jordanabina
Wow, listen to John Mark McMillan’s “Peopled With Dreams,” it’s the best.
I remember when I first listened to John Mark McMillan; it seemed like a long time ago. I remember thinking this guy’s voice is low and different. At the time I was looking for something interesting to listen to and what I heard was a raw and emotional sound. McMillan was crying as he sang How He Loves, a song that swept over the church. But after some time, I lost track of him and didn’t follow him much after that song.
The next time my ears caught his sound was when he and his wife, Sarah McMillan released the EP entitled You Are The Avalanche in 2015. I had heard McMillan before, but now I was listening. Maybe it’s where I was at in life or maybe it was because of God. Whatever the reason, those songs were saying what I was feeling and thinking but didn’t know how to say it myself.
Since then I’ve stayed faithful, listening to every album, playing his music in my church, and teaching my kids as well.
So when I first heard the song, Pilgrim, from the new album Peopled With Dreams it’s not that I was surprised by how much I loved it, but I was surprised to again listen to words that echoed my own.
There is a heavenly city
John Mark McMillan, Pilgrim
That I’m compelled to find
Oh I love the flowers and trees
And, the smell of the grinding seed
And all the, beautiful things here in life
I’ve been dealing with the inadequacies of this world lately, wondering what’s to come for my life. I’ve been staring at my children, watching my wife, and trying to slow down to see the beauty around me. But somewhere in me was this thought that one day I would have to leave it behind, for something better. Why is that hard?
The Pilgrim.
It’s a wonderful thought; the reality that we’re only here for a while.
I’m a pilgrim here
John Mark McMillan, Pilgrim
On this side of the great divide
I’m a pilgrim here
But I walk with you for a while
The album is an awesome example of how talented McMillan is and a spotlight on music that honors God but still is deep in creativity. For me, I always dig the percussion choices in his work. There always seem to be serious thought in every instrument and every word. Just another reason to listen to John Mark McMillan’s “Peopled With Dreams.”
My favorite song is Hammering Heart.
It has some insightful and dangerous lyrics that resonated with me. I always appreciate a song that asks questions and doesn’t feel the need to answer them. The thought of God can be terrifying. The reality of being made just because God wanted to can be overwhelming; this song wrestles with that.
Did I crawl out of the creek bed?
John Mark McMillan, Hammering Heart
Off the seafloor?
Baby, just to live like this
Do we get everything we hope for?
Are you hopeful?
I feel it when the dopamine kicks
In the grind over time everybody gets crushed
Other standouts to me are The Road, The Rocks, and The Weeds, Bright Abyss, and Ancient and Brave.
It’s music like this that keeps me fresh, keeps me thinking, and challenges me to keep dreaming. John Mark McMillan seems to be able to find the space in music where honesty and question meet in harmony. Honesty always goes over well, it forces the listener to really consider what’s being said. I always feel that when I hear McMillan and this album has done that again marvelously.
Go pick up the album Peopled With Dreams today or listen to it wherever you stream music. But do me this favor: listen from top to bottom. Listen to the entire story, the entire album, the entire song.
Hey, go listen to John Mark McMillan’s “Peopled With Dreams.”
