Stanton Lanier

Scripture inspired piano to refresh your spirit

2018 Hope and Beauty ~ Walking on Air

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Click above to listen to my newest song Walking on Air as you read. After reading and listening, I encourage you to watch the Walking on Air Music Video for additional reflection and inspiration.

What is your hope in 2018? What beauty can you look for?

There are three references to “Walking on Air” in The Message Bible (included at the bottom of this post). These inspired a fifteen hour studio day last year writing and recording this new song. During a summer British Columbia concert trip, a new music video was filmed to combine a musical and visual expression of hope and beauty in a world that so often can seem hopeless and unappealing.

Isaiah 55:8-9 is a powerful passage I rely on by faith whenever things don’t make sense, or whenever events are impossible to fully understand… “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (ESV).

Just as we all would love for a moment to be able to “walk on air” or fly like a bird, we also experience events in life that are the opposite of hopeful or beautiful. When my faith is tested, I can either put my faith in God’s promises or in my circumstances. In an Isaiah 55:8-9 kind of way, I have found God is always bigger than my situation and worthy of my trust. From tragic events happening around the world today, to this week’s severe winter weather along the US east coast, to whatever “storm” you may be facing in life, my prayer for you is to receive God’s grace, hope, and beauty through Walking on Air.

How does “Walking on Air” encourage you with hope and beauty?

Interestingly, the three passages below use the phrase “Walking on Air” in contexts of celebrating life’s beautiful moments, worshiping God with vibrant beauty, and looking to the future with eternal hope.

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.”

Walking on Air – A New Song of Hope and Beauty

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With September 12, 2017 being the worldwide release day of this new song, I encourage you to first watch the new Walking on Air Music Video. Then read the words below as you listen using the Spotify link above. When you finish reading, take time to watch the video or listen once more for a time of reflection. If someone comes to mind who could use some hope, please share this with them.

What is your anchor of hope when things seem hopeless? Are you noticing beauty around you?

I discovered in February 2017 there are only three references to “Walking on Air” in The Message Bible (included at the bottom of this post). This inspired a fifteen hour studio day in early March writing and recording a new song. During a July concert trip to British Columbia, a new music video was filmed to combine a musical and visual expression of hope and beauty in a world that so often can seem hopeless and unappealing.

Isaiah 55:8-9 is a powerful passage I rely on by faith whenever things don’t make sense, or whenever events are impossible to fully understand… “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (ESV).

Just as we all would love for a moment to be able to “walk on air” or fly like a bird, we also experience events in life that are the opposite of hopeful or beautiful. When my faith is tested, I can either put my faith in God’s promises or in my circumstances. In an Isaiah 55:8-9 kind of way, I have found God is always bigger than my situation and worthy of my trust. From tragic events happening around the world today, to remembering 9/11, to recovering from Hurricane Harvey or Irma, to whatever “storm” you may be facing in life, my prayer for you is to receive God’s grace, hope, and beauty through Walking on Air.

How does “Walking on Air” speak to your story today?

Interestingly, the three passages below use the phrase “Walking on Air” in contexts of celebrating life’s beautiful moments, worshiping God with vibrant beauty, and looking to the future with eternal hope.

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.”

How to Know When to Go, or Wait

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Click above to sample Delight from The Voice as you read. If you enjoy, use the following links to shop and hear more: The Voice CD, MP3 Album, or Piano Book, Delight PDF Sheet Music, Spotify, iTunes-Apple Music, Pandora, Amazon.

How do you know when to go, and when to wait?

It seems we all have this longing to know, should I go or should I wait? This could be a decision in the moment you are facing right now, or more of a long arch, life purpose decision such as a career change or sense of calling in your heart. I have been researching and studying answers to this question for a long time. Growing in making the “best” decision versus a “good” or “better” choice takes time, and is a lifelong pursuit.

