December 20th ~ The Inspiration for Peace

December 20, 2015 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

Click above to listen to Peace as you read. This piano-angelic vocals duet is from 2009 Best Holiday Album December Peace (ZMR Awards, winning over Enya and Yo-Yo Ma). If you enjoy, please consider sampling and ordering the CD, MP3 Album or sheet music. You can also listen and download on iTunes and all other digital outlets.

This story is from 31 Days of December Peace (soft cover or eBook). Also available from Amazon Kindle, iTunes, and other e-Readers.

Where could you use some “December Peace” today?

Since Peace is one of my top songs on iTunes and a listener favorite around the world, I wanted to share some of the story behind this melody, originally inspired and composed for my fourth album, The Voice (in 2009 it was remastered and is featured as the closing track on December Peace). I started composing Peace in December 2004, and unlike most of my songs, it took another six months to reach its final form. It was recorded in August 2005 at the George Lucas Skywalker Sound Studios in California, with Grammy winning producer Will Ackerman. The angelic vocals of Noah Wilding were added a few weeks later at his Imaginary Road Studios in Vermont.

This composition was inspired by a little girl named Hayley, who died of leukemia at 22 months old, and whose life will always remind me to treasure every moment with childlike faith. When I received the phone call December 19, 2004 with news of her passing, I couldn’t sleep. I found refuge at my basement keyboard into the night. With headphones on, and everyone else in the house asleep, I started writing a song to remember and honor Hayley’s life.

The first version of Peace was like a music box lullaby. As the months went by before recording The Voice, the music evolved to a deeper place that attempts to share a peace that transcends circumstances, a peace that passes all understanding…a peace that Hayley knows and would want us to know. The delicate vocals are like those of an angel watching over Hayley, and each of us. “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).

Hayley’s life was an inspiration to thousands of people who followed her story and prayed for her. I played Peace at her funeral, then her story led to Peace and other melodies being played at services of remembrance for families who had lost a child to cancer. Music to Light the World began donating CDs to offer hope and healing. Today this program is called Get Music Give Hope, and every year at least one CD is donated (sometimes several) for every CD sold. Thanks to generous customers and donors, 60,000 donated CDs have touched 600,000 lives (updated for 2014) as patients, family members, friends and caregivers have listened to the music in cancer centers and hospitals around the world. Thank you God for Hayley.

December 16th ~ The Top

December 16, 2015 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

Click above to listen to Silence as you read. This piano solo is from 2009 Best Holiday Album December Peace (ZMR Awards, winning over Enya and Yo-Yo Ma). If you enjoy, please consider sampling and ordering the CD, MP3 Album or sheet music. You can also listen and download on iTunes and all other digital outlets.

This story is from 31 Days of December Peace (soft cover or eBook). Also available from Amazon Kindle, iTunes, and other e-Readers.

Where could you use some “December Peace” today?

My first job in high school was at a canoe rental called Adventures Unlimited. It was the summer after my junior year. I had my new driver’s license and I was going to drive old trucks and vans full of people going canoeing or tubing on the Coldwater River near Milton, Florida.

One of the first things I learned was a lot of vehicles in the world do not have an automatic transmission. My boss was assigning vehicles one Saturday and asked, “Who wants to drive the bread truck?” I eagerly volunteered and stepped up to start the engine. It started bucking like a giant horse. I didn’t know I was supposed to hold down the clutch pedal with my left foot and at the same time give it gas with my right foot! Everyone’s laughter invited me to smile.

The next summer I graduated to the old five-speed school buses. I was responsible for forty passengers with paddles, life jackets, coolers, beer, cigarettes, and occasionally some kind of cigarette that didn’t smell like a regular cigarette. I discovered the world is made up of all kinds of people, including some that really like to party.

Something I didn’t expect from this canoe rental job was a growing appreciation for solitude. I would often volunteer to take a job called “the top.” It was twelve miles up river where trailers full of canoes were unloaded for the day trip. At 7 a.m. there I would be, just me and one hundred canoes to be carried on my shoulders down to the sandbar. I relished the physical workout. The reward of solitude came when all the canoes were on the beach. I could take a swim in the river or just lay back on a cushion in a canoe. The only sounds were the gentle flow of the river, the breeze in the tops of tall pine trees and birds singing. This was a treasured time to relax, rest and be refreshed. It wasn’t too long before the school buses would start arriving filled with people. This experience taught me the value of slowing down and being still along the way.

What was your favorite summer job growing up? What did you learn? Where is your haven for solitude?

December 12th ~ Finally Home for Christmas

December 12, 2015 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

Click above to listen to Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming as you read. This is from 2009 Best Holiday Album December Peace (ZMR Awards, winning over Enya and Yo-Yo Ma). If you enjoy, please consider sampling and ordering the CD, MP3 Album or sheet music. You can also listen and download on iTunes and all other digital outlets.

