31 Days of December Peace: Day 8 ~ Wide Awake in December

December 8, 2014 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

Click above to listen to the original piano-flugel horn-vocals trio Shepherds and Stars as you read. This track is from 2009 Best Holiday Album December Peace (ZMR Awards, winning over Enya and Yo-Yo Ma). If you enjoy, please consider sampling and ordering the CD, MP3 Album or sheet music. You can also listen and download on iTunes and all other digital outlets.

This story is from 31 Days of December Peace (soft cover or eBook). Also available from Amazon Kindle, iTunes, and other e-Readers.

Where could you use some “December Peace” today?

“The glory of God is man fully alive.”

This quote from Irenaeus captures how December Peace speaks to me as a believer and as an artist. As a worship leader at a large church in northern California, the Christmas season is gloriously hectic! It is a frantic season filled with rehearsals, transcriptions, planning, scheduling, music, drama, video, gifts, services, services, services! Too many services! In the midst of this frenetic pace, December Peace helps me to slow down so that I can be fully alive – more fully engaged, spiritually and artistically, during this demanding time of year.

Our church had the privilege of inviting Stanton to perform some of the songs from December Peace during the 2009 Christmas season. I still have a vivid memory of listening to Shepherds and Stars while be captivated visually by the beautiful video graphic. It remains one of my most special Christmas memories, musically and visually.

Growing up as a young boy in South Carolina, I remember listening to Christmas albums every year as we hung the tree, put out decorations, and enjoyed the sweet taste of eggnog. Little Drummer Boy was always a favorite of mine. I would perk up when that song began to play on the turntable.

As a musician I love singing the lyrics in my mind to this classic song while the melody of Stanton’s arrangement resonates in my home or car. It creates a space for me to worship our wildly creative God who put the potential in the world for melody, the vibration of strings, the resonance of vocal cords, and the pulse of rhythms in 4/4 time. It all echoes the words of the psalmist as he declares: “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!” (Psalm 150:6).

With all of these thoughts and recollections it seems most fitting to describe December Peace as a summons; a gift that meets the deepest longing of our heart which is to be wide awake to God. In and around the frantic pace and the barrage of activity, December Peace slows us down and extends stillness and reflection.

It is an invitation to art and to worship.

How J.S. Bach Inspires Creativity

November 20, 2014 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

Click above to listen to Hymn to Bach from my 7th album A Thousand Years, featuring timeless classics and hymns. If you enjoy, please consider ordering the CD, MP3 Album, or sheet music from the A Thousand Years store page. You can also download on iTunes and all other digital outlets.

How can J.S. Bach’s creativity inspire yours?

Johann Sebastian Bach lived from 1685 to 1750 in Germany. His music is revered for its technical command, artistic beauty, and intellectual depth. There are over 1,100 known compositions. Somehow his music speaks to the soul, and I believe there is a reason why.

When I was taking twelve years of piano lessons from 1st through 12th grade, I was introduced to Bach’s Invention No. 8 when I was fourteen (also the year I wrote my first song). I knew this piece by memory for the next fifteen years, and would play it often. About ten years ago I came to deeply appreciate one of Bach’s greatest quotes…

“The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul.” Bach wrote the initials “S. D. G.” at the end of all his church compositions, and many others. This dedication meant Soli Deo Gloria (To the Glory of God Alone). Bach’s music still lifts the heart and energizes the soul, and Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring is still one of the most popular and well known wedding songs around the world today.

In tribute to Bach, I arranged Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring into my style blended with original composing. This solo piano piece opens my album December Peace (2009 Best Holiday Album, ZMR Awards). Listen to Jesu here. For the album A Thousand Years I arranged another famous Bach melody, Air on the G String, and combined this with the hymn Holy, Holy, Holy to honor Bach’s dedication Soli Deo Gloria. Listen to Hymn to Bach here.

I believe we all have one or two God-given gifts, passions and talents. Any number of skills and interests can be developed to become strengths, but when hard work and practice are put into something we love and are passionate about — and then we do this to the glory of God — the potential blessings are timeless and without limit.

What is your creative gift you are most passionate about?

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” — Isaiah 6:3

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.”

Gaining A Thousand Years

April 9, 2014 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

Click above to listen to A Thousand Years (title track from my album A Thousand Years) as you read. If you enjoy you can stream, download music, or find sheet music at the following links: A Thousand Years CD, MP3 Album, Piano Book, A Thousand Years PDF Sheet Music, iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, Pandora.

