ChristianDance

(by Jasper Tan) I've never listened to a song thus far that feels so inviting and immersive. And I've done my share of listening to different new music releases. Action Worship's "All Praise" changed that. This is the first song I've heard this year that made me feel so immersed and feel as one with the Action Worship team. "All Praise" is one of the twelve songs that the Action Worship team has conceived, which was written and recorded during a Beach House retreat. The first six songs (which include All Praise) were conceived and recorded during Dawn. And another set of six songs will be released in February as part of the Dusk sessions. The Action Worship team, as a Church has been in a season to record some of the songs that they have been playing in their Church. And they set out to do this, holed up in a beach house where they spent writing, arranging, and recording the songs. So this isn't just any ordinary recording, as the songs in this t...

Originally, "Be Thou My Vision" is a Christian Hymn that traces its roots to Ireland and Scotland. It is one of the most popular Christian Hymns in the United Kingdom. It has been interpreted multiple times by contemporary artists, mostly retrieving the Slane tune. I've heard the different versions of the song, most notably the one interpreted by contemporary artist Audrey Assad. But Son Francisco's version is a breath of fresh air. Composed and arranged as a ballad/lullaby, it evokes a Leonard Cohen-type song (though on the softer side of rock). I mean, there are really no replacements for the solemnity and the purity of the original hymnal version. But this is the type of arrangement that you can bring out to the secular world and transform the song into a more modern version. I love the subtlety of how Francisco attacks the opening lines of the song "Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my hear Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art…." It flows beautifully...

Have you ever wondered what the "ultimate victory over suffering" will look like for faithful believers? "Reign With the Risen Saviour" by Whispering HOPE answers that question, and their answer is based on Revelation 20:4–6's vision of the first resurrection.  The book of Revelations is filled with vivid scenes, and the scene set in chapter 20, verse 4–6 takes us to a moment before the final day, where the thrones are set, and those who suffered for Christ (read: those who "would not bow to lies" and held fast to His Name) are raised to reign alongside Him. In other words, the martyrs and His faithful witnesses aren't forgotten… their loyalty is fully vindicated. They are crowned as priests and (here it comes…) there is a thousand years of peace!! Can you imagine that? Look at the world around us and then try to picture full peace!  The chorus gives us a sense of the joy that will come with this victory: "Reign with the risen Saviour // Eve...

Lowen's "Thankful" isn't one of those typical feel-good gratitude songs. Life is good most of the time… and even when it hurts, there's often something quietly waiting inside the pain, like a lesson, a softening, or a deeper understanding. Lowen found inspiration for this song in what Stephen Colbert once said, "… he learned to love the thing he most wished had never happened, and that simply being here is a gift. Gratitude means holding all of it, not just the easy parts."   The lyrics open with a warm anchor: "Every day that I wake, I just feel so thankful." We're encouraged not to flinch from the messy middle. This is not about ignoring life's quakes! Lowen admits, "honesty is telling me I need space" when the world feels unsteady. In other words, the gratitude that Lowen sings about isn't about forcing a smile through pain — it's about meeting every moment (including the hard moments) with presence, care, and res...

Based on Ephesians 3:20 and Romans 8:32, Oludee's song "Much More" comes from those seasons of waiting, rebuilding, and brave new beginnings. The song opens with praise, giving "glory to the Father," then changes into a powerful declaration: God "set the table" and widened the space around a once-shaky boat. In other words, the song admits fear and limitation, but most of all, it insists God can do "bigger… than I ask or imagine."   Oludee plays with humor and hunger — see it as an "Oliver Twist" request — not to glorify greed, but to affirm your calling: you were made for extra grace, extra strength, extra provision. Do you feel behind, capped, or stuck? Oludee encourages you to keep moving with "patient haste." We may expect overflow, and when our cup runs over, don't call it waste. The overflow is a reminder that generosity isn't random; it's covenant love. Receive the overflow (abundance) with gratitude...

"One of Those People" by Voices of Judah's Song is a beautiful reminder that you are chosen! You are one of those people God loved anyway… in spite of your past, in spite of your pain. One of those people that God loved anyway, in spite of your guilt, and in spite of your shame.  This song invites you to bring it all to God, all of your past, your guilt, and your shame, and experience God's personal love answer to you. Have you ever felt unworthy of God's redemption and grace? The good news is that God's love isn't contingent on perfection! We don't have to have our life all together to be loved by Him!  No matter how messed up your life may be, there is a lifeline that leads you to hope and restoration through Christ. It is through Christ that you too can sing: "I'm one of those people… Saved by your grace," and celebrate the freedom you will find in His unconditional love.  So, next time you look in the mirror and are reminded of your ...

Inspired by the verses John 3:30, Philippians 3:7–8, and John 10:27, Rorie releases "He Must Increase", a beautiful song that reminds us of the sound of CCM from the 2000s, easily the era when the rise of CCM was at its peak. Rorie sings the song with earnestness as she opens the lines "The seasons change and we are aging, But You alone are God of the ages." You'll immediately know that this song is putting God front and center. There's a certain aspect of the song that clearly wants to remind us that God will always be bigger than us. That his glory and mercy will always shine through, and we are mere travelers in the world that he built. Everything emanates from him, and we cannot claim to be bigger than God.  It's a humbling reminder that what we have, what we attained, it all comes as a blessing that He has gifted to us. We cannot claim that it is our works that brought us the joys and triumphs. These gifts and accomplishments are nothing without Hi...