Ok, so I’m taking a break from talking about weddings/anniversarys/showers/etc. for a post. And instead, introducing another pretty significant aspect of our lives…
Can You Hear Us?
So, Can You Hear Us? is a band- made up of Z and his sisters. In April they released their first, self-titled cd which they recorded over the past year with several other very talented “guest” musicians. (Friends of Z’s and some studio musicians really helped flesh out some of the songs!)
I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before but my husband is a very musically talented. And I say that with as little bias as possible for someone who is married to him! He plays electric and acoustic guitar, mandolin and piano. And he’s been teaching himself to play the banjo lately and a few months ago had some success teaching himself the basics on the cello. He tells me that playing an instrument for him is like singing. You just need to teach your fingers how to sing. (I WISH it was that easy!)
Anyway, he put his singing fingers to work to write most of the musical parts that support his sister, Kaitlin’s, lyrics. She started writing songs a few years ago when she witnessed a group of Albanian teens picking on/mocking a mentally retarded man who was selling roses on the street in the Albanian city they were living in at the time. “Old Man with the Roses” tells this story on the cd.
Since then, she’s told the stories of child soldiers, children sold into slavery and forced prostitution, extreme poverty in the slums of the third world, and Christians who have died to bring the gospel to the forgotten people of the world. She’s also sung about some of the families that have fallen through the cracks in their small, rural, American town. The songs are heart-wrenching and often tear- inducing (and not really for little kids!).
But they are also full of hope. The song “Kenya” speaks about the incredible power of prayer. “Come Now, Let Us Go” is about salvation through Christ’s blood. And “The Kingdom” is a beautiful testament to all of the “little things” that people do to bring about God’s Kingdom here on earth. And then there is “Glory” which is my favorite. It’s more like a hymn- and we had Z’s three sisters sing it for us at our wedding.
And I can’t really even begin to describe how beautiful their voices are. You’ll just have to check out the sample tracks here. And while you’re there, you should also read some of the stories behind the songs. Because those are some pretty incredible stories. (Warning: it is not easy to forget what you hear/read!)
Oh, and they’ve made a family decision that all of the profits from any cd sales/concerts/whatever will be donated directly to organizations like International Justice Mission or Shared Hope International which fight trafficking and injustice all over the world.
Basically, I love that Z has a way to share his passion and talent for music along with his passion for social justice- WITH his sisters. And they’re using their incredible talent to actually make a difference for God’s Kingdom… which is at least part of why He gifts us with talents, isn’t it? It’s a pretty cool thing to watch and in my own little ways, participate. Plus, it’ll be fun to see where they go from here!
Have a beautiful day and Choose Joy!
E