Could you use a little more time, like me?

Recently I composed a new song in about one hour, which is not typical. It was as though time stood still, or at least slowed down. Can you find the bumble bee in the image below? As I observed, I noticed the bee was not in a hurry. What if “A thousand years in your sight are like a day or a watch in the night” is true, as written in Psalm 90:4? If this was taken literally, if 1 day (24 hours) was like 1,000 years of time, then…

Half a day (12 hours) = 500 years
6 hours = 250 years
3 hours = 125 years
1 hour = 42 years
1 minute = 8 months
1 second = 4 days

Which of those is your favorite? As you begin your next one-hour project, think about this being the same as forty-two years from God’s point of view. This helps me maintain a long-term perspective regarding my daily to do list, big projects, relationships, and more. It means sometimes a whole lot of progress can happen in much less time than I expect. It also helps me keep things in perspective when they don’t seem to be moving along as quickly as I would like. Have you ever had “a thousand years are like a day” experience?

Sacred Mountain Moments

March 17, 2014 By Stanton Lanier 1 Comment

Click above to listen to Sacred Mountain (from my 8th album Open Spaces) as you read. If you enjoy you can stream, download music, or find sheet music at the following links: Open Spaces CD, MP3 Album, Piano Book, Desert Thirsty for Rain PDF Sheet Music, iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, Pandora.

Can you think of a recent experience you can connect with a childhood memory?

It was June 1974 when I first saw them. I was ten years old, and we were half way into our only cross country family vacation. North Carolina to Wyoming and back — by car. Our 1972 Buick Skylark was loaded to the brim. The trunk would barely close and the white carrier top held all our tent camping gear. I will always remember my first viewing of the Rocky Mountains. Driving west, watching them rise, and rise, and rise over the horizon left a mark. It was a sacred moment. There was a sense that only God could have created something so beautiful, so majestic. Being in the mountains always triggers a spiritual encounter for me.

These are things I reflected on as I was composing “Sacred Mountain,” inspired by 2 Peter 1:18. “We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.” What a scene it must have been when Jesus led Peter, James and John up a high mountain, and there was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, his clothes became as white as the light, and Moses and Elijah appeared, talking with Jesus. I believe God wants to reveal “sacred mountain” moments in our day-to-day life, but we have to have our hearts, ears, and minds open to “see” them.

What is a childhood experience you had that was “sacred” in your memories? Have you had a “sacred mountain” moment lately?

Spring 2013 Recording Sessions

May 1, 2013 By Stanton Lanier 2 Comments

A lot of exciting composing for the new album “Open Spaces” has been happening this year. I am excited to share this insider look into the creation of Music to Light the World’s eighth album, and to share behind the scenes video with you. Below is a 5-minute video collage from Monday and Tuesday, April 29-30, 2013 piano recordings and percussion overdubs, featuring samples of seven new pieces. I hope you enjoy!

Bursting with Possibility

September 12, 2012 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

I am feeling overwhelmed by having so much more than I can do right now. However, at the same time, life is bursting with possibility. How about you? Are you feeling overwhelmed, and burdened by impossibility? Or, are you feeling overwhelmed, and bursting with possibility? A swim, a phone call to a friend, and a morning snack created an “aha” moment today…

“How can my life story have more plentiful juice with a refreshingly sweet tang?”

Clementine – Bursting with Possibility

This morning I swam 60 laps (about 3/4 mile). I was feeling great, partly I’m sure, from the endorphins produced by the exercise. There was a sense this was so worth while. That the “lost time” of working out would more than make up for itself. The day ahead was filled with possibility.

After the swim, I was prompted to call a friend and connect with his story. He is beginning a new adventure, so I wanted to encourage him. He is a great storyteller and has helped me tell better stories. His heart was so filled with possibility for his future, the stories were just flowing out of him. It was so worthwhile, and I knew the time would be redeemed. He was filling my cup with possibility.

When I got home to start my work day, I was planning a “snack reward” for my swim – a Crunchy Peanut Butter Clif Bar (they were on a really good sale at Walmart). Before I could grab one, my wife said I should have a piece of fruit. I knew she was right. I went for a Clementine, a tiny tangerine that peels really easily and is bursting with juice and flavor (I have to admit, I ate it in one bite). As soon as it burst into juice and flavor in my mouth, I realized even in the midst of an overwhelming to do list, today was bursting with possibility.

