Wildflowers – 7 Reasons to Press the Pause Button

August 6, 2014 By Stanton Lanier 2 Comments

Click above to listen to Wildflowers from Unveiled with piano, vocals and guitar. If you enjoy, consider purchasing the song, album download, or CD from iTunes or stantonlanier.com (where sheet music is also available).

What is your response to the phrase “do not be anxious about your life?”

I composed Wildflowers because It is easy to become preoccupied with worrying about all kinds of things. Slowing down and pausing to look at wildflowers in bloom can put things in perspective. The guitar and vocals join in to remind me I am not alone.

Last week I invested time with my family on vacation, and took a ten day rest from social media, blogging, etc. Below are 7 reasons I found it very beneficial to press the “pause” button…

1. Resting. Rest is vital for refreshment and productivity (for more on this, see my post Rest – Are You Receiving It?

2. Quality Time with Loved Ones. A walk on the beach with my wife, a bicycle ride with my daughter, a midnight photo shoot of lightning with my son. Priceless.

3. Being Instead of Doing. It is reviving to marvel at the wonder of creation — ocean waves, thunderstorms, warming sun, treasuring moments instead of checking off to do lists. I also have written a blog post about this: This Very Moment – Being vs Doing

4. Slowing the Pace. We are overloaded with information and activity from all directions. Periodically we need to slow life’s pace to renew our focus for running life’s race.

5. Enjoying a Hobby. I enjoy cooking and photography, so grilling a few dinners and taking lots of pictures were both therapeutic for my soul. I captured the wildflowers above off the southwest Florida coast.

6. Watching Sunsets. I love sunrises and sunsets. I have never regretted taking the time to watch. Either one is a symbol of grace, hope and faith that God is in control. When is the last time you took time to really take in a sunrise or a sunset?

7. Reducing Worry and Anxious Thoughts. Matthew 6:25 (ESV) says, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on.” Pressing the “pause” button helps me keep things in perspective, to trust God for provision, and to count life’s blessings.

What is your #1 reason to press the pause button right now?

MATTHEW 6:25-34 (The Message)
25-26 “If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.

27-29 “Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.

30-33 “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

34 “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

A New Song to Help You Overcome Fear

July 18, 2014 By Stanton Lanier 17 Comments

Click above to listen to the new song Far Away from Home (Keyboard Mix). If you enjoy it will be available on iTunes very soon. The release date is set for Tuesday, August 5, 2014. (Updated May 2016: iTunes purchase and download now available here.) What fears are you facing that you need to overcome? This is a first. I have never put a song out for listening before it was available for purchase, but I was prompted this week to write a new post to share the story behind this melody. I will explain why in a moment. I encourage you to listen through this 4-minute track as you reflect on these words…

The Image for the iTunes Single Far Away from Home (Keyboard Mix)

The story begins when I was fourteen. An elderly lady in our church invited me to her home to study the Bible over the summer. Everyone had great respect for her faith and wisdom so I said “yes.” I only went a few times, but I remember reading out loud together and discussing each passage. She introduced me to Isaiah 41:10 — “Fear not, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed. I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.” These words spoke powerfully into my life and became a milestone in my faith journey. I started writing songs on the piano that year and one of them was titled “Fear Not.” So now we’re going to fly through a few decades of time. Journey with me as I remember some of the many fears from age fourteen until now. Look back on your story, your fears, and remember those you overcame, even though they seemed insurmountable at the time: Will I hit the game winning shot? Does she like me? Are you there God? Can I pass this class? Should I take this job? Does God really forgive me? What if I ask her to marry me? Why is “this” happening? and How will we get through this? — miscarriage, car accident, loss of a loved one, medical emergency, house robbery, financial uncertainty? Lord, what do you want me to do? What is amazing is if you read Isaiah 41:10, it is an answer to all of the above questions and more — anything we are fearing, everything we are facing. I am going to put a few different versions of this passage at the bottom so you can meditate on them. This week my youngest of two brothers was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). Hundreds of people are already in this battle with him, praying for his healing and that soon he will be cancer free again, for good. The first thing I did was to send him the words of Isaiah 41:10 and this new song for listening. We are trusting God’s promise in this verse. Being one of the first scriptures I took to heart, I always was wondering if and when Isaiah 41:10 would become one of my Scripture inspired piano melodies. I started composing them in May 2000, and as 2014 began, there were 88 compositions. Little did I know that in February, #89 would be born from this passage. It took until July to refine it and complete it, and now, because God’s ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9), you are able to listen to my musical expression of these life changing words (I will share about the title Far Away from Home in a future post). How does Isaiah 41:10 speak into your life right now? ISAIAH 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (New International Version) Don’t panic. I’m with you. There’s no need to fear for I’m your God. I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you. I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you. (The Message) Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (English Standard Version) Fear not, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed. I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. (The Living Bible)

