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4.01.2012

Hillsong Love (And a Mishmash of Personal Artwork)


When I was a freshmen in college, my good friend Emily's now fiance Zach (how's that for complicated) introduced me to Hillsong. I knew he really liked them, so when I went to the Passion 2010 conference in Atlanta, GA and found out that they were going to be doing a concert, I was probably only excited to see them because I knew someone else liked them and would be excited about seeing them. It was a late concert-- it probably didn't start until 11pm, and I went with my friend Mike and my now-fiance-then-acquaintance of two days Joey (let's see how many more complicate statements I can make in one post) and sat in the complete most nosebleed section that it was possible to sit in. We were all exhausted. The last song they performed, "With Everything," (hear it here) impacted my life. It has this melodic anthem that is both haunting and catchy, and as 25,000-ish of us college students left the concert that night and headed back to our hotels, we couldn't help but sing the wordless anthem. It was amazing, and I don't think I'll ever forget the sound of those voices echoing through the Atlanta streets in the frigid darkness or the feeling of beautiful insignificance and awe that overcame me as I listened.

I've become a HUGE fan of Hillsong since that experience, and make sure to buy anything new Hillsong/Hillsong Live/Hillsong United releases. Their music is, to me, true worship music in the sense that the lyrics are God-focused, and the music just really stirs me. Every one of the musicians on their team is extremely talented, and I genuinely enjoy listening to their music, over and over, to the point where Joey sometime asks me to take a break from it!

I was able to see Hillsong again this this year at Passion 2012, and this time I was NOT in the nosebleed section, but instead in probably the 25th row or so, and when we were trying to smuggle my wonderful friend Bethany's wheelchair into the front rows, Joel Houston (a lead singer and guitarist in Hillsong) walked by (within 8 feet) and, yes, we made eye contact. I actually think I might have creeped him out a little because I was staring intensely at his face with wide eyes for the entire time he was within eyeshot, but it was a defining moment in my life. Ok, not really, but I do like sharing that fact with Hillsong-lovers :) And of course I have to post a picture (or 2) of this Joel Houston whom I so happened to encounter last winter:


I was actually really inspired by the artwork Hillsong United posted on their webpage when they released their amazing album, Aftermath, a year or so ago. All the artwork at the top of this post is my own and was made as a result of Hillsong's album and their own work. The artwork makes great desktop backgrounds, and the poignant and poetic lyrics remind me to set my mind and heart on Christ every time I open my laptop. Below are a few of my favorites. You can find more on Hillsong United's Blog (http://hillsongunited.com/blog).


This first one inspired the experimental work I did at the top of this post-- I definitely think theirs turned out better!



And finally, the whole inspiration for this post! Hillsong's new album, "God is Able," is A M A Z I N G, and you can listen to/watch the whole live DVD on youtube (click here). I am so thankful for their music and just marvel at how the Lord can move and speak through music and through our personal tastes in  music. So, if you're already a follower of Hillsong, you can probably affirm all I've spoken, and if you aren't... they're more than worth checking out :)

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