Only the Lover Sings: Meditations on the Woman at the Well in Story and Song

'The day I saw you seeing me that was the first time I could see the truth that I was loved completely.'


In Only the Lover Sings, book and album one of The Well Trilogy, the face to face encounter between Jesus and the woman at the well sets the stage for this series of songs and essays from an array of contributors. Only the Lover Sings explores the ways God is inviting every one of us to bravely turn towards Jesus and be surprised by the gladdening light welling up in his face–a meeting that overflows as a life of grateful song.


What others are saying...

Take up and read. Open and listen... Come and see. You may find your own dark ladder downward leading you out onto a surprising open plain of possibility and light.

—Bruce Herman, painter, author of Makers by Nature: Letters from a Master Painter on Faith, Hope, and Art


Matthew Clark joins the ranks of George Macdonald, G. K. Chesterton, C. S. Lewis, and others who connect head with heart, reason with imagination, and scripture with hard-won experience. The result is both a feast and a fellowship. I love it.

—Diana Pavlac Glyer, author of Bandersnatch: C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and the Creative Collaboration of the Inklings


Matthew’s work has long been tender, unique, vulnerable, and heartening. But in this latest project, he’s collaborated with writers who thoughtfully interact with each main theme Matthew introduces. In these lonely, fragmented times, it’s hopeful and healing to encounter their chorus of gentle and honest reflection.

—Rebecca Reynolds, author of Courage, Dear Heart: Letters to a Weary World


Only the lover sings: only the one who dares to look you full-on in the face finds out the shocking good news.