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Day 7 for “31 Days of December Peace” ~ The Sweet Gum Tree

December 7, 2017 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

Click above to listen to Snow Angel 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 Sweet Gum Tree ~ by Stanton Lanier (Copyright 2012, not to be re-published without permission)

I loved to climb trees in North Carolina as a boy. Our yard had pines, dogwoods, a few tall hardwoods and a persimmon tree. But across the street was a giant sweet gum tree. This was the dream climb.

Stanton Lanier, The Sweetgum Tree

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/14083893

The sweet gum tree towered above the rest. The little green, prickly round balls were captivating. They were brilliant green in the spring and summer, and turned brown and fell to the ground in the fall. The trunk was way too big to put my arms around. The top seemed a hundred feet higher. Once you reached the highest branch you could sit on, the world seemed so much smaller down below. You would sway a foot or two in the wind up there. It was only pleasure though – no fear.

It was always fun throwing the sweet gums from up in the tree. “Projectile DNA” is just hardwired into boys. One time some friends and I decided to see if we could hit a car as it drove by. My heart raced. What would happen if we actually hit one? We found out. The screech of tires skidding scared us half to death. A man got out, shook his finger up at the tree yelled something. It sounded like he was saying “blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.” I recall butterflies in my stomach as I was throwing the balls – followed by a gasp as I feared death at the hands of sweet gum road rage! Thankfully the driver decided not to climb the tree to get us. As the car drove away we all sighed with relief and started to retell the story to each other. We didn’t need to throw any more that day.

My soul was stirred every time I climbed that sweet gum tree. There were secret things I discovered up there… freedom from worry, the independence of a bird, the choice to pause and take in the beauty, the awesome power of nature, the wonder and simplicity of childlike faith. I was part of something a lot bigger than myself. It was like I had a part in the story. There did not seem to be any limitations on what was possible in this life.

Did you have a sweet gum tree or favorite childhood hideaway? Where do you find simplicity?

Filed Under: Inspiration, Life Stories, Spiritual Journey Tagged With: 31 Days of December Peace, childhood hideaway, childlike faith, Climbing Trees, December Peace, Simplicity, Snow Angel, Sweet Gum Tree

December 7th ~ The Sweet Gum Tree

December 7, 2015 By Stanton Lanier 3 Comments

https://www.stantonlanier.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/12-Snow-Angel-StantonLanierc2009.mp3

Click above to listen to the original piano-cello duet Snow Angel as you read (with Grammy winning cellist Eugene Friesen). This track 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 Sweet Gum Tree ~ by Stanton Lanier (Copyright 2012, not to be re-published without permission)

I loved to climb trees in North Carolina as a boy. Our yard had pines, dogwoods, a few tall hardwoods and a persimmon tree. But across the street was a giant sweet gum tree. This was the dream climb.

Stanton Lanier, The Sweetgum Tree

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/14083893

The sweet gum tree towered above the rest. The little green, prickly round balls were captivating. They were brilliant green in the spring and summer, and turned brown and fell to the ground in the fall. The trunk was way too big to put my arms around. The top seemed a hundred feet higher. Once you reached the highest branch you could sit on, the world seemed so much smaller down below. You would sway a foot or two in the wind up there. It was only pleasure though – no fear.

It was always fun throwing the sweet gums from up in the tree. “Projectile DNA” is just hardwired into boys. One time some friends and I decided to see if we could hit a car as it drove by. My heart raced. What would happen if we actually hit one? We found out. The screech of tires skidding scared us half to death. A man got out, shook his finger up at the tree yelled something. It sounded like he was saying “blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.” I recall butterflies in my stomach as I was throwing the balls – followed by a gasp as I feared death at the hands of sweet gum road rage! Thankfully the driver decided not to climb the tree to get us. As the car drove away we all sighed with relief and started to retell the story to each other. We didn’t need to throw any more that day.

My soul was stirred every time I climbed that sweet gum tree. There were secret things I discovered up there… freedom from worry, the independence of a bird, the choice to pause and take in the beauty, the awesome power of nature, the wonder and simplicity of childlike faith. I was part of something a lot bigger than myself. It was like I had a part in the story. There did not seem to be any limitations on what was possible in this life.

Did you have a sweet gum tree or favorite childhood hideaway? Where do you find simplicity?

Filed Under: Inspiration, Life Stories, Spiritual Journey Tagged With: 31 Days of December Peace, childlike faith, Climbing Trees, December Peace, Simplicity, Snow Angel, Sweet Gum Tree

Four Essential Tools to Stay Inspired

January 29, 2015 By Stanton Lanier 4 Comments

https://www.stantonlanier.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/07-Streams-StantonLanierc2004.mp3

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.”

