**For those of you that haven’t heard, tonight’s show in Atlanta has been cancelled due to severe weather damage.**

-chris

Tonight over dinner my wife and I had a talk about God’s desire for reconciliation. I recently had a text message conversation with an acquaintance of mine that turned into a horrible miscommunication and offense was taken by the other party. Sure I could just chalk this up to the perils of the technological age we live in and blame it on the cell phone company, but for some reason I have not been able to let this one go. Relationships are important to me even though I often talk about buying a house in the woods somewhere where my wife, dog and I could just disappear. We talked about how we will forever justify in our own minds why talking to the person face to face surely isn’t the answer. Confrontation is so difficult for both us. If we are so haunted by the lingering issues that remain unresolved why can’t I just bring myself to sit the person down and talk through it?

I had to ask myself the question, “why have I not created an environment amongst those important to me where it is natural to deal with offenses the moment they arise?” It should be obvious how much I care about the person when it affects me so much.
I know what I must do and I will do it…maybe reluctantly, maybe begrudgingly, but I will. Relationships are hard but the reality is that we are not alone on this earth and I am slowly realizing that the earth doesn’t revolve around me.

Chris

We are home and everyone is doing well. Moma and baby are healthy and happy. Mama and Daddy are tired though! Just wanted to thank you all for your prayers. Even though we may not know each other well it means so much to know of your thoughts and prayers. We have felt them in a strong way over the past few days. Thank you also for rejoicing with us in this time. Children truly are a reward from God.Now, on to the next Connersvine song!

I love country music. Chris does not love country music. If you get to know us you will find out that we both agree on the virgin birth, the redemption of God through Jesus, and the hope of eternal life. That’s about it. (oh yeah,……and Waffle House) We are extreme men that God saw fit to yoke together for a particular expression of ministry and music in our generation. It is our extremes that make Connersvine happen. As long as we are making albums there will be hints of rock, folk, country, soul, pop, and all kinds of indie stuff. That is who we are musically. Connersvine is a melting pot of influences, and I’d have it no other way.

“Lay Down” is one of our favorite songs as a band. It’s country feel gives it a unique personality that is rare in corporate worship music. It is one of the first songs we wrote once we decided to become Connersvine, and for that reason it will always have a particular sentimental value spiritually and historically. It was late morning sometime in the spring of 2003. I was in our basement having some alone time with just the Lord and my guitar. Sometimes in these moments I will start just playing a chord pattern and singing “randomness” over it. I don’t talk about this a lot because it could be misconstrued as insanity, but sometimes I just worship by opening my mouth and singing out my raw emotions and sentiments to God. A large portion of the time this sounds like gibberish or at best someone who has forgotten the words to a melody they never really knew in the first place. However, to God I believe it is a sweet sound. To my surprise on this particular morning I began to sing something that had both clear form and meaning:

All of my life I’m
happy to lay down
in light of Your glory
the light of Your glory

The lyric was exactly what I felt in my heart. I mean in light of the glory of God I am compelled to give Him everything. Thoughts and images began to flood my mind and soul about who, in my limited knowledge, God is and who He must be. I mean we aren’t talking about the Easter Bunny here. This isn’t a fat old figment of our imaginations dressed in a redsuit delivering gifts down people’s chimneys once a year. He either is or isn’t the King of the universe!! In that moment I was positive of the former and overcome with joy, awe, and willingness to do whatever He asked. This spontaneous chorus was a response to his lovely and powerful existence.

Originally “Lay Down” was just a series of choruses similar to the above mentioned. Truth be told I still wish they could be included in the recording. We play them live sometimes. Here they are:

All of my will I’m
happy to lay down
in light of Your wisdom
the light of your wisdom

All of my dreams I’m
happy to lay down
in light of your destiny
the light of your destiny

All of my heart I’m
happy to lay down
in light of Your love for me
the light of Your love for me

This song was Chris’ favorite idea of mine at one point, country feel and all! He would even lead it when he was leading on his own somewhere. Somewhere along the way we started trying to think of ways to make it a more album friendly song. We collaborated and decided it should have a more traditional structure. It needed verses, a consistent chorus, and a bridge. This wasn’t change for the sake of change however. We felt this was a real improvement that would help the song be embraced more over time.

