In this release, Mark explores the idea of "spiritual formation," or the course of personal development over a number of years. It's a natural followup to his previous album, which dealt more in the realms of faith and doubt. It is sort of a "taking stock" kind of album, a bit more of a "where I've been" record than a "where I am" record, most notably demonstrated on songs such as "15" and "All Else Had Failed." This is not at all surprising, since Mark wrote these songs sporadically amidst the chaos of a constant touring schedule over a three year period.

Musically, it's the first record where Mark makes substantial use of the electric guitar, playing a 1957 Les Paul Special, and it's the only full album featuring Mark's Lowden O-12 acoustic guitar. In addition to Mark's guitar playing, he is joined by bassist John Gillespie (Nikki Meets the Hibachi, Kickball) and drummer Nic Brown (Atheneum, Skeleton Key, Claire Holley). Mark Kano (solo, Atheneum) adds electric guitar for a couple songs, as well.