Stanton Lanier / Sky Whisper Sound, LLC

Scripture inspired piano to refresh your spirit

SO LOVED Track #10 – Scarlet Threads

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Click above to listen to track #10 Scarlet Threads from the new album So Loved as you read. You can enjoy the CD, MP3 Album, Piano Book and Sheet Music on the So Loved Album Page. You can stream the music on Spotify, iTunes-Apple Music, Amazon MP3, Pandora, and more.

Where in your life could you use a ray of hope?

The idea behind Scarlet Threads, inspired by Rahab’s story, was to musically express the tension in our lives between darkness and light. We all are seeking light and hope, yet we don’t always walk in the light, or find a sense of hope. How can Rahab the prostitute offer us a ray of hope? Here are some insights for reflection as you listen to this piece…

The Set Up: Joshua chapters 2 and 6 tell the story of Rahab the prostitute, who showed hospitality to two Israelite spies, and hid them from the king of Jericho. When Jericho fell, she and all her family were the only ones spared because she had helped God’s people. The spies had instructed her to tie a cord of scarlet thread in the window so they could identify her house and rescue her family. Rahab’s name is found in Matthew 1:5 in the Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah (his great, great grandmother by 29 generations). She is also included in the Hebrews 11 “Hall of Faith” (verse 31) among many great characters of the Bible who exemplified faithfulness and obedience to God. Theologians view the scarlet thread as a symbol of Jesus’ blood shed on the cross for our sin.

The Application: The solo piano sections of Scarlet Threads (there are three) represent God’s grace and forgiveness toward Rahab and each of us. The beauty in the piano melody is a symbol of God singing a beautiful song over Rahab, and over our life as well. God saved Rahab and knew she would be an ancestor to the Messiah, and His salvation is available to us by faith in Jesus. The rhythmic, darker sections of the song represent the sin and scandal in Rahab’s life, as well times in our lives when we wander from God’s ways. Even with our brokenness, God has forever redeemed and saved us when we put our faith and trust in Him. He sees in us and sings over us more beauty, light and hope than we can imagine. Can you hear His song just for you? Will you join me in embracing His promise in John 1:5? The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

What part of the music or words above give you a ray of hope today?

SCARLET THREADS | RAHAB
Joshua 2. “tie this cord of scarlet thread in the window.” God redeems our sins like he saved this prostitute, Jesus’ great grandmother 29 generations earlier.

SO LOVED Track #9 – Heart and Soul

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Click above to listen to track #9 Heart and Soul from the new album So Loved as you read. You can enjoy the CD, MP3 Album, Piano Book and Sheet Music on the So Loved Album Page. You can stream the music on Spotify, iTunes-Apple Music, Amazon MP3, Pandora, and more.

What are you pouring your heart and soul into right now?

This could be your work, your hobby, your family, your marriage, your next vacation, your walk with God, or any number of noble pursuits. The song Heart and Soul is a soundtrack inspired by the life of Caleb, whose great faith resulted in a life of even greater adventure as he trusted God’s guidance. A better phrasing of this question in my journey is “How is God stirring my heart and soul to follow Him better, to follow Him like Caleb?” This requires a wondrous and mysterious combination of stillness and waiting with surrender and action. As you listen to the music and read about the six sections of this song below, I hope you will find fresh inspiration and wisdom in making your life choices and decisions…

1. Section 1 (First 45 seconds, 0:00 to 0:45). Approaching God in Stillness and Waiting. The song opening expresses our wanting to know what to do next. This requires moments of prayerfully getting quiet, and listening closely for God’s gentle whisper.

2. Section 2 (Next 45 seconds, 0:45 to 1:30). Moving with Surrender and Action. This section symbolizes taking first steps as we begin to find our rhythm with faith and obedience, and to know God and His voice more intimately, like Caleb.

3. Section 3 (Next 60 seconds, 1:30 to 2:30). Going Deeper in Stillness and Waiting. This section is a little bit longer than the opening, symbolizing deeper stillness and waiting — listening more attentively, and hearing God’s voice more clearly.