Read this definition of a Clementine and relate it to your life story today…Also known as the Algerian tangerine, Clementines are the crown jewel of the Mandarin Citrus Family. Originating in North Africa (now also grown in California and Florida), this is the best loved mandarin orange. A hybrid between an orange and mandarin or tangerine, this variety is seedless, smaller in size, has thinner membranes, and more plentiful juice with a refreshingly sweet tang.

Are you feeling overwhelmed like me? Don’t be burdened by what is “impossible.” Will you join me in remembering that every day is bursting with possibility? How can this help you live a better story?

“…With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” – Matthew 19:26

How High Is Your Altitude?

August 17, 2012 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

How has the quality of your creativity been lately? How about the quality of life in general? I heard a statement yesterday that caught me by surprise.

Altitude Inspires

I had the privilege of hearing Asha Chaudhary speak, Visionary and President of Jaipur Rugs. She shared at Plywood Presents, a conference for creatives and innovators. Jaipur Rugs is India’s largest hand-knotted rug manufacturer. In a Q and A session, Asha said that the highest quality wool in the world came from New Zealand. She said, “The higher the altitude, the better the raw materials.”

I was awestruck because I immediately asked myself, “How is my altitude?” For me this means how well am I doing at surrendering? At trusting? At looking up? At living by faith? At keeping things in perspective? Then I thought, “How are my raw materials doing?” How are my levels of creativity and innovation? Mental and physical input and output? How about relationships, ideas, service to others, loving others? And I realized the higher my altitude, the better the raw materials. Wow. It was a great moment.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Have a great weekend, and may your “altitude” and “raw materials” prosper! Grace and Peace…

Ancient Paths – My First MP3 Single

August 7, 2012 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

“Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls” (Jeremiah 6:16, about 600 B.C.).

Today – a new MP3 single release. Two months ago – no idea a song would be created that expressed this ancient verse. Here is it how it happened and what it means to me… ~ photo credits to my gifted friend Craig Corbin – www.craigcorbinphotography.com

In May a couple who has supported Music to Light the World for many years, made it possible for me to replace a 12-year old keyboard (my first 3 of 7 albums were created and recorded on this). I ordered a new Yamaha synthesizer and it arrived about a week later. In the first hour of playing around with the incredible piano sounds and endless mixing combinations, a new song was born (coming later). In the second hour, another new song was born that became Ancient Paths. The melody came quickly, and some surrounding variations surfaced during a few more short sessions at the keyboard. I knew it was complete in early July and was hoping to release my first MP3 single.

Today it happened. Here are a few thoughts on what it means to me…

Using our creative gifts feeds our heart, which then overflows in service to others
Things happen little by little, one step, one day at at a time; have patience; be thankful
“Stand at the crossroads and look” What decision are you facing today? The melody opens with a pattern of plodding through life, step by step, looking for the path.
“Ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is” The melody sweetens as the good way is revealed with a sense of striding in it. What have you learned from history, from ancient paths, others who have gone before you? King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 3:11 that God planted eternity in the human heart. Have you thought of eternity as a “good way” before? What a mystery that we are “wired” to seek eternal life.
“and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.” The musical combinations have an overriding hope to receive peace and rest. Walking through life, looking, plodding, finding the good way, smiling, striding, glowing.

Augustine wrote around 400 A.D. “God, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you.” What are you restless about in your life right now? How can you ask where the good way is, and walk in it? This really tests my faith at times. “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you” (James 4:8). I love this promise. I need rest for my soul today. How about you?

Thanks for “listening” to some of the depth behind a piano melody that married to its title, Ancient Paths. I would love to hear from you with thoughts on this new piece of music, as well as the questions above. The MP3 is available at stantonlanier.com, and worldwide on iTunes, Amazon and all other digital outlets. Grace and peace until next time…

How the Song Bread of Angels Happened

July 11, 2012 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

The heart of this longer than average post is “Where do you most need provision in your life today?” Whether you are musical, creative, or moved by this question, I hope this inspires your life and spiritual journey… Below are brief highlights from the six months (December 2010 through May 2011) it took Bread of Angels to go from an idea to a recorded song. It became a favorite from the album A Thousand Years, is heard on Sirius-XM Spa, Music Choice Soundscapes, and is a Top 3 iTunes song download from all my albums. It’s a story of amazing provision…

