Stanton Lanier / Sky Whisper Sound, LLC

Scripture inspired piano to refresh your spirit

Mocah Cream Cake = Peace and Joy

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I was just starting my morning and got a call from my brother. He said, “Happy Birthday!” (it’s my 48th today) and shared he woke up thinking about me. He said it’s interesting how as we get older others mean more and we mean less. He elaborated, “Our younger days are often more self focused and self serving. As we get older, life is more about our relationships with others, and serving others before ourselves.” “Wow,” I said. “That’s today’s blog post.”

Below are some short reflections to help you think about your life story and living it well. But first, I wanted you to see my Mocah Cream Birthday Cake.

Mocah Cream Cake

My wife has been making this for me since 1990, the year we were married. Today I will cut a big slice of my 23rd Mocha Cream Cake. Peace and Joy! When my brother talked about how our perspective changes through the years, I was stirred to remember what was happening in my life from age 8 to 48.

  • Age 8. Third grade. Beginning to grow out of stuttering as a child. Still struggling with my R’s and W’s. The word “reward” bugs me to this day. Very shy. A few neighborhood friends. Playing little league baseball and basketball. Third year of piano lessons. Elton John’s song “Rocket Man” was a hit.
  • Age 18. Graduated high school. Started freshman year at Georgia Tech. Had written 15 songs and had 10th and 12th grade piano recitals. Scored 30 points in a high school basketball game. Very special friends and memories. By faith, had trusted God’s gift of forgiveness and salvation through Jesus.
  • Age 28. Second wedding anniversary. Had an MBA. Started my third job. Striving for success by the world’s standards. Wanted to be a real estate investor, entrepreneur. Had not surrendered my life and career fully to God. Started studying the Bible with my wife.
  • Age 38. Fulfilled and on purpose as a financial planner (after “career surrender” at age 30). About to release my second instrumental piano album. Starting to wonder if music was what I was supposed to do. Living for significance was now more important than success. Longing to hear God’s voice.
  • Age 48. Precious memories and relationships looking back. Top priority to be a loving and leading husband and dad. Not taking life as seriously as I once did. More tears. More joy. More adventure. More wonder. More uncertainty. Grateful for every day. Living in the present. Excited about the future!

How about you? Does your life story have peace and joy today? Who or what needs your focus to live a great story, to serve others well? I’d love to hear your thoughts…

What Are Your Yellow Ribbons?

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When I was in 8th grade, I wanted to win the school spelling bee and make it on the Tonight Show as the U.S. National Spelling Bee Champion. I misspelled the first word. I can still remember my favorite English teacher calling out the word, “execute.” I spelled it e-x-i-c-u-t-e. I was devastated. Later that school year I played Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree on the piano for the 8th grade talent show. This was a good life changing moment. I think you’ve had some of these too. There is something you can do with them to inspire your life today. Let me explain.

Tie A Yellow Ribbon

Stanton Lanier – 8th Grade Talent Show

It was my mom’s idea. She said I should put yellow ribbons all over me as part of my outfit for the talent show. I was nervous, but I went through with it. Everyone loved it. I won third place, if I remember correctly. But this was a “first place” moment in believing I could accomplish something. The spelling bee experience had shattered my public speaking confidence. My “Yellow Ribbons” helped me realize anything is possible.

Did you have a “Yellow Ribbon” moment while growing up? It may have been a coach or teacher that really believed in you. Someone who told you “You can do it.” I had some who did, and some who didn’t. To inspire your life today, and increase your confidence, recall one of your “Yellow Ribbon” moments. Take yourself back into the scene. Listen for the sounds, smell the air, visualize it. Now mix this with some childlike faith, such as “with God all things are possible,” and apply this to a current project, relationship, or dream you have. Keep a long-term mindset and take things one day at a time. But most of all, keep believing!

I would love to hear about one of your “Yellow Ribbon” moments, or if these thoughts give you inspiration for something you are working on.

 

Seize the Moment

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One of my favorite photo moments so far in 2012 happened this past spring. I was waiting in the car during a spring rain and noticed surprising beauty on the windshield. The camera focused on the windshield raindrops, with trees out in the background. This reminds me to focus on the present (to seize the moment), yet to be mindful of the future (but not overly worried about it).

Seize the Moment

Are you focusing on the present?

Are you seizing the moments in each day’s adventure? What is something you are working on that is making you focus on the now, and requiring you to let go of future results?

P.S. I took several shots that day, and included a different one in a post called “Living in the Present” back on May 2, 2012. http://www.stantonlanierblog.com/2012/05/02/living-in-the-present/

How High Is Your Altitude?

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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 Inspiration

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…

Podcast #1: Vive La Joye – The Sweetgum Tree

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I am very excited to share my very first podcast with through this blog post! I have wanted to do this for a long time. The idea is to provide you with an extended “concert moment,” with three ways to experience peace and rest, inspiration and creativity in your life today:

Part 1 – You will hear a short, personal life story to inspire your journey.
Part 2 – You will be able to listen to a full-length melody to help you pause and reflect on a specific aspect of your life.
Part 3 – You will be able to consider a few questions to encourage and challenge you to live a better story.

Stanton Lanier, The Sweetgum Tree

Sweet gum photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/14083893

I started piano lessons at age six, growing up in North Carolina. There was a giant sweet gum tree across the street from our house. It seemed a hundred feet high. I didn’t know it then, but climbing to the top was stirring a longing for wonder and adventure in life. This got pressed down as I got older and struggled to find safety, security and success.

