"Between Us Being" Album
We find comfort (or at least a false sense of readiness) in what is definitive, a clear beginning and the anticipation of an absolute ending. But what becomes of us when we inhabit a liminal space naturally marked with ambiguity in the undefined moments, pausing on a singular page that holds the opportunity to newness of the next or the continuation of the current? What happens in the place of hovering at the cusp of potential change? What is to be gained or lost in an "almost love" that has not reached the deepest level of knowing and therefore unworthy to be given the sacred label of love in its highest form?
The "Between Us Being" album traverses from the in-between state of this temporal earth while longing for heaven, before crossing over to the state of liminal love one can find themselves unlabelled in the gradient "becoming in love".
Songs that capture the liminal space of earth
I've always felt this sense of "foreigner" in the gap of what exists in the physical, whether it be possessions, relationships, and achievements that exist indefinitely. I am met with this inexplicable, almost inescapable tinge of grief that all must end in the temporary. It pains me that even the most joyous moment can be fleeting, that even the good and plentiful seasons must come to an end. I carry an ache that I believe is a Biblical longing to fully see and know the Lord in His fullness on the other side of heaven while embracing the human experience of loss, joy and suffering in its range of intensities. There is work to be done in the Kingdom of God here on earth, but quoting my own sentiments in "Colours in Reverse", "I've not figured out how I'm there yet I'm here in the now." ​​​
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Track 1. Light on Light
Track 2. Between Us Being
Track 3. Colours in Reverse
Track 4. Souls in Gethsemane
Track 5. "In-Between" Interlude
​​​"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body."
(Philippians 1:21-24)​
Songs that capture liminal, "before love"
Most songs in popular music render the extremes of passionate romantic love to the aching sorrow of a love that is past mending. The liminal love songs on this album come from personal experiences of being caught in the in-between unknown, ranging from the tender stage of mutual curiosity to the throes of lengthened uncertainty that once began with unwavering pursuit.
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Track 6. Before Love (Icarus)
Track 7. "So, Love"
Track 8. Hills of Grief Now Greener
Track 9. Somehow
The final song that marries the two together
The tenth and final track originally composed by Larry Morey and Frank Churchill is one of my favourite jazz standards. Following the album's theme, "Someday My Prince" closes the gap of liminal living and liminal love. I wrote and inserted the bridge post piano solo based on my reading of 1 Thessalonians 4:17 to bring the listener towards a heavenly perspective. While the subject of this tune can be misconstrued as any person from Tracks 6 to 9, "Someday My Prince" speaks to the object of my upmost affection: Jesus who is the Prince of Peace to come (Revelation 22:17).
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Track 10. Someday My Prince Will Come
​​​"The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let the one who hears say, 'Come!'"
(Revelation 22:17)​