 |
Artist: Michael Olson
Where do fear and faith collide? In moments of
temptation? Times of desperate circumstances?
Instances when life itself seems thoroughly overwhelming?
In all these times and more, life shows an uncanny
ability to throw a sucker punch that can leave
its victims questioning their very source of hope.
These are the occasions where all that frightens
us comes face to face with the only thing that
can save us: faith in Someone bigger than ourselves.
For 28-year-old Michael Olson, the two years
since Rocketown released his independent debut,
Long Arm of Love, have been filled with
countless clashes between fear and faith. From
moving to a new city to finding his career niche
to ongoing family trials, Olson is learning what
his faith means in a very real, very personal
way. "We can be afraid of life and the difficult
circumstances that come our way," remarks
Olson, "and let that adversity define us
completely. Or, we can lean on God and let our
faith be what provides our basic identity in the
midst of whatever happens."
It's an apt description of the theme that pervades
his new album, Where Fear and Faith Collide,
a project written and recorded in Olson's current
hometown near Nashville, Tenn., with producers
Jason Ingram (Bebo Norman) and Nathan Dantzler
(The Turning, Tree63). Despite a seemingly introspective
theme, the album bursts forth with a dynamic and
upbeat reaffirmation of faith and a renewed conviction
of God's steadfastness. A gifted multi-instrumentalist
(piano, guitar, drums) and producer himself, Olson
lent his creative energy to every step of the
process, bringing to the table the über-pop
sensibilities of a kid raised on everything from
James Taylor to Sting.
The title track, "Fear and Faith,"
perhaps sums up the project's themes the best.
Co-written with Big Daddy Weave frontman Mike
Weaver, the song outlines how individuals often
find themselves in frightening and unfamiliar
territory, unsure of how to respond: I'm being
brought to the brink/Stepping up to the line/And
I'm not giving up this time/It seems more than
I can take/It takes more than I've got/But I'm
gonna live this life/Where fear and faith collide
Olson elaborates, "This is a theme that
I think resonates with everybody. Everyone's in
process-as individuals, as churches, as families
and even as a nation-and we're all asking defining
questions. Understanding the reality of what it
is we are afraid of and why we're afraid enables
us to find the true value of our faith. After
all, our fear comes from a false or incomplete
understanding of who we are in Christ."
Understanding one's identity as a believer in
Jesus can only come through time, through relationship,
through study. As a member and worship leader
at New River Fellowship in Franklin, Tenn., Michael
Olson sits under the teaching and guidance of
a man who is his pastor, touring mentor and the
owner of his record label: Michael W. Smith. Smith,
an acclaimed worship leader in addition to his
numerous other positions, was among the first
to hear "Our First Love," a moving piano
ballad Olson wrote with producer Jason Ingram
that draws its listeners to contemplate their
closeness to Christ.
Olson says, "Many Christians live for mountaintop
moments, but that's not the real experience of
life. Faith is less about the goosebumps and more
about digging in deep to a relationship with Jesus.
David had to remind himself again and again to
not be discouraged. When we really engage with
the person of Christ, with 'our first love,' we
start to realize who we each were created to be
and we allow God to define us fully."
For Michael Olson, connecting with that first
love in his current everyday life is made easier
when recognizing the long heritage of faith that's
gone before him, a theme he reiterates via a beautiful
duet with INO recording artist Sara Groves on
the track "Tell Me Again." "With
the Bible we have the benefit of seeing God speak
to His people through time, and that legacy that's
gone before us should be an encouragement for
us in the here and now. We're not alone. We're
part of a huge story, an immense journey of faith,
that spans eternity."
And that's the ultimate message for this new
music. Regardless of where in life fear collides
with faith, God is there, present and working
today as He has been forever. Trusting in Him,
a creator and savior bigger than we can imagine
who will save us from our helpless state, is what
Michael Olson hopes to communicate more than anything
else.
"I can honestly say that I believe in God
more now than I did a year ago. So many things
have changed circumstantially in my life since
then, but God's faithfulness has remained the
same. It has been the overarching covering amidst
all the unsteadiness."
|
 |
