Poets & Saints, the latest release by All Sons & Daughters, was one of my Top 10 Worship Albums of 2016. I'm really engaged by David Leonard and Leslie Jordan's distinctive and emotive vocals and the deep, prayerful and vertical lyrics throughout this album. Every song was inspired by poets and saints including C.S. Lewis, Martin Luther, John Newton, William Cowper, Saint Patrick, Saint Peter, Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Augustine. 

If you like All Sons & Daughters' previous hit songs of worship, then you'll also enjoy this album. The soothing musical feel is just one of the many attractions to savor about this ambient and introspective worship album. I'm drawn to all of the songs' sincerity, gorgeous musical beds and profound songwriting. The standout songs are "Path of Sorrow," "This My Inheritance," "Rest in You," "You Hold it All Together" and "I Surrender," which has quickly become one of my all-time favorite worship songs. I had the chance to speak with Leslie about "This My Inheritance."

Please tell me the personal story behind this song.

This song was one of the sweetest to write. It came from looking at Scripture and a trip to Rome. I remember we had a writing session set up that day with Jason Ingram and Paul Mabury. I had been reading 1st Peter that morning, and those verses came so quickly in looking at that Scripture, which talks about how "this my inheritance will never spoil or fade away until He comes, my salvation, in heaven kept by faith." It all flowed from there. 

When we walked in to share that with the guys, we said we knew that was what we had to write because it came right from Peter's mouth. That was part of the beauty of this project for us, was that we got to take the writings of these poets and saints and put them into songs, just re-shaping their words to some degree to make them more sing-able. This song felt extra special because it came right out of Scripture. 

It was the last day of the trip, and we had spent 14 days in 12 cities on a bus with 13 people, and we were exhausted. We got to Rome and it was over 100 degrees, and we were walking around figuring out where to go. We thought of going to Saint Peter's Basilica, but the place was barricaded off. We stood in the middle of Vatican Way, and we had this conversation about Peter, who was an eager and ambitious follower of Jesus. Oftentimes he was the living example for Jesus to use his actions to tell people whether to do or not do what Peter did.

Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?

1 Peter 1:3-5 (NKJV): "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."

1 Peter 4:16 (NIV): "However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name."

1 Peter 5:6-7 (NIV): "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you."

1 Peter 5:10 (NIV): "And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast."

Colossians 1:12 (NKJV): "Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light."

Psalm 145:1-3 (The Voice): "I will lift my praise above everything to You, my God and King! I will continually bless Your name forever and always. My praise will never cease--I will praise You every day; I will lift up Your name forever. The Eternal is great and deserves endless praise; His greatness knows no limit, recognizes no boundary. No one can measure or comprehend His magnificence."

What is the takeaway message?

We loved getting to stand in Rome and think about the Gospel traveling there because of Peter. He became the father of an entire movement, as Jesus said, the rock of the church. Of the people we studied, since he was someone who lived and walked with Jesus, it was one of the most spiritually deep and widening study for this project. Getting to dive into his life as a saint from that tradition was a beautiful experience. 

I have a close friend, Sarah Macintosh, who went on the trip with us, and she did a lot of the studies with us for this project. She gave us a human element of each person's story. I think about how she has encouraged me personally to pull the words of Scripture apart. Even singing the phrase "this my inheritance," which is old language, is to look at the truth behind the words. There is even more depth to Scripture than we realize. When we read that our inheritance will never spoil or fade, what did Peter mean by that? Because it is from the Bible, and we have the ability to dive in.

For me that has become imperative to me, to dig deeper into God's Word. We can study the reason for those words and think about how they apply to us. We get excited when we sing "I'll see my Savior's face," because we can experience the goodness of God together now.

Lyrics:
This, my inheritance
Will never spoil or fade
Until He comes, my salvation
In heav'n kept by faith

This, my inheritance
God's power will be its shield
Through Jesus Christ, the only light
By which it is revealed

All praise, all praise, all praise be to God
Always, always and forever
All praise, all praise, all praise be to God
Always, always and forever

This, my inheritance
Through suffering and trial
More worth than gold, our only hope
In faith our song will rise

All praise, all praise, all praise be to God
Always, always and forever
All praise, all praise, all praise be to God
Always, always and forever

As it was in the beginning
Is now and ever shall be
A world without end, Amen
As it was in the beginning
Is now and ever shall be
A world without end, Amen

This my inheritance
That none can take away
Not even death, with my last breath
I'll see my Savior's face

All praise, all praise, all praise be to God
Always, always and forever
All praise, all praise, all praise be to God
Always, always and forever
All praise, all praise, all praise be to God
Always, always and forever

One of the sections that I really enjoy in this song is the chorus: "All praise, all praise, all praise be to God." As the Scripture and famous hymn repeats, "Holy, Holy, Holy," God often speaks to us three times. Biblical scholars consider the number three as something that is used to get our attention, draw emphasis or show completion, as God is Three in One, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Examples in Scripture include Jesus asking Peter three times if he loved Him, after Peter had denied the Lord three times. Biblically we know we will be singing in eternity "Holy, Holy, Holy" day after day, and night after night, which emphasizes the sacredness of God.

"This My Inheritance" has really been resonating with me as I realize that Jesus commands us to trust God completely, no matter our circumstances or personal distractions or concerns. More than just intellectual assent, God wants to be at the center of our heart's desires. We change our minds quickly, but our hearts are more devoted. As followers of Jesus, we can all live with eternal hope and know in our hearts that "as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, a world without end, Amen."

Some challenges for me when I listen to this song is to ask if I am compartmentalizing my life or transcending my realities when I worship the Lord, or am I recognizing that Jesus is my Lord regardless of how I'm feeling or what I'm going through? As believers, know and sing that your inheritance of eternal life is one "that none can take away, not even death." Heaven is the undoubted inheritance of all the children of God, and all that are born again are born to an inheritance.

Sometimes people think that worship is something they do at an event or at church or only through music. Worship should be intelligent. Worship is not something we do by going through the motions or in a mindless fashion. We are called to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength." You can join in and sing along with your breath, given by God, "all praise, all praise, all praise be to God, always, always and forever." Amen to that!

Watch the music video below.