“And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrews 12:1b-3

2020 put a different kind of pressure on me as a songwriter. As a creative person and especially as someone who wants to help give other people truth to sing to God, I felt a responsibility to show up more than ever and write songs that could help us all make sense of what was happening. Some of what I felt was good and inspired me to be more vigilant and aware, but some of it was toxic and translated to a lot of striving and overthinking.

At one point early on in our quarantine, I remember sitting on the floor in my closet (which is not an inspiring space) with my guitar, our 4 kids raging just outside our bedroom door, Kerri and I about to lose our minds, and there I was feeling all the pressure to come through with “THE” song that would heal the world.

I don’t have to tell you that nothing good came from my closet sessions. I had too much of myself and my ego wrapped up in that moment to do anything good for anyone else. It took some time but eventually I put my phone down, stopped watching what everyone else was doing, and decided to just embrace the slow down.

I started going for walks with my kids and sitting on our front porch with my wife. I started reading way more. I turned 37 and celebrated with friends as they drove by our house to wish me a happy birthday at a distance. Most importantly I took Jesus up on His invitation to come and just be with Him.

As my calendar slowly cleared, so did my headspace.

“Breakthrough Miracle Power” came to me through my friend Jon around this time. Patrick Mayberry and Bede Benjamin-Korporaal had written a good bit of the song already and it just about knocked me over the first time I heard it. In a season of uncertainty, these lyrics were calling us back to something solid.

After sitting with it for a bit, this little refrain came out while I was sitting at the piano one day…

As long as you’re in it
The story’s not finished
I know you’ve overcome
So I know I’ll overcome

Wrapped up in this simple bridge was a truth I had re-learned after a complicated few months: Jesus is the author of the story, and He’s a really good writer. Our prayer for you is that through the truth in this song, you will remember who you’re singing to and what He’s capable of. He is the Overcomer, and we are beneficiaries of His victory.

So… “let us fix our eyes on Jesus.”

- Kristian Stanfill (Passion)

“And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrews 12:1b-3

2020 put a different kind of pressure on me as a songwriter. As a creative person and especially as someone who wants to help give other people truth to sing to God, I felt a responsibility to show up more than ever and write songs that could help us all make sense of what was happening. Some of what I felt was good and inspired me to be more vigilant and aware, but some of it was toxic and translated to a lot of striving and overthinking.

At one point early on in our quarantine, I remember sitting on the floor in my closet (which is not an inspiring space) with my guitar, our 4 kids raging just outside our bedroom door, Kerri and I about to lose our minds, and there I was feeling all the pressure to come through with “THE” song that would heal the world.

I don’t have to tell you that nothing good came from my closet sessions. I had too much of myself and my ego wrapped up in that moment to do anything good for anyone else. It took some time but eventually I put my phone down, stopped watching what everyone else was doing, and decided to just embrace the slow down.

I started going for walks with my kids and sitting on our front porch with my wife. I started reading way more. I turned 37 and celebrated with friends as they drove by our house to wish me a happy birthday at a distance. Most importantly I took Jesus up on His invitation to come and just be with Him.

As my calendar slowly cleared, so did my headspace.

“Breakthrough Miracle Power” came to me through my friend Jon around this time. Patrick Mayberry and Bede Benjamin-Korporaal had written a good bit of the song already and it just about knocked me over the first time I heard it. In a season of uncertainty, these lyrics were calling us back to something solid.

After sitting with it for a bit, this little refrain came out while I was sitting at the piano one day…

As long as you’re in it
The story’s not finished
I know you’ve overcome
So I know I’ll overcome

Wrapped up in this simple bridge was a truth I had re-learned after a complicated few months: Jesus is the author of the story, and He’s a really good writer. Our prayer for you is that through the truth in this song, you will remember who you’re singing to and what He’s capable of. He is the Overcomer, and we are beneficiaries of His victory.

So… “let us fix our eyes on Jesus.”

- Kristian Stanfill (Passion)

"All Of My Best Friends is a project borne out of collaboration, unity and seeking to express the raw, bright-eyed passion of youth group. Capturing the uninhibited feeling of discovering the love of Jesus. Being recorded live in the midst of uncertainty and crazy days it was really special to see these songs come to life in community. [It's] a reminder that we are all connected to each other and when we approach our faith knowing this we are better models of Jesus." - Melodie Wagner

Charts for Hillsong Young & Free's All Of My Best Friends (Acoustic) are now available! The album seeks to gather a generation around bold devotion and tireless truth centered on raw, passionate worship as we all live through historic times.

"All Of My Best Friends is a project borne out of collaboration, unity and seeking to express the raw, bright-eyed passion of youth group. Capturing the uninhibited feeling of discovering the love of Jesus. Being recorded live in the midst of uncertainty and crazy days it was really special to see these songs come to life in community. [It's] a reminder that we are all connected to each other and when we approach our faith knowing this we are better models of Jesus." - Melodie Wagner

Charts for Hillsong Young & Free's All Of My Best Friends (Acoustic) are now available! The album seeks to gather a generation around bold devotion and tireless truth centered on raw, passionate worship as we all live through historic times.

Paul and Hannah McClure are worship leaders and songwriters at Bethel Church and Bethel Music. The purity of their worship welcomes others into a deeper experience of God’s goodness and the unity we find in Him as believers.

The McClures wrote Reign Above It All as a powerful declaration of hope, acknowledging that no matter the circumstances, God is always in control. The song first appeared on Bethel Music’s latest compilation album, Revival’s In The Air—a collection of anthems crying out for revival in our nation, cities and families. The radio version of “Reign Above It All” is now available! This song stands as an invitation to respond to the faithfulness of God with an offering of praise. 

Paul and Hannah McClure are worship leaders and songwriters at Bethel Church and Bethel Music. The purity of their worship welcomes others into a deeper experience of God’s goodness and the unity we find in Him as believers.

The McClures wrote Reign Above It All as a powerful declaration of hope, acknowledging that no matter the circumstances, God is always in control. The song first appeared on Bethel Music’s latest compilation album, Revival’s In The Air—a collection of anthems crying out for revival in our nation, cities and families. The radio version of “Reign Above It All” is now available! This song stands as an invitation to respond to the faithfulness of God with an offering of praise. 

"We never set out to 'make it' as musicians or artists. We set out for our whole generation to be gripped by the message and mission of Jesus." For the past several years the main focus for Circuit Rider Music has been college campuses, having their music reach hundreds of them each year with 7 bands comprised of over 60 musicians touring the U.S. The result has been hundreds of salvations and countless lives forever impacted by the gospel.

They seek to grow this impact with their new album Jesus People (coming 4/9): a "reflection of the sound of our movement; for everyone who believes the impossible is still possible." Their latest single I Really Love You from the upcoming record is about how when our eyes are truly open to see the heart of His mercy, all we can say is: "I really love you."

"We never set out to 'make it' as musicians or artists. We set out for our whole generation to be gripped by the message and mission of Jesus." For the past several years the main focus for Circuit Rider Music has been college campuses, having their music reach hundreds of them each year with 7 bands comprised of over 60 musicians touring the U.S. The result has been hundreds of salvations and countless lives forever impacted by the gospel.

They seek to grow this impact with their new album Jesus People (coming 4/9): a "reflection of the sound of our movement; for everyone who believes the impossible is still possible." Their latest single I Really Love You from the upcoming record is about how when our eyes are truly open to see the heart of His mercy, all we can say is: "I really love you."