Stanton Lanier

Scripture inspired piano to refresh your spirit

Easter 2018 ~ Seeking Peace

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Click above to listen to Peace from The Voice as you read (also on the albums December Peace and Treasures of Peace). Here are links to shop and hear more: The Voice CD, MP3 Album, or Piano Book, PDF Sheet Music, Spotify, iTunes-Apple Music, Pandora, Amazon. After reading you can also soak in the Peace Music Video to relax and reduce stress.

How are you “seeking peace” this Easter season, and sharing the gift of peace with others?

One of my meditations behind this music is the idea that the amount of peace and contentment I have in my life is a result of the quantity and quality of my private, quiet times with God. He is the ultimate source of my peace. His peace overflows into the fruit of our public ministry into the lives of others. If we don’t invest time seeking, we won’t be as fruitful in our sharing…

Peace is a gift received, which then can overflow from the heart in loving and serving others. But how do we receive, and then share, this precious gift? The following verse is a great one for seeking peace: “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). After asking and seeking, then we begin to find, and to receive this peace from Jesus, which transcends our circumstances.

When I feel like I am running low on peace, I know I need to refuel by spending some time with the Prince of Peace. He is always ready to encourage me and give me wisdom as I seek to listen to His voice through prayer and Scripture.

What is one step you can take to be a “peace seeker” (and sharer) this Easter?

John 14:27 — “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.”

Psalm 46:10 — “Be still and know that I am God.”

John 15:5 — “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Power of Being before Doing

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Click above to stream Counting the Sand of the Sea from my 10th album Climb to the Sky as you read…

Have you experienced the transforming power of Being before Doing?

In March 2006 our house was robbed. It was the middle of the day. Our son and daughter were at elementary school, and my wife and I were out. A neighbor said they saw a person standing at our front door, who appeared to be soliciting. Instead they were the lookout, while a team of robbers broke in a back window, tore through our house in a few minutes, and stole everything they could find that was small and valuable. My wife and I were wearing our wedding rings, and I was at a meeting with my notebook computer, but otherwise $10,000 of jewelry and cameras — even the money in our kids’ piggy banks — was gone for good. All the sentimental value of each item was lost. Even many years later, this is a painful memory. It took time for me to surrender my anger and frustration to God, and to fully forgive these people.

I believe there is a key element of our lives we can be robbed of every day if we’re not careful. It’s the practice and discipline of “Being before Doing.” It seems like a small thing, but it’s actually huge and has great value. In our “doing” we should not settle for results that are only good or better, when God’s “very best” is available to us. His best outcomes are the “much fruit” Jesus promises in John 15:5 if we abide in Him.

According to Nielsen Research, the average American spends about 11 hours a day staring at a screen. We know we use our screens for work and leisure, but some of our screen time is robbing us of “Being” time. This leads to God’s “much fruit” being stolen from our “Doing” time.

I captured the below photo during a recent family hike in Arches National Park, Utah. We totally unplugged for five days of fall vacation. A few days after getting home, God revealed an entire new song within a few hours, which is much faster than normal. It was one of those “watch this” moments where He demonstrated how after some quality “being” time, He can “do” things very quickly and powerfully. Instead of more striving we need more abiding and being, so God can do the striving and doing for us.

Do you maintain a healthy pattern of “Being Before Doing?” This most likely requires you to unplug from every device, or at least go offline. When was the last time you invested one hour, or maybe even one day or one week, to just “be” and not “do”?

Do you routinely have a clear sense of hearing God’s voice in your life? Of knowing what He wants you to do next? Of knowing when He checks your spirit, and lets you know to wait?

I love Frederick Buechner’s quote, “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” Ravi Zacharias reminds us there are great needs in the world, but God asks only that we take on our portion.

We all have a special purpose to make a positive difference in the world, to bring hope and healing to people’s lives. However, only God can bear 100% of humanity’s pain and suffering, the ways we judge, compare, hurt or think wrongfully of each other instead of loving, serving, and encouraging one another. Only God has the bandwidth to provide 100% of the hope, healing, and leadership needed to transform our lives and the lives He touches through us.

