Watermark
Crosswords Community Church
Freeport, IL
December 6th, 2003
By Rob Snyder

Christy Nockels, lead singer for the duo Watermark, says that she and her husband Nathan hope that their music will leave a mark on its audience. True to her word, on this wintry evening, Watermark led its audience into the presence of God. Despite the fact that Christy was fighting a bug, "I'm on drugs. Wait, that didn't sound right, its sinus medicine," she was in excellent form in the first of four concerts at the Crossroads church in Freeport, Illinois.

I must admit that Watermark is one of my favorite groups and if you do not already have the group's "All Things New" project then do yourself a favor and get it as soon as you can. I never get tired of listening to that disk.

After leading the congregation through a Christmas carol, Christy and Nathan performed many of their best songs. Nearly every time I hear "All Things New" and "Who I Am" I am overwhelmed with the joy of knowing that God loves me. To hear those songs live, in a church, is even more special. Christy does more than just sing those songs in a perfunctory manner, but clearly puts her heart and soul into her performance.

Accompanied by the very capable Nashville musicians Matt King on drums and Tommy McGee on bass, Watermark also performed "Friends for Life," "More Than You'll Ever Know," "Incorruptible" (which is inspired by 1 Peter), and "Gloria."

While Christy does most of the chatting on stage, don't underestimate the contribution made by Nathan Nockels to the duo's music. Nathan is hardly "the silent one" as he has become a much-in demand music producer. Fans haven't heard much from the Nockels this year. Christy told the audience that Nathan has spent the past year building a studio in the basement of their Nashville home and they've been busy writing new songs for a project that may come out next year. I cannot wait.

Watermark ended the concert with four modern worship songs; "Here I Am to Worship," "Amazing Love" (which had everyone on their feet and singing along), "Above All Else," and "My Heart Your Home."

The church did not charge admission. What a wonderful gift and a beautiful way to kick off the season of Advent.