Confident, questioning. Performer, introvert. Fun-loving, intellectual. All
are somewhat contradictory, and all describe Nichole Nordeman, who has grown
quite comfortable with mystery. It's even the theme of her new album, This
Mystery, the idea that, in her words, "God is big enough and powerful enough
that I should tremble in His presence, but small enough to meet me in my bed at
night." The songs reflect the wonder, the joy, and often the pain, that can accompany
life. And they seldom end with a period; more often, they are enveloped in
question marks. "I think there are a lot of people who desire the open-ended
question," Nordeman says. "But occasionally I receive a letter from someone who
wants to give me the answer. It's interesting to watch people squirm in the face
of ambiguity. Sometimes they're right. Sometimes I disagree. I think it's a
healthy part of being part of the Christian community." It can also be exhausting, Nordeman admits. "Surprisingly to most people,"
she says, "I am pretty introverted. There comes that time when I say, Man, I
just need three days to recharge here." Nordeman's candor is refreshing, and it comes from a long, winding, sometimes
meandering faith journey. "I had a great childhood," she remembers. "I grew up
in a Christian home, went to Christian schools, completely immersed in the
Christian community. I remember having a lot of fun." Everything was smooth and undisturbed. And, Nordeman sighs, ultimately
shallow. "I understood so little about intimacy with Christ. The end of that era
shapes what I do now. The growing up process, realizing that life is not as
small as it was in that Christian community. Realizing how people disappoint you
and how I disappoint people." Confident, questioning. Performer, introvert. Fun-loving, intellectual. All
are somewhat contradictory, and all describe Nichole Nordeman, who has grown
quite comfortable with mystery. It's even the theme of her new album, This
Mystery, the idea that, in her words, "God is big enough and powerful enough
that I should tremble in His presence, but small enough to meet me in my bed at
night." The songs reflect the wonder, the joy, and often the pain, that can accompany
life. And they seldom end with a period; more often, they are enveloped in
question marks. "I think there are a lot of people who desire the open-ended
question," Nordeman says. "But occasionally I receive a letter from someone who
wants to give me the answer. It's interesting to watch people squirm in the face
of ambiguity. Sometimes they're right. Sometimes I disagree. I think it's a
healthy part of being part of the Christian community." It can also be exhausting, Nordeman admits. "Surprisingly to most people,"
she says, "I am pretty introverted. There comes that time when I say, Man, I
just need three days to recharge here." Nordeman's candor is refreshing, and it comes from a long, winding, sometimes
meandering faith journey. "I had a great childhood," she remembers. "I grew up
in a Christian home, went to Christian schools, completely immersed in the
Christian community. I remember having a lot of fun." Everything was smooth and undisturbed. And, Nordeman sighs, ultimately
shallow. "I understood so little about intimacy with Christ. The end of that era
shapes what I do now. The growing up process, realizing that life is not as
small as it was in that Christian community. Realizing how people disappoint you
and how I disappoint people." "Excellence in art honors God, whether or not we say 'Jesus' 12 times in a
song," she continues, "even if someone else doesn't get it or it doesn't meet
the qualifications of a committee. I used to worry about how 'Christian' my
music was. I don't know what makes a song 'Christian'. I think it goes back to
your heart and your intent when you were writing the song. I think God can be
honored through stories, songs about love, songs about your family. God created
these things, and they're good." The search for God in the everyday has become a passion for Nordeman. She has
been moving away from the regimented patterns and seeking the "small moments" of
eternal significance. "I want to be more aware and not miss those things," she
says. "It's so easy to lose that in the midst of chaos and schedule, taking the
time for the little girl who wants three seconds of my time, and how important
that is. And on this last tour [with Avalon and Anointed], I had to get real
creative in finding those quiet places, those choir rooms and prayer chapels
where I could get away and write songs, be with God." The result of those alone times, This Mystery, has Nordeman excited.
"Musically, [the new album] is so stunning, mostly because of the production
that Mark Hammond has done," she says. "It takes so many risks that Christian
music doesn't usually take." "Lyrically, it's so different from Wide Eyed," she says. "'Please
Come' is a very important song to me because it's about an open invitation for
all people to come to the Lord. That's something that I'm not sure evangelical
Christianity is doing well, because it seems like there are lots of boundaries
drawn and certain types of people tend to get shut out. People who struggle with
homosexuality get shut out, people who come from single-parent homes can get
shut out. We're uncomfortable because we don't know what to do with them. And we
forget that's when the arms of the Lord are the most open, when people are the
most hurting." Pick up the latest issue of Release Magazine at your local store
or check out their website for more artist
interviews.
Used with permission, Release Magazine |
