Day 24 for “31 Days of December Peace” ~ Christmas 1914

December 24, 2017 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

Click above to listen to Awaken the Dawn as you read, from December Peace (Best Holiday Album, ZMR Awards). If you enjoy, consider sampling and ordering the CD, MP3 Album or sheet music. You can also listen on Spotify, Pandora Holiday Channel, Apple Music and all other digital streaming services.

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

Where could you use some “December Peace” today?

Approximately 7 million soldiers lost their lives in World War 1. Much of the war took place in the mud in central Europe where Germans, French and British soldiers lived in trenches for years at a time, their feet wet and their bodies chilled. It was a war of inches. The Germans would advance 100 ft. and many lives would be lost. Then the French and British would advance 125 ft, reclaiming 25 feet of real estate, and again many lives would be lost.

It was Christmas Eve, 1914 when the Germans began singing Christmas Carols. The British and French soldiers answered with many of the same carols in English and French. On Christmas Day a German soldier hesitantly came out of his trench with one of the many Christmas trees which had been brought to the front to cheer up the German soldiers. Other trees were added. A few, and then many British and French soldiers joined the Germans. They shook hands. Some embraced. Someone produced a soccer ball and they spent Christmas Day playing soccer together. They exchanged chocolate, champagne and cognac, cakes, candy and tobacco. They showed each other photos of their families.

This spontaneous display of man’s desire for peace, and for the meaning of Christmas for all of them, is one of the great testaments to the potential goodness of humanity. The armies did not approve and many men were disciplined, but it was an act of love, charity and peace even in war. It was Christmas.

Day 23 for “31 Days of December Peace” ~ God is not Silent

December 23, 2017 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

Click above to listen to Away in a Manger as you read, from December Peace (Best Holiday Album, ZMR Awards). If you enjoy, consider sampling and ordering the CD, MP3 Album or sheet music. You can also listen on Spotify, Pandora Holiday Channel, Apple Music and all other digital streaming services.

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

Where could you use some “December Peace” today?

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14

Meditation
Despite what anyone may think or feel, despite what you may have felt at times, God is not silent. Throughout history, he has used whatever it took to reach the ears of the people whom he loved. He spoke to Moses on a mountain so people would know how to live. He spoke to Elijah in a still small voice to tell him that he was not alone and that his mission was not completed. He spoke to Ezekiel through a vision so that Ezekiel would not fail to tell his exiled people that God could go anywhere. He spoke through dreams and visions and visitations, through angels, through a donkey, through his law. He spoke volumes through the prophets, who each received a certain measure of the revelation of God. But their revelation was incomplete. So God, himself, in the flesh, came down. God’s final word to mankind was Jesus Christ, Son of God, the “image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (Colossians 1:15), “the radiance of God’s glory” (Hebrews 1:3). Jesus did not just speak about God or for God (as the prophets had). He spoke as God. The entire universe belonged to a tiny baby in a manger who would grow up and speak the most important words we would ever hear. No wonder we failed to understand. But now that we do, we must do as Moses commanded: when the one God sends comes, we must listen to everything he tells us.

Prayer
Holy Son of the living God, all the Scripture that was written prior to your incarnation pointed directly to you and anticipated your person and work. You are the perfect fulfillment of the Messianic prophecies that spoke of your redeeming work as the Savior of the world, and of the prophecies that remain to be fulfilled when you come to judge the world and rule in righteousness. It is clear to me that I cannot fully understand your great story without the witness of inspired Scripture prior to the coming of the Lord Jesus. Remind me to regularly expose myself to the whole counsel of your Word by drinking deeply from the well of both Testaments. Grant me the time to read, meditate, pray and trust in your promises found there, and allow me to see Jesus in every page. In your life-giving name I pray. Amen.

Day 20 for “31 Days of December Peace” ~ The Inspiration for Peace

December 20, 2017 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

Click above to listen to Peace as you read, from December Peace (Best Holiday Album, ZMR Awards). If you enjoy, consider sampling and ordering the CD, MP3 Album or sheet music. You can also listen on Spotify, Pandora Holiday Channel, Apple Music and all other digital streaming services.