Late that summer I reported to training camp at Rose Hulman in Terre Haute, IN with nothing to entertain myself with but a guitar. I was dead set to work on writing songs in my time off the field. At the top of my priority list was the refurbishing of “Lay Down”. Almost everyday Chris and I would talk on the phone and play our new ideas for one another. As per usual some of the ideas were good, some great, and some still make for a good laugh when they’re remembered.It was late afternoon sometime in the middle of our stay in Terre Haute as I remember and we had a night practice under the lights that evening. I had about 45 minutes before I was gonna go grab a quick bite to eat and head over to the locker room. I began to read through the Psalms while strumming my guitar through the “Lay Down” chord progression. Long story short the first verse was finished before I left for practice. It came quick but was still thoroughly thought through. I love the combination of Davidic psalm language in the first stanza withthe more “regular guy” folksy sentiment of the second:

(1) Listen to my humble cry
Listen to my earnest plea
Hear my voice as I am calling out
I’m on my knees again

(2) I don’t wanna go away
from this holy, holy place
I guess I am sayin’
Lord, I lay it all down again

For quite some time Chris and I would play this song with just one verse and a bunch of choruses. Soon Chris had the idea that we should write a bridge for it. The bridge’s origin came about just like it sounds. We were playing through this song looking for what felt right coming out of the chorus. I sang a line and Chris, the brilliant melodist, sang a linear response. It wasn’t an answer. No, it was a finish to the thought I had started. We decided that this was a really cool thing and finished the lyrics together. To me they are a simple circumstantial summation of the songs entire message: at all times God is worthy of our lives being laid down for Him.

In the morning when I rise to You
Lord, I lay it downIn the evening under skies from You
Lord, I lay it downEveryday and all my life for You
Lord, I lay it down

I know we are out of order here but the song was 3 years old when the second verse was written. However, it might be my favorite part of the song. Many times when we are writing I will have an idea that I feel like is really inspired, really different, really a risk, etc. Typically Chris or whoever is in the room will look at me like I’m crazy, then act like they didn’t hear me, then hope it all just goes away. A lot of them should just go away. Thankfully, this one didn’t.The first stanza of this verse might seem kinda risky:

When I wake up in the night
and I feel You in my room
Something in Your voice is drawing me
to follow after You

I love being able to say exactly what I feel in a song. This line is not about a stalker or burglar or anything like that. It is about times when I can feel the presence of God in the night. Sometimes I sense Him calling me out of bed to meet with Him. Now, I’d love to say that I answer the call every time, but I can’t. Sleep is a powerful force as well and not nearly as gentle. When I do answer the call, however, He is always faithful to be there for intimate fellowship. (I feel like this is a journal entry more than a blog post.) At any rate, I love being able to put something in a song that is honest and real even if a little weird sounding also. The second stanza completes the thought and points to the chorus:

to the place where I belong
far away from incomplete
where I give it all to You
because You gave all for me

“Lay Down” will always be a special song for us to play. It is our prayer that it is a challenging but hopeful way for you to express your will to lay your life down for a master worth so much more than anything in existence. Thanks for reading this. I know it was long, but it means a lot that you would take the time to understand the heart behind this work.”Live For You” is next. All I can say is that Chris is an anointed man. I’ll fill you in next time!

-Hunter

Tonight God revealed Himself in a new way to me. Recently I listened to a talk I found online by Brennan Manning. In the talk Brennan shared a story about a man that was about to die and told Brennan about how for the last two years he would set up a chair next to him and talk to Jesus as if He were right there next to him like you would talk to a friend. I loved this picture and the vulnerability it took for a grown man to talk to what appeared to be nothing more than an empty chair.

So, tonight after my wife and dog went to sleep and after watching pointless things on television and surfing the web I decided to put this into practice. It was kind of awkward at first. I was laying on the couch and every time I shifted positions I feared that I would kick Jesus. Once I got over the initial discomfort I could truly feel Him listening to me. I began to apologize for my broken, sinful, selfishness. As I did this I could just feel His grace. I realized that I have made my work my relationship with Him. I go out every evening and sing songs about Him and talk to youth pastors about what He has done and somehow have made this my
“personal relationship” with Him.

Just as I began to start feeling guilty for how stupid I can be I felt Him say that he knows that I am a sinner. God created us a people that need Him. God could have created us perfect people if He wanted to who did nothing but praise Him and make all the right decisions but He didn’t. His servant-nature created a people that need Him daily to survive. This is such a humbling revelation. The all-powerful, perfect God wants to serve us and love us despite our sin. This little exercise has taught me so much about the intimacy that God wants to have with me and I hope to be forever changed by it.

-chris

So here it is. My new tattoo. It didn’t hurt nearly as much as I thought it would. I know many of you think I have fallen off the deep end and sold my soul to the rock and roll lifestyle but no, this has not happened.

So… what do you guys think?

-chris

Samuel Hunter Smith
7 lbs. 5.5 oz. - 21.5 inches - Curly brown hair
Thanks for all of your prayers!!

