5 Reasons to Pause and Breathe

November 7, 2017 By Stanton Lanier 4 Comments

Click above to stream the song Breathe as you read. I am also including the Breathe music video at the bottom, so you can use it to “pause and breathe” for further reflection.

How is pausing to “breathe” beneficial to you?

An amazing story happened during the filming of the Breathe music video. For 24 hours I put aside my “to do” list and unplugged from all technology while in the mountains of western North Carolina. I needed and wanted some “breathing room” to convey the essence of this song musically and visually. My original idea was to go deep into an old forest with huge trees, since trees help us breathe by producing oxygen. After some hiking and scouting, the plan shifted. It was a little unsettling at first, but taking time to pause, to breathe in this moment, led to a surprising discovery…

Back at the entrance to the historic forest, there were two signs. The first indicated the mileage to a lookout point. The second said “No Outlet.” My friend and camera man agreed we should go exploring, to see if we might discover an even better (perhaps even the best) music video location. We were blown away, and couldn’t wait to start filming at sunrise the next morning.

The image above is just a glimpse of the beauty and wonder we experienced, and I believe you will love the Breathe music video footage. Below are “5 Reasons to Pause and Breathe” from this story, which may be helpful with your creativity or in your life today:

To help you clarify a creative vision and dream to make a positive difference in people’s lives.
To embrace flexibility, waiting to see what is revealed, is part of going from good, to better, to God’s very best.
To take calculated risks (seeing what is down a “no outlet” road) is part of experiencing God’s awe and wonder.
To grow in surrender. “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” Proverbs 16:9 (NKJV)
To allow beauty to lead to worship. “I bless God every chance I get…I live and breathe God…” Psalm 34:1-2 (MSG)

Which “reason to pause and breathe” speaks most to you right now?

Power of Being before Doing

October 31, 2017 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

Click above to stream Counting the Sand of the Sea from my 10th album Climb to the Sky as you read…

Have you experienced the transforming power of Being before Doing?

In March 2006 our house was robbed. It was the middle of the day. Our son and daughter were at elementary school, and my wife and I were out. A neighbor said they saw a person standing at our front door, who appeared to be soliciting. Instead they were the lookout, while a team of robbers broke in a back window, tore through our house in a few minutes, and stole everything they could find that was small and valuable. My wife and I were wearing our wedding rings, and I was at a meeting with my notebook computer, but otherwise $10,000 of jewelry and cameras — even the money in our kids’ piggy banks — was gone for good. All the sentimental value of each item was lost. Even many years later, this is a painful memory. It took time for me to surrender my anger and frustration to God, and to fully forgive these people.

I believe there is a key element of our lives we can be robbed of every day if we’re not careful. It’s the practice and discipline of “Being before Doing.” It seems like a small thing, but it’s actually huge and has great value. In our “doing” we should not settle for results that are only good or better, when God’s “very best” is available to us. His best outcomes are the “much fruit” Jesus promises in John 15:5 if we abide in Him.

According to Nielsen Research, the average American spends about 11 hours a day staring at a screen. We know we use our screens for work and leisure, but some of our screen time is robbing us of “Being” time. This leads to God’s “much fruit” being stolen from our “Doing” time.

I captured the below photo during a recent family hike in Arches National Park, Utah. We totally unplugged for five days of fall vacation. A few days after getting home, God revealed an entire new song within a few hours, which is much faster than normal. It was one of those “watch this” moments where He demonstrated how after some quality “being” time, He can “do” things very quickly and powerfully. Instead of more striving we need more abiding and being, so God can do the striving and doing for us.

Do you maintain a healthy pattern of “Being Before Doing?” This most likely requires you to unplug from every device, or at least go offline. When was the last time you invested one hour, or maybe even one day or one week, to just “be” and not “do”?

Do you routinely have a clear sense of hearing God’s voice in your life? Of knowing what He wants you to do next? Of knowing when He checks your spirit, and lets you know to wait?

I love Frederick Buechner’s quote, “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” Ravi Zacharias reminds us there are great needs in the world, but God asks only that we take on our portion.

We all have a special purpose to make a positive difference in the world, to bring hope and healing to people’s lives. However, only God can bear 100% of humanity’s pain and suffering, the ways we judge, compare, hurt or think wrongfully of each other instead of loving, serving, and encouraging one another. Only God has the bandwidth to provide 100% of the hope, healing, and leadership needed to transform our lives and the lives He touches through us.

So what is your portion? Have you unplugged and asked Him? Have you quieted your world, eliminated all distractions, and asked God to help you hear His voice? What He wants you to do next?

Picture me holding up a DSLR camera with a large lens. Let the DSLR camera represent our Being. Now, think of me holding up my phone beside the DSLR camera. Let the phone symbolize our Doing. This word picture has a lot of depth and meaning. Think about how investing in the value of our Being (the high resolution, focus, and magnification) powers the fruitfulness of our Doing (daily tasks, projects, and applications to make a positive difference).

How could you benefit from some “being” time right now?

An Invitation from Dawn and Dusk

October 24, 2017 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

Click above to stream Dawn and Dusk Take Turns Calling as you read. For additional reflection, I am also including the music video at the bottom, which was filmed during sunset in a south Georgia pecan grove.

Which is most inviting to you — a beautiful sunrise or a beautiful sunset?

This is not an easy one for me. I love both, don’t you? If I must choose, I would make a beautiful sunrise a slight favorite. I have seen several over the past year. The most memorable were from an ocean shore or from a hilltop or mountain view. Maybe the awe and wonder of a sunrise comes from being rewarded with such beauty, after making the extra effort to rise early in the morning. Or, maybe it is the grace and hope, the new beginnings, symbolized in every sunrise.

Sunsets don’t require us to rise early, but to patiently watch and wait at day’s end. They can be just as beautiful, or sometimes even more beautiful than a sunrise. As long as you can see the horizon, with an unobstructed view, there is always a chance to behold a wonderful sight. The awe of a sunset could come from the sense of ending a day peacefully. Perhaps we have worked hard on a project or rested well on a vacation. Or, maybe it is the grace and hope in storybook endings, in finishing well, embodied in every sunset.

One of my favorite pieces from my newest album Climb to the Sky is titled Dawn and Dusk Take Turns Calling. I loved this phrase the moment I came across it in Psalm 65. Even more suitable, the psalmist writes what dawn and dusk take turns calling — “Come and worship.” Perhaps this is the nudge we are feeling when a beautiful sunrise or sunset takes our breath away…our hearts are being invited to come and worship God.

How does Psalm 65:8 inspire you today?

“Far and wide they’ll come to a stop, they’ll stare in awe, in wonder. Dawn and dusk take turns calling, ‘Come and worship.’” — Psalm 65:8 (The Message)

“The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.” — Psalm 65:8 (NIV)