Hi friends,

Thanks so much for all your encouragement and congratulations on the book.  You’re fantastic.

And because you’re so great, I want to share with you even more exciting news.  My favorite band in the world – Elliot – is releasing their new album, Borderlines on this very day.  Yes, it’s true – it’s all new and it’s getting stellar reviews.  I got my copy on Tuesday (because I have a special arrangement wherein I trade home cooked meals for an early release copy) and I think it’s already wearing thin, I’ve played it so much.

Now, full disclosure: I really love Elliot.  I love their hearts and I love their music.  You know this about me so let’s not pretend my review is unbiased and impartial…but please believe that my review is accurate and honest.  This is without a doubt, my favorite thing they’ve ever done.  It’s beautiful, rich, meaningful and just really right, while still being fun and sometimes frenzied but always truly Elliot.  Their focus as a band is sharper than ever, their lives are deeper (as they’ve grown from high school musicians to husbands, fathers and world-changers) and their music reflects the great grace of God, who moves us through seasons and questions and suffering and into His goodness.

The song Resolute is one of my favorites and will be a song of my life – do you have those?  The songs that define a season or a moment so deeply that you always remember how you felt when you first heard it?  Some of the lyrics:  “Though my eyes can’t see beyond this moment, can’t see the things You’re holding, I know it’s true.  Though my faith is more than what I”m seeing, Lord I’ll be found believing, I know it’s true: I’m resolute.  Don’t bend, don’t break.  Don’t be afraid.  Don’t fall, don’t sway.  No fear, just faith.”  See what I mean?  Not a song for the moment – a song for life.

While the overall focus of the album is worship, the sound is fresh and compelling, filled with raw passion and fervency.  You will dance in the kitchen to Love is Like a Fire and play air guitar to Weight of the World.

The most personal and dear song on the album for me is Call us Home – a song that I believe was written shortly after Steve’s diagnosis.

If home is where the heart is, I don’t think I’ll ever rest my head.  Until You come to save us and take us to the house that You’ve prepared.  Where these tents we call our bodies and these temporary homes are laid to rest.  We’ll be seeing for the first time, fleeing shadows in the holy luminescence. Oh, we’re reaching out, we’re reaching out, for the hope of our redemption.  Oh we’re reaching out, we’re reaching out for the place that we belong.  Faces down before Your greatness.  The King of Mercy standing perfect in plain sight.  I can’t wait to feel completion.  Can’t wait to see You Jesus with my own eyes…

Casey Parnell of Elliot told me that Call us Home has the distinction of being an uptempo song that also makes you cry and he’s exactly right.  It’s an odd juxtaposition but it feels just right.

So, I really want you to go to iTunes and buy the CD…but I also want to give a couple away today.  If you’d like to win a free copy of  Borderlines, just leave a comment and tell me what your favorite genre of music is.  Love country?  Great!  Polka?  Awesome! Emo screamer music?  Okay.  Just leave it in the comments over the weekend and winners will be drawn randomly and announced on Monday.

Good luck and happy listening!

 

Bo

 

 

 

60 Comments

  1. I just love music, I think my favorite is Christian rock, but I do love country too!!! Thanks !!!

  2. 80’s music 🙂

  3. yay Elliot!! I’m so excited to hear it! my favorite genre is indie/indie folk. like the duo She and Him. 🙂

  4. Would love to win a copy. There aren’t many genre of music that I don’t like. I enjoy all the musically forms God’s creativity takes.

  5. can’t wait to hear it!

  6. This sounds cheesy I am sure.. But I just love music period. There is something so beautiful about beats, lyrics, notes. Really good music for example is when the lyrics are real and honest. The kind of song that leaves you with emotion and thoughts..

    With that said, my fav kind is prob indie. I also love old jazz (frank sintra has my heart)..as well as anything with a good beat. One of my all time fav bands is prob Gungor. They truly understand the power of music!

  7. My favs are Christian rock, worship, and anything my son plays on his trumpet!

  8. Karla (Ratter) Jeltema

    I like Christian, jazz and blues. I have never heard of this band and my boys are quite involved in music. Is this a relation to Whitney?

  9. Love contemporary Christian music, plus jazz and classical!!

  10. Excellent review Bo! Country, 80’s, classical, a little John Tesh, and of course worship music has really been the thing that has facilitated a close connection and pulled me through some tough years!

    Thanks!

    Thad

  11. My favorite music genre is Elliot, and that is why I should win their new albom. Also and such as 🙂

  12. Oh! I love this! SO exciting! My favorite genre of music is bend music? Whats that is exactly? The cure for home-sickness and what has been playing in my home and car for the past week.

