Inside North Point

Before I was a pastor, I was a rock star. There is perhaps some debate in the Greater Atlanta area as to whether I ever attained “rock star status,” but that’s neither here nor there. I was in a band. I was a musician. We released a cassette tape.

It’s been years since I picked up an instrument, but I’m still convinced that there’s something inescapable about music. It transforms words into lyrics. It changes walls into bridges. It turns listening ears into listening hearts.

As a performer, as a listener, as a visitor who might end up in a most unexpected place on a Sunday morning, music has a transformational power. And it moves people in ways that even the best communicator cannot.

Music matters.

It’s not just songs. Or musicians. Or lights and equipment. Music is much more than that. Music is a doorway to worship.

And as a pastor, one of my greatest honors is to point to that doorway. To announce the band and then step out of the way while we as a church, as a community, as individuals, answer the call to worship. A call that music sends out like nothing else.

Today, I have the distinct privilege to offer you that same invitation.

Sure, I’m not on stage, but I want to use this digital platform to do one of my favorite things—invite you to worship.

We regularly gather at our campuses for extended times of worship. We recently captured one of these experiences and the result was a new live worship album called Awake.

The songs on Awake go beyond rehashed clichés. Instead, they point listeners and participants toward a lifestyle characterized by obedience and surrender—a lifestyle of worship. These songs are being used in local churches around the country to connect minds and hearts.

Take a listen for yourself. We’re giving away free downloads of “It Is Well” from Awake.  Let us know what you think of the new arrangement of this age-old hymn.

Happy New Year!

Andy