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

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

Rivers of Light – A Piano Prayer

June 6, 2014 By Stanton Lanier 10 Comments

Click above to listen to Rivers of Light from Unveiled as your background reading music (piano and flugel horn duet with Jeff Oster). If you enjoy, consider purchasing the song, album download, or CD from Amazon, iTunes, or stantonlanier.com (where sheet music is also available).

Have you counted your “rivers of light” blessings lately?

Here is why I ask. When I was creating Rivers of Light there were two inspirational verses behind the notes. Whenever I play this piece in concert with its custom video of a north Georgia waterfall and river, it is like a piano prayer — here is why.

The first verse, which is lyrical, meaning the piano is actually singing these words, is from Isaiah 65:24: “Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.” When a friend introduced this verse to me, I was blown away. God knows the prayers in my heart before I even call to Him. And He hears my prayers before I am finished speaking to Him. Wow. Take a moment to pause and open your heart to Him, to speak with Him, to listen for His answer.

The second verse is the overall theme for this song, and encourages me to count life’s blessings. “Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light.” (James 1:17) This was captured in the CD liner notes: “Desirable and beneficial gifts from heaven are painted in this song as rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light.” Take a moment to pause and give thanks to God.

How does this “piano prayer” speak into your story today?

How Do You Awaken the Dawn?

June 2, 2014 By Stanton Lanier 4 Comments

Click above to listen to Awaken the Dawn from Unveiled as your background reading music (piano and five guest artist ensemble). If you enjoy, consider purchasing the song, album download, or CD from Amazon, iTunes, or stantonlanier.com (where sheet music is also available).

How will you “awaken the dawn” today?

For me, every sunrise ushers in a feeling of hope, a sensation of awakening with passion for a new day, a summons for gratitude in spite of my struggles. I love to watch and photograph sunrises like the one below, but there is a catch. I have to wake up very early, and get in position. Writing these two steps created an “aha” moment. Here is what I mean…

Breaking down “Wake Up Early”
Wake — This reminds me to breath in God’s attributes of true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy. Not just to survive, but to thrive. Up — This reminds me which way to look for instruction, guidance, wisdom, and when life gets me down. Early — This reminds me, as though I were treasuring a live sunrise, to treasure God’s grace and to give Him thanks first (early) each morning. One of my favorite quotes is, “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive” (Wild at Heart by John Eldredge).

Breaking down “Get In Position”
Get — This reminds me of my responsibility for my posture toward God, people, and tasks. Instead of “get” illustrating selfishness, I want it to be about what Paul says in Matthew 6:31 (The Message): 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. In – This reminds me be “in” the moment, to be ready, to nurture my inside (private) heart life in order to experience a more fruitful outside (public) living. Position — This reminds me I have a role in the story, a part to play, a position to take in today’s story God is writing (for example: husband, father, child, brother, leader, co-worker). You can fill in the positions He has for you.

How can you better “awaken the dawn” tomorrow?

“My heart, O God, is steadfast; I will sing and make music with all my soul. Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.” — Psalm 108:1-2.

Thanking Our Mom – Happy Mother's Day Weekend

May 9, 2014 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

Click above to listen to More Precious from the album Still Waters. I wrote this love song for my wife in 2002. She is an amazing wife and mother, two things which are precious, and priceless. Mother’s Day expanded my thinking to allow this love song to be for moms as well, so feel free to share this special Mother’s Day blog post with streaming music above, and special video below.

Have you thought of your wife or mother as “more precious than jewels?” An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. Proverbs 31:10 (ESV)

I am thankful to still have my mom in my life. She taught me a lot of things that have traveled the years with me: share kindness, give encouragement, enjoy creativity, have fun, honor and respect others, laugh out loud, cry when you need to, bake blackberry cobbler like this (with the family recipe), love and trust God in life. These are just a few. She has also loved me, prayed for me, believed in me, and encouraged me. I am thankful and will always remember her caring, her character, and many special memories we share. All of these things are “more precious than jewels” (and rise above past disagreements or arguments).

Below is a special love song music video called Pure Fountain. If you are a mom, take in the music and text as a love song from God to you. His heart is filled with love, grace, and forgiveness toward you as a mother and in your life. If you want to say “thank you” or “I love you” to your mom, consider sharing this video link with her as an expression of your appreciation.

What is one special thing you can say or do to let your wife know, or your mom know, she is precious and priceless?

10th Anniversary Celebration

April 29, 2014 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

Click the player above to stream Peace as your background music. If you enjoy, consider supporting through iTunes, Amazon, or stantonlanier.com (where sheet music is also available).

Peace was inspired in 2004, the year Music to Light the World was founded. That year my wife and I, and a support team around us, took a big leap of faith. Music to Light the World is a non-profit ministry with a mission to be a leading instrument for God’s peace, rest, hope and healing in the church, the cultural arts, and the lives of cancer patients. As we prepare for a 10th Anniversary Gala this fall, I wanted to share the 2014 Vision and Mission poster below. Please take a moment to be inspired by the stories and impact that God has made possible.