    But, also country. What kind of temporary Texas girl would I be if I didn’t like country?

  13. I really enjoy all sorts or music. But definately a HUGE fan of any Christian music. Before, when Elliot was Above The Noise, and even before as Go For Broke, God has used them in a huge way to encourage and deepen my relationship with Him. His hand is all over that group of people. It is really amazing!!

  14. I usually default to indie singer/songwriters.

  15. Ooooh! I like this. I was just thinking this morning how I enjoy my hip hop beat type music to get me through my workouts but when I feel my fuel tanks are low I change over to my Christian playlist and my tanks overflow with the best supernatural strength that superseeds any Beyonce!! I ran 2 half marathons listening to mindless beat the first half to keep my feet moving but the last half I would listen to my christian playlist and let me tell you the strength I would feel when I was filled with God’s presence. It’s beautiful and powerful and unlike any other! Can’t wait to hear this CD!

  16. Variety . . . love the Isaacs, Peter, Paul, and Mary (yes, I’m from that era), Jim Reeves, Christian contemporary and hymns!

  17. Folksy modern bluegrass. Like The Civil Wars, Punch Brothers & Mumford & Sons.

  18. Who wouldn’t be blessed with the worship music of Eliot.

  19. I’m so excited to read this Bo! I’m scheming to see if I can get worship-leader-band-boy (stepson) to the conference in May….maybe he and his guitar can hitchhike from CA to Bend and if I can work it out I’ll request an autographed copy for payment for the home coooked meals I use as currency! New life in your household in more ways than one!

    I love lots of music, rock, jazz, blues, but mostly listen to Christian worship music. Can’t wait to hear this album!

  20. As the osmonds would say ” I’m a little bit country, I’m Little bit rock and roll. I do love the old hymns!! Please pick me!

  21. I love music in general! Especially Elliot! 🙂

  22. Man, I didn’t think they could get any better than “Rocketships.” I honestly wore that one out in about two weeks 🙂

    My favourite genre is 80’s classic rock. Boston, Aerosmith, Rush, love them all. People at work would laugh because I liked music that was older than I was. 😉

  23. How fun it is to come in and see all the comments and definate mix of music likes 🙂 I’m excited to go to Itunes and check out their newest CD. I just love listening to them and watching them worship on the weekends….we are truly blessed at Westside!

    For me…..contemporary Christian. If I am travelling and cannot get Klove on the radio, then I revert back to my other love…….Country Music.

    Thanks for sharing Bo! 🙂

  24. I have everything else Elliot has done and this one will go in the collection pronto! I have come to love gospel and Christian Rock, but also love just plain old rock and roll – and the blues! They just warm my spirit! Congrats to Elliot on a job well done! (guess why I named my dog Elliot….)

  25. oooh hard to pick between some really good 80’s music (ok, that’s a bit redundant) and some really rockin’ (not screamin’) Christian music. my kids and i have been jumping around this week to some good ‘ol World Wide Message Tribe =)

  26. Any and all music that is done is Spirit and Truth…so lots of worship stuff but other stuff too! Jordan’s 21st birthday is next week and I know what I’m buying him that will be one of his favorite gifts; Elliot’s new release!!!
    New release….hummm….I’m liking that phrase…when it comes to your new book…a soon to arrive new baby….and this new music from Elliot; seems to me that the Sterns are in a season of “new releases” <3 <3 <3

  27. I love anything that relates to life. But most of all I love to Worship the Lord God Almighty!! Congrats Elliot, if I don’t win a copy…well…. I guess i will HAVE to buy it : ) Blessings!!!

  28. Love lots of styles! I get tired of any one style after awhile, so I like variety. Right now, I’m loving Little Big Town. 🙂

  29. Mmmmm I’m an acoustic fan. It fuels the soul

  30. Love all kinds of music but partial to country. Love Eliott!

  31. My favorite genre of music is Contemporary Christian, but I lean toward the more mellow worship music over rock. Close behind, I still love hymns.

  32. The things you have to find out on the internet … Bo – a book?! Am I surprised? No. And looking forward to reading it whatever it is!

    But about Elliott – favorite band (of course) and you don’t need to put me in your drawing – we already have it – and LOVE it!!! Just wanted to weigh in as part of their fan club.

  33. Worship music all the way!!! Elliott & Brooklyn Tabernacle my two favorites!

  34. I love Christian music for my soul, a little hip hop when I run 😉 Very much enjoying Adele too but blessed to have Elliot members take their musical talents and share them leading worship too!! I’m eclectic on the music front 🙂

  35. I love worship music! But i also like country and pop.

  36. Okay – so this is how you’re going to find out about your closet readers…here I am! 🙂
    Today? (Because of course it does change daily for me, from Reba to Natalie Grant.) Today it’s Petra. “Don’t Let Your Heart be Hardened” and “The Coloring Song”. Look up these lyrics and you won’t be disappointed!
    Elliot (can you tell me, because I’ve never heard anywhere else, why the band name change to “Elliot”??) is great because the Parnell junior high boys suffered through my insufferable guitar-leading “worship” at the Naz.

