CD Release Concert for Christian Artist Jami Smith
Sunday, April 11 | 6 p.m. | in the Chapel

Jami Smith experienced a whirlwind of activity in 2009, including the birth of her first child, Emory Grace, in November, and the completion of her fourteenth CD project Verse. which releases in April 2010.  The CD features a set of new songs, with all of the lyrics sung as specific passages of the Bible.  "I guess you could say that we’ve plagiarized the Bible!" Smith joked.  “Every word of every song was lifted from scripture.”

On Sunday, April 11, 2010, at 6 pm in the Chapel, Jami Smith and her band perform selections from her new CD.  Cost is $10 for adults, which includes a copy of her CD given on the night of the concert.  Children (10 years and younger) receive free admission and do not require a ticket (but will not receive a free CD).  Tickets may be purchased at the door the evening of the concert (in the Chapel lobby).  Jami will sign CDs at the end of the concert.

Jami Smith, recording artist and worship leader, travels the United States and the world leading people of all ages to the heart of God through worship.  She has released thirteen albums, including Faith in You, Bravo God, Hope of All the Earth, and Wash Over Me.  Smith is known for her chart-topping hit songs "Salt and Light," and "Wash Over Me," along with other projects featuring her music, such as Passion, WOW Worship, and both volumes of Open the Eyes of My Heart.  Smith currently resides in Oklahoma City with her husband, Justin, and their newborn daughter.  Find out more about Jami at www.jamismith.com, and read more about her newest CD below.

INFO: Courtney at 302.1257

Jami tells us about VERSE.  

The inspiration for this CD happened because a precious little boy was born into my younger brother’s family.  My brother Ryan longed to fill my nephew Graham’s nursery with songs of scripture, but he could not seem to find much out there that he really enjoyed and with lyrics directly from the Bible.  He mentioned to me one day, “Hey, we should write a CD of scripture songs for Graham.”  Well, one day became a month and then a year and life quickly consumes us.  In the meantime, I got married, became pregnant and my heart yearned just like my brother’s as I thought of the little one I was carrying, and I too wanted to permeate her room with the word of God.  So, these songs were written and recorded while I was pregnant with our first child, a little girl, who was born only a few weeks after we had finished recording.  And so, because of Graham and now our daughter Emory, we have a special CD of 12 songs that are all scripture. What a joy! This project is dedicated to Joshua Graham Smith and Emory Grace King.

Why all scripture?  I have said for years that songwriters, and especially worship leaders, should be diligent to plagiarize the Bible in writing songs for the church.  I have been dramatically changed by the word of God, especially those verses I have memorized.  As I have encountered situations in my life when His word is in me, He interrupts the way I react, the way I think, the way I believe, and therefore, it changes the way I live.  If God’s word is in our heads and makes its way to our hearts as well, we will live differently.  It will make us countercultural. It will cause us to stand out. Not because we are looking for attention, no not that at all, rather quite the contrary. Our lives just look different when we apply His ways.  For instance, culture says revenge, but our God says, “Bless those who curse you, bless and do not curse.”  We tried to put together 12 songs of scripture, some passages may be more familiar than others, but the goal is to remember…remember His words in order to live from His angle, His point of view and to learn more about His love, His ways and how to experience Him and others in the world we live in. Hope you enjoy His words and I pray they change our lives.