So what is your portion? Have you unplugged and asked Him? Have you quieted your world, eliminated all distractions, and asked God to help you hear His voice? What He wants you to do next?

Picture me holding up a DSLR camera with a large lens. Let the DSLR camera represent our Being. Now, think of me holding up my phone beside the DSLR camera. Let the phone symbolize our Doing. This word picture has a lot of depth and meaning. Think about how investing in the value of our Being (the high resolution, focus, and magnification) powers the fruitfulness of our Doing (daily tasks, projects, and applications to make a positive difference).

How could you benefit from some “being” time right now?

Monastery or Megaphone?

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Click above to listen to Monastery at Eventide from my 7th album A Thousand Years as you read. You can also order the CD or MP3 Album or PDF Sheet Music, or enjoy on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, and Pandora.

Which do you enjoy most — private time with God, or public ministry to others?

Job 7 and letting tears flow for healing inspired the original introductory and closing notes to my arranging and performing one of Frederic Chopin’s great classical melodies. Monastery at Eventide features his Prelude in E Minor (Prelude, Op. 28, No. 4). This is one of 24 preludes (one for every major and minor key) he composed in the late 1830s at a monastery in Valldemossa, Majorca, a Mediterranean island off the coast of Spain. He requested Prelude in E Minor be played at his funeral, and described the meaning of this piece as the “shedding of tears.”

One of my meditations behind this music is the idea that the depth of our private time with God overflows into the fruit of our public ministry in the lives of others. Instead of “either / or” as the post title implies, this is actually a “both / and” idea…

Instead of choosing one or the other, “Monastery” (quiet time with God) or “Megaphone” (public ministry to others), these two aspects of our faith journey are interrelated and dependent upon one another. I have times when I especially need and enjoy quiet times of solitude — praying, asking, and listening for God’s voice. At other times I am filled with joy and gratitude when I have the privilege of serving others and making a difference in their lives.

When I feel like I am running dry or downcast in my spirit, I know I need to refuel with some “monastery time.” If I find myself wanting to spend too much time alone, I need to lean back into obeying God’s guidance with how He wants me to serve others.

Do you need to invest more “monastery” or “megaphone” time in your current season?

Psalm 46:10 — “Be still and know that I am God.”

John 15:5 — “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Are You Striving or Abiding?

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Click above to listen to Abiding from my first album Walk in the Light (2001). If you enjoy, consider purchasing the song, album download, or CD from iTunes or stantonlanier.com (where sheet music is also available).

Does your life feel more like you are striving or abiding?

I have a great friend who asked me years ago, “If you could only choose one word to describe living by faith, what would it be? I thought for a minute and said, “Obey.” He responded, “Abide.” Another great answer may come to mind for you. He and I still discuss all the life areas where we are striving and wanting to succeed – spiritual, family, work, relationships, health, etc.

There is that word — striving. It can be a good thing to strive. So how did a mental shift influence my story when I realized if striving is a viewpoint, then abiding is like a vista?

Vermont Sunset

Striving involves hard work and faith. Resting involves hard work and faith too. When I shifted my focus from “Striving to Achieve” to “Abiding to Receive” my efforts and results took on a richer meaning. This is a delicate balance, but it helps me remember that God’s definition of success is different than mine, other people’s, and the world’s. Instead of striving in my own strength, by abiding in God’s strength my perspective shifts from depending on myself to depending on Him.

The results of hard work can be the same whether I “strive” or “abide,” but there is a healthy dynamic when I am grateful for receiving results versus celebrating achieving results. Striving is a great word and attribute, so if you still like this word, maybe you can add “striving to abide” to your mindset. I have found if striving is an attitude, then abiding takes life to a new altitude.

Where are you abiding instead of striving? What are you receiving instead of achieving?

The song Abiding was born out of John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” The opening melody symbolizes walking through life with a desire to abide in Christ. The chorus melody represents the good fruit, much fruit, that follows, which only He can produce in and through us.