The House (Concert) You're Building

Last night, I saw Audrey Assad in concert--at a house concert, to be exact. Meaning I was 10 feet away from her in a living room with maybe 60 other people. The show was part of Brookhaven House Concerts, an event series in Raleigh that I will definitely be keeping tabs on from here on out.

I blogged about Assad's album The House You're Building a while back, so it was really cool to be able to see her live. She played a number of songs from the CD as well as many I hadn't heard (or aren't on the album), including her own version of "His Eye Is On the Sparrow" and the lovely original song "Winter Snow."

Throughout the concert, Assad talked about what went into writing many of the songs, often making herself surprisingly--and refreshingly--vulnerable to the audience as she told us about her journey through learning about love with her fiance, her parents' divorce, and her own wrestling with her faith.

Part of what I love about her music is the depth and poetry of the lyrics, not to mention the beautiful melodies and piano-based accompaniment. Plus, her writing often incorporates Scripture or the wisdom of ancient theologians--like "Restless" (below), one of my favorites, which she taught to us last night and had us sing along with, interjecting the hymn "Come Thou Fount" in the middle. "Restless" refers directly to St. Augustine of Hippo, who wrote, "Our hearts are restless until they rest in you."

Check out Audrey Assad. Trust me.