If you are looking for Christmas music which will delight, encourage and challenge you, most certainly take a look at Matthew West's new Cd - "The Heart Of Christmas". In addition, if you are looking for an idea of something special you could give your volunteers, consider giving one song download as a Christmas gift to each volunteer this year! "The Heart of Christmas. The 12 song record features an equal mix of Christmas classics and original holiday tunes penned by West. Fellow GRAMMY ® winners and nominees join West on the album including Vince Gill in “Leaving Heaven,” Amy Grant on “Give This Christmas Away” and Mandisa for “Christmas Makes Me Cry.” The Heart of Christmas was produced by Pete Kipley (MercyMe, Kristin Chenoweth). “Since the beginning of my career, I’ve dreamed of making a Christmas album,” explains West, “and I’m so excited to finally get that chance this year! The Heart of Christmas is a collection of original songs I’ve written, and some of my favorite classics. I was honored to have iconic artists like Amy Grant, Vince Gill, and Mandisa from American Idol join me on a few of the songs, and those are personal highlights for me.”
- first, I appreciate nine out of the 12 titles focus on what Christmas is really all about - they encourage and challenge and totally delight! (You can hear a bit of each song by going to this link)
2. Jingle Bells . . .
3. The Heart of Christmas . . . "Wherever you are, no matter how far, Come back to the heart, the heart of Christmas! Live while you can, Cherish the moment. The ones that you love, make sure they know it. Don't miss it, the heart of Christmas . . . You will find Him in a manger, The Heart of Christmas has a name!"
4. Leaving Heaven . . . "I'm gonna walk around that broken Earth, Trading in these streets of gold. So if you ever wonder how much you're worth, You should know, You're the reason why I'm leaving Heaven! . . . And when I get back home, I'm gonna make some room, So don't you worry, 'cause I'm coming back for you! And you'll say goodbye to that broken Earth, You're gonna walk on streets of gold. And if you ever wonder what My love is worth. You should know, I'm the reason you'll be seeing Heaven!"
5. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
6. One Last Christmas
7. Silent Night
8. Give This Christmas Away . . . "Give this Christmas away, If there's love in your heart, Don't let it stay there. Give this Christmas away, And your life will be changed by the gift you receive, When you give this Christmas away! . . . It's doing what love does even when no one is watching you, For God so loved the world, He gave His only Son, So we could be His hands, His feet, His love!"
9. O Holy Night
10. Christmas Makes me Cry . . . "'Cause love can reach out into a silent night, And that's why Christmas makes me cry. I think of Mary and a virgin birth, And I'm amazed by how much God thinks we are worth! That He would send His only Son to die, And sometimes Christmas makes me cry!"
11. O Come, All Ye Faithful
12. Day After Christmas . . . "But before we have a breakdown, let us remember, The Light of the World is still here! So, happy day after Christmas, And merry rest of the year!"
- second, these songs have beautiful harmonies, rich music and most importantly, solid messages . . . Christmas is not about what we "get", but instead it is about what we "give"!
- third . . . if you are anything like me, you will be singing these songs all year because the message in them is for all year . . . not just for Christmas!
We all need to hear, and be reminded of the messages in these songs . . . on difficult days . . . Jesus is in Heaven, making room for us because He's, "coming back for you! And you'll say goodbye to that broken Earth, You're gonna walk on streets of gold. And if you ever wonder what His love is worth. You should know, he's the reason you'll be seeing Heaven!" . . . on good days . . . "If there's love in your heart, Don't let it stay there!" . . . on any day, "I'm amazed by how much God thinks we are worth!" So, if you are looking for new Christmas music, absolutely take a look at Matthew West's The Heart of Christmas!
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