Stanton Lanier

Scripture inspired piano to refresh your spirit

Day 16 for “31 Days of December Peace” ~ The Top

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Click above to listen to Silence as you read, from December Peace (Best Holiday Album, ZMR Awards). If you enjoy, consider sampling and ordering the CD, MP3 Album or sheet music. You can also listen on Spotify, Pandora Holiday Channel, Apple Music and all other digital streaming services.

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

Where could you use some “December Peace” today?

The Top ~ by Stanton Lanier (Copyright 2012, not to be re-published without permission)

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.

AU Canoeing Photo

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 16th ~ The Top

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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?

The Top ~ by Stanton Lanier (Copyright 2012, not to be re-published without permission)

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.

AU Canoeing Photo

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?

Four Essential Tools to Stay Inspired

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

How do you navigate life’s ups and downs?

If you feel like you are more in a valley or desert right now, instead of a mountain top or sanctuary, this happens to me too. When we are feeling down, there is a way to climb upward.

It wasn’t obvious then, but in the early 1980s four practices were planted in my heart. They happened working summers at Adventures Unlimited canoe rental in the Florida panhandle. Each one is an essential tool I can remember and apply to rise up from life’s “downs,” or when celebrating life’s “ups.”

Canoes 1

Maybe all four, or at least one, can inspire your journey. Here is how each seed took root at the canoe rental, and then blossomed into fruit when I learned verses to apply (thanks to Charles Swindoll and his powerful little book Intimacy with the Almighty). All four of them became song titles in my early years of composing Scripture inspired piano.

1. SIMPLICITY. Take time to do simple things, to see life and the world through a child’s eyes. Unload the canoes in the morning, drive customers to the starting point, show them how to canoe, load up the canoes in the afternoon. The work day was simple. Give the customer a great experience, and stir their child-like simplicity. This song on the album Draw Near was inspired by Ecclesiastes 7:29 — “God made us plain and simple, but we have made ourselves very complicated.”

2. SILENCE. Take time to unplug, be silent, pray, and listen for God’s voice. I loved the job of unloading one hundred canoes on the sandbar to be ready for customers (see the photo above). I worked in silence and it was silent when the work was done. So silent I could only hear the water, the wind, and the birds. This song on the album Still Waters and re-recorded on December Peace was inspired by Habakkuk 2:20 — “But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.”

3. SOLITUDE. Take time to be alone. Working outdoors along a river provided lots of alone time. Many special moments come from solitude…working hard, resting well, creating calmly, listening closely. This song on the album Walk in the Light was inspired by Mark 1:35 — “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”

4. SURRENDER. Take a position of surrendering control with relationships, work and play. This took the longest and is the hardest for me. Sometimes life’s worst moments offer the best possibility for responding with surrender. This song on the album Draw Near was inspired by Proverbs 3:5-6 — “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

What can you do to practice more simplicity, silence, solitude and surrender?

The song Streams also reminds me of the Coldwater River (in the photo) and was inspired by Psalm 42:1-2 — “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.”

Day 16, 31 Days of December Peace ~ The Top

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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?

The Top ~ by Stanton Lanier (Copyright 2012, not to be re-published without permission)

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.

AU Canoeing Photo

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?

Practicing Silence

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Click above to listen to Still Waters (title track from my album Still Waters) as you read. If you enjoy you can stream, download music, or find sheet music at the following links: Still Waters CD, MP3 Album, Piano Book, Still Waters PDF Sheet Music, iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, Pandora.

Are you good at practicing silence, making time for quiet and listening? Or, does this continually seem out of reach due to the stresses, volume and velocity of every day life?

Either way, let this music and words allow you to breathe, to be recharged, to experience silence in a new way. IMG_2472 Here are a few things that come to mind when I think about, and try to practice silence: Out of 88 piano instrumentals I have composed, “Silence” is the longest, and is on two albums (Still Waters, original recording time of 8:59, and December Peace, re-recorded time of 7:58). I have always found this interesting. It wasn’t forced, but maybe points to the importance of silence. The music was birthed from the idea in Habakkuk 2:20, “The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.” My grandfather “Daddy L” (short for Lanier – my Dad’s father) was one of the quietest men I have ever known. He was full of faith, love, and kindness, yet he didn’t say much. He had a long career in banking and was active in serving the community. He loved fishing, and he was absolutely unbeatable at every way you can play the game of checkers. He died the summer before I turned seventeen (I never beat him at checkers). His silence influenced me to be reflective, to take time to pause and take in the scene. It also inspired me to be more vocal with my children, to speak into their lives more intentionally, while also teaching them the value of silence. The disciplines of simplicity, solitude, silence and surrender have all impacted my faith, creativity and calling. I am quite content with long periods of silence. I set time aside to practice silence, frequently for short lengths of time, and occasionally for long periods from a half to a full day. God is always faithful to speak into the silence with His still small voice. His gentle whisper offers wisdom, guidance, and comfort. Do you need to take time to practice silence? What are some benefits you could discover?

31 Days of December Peace: Day 16 ~ The Top

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The new 31 Days of December Peace eBook is available for only $4.99. Download at stantonlanier.com or the Amazon Kindle Store.

The Top ~ by Stanton Lanier (Copyright 2012, not to be re-published without permission)

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.

AU Canoeing Photo

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?

Silence in the Noise

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How do you find silence in all the noise around you? Take a moment to be silent and take in the photo below, or a view you have out the window. Or, close your eyes and think of your favorite “quiet place.” Something happened to me when I went for a run this morning that forced me into silence…

Beach Thunderstorm

Beach Thunderstorm – Symbol of Silence

I got out my little clip on iPod shuffle to listen to some music during my run. After getting it set in my ears, I noticed the switch had already been moved over to the “on” position. This had happened before. I knew the battery would be dead, and it was. I had to run without any music, which turned out to be a good thing.

I remembered running before there were iPods or MP3 players. This morning I listened to my feet. I heard different kinds of birds singing their morning song. I heard my breathing. There was a little bit of road noise from cars, but I can’t remember it. I must have blocked it out. I found myself praying some too. I was able to find “silence in the noise.” It was refreshing.

Can you remember your favorite “quiet places” growing up? I used to climb trees and take long bike rides. I remember a summer job carrying canoes down to the river with nobody around. In college, I used to find a desk for studying in the most hidden away part of the library. It seems that we all have a need for silence. Silence is refreshing to the soul.

What is your favorite “quiet place” today? There are moments I long for during vacation times, like a thunderstorm at the beach. This can be a quiet place. I like to be up early sometimes, reading in my favorite chair, before the world is awake. This can be a quiet place. See what happens in your life this week when you meditate on the idea of finding “silence in the noise.”

To go a step further, try listening to a sample of Quiet Place from my 5th album The Voice.