The Beatitudes Project is a big deal: a book, an album, and a film documentary. Stu Garrard, industry veteran and the mastermind behind the project, uses the Beatitudes, Jesus's guidelines for good living found in Matthew 5, to shine the light on all sides of a person's story. 

Garrard (better known as Stu G) moves beyond life as he knows it, explores other worlds and shares the stories of real people. He features real people from all faiths and walks of life who embody the nine Beatitudes listed by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount: mercy, poverty, meekness, the hungry and thirsty, the peacemakers, the mourners and the pure in heart. Stu G shares these stories through a 21st century lens. "The Beatitudes Project is meant to be a reset button in a world plagued with violence and division," Garrard explains.

Stu G has worked on the Beatitudes Project for over a decade, and now the fruits of his labor are finally being released to the world. Here are five things that you need to know about the Beatitudes Project.

1. The Beatitudes Ensemble
Stu G worked with a very impressive lineup of Christian artists to build the Beatitudes soundtrack. CCM veterans Amy Grant ("Morning Light") and Michael W. Smith ("Carry On") are represented. Hillsong UNITED ("The View from Here") and Bethel's Amanda Cook ("Undivided") each contribute a song. Also, Matt Maher and Audrey Assad, two of CCM's greatest voices, come together on the breathtaking song "Oh Mercy." John Mark McMillan ("Heaven Is Around Us") and All Sons & Daughters ("You Will Make A Way") also lend vocals on their own respective tracks. 

2. Delirious Reunite
Garrard was lead guitarist and one of the songwriters for the Dove Award-winning band, Delirious? The Beatitudes Project reunites Stu G with his old Delirious? bandmate Martin Smith. The two co-wrote and performed the song "Holy Troublemakers." It is the first time the two have worked together since Delirious? split in 2009. Stu G shared his vision of the Beatitudes Project with Smith 15 years ago. On Facebook, Gerrard said "So after all this time, when he said yes to writing a song with me, I was super honored and really excited." 

3. The Hip-Hop Culture
For Beatitudes, Stu G wanted to reach as many as people as possible, including communities that do not relate to him. In a Facebook post, Stu G shared "Hip hop is not my culture, but I love it. I didn't want to only have white voices on the album." In order to reach the hip hop community, Stu G connected with Christian rapper Propaganda. The two collaborated on the track "Make a Little Trouble."

4. Multi-Media
As mentioned earlier, the Beatitudes Project includes Words From the Hill (An Invitation to the Unexpected), which is a book penned by Stu Garrard. In the book, Garrard goes on a journey to discover the true meaning of the Beatitudes. Garrard talks with peacemakers on the front lines of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as other people persecuted for their faith. The Beatitudes Project also consists of a documentary film, View From the Hill, which is currently in production.

5. Multi-Faith
As mentioned earlier, Garrard used the Beatitudes Project to reach cultures and communities that are not his own. This includes real people from different faiths (Islam and Judaism). For the project, Garrard worked with a Rabbi and members of a local Islamic center to see life through their eyes without prejudice. 

"The new 'now' for me is one of community and collaboration, of creating with and performing for a wider group of people," Gerrard concluded. "For me, this is an authentic expression of church and a foretaste of heaven."

You can get the Beatitudes album on iTunes here, and get the book Words from the Hill on Amazon here.