1. "By Your Side" - Tenth Avenue North
Integrity
And I'll be by your side
Wherever you fall
In the dead of night
Whenever you call
And please don't fight
These hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you
The world awaits is a sentiment that every young person stepping out from under mom and dad has. This song reminds them that no matter where they end up or when they call, Jesus is by their side.
2. "Start a Fire" - Audio Adrenaline
Courtesy of: EMI
It only takes a spark to get a fire going
I know the fire's in your hearts
So go ahead and show it
The world needs leaders and grads are the next generation of great leaders. Encouragement to light a fire is a huge life gift since so many people in our world will spend more time telling them what they can't do than what they can accomplish. "Start A Fire," with it's 80's hair-rock sound, is a perfect way to get the message out.
3. "This Road" - Jars Of Clay
Essential Records
This road that we travel may it be the straight and narrow
God, give us peace and grace from You, all the day
Shelter with fire, our voices we raise still higher
God, give us peace and grace from You, all the day through
Being a Christian means walking the straight and narrow road. It's not always easy because there will be sorrow; but their will also be joy and laughter. This Jars of Clay tune spells it out in a really "folky" way.
4. "We've Only Just Begun" - Run Kid Run
Tooth & Nail
Go make the best of everything you want to be
With ambition pushing forward
Your dreams upon your shoulders
Graduation is the time when the "little ones" leave the safety net and go out into the world. Their ambition to be the best that they can be, their dreams and (most of all) their faith will carry them through the next step in their journey.
5. "The Power of the Moment" - Chris Rice
INO Records
What am I gonna be
when I grow up?
How am I gonna make my mark in history?
And what are they gonna write
about me when I'm gone?
These are the questions
That shape the way I think about
what matters
When a child graduates from school there are so many questions they're asked ... "What are you going to do?" "Who are you going to be?" "The Power of the Moment" shows grads what is really important ... following the path that God has put in your head and in your heart. Chris Rice is, as usual, wonderful at offering this advice is his usual acoustic format.
6. "Wait And See" - Brandon Heath
Reunion
So now's my time to be a man, follow my heart as far as I can
No tellin’ where I’m ending up tonight
I never slow down or so it seems, but singing my heart is one of my dreams
All I gotta do is hold on tight
Brandon Heath sings of growing up and allowing God to continue to mold and shape you on this great pop song.
7. "Ready" - Third Day
Essential
I can't sit around waiting for it all to change
It's gonna take every single one of us doing what we can
There's lots of fighting in this world but there's so much loving, too
So take my hand, I'm ready now for you
Taking action to make a difference is the message of this tune and it's one that each and every grad needs to hear.
8. "Blue Sky" - Francesca Battistelli
Fervent Records
Don’t you know that I know
Life can be so hard it makes you wanna give up
But don’t you know over the horizon
The sunny day you’re looking for
Is waiting right here in my love
As adults who have been there, done that, we know that life can be full of hard knocks. Francesca reminds listeners that no matter how hard things get, Christ is our blue sky.
9. "Follow Your Dreams" - Raze
Forefront Records
Follow your dreams and you will see
anything you want you can achieve
A great way to tell your grad that he/she can be anything they want to be. Graduation is time for your grad to spread their wings and fly. If you have a dance music lover that is getting ready to be a new grad, this song will hit the mark.
10. "Where You Lead Me" - MercyMe
As long as my heart is beating...
Where You lead me I will follow
Where You lead me I give my life away
Life is about choices and there are a million of them for new grads. This song reminds us all that the most important choice is following God every day of our lives. MercyMe is ... well ... MercyMe! The classic MercyMe sound makes this one of my favorite songs on the album (which is great from start to finish).