4. Section 4 (Next 45 seconds, 2:30 to 3:15). Moving with Greater Surrender and Action. Our life and faith rhythm gets bigger and louder so to speak, as we interact with God, listen for His voice, and obey His further instructions more swiftly.

5. Section 5 (Next 45 seconds, 3:15 to 4:00). The Blessing of Communion and Interaction. This musical bridge takes us into still deeper communion with God, interacting with Him as we combine both waiting and acting. He knows our needs and guides us faithfully.

6. Section 6 (Final 60 seconds, 4:00 to ending). The Blessing of Affirmation. As we follow God with all our “heart and soul” He encourages us and gives us greater confidence. Like Caleb, the chorus melody and rhythm now begin to represent the growing fruit and impact of our life choices and decisions. This happens as we continue to trust and obey God in all things.

Which phase of this process is most meaningful to you at this moment?

HEART AND SOUL | CALEB
Deuteronomy 1, Numbers 13-14. “he (Caleb) was all for following God, heart and soul.” When God says “let’s go” and we obey, all things are possible with Him.

SO LOVED Track #8 – Strength Is Yours

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Click above to listen to track #8 Strength Is Yours from the new album So Loved as you read. You can enjoy the CD, MP3 Album, Piano Book and Sheet Music on the So Loved Album Page. You can stream the music on Spotify, iTunes-Apple Music, Amazon MP3, Pandora, and more.

How do you bring forth strength when you feel weak and helpless?

When I am overwhelmed by life struggles or battles I may ask the questions, “Lord, why is this happening?” or “Where are you Lord?” As you listen to Strength Is Yours, journey with me for a moment into the story behind this song and its application in our lives. Then perhaps listen again with a renewed perspective. Here is how this song and its meaning came together…

It was about 1180 B.C. The Israelites were completely overwhelmed in Judges 6. They were being defeated and overrun by the Midianites. They were way outnumbered, all their crops were being stolen, and they were hiding in caves to find some sense of safety and security. This was the scene when God appeared to Gideon, a man small in stature, and called him a Mighty Warrior. Gideon was certain God had made a mistake and needed quite a bit of convincing before his faith would reach beyond his current reality. When we face life’s battles or life seems hopeless, in mystery and wonder God offers us hope that He knows everything we are going through. Not only does He join us in the battle, He is fighting our battles for us.

The helpless feeling we experience is expressed in the intense opening of this soundtrack. The violin opens with a distressed melody, and is answered by the cello notes singing the phrase “go in this strength that is yours” in the midst of our insecurity and uncertainty. These were God’s words to Gideon, and they are His words to us, even when life’s battles lead to a hopeless heart. He promises to give us His strength and to be with us in all things. He is singing a “Mighty Warrior” chorus with angels and a heavenly orchestra of music, which builds in the song to a climactic finish filling our hearts with hope and strength. Let the music and this truth wash over you as you “go in this strength that is yours.”

What is one thing God is saying to you today through this music and its inspiration?

STRENGTH IS YOURS | GIDEON
Judges 6. God said to him, “Go in this strength that is yours. I’ll be with you. Believe me.” God is mighty and strong. He fights life’s battles with and for us.

SO LOVED Track #7 – Lush Meadows

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Click above to listen to track #7 Lush Meadows from the new album So Loved as you read. You can enjoy the CD, MP3 Album, Piano Book and Sheet Music on the So Loved Album Page. You can stream the music on Spotify, iTunes-Apple Music, Amazon MP3, Pandora, and more.

What is a favorite “lush meadow” moment for you? What was the scene like?