Filed Under: Life Stories, Music Stories, Spiritual Journey Tagged With: Adventures Unlimited, canoes, Draw Near, Scripture Inspired Piano, silence, Simplicity, solitude, Streams, surrender

31 Days of December Peace: Day 7 ~ The Sweet Gum Tree

December 7, 2014 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

https://www.stantonlanier.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/12-Snow-Angel-StantonLanierc2009.mp3

Click above to listen to the original piano-cello duet Snow Angel as you read (with Grammy winning cellist Eugene Friesen). This track 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 Sweet Gum Tree ~ by Stanton Lanier (Copyright 2012, not to be re-published without permission)

I loved to climb trees in North Carolina as a boy. Our yard had pines, dogwoods, a few tall hardwoods and a persimmon tree. But across the street was a giant sweet gum tree. This was the dream climb.

Stanton Lanier, The Sweetgum Tree

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/14083893

The sweet gum tree towered above the rest. The little green, prickly round balls were captivating. They were brilliant green in the spring and summer, and turned brown and fell to the ground in the fall. The trunk was way too big to put my arms around. The top seemed a hundred feet higher. Once you reached the highest branch you could sit on, the world seemed so much smaller down below. You would sway a foot or two in the wind up there. It was only pleasure though – no fear.

It was always fun throwing the sweet gums from up in the tree. “Projectile DNA” is just hardwired into boys. One time some friends and I decided to see if we could hit a car as it drove by. My heart raced. What would happen if we actually hit one? We found out. The screech of tires skidding scared us half to death. A man got out, shook his finger up at the tree yelled something. It sounded like he was saying “blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.” I recall butterflies in my stomach as I was throwing the balls – followed by a gasp as I feared death at the hands of sweet gum road rage! Thankfully the driver decided not to climb the tree to get us. As the car drove away we all sighed with relief and started to retell the story to each other. We didn’t need to throw any more that day.

My soul was stirred every time I climbed that sweet gum tree. There were secret things I discovered up there… freedom from worry, the independence of a bird, the choice to pause and take in the beauty, the awesome power of nature, the wonder and simplicity of childlike faith. I was part of something a lot bigger than myself. It was like I had a part in the story. There did not seem to be any limitations on what was possible in this life.

Did you have a sweet gum tree or favorite childhood hideaway? Where do you find simplicity?

Filed Under: Inspiration, Life Stories, Spiritual Journey Tagged With: 31 Days of December Peace, childhood hideaway, childlike faith, Climbing Trees, December Peace, Simplicity, Snow Angel, Sweet Gum Tree

Practicing Simplicity

June 16, 2014 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

https://www.stantonlanier.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/03-Simplicity.mp3

Click above to listen to Simplicity from my third album Draw Near as you read. If you enjoy, consider purchasing the song, album download, or CD from iTunes, Amazon or stantonlanier.com (where sheet music is also available).

What are your favorite childhood memories illustrating the importance of simplicity?

One of mine is climbing trees. I also loved playing on the “dirt pile” or riding my “spyder bike” with the banana seat. This morning however, another memory is rising above these, especially since yesterday was Father’s Day here in the U.S.

It was my tenth birthday. I had been waiting for this with great expectation. My Dad was taking me camping for the weekend in the North Carolina mountains. Being the oldest of three boys, I was the first to experience what became a family tenth birthday tradition. Here are a few things that happened on this simple, yet unforgettable, camping trip…

Lanier_Slides_0446 - Version 2
It poured down rain as we put up our tent. Over night a raccoon chewed open the peanut M&M bag, and ate some. As we prepared morning breakfast, we discovered there were ants in the spam (an inexpensive, salty canned meat). We went fishing at a trout farm, where you used kernels of corn for bait. When the fishing hook hit the water, there was a feeding frenzy! It took about ten minutes to catch our dinner. The most meaningful thing was the simplicity of it all — just being with my Dad.

This experience inspired me to have a special outing with my son and daughter on their birthdays. I couldn’t wait until my son was ten, so we went camping for his fifth birthday, and the tradition began. The simple things in life are often the most valuable. God’s love is like this — just be with Him and ask Him to be with you. Keep it simple.

What is a simple thing you can do with a loved one to create a priceless memory?

Ecclesiastes 7:29 — “God made us plain and simple, but we have made ourselves very complicated.”

Filed Under: Life Stories, Music Stories, Peace and Rest, Spiritual Journey Tagged With: Camping Stories, childlike faith, Draw Near, Father's Day, Simplicity

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