A Simple Offering: Carols & Hymns from the Farm
I recorded a small collection of songs right here at home. Simple. Acoustic. Intentionally unpolished. The kind of music that feels more like a living room… or a stable… rather than a stage.
Carols & Hymns.
Three carols.
Three hymns.
And one new original song.
How This Project Began
I was originally just practicing Christmas songs for my barn concert.
One evening, as I finished singing In the Bleak Midwinter, I landed on the final line:
What then shall I give Him? I will give my heart.
Without planning it, I moved straight into I Surrender All.
It’s a hymn I’ve sung my entire life. But something was different this time.
I started imagining those words not being sung in a church, but in a stable. Sung quietly to a baby. A baby who had already surrendered everything to come and save the world.
In that moment, the words took on a new weight.
I surrender all.
Not as a performance. Not as a declaration from a distance.
But as a humble offering to a Savior lying in a manger.
I had the idea of pairing a carol with a hymn I could imagine being sung there?
Not fancy.
Not polished.
Just reverent. Honest. Humble.
Why I Made This Record
We live in a culture that is exhausted from trying to be impressive.
Even Christmas, a story rooted in humility, has been buried under pressure. Pressure to perform. To impress.
But the first Christmas wasn’t shiny.
It was quiet.
It was inconvenient.
It was poor and unimpressive by the world’s standards.
God didn’t arrive with lights or applause.
He came small. Wrapped in cloth. Laid in a feeding trough.
So that's the heart behind this project.
Carols & Hymns, as if they were sung in a stable.
The Original Song:
More or Less
I also wrote one new song for this collection. It’s called More or Less.
It’s a simple Christmas wish.
Not for more stuff.
But for less.
Less chaos.
Less noise.
Less divisiveness.
Less missing out on what truly makes us blessed.
And more room to see the beautiful simplicity of the greatest gift ever given.
A baby in a manger who came to save the world.
God with us.
About the Video
Alongside the music, I put together a long-form YouTube video.
There’s no storyline. No flashy edits. No attempt to hold your attention every five seconds.
It’s just footage from around the farm. Chores. Quiet moments. Ordinary work.
It's not really even meant to be watched. I just wanted to create something that slowed things down a bit.
This video is meant to be played in the background while you cook, clean, sit by the fire, or simply breathe for a moment.
An Invitation
This project is a reminder to myself as much as anyone else:
You don’t have to be impressive to be important.
You don’t have to be loud to be heard.
Faithfulness has always mattered more than fame.
If your heart feels tired, I hope these songs offer a little rest.
You can listen to the full Carols & Hymns video on YouTube for free. Let it play. Share it with someone who could use a quiet moment.
Step away from the noise.
Remember the manger.
Remember the gift.
God is with us.
Warren