The photo below is from a July mountain hike in British Columbia, which inspired today’s post. Do you see the path as where you are headed or where you have been? Do you notice the beauty along the way? I believe the ideas below will encourage you and help you with your “how to know when to go” decisions…

One resource that has really helped me with the question “Should I go or should I wait?” is the daily devotional My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. Below are two key highlights from the March 20th devotion titled “Friendship with God.”

THE DELIGHTS OF HIS FRIENDSHIP — Go Unless God Says Wait
It is possible to be growing in your friendship with God, to be “so intimately in touch with God, that you never need to ask Him to show you His will. When you have a right-standing relationship with God you have a life of freedom, liberty, and delight; you are God’s will. All of your common sense decisions are His will for you, unless you sense a feeling of restraint brought on by a check in your spirit. We are free to make decisions in the light of a perfect and delightful friendship with God, knowing that if our decisions are wrong He will lovingly produce that sense of restraint. Once He does, you must stop immediately.” This approach has transformed my decision making and faith journey. “Go unless God says wait (unless He checks my spirit)” is very different than “wait until God says clearly says go,” which is what I would prefer, and you probably would too.

THE DIFFICULTIES OF HIS FRIENDSHIP — Believe as You Go
“Whenever we stop short of our true desire in prayer and say, ‘Well I don’t know, maybe the is not God’s will,’ then we still have another level to go. Think of the last thing you prayed about — were you devoted to your desire or to God? The reason for asking is so you may get to know God better.” This has helped me to keep believing anything is possible with God, when He has asked me to “obey and go” regarding a specific direction or special project. Remember where you have been, and be grateful for God’s faithfulness. Focus on where you are headed, and have faith God will show the way.

How can Oswald Chambers’ words help you to know when to go, or wait?

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” — Psalm 37:4

A Lesson on Joy from Canada

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Click above to sample Vive La Joye as you read. If you enjoy, use the following links to shop and hear more: A Thousand Years CD, MP3 Album, Piano Book, Vive La Joye PDF Sheet Music, iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, Pandora.

Can you recall a “lesson on joy” that inspired you?

About one month ago I had the privilege of playing an outdoor benefit concert for Old Friends Canada, a horse rescue non-profit in Lake Country, British Columbia, north of Kelowna. I had never been to this part of Canada (above the state of Washington), and I didn’t know the “lesson on joy” that awaited me there.

The photo below captures one of the precious moments of the event. It was amazing to have a horse ring as the stage for the keyboard. It was even more incredible to meet my new friend Adrienne who became a quadriplegic from a 1982 car accident. Adrienne’s “lesson on joy” was so moving and inspiring I wanted to share it with you…

Adrienne asked me to play the song Vive La Joye from my album A Thousand Years. She and her riding partner performed a horse dressage to my music. It was perfectly choreographed and timed. It was majestic, peaceful and beautiful all at once. In choosing this piece of music, Adrienne began teaching me a deeper lesson about joy.

She had loved riding horses since she was a little girl, but becoming totally paralyzed in the accident forced her to give up her favorite hobby for twelve years. Adrienne was determined to get back on the saddle, and eventually regained partial but limited use of her hands. I learned there are gaited horse breeds which move their legs in unison on each side. Their smooth movement does not bounce like a typical horse trot, and Adrienne is able to perform horse dressage at a professional level using a special saddle.

However, it is Adrienne’s level of joy that will captivate your heart. Here is what she taught me that day, along with everyone in the concert audience:

  1. Our joy is not defined by our circumstances. The joy of the Lord is our strength. See Nehemiah 8:10.
  2. Pursuing plans, hopes and dreams God plants in us leads to deeper joy. See Jeremiah 29:11.
  3. Joy brings confidence as we let our light shine for others through our gifts. See Matthew 5:16.
  4. Joy is contagious and draws others a step closer to trusting God and experiencing His joy. See Psalm 16:11.

Which aspect of joy speaks most to you in your current circumstances?

“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.”                    — Psalm 16:11 (NIV)