune, though - will be interesting in hearing feedback on it from others.

[SaintLewis]

It's 'okay', but definitely not Tomlin's best.

[bblankin]

Is anyone using Tomlins version and rewrite Amazing Grace my chains are gone? Or is it My Chains Are Broken? (can't remember!) Curious if congregations are able to joinl in with singing it. Its good but doesn't set me on fire.
MC

i love tomlin's "wonderful cross," and in general i love blending the traditional hymns with contemporary music. but you have to be careful with it, and frankly, i'm hesitant to mess up "amazing grace." during advent we used some really beautiful arrangements of the old carols, and got some very negative feedback along the lines of "some things should not be messed with."

what i love to do is sing a traditional hymn pretty much as written, then follow that with a contemporary song that repeats one theme or phrase of the hymn. blending "how great thou art" and "how great is our god," for example.

--
Ben B

[SaintLewis]

I mostly agree with you, but if I may brag, I have one CRAZY COOL arrangement of "Amazing Grace" (stylistically somewhere between Dave Matthews Band & the Grateful Dead, if you can comprehend that) that seems to always go over really well in almost any crowd. I also love Sovereign Grace Music's takes on "Immortal, Invisible, God only wise" (theirs is called "You're Great name we Praise") and "God moves in a mysterious Way" (they call theirs "God Moves"), as well as everything Indellible Grace has released (they do folk rock versions of nearly any hymn imaginable). However, introducing modernized versions of hymns usually works best when the arrangement at least as the same melody, or it is a hymn that your particular congregation hasn't sung in so long that it's been almost entirely forgotten.

[El Ben]

Well guys, I did Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone) today for worship. Before I tell you how it went, let me explain how it happened.


I have a long-standing rule that I NEVER EVER throw my band on Sunday morning a song that they've never done before. I just dont' do it. I'm not saying that it's wrong, I just don't do it, but last night I came to the church to get everything ready for a fundraiser we were doing this morning, and I just spent some time in worship. I played through a couple of the songs I knew that I was going to do for today, and I felt My Chains are Gone rise up in my spirit and I just began to sing it.

Those of you who know me know that I'm a (sometimes) cold and cynical kind of person, not easily moved, but in the darkened sanctuary of Christian Renewal Church, Saint Simons, the Holy Spirit moved me and I began to cry as I thought about all the chains that once held me down, things like depression, self-worthlessness, and shame. It was a deeply intimate time that was extremely refreshing.

This morning, I sat the band down and explained some things to them. I'd already planned on it being a slow, 3-song set, but I really felt that things were going to be different this morning. Lately, our times of worship have been very upbeat and joyful, where the focus is celebrating who God is, but I knew this morning was going to be different.

One thing was different, for sure. Our drummer didn't show. Now that I think about it, his wife may have or may have not mentioned that there was a small possibility that he wouldn't be able to make it, but I never got any final word, and anyone who has a drummer as a regular part of you band knows how frustrating worship can be without the strength of the drums to keep everything backed up.

Well, our drummer didn't show and I started the first song (To Deserve- Jonathan Stockstill and Bethany World Prayer Center) thinking "Wow, this is going to be interesting." I was playing keyboard because our regular piano player, Jermaine wasn't able to make it, and so I was already a little frustrated because I hate, I repeat: HATE leading worship from an instrument, and the added frustration of having no drums just compounded it. People were engaging in worship, though, so I figured things might turn out well after all.

After To Deserve, I flowed right in to Amazed, a Jared Anderson/Lincoln Brewster tune that is versatile and worshipful. From there, it was like a trapdoor opened and the congregation all fell through to a deeper place. All across the building, hands and voices were lifted, eyes were closed. It was like the line that old hymn "There's A Sweet, Sweet Spirit": "...there are sweet expressions on each face, and I know they feel the presence of the Lord." After Amazed ended softly, I opened the third song with the first verse of Amazing Grace, and as I reached the end, I vamped up to the chorus that Chris Tomlin adds and had my bass slide in to really power out that chorus.