As I composed Lush Meadows my heart was to write music that would take us to a beautiful meadow. I wanted to feel a sense of lying back and looking up at the clouds, of resting and relaxing in the moment, and of trusting God in all areas of life. This song was inspired by the 23rd Psalm and the peace and assurance expressed in David’s words, as well as Psalm 51 and David’s brokenness before God. Here is some of the story behind the soundtrack and how it happened…

David was called a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). He wrote half of the Psalms (75 of 150), defeated the giant Goliath as boy, killed a lion and bear when he was a shepherd tending his sheep, and was the second king of Israel. However, he was also sinful, afraid, and often cried out to God in distress. The tension within his character has helped me have a much deeper understanding of God’s grace and forgiveness toward us, as well as His love and power working through us. With all this in mind, the music encompasses the friction between the wonder and beauty of the Holy Spirit working in our lives (the lush meadows from Psalm 23), and our sin and brokenness before God (within this beauty the piano sings the words “Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy on me” throughout the song).

Musically, the piano is underscored by an atmosphere of deep peace to represent a lush meadow. The French horn symbolizes a shepherd’s horn. The harp is a tribute to David playing the harp and lyre as recorded in the Psalms. Listen to the song again, and allow God to sing His grace, forgiveness, and beauty over you.

How does Lush Meadows and its inspiration speak into your story today?

LUSH MEADOWS | DAVID
Psalm 23 and 51. “God, my shepherd, I don’t need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush meadows. Have mercy on me according to your unfailing love.”

SO LOVED Track #6 – Stunningly Beautiful

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Click above to listen to track #6 Stunningly Beautiful from the new album So Loved as you read. You can enjoy the CD, MP3 Album, Piano Book and Sheet Music on the So Loved Album Page. You can stream the music on Spotify, iTunes-Apple Music, Amazon MP3, Pandora, and more.

How often do you think of yourself as Stunningly Beautiful?

We usually associate the words “stunningly beautiful” with something outside of ourselves, such as a person, a piece of music, a work of art, a wonderful meal, or a place (like the Great Ocean Road at sunset pictured below). Have you ever thought about the possibility of God seeing you, just as you are,  as stunningly beautiful? Bear with me for a moment as I share how this song happened and what I learned…

Most of my albums include a love song for my wife, each of which are ultimately a love song from God to each of us. Stunningly Beautiful was inspired by the story of Rebekah, when Abraham’s servant traveled on a journey in search of a wife for Abraham’s son Isaac. The full story is an amazing read, and can be found in Genesis 24. It took many hours to compose this soundtrack expressing the scene where Rebekah comes to the well to fetch water, and God reveals her to be Isaac’s wife. The Lord brought me to tears as He revealed the beautiful melodies, and as He brought to light how he sees me, and sees each of us, as stunningly beautiful. Even though I am broken, sinful, and undeserving, the Lord sings a song of forgiveness, grace, and beauty over me. He invites us to accept His amazing gift of love and salvation, from the Lover to His Beloved.

Will you join me in asking God to help us see with His vision – that we are stunningly beautiful?

STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL | REBEKAH
Genesis 24. “The girl was stunningly beautiful.” God sees beauty in us and wants to show us His steadfast, unfailing, gracious, loyal love as He did for Isaac.

SO LOVED Track #5 – Salvation Song

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Click above to listen to track #5 Salvation Song from the new album So Loved as you read. You can enjoy the CD, MP3 Album, Piano Book and Sheet Music on the So Loved Album Page. You can stream the music on Spotify, iTunes-Apple Music, Amazon MP3, Pandora, and more.

What does the title “Salvation Song” stir in you?

Salvation Song is becoming a listener favorite on So Loved. When I began working on this soundtrack inspired by life of Moses, I wondered if one piece of music could express all the key events of his story, and at the same time sing something beautiful to us as we listened. Think about the twists and turns, and the ups and downs in your own story as I share some highlights from Moses’s life.