Dreams in the Night – How I Minimize Anxious Thoughts

July 11, 2014 By Stanton Lanier 1 Comment

Click above to listen to Dreams in the Night from my fifth album Unveiled as your background reading music. If you enjoy, consider purchasing the song, album download, or CD from iTunes, or stantonlanier.com (where sheet music is also available). What life circumstance is causing anxious thoughts for you? I am an “anxious thoughts expert,” so before I forget, I want to mention two other resources I encourage you to take in after reading this post. The Dreams in the Night Live Concert Video and My Personal Faith Story Video are tools you can use to help minimize your anxious thoughts to find peace and rest. What are your “dreams in the night?” What are your greatest fears and doubts? I struggle with anxious thoughts daily. There is always something to be anxious about, right? And it always involves uncertainty about the future. When I surrender the future, let go of the past, and live in the present (really live — come alive), this helps minimize my anxious thoughts. In life, and in this musical melody, there are both restless moments and restful moments. But there is more… As I share in my personal faith story, I grew up with worrisome and perfectionist tendencies. Combining this with experiences of defeat fueled my anxious thoughts (I still remember the 8th grade spelling bee — I misspelled the first word in front of all my teachers and peers, and I was devastated!). However, there were also moments of victory which sparked confidence (like when I scored thirty points in a high school basketball game). Unless I practice letting go of past defeats, they will be a negative influence in my thinking. Instead, I want to practice recalling the thrill of past victories. This helps maximize my faith in what is possible. Even when I seem to be in a good place — living in the present and having confidence —anxious thoughts can still appear, keeping me from peaceful rest. Amid unsettling dreams in the night there are still whispers of optimism and expectation. God’s still small voice assures me of His care for me, and His presence with me in all things. The best antidote for anxious thoughts is to open my heart to Him, to listen for His voice, and to meditate on His Word. What “moment of victory” from your past, or scripture verse helps maximize your faith? Amid disquieting dreams in the night, when deep sleep falls on people, fear and trembling seized me and made all my bones shake. — Job 4:13-14 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. — Philippians 4:6-7 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” — Lamentations 3:22-24

Six Ways to Be More Content

July 9, 2014 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

Click above to listen to Contentment from the album The Voice. If you enjoy, consider purchasing the song, album download, or CD from iTunes, or stantonlanier.com (where sheet music is also available).

How is your contentment on a scale of 1 to 10?

It is so easy for me to be discontent with my circumstances or to worry about the future, even though I know there is so much to be thankful for. I wrote this melody to slow down my mind from thinking anxious thoughts, and to focus on the things in life that are pure and lovely.

Here are six ways I have found, which help me move from discontentment toward contentment…

Think about things you don’t have OR focus on giving thanks for things you do have
Dream about goals that haven’t happened OR take one positive step to make progress
Worry about outcomes you can’t control OR surrender outcomes and serve others well
Be frustrated by what hasn’t gone your way OR remember when things turned out okay
Let fear and uncertainty cause inertia OR let faith and adventure move you forward
Measure where you have less than others OR count life’s blessings that are priceless

Which of these would help you increase your contentment level?

“But godliness with contentment is great gain. We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” — 1 Timothy 6:6-8

“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” — Philippians 4:11

Why I Composed Bread of Angels

July 7, 2014 By Stanton Lanier 9 Comments

Click above to listen to Bread of Angels as you read. If you enjoy, consider purchasing the song, album download, or CD from iTunes or stantonlanier.com (where sheet music is also available). There is also a popular YouTube video you may enjoy – Official Bread of Angels Video.

Where do you need provision most right now?

Life has taught me there will be times when provision is needed, and I may have little or no control over the outcome. In 2010-2011 the melody Bread of Angels was born out of experiencing things only God could do with regard to providing. Sometimes I see clouds in the sky reminding me of angels and this song. Sometimes life experiences teach me to keep surrendering and trusting. See below for some memories where I was in need and God provided, followed by the verses that birthed the music for Bread of Angels…

Relationally. I didn’t even know or expect this one, but just yesterday my family and I ran into very dear friends who live several states away. We were precisely in the same place in the same moment. What a great surprise and blessing it was to visit and catch up!

Financially. During Music to Light the World’s first ten years, there have been moments every year when we are not sure where the money will come from. God never does it the same way, but has used generous donors, supporting customers, concert opportunities, music licensing, and more to provide just in time financially.

Logistically. When A Thousand Years was released in 2011, I was invited to be interviewed on a Toronto-based television program that reached a large audience across Canada (the show would include a live performance of Bread of Angels). In my excitement, I totally forgot to have my passport ready for the trip (it was locked in a safety deposit box over the weekend and my departing flight was on Sunday evening). All I had was a photocopy of my passport and my apology for forgetting the real thing. It is a long story, but amazingly I made it through seven checkpoints in the U.S. and Canada during the trip. Every customs agent would ask me questions, shake their head in disbelief, and then decide to let me pass through, including a secured screening area where I was instructed to wait for processing.