  37. I guess I should have said “here I am NOT” as my handsome hubby’s pic shows on the post…!

  38. I love worship and country music, but I have a special place in my heart for the son “Rocketships” that Elliot sang several years ago. It brings tears to my eyes and many memories to mind. That is a sign of a great song!

  39. of course i want to win this. duh!

    fave genre of music? hmmm…. not sure. maybe i’ll say folk. (old stuff like bob dylan and new stuff too, like civil wars.) and then there is ella… there will always be ella. jazz maybe?

    • Love Civil Wars, Adriel. What an unusual sound! The first time I heard them I had to tell my son-in-law about them because I knew he would love their music. And Bob Dylan? Hey, that’s my generation!

  40. My favorite music is Big Band. I love the era of the ’40’s – the music, the cars, the movies, the styles. It’s too bad there had to be a world war in the midst of it, but because of it, we have a lot of good war movies that inspire and educate me. My dad was in WWII and was a top-notch trumpet player, so I grew up listening to Glen Miller and the like. That probably is the reason I have this obsession of this time-frame, ya think? Thanks, Bo!

  41. I love country, but I mainly listen to contemporary Christian music to keep my heart set on Jesus.

  42. How can you pick one? I love Christian worship and I also love Country :} and throw in some 1940’s

  43. Bluesy-jazz and music from the 20’s

  44. Elliot touches my soul, everytime. I like almost all music. Music gets me moving both inside and out. Music is like a Rock Star everyday!

  45. I love all types of music. However, lately as a parent I have become much more aware of what is in the music I listen to. With awareness has brought a change. I grow tired of the thoughts and images that come to mind while listening to pop, rock and country stations. Some of the music on our local stations is nothing more than lyrical pornography! Other songs glorify violence and school shootings. I have loaded mp3 players full of songs carefully selected for both my boys that won’t pollute their minds. Songs from my day like Petra, Geoff Moore and the Distance, Degarmo and Key and Diller and Anderson and DcTalk to; Kutless, Newsboys, KJ-52, Tobymac and Beckah Shae. Wait, what was the question? lol Time to get off my pulpit now. The music of Elliot is starting to play in the background letting me know it is time to wrap things up. So happy they are still together and making great music!

  46. Any music that takes me straight to Him. (Which happens to include every kind of genre……. however, worship music for me is the genre that never gets ‘old’ especially when it’s wrapped in Elliot’s spirit.) BTW, I never win anything, so I’ll be knocking at “The Rock’s” door soon? Will it be there?(Haven’t graduated to ipod/itunes yet. Sigh.)

  47. I would have to say that I love clean music. My favorite is praise and worship music that I can play when the world starts spinning and it refocuses me to focus on God.

  48. My favorite genre, other than Christian music, is country. I absolutely love cranking up a country song on the Bose stereo in my Cadillac CTS. It’s something that doesn’t seemingly go together … Cadillac and country. That’s why I love it!! And I will download that CD, so don’t put my name in the running. I love to support those great musicians that I’ve known since they were in high school (or, in some cases, junior high).

  49. Marching Band music 🙂

    Ditto with Teri Kruger – Big Band

    Disco 🙂 🙂

  50. reading the lyrics to Call Us Home is making this a harder read (tears 😉 Love music! From folk to bluegrass, classic to contemporary. It can all be worship. Love love LOVE Elliot!!! Thanks for the review, Bo. Look forward to getting the CD on our playing machines.

  51. Big Band, 50’s music, and worship . . . not necessarily in that order . . . am dating myself? Love Christian music, especially worship, leading me into the very presence of God.

  52. love christian rock/pop and of course ELLIOT!! I have all their albums even back when they were a different name….remember that? I forgot what they were but I have their album!!

  53. I love a kind of music that’s hard to describe…. It’s like…. Long single notes at a time with crazy vocals and songs that build, build, buikd into crazy outbursts from life of set up! Usually these song happen to be about Jesus, and I think tge angels like them too, because sometimes I’ve heard them sin along. Going to buy Borderlines if we don’t land a copy otherwise! Go Elliot!

  54. worship. worship. and more worship. (but the occasional R&B/soul song playing over the speakers in stores still gets me smiling) and… for the record.. the words to “Resolute” that you shared… mmmmm…good!