We were blessed to host
Jenny Simmons (formerly of
Addison Road) and her band mates for a house concert on my back patio on April 23, 2013. They considered the concert a relaxing way to finish off the week of local shows.
The mission statement of opening band
Universal Royalty is to be a ministry of music, labored in love, founded and rooted in the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ. The band's goal is to intimately love, diligently obey, and humbly submit to the will of our Lord. They have committed to use their gifts to edify and encourage the body of believers, as well as, esteem and evidence the person of Jesus in their character, singing, teaching, and lifestyle, all of this established through the absolute truth of the Bible. Their prayer as a ministry is to usher others closer to Jesus and bring glory to God. With that background and having heard the band lead my church congregation in worship, I settled in to listen. They performed an energetic set of original songs including
"God Leads Us Along," "Warning," "The Taker" and
"Jesus Makes Me Clean."
Their songs are all written or co-written and sung by Luis Toro--one of the six brothers that make up the band, along with David, Juan, Daniel, Marcos and Nick and drummer Jon Faehl. The acoustic set featured Luis, Juan, Marcos and Jon playing and singing, and Nick flawlessly ran the sound board. One of the standout songs was the worshipful
"Jesus Makes Me Clean." I really like the message of the song, and how the band celebrates the biblical truth: "
Create in me a clean heart." (
Here's the link to the video.)
After years of touring and giving Christian music fans powerful songs such as
"Hope Now," "What Do I Know of Holy," "All That Matters" and
"This Little Light of Mine," the decade-old band Addison Road came to an amicable decision to call it quits after 10 years of being together. The decision had a profound impact lead singer and founding member Jenny Simmons more than she anticipated. After the spotlight dimmed, the applause faded, the hit records stopped, Simmons had to pick up her own life again. After much prayer, seeking the Lord and contemplation, she decided to tell us her stories of how she dealt with the issues of self-worth, fear of the future and her searching for identity throughout her solo debut album,
The Becoming.
Jenny led off her incredible set of songs with "This I Know." There is a child-like simplicity in the song which includes the familiar chorus "Jesus Loves Me" that is refreshing. In the song Jenny says that Jesus loves us without conditions, without earning it or deserving it. But so often we don't live as though we actually believe that message of free and unmerited grace. We are hard on ourselves or sometimes trick ourselves into believing that if we do enough "good things," we somehow impress God. The song serves as a reminder that there is nothing we can do to earn or lose God's love. He loves us just because--quirks, silliness, amazing moments, not-so-amazing moments and all.
In her song, "Where I Belong," Jenny expresses her self-doubts during her "in-between" time, and realizes that her identity is not in the spotlight. Rather, her worth is found in God and God alone: "I don't need a place to call my own/Cause with Him I'm right where I belong."
"Letting You Go" is a testimonial narrative. In the song, Simmons confesses how she used to be deceived by Satan's lies to build her worth around her own idols of self-security. In the song she tells the enemy and the trappings of this world: "this is me letting you go." Amen!
Jenny shared many personal stories about her time "in between" Addison Road and recording her new album. Initially she thought she was coping brilliantly until one morning when she was in a grocery store. She told us that while she was in aisle 7 of the grocery store staring at the packets of spaghetti not knowing what to cook for dinner, suddenly a sense of failure, emptiness and loneliness overwhelmed her. She felt as if the spaghetti were screaming out words of condemnation at her. After sobbing in front of a complete stranger, she finally realized that her transition or the time of "in-between" from the glamorous lead singer of the Dove award-nominated Addison Road to just a homemaker was not as easy as she thought it was.
"Broken Hallelujah" is another example of Simmons' exquisite lyrics. Simmons tells us that we don't need to have it all together to worship God. In His grace, God does accept our broken hallelujahs. "The In-Between" finds Simmons prodding alongside us encouraging us to continue to trust the Spirit's guidance for the future. Jenny and the band have been living a season of struggle. Jenny has learned to put all of her hope and trust in Christ and to let herself be part of God's story and let Him reflect His glory through her, despite her circumstances.
I got goosebumps when I listened to Jenny sing her compelling title track, "The Becoming," which reflects how God's promise is being lived out in her life. I can't get enough of the musical hooks, Jenny's vulnerable and sincere vocals and the extremely poignant lyrics in the song where she prays directly to God: "Give me beauty in the ashes of this pain / Give me water in the wasteland, let it rain / As I wonder, in the darkness, be my guide / Oh Creator, oh Redeemer bring new life / And Jesus, Be everything that I need / In the waiting, In the in between / Jesus, hold me, Keep me from running / Cause I don't want to miss / The beauty of becoming."
Jenny then treated us to a medley of the Addison Road hit songs "Hope Now" and "What Do I Know of Holy." Like many of her songs, "Hope Now" is the result of a turbulent period in the band's history. Lyrically, and interpersonally, the song represents a turning point for the band… and is an important and powerful truth for all who hear. Both songs have been very powerful vertical expressions of faith for me. The concept of everything riding on hope and faith and God's Love sets me free is cause for praise and worship of our great God and Savior. Take comfort in any situation you are facing that God knows you and loves you deeply. He has carried us all of our lives and will continue to be our hope. I find the messages especially encouraging and I love the declaration: "Your love sets me free." Amen.
"Don't Lose Heart" is a great reminder that we are all a work in progress. Have faith and let God "work all things together for good." Spend time with God and let Him redeem and restore you. We are not at the end of our story, God's still writing our stories of redemption. God wants us to know that He's faithful to complete what's He's started in all of us who've put all of our hope and trust in Jesus for our salvation.
The Becoming is Jenny's most personal album. Despite Addison Road coming to an end, her stories of how God continues to work in her life rolls on. I can perfectly relate to every word Jenny gorgeously wrote and sings in her closing song "Heaven Waits For Me." I've been married for almost 19 years and we have three beautiful daughters and a safe and lovely home. The tendency as a believer is to focus on the blessings we've received from God and this song is a gut check of my faithfulness. If all of those things were removed from me, would I still understand that I'm blessed and cling to God for my security and hope?
In America, there is a tendency to look to God for prosperity and think if they are faithful, they'll receive gifts. That's true, but they may not look like the American dream. This song is a prayer of thankfulness to God for what He's given us. As believers, putting all of our hope and trust in Jesus as our Savior brings the gift of eternal life. Remember the truth of Deuteronomy 30:19: "Now choose life, so that you and your children may live." You can sing along with Jenny and know for a fact, "No matter how I leave this place, I know I'll see my Savior's face."
"I believe in every single word and note on the album," Simmons explained in regard to The Becoming. "I believe this project is exactly what I am supposed to say to the world, and I'm so excited to share it with everyone." Since her emergence on the music scene, Simmons' vocal abilities have impressed critics and fans alike, lending an honest and authentic voice to lyrics that hit listeners with disarming relevance.