Hunter

-chris

“Glory Be” was a song we felt strongly about from the beginning. One day Chris came to me and said he had an idea for a mid-tempo worship song. One of the things you always look for in a song meant for corporate worship is singability. Can you’re average person hear it a few times and be able to keep up? Does it stay in your head, etc? We were in our church’s old sanctuary when Chris played and sang the foundations of this songs chorus for me. I liked it immediately, and in the end the final version of the chorus ended up being just about exactly what he sang for me that day. It had a very wide open, melodic, and passionate way that made it a joy to sing over and over throughout the process of writing it.

There are definite roles when a Connersvine song is written. Chris is forever committed to the search for great melodies and I am a lyric man. This makes for a great song writing dynamic. We both write lyrics and melodies, but we both know our specialties as well. Usually about 10 to 20 percent of a song will flow quickly out of “fireworks” inspiration.

Then, the next 50 to 60 percent will flow out of the excitement about the fireworks you’ve just experienced. That gives impetus for the bulk of the song. However, the last 20 to 30 percent requires the “grind”. Most great songs that never happen never happen because artists do not have the discipline to finish a song. They allude to cliche lyrics and melodies that taint the entire work. After patching a bunch of junk on to the last verse and bridge they shrug and declare “good enough” then move on.

We’d like to believe we’ve never done this to a song. We treat each one as a gift that should be opened up all the way regardless of how much time it takes. Because of the simplicity and passion of the chorus we wanted the verses to be packed with great visuals of God and His nature, power, love, and sacrifice. My favorite sequence of the first verse is the combination of the second and third stanzas:

Glory to the one whose feet could walk beyond the shore
Glory to the voice that calls the storms to rumble in the sky

I picture these two at the same time. Jesus walking on the water while a storm brews in the dangerous sky above Him. It works for me anyway.

As we headed into the second verse the idea of God having a memory came up. I don’t know if He calls it that, but I think being all knowing qualifies that there is an amazing memory within God. The most important part of His memory is that he has never forgotten us. We have forgotten Him but he is incapable of forgetting us. Never were we remembered more than during His sacrifice on the cross.

Glory to the heart that died alone
Glory to the memory that would not let us go

And finally, one night in our home office came the bridge. It was one of those rare times when I write something that I really feel is average and Chris disagrees. Typically we are on the same page with whether something is good or not. The truth is there wasn’t much of a grind to this one. It came almost spontaneously. Maybe that’s why I didn’t feel strongly about it? Maybe in my pride I thought great lyrics should take more work? However, it is God who inspires, not us. Chris loved it and it has become one of the highlights of the album for me.

My favorite lines:
Kingdoms rise and kingdoms crumble
Men are high and men are humbled
After all has fallen let our only anthem be. . . . . . .Glory Be

“Glory Be” met a lot of resistance with one of our producers. It was actually added to the album toward the end of the whole process. We are glad it was. And, we’re glad it’s the 1st track on the album. For us it clears up any questions about who the glory belongs to right from the start.

Hope y’all enjoy this. Let me know your thoughts. Need more? Less? If everyone says “boo” to the idea of an album commentary through a series of posts then I’ll quit it. Sure is fun for me though.

“Lay Down” is next!

-Hunter

-chris

Baby #2 is on the way!

My wife and I are having this one on this coming Tuesday, the 4th of March. That is actually our other sons birthday as well. Please pray that all goes well. We are very excited!

I have an idea for a series of posts about our album. Chris and I worked hard on this album for a long time and it would be special to me (if nobody else) to write a little bit about each song’s story. Chris is out on the road working hard finishing the tour so this is least I could do. (in my nonexistent spare time!) By the way, this is in no way a plug for people to buy our album, but………well………….ok, just buy our album. That way the story behind each song will make sense to you. It doesn’t matter to us how you purchase the album. If you’re worried that I’m using some manipulative tactic to sell albums then, well, you’re right…..I guess. However, you’re not being duped for our own selfish benefit. We believe in the message of our album.

We believe that God has a purpose in it and we’d love to share the origins of each song. Once I was talking to some guys from a large and very well known band about their album. We were talking about the process of writing the songs. One of them said, “Well, we knew we had the single (meaning the big radio song) so the rest of it was just filling up the tracks.” This was hard for me to hear. I believe that we as artists are entrusted with a unique responsibility to express an important message to people. Furthermore, I believe God is worthy of more than
just a bunch of “filler” so that we meet our deadlines. We have been touched by God through the process of writing and recording this album and we believe others will be touched also through the process of listening and understanding it’s journey.

We’ll start tomorrow with the first track, a song called “Glory Be”. Until then!!

Hunter