interlínc : Maximizing Music and Media in Youth Ministry

We asked Matthew to talk about Something To Say – which is the title of his new album – but, as you’ll discover, so much more!

Initially, I just thought Something To Say was a cool sounding title. I often start my songwriting with nothing more than a title – it might be something I read from a book, or from a line in a movie. For this one, I was thinking about why I make music. I concluded that I make music because I have something to say. Little did I know that Something To Say would take on great significance in my life and faith.

Last April I went to the doctor for a check up on my vocal chords – which is something singers have to do now and then – and all my plans for 2007 and my new record came to a screeching halt. I found out that I needed surgery on my vocal chords if I was going to sing again. That was devastating news. Instead of walking through the doors of a recording studio on May 17th to make my new record, I was being wheeled in for surgery on my voice, and facing a situation where I would have nothing to say for weeks and months. Immediately, I was blown away by the irony in the title I had chosen for the new record. God has a sense of humor!

I was in church one Sunday after my vocal surgery. Everyone was singing – that is, everyone but me. I was still recovering, and feeling incredibly discouraged. The sermon was titled, “Why Does God Allow Bad Things to Happen to Good People?” During the message, the pastor read a quote by C.S. Lewis: “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” Those words spoke to my heart, and as I scribbled them down on my church bulletin, I thought, “Maybe God will speak through my pain. Maybe this surgery could be my megaphone – my ‘something to say.’”

I was told by the doctors that I would have to re-learn how to speak and sing. The process of rebuilding strength in my voice humbled me. The two most important issues for my voice as I began to sing again were rest and hydration – lots of vocal rest/silence, and lots of water.

I’d like to explain a couple of the songs on the album. Here’s the story behind “The Motions.” I grew up in a Christian home; in fact, my dad is a pastor. For so long faith just felt like a part of my life, but not always the most important part. I knew all the right things to say and do. I knew how to act to make people think I was a Christian and that my faith was strong.

But, I have come to realize that God wants more from us. Sometimes the greatest challenge of living a Christian life is not to fall into the typical, the common, the routine, and the motions. God has a huge plan for our lives, and going through the motions of life isn’t a part of that plan. He calls us into an amazing, challenging, passion-filled adventure that promises to be anything but ordinary – a life with no regrets. Can you tell I’m just a little excited about the message of “The Motions?” Ha!

“Friend in the World” is another key song on the record with a great story behind it. All my songs are inspired by my everyday experiences and the lives of those around me. “Friend In The World” tells the true story of two kids from two completely different backgrounds who find out despite who you are or where you’ve been, God is the Author of Redemption and He has a plan for your life. By the end of the song, the boy and the girl get married. The reason I know this is because I am the groom. The story is about my wife and me.