Beyond the Notes
Breathing in rhythms of reflection and rest.
Eternal Beauty Album - Song Stories
As we take this cinematic journey through Psalms together, I encourage you to listen to the album and each song on your favorite music streaming service first, for pure enjoyment and also to see how God may speak to you through the music. If you want to go deeper the track order and song story links are down below. You can also read and reflect on the spiritual and musical inspirations behind each song while you listen or in silence as a quiet devotional.
Day and Night (Psalm 1)
My heart’s desire for the opening track of Eternal Beauty was to convey God’s strength and power from the very start. The introduction of Day and Night expresses these being available to me in my life and faith journey. God’s “I am available” is transformed to “I am with you” through His strength and power when I progress from seeking to be in His proximity to being fully surrendered to Him.
Streams from the Heavens (Psalm 8)
Track two on the Eternal Beauty album is all about God’s Glory. Verse 1 reads, “Yahweh, our Sovereign God, your glory streams from the heavens above, filling the earth with the majesty of your name!” This song demanded a huge and triumphant main theme as a testament to the magnitude of God’s glory and majesty.
Written in the Stars (Psalm 19)
After opening the album with two powerful “God is big” tracks, the third song could have been big as well. Psalm 19:1 says, “God’s splendor is…written in the stars.” God created the universe, the earth and everything in it, the planets, and all the galaxies and stars. Our heavenly Father is magnificent, impressively beautiful and extravagant.
Eternal Beauty (Psalm 103)
The album’s title track was a humble attempt to convey God’s eternal beauty. How is this possible? Psalm 103 features the words, “O my soul, bless God. He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal. God is sheer mercy and grace. He is rich in love. As high as heaven is over the earth, so strong is His love to those who fear Him. God’s love is ever and always, eternally present to all who fear Him. So bless God. Oh my soul, bless God.”
Immersed in Light (Psalm 139)
How can we have a sense that we are immersed in God’s Light in such a broken and often dark world? Psalm 139 speaks to this, and the music is filled with light, rippling, sparkling, glimmering, shining, and rising to stir my heart toward God. Below are the key verses from Psalm 139 that jumped off the page as I was reading it over and over.
Ends of the Earth (Psalm 22)
There is a reason Ends of the Earth opens with a hint of sadness, featuring a clarinet solo. Psalm 22 begins with, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” These were Jesus’ words on the cross. Verse 2 says, “My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest.” I have felt this way before, haven’t you?
Oasis of Peace (Psalm 23)
Track seven Oasis of Peace is all about the last word in the song title—peace. God’s peace. Even though we all have this innate desire for peace, it is often elusive in such a busy and noisy world. The Eternal Beauty album project is the first time I had all the songs and titles in order from the very beginning, before I composed the first note.
Treasure in My Heart (Psalm 119)
Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible with 176 verses. What music would arise from so many verses? I read this over several times in different Bible versions, seeking God, searching for passages He was using to speak into my life, here and now. The title arose from verse 11, “I consider your Word to be my greatest treasure, and I treasure it in my heart."
Marvelous Love (Psalm 107)
The verse “So thank God for his marvelous love, for his miracle mercy to the children he loves” is repeated four times in The Message Bible paraphrase of Psalm 107. The opening verse reads, “Oh, thank God—he’s so good to us! His love never runs out.” The final verse says, “If you are really wise, you’ll think this over—it’s time you appreciated God’s deep love.”
Forgiven (Psalm 32)
Forgiven only has two instruments, the piano and cello (the cello is my second favorite orchestra instrument after the French horn). I wanted to express a deep and personal intimacy with God our Father, and a piano cello duet was the perfect musical combination. There is something special about the strings, and the marvel of the cello originating in 16th century northern Italy as part of the violin family.
But for a Moment (Psalm 39)
The introduction with heavenly choir and long orchestra notes signifies something powerful is about to be revealed. This song has a lyrical melody as the notes are singing the words, “but for a moment, pause in His presence” (verses 4 and 5). These two phrases happen to have the same number of syllables. The entire piece is built on this motif, worth repeating again. But for a moment. Pause in His presence.
Once Upon a Time (Psalm 90)
The final track had to be epic. Once Upon a Time is another way of saying from “Everlasting to everlasting” (Psalm 90:2, NIV). The introduction with solo trumpet, alto choir and orchestra strings beckons us to set our hearts on things above, not on earthly things (Colossians 3:2). God’s Eternal Beauty is so lavish and immeasurable the closing track features full orchestra, brass, strings, choirs, and huge percussion with multiple big drums.
Before You Were Born
Before You Were Born has been in my heart since last summer, when I read a book about the life of Jeremiah and was reminded how God knows us and sets us a part before we are born (Jeremiah 1:5). The idea evolved into my 16th album with the new composition Before You Were Born (Prelude) becoming the opening track, followed by a carefully ordered collection of twelve tracks. The subtitle Symphonic Meditations for Life's Seasons describes the prelude followed by four sets of three songs to represent spring, summer, fall, and winter.
O Come Let Us Adore Him
Throughout 2023 I knew I wanted to finish the year with a new Christmas recording. There are so many wonderful hymns and melodies composed over centuries of time. O Come Let Us Adore Him happened in 1743. I have fond memories of singing the first line at Christmas time since childhood, which is also the chorus for the Christmas hymn O Come All Ye Faithful. Both were written by John Francis Wade.
Solo Piano Dawn
This project fills my heart with joy and worship in gratitude to God for inspiring twelve new solo piano compositions in 2023. I am most grateful for who He is, and what He has done in my life. Jesus being both the Creator of the universe and my personal Savior and Lord is a miracle and mystery, which I have found to be true as I have investigated and experienced His grace, truth, and faithfulness.
Solo Piano Angels
Solo Piano Angels is a my first solo piano recording featuring the chorus melody from the song Bread of Angels, which was composed and released in 2011 on my seventh album A Thousand Years. The original version is a duet with piano and angelic vocals, with different themes for the introduction, verses, and ending. The main theme has always been so beautiful and powerful when the notes sing over my life. I am humbled and amazed when I pause to remember how God inspired the music.
Solo Piano Psalm
Solo Piano Psalm is a gentle piano journey, expressing life’s moments of peace, hope and beauty amidst the tension of the world’s noise, despair, and distress. It is a simple decision, but not an easy one, to thank God from a full heart, to embrace Him as my sanctuary, and to sing His love and faithfulness each day. I have provided three Psalms below for reflection, but I encourage you to read other Psalms in the Bible that are special to you, or you can just begin with Psalm 1 or Psalm 23.
Solo Piano Grace
The new song Solo Piano Grace expresses the peace, hope, and beauty God's grace brings to my life. The piano melody themes are simple and beautiful yet deep and powerful, much like God's grace and forgiveness of my sin, and the wonder of His love and faithfulness. As the years go by I am learning the amount of grace and forgiveness I give to others is a reflection of the grace and forgiveness I have received from Jesus.
All You Have in Mind
The new song All You Have in Mind may be my favorite of 2023 so far. It is filled with musical expressions of the peace, hope, wonder, refreshment, energy, and anticipation God wants me to experience to the fullest. This happens when I trust Him one day at a time for all that He has in mind to do in my life story. The inspirational verse is from 1 Samuel 14:7, "'Do all that you have in mind,' his (Jonathan's) armor-bearer said. 'Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.'" (NIV)