“I feel like my mission and my goal is to help people experience God’s presence,” says Putnam. “I know if I can get people in his presence, they’ll change because that’s what happens when you experience God. Lives change.”
In his 13 years as worship leader, Putnam has seen the power music has to usher people into the presence of God and he wrote the songs on his new eOne Worship album, More and More LIVE!, expressly for that purpose. Through upbeat anthems such as “Dance” along with the energetic tune “Sing A Song” and the tender, poignant title track, “More and More,” Putnam worked with co-producer and longtime friend Israel Houghton to craft a modern worship album that provides a vehicle to reach the throne room.
“Having known BJ from the inception of his career, I am delighted and amazed to see this project come to light,” said Houghton. “Since he also is one of my favorite worship leaders and song writers I jumped at the opportunity to be a part of the production team for this recording. It's powerful. The more you hear it, the more you will want to listen."
Putnam’s love for music and his heart for ministry were nurtured at an early age by his mother and father. “My parents have been ministers their whole life,” he says. “My dad went to Bible college right out of school and then entered right into ministry. Both of my parents are musical. My dad plays and sings and my mom sings. I remember them most of all not for preaching---which they did---but I remember them leading worship, so that’s something that’s been instilled in me since I was little.”
Putnam was born in Washington State, but his family moved around quite a bit with his father’s ministry. They lived in Idaho, Missouri, Oklahoma and later settled in Phoenix, the city Putnam still calls home. Despite their nomadic existence during his childhood, music and faith were a constant. “I’ve always been attracted to music,” Putnam says. “I started playing drums. That was my first instrument when I was about eight-years-old. I moved to bass guitar and then acoustic guitar and then really kind of honed in on piano for a while when I was about 14. Being around music growing up, I definitely got the bug.”
For Putnam his musical gifts and love for the Lord coalesced under the tutelage of Israel Houghton. “I had the privilege of sitting under Israel’s ministry early on. He always had great musicians, so that challenged me,” says Putnam. “It was great to watch and learn during those years. I learned how he connected songs together, how he engaged and interacted with the people, the whole art of leading worship.”
In 1999, Putnam’s father-in-law enlisted him to lead worship at his church in Phoenix. At the church, he saw his gift for writing songs that transcend mere entertainment to usher people into the presence of God serve as the catalyst to move people closer to their heavenly father. Putnam serves as the creative worship and arts pastor at the Church for the Nations in Phoenix, his home church of 13 years.
In writing songs for the new album, Putnam’s approach was simple. “It was to write what’s in my heart, keeping the church and corporate worship in mind,” he says of the album, which was recorded live at Church for the Nations in Phoenix. “I’m a part of a multi-cultural church. Many thousands of people meet every week in all of our campuses from all walks of life, all different age groups. There are 50 or 60 different nations represented in our church. So this album is guitar driven, but it’s still multi-cultural in its sound. As far as themes, we wanted to point people to God. Lyrically we wanted every song to be something vertical.”
On More and More LIVE!, Putnam fulfills the promise of his auspicious debut with a collection of powerful songs. “This album is a little more guitar driven with a bit of gospel flavor here and there, which is different for me. I guess that’s how it’s supposed to happen. You’re supposed to grow and mature with every record,” he says with a grin.
The album opens with “Dance,” a vibrant worship anthem with a potent lyric and a commanding groove. “That song started with a guitar riff that I had,” Putnam says of the song, which actually bookends the album, closing with a “Dance” remix by his DJ friend Kingston. “We wanted something kind of rockin’ to open up the record and it’s an invitation. Let’s get this thing going. It’s a good opener for any worship set. The verses talk about the good news that God loves us. He has a plan and a purpose. It says, ‘Everybody dance the dance of freedom. Shout the shout of joy. Come on and praise him. Get up and make some noise!’”
In addition to enlisting his old friend Israel Houghton to co-produce the project, much of the album was penned with Putnam’s longtime collaborator Doug Engquist and he also co-wrote with other well-known writers such as Jenny Lee Riddle. Among the many highlights on the project is “Beautiful Love” “The song is pointing to Jesus and talks about how he’s everything, the one who carried the cross and carries me,” Putnam says. “It’s kind of a nice picture of how Jesus carried everything on the cross for us and he also cares about every aspect and detail of our lives.”
Putnam is the first to admit his life is busy and blessed. He and his wife, Melody, have two young sons and are firmly rooted in their home church. He’s appreciative of God’s hand in his life and where he’s been planted. “God is looking for people to be faithful and help grow the Kingdom,” he says. “My biggest accomplishment is being rooted in my local church and helping to grow the body of Christ. I feel God’s stamp of approval like God is smiling on this season of my life.”
More And More
BJ Putnam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is found in Jesus
And all we ask is more of you
Nothing else will satisfy our heart's desire
And all we want is more of you
More of you
For the Lord is good
Yes the Lord is good, forever
And I'll shout it out
From the mountaintop
Yes the Lord is good, forever
We want you, more and more
We want you, more and more
We want you, more and more
More and more
The BJ Putnam song, "More and More," expresses the idea that all that we need can be found in Jesus. The lyrics begin by saying that everything that we want and everything that we need is found in Jesus. The song then goes on to say that nothing else can satisfy our heart's desire except for Jesus. The chorus repeats the phrase "More and more" to express the desire to have more of Him in our lives.
The second verse of the song reminds the listener that the Lord is good and that His love endures forever. The lyrics shout this fact from the mountaintops as a declaration of truth. The chorus repeats again, emphasizing the desire to have more of Jesus in our lives.
The overall message of the song is that we can find true satisfaction and fulfillment in Jesus alone. The repetition of the phrase "More and more" reinforces the idea that we can never have too much of His love and presence in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
All we want and all we need
Our desires and necessities are exclusively fulfilled via devotion and faith in Jesus.
Is found in Jesus
Everything we long for or require can be achieved through the teachings of Jesus Christ.
And all we ask is more of you
We humbly request for an even stronger connection with God, to feel His presence and guidance in all aspects of our lives.
Nothing else will satisfy our heart's desire
No material possession or worldly accomplishment can gratify the innermost longing within us, only the divine intervention of Jesus Christ can do so.
And all we want is more of you
Our continual aspiration is to deepen our relationship with God and lead a life filled with His grace and goodness.
For the Lord is good
God is benevolent, compassionate, and just in all His ways.
And His love endures
God's love is eternal, unconditional, and steadfast in every situation and circumstance.
Yes the Lord is good, forever
We affirm that God's goodness and righteousness lasts forever, and His love for us will never diminish.
And I'll shout it out
We will proclaim and testify to the world of God's glory, magnificence, and power.
From the mountaintop
We will declare our adoration for God and spread His message of hope and salvation from the highest points of the earth.
We want you, more and more
Our fervent plea to God is to grant us an increased awareness, understanding, and connection with Him.
We want you, more and more
Our yearning for God's presence and guidance intensifies with each passing moment, day by day.
We want you, more and more
Our unwavering desire is to continuously seek and serve God in every aspect of our lives, now and forever.
More and more
May God's love, grace, and blessings pour into our hearts and souls constantly and abundantly.
Lyrics © ENTERTAINMENT ONE U.S. LP, Integrity Music
Written by: AMANTE RENE LACEY, DOUGLAS A. ENGQUIST, ISRAEL HOUGHTON, ROBERT JR. PUTNAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind