Is there is something you’ve always wanted to do, but don’t think you have the ability to do it? Where there is desire, there is power. Psalms 37:4 says
“Delight thyself in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thy heart.”
In this video, I’ll prove to you the truth of this statement by giving you an example.
I’ve always wanted to feel comfortable singing in front of people, but I was too scared to do more than sing in the car by myself. I also have wanted to be able to compose music. Today, I wrote a song and I’m going to sing it for you in this video… just to prove to you that God really can give you the desires of your heart, whether they’re ever spoken or not.
I had the exquisite pleasure of attending the Millennial Choir and Orchestra performance tonight. My friend Leslie Householder got me tickets to their Be Still My Soul production. The first song they performed was How Great Thou Art, and I have included a video below of their version of the song. I wish I had a recording of their version of Be Still My Soul, but it has not been released yet.
Be Still My Soul touched me profoundly. I’d played it on the piano at my mother’s funeral, so this put her uppermost in my mind. As I closed my eyes and let the music wash over me, a scene entered my mind of my mother arriving in heaven surrounded by concourses of angels, celebrating her return as she came into the presence of the Savior. Such joy filled my heart for her.
Here’s the video of the Millennial Choir and Orchestra performing How Great Thou Art. There’s no comparison to attending live but this gives you a taste.
“O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvelous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.” – Psalm 98:1
Music is one of the most healing things I’ve ever found and it has been a huge part of my life and especially the healing process I’ve gone through over the last two or three months. It has been a lifeline and I think one of the best ways we can share the light with others and help them feel the Spirit of God is through music.
Here’s a song that has been a lifeline for me over the last few months – “Thy Will” by Hillary Scott. This entire playlist is a collection of songs I’ve listened to in order to heal my heart. What songs bring light to your mind and peace to your soul?
I turned 44 on Saturday. In the past, birthdays have been somewhat of a disappointment for me. I often feel like my birthday needs to be some magnificient celebratory day where I do something out of the ordinary, but that rarely happens. Life goes on. I work, I clean, I do the mom thing and birthdays tend to be like any other day.
Saturday was one of those ordinary birthdays, except for one thing. This time I came into my birthday after spending a week with some of my dearest friends, in my favorite place, doing what I love best, and surrounded by my favorite musicians. The Light the World: Birthing Your Destiny Retreat held April 20-23, 2010 in Zion National Park is still filling me with love and light.
I feel as if God gave me the greatest birthday present possible. It was incredible watching Him work His miracles in the lives of the 15 participants and to know it wasn’t us as presenters — that it was the Lord and His heavenly hosts at work in the lives of these women. I came away with 15 new friends whom I love dearly and a deeper relationship with my own daughter. Not only that, but I have an entire DVD full of gorgeous music.
From a young age music has been a critical part of my life. Music filled our home. My mother made sure of that. I started piano lessons at 5 (even though you’d never know it now). I love music. It expresses the deepest feelings of my heart. And no one captures the essence of what I’ve felt over the last couple weeks the way Sheldon Pickering and Jamie Bartschi do. Below are a few videos of them performing at the retreat. I thank the Lord for bringing these talented people into my life. What a priceless treasure!
I love the soulful voice and melodies of Norah Jones. Sometimes I wish I could play the piano like that so bad it hurts.
Yesterday was the first time I’d heard her recording of “One Flight Down.” At a glance, you look at the words and say, “Well what in the world is that about? Is it just about a song playing in the apartment downstairs?” As I pondered it more, I realized just how incredibly profound it is.
First here’s the song with the lyrics for Norah Jones’, “One Flight Down:”
One flight down
There’s a song on low
And your mind just picked up on the sound
Now you know you’re wrong
Because it drifts like smoke
And it’s been there playing all along
Now you know
Now you know
The reeds and brass have been weaving
Leading into a single note
In this place
Where your arms unfold
Here at last you see your ancient face
Now you know
Now you know
The cadence rolls in broken
Plays it over and then goes
One flight down
There’s a song on low
And it’s been there playing all along
Now you know
Now you know
Have you ever had an “aha moment” when you realized that your perception of things was completely off base? When you realized you were building your life and making choices on a faulty belief? Perhaps you discovered that there was an underlying statement in your subconscious mind (one flight down) that was affecting you, controlling your actions, “weaving, leading into a single note.” Something like, “It’s hard to make money.” Or “I have to be perfect for God to love me,” or “Everybody’s in debt . . . debt is part of life.”
In this “aha moment” “your arms unfold” and “here at last you see your ancient face” … the old incorrect belief that was there all along. Like a cadence rolling in broken, your mind played it over again, pushing it “one flight down” into your subconscious mind. From there it controlled your thoughts, words, actions and results.
But now you hear the melody… “you know that you were wrong” and with that realization, nothing will ever be the same again.
I don’t know what Norah Jones would say this song is about. But another interpretation could be your life message that is playing like a song in the background . . . put into your subconscious mind from birth that is leading you, guiding you along toward a “single note”… a single message that you were born to convey. Your “ancient face” could be that eternal part of you that has always existed and in that aha moment, you see who you truly are.
Just because you hadn’t heard the melody playing before, doesn’t mean it wasn’t there. All the while guiding you forward, affecting your life choices and outcomes. Maybe it rolls along broken because of all the gunk we’ve let life put in the way. Then, in that moment you hear the melody and everything changes. 🙂 Ooooh, I think I like this interpretation the best. 🙂
