White Stone Receivers
Songs For The Wilderness EP
(7Core Music)

White Stone Receivers (WSR) is a new musical project lead by Scott McKeown (of the band crave). The project name is rooted in the hope-filled message of Revelation 2:17, where overcomers in Jesus Christ will each be given a stone engraved with a new name. The scripture highlights God’s personal, relational nature, His interest in and care of individual believers as well as encouraging followers of Jesus to remain faithful to the end.

Songs For The Wilderness Song List:
1 – Creation Song
2 – Treasured Possession
3 – Forsaken
4 – Thank You Jesus (You’re the Treasure)
5 – I Will Follow
6 – Heal Our Land

Full EP Playlist:

If you have heard this song or any of the songs on this album, please rate it by click on the stars 1-5 for your rating.

Only one rating per person allowed.

Story Behind the Songs:
1. Creation song
Creation song is a reminder of where His-story started and who we are all heading for! The way this world is geared, with all its distractions, it makes it way too easy to forget that we are on a trajectory towards Jesus! The bridge is taken right from Romans 11:36 “…from Him, through Him and to Him are all things…”. It is a song that reminds of our ultimate purpose here in this life; to worship God and enjoy Him! When we sing with all creation it takes our heart and mind off the cares and concerns of this life and realigns our soul with Creator God – the source of Shalom. Our fellowship is finishing up a series on Revelation….I think I need to write a song about Jesus’ return!

2. Treasured Possession
This song was written to mark 150 years since the start of our fellowship in Magherafelt, Northern Ireland as we were thinking about God’s faithfulness and love for His bride, the church. It is based upon a phrase that I have heard many times, however really hit me afresh…we (I mean me! But I am sure you have felt this way too?) often think of God in the old testament being heavy handed and a default of being cross. Holy Spirit has been working in me!! I see the phrase ‘Treasured possession’ appearing several times (5 I can count! First seen in Exodus 19:5) in the Old testament as a reminder that His affections are always toward us, He goes before us, He guards behind, He is always by our side. He wants what is best for us. The bridge was our fellowship’s motto for that year and something we have sought to build any ministry on…”To know Christ, to grow in Christ, to show Christ”.

3. Forsaken
Mark 15:34. “…Jesus cried with a loud voice…..”My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?”

The utter aloneness Jesus must have felt, separated from His Father for the first (and only) time in all history. This is huge, this is dark, this is the measure of His love for us.

Jesus was forsaken so that in trusting and following Him, I would never be forsaken by God.

Jesus asks that until He returns for us, that we are to remember this. He set this out during the last supper and told us that as often as we meet, to remember Him. I was given this song to encourage me and I trust and pray those who hear and sing it, to think more about the weightiness of Christ’s once for all (Romans 6:10) sacrifice. Christ’s sacrifice was so that we could be reconciled to God the Father by the Holy Spirit. Undeserved forgiveness. The challenge for followers of Jesus is obedience in forgiving others as He has forgiven us…in Christ’s strength it is possible! Our greatest need in such a polarised life is to forgive and free others as Jesus has forgiven and freed us.

4. Thank You Jesus (You’re the treasure)
This song can be used as a prayer and is simple because at its core, the Christian walk with God is simplistic…..it is a life lived out of thankfulness to God, thankfulness and gratitude is the bedrock of obedience….everything comes from a heart of thankfulness! If salvation is a gift (and it is, it’s not a right or something God ‘owes’ us!), I/we should be thankful for the gift! The chorus is based on Acts 4:12 “…for there is no other name under heaven given amongst men by which we must be saved”. The song gives Jesus, our waymaker, His place. “Blessing, honour, glory, power are unto His name. Jesus is our shepherd, master, servant saviour, our lover of souls”! When we acknowledge this, then the chorus makes sense!

The bridge was written to remind me that heaven IS NOT the treasure, Jesus is the treasure! It is because of Jesus and His death conquering love for us that we get to be with Him at all! Heaven is the place where we will live with Him, but for me that is completely secondary to being with Jesus full stop!
I am so glad to be part of God’s plan in redemption for creation, Jesus made it possible, so once again, “Thank You Jesus!”

I pray this song enables listeners to discover or rediscover who Jesus is and what His sacrifice on the cross has enabled…it is easy to get over-familiar with the words of the good news about Jesus. I trust this song helps us to refocus on the fact that it is Jesus Himself we are all heading toward, He is the treasure, He makes this walk possible, He is the be-all and end-all, His name is the only one that matters, ever. When I remember and worship from that position, I see God’s immensity and I am always blown away that He chooses and uses us as part of His redemption plan for creation!

5. I will follow
Following is a choice that regardless of how the road gets, you keep following. There will be dark and difficult experiences in this life, Jesus told us so (John 16:33). Yet God calls us to rest on His promises for the mountain top and valley low seasons in life, and praise Him in all circumstances. We may never get an explanation for why certain things have happened in our lives, but ultimately we understand and know that Christ is better.

Also in following Jesus, we have the awesome privilege of sharing His goodness along the way, the question of the bridge is God’s to each of us today…. “Whom shall I send and who will go for Us?” (Isaiah 6:8).

I pray this song encourages listeners to choose to focus and live for Christ no matter what comes. This is the life and heart choice which always pleases God!

6. Heal our land
This song was written several years ago as I was involved in the music for a mission in Ireland. The call to prayer was central and based on 2 Chronicles 7:14, to seek God to heal our land. The song was written then, but wow, how God has used it to speak to me during lockdown and again through recent signs of trouble again in Northern Ireland….so many broken homes and hearts in our land. So, whilst originally penned as a prayer for Ireland, in these days the song has become all the more appropriate for our world. Healing spiritually, physically, culturally, relationally, economically is so needed right now; I trust and pray listeners to WSR music walk away encouraged, knowing that not only is this healing always been God’s plan for all people, but that He calls us to action in fulfilling His plan! Nothing will stand in his way!