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

Where could you use some “December Peace” today?

Since Peace is one of my top songs on iTunes and a listener favorite around the world, I wanted to share some of the story behind this melody, originally inspired and composed for my fourth album, The Voice (in 2009 it was remastered and is featured as the closing track on December Peace). I started composing Peace in December 2004, and unlike most of my songs, it took another six months to reach its final form. It was recorded in August 2005 at the George Lucas Skywalker Sound Studios in California, with Grammy winning producer Will Ackerman. The angelic vocals of Noah Wilding were added a few weeks later at his Imaginary Road Studios in Vermont.

This composition was inspired by a little girl named Hayley, who died of leukemia at 22 months old, and whose life will always remind me to treasure every moment with childlike faith. When I received the phone call December 19, 2004 with news of her passing, I couldn’t sleep. I found refuge at my basement keyboard into the night. With headphones on, and everyone else in the house asleep, I started writing a song to remember and honor Hayley’s life.

The first version of Peace was like a music box lullaby. As the months went by before recording The Voice, the music evolved to a deeper place that attempts to share a peace that transcends circumstances, a peace that passes all understanding…a peace that Hayley knows and would want us to know. The delicate vocals are like those of an angel watching over Hayley, and each of us. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27).

Hayley’s life was an inspiration to thousands of people who followed her story and prayed for her. I played Peace at her funeral, then her story led to Peace and other melodies being played at services of remembrance for families who had lost a child to cancer. Music to Light the World began donating CDs to offer hope and healing. Today this program is called Get Music Give Hope, and every year at least one CD is donated (sometimes several) for every CD sold. Thanks to generous customers and donors, 60,000 donated CDs have touched 600,000 lives (updated for 2014) as patients, family members, friends and caregivers have listened to the music in cancer centers and hospitals around the world. Thank you God for Hayley.

Day 16 for “31 Days of December Peace” ~ The Top

December 16, 2017 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

Click above to listen to Silence as you read, from December Peace (Best Holiday Album, ZMR Awards). If you enjoy, consider sampling and ordering the CD, MP3 Album or sheet music. You can also listen on Spotify, Pandora Holiday Channel, Apple Music and all other digital streaming services.

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

Where could you use some “December Peace” today?

My first job in high school was at a canoe rental called Adventures Unlimited. It was the summer after my junior year. I had my new driver’s license and I was going to drive old trucks and vans full of people going canoeing or tubing on the Coldwater River near Milton, Florida.

One of the first things I learned was a lot of vehicles in the world do not have an automatic transmission. My boss was assigning vehicles one Saturday and asked, “Who wants to drive the bread truck?” I eagerly volunteered and stepped up to start the engine. It started bucking like a giant horse. I didn’t know I was supposed to hold down the clutch pedal with my left foot and at the same time give it gas with my right foot! Everyone’s laughter invited me to smile.

The next summer I graduated to the old five-speed school buses. I was responsible for forty passengers with paddles, life jackets, coolers, beer, cigarettes, and occasionally some kind of cigarette that didn’t smell like a regular cigarette. I discovered the world is made up of all kinds of people, including some that really like to party.

Something I didn’t expect from this canoe rental job was a growing appreciation for solitude. I would often volunteer to take a job called “the top.” It was twelve miles up river where trailers full of canoes were unloaded for the day trip. At 7 a.m. there I would be, just me and one hundred canoes to be carried on my shoulders down to the sandbar. I relished the physical workout. The reward of solitude came when all the canoes were on the beach. I could take a swim in the river or just lay back on a cushion in a canoe. The only sounds were the gentle flow of the river, the breeze in the tops of tall pine trees and birds singing. This was a treasured time to relax, rest and be refreshed. It wasn’t too long before the school buses would start arriving filled with people. This experience taught me the value of slowing down and being still along the way.

