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Stanton Lanier

Scripture inspired piano to refresh your spirit

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Waiting Walking Running

May 18, 2023 By Stanton Lanier 10 Comments

Today is release day for Waiting Walking Running. Stream on Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, YouTube, Amazon Music, and all music services worldwide, or click below to listen as you read some of the story behind this new song…

https://www.stantonlanier.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Waiting-Walking-Running-Stanton-Lanier-c2023-MTLTW.mp3

 

As I reflected on this idea, I found a gorgeous sequence of chords played by long orchestra strings, and then a melody was revealed which became the “resting theme” performed by the English horn and flute, with gentle piano chords in the background. Next, the “walking theme” picks up the tempo slightly with some rhythmic cello to represent taking steps of faith as we slowly begin obeying what God wants us to do. Sometimes God is running (moving quickly) and I need to keep up. This is the “running theme” with all instruments playing – piano, orchestra, choir, and percussion. The flute is featured throughout the piece, and represents the Holy Spirit being present with us in times of waiting, walking, and running by faith. The order of the song themes or musical motifs became 1) waiting, 2) walking, 3) running, 4) waiting, 5) running. The more we pursue God and experience His faithfulness, the more we find ourselves in the midst of life events and circumstances only He could have orchestrated, as we wait, walk, and run with Him.

Waiting, walking, and running each unfold in God’s time, and are part of the freedom we experience in Christ when we surrender, listen for His voice, and obey. This is important because I don’t want to walk or run ahead of God by presuming I know the answers or by doing what seems right. The waiting is crucial because in God’s time, He reveals his plans and next steps to me, one at a time. Even as He reveals more I need to keep walking unless and until He is moving fast enough that I need to run. Ultimately, all three – waiting, walking, and running – bring me freedom. By faith I trust God is in control, and I can live life fully with a sense of hunger and urgency. This fills my heart with deep joy. Even as I was majoring in chemistry many years ago, God was preparing me and shaping me in the “waiting” and “walking” of six hour laboratory experiments from 12pm to 6pm. When God takes our life story and leads us to a place of surrender and dependence on Him, He begins to reveal how He works all things together for good to those who love Him, and who have been called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

How does Waiting, Walking, Running speak to you?

Isaiah 40:31 > “but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” (ESV)

Psalm 130:5 > “I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.” (NIV)

Psalm 119:45 > “I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.” (NIV)

Psalm 119:32 > “I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free!” (NIV)

Filed Under: Inspiration, Music Stories, Spiritual Journey Tagged With: adventure, choir, Isaiah 40:31, Living by Faith, orchestra, percussion, piano, Resting, running, waiting, waiting walking running, walking

Imagine Immeasurable

October 19, 2021 By Stanton Lanier 12 Comments

Today is worldwide release day for Imagine Immeasurable. Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Pandora, all music platforms, or click below. As you listen, scroll down and read the inspiration behind this beautiful and welcoming orchestral track offering peace and hope to our lives and stories.

https://www.stantonlanier.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Imagine-Immeasurable-Stanton-Lanier-c2021-MTLTW.mp3

 

When I started composing the music I envisioned a bigger, powerful “immeasurable” theme to represent God and His infinite strength, and a smaller, delicate “imagine” theme to represent me and my dependence on Him. We are responsible for the imagining and He is responsible for the immeasurable. An introduction happened with soft organ, solo English horn, and gentle choir, followed by a beautiful solo oboe melody. My music ideas shifted to an “immeasurable” main theme expressing God’s beauty and majesty, and an “imagine” secondary theme conveying my well intended energy and effort.

This moved my heart to see that God’s immeasurable nature did not require a strong and powerful effort by Him. Instead, I began to consider how His creation of the stars, the universe, the earth, the oceans, the mountains, the flowers, the animals, and human beings, everything, happened with ease, majesty, and beauty. His immeasurable does not require striving or stress for anything. Rather, there is a sense of ease, confidence, assurance, beauty, grace, and love in everything He does. This perspective was a new revelation for me, as I reflected on the inspiration from Ephesians 3:20, which has become more and more special in my life and faith. It moves me to focus on God’s abundance instead of my scarcity, to imagine great possibilities as I delight in Him and seek His desires for me, and to know His power is working in and through me by the Holy Spirit.