After hiding him for protection, his mother placed Moses in a basket and put it among the reeds on the bank of the Nile River. The Pharaoh of Egypt’s daughter saw and retrieved the basket, and raised him as her son. As a young man Moses killed an Egyptian who had beaten a fellow Hebrew. When Pharaoh tried to kill Moses for this, he fled to the desert in Midian, married his wife Zipporah, and had two sons. He encountered God at the burning bush, where God told him to go and bring the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses was hesitant because speaking was a weakness (he was slow of speech and tongue), so God allowed his brother Aaron to help him. When Pharaoh wouldn’t let the Israelites go, God brought ten plagues. When Pharaoh finally did let Moses and the people go, he and the entire Egyptian army chased them to the edge of the Red Sea. God parted the waters so the Israelites could cross on dry ground. They all made it safely to the other side, and every single Egyptian drowned when the sea covered them in their pursuit. A lot of other events happened, including the manna from heaven to feed God’s people in the desert, the ten commandments, Moses striking a rock to bring forth water for the people, and Moses striking a rock a second time later when God told him to speak to the rock to bring forth water again. This act of disobedience cost him getting to cross the Jordan River to enter the Promised Land. With all these thoughts in mind, here is what happened when I started writing the music…

God began to reveal to me that instead of the dramatic, sometimes dark, sometimes triumphant music I was envisioning for Moses, perhaps He sang a more beautiful song over Moses’s life than I was imagining. Then, in a very profound way, this revelation moved me to consider how God also has a unique and beautiful song for my life, and for your life. He is singing this over us from heaven, and He wants us to “hear the music” so to speak, which can be very hard sometimes due to life’s moments of disharmony and discord. To know God’s grace and love filled song for us, we have to be still, surrender, and listen closely for His gentle whisper. This has been life changing for me to know God is singing beauty over me, even though I am broken, sinful, weak and ordinary, just like Moses.

Musically, this track has many instruments singing to represent the height, depth, and breadth of God’s love for us. There are layers of beauty, and His love for us is beyond what we can comprehend. I hope this song sings into your story in a powerful and beautiful way just like it has for me. I believe one reason it is a becoming a listener favorite is because every human being wants a “salvation song” in their life. God created us and wants us to know and trust Him. He offers us complete forgiveness, and He wants us to experience salvation through Christ.

How does this song and its inspiration speak into your faith journey?

SALVATION SONG | MOSES
Exodus Chapters 2 through 15. “God is my strength, God is my song, and Yes! God is my salvation. Your strong right hand God shimmers with power” (Exodus 15:2, The Message). All glory be to God as He sings His salvation song over each of our lives.

SO LOVED Track #4 – Open Eyes

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Click above to listen to track #4 Open Eyes from the new album So Loved as you read. You can enjoy the CD, MP3 Album, Piano Book and Sheet Music on the So Loved Album Page. You can stream the music on Spotify, iTunes-Apple Music, Amazon MP3, Pandora, and more.

How has your vision been lately? Are you seeing the whole picture?

As the photo below invites (taken during a trail hike in British Columbia), I want to be on the right path when it comes to life choices and decisions. If you are like me, this aspect of “open eyes” — having a clear vision of what to do next — is appealing and desirable. However, there is a much deeper meaning behind this song. As you listen, I encourage you to open your ears and heart to fully experiencing this track. Reflect on its inspiration and how this is expressed in the music…

Our days are numbered (see Psalm 90:12 below), so the constant beat of the piano and string plucking represents the clock ticking throughout our life. The hints of tension and discord in the metronome-like clicks represent a blindness we all have, and a deep longing all humans have to see more clearly. The more beautiful, flowing chorus with piano, cellos and choirs expresses our eyes being opened to fully see and embrace God’s love and forgiveness. Even more so, the chorus symbolizes how, as for Elisha’s servant, it is possible for us to see our circumstances as God sees them, in all their fullness, and with His love and even His angels surrounding us. However, we have to believe and know Jesus as Lord and Savior before we can have “open eyes” to the grace filled, abundant life He offers us by faith. This is a great mystery, but it fills me with great joy, wonder and awe! God’s heavenly perspective encourages us when we seek to know and pursue His dreams for our lives. This is true to the very last beat of our heart, represented by the final strike of the piano at the end of Open Eyes.

What is one step you can take to have “open eyes” in your life and faith journey?

OPEN EYES | ELISHA
2 Kings 6. “Do not be afraid…O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” Lord, open our eyes to your perspective, to a grace filled, abundant life with you.

