Horatio Spafford wrote the hymn “It Is Well With My Soul” in 1873 following the news that his four daughters had died in a shipwreck. His wife Anna survived and sent him a telegram that said, “Saved alone.” Shortly afterwards, as Spafford traveled to meet his grieving wife, he was inspired to write these words as his ship passed near where his daughters had died. “When peace like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well, with my soul.” I have been working on a new piece of music that combines Mozart’s “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” theme with this hymn to symbolize the child-like faith and trust God wants us to have in life. Horatio Spafford’s story is a great example of this.

Liner notes from The Voice CD . . . It seems like we each have a favorite physical place that quiets our spirit the most . . . the mountains . . . the beach . . . a farm . . . an open field . . . a walk in the woods . . . a special room. I hope this piece helps you close your eyes and imagine that you are in this place so close to your heart. “He said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’ So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.” (Mark 6:31-32)

My 4th grade daughter is presenting her ancestry project at school today. She chose my wife’s mother as her relative to research. Her maiden name is Wicks, and her ancestry goes back to Ireland. We found the Wicks family crest with its family motto Cari Deo Nihilo Carent that means “Those dear to God want nothing.” As I work on arranging centuries old music for the album A Thousand Years, it is intriguing that centuries old family mottoes were expressions of faith in God. God as Creator and Father, and Jesus as Savior and Lord were absolutes – a beautiful testimony of living by faith. The Wicks family motto reminds me of the 23rd Psalm’s beginning, “The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want.”

Joy is not natural for me because I spent many years taking life too seriously. I viewed life as a problem to solve, but now see life as an adventure to live (inspired by John Eldredge). Just yesterday, I finished composing a new piece that combines joyful original melodies with Beethoven’s classic hymn Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee. I may title it Vive La Joye, which means “Joy Forever.” Psalm 16:11 speaks to this, “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Another new piece presents my arrangement of the Doxology – “Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow” – with an original section inspired by Psalm 30:5, “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” Maybe greater joy is possible after all!

Liner notes for Tears of Lament from The Voice CD. For some time I have anticipated musically exploring the times of sadness and mourning that life brings . . . these moments are often hard to understand. I always think about how much greater the suffering and pain is for so many people in the world versus my own. As I looked back on these experiences in my life this music met me in those places, and played a small part in the healing process of finding hope for the future. “Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy . . . my eyes overflow with tears. Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. For you, O Lord, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.” (Psalm 126:5; Lamentations 1:16, 3:22-23; Psalm 116:8)

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.”

The song Simplicity from the Draw Near CD was inspired by a version of Ecclesiastes 7:29 that says, “God has made us plain and simple, but we have made ourselves very complicated.” I have to be intentional to seek out and to treasure moments of simplicity. This mindset is counter cultural, like swimming upstream, due to the volume of information and the fast pace that the world brings on. I am working on new music that integrates great classical melodies with hymns, and I found this inspiring quote by Frederic Chopin. “Simplicity is the final achievement. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art.”

I have had my quiet times more sporadically lately, at different times and in different places, but God’s still small voice still breaks through the “noise” of life with encouraging words. Oswald Chambers “My Utmost for His Highest” is often a companion. Here is one of his recent quotes really encouraged me recently – “Look at how we limit the Lord by only remembering what we have allowed Him to do for us in the past. We say, “I always failed there, and I always will.” Consequently, we don’t ask for what we want. Instead, we think, “It is ridiculous to ask God to do this.” If it is an impossibility, it is the very thing for which we have to ask. If it is not an impossible thing, it is not a real disturbance. And God will do what is absolutely impossible. Once we not only look at what Jesus says, but we trust and see Him, the impossible things He does in our lives become as natural as breathing.

I have had a bad cold and cough for over a week, which has made me frustrated most of the time, and irritable some of the time.  Not fun.  Whatever life brings, gratitude is key. There are always things to be thankful for.  So, when I cough today it will remind me to think of a blessing I can count.

Have you experienced any incredible moments of beauty, adventure or intimacy recently? C.S. Lewis says these are glimpses of heaven, giving us a peak behind the curtain of the breathtaking scenery, activity and fellowship that awaits “back stage” in heaven. The depth of God’s grace and forgiveness is hard to fathom, but if we take time to reflect on life’s moments of beauty, adventure and intimacy, this will nudge us toward embracing the wonder and mystery of God’s ways, which are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9).