TRACK 1
This is the ending portion from a song called “Fix Our Eyes” (which was later recorded as “He Is the One (Eyes on Jesus)” on …And Let the Hills Hear Your Voice – TFM #3). Jim Livi was not actually present when it was recorded… However, during the “remastering” process (latter part of 2008), I decided to splice my voice in at the end from one of the Rescue Mission Coffeehouses just for fun. Jim Livi was the Lead Chaplain over the Spiritual Life Team during the years that we served at the Rescue Mission. Jim really stretched us in a lot of great ways and we were very thankful for that and for his love for God and for man. This was originally the very last track of the original version of the Alive in the Chapel CD – long before this website ever existed.
Recorded 2/29/2004
SLEEPER
Sandy Sinisi was a Chaplain at the Rescue Mission and he organized the monthly coffeehouses. He had such a great heart for the men there and such a great faith in God. So kind, and just a great joy to serve God with. As this song starts I had asked Sandy from the stage to adjust one of the monitors, and so the recording has me saying, “thanks Sandy!” So, as with the last track, I spliced in Sandy’s introduction of us that evening to make it sound like this was the opening number and I was thanking him for the introduction.
If you listen closely, you can hear some of the men in the audience really getting into the song. One of our higher energy songs. Not bad for just an acoustic guitar, an electric piano, and two voices.
A different version of this song appears on Ebenezer Stone – Part 3 – TFM #7 with the title “And Christ Will Shine on You (Sleeper).”
This was old of my old BC songs with new words taken directly from the Word of God. Wake up, O Sleeper! Rise from the dead and let Christ shine into your life today!
Recorded 5/8/2008
BREAK FREE
The music for this song was co-written by J. Mark Oda and myself. The lyrics come from some of my first memory verses (Romans 12:1-3). Breaking free from the cares of this life is one of the hardest things for a new Christian. The world has an incredibly strong hold on us all – though we don’t realize it. But God is much stronger. He really is.
Recorded 10/11/2007
HE CAN TAKE CARE OF THIS TOO
I don’t remember much about writing this song, except that I was truly hoping that these words would profoundly touch someone’s life and give them comfort. I hope they do.
I worked up an alternative version of this song, which appears on …And Let the Hills Hear Your Voice – TFM #3. Not to take away from this slower version though… which is really pretty powerful and sincere – coming from the mouths of two broken and battered people who need(ed) a Savior just as much as you do.
Recorded 5/8/2008
FOR YOU ARE WITH ME
God is always there. But it is up to us to acknowledge Him and His presence – just as the Psalmist does in Psalm 23. And yet it goes much deeper than just agreeing that He’s there…. This Psalm directs us to consider and acknowledge how He is there and what that means for us. How good He is. How gentle. How kind. How strong. How faithful.
Recorded 5/8/2008
LOOK THROUGH THE HOLES IN HIS HANDS
I wrote this song partially for a co-worker. The idea of Jesus standing behind me, and puting his hands around my head and then covering my eyes, yet I can see through those holes that were made on the cross, came into my mind one afternoon while I was at work. I thought man, if I looked at other people through those holes I would (could) have nothing but compassion for them, since those holes were painfully made for me AND for them. My wife, Laura, always tells people that the ground is completely level at the foot of the cross.
After I came up with the lyrics, J. Mark Oda helped me put them to music. This song was re-recorded in 2019 with a different feel. See Ebenezer Stone – Part 1 – TFM #5. Also, an alternative version is found on What Then? – Disc 2.
Recorded 10/11/2007
CHEERFUL GIVER
When we used to travel a lot more often, we would always seem to visit a church when the Senior Pastor was away for the weekend and the Associate Pastor was trying his best to preach coherently… One time in New Jersey, I was sitting there during the teaching rolling my eyes (in my mind), when I felt the Lord correcting me, saying something to the affect of, “Why aren’t you looking to ME right now? Look at MY Word and I will speak to you through it.” The text that day was 2 Corinthians 9, and by the end of the service I had this new song in my head and God had set me straight for judging another man’s act of worship. I also had a brand new view of generosity. God is so kind and so patient with us.
Recorded 10/11/2007
TRACK 8
This is an excerpt of what Laura does best when she’s on stage for Jesus. One time at a Coffeehouse in Watertown New York, on a Friday night, she suddenly started going on and on in between songs about how hard it might be if you had to move far away… My thoughts were going back and forth between, “What is she talking about?” and “Just stop already, Laura! Who wants to hear this?” But as soon as we concluded the concert, a woman immediately approached us in tears saying that she and her family were just about to undertake a faith-testing move to Florida and what Laura had said had touched her so very immensely. So, yeah… I just write songs and strum a guitar… Laura does the cool stuff.
Recorded 1/10/2008
LORD YOU HAVE A WAY
The reading on this is from Psalm 37:1-9 (New King James Version). Over the years I revamped this song considerably, and the newest version appears on Awake & Sing, You Who Dwell in Dust – TFM #2, under the name “In the Way.” An expanded transitional version appears on What Then? – Disc 2.
Recorded 5/8/2008
RELEASE THE CAPTIVES
Clearly, there are not enough songs taken from the old King James version of the Bible – so I wrote this one. “He who goeth forth with weeping, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again rejoicing, bringing with him sheeves…”
Recorded 2/29/2004
EVERYTHING IS GOOD
Everything may not seem so good in the world right now. And yet, when God created everything He said it was good – repeatedly said it was good. And when He created mankind, He said it was very good.
Psalm 24 says that the earth is the Lord’s – and everything in it. That includes you and me. And right now is our opportunity to celebrate these things.
Recorded 3/20/2010
BLESSED TO BE BLESSED
God blesses us – often. And my thought here is that just the fact that He blesses us at all in the first place is a very, very great blessing!
This song has since been rewritten into an entirely different vibe, including some new lyrics. See Ebenezer Stone – Part 1 – TFM #5.
Recorded 10/11/2007
LORD FORGIVE ME
This is the very first song that I wrote after I had been baptized and had thrown away all of my “B.C.” music. Quite a fitting place to start in this walk with Jesus… This song has since been re-recorded now in a shortened version. See Ebenezer Stone – Part 3 – TFM #7.
Recorded 1/10/2008
TRACK 14
As previously mentioned, Sandy Sinesi organized the Coffeehouses at the Rescue Mission. He and I served as Chaplains and as brothers there. He’s one of the kindest and most gracious men I’ve ever met. You can just hear it in his voice…
Recorded 5/8/2008
TRACK 15
Russ Geis is playing the saxophone on this. This is an excerpt from the song “Sleeper,” which featured saxophone solos that night.
Recorded 10/11/2007