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Stanton Lanier

Scripture inspired piano to refresh your spirit

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How are You Dreaming Big for 2020?

January 28, 2020 By Stanton Lanier 8 Comments

As you read enjoy streaming Wherever You Go from the album Open Spaces (or listen on your favorite music service).

How are you Dreaming Big for 2020?

I want to Dream Big for this year. How about you? I want to be confident instead of hesitant, to have faith instead of unbelief, and to have an abundance mentality instead of scarcity mindset. Below are three actions I plan to practice while Dreaming Big for 2020.

1. Live Fully in the Present. Remember the past. Be mindful of the future. Live in the present. These wise words from a friend have been part of my Dreaming Big for a long time. The past year included many amazing blessings, along with some challenging trials. The future seems bright, but I can be afraid of what is uncertain and out of my control. My primary focus should be the gift of life today, and living fully in each present moment. I also need to rely on the promise “Fear not, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed. I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with my victorious right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

2. Ask Boldly. I have found if I approach asking boldly from a posture of “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4), then my Big Dreams will better align with God’s Big Dreams for me. He is the Dream Giver, the Creator (with capital letters). I am a dreamer and creator (with lower case letters), asking God boldly to accomplish the Big Dreams He wants to come true this year in my life. This fills me with awe and wonder because I only know a small portion of what is in store. As I live fully in the present, and ask boldly, I remember the past with thanksgiving for God’s faithfulness in doing “immeasurably more than all I ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within me” (Ephesians 3:20). I look expectantly to the future believing “God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish” (Philippians 1:6).

3. Move Forward by Faith. When I lean into listening for God’s voice—His gentle whisper—He guides me forward by faith. This can be a sense of the Holy Spirit nudging me toward my next step of obedience, God “speaking” to me through His Word or answers to prayer, or through acting on invitations from others with discernment. Moving forward can appear the opposite when the Holy Spirit checks my spirit to slow down or stop, when God is quiet and can seem distant during a season of waiting for clarity with a next step, or when people are offering me “good ideas” which are not “God’s best” plans. These tensions are why Dreaming Big requires faith and drawing near to God. I can move forward by faith, drawing strength from Hebrews 11:6 (without faith it is impossible to please God), and James 4:8 (Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you).

Which of these can you put into practice to energize your Dreaming Big for 2020?

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: 2020, 2020 dreams, asking boldly, dreaming big, Dreams, Ephesians 3:20, faith, goals, Hebrews 11:6, James 4:8, living in the present, Psalm 37:4, Wherever You Go

Cultivating the Artist Child Inside You

March 15, 2016 By Stanton Lanier 2 Comments

https://www.stantonlanier.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/10-wherever-you-go.mp3

Click above to listen to Wherever You Go as you read (from my 8th album Open Spaces). If you enjoy, visit the online store to order the CD or MP3 Album or PDF Sheet Music. You can also download or stream on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, and Pandora.

Are you cultivating the artist child inside you?

The photo below is from the 8th grade talent show, when I performed Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree. But this did not happen naturally or easily. In kindergarten and early elementary school I stuttered when I talked. I am still reminded of this today, whenever I say the word “reward” with the “r” and “w” sounds. Even though I began piano lessons at six years old, well into my teenage years my right leg would always shake when I played for an audience. And, in the 7th grade I wanted to quit piano lessons because it did not seem cool anymore, and I wanted to focus on basketball.

As I started writing songs in high school, both piano and basketball were my two favorite things in life. However, as I looked ahead to a college education and career, the voices speaking into my life all said “You are a good at math and science, and a smart student. You should be an engineer.” Very few people, if any, believed that piano or basketball could be a career choice. Guess what began to happen to the artist child inside me? Conformity began to overtake creativity. Fear began to replace child-like faith.

Tie A Yellow RibbonI just finished reading The Artisan Soul by Erwin McManus, who for fifteen years has been a voice God has used to inspire me to nurture the artist inside me, and to seize divine moments. Erwin writes (viewing God as our Creator), “…we are both works of art, and artists at work. At first our soul is like a canvas where others begin to paint the portrait of who we are. Slowly as we develop and mature, we take the brush into our own hands and continue painting our own lives.”

I have also been meditating on Psalm 139, which has an amazing section… “Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day” (The Message).

I hope these thoughts, and some part of my life story inspire you to nurture and cultivate the artist child inside you. God has given each of us a unique set of passions and abilities. I encourage you to visit yours often, to practice them with a spirit of child-like faith and adventure. Be sure to make time to create. Don’t replace your creativity with conformity. You are an original work of art!

What step can you take to cultivate the artist child inside you?

P.S. Wherever You Go was carefully chosen as the music stream for this post. The song was influenced by some music rhythm and life conversations with my teenage son, and was inspired by Joshua 1:9, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.“

Filed Under: Creativity, Life Stories, Spiritual Journey Tagged With: childlike faith, creativity, Erwin McManus, Open Spaces, Scripture Inspired Piano, The Artisan Soul, Wherever You Go

Wherever You Go

March 21, 2014 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

https://www.stantonlanier.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/10-wherever-you-go.mp3

Click above to listen to Wherever You Go (from my 8th album Open Spaces) as you read. If you enjoy you can stream, download music, or find sheet music at the following links: Open Spaces CD, MP3 Album, Piano Book, Wherever You Go PDF Sheet Music, iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, Pandora.

Do you remember the Dr. Seuss book Oh The Places You’ll Go?

Here are a few places my life journey has taken me…Climbing to the top of big trees, wrecking my “spider” bicycle, falling off a horse, getting stung on the lip by a yellow jacket, wanting to quit piano lessons, scoring thirty points in a high school basketball game, working summers at a canoe rental, majoring in chemistry, earning an MBA, being a husband to my bride, selling life insurance, touring the Holy Land, serving clients as a financial advisor, becoming a father with two children, traveling to U.S. national parks (Acadia, Grand Canyon, Yosemite), witnessing a star filled night sky in northern Minnesota, publishing a book, and starting a blog!

Wherever You Go Out of all these, and many other experiences, I would have to say the most important moment in my life was placing my faith in Jesus Christ. Even though I am broken and far from perfect, the realness of His love, grace, forgiveness, peace, hope and power in my life have been growing ever since. As my trusting and abiding in Him deepens, life is filled with “Oh The Places You’ll Go” experiences of wonder, beauty, mystery, sadness, adventure and joy. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9) Is there some place it seems God is asking you to go that will require faith and courage?

Filed Under: Life Stories, Music Stories, Spiritual Journey Tagged With: Dr. Suess, Joshua 1:9, Life Adventure, Living by Faith, Oh The Places You'll Go, Open Spaces, Wherever You Go

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