Bebo Norman was an independent artist before that tag was even cool, playing coffeehouse shows, selling CDs out of his trunk and then online. As the writer and singer of some of my all-time favorite songs "The Hammer Holds," "Great Light of the World," "Nothing Without You," "I Will Lift My Eyes" and Dove Award-winning "The Only Hope," I have eagerly anticipated each new album by Bebo Norman and he is my favorite male artist in all of Christian music.
My church,
Calvary Chapel of Quakertown, Penn. was blessed to host Bebo Norman on May 11, in his final year of music ministry (as Norman has announced his retirement at the end of 2013). The night was richly loaded with songs based on Bebo's personal themes of coming out of depression, prayerful reflection and hope-filled expressions of joy in Christ. Bebo's long-time friend, bandmate and producer Gabe Scott joined Bebo on stage playing multiple instruments and singing harmony, which enhanced the evening.
You can't help but root for Bebo because you can immediately identify with the personal nature of his songs. A great example was found in his opener, "At the End of Me," which really reflects Bebo's personal and confessional lyrics framed in the context of his faith: "Tell all my secrets and open my scars / break into pieces / 'cause at the end of me, at the end of me that's where You start."
"Pull Me Out" is a great song about Bebo's battle with depression and anxiety and calling out for God's grace. Norman's distinct vocals cut through the mix to ask: "When does this start feeling like I understand everything I'm dealing with? / an You reach down here and pull me out?"
"Stand" professes, "The truth is still the same, that you and I won't be here forever." Abraham and Sarah are listed in the "Hall of Faith" in Hebrews 11:13: "All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth." Amen. That's our call as Christians today, "to walk by faith and not by sight," and remember that we weren't made for this world.
"Into The Day" expresses Bebo's thoughts on the passage of time, with the telling lyrics: "Time will let the story told grow and grow 'til it unfolds / In a way that even you cannot ignore / You can say the seasons change but never if you just remain / In a place where the freeze is at your door."
His song "Walk Down This Mountain" is about an experience at Young Life's Wilderness Ranch and includes the lyrics, "Walk down this mountain / Follow in the footsteps of your Maker." Hearing Bebo refer to God as our Maker in three songs during the night really brought out that theme and challenge to me as a believer, to think about how I'm following in the footsteps of God. As expressed in "Collide," the Christian walk is "where grace and gravity collide / hold on to the altars that I keep building to the sky / and still You say, you're Mine." Amen.
We are the art of God, and through His supernatural power, He can do miracles in our lives to make Christian marriages look like a masterpiece. I get choked up when I listen to "Wine From Water," which is a compelling love song. In the song Bebo admits his weakness and dependence on God: "And all the words we say, they don't matter anyway / Just weapons of war and shame, untrue and tried So I won't say anything / When the silence is threatening / There are miracles still unseen / We are wine from water."
The key to a biblical marriage is to keep Jesus at the center and know that He is the light of the world. God is the only true source of hope, and rest and security. We can never completely be those things for our spouses. The Lord commands to us to have no other gods before Him. I love Jesus, and I love my wife as Christ loves His Church. It is my heart's desire to more selflessly show my wife love and devotion and serve her in a Christ-like manner.
"The Middle" beautifully expresses Bebo's ongoing attempts to balance his faith and hope in a world of darkness as he sings, "I'm not trying to run away from this beautiful life I've been given / I'm not looking for freedom / maybe just a little meaning here in the middle." Norman's music provides a common ground for the songwriter and the listener to collaborate in a discourse on life's curious details, and how those day-to-day unknowns play in the greater mystery of faith.
"Sing of Your Glory" expresses worshipful and introspective sentiments. The new single is an extraordinarily eloquent musical presentation of the Gospel. Bebo confesses at the opening of the song, "I heard a voice call out to me alone, and I followed." Bebo was studying to become a medical doctor when he followed God's still small voice into the much less secure world of becoming an independent Christian musician. Now in deciding to retire, Bebo is obeying God's voice calling out to him alone, and he's following. What a beautiful picture of the obedience that God desires. The story of redemption is that God uses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise and He longs for our faithfulness despite our failures.
"God of My Everything" is drawn from a combination of stories involving "people as close to me as anyone on this planet who had to rebuild their lives based on their identity in God rather than their own." My eyes welled up as we all sang along to our Maker: "God of my heart / God of my need / God of my pain that no one else will ever see / God of my healing / God of my strength / God who is always and will forever reign / God of my everything."
"Nothing Without You" professes, "All my soul needs is all Your love to cover me." I was saved 13 years ago and I don't ever want my faith to grow cool or "lukewarm" as Jesus warns the church of Laodicea in Revelation 3:14-22. Instead, like Bebo, I want to experience my first love and the excitement of what it was like to fall in love with Jesus for the first time, to be born again.
"I Will Lift My Eyes" has long been my favorite worship song, and it was an amazing blessing to sing these gorgeous words with Bebo and my church family: "I will lift my eyes to the Maker / Of the mountains I can't climb / I will lift my eyes to the Calmer / Of the oceans raging wild / I will lift my eyes to the Healer / Of the hurt I hold inside / I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You."
As his songs remind the listener at every turn, it all hinges on realizing that faith is not about what we accumulate or accomplish spiritually, but simply a desperate clinging to Christ. We all sang along with Bebo and Gabe directly to Jesus, our "Great Light of the World."
After our Assistant Pastor Tim Schultz called Bebo and Gabe out for an encore, Bebo closed with "The Hammer Holds," found on his label debut, Ten Thousand Days. The song's simple acoustic-guitar driven melody and Norman's soulful delivery work together with lyrics to share a powerful message, in essence conveying that even the very nails that crucified Christ served as a part of God's greater plan: "A hammer pounds again, but flames I do not feel / This force that drives me helplessly through flesh and wood reveals / A burn that burns much deeper, it's more than I can stand/The reason for my life was to take the life of a guiltless man. This task before me may seem unclear, but it, my Maker holds."
Bebo's story is also my story and anyone struggling with the balance of life and faith can truly relate to the incredible messages of his songs. They only grow deeper with each listen—my favorite type of album. Thanks so much, Bebo, for writing and singing some of the deepest and most meaningful songs I've ever heard.
