MP3 Daniel McKenzie - Christmas Grace
Acoustic guitar and piano based updated versions of beloved Christ carols, including the original song, Christmas Grace. All proceeds will go to mission efforts around the world.
5 MP3 Songs in this album (22:01) !
Related styles: Holiday: Spiritual, Spiritual: Contemporary Christian, Mood: Christmas
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Details:
ABOUT THE ALBUM
Christmas Grace is the first release from longtime musician Daniel McKenzie. These arrangements of traditional Christmas carols where birthed out of the need for updated versions of carols for contemporary worship at Central Baptist Church in Johnson City, Tennessee. For the recording of these songs, Daniel sings all songs and plays all instruments including guitars, bass, piano, keyboards, and drums. He is joined by fellow praise team member, Rhonda Mullins, to assist with vocals.
The story behind Christmas Grace...
As the Christmas season comes and goes it''s easy for it all to become so common and familiar that we lose the uniqueness, meaning, and power of the birth of Christ. So each Christmas season I ask God to reveal something new to me about the story of the birth of Christ. A few years back, the message of GRACE was very clear. While grace is at the core of the Christian faith, we more often associate grace with the Easter season rather than the Christmas season. I''ve heard grace defined in a few different ways - "God''s riches at Christ''s expense" and "receiving what we do not deserve."
The song Christmas Grace was literally written in the halls of our church as people were putting up decorations for Advent. We were setting the stage to tell the wonderful Christmas story to folks who came to our church. During this time in my life the awareness that God was blessing me with things I did not deserve was very real. It was one of those seasons where I was thinking joyfully, "how did this get to be my life?!" As I was contemplating these blessings and grace that God had placed in my life I began to draw connections to the Christmas story. I could identify with the unlikely nature of the people and places God chose to involve in the Christmas story - a young girl, a carpenter, simple shepherds, a feeding trough, a small village in the middle of nowhere. People like me and places like where I have been. If God can begin the story of His earthly arrival with these ordinary people then maybe he can use you and me in a similar fashion. The grace that God extended through Christ 2,000 years ago is the same grace that God offers today. I hope this song will connect you more to who God is and what He wants to do in your life through the Christ child who is now King.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Daniel McKenzie has been singing, playing, and writing music for years. Playing with various bands and groups through high school and college in Alabama, Daniel eventually shifted his primary focus from music to ministry. However, God has always allowed opportunity for Daniel to use his talents in many ways as worship leader, studio musician, and band member for local groups in Johnson City, TN. Over the years, Daniel has learned to play several instruments including guitar, bass, piano, drums, mandolin, violin, and harmonica. Most of his musical energies go into worship leading and playing with worship bands, but occasionally he has time to write music. In 2010, Daniel recorded a 5 song album "Christmas Grace," including the original song "Christmas Grace" and updated arrangements of Christmas carols in which he sings all songs and plays all instruments.