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Jesus loves me, this I know - for the Bible tells me so.
At 2 years of age they were the first words Sandi Patty ever sang. Five Grammy Awards, three dozen-plus Doves, and 11 million albums (three platinum, five gold) later, they are still the words that resonate in the depths of her soul. She says the words out loud; pondering them; considering their implications; weighing their meaning.
"Jesus loves...me," she muses. "I argue with myself about that. But it all begins right there. If I don't really believe that, then nothing else fits. Why else would He die on the cross? And what's more, Jesus loves you. If I could tell you one thing it is that you are loved and valued and treasured by God. And not only does He love you - He likes you. If God were giving a party you would receive the first invitation. If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. That's what I keep saying to myself. I find the things I want to say to someone else are really the things I want to hear myself."
Jesus loves me. Jesus loves you. Jesus loves. It is the theme that weaves itself throughout the tapestry of Sandi's life these days, and the resulting pattern is elegantly displayed in her long anticipated album, THESE DAYS. Sometimes the weaving of that pattern of love is bold and clearly understood; sometimes subtle, painted in shades of nuance; sometimes shadowed, obscure and incomprehensible.
It's a struggle not to let time simply fade/ How my routines and patterns quickly lose you in their maze. Oh, Jesus keep me faithful. - These Are The Days
"I wanted this project to be a reflection of where I am in my life," Sandi explains. "This is me. This is my life. It is about family, about being a mother to eight kids, about life on the road. It's about finding the joy in everyday situations, which is easy when everything is going great; but is not so easy when I'm feeling drawn and quartered by the demands of the day. It is about finding those few quiet minutes with the Lord; that oasis in the midst of the craziness of life. It is about how you make sense of these days, and it has to begin with a relationship with God."
THESE DAYS, Sandi's first studio release in three years, embraces the hard questions of life, even when the answers to those questions may sometimes be, 'I don't know' - but it is by no means a melancholy album. Instead Sandi allows a full range of emotions to well up naturally from songs that are both universally appealing and intimately autobiographical.
With THESE DAYS Sandi re-ignites her passion for delivering encouragement to the church through a wide variety of musical styles. Moving melodies and incredible lyrics combine to form the perfect vehicle for her breathtaking vocal prowess as she proves once again why she is the most awarded female vocalist in Christian music. To create THESE DAYS, Sandi enlisted the production talents of Greg Nelson, Phil Naish, Brent Bourgeois and Hal Batt. She called on her friend Cindy Morgan to co-write the lyrics for the touching tribute to her 16 year-old daughter Anna, All This Time. And for the high-energy Shine, she drew on the talents of Kathy Troccoli. From the powerful ballad Once And For All, to the gently Celtic-flavored declaration Go Without Knowing, Sandi takes us on a journey of the soul.
Faith without fearing/ any road in front of me/ I'll give without glory, I'll love without limits, go without knowing wherever you may lead. - Go Without Knowing
"That is a strong lyric for me at this stage of my life," Sandi confesses. "It speaks of those journeys that have taken a long time; long enough that we can say, 'God, I know that you really are going to be with me.' And because of that confidence, that relationship, we can say, 'I trust You, so wherever You call me, I'll go.' I look back and I have definitely been through some rough times. I would not choose to learn the lessons I have learned in the way that I learned them. But when I look at where I am in my life today, I wouldn't trade those experiences for the world."
"I got a phone call from my daughter, Anna, while recording this project," she elaborates. "Her best friend had just been killed in an auto accident. At times like that you leave the recording, you get in your car, and you go home. That child's death feels cruel to me. It feels insane; senseless. How could God let that happen? If I'm not grounded, if I haven't spent those 'oasis' times with the Lord, then I get angry. But during those times, He reminds me that even though I don't understand, He is still in control."
One of the highlights of THESE DAYS is Sandi's duet with Latin singing sensation, Miguel Guerra, Solo El Amor/Only Love. The powerful, bi-lingual song examines that special moment in time when God impacts the life of a person and makes them perfectly whole. "Only love can do that," Sandi explains.
"God loves us," she says, "and He demonstrated it to us by sending His son. That principle, that truth, is what our faith, my faith, the Christian faith is built upon. "There is nothing like a public failure to allow you to get really real," Sandi says quietly. "Five years ago my wish would have been, 'I wish people could see this genuine struggle that goes on in my life every day.' These days I would want them to see someone who is earnestly and genuinely seeking to be all that God wants her to be. Who earnestly and genuinely and sometimes innocently, and sometimes not so innocently, fails miserably; but who also earnestly and genuinely seeks God's grace and forgiveness in those moments to continue the journey. Ultimately, my response to my days, whatever these days hold, is really my choice. I can see it as chaos, or I can see it as an incredible modern dance piece. My challenge is to find the joy in every situation."
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