What was your favorite summer job growing up? What did you learn? Where is your haven for solitude?

Day 15 for “31 Days of December Peace” ~ Granddaddy’s Old Hat

December 15, 2017 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

Click above to listen to Angels We Have Heard on High as you read, from December Peace (Best Holiday Album, ZMR Awards). If you enjoy, consider sampling and ordering the CD, MP3 Album or sheet music. You can also listen on Spotify, Pandora Holiday Channel, Apple Music and all other digital streaming services.

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

Where could you use some “December Peace” today?

Granddaddy’s Old Hat ~ by Craig Corbin (Copyright 2012, Craig Corbin, not to be re-published without permission. Craig is a gifted mixed media artist and did all the artwork for the album “A Thousand Years.” His life and work are a special part of the Music to Light the World story.)

A week away from Christmas… and as a little fellow that meant helping my grandmother pick pecans under the large trees that covered the dirt road like wings from an angel. Granddaddy might drop us off, and might even hang out, but he rarely got out of his faded blue truck. Even still, he was sure to point out the ones I might have missed. It was such a great moment, sitting in the rumbling leaves listening to my grandmother’s rake, occasionally hearing the spitting of tobacco from my grandfather, and making sure not to pick from that area.

Soon we were finished and had enough to provide a couple of pecan pies that would be served the night before Christmas at my grandparents’ home, where we exchanged gifts. Our Christmas Eve tradition was to go to my grandparents’ home along with most of my extended family. A meal was served and there sat those pies and the memory of the pecan gathering a few days before. We would always exchange names the year before, and at the end of the night it was my grandfather’s duty to hand out these gifts. I think he truly enjoyed this, especially with the little ones, who he would joke around with, and even tickle their ribs before handing over the magic box of unknown. I can still see him sitting in that old chair on top of our little world doing his thing.

Of course every day comes to a end, and after cleanup the night would come to a close. Once names were drawn out of my grandfather’s old hat we would have all we needed for next year. With a hug and a Merry Christmas we were home bound. Which for us was three houses down.

Tired from the night, it was time to try and sleep. Although it was an ending for us kids, it meant a beginning for my father, who might have to assemble a bike or a train set. We never got piles of gifts, as we knew the meaning of Christmas was a birthday for our Lord. Yet, we got plenty to make us wake up early the next morning and see what was waiting for us. It was such a simple time in life. Now as a father of an almost two year old girl, I will see the glow in here eyes on Christmas Eve. Although a lot of time has passed, and my grandfather passed away many years ago, I hope my daughter will have special memories of our simple celebration of Jesus Christ. In the end, that is the best gift I can give her, and that story will never change. Merry Christmas!

Day 14 for “31 Days of December Peace” ~ Needle on a Piece of Vinyl Dup

December 14, 2017 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

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

Where could you use some “December Peace” today?

Music has been a part of my life since a very young age, and the music of December is a thread that knits together all of my 43 years. Just reading the titles of songs that were learned as a toddler, performed in choirs, played on instruments and now enjoyed as a listener… it takes me to another place. It has been said that music is love in search of a word. The music of December is inspired by God’s love in search of the world. It tells stories of the night of Christ’s birth; it brings cheer and merriment due to God’s blessings, and it quiets the mind and stills the heart as we reflect on our place and purpose.

My greatest memories of December are of Christmas spent at home with my family growing up. Even though I grew up in Florida, we managed to have a fire in the fireplace around the holidays. I would lie in front of the fire and peer into the coals looking for shapes and designs. My older brother and I would see how long we could touch the lights on the tree before they burned our fingers. It seemed like the blue lights were always the hottest! There was always something sweet to eat in the kitchen at Christmas, even though snacks generally consisted of celery and carrot sticks. We would shake all the presents and try to guess what each one was. And the backdrop to it all was a needle on a piece of vinyl that produced music that filled the house. There is just something different about December.

