Chris Llewellyn ‘Honest’

Written by: Kelly Meade (09/03/23)

Many will recognize Chris Llewellyn as part of the band Rend Collective whose joy-filled anthems and heartfelt songs of worship have reached listeners around the world. He has recently released his debut solo – and deeply personal – album, Honest, which takes you along on a journey of faith to discover truth while navigating questions and doubts with the intention of strengthening your relationship with God.

Title track, “Honest”, sets the tone with a genuine prayer to God asking straight-forwardly if we truly come to Him at our lowest points in all our brokenness, will we be welcomed & loved or turned away & ignored.

“Gamble On Your Goodness” tells of placing your belief in God’s goodness & kindness; trusting the message of the Gospel offers hope to everyone and is greater than the walls we can build between each other within our faith and beyond.

The lyrics of “Naïve” desire a return to the wonder of childlike faith before the trials, disappointments and experiences of life in this world hardened the heart.

“Can’t Quit You” states that through the wrestling with doubt and searching for answers, God’s steadfast faithfulness remains. He is the only One that can guide us to the truth.

“Beautiful Mystery” is one of the stand-out tracks as it offers praise and gratitude for the things we can’t comprehend about our Savior and that we can continue to seek & learn more about Him all our lives.

“Toxic” challenges the church to take a good look at their motives and who/what they’re truly serving. With so much division, differing doctrine and distractions, it’s more important than ever to hold to the truth found in the Bible and what God has to say over the voices of this world.

“New Wine (Is My Bible A Barricade)” dares to ask some tough questions and ultimately encourages us to share Biblical truths from a place of love and compassion rather than anger and condemnation. Yes, it is necessary to talk about sin and its devastating consequences, but we can’t leave out forgiveness, grace and hope in the process.

“I’m Not Losing My Faith” is a bold declaration of seeking deeper connection to our Heavenly Father, breaking through the barriers that can arise as a result of certain aspects of various religions.

Closing track, “Can You Be Trusted?” is a must-listen with its real and raw prayer coming out of an experience that tests the limits of faith while offering praise through the darkness. When we face the unknown of a medical diagnosis, grief of an unexpected loss or our anxiety about what the future holds, one thing we can be certain of is that we will not go through anything alone.

I personally have been looking forward to hearing the songs on Honest ever since Chris Llewellyn first announced it was coming and have followed along throughout the recording process reading the posts & watching the videos he’s shared on his social media pages. Seeing the track listing with the titles only made me more intrigued and I can say it did not disappoint. Each song and its message is something that should be heard and will spark important conversations. Wherever you may be on your faith journey, you can be completely honest with our Creator telling Him exactly how you feel about any and every situation. Always look to the Bible for the answers to the questions you have and ask God to reveal the truth of Who He is through His Word and the time you spend with Him.

4/5