“When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. ‘Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?’ the servant asked. ‘Don’t be afraid,; the prophet answered. ‘Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ And Elisha prayed, ‘Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.’ Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:15-17, NIV)

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12, NIV)

SO LOVED Track #3 – Walking on Air

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Click above to listen to track #3 Walking on Air from the new album So Loved as you read. You can enjoy the CD, MP3 Album, Piano Book and Sheet Music on the So Loved Album Page. You can stream the music on Spotify, iTunes-Apple Music, Amazon MP3, Pandora, and more.

What picture from your life captures that “walking on air” feeling?

It was Palm Sunday in April 2011. I was in Vermont and had the day off from recording my 7th album A Thousand Years at Imaginary Road Studios. After morning worship at a postcard white steeple church, I took an afternoon hike with a mission to find and enjoy a huge swing at the top of the mountain. With a small backpack containing water and snacks, a small digital camera, and a video camera, I began climbing upward. When the swing came into sight my heart raced, and I couldn’t wait to sit in the seat. I pushed off and gradually began swinging further and further out over a hillside that dropped off underneath me. Then I stopped, positioned the digital camera on a log, and set the timer. The first photo timing was off, but on the second attempt the image below was captured. Here are a few reasons this is a favorite symbol of “walking on air” in my life and faith journey…

  • I used to take life (everything) too seriously. Now I see things with child-like faith, awe and wonder.
  • I used to “strive to acheive” success. Now I “abide to receive” the outcomes God has in store for me.
  • I used to hold on to things too tightly. Now I “live and swing with God” as He holds the chains from heaven.
  • I used to be afraid and risk averse. Now I trust God’s words “Fear not” and take faith risks as He guides me.
  • I used to have more anxiety and worry. Now I have more peace, hope and joy by God’s grace and goodness.

What step can you take to “walk on air” today?

WALKING ON AIR | HANNAH
1 Samuel 2, Psalm 89. “Your vibrant beauty has gotten inside us. You’ve been so good to us. We’re walking on air. All we are and have we owe to God.”

1 Samuel 2:1 (MSG). “Hannah prayed: I’m bursting with God-news! I’m walking on air…I’m dancing my salvation.”

Psalm 89:5-9 and 15-18 (MSG). “God! Let the cosmos praise your wonderful ways, the choir of holy angels sing anthems to your faithful ways! Search high and low, scan skies and land, you’ll find nothing and no one quite like God. The holy angels are in awe before him; he looms immense and august over everyone around him. God-of-the-Angel-Armies, who is like you, powerful and faithful from every angle? You put the arrogant ocean in its place and calm its waves when they turn unruly…Blessed are the people who know the passwords of praise, who shout on parade in the bright presence of God. Delighted, they dance all day long; they know who you are, what you do—they can’t keep it quiet! Your vibrant beauty has gotten inside us—you’ve been so good to us! We’re walking on air! All we are and have we owe to God, Holy God of Israel, our King!”

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 (MSG). 
”He’ll come down from heaven and the dead in Christ will rise—they’ll go first. Then the rest of us who are still alive at the time will be caught up with them into the clouds to meet the Master. Oh, we’ll be walking on air! And then there will be one huge family reunion with the Master. So reassure one another with these words.”

SO LOVED Track #2 – So Loved

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Click above to listen to the title track So Loved as you read. You can also enjoy the CD, MP3 Album, Piano Book and Sheet Music on the So Loved Album Page. And you can stream the music on Spotify, iTunes-Apple Music, Amazon MP3, Pandora, and more.

What does “so loved” bring to mind for you with family, friends, and faith?

As we celebrate Mother’s Day in the U.S. this coming Sunday, I am dedicating this song and this week’s post to my Mom. She has been loving and encouraging me in my life and music since before I started playing piano at age six. In case you haven’t heard the story before…when I was twelve years old and wanted to give up piano lessons to focus on basketball, she wouldn’t let me quit. Mom and Dad both had a bigger, long-term perspective. They said I needed to finish the school year first before we would decide if I should stop piano lessons. By the time my 8th grade school year arrived, playing the piano had become a retreat, a sanctuary where I could relax and unwind. Then the next summer I wrote my first song…

This title track for my just released album is also based on a love story. Since God revealed the idea for So Loved to be an album of life soundtracks inspired by Bible stories, He has been deeply moving me to know how much He loves me. Just as for each of these characters, God sees our lives as priceless works of art, and our stories as epic adventure films. He is forever singing a beautiful song over our life as He does the extraordinary through broken, ordinary people, for His glory. His love never quits, and He transforms our lives when we trust in His bigger, long-term perspective.