As a child, I didn’t fully appreciate the ability to rest or experience peace. It didn’t require any effort really… I could just “be”. Now, as a husband and father with a young family of my own, it is all I can do to find momentary rest and pause in the middle of a busy world. Matthew 11:28-30 tells us, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” While this is an invitation to trust Jesus personally and an opportunity for rest through forgiveness, it’s also a reminder to me that I can bring my troubles to Him, I can trust Him and find peace in Him. That’s what I hope to do this Christmas, and I hope that for you too.

Day 13 for “31 Days of December Peace” ~ What is Your Drum?

December 13, 2017 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

Click above to listen to Little Drummer Boy as you read, from December Peace (Best Holiday Album, ZMR Awards). If you enjoy, consider sampling and ordering the CD, MP3 Album or sheet music. You can also listen on Spotify, Pandora Holiday Channel, Apple Music and all other digital streaming services.

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

Where could you use some “December Peace” today?

I am a conflicted human being. Dad has a PhD in analytical chemistry and Mom majored in art. I grew up liking math and numbers. Sometimes I still catch myself counting my steps as I walk. I can hear musical melodies in my head, and started composing by ear when I was fourteen. I majored in chemistry, have an M.B.A., and spent fifteen years in the business world before becoming a pianist-composer in 2004.

Growing up I kept discovering what I didn’t want to be. I didn’t want to be a doctor. My mom talked me into being a Candy Striper volunteer at our local hospital when I was fourteen. I didn’t like the sight of blood, but was determined to conquer this fear. One day I got the courage to watch a nurse draw blood into a tube from a lady’s arm. Shortly thereafter, standing straight up, I fainted outside the hospital gift shop. My medical career was over. I still have a knot on my head where it hit the concrete floor.

I searched for my calling at a canoe rental, a paper mill, a carpet plant, a soft drink facility, a consulting firm and an insurance company. Then, at age thirty, I experienced what I call “career surrender.” I basically said, “Lord, I give up. Please show me what you want me to be.” My steps were so clearly directed to a financial planning job that I thought I would work there for the rest of my career. What I began to learn, however, was to surrender my faith, my family, my work and my life to God.

The Little Drummer Boy story has always inspired me. At the end the poor little drummer boy says, “What gift can I bring?” as he stands before the baby Jesus. He sees the gifts from the wise men and knows he cannot afford a gift so grand. His friend says, “play your drum.” As he plays the baby Jesus smiles. What a beautiful picture. I believe we all have a special “drum” to play that is unique to us. Some of us discover this very early in life. For some of us it takes time for it to surface. Sadly, some of us don’t look for it, or keep putting it off until “someday.”

What is your drum?

Day 12 for “31 Days of December Peace” ~ Finally Home for Christmas

December 12, 2017 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

Click above to listen to Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming as you read, from December Peace (Best Holiday Album, ZMR Awards). If you enjoy, consider sampling and ordering the CD, MP3 Album or sheet music. You can also listen on Spotify, Pandora Holiday Channel, Apple Music and all other digital streaming services.

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

Where could you use some “December Peace” today?

Esther looked out her window at the gathering gloom of dusk and accumulating snowfall. It would be a long night here at the nursing center and she hoped that tonight her roommate would finally sleep. The long nights of intermittent moans and raspy breathing did nothing to help her own discomfort, tethered as she was to the ever-present oxygen cannula since her last heart attack in June. Her decision to stay here in New England rather than to live with her daughter in the Midwest had been hers, one she was at peace with after much thought and prayer. Yet tonight, despite the colored lights and garland at each window, it hardly seemed like the Holidays here, much less Christmas Eve. Trusting in her Lord and His providential care for her was a great comfort; but the nights here could be so lonely… especially on this night…