This story is from 31 Days of December Peace (soft cover or eBook). Also available from Amazon Kindle, iTunes, and other e-Readers.

Where could you use some “December Peace” today?

Esther looked out her window at the gathering gloom of dusk and accumulating snowfall. It would be a long night here at the nursing center and she hoped that tonight her roommate would finally sleep. The long nights of intermittent moans and raspy breathing did nothing to help her own discomfort, tethered as she was to the ever-present oxygen cannula since her last heart attack in June. Her decision to stay here in New England rather than to live with her daughter in the Midwest had been hers, one she was at peace with after much thought and prayer. Yet tonight, despite the colored lights and garland at each window, it hardly seemed like the Holidays here, much less Christmas Eve. Trusting in her Lord and His providential care for her was a great comfort; but the nights here could be so lonely… especially on this night…

Staring into the darkness, watching the swirling, playful snowflakes’ procession on their way to join the blanket below, she could not help but think back over her 89 years to the happier days of girlhood; to the Christmases of days gone by, with the expectation of Santa Claus and presents. There was Mamma’s cooking and Daddy’s stories, all jumbled together with memories of her own children, in like manner, now all grown and gone with young adult children of their own. She thought wistfully of her own dear Bill, of a Christmas Eve proposal and a lifetime of love and sharing. He was now long-gone to be with Jesus and her heart ached, just to see him smile…to hold his hand… to hear him call her “Essie” one more time. Her family, busied with their own children and grandchildren, managed to call fairly frequently these days… always a lift for her spirits. But, it was not like being there, amidst it all, as impractical and impossible as that was now. The cycles of life, intertwined and spinning together like the dancing flakes before her, were always moving, always changing…
Finishing her bedtime routine, complete with her daily Scripture reading, she slipped beneath her covers and sighed audibly. She remembered the baby Jesus, another unnoticed sojourner; a pilgrim forgotten by the very world He came to save. She remembered John 3:16 and thought about the Father’s Gift, the Light of the World, and how strange it must have been for this infant King; our God wrapped up in flesh, to be away from His home… just so we could know Christmas…

Drifting now, headed for sleep, she breathed a wearied but fervent prayer: “Just to be Home, Lord Jesus… Home with You… Home with Bill… just to be Home…” Her breathing steadied as sleep overcame her. The minutes passed; then an hour, then two, as steadiness gave way to slowing, slowing now to a peaceful still.

And somewhere in the blustery, wintry darkness, Light said, “Come,”…and she did!…

Breathe – A New Song

September 24, 2015 By Stanton Lanier 42 Comments

https://www.stantonlanier.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Breathe-Single.mp3 
Click above to listen to my new song Breathe as you read and reflect on these words (this new single released 10/27/15 on iTunes and all other outlets). Also, you can enjoy and watch the Breathe Music Video.
The piano notes, and the space between the notes, were inspired as I meditated on Scripture being God-breathed, my longing to live and breathe God, my need for time to “breathe” in the midst of a busy and noisy world, and for breathing room (margin) in my life and and the life of my family. Think on the verses below, and take some time to breathe today…
“…then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” – Genesis 2:7 (English Standard Version)
“The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” – Job 33:4 (English Standard Version)
“I bless God every chance I get; my lungs expand with his praise. I live and breathe God…” – Psalm 34:1-2 (The Message)

“You’ve always given me breathing room, a place to get away from it all, A lifetime pass to your safe-house, an open invitation as your guest. You’ve always taken me seriously, God, made me welcome among those who know and love you.” – Psalm 61:3-5 (The Message)

“God, the one and only— I’ll wait as long as he says. Everything I need comes from him, so why not? He’s solid rock under my feet, breathing room for my soul, An impregnable castle: I’m set for life.” – Psalm 62:1-2 (The Message)

“With your very own hands you formed me; now breathe your wisdom over me so I can understand you. – Psalm 119:73 (The Message)

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. – Psalm 119:105 (English Standard Version)

By your words I can see where I’m going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path. – Psalm 119:105 (The Message)

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” – 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (New International Version)

What is one of your favorite life experiences where you had room to breathe in the moment?

Two Levels for a Dynamic Life

September 17, 2015 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

How healthy are your “two levels” in living a dynamic life?

It is amazing how music and life are so deeply related. An idea came to me, and I encourage you to join me in this experiment. Earlier this year I filmed some short videos with helpful composing tips, as part of building toward a new Master Class video course. The first 2:45 of the video below are about the importance of dynamics (louds and softs) in piano performance and composing. The experiment is for you to watch the video, and to think on the “dynamics” of your life in the following ways:

How healthy is my “soft level” to empower dynamic living (i.e. solitude, silence, quiet time, prayer life, etc.)?
How healthy is my “loud level” to enrich dynamic living (i.e. relationships, interaction with people, reaching out, etc.)?
What am I practicing in my private life that will make my public life more dynamic – spirited, energetic, passionate, magnetic?
Have you ever thought of your life as a movie script? Like you are living out a “master class” to make a difference in the world?