I heard people actually groan under the weight of that realization as the worship team sang that powerful chorus over them:

"My chains are gone, I've been set free.
My God, my Savior has ransomed me,
And like a flood his mercy rains.
Unending love, amazing grace.

The congregation burst into spontaneous applause and for the first time since I've been here, they didn't need me to teach a song to them. They picked it up themselves. I had forgotten that my pastor had communion prepared for after worship. The transition between worship and communion was so flawless that people probably thought that it had been scripted.

Literally everyone I talked to today loved My Chains are Gone. I would highly recommend it for you guys to use in your worship sets.

[bblankin]

Well guys, I did Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone) today for worship. Before I tell you how it went, let me explain how it happened. ... I opened the third song with the first verse of Amazing Grace, and as I reached the end, I vamped up to the chorus that Chris Tomlin adds and had my bass slide in to really power out that chorus.

I heard people actually groan under the weight of that realization as the worship team sang that powerful chorus over them:

"My chains are gone, I've been set free.
My God, my Savior has ransomed me,
And like a flood his mercy rains.
Unending love, amazing grace.

The congregation burst into spontaneous applause and for the first time since I've been here, they didn't need me to teach a song to them. They picked it up themselves. I had forgotten that my pastor had communion prepared for after worship. The transition between worship and communion was so flawless that people probably thought that it had been scripted.

Literally everyone I talked to today loved My Chains are Gone. I would highly recommend it for you guys to use in your worship sets.

wow, that sounds like a wonderful, powerful moment! i love stories that start, "i never, ever ..." 'cause it seems that's often when God shows himself glorious -- when we give up our inhibitions.

[Wojobass]

I'm with El Ben on this one...

Everyone loved Tomlin's version of Amazing Grace. It is familiar enough for regular attenders and fresh enough for a first timer at church.

[WorshipCity]

Being a HUGE Passion junkie, I got this CD as soon as it came out although it seems I'm a little late here adding my .02 cents. I've done a full review here on my blog a while back but interesting discussion here on Amazing Grace (My chains are gone.)
We use it at our church and everyone LOVES it! Although, its typical for me to do hymns with contemporary choruses and such. But I mean, I love this chorus! Its one of those that just begs to be oversung! HAHAHA.

Interesting though b/c someone mentioned there aren't too many church singable songs here? We play
- Awesome is the Lord
- Jesus Paid it All
- All We Need (Youth svc)
- You Never Let Go
- How Marvelous (I stand amazed)

and I've been dieing to get in Our God Reigns. The Youth will be getting You Are My Joy and Everything Glorious this summer.

Now, Party could never see the light of day as far as I'm concerned :)

[SaintLewis]

Interesting though b/c someone mentioned there aren't too many church singable songs here? We play
- Awesome is the Lord
- Jesus Paid it All
- All We Need (Youth svc)
- You Never Let Go
- How Marvelous (I stand amazed)

and I've been dieing to get in Our God Reigns. The Youth will be getting You Are My Joy and Everything Glorious this summer.

Now, Party could never see the light of day as far as I'm concerned :)

I'm sure it's just mostly a taste issue: I personally don't like "Awesome is the Lord", "Our God Reigns" and "All we Need" - "How Marvelous (Stand Amazed)" is a great song, but has been oft-recorded by others in a very similar, if not the same, arrangement - "You are my Joy" is an amazing song, but sorta tough to do as a corporate number, and "Everything Glorious", though one of the tunes that immediately jumped out at me, just didn't keep my interest for more than a couple listens, and quickly became one of the songs that I pulled from my iTunes rotation. That basically leaves "Jesus paid it All" & "You Never Let Go", the later of which has a much more interesting arrangement on Redman's last studio effort, as the songs that really had long-term use for me from this disc. Yeah, it's really not a BAD worship c.d. - it's just not a GREAT Passion c.d., to my tastes, especially when compared to past releases like "Our love is Loud" & "How Great is our God", from which I was able to confidently introduce no less that 16 songs to various congregations.

