Gate Between Two Walls

Unbroken Light is coming up on our final year of finishing up the new album "Gate Between Two Walls" and I wanted to explain a little bit about why we will be giving the album that title.

In Nehemiah 3:3-32 the Bible talks about all of the gates that were in disrepair in Jerusalem that needed to be rebuilt.  It even mentions their names:  The Fish Gate, the Old Gate, the Valley Gate, etc.  One of the gates is named the Dung Gate.  Not a very classy sounding gate, right?  The purpose of this gate was to be where the Israelites would bring out their garbage and refuse and burn it, destroy it... eliminate it.  In spiritual terms, this gate is symbolic for the purging of sin.

All of our lives contain sin, as much as we fight it and battle against it, sin will always be a part of our lives.  In order to combat sin effectively we must immediately avoid the sin by running away from it (not giving into temptation) and asking for forgiveness in order to eliminate it from our lives.  We must take it to the Gate where it will be destroyed.

I loved this idea of purification by fire and how it related to our spiritual walk with Christ, but I was having a hard time dealing with an album title called "The Dung Gate".  Luckily for me, there was another name for the gate:  The Gate Between Two Walls.  The Dung Gate was positioned in Jerusalem right between two large walls.  Again, symbolically, I feel like this is the choice we are given when confronted by sin.  Do we give in to the sin, or do we run away from it?  We are presented with a crossroads, or a Gate Between Two Walls.

Building upon this foundational concept, our album will include lyrics that will encompass the entire journey of a believer:  the elation of being set free in Christ, the difficulties of falling captive to sin, and the desire to walk with Christ in authenticity and unhindered passion.  Many of the songs are a cry out to God in the times of trouble:  "Let me know that You are here...", "When the waves take me below, I will set my eyes on You...", "We're crying out to You...".  But many of the songs will also rejoice in the knowledge that we are set free in Christ:  "I am Yours, and You are mine", "In Your Name, there is no shame...", and "You are my hope, You are my strength...".

I hope that by including the contrast of experiences we face as believers it will be an encouragement to the listener that:

1.  You are not alone in your difficulties, we all face times of trouble
2.  You have been redeemed and are no longer a slave to this world
3.  You are part of a larger story with Christ as the focal point

By listening, I hope that you will also be encouraged to make the right choice when convicted by the Holy Spirit and confronted with a Gate Between Two Walls.  The path to purification is never easy, but God is with us, and He has made a way...

In Him,

- Josh