KingsPorch
KingsPorch is a house church movement in Austin, TX that believes Jesus still wants to show his power today just like he did in the early Church. They are simply asking, “What did the Church look like in the new testament?”... and trying to do that. With Acts 2:42 as the model, they share a meal together, sing together, study the Word of God together and pray for every person that comes through the door.
Their new EP, “God Is In This House,” leads listeners into a place of glorifying God even in the midst of brokenness. It delights in God’s constant goodness and faithfulness.
Congrats on the EP release! Before we dive into the new songs, I wanted to take some time to honor the impact “I Speak Jesus” had on the Church this past year. It was the #2 song of the year on MultiTracks.com! How did it feel to know so many churches were leading this song, and why do you think it was such a pertinent message in 2021 and 2022?
I literally have no words. It seems like I get an email or text daily of videos of “I Speak Jesus” from all over the world.
Most recently, it was sent to me several times from the outpouring at Asbury. I just watched it and wept. Only God could take a song from a writing retreat in Montana to a house church in Austin, TX and blow it like the wind all over the world.
That’s nothing to do with us, or a record, or a label… it’s only the Holy Spirit. I guess to answer your question, it would be two words:
Honored and humbled.
The EP opens with “God Is In This House” which you all co-wrote with Drew Bodine, the worship pastor at Central Live which is quite a different church from y’all’s size-wise. Was the goal of this song to communicate that God meets us in the masses as well as in more intimate spaces?
“God is In This House” is one of my favorites for that very reason. We went out to Las Vegas to write for Drew’s church, Central Live, but from the moment this song started taking shape, it felt special.
We wrote it in Drew’s house, and just worshipped together there like that was what it was written for. Since then, it has been an anthem for our house churches in Austin, but I was also able to stand in the sanctuary at Central and see three thousand people sing it… and it blew up there too!
Isn’t that the beauty of the gospel though?
Scripture tells us “wherever there are two or more gathered in my name, I will be there in their midst.” In the New Testament, it tells us over and over again that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, so wherever there are believers… God is in that house!
“Faithful Still” is a standout - tell us why it’s one of y’all’s favorite songs to have written.
I say this all the time when I preach, but the stories we read in the Bible were not just stories about what God DID one time thousands of years ago.
They are stories about His character.
They’re stories about what he DOES.
Yes, He gave David the power to overcome a giant. Yes, He was with Daniel in the lions den. Yes, He parted the waters for the Israelites to walk through. Yes, He was in the fire with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego… but that’s not what He did. It’s what He does. God is the same yesterday, today and forever.
I also love the bridge of this song. It’s extremely simple. Only one line. “I have a hope. I have a future. I’m a child of the mountain mover.”
That’s it. There’s something powerful that happens in our souls when we sing the truth over ourselves.
All the fear, anxiety, pain, and loneliness start to lose it’s grip on us. When we play it at church, sometimes we just camp out on that and sing it a hundred times!
“Maker of Heaven” reminds us to turn away from our manmade wells, and to run toward streams of living water. How can we be intentional about encountering the Holy Spirit rather than getting stuck in dry routines?
I love this song for so many reasons. First of all, it reminds me of the early Vineyard Worship days. There’s something beautifully simple and familiar about the melodies.
That’s what draws you in, but the confession is what keeps you there. It is so easy, especially as a worship leader, to lead songs week after week and somehow miss the personal encounter with the living God.
This song is really just a personal confession and repentance, and honestly, I didn’t think it would end up on a record. It’s like eavesdropping on someone’s diary. I think that’s where the intentionality comes in.
The Bible says that “a broken heart and a contrite spirit, I will never deny.” When we approach the throne with this kind of humility, God likes that. He loves to move in an environment of repentance.
The closing song, “All My Days,” also refers to the house of the Lord - was bookending this song with “God Is In This House” intentional?
It wasn’t intentional in the writing process, but it was certainly intentional in arranging the record. Thanks for noticing! “All My Days,” comes from a very difficult place, and I wrote it with a good friend that has experienced extreme loss and pain over the last 2 years in the death of a child, and another child battling brain cancer.
As a result, this has been an extremely hard season not only for them, but also for our church. That’s why this song is so special to me… and to us.
It’s the honest cry of a father in the midst of going through hell on earth saying “God I need you. I love you… and even though I don’t understand what you’re doing right now… I trust you.”
At the end of Psalm 23, David says, “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” That’s our only hope!
Lead songs from God Is In This House with your congregation. Resources available at MultiTracks.com.