I hope you will make the time to listen. It may stir up some great memories of your childhood. Maybe there is something it will encourage you to pursue. Something good and true you have thought about doing for a long time. I would love to hear your comments and will respond personally…

[buzzsprout episode=’56615′ player=’true’]

Lessons from Mangrove Trees

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Mangrove Tree

I had some family vacation time last week and got to kayak in some southwest Florida island waters, weaving through thousands of Mangrove trees. It reminded me of a few things I had learned in the past. Here is how the trees “spoke” to me:

  • My “roots” (private life – quiet time, solitude, surrender to God) are vital for my energy, impact and purpose in public life. Mangrove tree roots grow down from the branches, gradually expanding the tree’s base. This is how many coastal islands around the world were formed. It’s amazing to see this up close.
  • My “branches” (public life – relationships, serving others, making a difference) are dependent on nourishment from my “roots.” I can’t spend all my time on the branches, or else I will grow weary or burned out. I also can’t focus all my time on the roots, or I am only growing inwardly, without touching lives outwardly. It is a delicate balance much like the life of the mangrove tree.
  • My “progress” (growth in relationships, work, personal, health, etc.) takes place gradually over time. “Little by little” is one of my mottos. Life is more of a marathon than a sprint. There is a sense of urgency to do what I am called to do, but this is tempered with “active patience,” waiting, resting, trusting as I am doing. There is a greater sense of abiding (an open hands posture of receiving) than striving (a clenched fists, gritted teeth posture of achieving). Mangrove trees make progress over time.

How are you doing with your roots? How about with your branches, your progress?             I would love to hear your thoughts and comments about ways you nurture these in your life, or how this has challenged you to grow in this.

Ancient Paths – My First MP3 Single

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“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…

Don't Wait

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“If you’re waiting to do something with your spouse, don’t wait.” These words rocked my world in the final hour of a men’s weekend retreat in May 2008. Even if you’re not married, read on. All of us are waiting to do something. Maybe you’ve waited long enough.

The SoulyBusiness.com retreat had brought several powerful moments. I thought I had experienced all that God was going to do. Then, during a talk titled “Finishing Well” these words cut straight to my heart. The speaker told a story about a very successful Texas chicken farmer, who had died suddenly from a heart attack. At his funeral service, his wife said, “If your waiting to do something with your spouse, don’t wait.”

Ever since 1995, for thirteen years, my wife and I had received a newsletter twice each year inviting us to consider a trip to Greece and Turkey. They were always mailed from the same couple who had led a group of twenty people, including us, on a spring 1995 pilgrimage to Israel. That experience was unforgettable. We had never seen the Bible come so alive and be confirmed so incredibly – geographically, archaeologically, and spiritually.

We knew the Greece-Turkey would be just as amazing. It was called The Journey’s of Paul. The itinerary included Athens, Corinth, Ephesus, the island of Patmos where John wrote Revelation, Instanbul and much more. It just wasn’t practical. In the 1990s we both worked and it was just us. No kids. But from 1995 to 2005 our two children were born and unexpected career curve ball was pitched to us. In 2004 I left a ten-year financial planning job to found Music to Light the World and become a full-time pianist and composer. Since then, our finances had been “just in time” with no surplus.

When the “don’t wait” words stirred my heart with such clarity, I sensed God whispering, “Take a leap of faith. Trust me. You’ve waited long enough. It’s time to do this thing with your wife. Go on the Greece-Turkey trip.” It was crazy from a worldly perspective. I would have to make a withdrawal from my IRA, paying a 10% penalty and income taxes on the entire amount. Yet, there I stood. After each talk there was a space for a few men to speak their mind. For the first time during the weekend I was telling eighty guys what had just happened. Apparently we were supposed to take this trip, and not wait. But we were living month-to-month, and our only savings was in retirement accounts. And, I was a former financial planner and would be withdrawing the cost of the trip from my IRA (the room erupted with laughter at this point). Yes, God does have a sense of humor!

I have found when we move forward by faith, things start to line up. They don’t line up in advance. All the steps are not clear if we over wait. But when we follow God’s nudges, He reveals things little by little. Like the $1,000 down payment toward our trip that was a gift from a complete stranger at the retreat, who heard my story and just “happened” to have been assigned the job of praying for me in secret the entire weekend. Like the fact that our parents’ schedules were open so they could stay at our house with the kids. It was stunning to witness all that took place. This story alone is one reason I live by faith in a God who loves us more than we can imagine. Even when life doesn’t make sense. Even when I have my doubts. Isaiah 41:10 says, “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

What are you waiting to do? Don’t wait too long. Just do it.

Don’t Wait

How the Song Bread of Angels Happened

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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.

How to Live an Unforgettable Life

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“Who has had the most influence in you life? For me, it was my dad and Frank Stanton Bondurant, my mother’s father. 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. He was quite a storyteller.

Daddy B was an only child. His parents both died before their 42nd birthday, so he didn’t think he would live past that age. They both played piano, but he was a gifted violinist.  He played high school football when there were no face masks, just a thin leather helmet. He broke both eyebrow bones and both collar bones. He loved to play games and tell jokes. If you said, “Please pass the cereal,” he would throw you the box! He introduced me to fig preserves and Mama B’s blackberry cobbler. 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.  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.  Incredibly, we were on the way to his funeral when this happened.

“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 saw him. These are only a few of my memories of this beloved man of character, passion and faith. I loved Daddy B and will never forget him.

I think what made Daddy B’s life unforgettable to me is how he lived life to the fullest, and how he was fully engaged in life’s moments. Who was (or is) a “Daddy B” for you?  For whom can you be a “Daddy B” as you go through life?