Bread of Angels is on the album A Thousand Years

December, 2010 – At home in Atlanta. A new melody begins with inspiration from Psalm 78. It’s sounding like a good one. No title as of yet. January 6, 2011 – At home in Atlanta. I have been meditating on the psalmist’s words “…he rained down manna for the people to eat, he gave them the grain of heaven. Men ate the bread of angels; he sent them all the food they could eat.” (Psalm 78:24-25). This reminds me to look back on 2010 with remembrance and gratitude…for provision, blessings, memories and even the struggles. In the first week of 2011 I have been coming to terms with surrendering the New Year. For me, this means deeper trust, child-like anticipation, sometimes running, sometimes walking, sometimes waiting, and replacing self-sufficiency with dependence on God. February-March, 2011 – Atlanta. Lots of piano practice, new composing, and making changes to compositions that I expect to be on the new album A Thousand Years. There is a sense that Bread of Angels will be something very special with Noah Wilding’s vocals. March 18, 2011 – Atlanta. It’s been a busy week with Music to Light the World and family activities. I recorded several demos for the new album A Thousand Years, including new originals Always in Blossom (Psalm 1) and Bread of Angels (Psalm 78:25), as well as original work blended with unique arrangements of Amazing Grace, The Doxology (a piece titled For a Lifetime Blessings Flow), Pachelbel’s Canon in D, and Bach’s Air on G String. Some Oswald Chambers thoughts that really spoke to me this week are, “Huge waves that would frighten an ordinary swimmer produce a tremendous thrill for the surfer who has ridden them. I must maintain an adventurous attitude toward God, despite any potential personal risk. The secret of walking by faith is showing no concern for the uncertainties that lie ahead.” April 12, 2011 – Imaginary Road Studio Day 2. Started through the Psalms this morning before my first day in the studio. Finished recording three songs today: 1) Always in Blossom (Psalm 1 . . . you thrill to God’s Word, you chew on Scripture day and night. You’re a tree replanted in Eden, bearing fresh fruit every month. Never dropping a leaf, always in blossom), 2) Across the Skies, featuring interpretations on Pachelbel’s Canon in D (Psalm 19 . . . God’s glory is on tour in the skies, His Word vaults across the skies), and 3) Bread of Angels (Psalm 78 . . . They ate the bread of the mighty angels; he sent them all the food they could eat). Tired and ready for rest. Grateful for life’s blessings and looking forward to tomorrow. April 14, 2011 – Imaginary Road Studio Day 4. Today stretched me out of my comfort zone, as producer Will Ackerman and engineer Corin Nelsen challenged and guided me. Two pieces I knew I wanted to record both required more composing in a search of music that would be unique. The first was Chopin’s Prelude in E Minor. This piece expresses the shedding of tears during life’s moments of sadness. It is set between original opening and closing phrases inspired by a passage in the book of Job to represent hope. The second was the hymn Amazing Grace, which is interwoven with an original melody called World of Wonders after Psalm 98:1. It took several hours to discover the final outcome. We finished the day recording the angelic vocal colors of Noah Wilding to accompany World of Wonders as well as Bread of Angels. April 15, 2011 – Imaginary Road Studio Day 5. It was a beautiful clear, cool, blue sky day in Vermont. Today was another new experience, stretching my composing to be more improvisational. This happened with two pieces recorded today…the title track A Thousand Years that interweaves original music inspired by Psalm 90:4 with Mozart’s famous Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star melody and the hymn It Is Well With My Soul, and a unique combination of J.S. Bach’s Air on G with the hymn Holy, Holy, Holy. We also listened back and were powerfully moved by the vocals that are being mixed with Amazing Grace / World of Wonders and Bread of Angels. April 20, 2011 – Imaginary Road Studio Day 9. The 9th and final day of this adventure was spent mixing tracks in the studio. The variety, beauty and emotion of this new music is rich and soothing. I am just beginning to be able to listen from a perspective that is outside the studio, where piano, vocals, English horn and guitar were all recorded. Here are the 12 tentative track names…Across the Skies, World Of Wonders, Vive La Joye, A Thousand Years, Hymn To Bach, Bread of Angels, For A Lifetime Blessings Flow, Always in Blossom, Be Still My Soul, Shedding Tears With Chopin, Prelude in C and Alleluias Dancing. Six of the greatest classical composers and seven famous hymns are represented in the arrangements, which interweave original composing throughout. Next week the CD mastering will be completed, then music samples can be put up on the website while CDs are being manufactured for the May 20th official release.