When i was younger i remember reading the condensed yellow hardcover A Life Of Faith Elsie Dinsmore series. It was one of my favorites growing up, and just recently my mom was pretty cool to get me the entire original unabriged series in this great pink hardcover set, as a belated Christmas present. :D

I admire the character Elsie has and her great desire to do what is pleasing to her Lord and Saviour above what all others say to do. At times Elsie is wronged unjustly, and is made to suffer alone for her faith in GOD, but in the end, her honesty and kindness always win out.

Elsie is a quiet and emotional kind of girl, much like myself. Part of it comes from her age, but part of it, is also brought on by the severity and coldness of her father which she yearns so desperately to be loved by. I can honestly relate to that, and hope that my father too, will come around to freely expressing his love for me as well. Of course much of that love can only come from first accepting it from the ultimate source of love, Jesus Christ.

I've read quite a few reviews from others, and a good many of them fault Elsie for her constant crying and emotionalness, but honestly, even at 21, i'm still an emotional wreck at times. Although if you notice, her crying episodes become less frequent, with the more love, tenderness, and affection that she receives from her father.
 
Every human alive has a deep desire to be loved, and if it's not fulfilled, they do whatever possible to get attention, in hopes of receiving it. Simple as that. ;)

Love doesn't cost anything, yet it is the hardest thing to give away.

Healing Rain came out about the time i discovered Michael W. Smith, plus it was also given to me by a dear friend who only a couple years later died of cancer. She'd loved the song Healing Rain, but GOD's rain hadn't healed her like we'd all prayed and hoped. Her passing was saddening, however, that following week both her daughter, and granddaughter decided to be baptized and make that outward commitment of faith, so her death had a purpose. I think of her fondly when listening to this album..

Originally the song Healing Rain was going to be called Healing Train, with the idea of a train going around delivering aid and medical supplies etc, to people in need, and you can still hear a little of that aspect throughout the song. It was changed however, to depict a Divine source of healing that only GOD can bring. That slight change is what makes this album even better.

My favorite song on this album is definitely Here I Am, and it was the first song i ever heard that truly inspired me to live out my faith, and boldly proclaim His Word. I've never been the same since hearing it.

Some of my other favorite include, the title track Healing Rain, Live Forever, Can't Wait Any Longer, and Bridge Over Troubled Water. :D

Even though i already had the original version of Healing Rain, i couldn't resist adding the Dual Disc edition for all the bonus content.. ;)

Healing Rain came out about the time i discovered Michael W. Smith, plus it was also given to me by a dear friend who only a couple years later died of cancer. She'd loved the song Healing Rain, but GOD's rain hadn't healed her like we'd all prayed and hoped. Her passing was saddening, however, that following week both her daughter, and granddaughter decided to be baptized and make that outward commitment of faith, so her death had a purpose. I think of her fondly when listening to this album..

Originally the song Healing Rain was going to be called Healing Train, with the idea of a train going around delivering aid and medical supplies etc, to people in need, and you can still hear a little of that aspect throughout the song. It was changed however, to depict a Divine source of healing that only GOD can bring. That slight change is what makes this album even better.

My favorite song on this album is definitely Here I Am, and it was the first song i ever heard that truly inspired me to live out my faith, and boldly proclaim His Word. I've never been the same since hearing it.

Some of my other favorite include, the title track Healing Rain, Live Forever, Can't Wait Any Longer, and Bridge Over Troubled Water. :D

Somehow i actually didn't know this album existed until when a friend of mine made a cd for me, and it had an acoustic version of Healing Rain, that i'd never heard before on it. After some searching on Amazon, i located this 'Special Edition' that included the ellusive acoustic version.. ;)

Healing Rain came out about the time i discovered Michael W. Smith, plus it was also given to me by a dear friend who only a couple years later died of cancer. She'd loved the song Healing Rain, but GOD's rain hadn't healed her like we'd all prayed and hoped. Her passing was saddening, however, that following week both her daughter, and granddaughter decided to be baptized and make that outward commitment of faith, so her death had a purpose. I think of her fondly when listening to this album..

Originally the song Healing Rain was going to be called Healing Train, with the idea of a train going around delivering aid and medical supplies etc, to people in need, and you can still hear a little of that aspect throughout the song. It was changed however, to depict a Divine source of healing that only GOD can bring. That slight change is what makes this album even better.

My favorite song on this album is definitely Here I Am, and it was the first song i ever heard that truly inspired me to live out my faith, and boldly proclaim His Word. I've never been the same since hearing it.

Some of my other favorite include, the title track Healing Rain, Live Forever, Can't Wait Any Longer, and Bridge Over Troubled Water. :D

On the way to my local Family Christian Store, as i was browsing through the new catalog i happened to see this cd on the last page listed as a $5 special. Sweet! i thought, as that was within my budget as $8 was about all the money i had at the time..

At first glance i'd thought it was indeed some special new Michael W. Smith album, but after looking more closely i discovered it wasn't exactly performed by MWS, but rather he only produced, directed and arranged it. Instead it was performed by Sacred Arts String Quartet, but it wasn't all that disappointing as it still had some of that signature Smitty flair to it.

Normally one thinks of bells and trumpets when it comes to Christmas music, but in this case, a string quartet worked out quite well, and i think this album would be perfect background music to compliment your Christmas preparations. :D

I know there's a lot of people out there who see instrumental music as pointless, because there's no deep spiritual, or thought provoking lyrics, to sing along with. There's nothing to get stuck in your head to convict you, or encourage you throughout the day, so why should someone even bother to give this album a listen?

Those were my thoughts when i first learned that Michael W. Smith's album Freedom was an instrumental album. No lyrics, just music. For the longest time, i never bothered to give it a chance, letting my own prejudices against 'pointless' songs blind me. One day though, i had a change of heart, and decided that since it was from Michael W. Smith, my favorite artist, i should at least listen to it once...

As the music of Freedom washed over me for the first time, i was inspired. How had i let such incredible songs go unheard? Why had i not given it a chance any sooner? i came to discover that just because a song doesn't have any words doesn't mean that it isn't worth listening to.

Kinda reminds me of a quote from St. Francis, ''Preach the gospel to all the world and if necessary, use words.'' Just like words aren't necessary to share the Gospel, lyrics aren't necessary to express an idea in a song. Love is the universal language, used to bring others to Christ, just like music is the universal language used to touch people's hearts.

These days, most artists seem to have the mentality that a song isn't truly a song, unless it's been completely rocked out with as many electric guitars as they can fit into it, or if it's been synthesized to death with 8 different kinds of drums etc. While i don't think there's anything wrong with electric guitars and drums here and there, sometimes they just get in the way of the true, raw musicality of a song. Sure, even Michael W. Smith has had his moments of totally rocking out a song, but he is also one of the few artists that truly understands the beauty and simplicity of a classical, traditional orchestral sound.

Over the years there's been talk of Michael W. Smith doing a second instrumental album as a follow-up to Freedom, and now in just a few short days Glory will be hitting music stores everywhere. I challenge those who like me, used to have the same attitude against instrumental music to pick it up, and give it a listen, or you can just listen to the free live stream here on New Release Tuesday. either way, you'll be glad you did. Words just don't do it justice, and can't convey the creative musical genius of Glory, and if you haven't ever listened to Freedom, then i sincerely hope you'll give it a listen as well. :D