Career
Green was born in Portland, Oregon to missionary parents, Charles and Jo Green. He is one of six siblings who spent much of his early life in Argentina. He studied Music at Grand Canyon University, graduating in 1976. He originally broke into Christian music with the Mobile, Alabama based youth worship group Truth. He also sang backup vocals and played bass with Sandi Patti, White Heart and the Gaither Vocal Band. In 1982, he joined the Christian rock band White Heart as a vocalist. But a difference in ministry vision accompanied by a confrontation with his brother, Randy, led to a spiritual renewal in Steve's life in 1983. He signed a solo contract with Sparrow Records, and his self-titled debut album appeared in 1984. In the same year, he established Steve Green Ministries.
His break out year came in 1985 with the release of He Holds The Keys. The album garnered Green a nomination and win as Male Vocalist of the Year in the Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) category. The following year, 1986, saw the release of two recordings, "For God And God Alone," and a high church style worship album entitled "A Mighty Fortress." The following year saw the release of his first Christmas recording, "Joy To The World." In early 1988, he released an album dedicated to his parents called "Find Us Faithful." As the 1980s came to an end, many of Green's songs became recognized standards including "People Need The Lord" and "Broken And Spilled Out." He was often considered the male version of Sandi Patti, using many of the same songwriters and styles as well as the traditional ending the song on a (literal) high note. Green also contributed background vocals to Patti's 1986 hit, "Let There Be Praise."
Green was one of the first artists to be involved with Promise Keepers, performing at their inaugural event at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado in July 1993 before 50,000 men. His song "Answer The Call" was inspired by the event and another song, "O Men of God Arise," embodies the Promise Keeper mentality.
Green recorded "The Mission" in 1989 and continued his success with "We Believe" in 1991. As the early 1990s direction of Christian music changed to a more rock oriented format, Green returned to traditional roots by releasing an album of hymns in 1992. Yet Green switched styles in 1994 on his "Where Mercy Begins" album. He also received the first of two career boosts due to outside events.
On September 9, 1994, a US Air jet crashed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, killing all aboard. One passenger was an up and coming Christian singer named Kirk Lynn. Lynn has just recorded Green's song "As We Sail To Heaven's Shore" from the 1988 "Find Us Faithful" album. Only a rough cut played at the memorial service for the passengers, grieving family members were told where to find the original song by Green, which boosted album sales for the older recording.
Green's style change continued on his 1996 recording, "The Letter." He was also instrumental in attempting to set up an accountability group for Christian artists following the adultery scandals of Michael English, Marabeth Jordan, and Sandi Patty as well as the Mike Warnke debacle. He was helped in this endeavor by Steve Camp, Wes King, and Michael W. Smith. That year also saw the release of his second Christmas album, "The First Noel."
Green changed focus again in 1998 by declaring he would only record songs that honor the Lord - songs that he could be satisfied with should it be his last recording. That year saw the release of "The Faithful" and 2000 saw the release of a devotional song album entitled "Morning Light." Two years later Green released "Woven In Time" and again found himself receiving a career boost.
Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster
Green was a personal friend of Space Shuttle Columbia commander Rick Husband, who was killed along with six others in the February 2003 disintegration during reentry. Green was interviewed by CNN and his song "God Of Wonders" got a boost from the unexpected publicity. He released another album in 2005.
Green's sister is married to Dr. Mark Bailey, president of the evangelical Dallas Theological Seminary, and he helped the seminary celebrate its eightieth anniversary in April 2004. He has also written a thirty day devotional titled, "The Power of the Cross" and has recorded numerous children's videos and songs.
His bilingual abilities have seen the release of two Spanish CDs in the United States.
He is married to Marijean Green, who has testified to her own struggle with bulimia and they have two children, Summer (b. 1984) and Josiah (b. 1986).
Green has expanded his musical ministry to include videos and James Dobson's Focus on the Family.
I Will Offer Up My Life
Steve Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pouring out the oil of love as my worship to You
In surrender I must give my every part
Lord receive the sacrifice of a broken heart
Jesus, what can I give?
What can I bring?
To so faithful a friend
Savior, what can be said?
What can be sung?
As a praise of Your name
For the things You have done
Oh, my words could not tell
Not even in part
Of the debt of love that is owed
By this thankful heart
You deserve my every breath for You've paid the great cost
Giving up Your life to death, even death on a cross
You took all my shame away, there defeated my sin
Opened up the gates of Heaven, and have beckoned me in
The song I Will Offer Up My Life by Steve Green is a powerful declaration of one's devotion and love for Jesus Christ. The first stanza talks about the singer pouring out the oil of love as worship to God, offering their whole self and all they have to give as a sacrifice to Him. In surrender, the singer must give every part of themselves, which is acknowledged as a sacrifice of a broken heart.
The second stanza is a reflection on the greatness of Jesus Christ and what can be offered to him as thanks for all he has done. The singer recognizes that no words or songs could ever fully express the depth of their gratitude and the enormity of the debt of love owed to Jesus. However, the singer acknowledges that Jesus deserves their every breath for paying the great cost of giving up his own life, even dying on the cross. His sacrifice took away the singer's shame and defeated their sin, ultimately opening up the gates of Heaven for them.
Overall, this song is a beautiful and heartfelt expression of gratitude and devotion to Jesus Christ. It acknowledges the greatness and sacrificial love of Jesus, and inspires the listener to offer their whole self to him in worship and surrender.
Line by Line Meaning
I will offer up my life in spirit and truth
I will give my life to You with all my heart and honesty.
Pouring out the oil of love as my worship to You
I will show my love for You by putting my heart and soul into my worship.
In surrender I must give my every part
I will give everything that I have, holding nothing back from You.
Lord receive the sacrifice of a broken heart
I offer You my broken heart as a sacrifice, please receive it.
Jesus, what can I give?
Jesus, I want to give everything to You, but what do You want from me?
What can I bring?
What can I offer You that would truly please You?
To so faithful a friend
You, Jesus, have been such a faithful friend to me.
To so loving a king
You are not just a friend, You are also a loving king to me.
Savior, what can be said?
Oh Savior, there are no words that can describe Your greatness.
What can be sung?
What song can I sing to express my gratitude to You?
As a praise of Your name
I want to lift up Your name and honor You in all that I do.
For the things You have done
I want to praise You for all the wonderful things You have done for me.
Oh, my words could not tell
My words will never be enough to express the debt of love that I owe You.
Not even in part
I can't even describe a tiny fraction of what I owe You.
Of the debt of love that is owed
I owe You an enormous debt of love that can never be repaid.
By this thankful heart
But I will give You all that I have with a heart full of gratitude.
You deserve my every breath for You've paid the great cost
You deserve all of my life because You paid the ultimate price for it.
Giving up Your life to death, even death on a cross
You gave Your life as a sacrifice, even to the point of death on a cross.
You took all my shame away, there defeated my sin
You took away all of my shame and defeated my sin on the cross.
Opened up the gates of Heaven, and have beckoned me in
You opened the gates of Heaven and invited me in to have eternal life with You.
Contributed by Madelyn W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.