Audience of One (Shadow Mountain Student Ministries): Audience of One

Not Ashamed, but Certainly Sensitive Edition

I believe in Jesus Christ; That He is God, that He died for the sins of the world, and that He rose from the dead. I believe He is the only way to God, and that all men will perish unless they accept His free gift of salvation by believing in Him alone.

If you are still with me, and haven't erased this blog from memory, thanks. My Christianity may come as a shock, it may offend; or maybe not. I don't even know what's shocking anymore. I'm constantly surprised. I say all that so you understand why this CD is in my collection, and why it's so important to me. Artistically, it's not very good. There is nothing to really set each song apart from the others in arrangement or timing, save one standout played at double the tempo of all the others. The recording sounds a little hollow, and while the mix is fine, there's no "oomph". There are far better CD's representing contemporary worship songs.

Still, it's the first full-length recording I ever did. My friends Adam, his sister Anna, his future wife Erin and Mike on bass had played regularly together for months by the time we recorded this, all in one long day back in 1997. When we finally got copies in hand, we were proud and excited to share it. I am still glad to have done it, though I can hear every flaw and a million ways to "do it better". I just have to ask myself, to what end would I want to; For praise of my God, or praise of myself? That is the question all Christian artists wrestle with. I am wrestling with it to this day; even as I wrote this, even as I contemplated removing the first paragraph...