I know you’ve read about Phil Wickham before. It’s true- I have a deep love for singer/ songwriters. It is getting ridiculous the way I am moved by lyrics.

You know, if you’ve been around this blog-block long enough, that I love writing. I love words. And I love people who write WELL. I’m not going to define that for you…. I wouldn’t know how. But I can tell you when I read or hear a good writer. And Phil is that.

He’s anointed. And I don’t throw that term around lightly. In fact, if I could find a less churchy (and overused) adjective to insert there, I would. Maybe gifted? I’m not sure. I’ll just say this- God has enabled Phil Wickham to experience Him in such a real way personally that it overflows into his music, lyrics, and performances. The Holy Spirit showed up.

We actually heard three separate performances last night, Shane & Shane being the other awesome one. (Fact: Shane B wasn’t there- his father had a heart attack Saturday. So it was Shane E. and Phil. It was wicked good.) But Shane B is another phenomenal song writer. (That’s for another day…)

The fact that P Dub (our nickname for Phil) has a great singing voice and is talented musically rules. But it is his words, the phrases that form in his mind and flow into songs, that change me. I told him this last night (yeah, I talked with him), and I mean it- his songs draw me closer to Jesus. I love Jesus more because of the words I sing to Him- that Phil wrote.

Here’s just a sampling:

“I want to hear the thunder of all You are. To be captured inside the wonder of all You are. I want to live, I want to breathe, to search out Your heart and all of Your mystery.“
Ummm….how even to respond to that? The thunder of all God is? Yes. To search out all of His mystery? Double yes.

My personal favorite song right now is “I Adore You”.
“I adore You. I’ll sing it with all my heart. I adore You. I love everything You are.”
It makes me want to cry. Which Marie Claire reminded me isn’t the hardest act to accomplish (touche), but none the less. It still does. To tell God that I love EVERYTHING that He is. What even does that mean? Think about it. It’s so simple but so profound. Genius.

Okay, fine, I’ll put a picture of MC and myself, before she made fun of me.I’ve been pondering this all day today. What is it that makes a good songwriter? Or a good writer in general? And here’s what I’ve come up with. God gives people talents, skills. Writing, for example. (You can really insert anything you want here, but writing it what I’m focused on.) It is completely out of our control. I wish I was a good singer. I’m not. Out of my control. BUT, the depth of the writing comes from EXPERIENCING God. Being in His presence. Living life with Him, allowing Him to guide and move you, allowing Him to mold you. And THAT combo, God’s gift + your dedication to knowing Him, I believe, is what produces this beautiful form of worship.

You can only write what you know. Phil Wickham knows things about God that are deep and true. And because he invests in his relationship with God, he writes songs that are profound and good and real. Then I blog about it, then maybe you and a friend talk about it- and God gets all this talk-time because Phil Wickham writes what he knows. Do you see the cycle? It is beautiful.

And this is NOT a ‘praise Phil Wickham‘ thing. I’m sure he makes mistakes, blah blah blah. [Insert whatever you want me to say here so that you know it’s not about Phil.] But, he challenges me. I have no control over the gifts God has given me, nor do you. But what I DO have control over is the amount of time I spend in His presence. I want my life, maybe my writing?, to reflect God that strongly. I want people to know HIM better because of what I write. I have to do my part- be in the Word, live life with God, etc. Then allow Him, BEG HIM, to use the overflow of that to glorify Himself.

Because in the end, if no one ever remembers my name, but you have a meaningful conversation about something I wrote one time, and you see a small glimpse of our big God- just the possibility of that motivates me to know God more. To seek after the mystery of who He is. Because I DESPERATELY want my life to glorify Him and make Him known.

And on a final dork-alert note, I took this picture with Phil. The things I’ll do for my blog community. I just wanted you to see him up close. I know, I smiled too big. Make fun of me in your head- I’m fine with that. But I was laughing at the fact that I had just told this guy the spiritual implications his music has in my life, then I ask for a picture FOR MY BLOG. I’m a dork. What? Did you forget or something?

He says he’ll be in the ATL in the fall. You don’t even have to beg. Of course we can carpool.