ALBUM SUMMARY – Break The Chain is really a call to leave the past behind – hurts, mistakes, missed opportunities, regrets – and move forward with a fresh new outlook.
1.LIVIN' LARGE
I worked at a job for nearly 25 years feeling less and less passionate about it as each
year went by. I felt like I wasn't doing what I was created for. It was a great struggle
between being a provider for my family and finding true fulfillment. We very nearly
missed thetrap of keeping up with everyone else and the lie that things and "stuff"
will makeyou happy. The whole mid-life crisis thing isn't about fast cars and younger women. I think it's about being satisfied with yourself and feeling like you are
making a difference. It's about doing that thing that's your dream or passion.
I love writing songs. It's who I am, how I express myself and what lights the fire inside of me. I wanted to try and capture the struggles and triumphs of the whole process in a way that a non-artist would understand.
3.
RIGHT WHERE I AM
This is a song about waiting on God. I was at a place in my career path where I was seeking God's guidance. I had a deep desire to leave and start in a new direction, but I was getting specific words from God through various avenues that He was saying "no, not yet". It took 3 years of waiting before I received 5 different confirmations in one single day that the time was right to leave. So, "Right Where I Am" is about seeking God, waiting for His answers and basically "blooming where you're planted" for now until it is His perfect time to move forward.
4.
BREAK THE CHAIN
I went to a conference about healing life's hurts and at one point, the speaker asked everyone up on stage who had a mother or father that never lived up to their expectations or had inflicted deep hurts that would not go away. The speaker wanted to take the place of the parent, look each person in the eyes and apologize as if he were that parent. 95% of the audience went up. It showed me that I was in no way alone, and if 95% of these people had the same problems, how many people outside in the world carried similar baggage? I thought what a different place this world could be if people could 'break the chain', be all they were created to be, and communicate their love in a way the recipient can understand. Instead, most of us carry around all this baggage and never reach our full potential in life because we're dealing with all these inner issues. It just keeps perpetuating itself from generation to generation.
5. MY GOD IS BIGGER
I was watching the morning news a few years ago thinking about the disasters, fears and complete mayhem in the world. I also had a friend dying of cancer. I closed my eyes, feeling the weight of it all and prayed. The fear left and I felt this peace come over me. I knew that it was God telling me that He was still sovereign and in control. He was my God and the creator of the universe and bigger than any tragedy in the world or in our lives.
6.OFFICER OF THE LAW
A good friend of mine became a police officer. I wrote this for him and all the people in public service. It's a 'thank you' for their dedication. For many of them, it's more than just an occupation. It's a calling on their lives - something they would do no matter what. They deserve to be respected and recognized for all the sacrifices involved with their line of work.
7.IT HURTS INSIDE
This sounds like a love lost, broken relationship song. It very well could be relatable to many people as that. It's actually written about my strained relationship with my father. He was never the Dad I needed, and I was never the son he wanted. I realize his hurtful tendencies come from his own woundedness somewhere in his past, but the hurt I feel inside is still very real and difficult to deal with.
8.
LITTLE GIRL
I love my two girls. Before I dreamed of writing songs and playing music, I dreamed of finding my soul mate and having a family. As strongly as I feel about sharing my music with the world, I feel even more committed to being their loving father. This is an anthem of my love for them.
9. KEEP THE FAITH
There was a long period of waiting for God to bring my wife and my paths together. In my teens, I had already experienced some relationships that disintegrated before they truly ever got started. There was a real emptiness inside - a heavy burden. I was praying, crying and distraught, asking God for answers. He has spoken to me many times through His word, devotionals, people, sermons, etc - all very specific to my current situations at the time. In this instance, something happened that probably only occurs once in a Christ Followers life, if that. As I was asking why, and where the one was for me, I heard a very audible whisper say 'she's in Germany'. It scared me to say the least, especially since I was alone in the house. My response was 'Germany???' It wasn't the answer I was looking for and being a teenager, I kind of sloughed it off as something weird that I didn't understand. When I met my wife at age 22 and became aware that she lived in Germany for 8 years, I remembered that bizarre encounter with God. In this song, I tried to capture that sometimes you just have to hold on to what God promises even when you can't see how things will work out.
10. THE MYSTERY OF GOD
I love to sit back and look up at the stars, see the vastness of the universe. I think for God to create something so huge, it shows how uncontainable He is. Yet His spirit can come to live inside of us. That's a true mystery.
11.
PULL MYSELF THROUGH IT AGAIN
This song is about finding the wisdom and strength to realize when a relationship is over. It's about finding the courage to stand your ground and move forward instead of backward.
12.
YOU
When my wife's and my life collided, it was a wonderful thing. A void in my life was finally filled. All the loneliness, trials, years of waiting, etc. were completely worth going through. We have been married almost 26 years now. My wife and I truly are best friends. We're much more than companions or mates. She's everything that God intended for a woman to be to her husband.
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“I have to say Break the Chain is one of the best CDs I have heard in a long time. I love the encouragement that comes from listening. I feel I am hearing the story of the writer's life in so many ways and I can find so many similarities to mine. I have to say "Right Where I Am" is my favorite. The first time I heard that song, I felt the writer had written it just for me. I was struggling in my life at the time and it really made me realize that there is a reason for the things we face and if we appreciate where we are, there is something better God has planned for us. "My God is Bigger" is a reminder to me that God is always with us and there is nothing we face alone. "Little Girl" reminds me so much of my daughter and as she was growing up. "Keep the Faith", well, ‘nuff said! I could go on and on about each individual song but let me tell you, this is just a wonderful CD. It would be a great gift for anyone. So be sure to buy 2 because you will want to keep 1 for yourself. John Tracy has made a CD that people can relate to and listening to it, you feel like you connect with the writer/singer. He has that way of touching your heart and letting you know that it will be all right. I also have his Christmas CD that is amazing and I am looking forward to expanding my collection of John Tracy CDs.” Lisa B.