Staring into the darkness, watching the swirling, playful snowflakes’ procession on their way to join the blanket below, she could not help but think back over her 89 years to the happier days of girlhood; to the Christmases of days gone by, with the expectation of Santa Claus and presents. There was Mamma’s cooking and Daddy’s stories, all jumbled together with memories of her own children, in like manner, now all grown and gone with young adult children of their own. She thought wistfully of her own dear Bill, of a Christmas Eve proposal and a lifetime of love and sharing. He was now long-gone to be with Jesus and her heart ached, just to see him smile…to hold his hand… to hear him call her “Essie” one more time. Her family, busied with their own children and grandchildren, managed to call fairly frequently these days… always a lift for her spirits. But, it was not like being there, amidst it all, as impractical and impossible as that was now. The cycles of life, intertwined and spinning together like the dancing flakes before her, were always moving, always changing…
Finishing her bedtime routine, complete with her daily Scripture reading, she slipped beneath her covers and sighed audibly. She remembered the baby Jesus, another unnoticed sojourner; a pilgrim forgotten by the very world He came to save. She remembered John 3:16 and thought about the Father’s Gift, the Light of the World, and how strange it must have been for this infant King; our God wrapped up in flesh, to be away from His home… just so we could know Christmas…

Drifting now, headed for sleep, she breathed a wearied but fervent prayer: “Just to be Home, Lord Jesus… Home with You… Home with Bill… just to be Home…” Her breathing steadied as sleep overcame her. The minutes passed; then an hour, then two, as steadiness gave way to slowing, slowing now to a peaceful still.

And somewhere in the blustery, wintry darkness, Light said, “Come,”…and she did!…

Day 8 for “31 Days of December Peace” ~ Wide Awake in December

December 8, 2017 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

Click above to listen to Shepherds and Stars as you read, from December Peace (Best Holiday Album, ZMR Awards). If you enjoy, consider sampling and ordering the CD, MP3 Album or sheet music. You can also listen on Spotify, Pandora Holiday Channel, Apple Music and all other digital streaming services.

This story is from 31 Days of December Peace (soft cover or PDF 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.

Day 7 for “31 Days of December Peace” ~ The Sweet Gum Tree

December 7, 2017 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

Click above to listen to Snow Angel as you read, from December Peace (Best Holiday Album, ZMR Awards). If you enjoy, consider sampling and ordering the CD, MP3 Album or sheet music. You can also listen on Spotify, Pandora Holiday Channel, Apple Music and all other digital streaming services.

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

Where could you use some “December Peace” today?

I loved to climb trees in North Carolina as a boy. Our yard had pines, dogwoods, a few tall hardwoods and a persimmon tree. But across the street was a giant sweet gum tree. This was the dream climb.

The sweet gum tree towered above the rest. The little green, prickly round balls were captivating. They were brilliant green in the spring and summer, and turned brown and fell to the ground in the fall. The trunk was way too big to put my arms around. The top seemed a hundred feet higher. Once you reached the highest branch you could sit on, the world seemed so much smaller down below. You would sway a foot or two in the wind up there. It was only pleasure though – no fear.

It was always fun throwing the sweet gums from up in the tree. “Projectile DNA” is just hardwired into boys. One time some friends and I decided to see if we could hit a car as it drove by. My heart raced. What would happen if we actually hit one? We found out. The screech of tires skidding scared us half to death. A man got out, shook his finger up at the tree yelled something. It sounded like he was saying “blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.” I recall butterflies in my stomach as I was throwing the balls – followed by a gasp as I feared death at the hands of sweet gum road rage! Thankfully the driver decided not to climb the tree to get us. As the car drove away we all sighed with relief and started to retell the story to each other. We didn’t need to throw any more that day.

My soul was stirred every time I climbed that sweet gum tree. There were secret things I discovered up there… freedom from worry, the independence of a bird, the choice to pause and take in the beauty, the awesome power of nature, the wonder and simplicity of childlike faith. I was part of something a lot bigger than myself. It was like I had a part in the story. There did not seem to be any limitations on what was possible in this life.

Did you have a sweet gum tree or favorite childhood hideaway? Where do you find simplicity?

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