Jars of Clay Presents The Shelter

"In the shelter of each other, people live"

The very act of Jars of Clay's concept for this album represents it's message. Calling upon such contemporaries as Mike Donehey (Tenth Avenue North), Mac Powell (Third Day), Brandon Heath, Amy Grant, and several more besides, Jars of Clay have created a community project that represents togetherness, community, and, if you like, the Body of Christ - the Church.

It is an interesting concept that, in my opinion, evokes worship from the point of view of those who desire the shelter with the same passion as King David spoke of in Psalm 27. Psalm 27 speaks of David's desire to dwell in the house of the Lord, to gaze upon His beauty and to seek Him in His temple. Here He will keep us safe, and hide us in His Shelter, set high upon a rock. We will be exalted above enemies surrounding us, and, in verse 6, David speaks of worshipping the Lord at his tabernacle, singing and making music to the Lord - something Jars have succeeded in, and succeeded in well.

Over the years Jars of Clay have, in my opinion, concentrated on developing the style of their music to be musically inspiring, well layered, and sensitively produced. The sound that came out of "The Long Fall Back to Earth" - with long legato chords, electronic influences, and ethereal vocals - has been carried on to great effect on several tracks for this album. Choruses also form the bedrock for several songs - particularly the title track - and offer the listener a catchy, memorable section from each song to take away. This is quite different to some of their previous, more descriptive offerings - Something Beautiful, Worlds Apart and Liquid all took you on more of a journey through the song in a more poetic fashion. For those of us who reminisce back to Jars' more folk-based offerings, Eyes Wide Open (featuring Mac Powell of Third Day, Derek Webb of Caedmon's Call fame, and Burlap to Cashmere) gives us just that - with perhaps the influence of recent projects such as "Glory Revealed" and "City on a Hill".

While at a summer conference, I attended a workshop entitled "Writing Songs for the Church to Sing". What Jars of Clay have managed to do is to write songs that demonstrate the heart of the Church - the body of Christ who are yearning to be reunited with Him. He provides everything we ask for in this album, we will never walk alone while He is with us, He will keep us safe in His shelter, and He will never stop pulling us closer to His unending love. Take this album, and go and live it, in order that He can show us the beauty of a life laid down for Him.