Our needs for “manna” provision can also be physical, spiritual, emotional, or can involve other life circumstances. These needs and Psalm 78:25 are why I composed Bread of Angels. What memory or verse can remind you to trust God for provision today? “…He (God) rained down on them manna to eat and gave them the grain of heaven. Man ate of the bread of the angels; He sent them food in abundance.” – Psalm 78:24-25

How Freedom Became a Piano Melody

July 4, 2014 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

Click above to listen to Freedom from the album The Voice (recorded at the George Lucas Skywalker Sound Studio). If you enjoy, consider purchasing the song, album download, or CD from Amazon, iTunes, or stantonlanier.com (where sheet music is also available).

What do you appreciate about freedom?

Personal freedom has been a breakthrough experience in my life. For many years I thought I could achieve freedom through success and being in control. Then I discovered that the human spirit finds true freedom through serving others in love. Seeking to grow in a freedom that is centered on others has been an adventure filled with emotion and risk.

The song Freedom almost became the title track on this album instead of The Voice because this truth has been so powerful for me. The notes represent running through life with a heart that is free, pausing to treasure this freedom, and discovering higher levels of giving oneself away. I trust that the music and texts that inspired it will help you experience a freedom that gives you hope . . . makes you come alive . . . sets your heart free.

How can you live out freedom with more gratitude, more giving?

“I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.” — Psalm 119:32

“It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows.” — Galatians 5:13

“You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” — John 8:32

The Secret to a 2nd Half of Desire and Delight

July 2, 2014 By Stanton Lanier 4 Comments

Click above to listen to Delight from the album The Voice (recorded at the George Lucas Skywalker Sound Studio). If you enjoy, consider purchasing the song, album download, or CD from Amazon, iTunes, or stantonlanier.com (where sheet music is also available).

Are your desires coming true in 2014?

It’s a matter of perspective, right? Sometimes I question, “Are my motives pure?” Sometimes I wonder, “Am I desiring the right things, the best things?” Several years ago an ancient scripture verse became like a compass, a “true north,” for these kinds of questions around desire.

My perspective began shifting from achieving to receiving, and from striving to surrendering. One of the ways I like to express this is, “I want to line my ‘push’ up with God’s ‘pull.’” It’s not always easy — or realistic — to be joyful and happy, but Delight helps me remember to focus on the good news in life (rather than the bad), as well as the good I can do. I love John Eldredge’s thought in his book Epic that life is an adventure to live rather than a problem to solve. This piano melody also resonates with this idea.

I believe great blessings and surprises await us in the second half of 2014. The secret is to align our heart’s desires and delights with God’s grace and goodness, and to ask for His guidance. When I feel alone or wonder if some desire will come true, God faithfully provides as I surrender results to Him.

What desire or adventure in your heart seems God-sized and impossible without His help?

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” — Psalm 37:4

“Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.” — Psalm 119:35

Five Simple Steps for Stillness

June 30, 2014 By Stanton Lanier 6 Comments

Click above to listen to the title track Still Waters from my second album as you read. If you enjoy, consider purchasing the song, album download, or CD from iTunes, Amazon, or stantonlanier.com (where sheet music is also available).

Have you had any “still waters” moments lately?

When I composed this song in 2002, we had two young children and my financial planning career was in full swing. I was beginning to wonder if I was supposed to make a dramatic career shift from “money to music” (it was 2004 before I would leave a fifteen-year business career to become a pianist-composer and ministry founder). I had this longing for stillness in the midst of life’s fullness and busyness on all fronts. All the music I composed for Still Waters was created “around the edges of life” (late nights and early mornings). Every song was like a diary entry in my quest to find the “still waters” God promises we can know and experience.

This quest has taught me to seek progress rather than perfection. Life’s activities and distractions are abundant not some of the time, but all of the time. Regardless of your season in life, below are five steps I have found helpful in finding still waters, and receiving the benefits of stillness.

1. Stop. For some, unplug might be the better word. Put your phone down. Step away from the computer. Turn the television off. Begin to practice three short “stop” moments: after waking in the morning, sometime during the day, and in the evening before going to sleep.

2. Be Still. This can look different, depending on how you are wired. You might physically be still reading in a chair, or praying as you sip coffee or tea on your patio. You might mentally be still resting your mind during a walk, jog, or swim. You might enjoy stillness alone or together.

3. Listen. Allow for moments of pause, to listen in silence. Try exercising without any video, music, audiobooks, or podcasts. Listen to your breathing, the birds singing, the breeze blowing. Composing and listening to instrumental music has helped me listen differently too.