[WorshipCity]

You know what stood out to me more than anything was this had a lot of familiarity to it. And more to the bad side of familiarity that good. I mean I love these guys and what they do but for instance "Awesome is the Lord" sounds a lot like many other Tomlin songs. That's actually the 1 criticism I have is that we could do a different Tomlin song every week but it sometimes feels like we do the same one every time.
"Everything Glorious" I love, love, love but to some other people I've talked to they say it sounds like a 'Crowder tune.' And I know what they mean, you take the structure again of that tune and its very reminiscent of some popular Crowder songs.
What I think this CD lacked was a striving forward for songs and sounds. And for me, it was the release of the new United CD that same day that had me going WOAH! SOMEONE ELSE OUT THERE MAKING CRAZY AWESOME WORSHIP MUSIC!!! And the United release was definitely NOT familiar, to me at least.

You mentioned Redman's last studio release, totally great! I agree, his arrangements on that CD rocked and I was totally caught off guard!

[Jimmy Purchase]

totally agree, this cd is pretty lame. the songs i couldnt stand are awesome is the lord (every fast tomlin song is the same song with different words), everything glorious, party (horrible song), you are my joy, and we win.

I played Jesus paid it all as soon as the cd came out, but i got sick of it and i dont play it anymore, but the songs i do sing off the cd are;

Center
All we Need
Glorious
Our God reings ( i sing it after i play how great is our god, amazing)
You never let go

but man i wish they came out with another cd like Our Love is Loud, nothing beats that cd. That cd changed my whole life.

[babusaada]

Great notes on this album. I would have to disagree that there aren't many singable tunes. I remember when this album came out Hillsong United had one that came out at the same time. I tried to jump on that wagon and found their stuff more difficult to grasp.

We've played most of the tunes on "Everything Glorious" and the church has grasped them easily. I don't think there's a bad tune on there...yes I even think Party is a great song (I'm one of the strange ones). We WILL be busting that song out sometime in the near future for a celebration service.

[maydavidj]

Well, I agree with some points of your post, like a lot of them are not really useable as congregational songs. ("You Are My Joy" comes to mind there...like a lot of David Crowder's stuff.) But I do like a decent number of the songs on that CD. We've done "Awesome is the Lord", "I Stand Amazed" (I recorded a version similar to the one on this CD long before that CD came out), and "All We Need." I am getting ready to introduce "Everything Glorious" and "Jesus Paid it All." I liked "Our God Reigns," but I don't see our band pulling that off sounding very good.

[Klampert]

I really loved this CD and I am surprised that some would say this tuff isnt conregational friendly...we are doing


Jesus Paid it All
All We Need
Center
You Never Let Go

and wanting to do
awesome is...
How Marvelous (I stand amazed)
Our God reigns
Everything Glorious

I think this CD is a well blended CD and I our church has really latched on to songs like center and never let go..

[WorshipCity]

At this point, this is actually comical.
- I think it's great and use ....
- I think it's lame and don'e use...
- I think it's good and use...
- I think its not congregationally suited...
- I think it is congregationally suited...

So, just a great example of our different cultures in different spots across the states and our different tastes as worship leaders!

But...did someone seriously say they didn't like "Everything Glorious?!?!" Really?? Or was that a joke??

[telecaster55]

Overall, I was a little disappointed with this Passion CD. Seemed like musically, there was a lot of unimaginative grinding going on. "chang, chang, chang, chang, chang, chang..."

The new bridge for Amazing Grace is well-written though. Based on some of your experiences, I may have to give it a try

However, up to now I've had no plans to use it because we've done our own tinkering with Amazing Grace. First, I took the normal 3/4 time and changed it to 4/4, something like Robin Mark's version on "Shout to the North." (For the record, I didn't imitate Robin Mark; we did this long before that CD released.) Then I wrote a new chorus/bridge that I do at the opening, between verse 2 and 3, and again at the ending. Playing it in G, with a ringing Gno3 chord, our arrangement has somewhat of an Appalachian feel to it, without being twangy country.

It really works with our congregation, so I'm hesitant to mess with it. Plus, it's "our" arrangement, so that's always a powerful thing.