Michael Card was born on April 11, 1957 in Madison,
Tennessee. His first album was 1981’s
FIRST LIGHT. He co-wrote ‘El Shaddai’
with John Thompson. It won Song of the
Year at the 1983 GMA Dove Awards and he won Songwriter of the Year. Other songs he is known for include:
‘Scandalon’, ‘Known by the Scars’, ‘So Many Books’, ‘Jubilee’, and ‘Love
Crucified Arose’. You may know him as a
Bible teacher on Day of Discovery. He
has also authored over 25 books! In 2002
he released the album A FRAGILE STONE (Covenant Artists). He wrote the majority of the songs on it
alone.
The title track ‘A Fragile Stone’ is a beautiful song
co-written with Scott Roley who also provides additional vocals. Pat Coil plays the B3. The song reflects on how Jesus viewed Peter:
“He called you the rock, the foundation/Of a temple formed from God’s love/His
robe of forgiveness wrapping you up/Meant trusting in Him was enough/His love
called you out on the water/And held you when you were alone/For you were the
rock that was/Broken by love, forever the fragile stone”. ‘Sea of Souls’ is a musically eclectic track
that runs close to eight minutes long.
On it you will hear the banjo, hurdy-gurdy, fiddle, cittern,
pennywhistle, and hammer dulcimer. The
lyrics find Peter reminiscing: “All through the night of toil and sweat/With
empty souls and empty nets/So hopeless I will not forget/That night so dark and
cold/Then with the dawn He rose in view/And filled our nets and my soul
too/With the fisher king my rendezvous/Upon the sea of souls (2X)”.
‘Living Stones’ is a pretty ballad that reflects on who
Christ is and the effects He has on folks: “See, in Zion He is known/A chosen,
precious cornerstone/And the ones who come to trust in Him/Will never know the
shame/That He bore on that Cross when it seemed that all was lost/He is the
Stone that makes men stumble/The Rock that makes them fall”. ‘I Left Everything to Follow You’ finds Kirk
Whalum on saxophone and uses a choir.
Michael Card writes: “This song is dedicated to countless missionaries
who’ve left everything to follow Jesus, who labor in dangerous and lonely
places far from the spotlight and the sound of applause. I hope this helps in some small way”. Here are some of the words of the song: “But
what is my petty offering/To Your sacrifice?/I gave up my home/But You left
paradise/And what You called me to offer/Has really set me free/Cause You left
everything to be with me”.
Michael plays the harp on ‘I am not supposed to be
Here’. It recounts Peter’s dealings with
Cornelius: “My stumbling faith responded to what my mind said wasn’t right/So I
left that place and followed in a dream/To find unfamiliar strangers who were
hungry for the Light/Then I realized that no one is unclean”. Michael is joined on vocals by Darwin Hobbs
on ‘Not That Kind of King’. Musically,
the song incorporates elements of blues, jazz, and black Gospel music. These lyrics focus on Jesus’ earthly mission:
“He has come to suffer and He has come to die/Crucified in weakness and you may
wonder why/Though He could call the angels/He will not say a thing/Because, you
see, He’s not that kind of king”.
‘Stranger on the Shore’ is a quiet song with John Catchings
playing cello. It is based on John 21 and
a sermon by Dr. William Lane. The song
contains these words of admonition: “You need to be confronted by the stranger
on the shore/You need to have Him search your soul, you need to hear the
call/You need to learn exactly what it means for you to follow/You need to
realize that He’s asking for it all”.
Craig Duncan plays the hammer dulcimer and Pat Coil plays the B3 on ‘His
Gaze’. It is a compelling song that
includes these powerful words: “Our eyes met once across a barren place/Where I
denied I even knew His name/What broke my heart was not the look upon His
face/But knowing that He loved me still the same/It is the very way He looks
upon us all/This moment seeing all that we might be/No hint of condemnation can
be seen within His eyes/For He has been condemned for you and me”.
‘Walking on the Water’ is a mighty fine, upbeat bluegrass
track that uses dobro, banjo¸fiddle, and mandolin. Buddy Greene and Christine Dente are on
backing vocals. Michael wrote the song
with his friend Chuck Beckman in the late 70’s at Western Kentucky
University. Matthew 14:22-33 is the inspiration:
“Stepped out on the raging sea and kept my eyes on Him/But every time I looked
away I started sinking in, I started sinking in/Just as I was losing hope/Jesus
took my hand/Tell me, Peter, where’s your faith?/You know I’ll help you
stand/Only I can help you stand”.
‘Mourning the Death of a Dream’ speaks of the downside of being a
traveling musician and a traveling musician’s wife: “Cool morning shadows sadly
shift across the floor/Each time we say goodbye it’s harder than before/Even
after all the pain of parting still we find/That we must mourn the death of the
dreams we leave behind.../The sacrifice that we both lay before His feet/A
thousand moments that belonged to us/That now will never be”. The album ends with an instrumental entitled
‘Sea of Solos (Reprise)’.
A FRAGILE STONE is an excellent album of mostly mellow, easy
listening music that adults will appreciate much more than youth will. The musicianship is highly skilled and
Michael’s vocals are smooth, warm, and well-suited to telling Biblical
stories. One could use this project for
personal devotions and reflection. Fans
of Tim Daniels, Scott Wesley Brown, and John Michael Talbot should acquire this
album which I’m rating 93%. For more
info visit: www.michaelcard.com.