Billy can't read.  The average Billy in our church is Biblically illiterate. We may be acquainted with a few verses here and there, but few know about the exiles in the Bible, we draw a blank on the history of Israel after Solomon and we can't differentiate between the prophets Zephaniah and Zechariah.  It's a dire catastrophe across churches in our Western culture.  As a result we began to have warped view of sin, salvation, the Cross, repentance and so forth.  Thank God for Nichole Nordeman.  In 2011 Nordeman was approached to create a concept album for Zondervan's "The Story" campaign, in which churches nationwide go through nearly the entire Bible in one school year, making sure church members know the story of the Bible. Nordeman accepted and wrote 17 songs written from a first person perspective of characters of the Bible and applying them to today. This collection, called "Music Inspired by the Story," featured 24 popular artists including Darlene Zschech, Michael W. Smith, Chris Tomlin, Matthew West, Amy Grant, Mandisa and so forth.  

Prior to her "The Story" project, Nordeman already has a deep-seated passion to take truths of Scripture making them palatable and applicable to us.  Using the piano as her mettle, Nordeman is one of Contemporary Christian music most respected singer-songwriters:  her songs are scripturally informed, emotionally nuanced and often told from the perspective of a piquant observer. Nordema's "Icon," harkens back to her vaults in garnering 11 of her most recognizable hits.  Though there are no new recordings, the ten songs are lifted straight out of her four studio albums, "Wide Eyed," "This Mystery," "Woven and Spun" and "Brave."  As a bonus the live version of "Why" (which can also be found on her "Live at the Door") is also thrown in.  Taken from her debut record "Wide Opened" are "Is It Any Wonder" and "To Know You."  Both of them were written while Nichole was working as a waitress in Los Angeles long before her record deal; and they elicit a vulnerable in Nordeman as she confesses her doubts honestly before Go on the touching "To Know You."

Her sophomore album "This Mystery" embeds one of her best ballad "Every Season."  Every aspect of "Every Season" works:  the gorgeously marriage of strings and piano, Nordeman's emotional delivery, and the lyrics that speak of a trust in God not influenced by time and circumstances. "Woven and Spun," Nordeman's third album, marks a turning point in her career.  While most of her song erstwhile have been introspective, "Woven and Won" finds her addressing bigger issues such as the grandeur of God in "Holy."  And on the song "Legacy," inspired by struggling members in her inner city church, speaks about living and making a change in God's kingdom.  "I Am," drips with Scripture, is easily one of Nordeman's best worship songs out there.  If "Woven and Spun" is her boldest album, "Brave" her follow-up record is her most personal.  Those venturing into new life opportunities will be warmly encouraged by the jaunty "Brave" --- a song Nordeman wrote for herself when she first became a mother.

Frankly, Nordeman is not the best songwriter if your criterions of a good song are hooky choruses and sing along melodies.  In fact, Nordeman's tunes can sometimes mesh together; it takes patience and repeated listening to tell them apart.  But her forte is in the lyrics.  She is not just interested in charted hits or getting played on radio; her songs are carefully crafted with Scripturally informed concepts yet they speak to the everyday folk like you and me.  In a time of Biblical illiteracy we need songs like these to draw us closer to God but yet nourishing our souls with the eternal truths of His word.