The
inspiration and story behind the song "Dwelling Place" from
Make It Glorious
"Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God." Psalms 90: 1, 2
My earliest memories of church were at First Baptist Church in El Paso, Texas. When I was five years old, I followed my brother and sister to the altar to receive Christ. I had no idea what I was doing. Once I got to the front, a really big, tall, scary, old man greeted me and said something like, "Why are you here?" I was probably the shyest kid whoever walked the earth, so I was terrified. After that, I think somebody prayed for all of us that had come forward, and then I was finally free to return to the safety of my mom back in the balcony. Whoa, was I glad that was over.
Although First Baptist Church was a great church, in the coming years, I was just flat uninterested in what was going on. In fact, I can remember ditching Sunday school in the 3rd grade and hanging out at a park across the street. When I was 10 years old, in 1970, we moved to Southern California for a year. The Jesus movement had exploded and suddenly some of my siblings were making serious commitments to Christ. The cool thing was they were all hippies. They all played guitar, had long hair and went to church barefoot. As a kid, I thought that was pretty cool.
The next year we moved back to Texas, and it was there that I truly received Christ. In fact, I received Christ, started playing guitar and writing songs all within one year. It was 1971-a very exciting season in my life that shaped a lot of my thinking and relationship with God that still lasts to this day. But here's the ugly part of it all. Because I was being brought up in this Jesus People Revival, with all these new ways of doing things, I became convinced that we knew God and expressed what a Christian was better than anybody else ever had. I mean C'mon-we hippies even looked like all the pictures I had seen of Jesus. What I'm getting at is this-I had no care or appreciation for any other Christians anywhere, past, present or future.
Now let's fast forward a decade or two. Since those days in the early 70's, I've had the wonderful privilege of working with and becoming friends with every kind of Christian imaginable. While leading worship for Promise Keepers for example, I've even seen all of them together in one stadium. In recent years, I've been able to hear stories about my Grandparents and how they loved God so passionately. I've also learned so much from reading books about Church history.
I guess part of it is my age, but I am now so very aware of the special group of people that I am a part of. It is such a privilege to bare the name of Christ and be a part of His family, one that's filled with so many heroes-not only the Patriarchs of the Old Testament and the Apostles of the New Testament, but all the Christian martyrs through the ages. I'm a brother of them all. I'm related to the likes of Martin Luther, Jonathan Edwards, Wesley and Moody and hymn writers like Isaac Watts and Fanny Crosby. When I worship God at my church, Christian Assembly, I not only worship with the hundreds of believers there with me, but also with the multitudes who have gone before-and in a way, with those who are yet to come. When I celebrate, shout, sometimes question and even suffer, I don't do it alone. I do it with most of you who are reading this article-with the greatest family this planet has ever known, the family of God!
This is the reason I put music to Psalm 90 and recorded it on my latest CD, Make It Glorious. I want us all to be reminded of everything I'm saying here-"Lord, you have been our dwelling place," the word 'our' being the most important word. That word in this psalm ties us all together. Throughout the ages, our family members have sung, prayed and clung to the great promise of this scripture. And now, here we are in 2004 still singing it with them.
In closing, the next time you meditate, sing or pray this great verse, take a moment to thank the Lord for being your forever saving place, your dwelling place, your home and final destination. Listen closely and see if you can't sense the saints of the ages joining in with you. We are truly all connected!
"Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God." Psalms 90: 1, 2
My earliest memories of church were at First Baptist Church in El Paso, Texas. When I was five years old, I followed my brother and sister to the altar to receive Christ. I had no idea what I was doing. Once I got to the front, a really big, tall, scary, old man greeted me and said something like, "Why are you here?" I was probably the shyest kid whoever walked the earth, so I was terrified. After that, I think somebody prayed for all of us that had come forward, and then I was finally free to return to the safety of my mom back in the balcony. Whoa, was I glad that was over.
Although First Baptist Church was a great church, in the coming years, I was just flat uninterested in what was going on. In fact, I can remember ditching Sunday school in the 3rd grade and hanging out at a park across the street. When I was 10 years old, in 1970, we moved to Southern California for a year. The Jesus movement had exploded and suddenly some of my siblings were making serious commitments to Christ. The cool thing was they were all hippies. They all played guitar, had long hair and went to church barefoot. As a kid, I thought that was pretty cool.
The next year we moved back to Texas, and it was there that I truly received Christ. In fact, I received Christ, started playing guitar and writing songs all within one year. It was 1971-a very exciting season in my life that shaped a lot of my thinking and relationship with God that still lasts to this day. But here's the ugly part of it all. Because I was being brought up in this Jesus People Revival, with all these new ways of doing things, I became convinced that we knew God and expressed what a Christian was better than anybody else ever had. I mean C'mon-we hippies even looked like all the pictures I had seen of Jesus. What I'm getting at is this-I had no care or appreciation for any other Christians anywhere, past, present or future.
Now let's fast forward a decade or two. Since those days in the early 70's, I've had the wonderful privilege of working with and becoming friends with every kind of Christian imaginable. While leading worship for Promise Keepers for example, I've even seen all of them together in one stadium. In recent years, I've been able to hear stories about my Grandparents and how they loved God so passionately. I've also learned so much from reading books about Church history.
I guess part of it is my age, but I am now so very aware of the special group of people that I am a part of. It is such a privilege to bare the name of Christ and be a part of His family, one that's filled with so many heroes-not only the Patriarchs of the Old Testament and the Apostles of the New Testament, but all the Christian martyrs through the ages. I'm a brother of them all. I'm related to the likes of Martin Luther, Jonathan Edwards, Wesley and Moody and hymn writers like Isaac Watts and Fanny Crosby. When I worship God at my church, Christian Assembly, I not only worship with the hundreds of believers there with me, but also with the multitudes who have gone before-and in a way, with those who are yet to come. When I celebrate, shout, sometimes question and even suffer, I don't do it alone. I do it with most of you who are reading this article-with the greatest family this planet has ever known, the family of God!
This is the reason I put music to Psalm 90 and recorded it on my latest CD, Make It Glorious. I want us all to be reminded of everything I'm saying here-"Lord, you have been our dwelling place," the word 'our' being the most important word. That word in this psalm ties us all together. Throughout the ages, our family members have sung, prayed and clung to the great promise of this scripture. And now, here we are in 2004 still singing it with them.
In closing, the next time you meditate, sing or pray this great verse, take a moment to thank the Lord for being your forever saving place, your dwelling place, your home and final destination. Listen closely and see if you can't sense the saints of the ages joining in with you. We are truly all connected!
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