The primary “immeasurable” theme which is first heard as an oboe solo is repeated throughout the song, with more instruments joining to increase its breadth and depth. The secondary “imagine” theme answers, bringing some energy with French horn and rhythmic strings to symbolize how we tend to bring our own strength and effort to a situation. The choir harmonies represent heaven in all its grandeur. The “imagine” theme becomes slower the second time it appears, and a majestic cathedral organ leads the melody to represent God’s immeasurable protecting and enveloping our strength, our life, and our story. As the song progresses the “imagine” becomes more like the “immeasurable” to symbolize our gradual growth in becoming more like Jesus by surrendering to God, trusting Him completely, and having more grace and love for all people. The immeasurable theme repeats to the end, slowly working its way from full orchestra to the solo oboe we heard in the beginning, with soft strings and choir harmony underneath, and a final chord by the full orchestra.

How does “Imagine Immeasurable” speak into your life and story today? 

EPHESIANS 3:20 (NIV, NKJV, and MSG versions)

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

Filed Under: Inspiration, Music Stories, Spiritual Journey Tagged With: cinematic, classical crossover, daniel, daniel 2, daniel 2:47, dramatic, film score, movie score, mystery, orchestra, power, Revealer of Mysteries, Wonder

Revealer of Mysteries

September 14, 2021 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

Today is worldwide release day for Revealer of Mysteries. Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Pandora, all music platforms, or click below. As you listen, scroll down and read the inspiration behind this cinematic, orchestral track filled with drama, power, and mystery, and offering hope and possibility to our lives and stories.

https://www.stantonlanier.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Revealer-of-Mysteries-Stanton-Lanier-c2021-MTLTW.mp3

 

Wonder, Joy, Beauty, and Mystery are themes and inspiration for four songs I composed during summer 2021. If you haven’t heard the first three yet, you can read the story behind them as you listen to each melody, or you can stream them on your favorite music service — Breathing Wonder, Joy Singing Joy, and Gaze Upon the Beauty.

Revealer of Mysteries is a cinematic, orchestral track filled with drama, power, and mystery, and offering hope and possibility to our lives and stories. I composed it as though it were a film score for the life of Daniel. His story included him interpreting Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (chapter 2), three friends being thrown in the blazing furnace (chapter 3), and him being thrown in the lion’s den (chapter 6). I hope both the music and the inspiration behind Revealer of Mysteries will encourage you with a sense of hope and possibility in your life and story, whatever your circumstances may be.

Music Overview

The song opens with rhythmic strings, and a hint of the “power” theme. The first “mystery” theme section follows, which has a slower tempo and begins some dramatic tension. The power theme answers, but is much bigger this time, with horns, and more of the orchestra playing the melody. A bigger version of the mystery theme arrives next, adding a counter melody on strings, and some rhythmic choir harmony. The biggest combination of the power theme follows, with rhythmic strings, full symphony on melody, and timpani drum. Then there is a final, smaller mystery section highlighted by piano and bells. The gradual ending revisits the power theme with small instrumentation, piano and rhythmic choir, revealing a dramatic ending.

Inspiration Overview

God has been inspiring me for many years with His extraordinary power and mystery (see Isaiah 55:8-9 and Jeremiah 33:3). Throughout the Bible, and to this day, He uses ordinary men and women to do amazing and extraordinary things when they surrender to Him, want to hear His voice, and seek to obey Him. I have found God faithful in my life as I watch to see what He reveals to me, and then what He invites me to do. He is truly a Revealer of Mysteries.

“In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep. So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed” (Daniel 2:1-2). None of the king’s wise men could interpret his dream, and he was so angry he decided to have every one of them put to death. Daniel heard about this, and knew he and his friends would be executed along with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. That night God gave him a vision. “During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven and said: ‘Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him. I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king'” (Daniel 2:19-23).

“The king asked Daniel, ‘Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?’ Daniel replied, ‘No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries'” (Daniel 2:26-28). After Daniel interprets the dream in every detail, King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor (Daniel 2:46). Then the song title verse appears in Daniel 2:47 — The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.”

I hope both this dramatic, powerful, and mysterious story from Daniel’s life, and the music, offer you hope and possibility in your life and story. May this new song Revealer of Mysteries play a small part in encouraging you with God’s peace and presence. He sees you. He knows you. He loves you. He is with you. His hand is upon you. I have found Him trustworthy beyond belief, and so want you to know and experience His goodness and faithfulness in your life as well.

How does Revealer of Mysteries speak to you? Musically? Spiritually?

Filed Under: Inspiration, Music Stories, Spiritual Journey Tagged With: cinematic, classical crossover, daniel, daniel 2, daniel 2:47, dramatic, film score, movie score, mystery, orchestra, power, Revealer of Mysteries, Wonder

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