Now, watch the video, listening to importance of dynamics in the song Awaken the Dawn. Write down your thoughts on the above as you take in the video. Look for the parallels between music and life. Notice the similarity between music dynamics and living a dynamic life. After the video, identify one or two action steps to help you make progress in dynamic living.

What “dynamic life” level needs your focus right now – the “soft” or the “loud?”

Here is the short description from when I created the video. Think of “life” instead of “piano” when you read the text…

I use Awaken the Dawn to demonstrate how dynamics help elevate emotion in the listener. Using different levels of soft, medium and loud expression in our playing helps melodies “speak” to the heart. Be flexible, experiment, and have fun with your creativity!

If by chance you would like to browse Piano Books and PDF Sheet Music click here. For Master Class details click here.

Invigorate My Soul

June 5, 2015 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

Use today’s post as a time of meditation. The selected verses down below are from Psalm 119 in The Message. They speak to me powerfully. They invigorate my soul. They also include the inspiration behind the Open Spaces music and video.

I hope this combination of music, words and video inspires your faith, creativity and calling. Please feel free to comment on how this speaks to you, and I will reply personally.

Grace and Peace, Stanton

Verses 1-2
You’re blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God.
You’re blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him.

Verses 17-18
Be generous with me and I’ll live a full life; not for a minute will I take my eyes off your road.
Open my eyes so I can see what you show me of your miracle-wonders.

Verses 43-48
Oh, I’ll guard with my life what you’ve revealed to me, guard it now, guard it ever;
And I’ll stride freely through wide open spaces as I look for your truth and your wisdom;
Then I’ll tell the world what I find, speak out boldly in public, unembarrassed.
I cherish your commandments—oh, how I love them!—relishing every fragment of your counsel.

Verses 175-176
Invigorate my soul so I can praise you well, use your decrees to put iron in my soul.
And should I wander off like a lost sheep—seek me! I’ll recognize the sound of your voice.

Lessons from a Modern Day Scribe

May 28, 2015 By Stanton Lanier 6 Comments

Click above to listen to Desire from my third album Draw Near as you read. If you enjoy, consider ordering the CD or MP3 Album or Sheet Music (the song is also on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify and more).

Have you ever thought of yourself as a scribe?

Of course, there is much depth, skill, history and training to the ancient art of scribing. I know very little, but recently had the privilege of being introduced to Paul Antonio, who is a modern day scribe in London, England. During a live presentation he taught the Q Boston audience how scribing involves pausing, stillness, deep breathing, as well as the beauty of this ancient (and modern) art form.

Then he offered a challenge…invest the time to write out one chapter of the Bible by hand, and see what happens. He said this would require a place of silence and no distractions, and to invite God and the Holy Spirit into the process. A friend and I decided to go for it and share our experience with each other. Here is my description to him of what happened for me this morning…

Dear Bill,

Ever since we committed to scribe a chapter of the Bible by May 31st, God has brought this to mind. Well, this morning, I paused, took some deep breaths along the way, and wrote out 1 John 5 (included above next to photo of Paul Antonio).

It probably took about one hour, and I was inviting the Holy Spirit into the process, not sure what would happen, but anticipating something special. I was two-thirds of the way through and there was peace, joy and inspiration as I wrote. However, I had not had any breakthrough, or a strong sense of anything extra. Then when I got to verses 14 and 15, my heart was pierced, and tears began to flow…

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us — whatever we ask — we know that we have what we asked of him.” 1 John 5:14-15

Writing these two verses out brought a flood of prayer memories and requests, when our children were in the womb, how God has shaped and is shaping His purposes for them now at ages eighteen and fourteen, my bride of almost twenty-five years, relationships, eleven years of Music to Light the World, etc., etc. I put the pen down and began praying for many people and things according to his will, holding onto the promise in these verses.

A few lessons I learned from this experience are 1) slow down and be still, 2) pause and breathe deep, 3) remember God’s plans and purposes in my story, 4) writing out Scripture can lead to a powerful encounter with Him.

Would you join me in some scribing and let me know what happens for you?

The song Desire was perfect for today’s post because it was inspired by the verses below, which combine beautifully with those found in 1 John 5:14-15.

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Psalm 40:8 “I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.”

The Powerful Message Inside “Number My Days”

May 26, 2015 By Stanton Lanier 4 Comments

Click above to listen to Number My Days from my first album Walk in the Light as you read. If you enjoy, consider ordering the CD or MP3 Album or Sheet Music (the song is also on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify and more).