Musically So Loved is all original, but as the music emerged I was reminded of my favorite composer J.S. Bach. His timeless melodies from the early to mid 1700s have a simplicity as they sing to our hearts and ears (this does not mean Bach is easy to play, however!). He signed all his compositions “Soli Deo Gloria” — to the Glory of God Alone, and his music is filled with refreshing beauty. The life of the disciple John and the John 3:16 verse quoted at the bottom are the inspiration behind the song and album So Loved.

In the opening and closing sections, if you listen closely, the piano notes are repeating the words “For God so loved, the world, that He gave His only Son.” The boy choir, Gregorian choir, harp, and vibes (vibraphone) join the piano to offer angelic, heavenly harmonies. These parts were not intentionally inspired by Bach, but they could be considered reminiscent of his church music composing and chorales.

How does SO LOVED and its inspiration speak into your life today?

SO LOVED | JOHN
John 3. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” We are so loved.

SO LOVED Track 1 – A Beautiful Thing

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Click above to listen to A Beautiful Thing as you read. You can also enjoy the CD, MP3 Album, Piano Book and Sheet Music on the So Loved Album Page. And you can stream the music on Spotify, iTunes-Apple Music, Amazon MP3, Pandora, and more.

What comes to mind when you think of “a beautiful thing?”

When I was composing A Beautiful Thing, I was captivated by both the scene of Mary of Bethany sitting and Jesus’s feet listening, hanging on His every word, and these three words. I began to search for a melody that sang them, and after many hours the song began to take shape. As you listen you can hear the piano singing the five syllables “a beau-ti-ful thing” several times in the opening minute, and then again in the middle of the song. Sometimes this phrase is answered with the notes singing the three syllables “so beau-ti-ful.” Read on for more of the behind the scenes inspiration for A Beautiful Thing, which is the opening track on my 11th and newest album So Loved…

In our heart of hearts, we all have this sense of searching and wanting to know and be known. God created us to long for truth and beauty, to know Him, to sit at Jesus’s feet if you will. However, the enemy, and the stress, noise, hectic pace, and distractions of the world work against us. They prevent us from fully tasting and seeing what a rich, meaningful, and powerful experience it is to sit at His feet, and to really listen.

The music has some slight tension in it, representing the time and effort it takes to get there — to Jesus’s feet — and to begin listening to what He has to say to us. The opening section and its repetition in the middle of the song, represent “getting there.” Then the chorus melodies express what its like to be there, taking everything in Jesus has to share with us — words of grace (patiently and lovingly forgiving us for our sin and proneness to wander), and wisdom for guidance (what He wants us to obey). It was an amazing experience as God revealed an idea and the notes for the ending section of the song.

When we truly sit at His feet, Jesus reveals more to us than we can imagine. The piano begins to overlay melodies that all sing together, with eight hands playing at once. These piano layers represent the harmony of our lives, God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit all singing together. The song is “a beautiful thing” as we worship our loving Father, sitting at His feet, hanging on His every word. One of the melodies symbolizes the perfume flowing down from Jesus’s head, over and over. Matthew and Mark speak to Mary anointing Jesus’s head, and John speaks to her anointing His feet with extremely expensive perfume. The disciples argued that the perfume could have been sold, and the money given to the poor. Jesus responds saying, “she has done a beautiful thing to me.”

How does this track and its inspiration speak into your life today?

A BEAUTIFUL THING | MARY OF BETHANY
Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 10. Jesus said, “she has done a beautiful thing to me.” When we truly sit at His feet, Jesus reveals more to us than we can imagine.