4. Meditate on Scripture. Use a short verse to repeat in your head and absorb into your heart. For example, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8). “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything give thanks” (Philippians 4:6). Ask God to speak into your life during these first four steps.

5. Live by Faith. Enriched through “still waters” moments, I find myself more able to trust, believe and hope in God’s promises to lead, restore, guide, comfort and prepare me in the midst of life’s activities and distractions. Living by faith integrates stillness and action, being and doing.

Which of the above could benefit you most today?

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Spontaneous Joy and Creativity (Inspired by my Grandfather)

June 24, 2014 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

Click above to listen to Joyful from my second album Still Waters as you read. If you enjoy, consider purchasing the song, album download, or CD from iTunes, Amazon, or stantonlanier.com (where sheet music is also available).

Who inspired your childhood with spontaneous joy and creativity?

I immediately think of my grandfather Frank Stanton Bondurant. My mom called him “Daddy,” but to his grandsons he was known as “Daddy B.” He was born in 1905 and died in 2002, just shy of his 97th birthday. As I reflect on his influence in my life, I am amazed at how many lasting impressions he made. Here are a few ways he brought joy and creativity to my life…

He told great stories. One of my favorites was about him playing high school football when there were no face masks. Players only wore a thin leather helmet. He broke both eyebrow bones and both collar bones. We would laugh together as he told how the offensive linemen chewed tobacco so they could stream the juice in the defensive line’s faces to confuse them just before the ball was snapped.

He made life fun. If you said, “Please pass the cereal,” he would throw you the box! He loved to play games and tell jokes. He threw baseball with me for hours when I was a little league pitcher, teaching me how to grip the threads to throw a curve ball, drop ball, fast ball and slider. He played his violin with me when I was playing piano in middle and high school (in the above photo he was seventy-two and I was thirteen).

He imparted life wisdom. When I learned to drive he always reminded me that if an animal ever ran in front of me that I should “go through it,” and not swerve to miss it. He had wrecked his car one time avoiding a dog. His advice probably saved my and my family’s life when I hit a deer in June 2002 driving sixty miles per hour. I went through it. Incredibly, we were on the way to Daddy B.’s funeral when this happened.

He encouraged me. He always believed in me and my potential with sports, music, and serving others. He told me how practice and hard work would make a difference in the long run. As I entered the business world, he taught me to say “It would be a joy and privilege to serve you” for each opportunity.

He was a man of prayer. “Lord, make us thankful for these and all our blessings. Pardon our sins for Christ’s sake. Amen.” This was Daddy B’s prayer before every meal whenever we were together. His personal relationship with God fed my desire to know God and hear His voice.

These are just a few memories of this beloved man of character, passion and faith. I loved Daddy B. I will always remember the blessing he was in my life, and how his spontaneous joy and creativity were an inspiration to me.

Who is your Daddy B? Can you be a “Daddy B” for someone?

Psalm 100:1 “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.”

Four Reasons to Practice Solitude

June 20, 2014 By Stanton Lanier 5 Comments

Click above to listen to Solitude from my 2001 debut album Walk in the Light as you read. If you enjoy, consider purchasing the song, album download, or CD from iTunes, Amazon or stantonlanier.com (where sheet music is also available).

What is your favorite way to practice solitude?

When I was in high school and college I worked several summers at a canoe rental in the Florida panhandle (Adventures Unlimited is still going strong and has beautiful canoe trips and awesome zip line courses – today’s photo is from a return visit to the Coldwater River in 2012).

My favorite job was called “the top.” A co-worker would drop me off at 7 a.m. at the beginning of the twelve mile day trip. At the same time other co-workers would unhitch trailers full of canoes and drive back to home base. Within a few minutes it was just me and one hundred canoes to unload. For the next hour, one by one, I would carry them on my shoulders down to the sandbar beach. It was an awesome physical workout, but here is why I loved this job so much…

If I could finish by 8 a.m. or maybe a little sooner if I hustled, I knew I would have twenty to thirty minutes to soak in the cool, clear, shallow river (before the busloads of canners would start arriving). Or, I could lie back on a cushion in a canoe and just listen to the breeze blowing through the tops of pine trees, or the birds singing to start a new morning. I wasn’t thinking about it a lot then, but looking back, I was learning to practice solitude. It was refreshing and energizing. It made my attitude more positive and my work more productive.

To this day, I can draw on those memories, and I know what a difference it can make to be alone, to be still, and to take in the moment. Whether taking a morning jog or swim, or sitting in my den before the world awakes, I like to listen for God’s gentle whisper in these moments. I am alone, but I am not lonely. The more I practice solitude, the more enriching it becomes. Four motivating reasons for me are: 1. Refreshment, 2. Energy, 3. Positive Attitude, and 4. Productive Work.

How could some moments of solitude shed light on a life decision you are facing?

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” – Mark 1:35