I invite you to play a role in the story as we launch into the next ten years. Peace was the foundation for Music to Light the World’s Get Music Give Hope program, where generous donors and supporting customers help one CD be given away for every one purchased. Over 50,000 CDs have been donated to cancer patients and their families around the world so far, touching 500,000 lives as relatives, friends, and caregivers hear the music. Our dream is to give away 1 million CDs and MP3 Albums by 2024 to cancer patients and others in need, touching 10 million lives with a message of hope and healing.

Has the melody Peace or Music to Light the World touched your life in a special way?

Rejoicing

April 21, 2014 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

Click above to listen to Rejoicing from Open Spaces as you read (in this post I suggest a way to listen down below). If you enjoy the music, please consider supporting by visiting stantonlanier.com, iTunes, or Amazon.

Can you think of something that reminds you to rejoice?

One of these for me is the azalea flower. Azaleas are flowering shrubs native to several continents including Asia, Europe and North America. They are planted abundantly as ornamentals in the southeastern United States, southern Asia, and parts of southwest Europe. This global presence of azaleas gave me an idea. This beautiful flower that reminds me to rejoice, also represents a oneness all of humanity shares — a longing for rejoicing and true joy. Azaleas come in many varieties and colors. Every April we have several blooming around our house, as seen in this just-taken photo collage.

Life’s roller coaster ride brings both joy and struggle. Azaleas remind me to find rejoicing during the ups and the downs. When I composed the song Rejoicing, I created a more open space in the middle to represent seasons of waiting, moments of uncertainty, and times of conflict, when I wonder if and when rejoicing will come. Listen to the music of Rejoicing, and meditate on the music of life. Try letting the piano illustrate the journey, and the cello symbolize God’s grace along the way.

During Easter yesterday my heart and soul were stirred with rejoicing in Jesus’s resurrection, which is filled with the promise of new and eternal life. Oswald Chambers has a great reflection rooted in the following verse: “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11).

“The joy of Jesus was His absolute self-surrender and self-sacrifice to His Father — the joy of doing that which the Father sent Him to do. Living a full and overflowing life does not rest in bodily health, in circumstances, nor even in seeing God’s work succeed, but in the perfect understanding of God, and in the same fellowship and oneness with Him that Jesus Himself enjoyed.” (from Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, August 31st reading).

Have you seen anything today that reminded you to rejoice?

Shadows into Light

April 18, 2014 By Stanton Lanier 2 Comments

Click above to listen to Shadows into Light from Open Spaces as you read. If you enjoy the music, please consider supporting by visiting stantonlanier.com, iTunes, or Amazon.

“He reveals the deep things of darkness, and brings deep shadows into the light.” – Job 12:22

This will be a first to share a few words on Good Friday, which Wikipedia defines this way…

“Good Friday is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of Passover.”

When I was composing Shadows into Light I wasn’t thinking of Good Friday. However, there is a connection. The piano in Shadows into Light goes back and forth between the darkness inside us and the light that God offers through His son. Jesus dying on the cross for our sin was the ultimate conversion of shadows into light. Interestingly, recently I saw this unique art below at Wheaton College during a Chicago concert trip. It allows you to go through the shadows of the cross into the light of the cross.

Wherever this meets you in your story today, whether life seems more in the “shadows” or in the “light” right now, I pray the blend of piano, light percussion, and keyboard, brings you hope and lifts your spirit. Does this music or reflection speak to you in a special way? If so, I would love to hear from you, and will respond personally.

May the light of Jesus shine on your Good Friday, your Easter weekend, and in your heart.

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” – Isaiah 53:5-6

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?

Tenor Plah

April 7, 2014 By Stanton Lanier 2 Comments

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

It’s a rainy day in Atlanta this morning as I write. This “Tenor Plah” idea is a good one for rainy days, but can be applied any time when your spirit needs a lift. Sometimes rainy days — or life — can bring me down, if I allow my thoughts to spiral down a negative path. Before I share what “Tenor Plah” helps me remember, here is a list of “rainy day” words for consideration — Faithless, unimpressive, inopportune, polluted, ugly, deplorable. How did those impact your outlook? They are the opposites of the words I am about to share.

The words “Tenor Plah” help me remember “…whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.” “Tenor Plah” represents the acronym “TNR PLA” from these six key words found in Philippians 4:8. Thinking about such things always helps me have a better perspective on rainy days, and life. So, whether it’s rainy, cloudy, snowy or sunny as you read this, consider filing “Tenor Plah” in your memory bank, so you can apply this whenever needed. What is something true, noble, right, pure, lovely, or admirable you have noticed today?