John Dandrea

This ballad begins with one of my favorite thoughts to dwell on- that at some point in time we will all stand before Jesus in judgment.  No matter what we think we have accomplished in the course of our lifetime, we will all fall short.   The format of the song is like a dialogue, with the verses sang by one and the chorus part another singer represents the reply of Jesus.   The central theme is about  the forgiveness and mercy of Jesus. 
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vocals:  Jessica Magro
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What an incredible experience it is when you worship together as a close-knit church family.  "we are gathered here, 'cause we feel You near."  And,  "You fill our soul with the love that makes us whole".   I was pleased with this song not only as a praise song on its own, but as a song that I felt served as a good transition into the album.  I wanted to have a consistent tone on this album with the sequence of the songs. 
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The biblical account of the three crosses will always offer an important insight to the kind of repentant heart that Jesus is looking for.  The thief who admitted to Jesus that he deserved his punishment but who expressed his faith in Jesus, was in the proper condition for Jesus to grant him paradise.  This song covers a serious subject, but it continues a carefully outlined path of God's love and forgiveness as the album unfolds.
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As the title indicates, this song is all about prayer.  I wrote this one as a very individualized look at how we sometimes wake up and find that our mind is all cluttered with worries and stresses of the day.  The song focuses on the prayer of  helping others who are alone and who are going through their own trials.  As Christians we can "pray that person home",  because we  "have God's Spirit in us"  that gives us that power.  
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vocals:  Abigail Strickland
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This bouncy acoustic praise song became very popular in my local church and is sung quite often.  The song centers around the grace of  Jesus Christ,  and the rebirth we feel when we are filled with God's Spirit.   ". . .because of  God's grace, our lives have just begun. . ." In addition to this new beginning, God's grace allows us to overcome the obstacles and problems that we will all encounter in this world.  ". . .because of  God's grace, we can overcome, placing our faith in His Son . . . "
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vocals:   Jessica Magro
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This song's basically a Gospel Message song, each verse telling a section of the message.  I focused on giving attention to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - as the song progresses. The chorus section calls attention to the key element of prayer - "He's just a prayer away - you know He's always near. . . ."   This song was inspired by the verse from Rev 3:20,  "Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in. . . ."  
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vocals:   Abigail Strickland
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This song is an instrumental piano piece, and it was written for a friend of mine in the UK who became ill and had to undergo months of treatment.  I wondered if  I would ever hear from her again, and this song came about as my way of wishing her well from across the waves here in the US. Moonlight Lace was a title that came to me from the kind of personality  that she has - soft, feminine, and kind.  The song also uses the sound of waves on the seashore - something I like to do with a few of my songs that I refer to as my  "day at the beach"  songs.
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This song is about having passion for whatever you believe in, whatever you choose to do with your life.  One of the things that I personally despise is apathy - a lack of passion.  Many people simply  "muddle through life",  accepting anything that comes along without question. There is a reference in Rev 3:16  in which Jesus says to various churches that they were "neither hot nor cold"  and that  "I am about to spit you out of my mouth".   This I believe, is a warning to us to not allow apathy to set in. 
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