What does the phrase “number my days” bring to mind?

For me, this question brings a flood of thoughts and memories. I wrote this piece of music almost fifteen years ago. It was the summer of 2000. I had been married almost ten years. Our son was three years old. We were expecting our second child in November (our daughter).

This year will be our 25th wedding anniversary. Our son just graduated from high school, and our daughter just finished eighth grade. This fall we will have a college freshman and a high school freshman. Where did the days go?

There is a powerful message inside this song Number My Days…

The music has two main sections. The opening and primary theme expresses joy and hope, living in the moment, making the most of our days, having child-like faith. The answering theme is slower, more reflective, symbolizing the much needed pause to take all of life in, to recalibrate, to nourish our souls.

The message inside this song comes from Psalm 90:12 “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (NIV). Said another way, “Oh! Teach us to live well! Teach us to live wisely and well!” (MSG).

All of these inspirations were on my mind with a toddler and baby on the way in the summer of 2000. All of them are still in my thoughts today in 2015, yet they are maturing. They are richer. They beckon me toward hope in knowing God more deeply, in being more grateful for His grace, in being a better husband, a better father, a better friend. Yes, there is a powerful message inside Number My Days.

Which of the above themes is most relevant for you right now?

My Secrets to Contentment

May 21, 2015 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

Click above to listen to Contentment from the album The Voice. If you enjoy, you can order the CD or MP3 Album or Sheet Music directly or visit iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, Pandora, and more.

What is your secret to being content?

Do you feel like you are in a fog when it comes to being content? It doesn’t take much for me to drift into being discontent with my circumstances or to worry about the future, even though I know there is so much to be thankful for. I have to be intentional to nurture remembrance and gratitude.

When I was composing and recording Contentment my heart’s desire was to slow down my mind from thinking anxious thoughts, and to focus on the things in life that are pure and lovely: “…whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8

Below are my “secrets” to moving from discontentment toward contentment…

FROM TO

Think about what you don’t have                 Give thanks for what you do have
Dwell on goals you have not achieved         Take one positive step toward progress
Worry about outcomes you can’t control    Surrender outcomes and serve others well
Be upset by what hasn’t gone your way      Remember when things turned out okay
Let fear and uncertainty cause inertia         Let faith and adventure move you forward
Compare where you have less                     Count your priceless blessings

How can you move toward contentment today?

“But godliness with contentment is great gain. We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” — 1 Timothy 6:6-8

“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” — Philippians 4:11

3 Ways to Find Hope in Sunrises

May 19, 2015 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

Click above to listen to Awaken the Dawn from my fifth album Unveiled as you read (also on December Peace and Treasures of Peace). If you enjoy, consider ordering a CD or MP3 Album or Sheet Music (the song is also on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, Pandora and more).

What does a sunrise symbolize for you?

This week is “graduation week” for our family, with our son finishing 12th grade and daughter finishing 8th grade. This fall my wife and I will be in new territory with a college freshman and high school freshman. We will also celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. My desire is to find hope looking forward and looking back as 2015 unfolds.

Yet, with so many special memories from the past, and such great anticipation for the future, I can have trouble living in the moment. I catch myself thinking about tomorrow or the next day, or even something on my schedule for later today. My sense of hope can become misguided or even get lost in the busyness. How about you?

Ever since I composed Awaken the Dawn from Psalm 108:1-2 (also see Psalm 57:7-8), sunrises have been a richer symbol of hope for me. Somehow this music embraces a human longing we all share each and every day — a desire for hope in the midst of life’s circumstances.

For me, trying to fulfill this longing for hope with my own strength, my own plans, or my own common sense, always falls short. Below are three ways to connect hope with each day’s sunrise. As you read them, see which one speaks most to your heart right now, and try to practice it.

1. REST. We are in a place of rest when watching a sunrise, or rising from sleep to the sunrise and a new day. Resting moves us toward hope.

“Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.” — Psalm 62:5

2. WAIT. We have to wait for the sun to rise. This is true whether we woke up early to get in position, to get the camera ready to capture a sunrise, or we have been resting through the night, waiting for the new day. Waiting moves us toward hope.

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” — Psalm 27:14

“…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.” — Isaiah 40:31

3. SURRENDER. We cannot control the sunrise. We cannot control our life circumstances. We can try to make wise decisions and then take action, but ultimately a posture of surrender is needed. Surrender moves us toward hope.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” — Proverbs 3:5-6

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you. Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him.” — Psalm 32:8-10

Which will you use to connect hope with tomorrow’s sunrise?

The inspirational verses behind Awaken the Dawn…

“My heart, O God, is steadfast; I will sing and make music with all my soul. Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.” — Psalm 108:1-2

“My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. Awake, my soul!Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.” — Psalm 57:7-8