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.
The Beauty Of The Bride
Steve Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The answer to my soul's great need
To belong, to be more than what I am
A stunning new reality
Unfolding now inside of me
I'm a part of the beauty of the Bride
My belongingness
Was purchased with His blood
We will see Him coming
With His arms held open wide
Captivated by the hidden
Beauty of the Bride
Sooner than we know
And all at once He will appear
And we will finally be made one
At last we'll hear the Bridegroom calling "Come"
Homeless now, I'll soon be home
Lonely now, but never alone
With a thirst to keep myself for Him
He has made His purpose clear
Choosing now to leave me here
Still I long and I wait to hear His Call
My belongingness
Was bought by His faithfulness
Was purchased with His blood
We will see Him coming
With His arms held open wide
Captivated by the hidden
Beauty of the Bride
Sooner than we know
And all at once He will appear
And we will finally be made one
At last we'll hear the Bridegroom calling "Come"
The Spirit and the Bride say "Come"
And let the One who hears say, "Come"
And to all who thirst, let them come
We will see Him coming
With His arms held open wide
Captivated by the hidden
Beauty of the Bride
Sooner than we know
And all at once He will appear
We will finally be made one
At last we'll hear the Bridegroom calling
We will finally be made one
When we hear the Bridegroom call, calling "Come"
"The Beauty of the Bride" by Steve Green is a song about the Church Meeting the Christ. The first verse talks about how the singer opens his eyes to see the answer to his soul's needs, to belong and to be more than what he is, and finds a stunning new reality that is unfolding inside him. The singer is part of the beauty of the Bride, referring to the Church as the Bride of Christ, which is made up of all believers in Jesus Christ. The belongingness of the singer was bought by Christ's faithfulness and was purchased with His blood.
The chorus talks about the second coming of Christ and how he will appear with his arms open wide. He is the Bridegroom and the Church is the Bride captivated by his hidden beauty. He will appear sooner than we know, and we will finally be made one. At last, we will hear the Bridegroom calling "Come." The bridge refers to the invitation of Jesus Christ to come to Him. It is a call for all who thirst to come and accept his invitation.
The beauty of this song lies in the imagery it creates when describing the meeting of the Church with the Christ. The song is a reminder that we are not the individualistic beings that we often imagine ourselves but part of a greater reality that is the Church. It reminds us that we are called to look forward to the Second Coming of Christ and that we will finally be made one with Him.
Line by Line Meaning
Opening my eyes, I see
I realize the truth that I've been seeking
The answer to my soul's great need
The solution to my innermost desire
To belong, to be more than what I am
To fit in and become greater than my current self
A stunning new reality
A beautiful and amazing new truth
Unfolding now inside of me
Becoming clear and real within me
I'm a part of the beauty of the Bride
I am part of the wonderful beauty of the church
My belongingness
My sense of belonging
Was bought by His faithfulness
Was acquired through His loyalty
Was purchased with His blood
Was obtained through His sacrifice
We will see Him coming
We will witness His arrival
With His arms held open wide
Ready to embrace us with love
Captivated by the hidden
Fascinated by the unseen qualities
Beauty of the Bride
Beauty of the church
Sooner than we know
Soon, faster than we expect
And all at once He will appear
He will suddenly show up
And we will finally be made one
And we will finally be unified
At last we'll hear the Bridegroom calling "Come"
Finally, we will hear the groom calling us to come
Homeless now, I'll soon be home
Without a permanent home now, I will soon have one
Lonely now, but never alone
Although I may feel alone, I am never truly alone
With a thirst to keep myself for Him
With a desire to dedicate myself to Him
He has made His purpose clear
He has revealed His plan
Choosing now to leave me here
Choosing for me to remain here
Still I long and I wait to hear His Call
Nevertheless, I desire and anticipate His summons
The Spirit and the Bride say "Come"
The Holy Spirit and the church invite us to come
And let the One who hears say, "Come"
Let anyone who hears this invitation, also come
And to all who thirst, let them come
And to anyone who hungers, come as well
We will finally be made one
At last, we will all be united
When we hear the Bridegroom call, calling "Come"
When we hear our savior inviting us to come
Contributed by Kennedy L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.