Nichole Nordeman's newest album

There are so many good songs on Nichole's new album "Every Mile Mattered" that I'm going to do one post with all the songs. Happy Listening!

"Every Mile Mattered" is the title track of the album. It takes the analogy of life as a trip and a map and says that there are stories in our past and that everything that happened matters in our life; it shapes who we are. 

Favorite lyrics: 

And every road and every bend
Every bruise and bitter end
All you squandered, all you spent
It mattered, it mattered
Mercy always finds a way
To wrap your blisters up in grace
And every highway you'd erase
It mattered, it mattered

 "You're Here" shares the truth that God is everywhere and always with us. Simple as that.

Favorite lyrics:

 Anywhere You are is sanctuary
Everywhere You are is where I'm free

You will always be my home
I don't have to be alone
Don't have to be alone
You will always be my home

"Dear Me" was the first song I heard off this album, thanks to Spotify's Release Radar or Discover Weekly playlist (I can't remember). I listen to it at least once a week right now and it is so powerful! It's a letter to Nordeman's younger self and - ostensibly - to all of our younger selves about what really is important, though we make other things important.

Favorite lyrics:

And you cannot imagine all the places you'll see Jesus
But you'll find Him everywhere you thought He wasn't supposed to go
So, go!.. Go!..

And hold all the mothers, whose babies bleed from bullet holes
And feel all the hunger, the bellies and the bones
Shout for the prisoner, cry for justice, loud and long
And march with the victims, as Jesus marches on
And sit at all the tables, 'cause Jesus eats with everyone
And dance to the music, if you can't sing its native tongue
And cry for the wombs, the mothers and the empty arms
And hold high the warriors, fighting now for freedoms' song

And love, love, love, love
Like it's your own blood
And love, love, love, love
As you have been loved
Love, love, love, love
Like it's your own blood
Love, love, love, love
As you have been loved
Love, love, love, love, love
Like [you have been?]
Love, love, love, love, love
It's all about love!
Love, love, love, love, love
His name is love
Love, love, love, love, love

Okay, I know that's like half the song, but do you see how powerful this is?

If I had to pick a theme for the song "No Longer" it would be stepping out of the comfort zone. The song starts out listing a bunch of big miracles that God did with people He pulled from their comfort zones. It goes on to say how much Nordeman wants to live fully and "recklessly", if you will, for God.

Favorite lyrics:

This my red sea and my Jericho
This is my Philistine and my five stones
But talk is cheap, so is bargaining
So, here I go
I don't want to live, like I'm half alive
I don't want to walk, where the road is wide
All this fear that, I've been tryin' to hide
Is going to start to show

"Lean" is one of Nordeman's trademark ballads. It explores our tendency to feel like we need to perform for God; to wear the mask we put on for those around us with our Father. I also really like the harmony on the chorus. It is one of my favorite parts of the song. 

Favorite lyrics:

When will I let go
Be still and just know
When will I see, when will I just believe

I could stand, I could fall
You want all of me
I could run, I could crawl
You will always be
You're not impressed, with all of my best
Not disappointed, when I don't land on my feet
In everything, You are asking me
To lean 

"Listen To Your Life" only works for the Christian. If you're not a Christian, it's just another standard "listen to your heart" type message. But we can listen to our lives, to what's on the inside, because what's on the inside is the Holy Spirit and He can be trusted. 

Favorite lyrics:

Listen to your life-life-life-life
And what's on the inside-side-side-side
All the other sound, turn it down and
Listen to your life, life, life, life
Let the Spirit flow-ow-ow-ow
And let the Spirit show-ow-ow-ow you
All that He was meant to
Only when you learn to
Listen to your life-life-life-life

I can see "Sound of Surviving" becoming an anthem for the seasons when everything is going wrong. Or maybe when you get out of that season, this is your victory song. We all survive so much in our lives, and we do it with the power that comes from God.

Favorite lyrics:

These pieces
The ones that left me bleeding
Intended for my pain
Became the gift You gave me
I gathered those pieces into a mountain
My freedom is in view
I'm stronger than I knew 

 I know that was super long; I apologize. But I didn't want to do so many separate posts and there are so many good songs on this album. 

 

The Gospel (Radio Version) ~ Ryan Stevenson

Really great new single by Ryan Stevenson. Simple, but sometimes we make things too complicated. Everything goes back to the Gospel. Happy Listening!