Matt Redman – Better Together

Redman says his ability to keep his craft focused in a Biblical sense comes from his own devotion to being in the word. He follows a reading pattern given to him by an 81-year-old pastor who has served as a mentor and friend.

“I have a good friend, Dr. R.T. Kendall, an 81-year-old preacher from Nashville who recently introduced me an old Bible reading plan he goes through. It’s by a Scottish pastor from the early 1800s named Robert McCheyne. It’s a really nice way to get through scripture with four different portions for each day. So it’ll be a chapter from 1 Kings, a Psalm, a chapter from a New Testament letter plus a story from the Gospels. I’m finding it is a nice way to read, as none of the passages are super long and you get really good variety. I’d been following the plan a while when I couldn’t figure out why McCheyne’s name seemed so familiar. As it turns out, I borrowed and adapted some of his old lyrics from the hymn “When This Passing World Is Done” for use in my song “Endless Hallelujah,” the closing track on the 10,000 Reasons (buy) record!

More than anything, Redman says he hopes for Glory Song to resonate with listeners right where they are at, infiltrating the present with glimpses of the future kingdom. The key for Redman, once again, is balance, with his musical hopes occupying the space between “everyday” and “eternal.”

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“I love it most when a record or a song contains something of the everyday and also something of the eternal. In other words, we’re singing about these grand themes—God’s ways and God’s story—and yet they don’t feel ethereal or irrelevant or out of touch. Instead we’re singing [them] in a way where they apply to our everyday lives. That would be my hope for this record, that it wouldn’t be so ‘heavenly minded to be of no earthly use,’ but it might connect some glorious truths to our daily lives and along the way usher in some hope, peace or stability.”