Jon Bauer ‘The Light In Us’

Written by: Laura Chambers (6/2/2016)

If the best songs are those drawn from personal experience, the best themed albums are those which follow the artist’s footsteps through the valley. Reading like a diary of hopes, dreams, and prayers, these albums resonate with us on a deeply personal level. When they allow their vulnerability to show through their words, we can connect to the emotions expressed therein and find comfort in them. Jon Bauer candidly shares his inward experiences in The Light In Us, bringing us hope through his journey story that our process is not complete.

“Your Love Is Beautiful” begins with the freedom of release and the certainty of being caught by God when we fall down.  It’s only natural that we would recognize the beauty of His care. The titular “Light in Us” is God’s vibrant presence inside our hearts. Using the image of sunrises and ever-growing flames, Bauer reminds us that God’s light is not content to remain inside us; rather, it cannot help but spill out and fill every space, rousing the lost from their slumber. The peaceful “You Just Want My Heart” distills the surrender God asks of us to our giving Him our love and devotion. His love is so vast that to ask for anything more would be to deny its infiniteness. Our apprehension to surrender may stem from our fear of having to give up certain things, but the gain is so great that it’s worth the loss.

“Where The Sidewalk Ends”, I believe, refers to the place where our lonely, difficult roads converge on a new beginning. Bauer uses the examples of a homeless man and an African orphan (who really aren’t that different, fundamentally, in their needs) as images of seemingly hopeless situations. If we don’t bring people the hope we have, who will? There’s an urgency to the song, as though time is running out like water rolling down a drainpipe. “Say Something” begs God to speak and break the maddening silence, or worse, the confusion from a host of irrelevant images flitting around one’s mind.  When He gives us a word, it has the power to bring healing.  You can hear pleading in Bauer’s voice as he places himself in a posture of prayer to receive God’s message. With hushed whispers, “Come Alive” lovingly pictures God as both light of the world and creator, filling our lives with wonder and beauty. By observing carefully His work in our lives, we can see how good He is. We have no life apart from Him.

“Even If (No One Can Separate)” reminds us that God’s love is more certain than anything, even the placement of the stars. Whether the self-imposed distance we perceive comes from pride or doubt, God still loves us through our failings. “Great Is Your Faithfulness” sees rightly that God’s abiding presence is a constant. Taking inspiration and a bridge from the hymn, Bauer’s gratitude and reliance on God shines through. “You Are My Everything” recalls the undeserved mercy of the cross, submitting to God’s love. When we think on all that He has done for us, we want to leave behind our weights and rejoice in Him. “Starts With Us” continues the call to action theme from “Where The Sidewalk Ends”, encouraging us to share the love we’ve been given with others. Instead of having all these good ideas and never going through with them, we must take action. Instead of allowing ourselves to become desensitized and ineffective, constantly running after a false definition of love, we must bring God’s love to the world.

The road to victory is paved with many troubles. Our success is not measured by how few we encounter along the way but how we respond to those we do face; more specifically, Whom we turn to and how fully we surrender. The Light In Us guides us along our pathway with a light that came from Heaven to come from within and illuminate the world.

3.5/5