Amazed EP
Artist: Jeff Johnson
Website: www.jeffjohnsonband.org 
Label: Indie
Time: 5 tracks/20mins 
 
So much of our language has lost its’ grandeur, beauty, impact; it has become trivialised. Look at the word love: We love our dog; we love that song by , Oh my gosh I love those shoes! I love you. And we can say it all in one sentence: I love you so much, and I love that dog of ours, every time I see him it reminds me of that Pattie Page song I love, “How Much Is That Doggie In The Window”; and oh my gosh I love these new shoes!!  
I don’t think we really have; _a love affair; an intensely amorous incident; amour_ for a pair of shoes. We might have a strong liking for; take great pleasure in our dog, or that song, or our favorite pizza, but I don’t think any of us would be willing to lay down our life for our shoes, or dog. Some may for pizza.
 
Another word that seems to have lost its’ impact is amazed. 
 
Amazed means to be: _greatly surprised; astounded; suddenly filled with wonder: to overwhelm with surprise or sudden wonder; astonish greatly: to bewilder; perplex: To affect with great wonder; astonish: To cause great wonder or astonishment: a sight that amazes._
 
Do you think it a bit odd when we say things on Myspace or Facebook like, “Your amazing,” to someone we may or may not ever meet, do we really mean that they are a sight that overwhelms you with sudden wonder? Or when we have gone out for a dinner and in an off hand comment say that that pizza was amazing are we truly saying that it caused great astonishment at how nice it tasted? I know I/we may struggle to find the words that correctly convey what we feel or think at times. But what we have done is taken words, like awesome, love, amazing and devalued them into a more basic meaning in an attempt to convey that feeling we have.
 
Solomon, when writing Ecclesiastes uses language that speaks of his amazement of God when he said, “A generation goes and a generation comes,But the earth remains forever. Also, the sun rises and the sun sets; And hastening to its place it rises there again. Blowing toward the south, Then turning toward the North, The wind continues swirling along; And on its circular courses the wind returns. All the rivers flow into the sea, Yet the sea is not full. To the place where the rivers flow. There they flow again.” Ecclesiastes 1:4-7 (NASB)
 
Solomon stands in astonishment, suddenly filled with wonderment at Gods grace.  He is overwhelmed with surprise that God lets the sun rise and set, the wind to blow and the rain to fall on us all.  He stands amazed, even perplexed that Gods grace falls on all men great and small, weak and strong, rich and poor, sinners.   
 
Jeff Johnson, on this his fourth release stands amazed at the same things. _Amazed_ is the name of his latest release and also happens to be the title track to this E.P. In this title track Jeff sounds astonished, singing in the tone of “Who could perform such amazing feats?” as he runs through list of questions like; Who lit the fire, Who brings forgiveness, Who came to save me? The answer is met with amazement that only one could do all this and more.   

Jeff Johnson was working at a corporate job until he decided to follow the calling that God laid on his heart to pursue Christ through music and to lead others to do the same, starting Jeff Johnson Ministries in 2003. Since that date he has trusted God, and as a result has been busy leading worship and performing at a wide range of events and to audiences from youth camps, retreats, Bible studies, and festivals, rallies and church start-ups. Jeff's heart and the heart of the band members is to write music and lead worship in an attempt to create an authentic environment of intimate and alive worship. A place where students and adults can catch a glimpse of the God that heals, restores, and sets free; a place where lives are impacted and forever changed by the God who saves. A place where we can be suddenly filled with wonder at the grace of God 
Jeff’s style is a mix of light pop/rock and more than a hint of country. It is essentially a corporate worship album with simple but well crafted songs that focus on the chorus, which ties each song’s message together. Johnson doesn’t get caught up in trying too hard to be different but still manages to be quite catchy. There is enough here musically and lyrically to keep you interested, and at the end feel encouraged in your faith.
 
You can hear that Jeff is genuinely amazed by God’s concern and love for us. I think that Jeff would hope that this disc would leave his listeners feeling the same as he does, amazed that God performs such amazing feats like sending His Son to die in our place; and that amazement would draw us closer to God and want to live a life in the genuine pursuit of Christ.
 
The only complaint I have is that after a while all the songs start to sound the same. It is due to the style of Jeff’s music, the repetitive choruses, and the length of an E.P., which when on repeat the five tracks spin through pretty fast. But having said that I don’t think that would be enough for me to slam it, or be a deterrent to me buying the CD. If you are into this rock/pop/country style of music you will love it.
 
Amazing?
 
Rob Boynton