Strong God by New Life Worship

New Life Church in Colorado Springs, CO, is known for originating some of the best-loved anthems being sung in the U.S. church, including songs like “Overcome,” “Great I Am,” and “I Am Free”. Continuing its 20+year legacy, the church’s New Life Worship offers 10 new songs to encourage the body of Christ to stand up and proclaim that God alone is strong on its live CD/DVD Strong God releasing from Integrity Music August 13.

Oh my gosh, you guys. This album …

(Time Out: I’m gonna buy one for someone. Details at the bottom. Leave a comment before 10 AM Tuesday to get your name in the hat!)

Honestly, first listen – not super-impressed. A month later? It’s all I want to listen to. It’s what I sing to the baby when we dance. It’s what I sing to the baby when he’s sleepy. It’s what I hum in the car. It’s what I made the student worship team learn (just one song) last week for our worship times at Love Packages.

It’s energizing and inspiring and encouraging and beautiful. It’s passionate, and it’s true. (If you know me, you know how obnoxious I can be about lyrics.)

In the last four weeks, each of these ten songs has been my “favorite” on this album. I cant’ decide.

The album kicks off with “Jesus Reigns,” and the music and the vocals swell and swell and make you want to stop what you’re doing to pay attention.

Jesus reigns, Jesus reigns
Over death and hell and fear, He reigns
Above all, above all
He’s the victory that saves
Jesus reigns

That’s good stuff, and it will get stuck in your head. And then you’ll sing the Oh-Oh’s, even if you’re not an oh-oh-er. 

“All To Him” features Cory Asbury. (Yes IHOP-friends, that Cory Asbury.) It’s all about Jesus in the kind of raw, honest way that I feel like I’ve been longing for recently. Again, you will sing this all day.

Our promise is Jesus, our answer is Jesus
All to Him, all to Him we owe everything
Our Savior is Jesus, our future is Jesus
All to Him, all to Him we owe everything

Then “Victorious God” will be your next favorite. It’s energetic and fun. (Worship leaders – great congregational song right here.) When a team writes a song with two words in the chorus that you still love to sing … it’s good.

Next up: title track – “Strong God.” This one is my favorite as I write this. It’s the one that brings the dynamic down, and this chorus sings to my soul right now. Especially after the second verse (2:20 in the video below). Maybe it’s the crash cymbals and I’m a sucker, but I have to stop what I’m doing when it gets there and take deep breaths, at the very least.

Check it out:

On and on it goes. “More Than Enough,” with its Reprise, is a sweetly beautiful anthem of His wholeness. “Ascribe” is a Cory Asbury tune about His majesty. “Unassailable,” and its reprise, “Who Compares,” “Love Divine,” and then they send you out dancing with “Alive and Free.”

There is definitely a theme to the album. 

“The health of New Life Worship is rising again,” says (Jon) Egan.  “For five or six years, we were really just focusing on healing and restoration. But over the past two years, we’ve felt God calling us to raise up a new generation of musicians, worship leaders and songwriters.This new season can be seen and heard on Strong God.” 

I really like it. I like it so much I’m going to keep the free thing going. At 10 AM tomorrow (Tuesday – release day), someone from the Comments will get a copy in their Inbox! Leave a comment here to enter.

Disclaimer: Integrity Media sometimes sends me free pre-release copies so I’ll tell you what I think about them. The opinions expressed above, though, are totally my own.