“Wisdom Is Needed” Theme: Rev 13:10, 18 Recorded: Thursday, January 26, 2023
Music: LISTEN! 1. Once Again Lord (Worship) 2. I Remember (IHS) 3. Through His Life (Who We Are) 4. O’ My Shepherd Carry Me Home (Worship) 5. Doxology (Yes Indeed)
We are by nature creative beings. We’re wired to be imaginative, to be innovative, and to be resourceful. Regardless of what we do for a living, we’ll do it better if we’re thinking as a visionary.
The title of this song was inspired by a random magazine article entitled For the Love of Vinyl, It grabbed my attention immediately and I found the lyric to be an easier than usual creation.
I had just read an inspiring Rich Kirkpatrick blog on our need be creative so I found myself within the creative flow very quickly.
We are created in the image of our Creator… so dare to be a dreamer.
Lyrics: Life is a bohemial existence With a disregarding tenet or two With non-conventional thoughts and reason And behavior that some might misconstrue
Life is a juvenescent sandbox Where building roams beyond confines Where boundless minds can wander Coloring where there are no lines
Welcome to the splintered aggregation Where odd resolve to get even Curious for the love of art And the courage to brave the unbelievin’
Life is a poetic string of ramblings Written in the margins of the day Multicolored snap-shots in couplets A work of acrobatic wordplay
Life is a whimsical pallet Daring you to conjure the extreme Releasing your inherent rhapsody For the love of art must venture to dream
For the love of art; write the unspoken For the love of art; paint the unseen For the love of art; voice the unheard For the love of art
Lyrics: I’d like to believe it’s just you and me And the tiny little world we’ve carved out But I can’t deceive what my eyes perceive That there’s always a speckle of doubt
In your playful dreams it’s just you and me In a 5 Below novella But in my prayerful mind I sense a plan that’s divine And there’s no prince or Cinderella
What if this? What if that? What you gonna rhyme if I drop my hat? I can’t promise you more than the hippest cat What if it comes down to that?
Will you be mine? Will you be my sunshine? Whose will provides the fizz Will I be yours? Will there be tempting doors? Your will, my will, or His?
In the beginning we swore against sinning And said we’d be pure until ashes But words won’t protect us from life’s unexpected Only perfect love’s cancels out crashes
The future is a very fragile and unpredictable thing. We have no way of assuring how each day, let alone our week, or year, will turn out with any certainty. I was reflecting on this and the use of the word someday when I wrote this song. I was thinking about how we often refer to someday in describing our future dreams and endeavors. My parents always spoke of someday as in my future, down the road, and spiritually God also does, but life has an uncanny way of sneaking up on us when we least expect it.
Someday was oh so later Someday was down the road But someday just happened to me now ~ E.M.
Lyrics: I went to bed a child and woke a lifetime later A silhouette of who I used to be A scattered rush of moments Missed or worse forgotten An epitaph of frittered diggity
I sense my mother’s worry I hear my father’s words I see my back walking away You can cry, stormy Monday You can thank God for Friday But blink and it’ll be someday
Walking the beach when the surf’s out Pining your mountain away Sleeping til noon on a weekday Someday could happen today
I wandered without purpose And tuned a stone deaf ear I figured someday, somehow Someday was oh so later Someday was down the road But someday just happened to me now
dree /drē/ verb ARCHAIC•SCOTTISH endure (something burdensome or painful).
The quest to live a loving and compassionate life can be challenging at times. Each day’s ups and downs are different, but the power of love is unmatched, and therein lies our journey.
It’s so gray when I look out my window Silhouettes upon the hill I’ve come to expect a winter’s night Even her kiss brings a chill
There in my mind rests a sight serene Misty green eyes that say yes The wind in her hair and the scent of spring Flowing down her dress
Dree, the sameness overtakes me Dree, the world’s a tired gray Dree, I long for something different I long for yesterday
I can recall when the faces were glowing Smiles that beckoned us near The expressions excited with all the unknown Before there was ever a tear
The ever widening chasms between each of us seem to grow daily as we continue to establish barriers between what we call acceptable, and what we deem objectionable. In doing so I’m afraid we’re dismissing an important narrative to our happiness. The moment we start to discount our differences, is the moment we start to cheat ourselves out of the things that can make our lives richer. Our ingenuity illustrates our individuality. We’ve got it all messed up. In our quest to get on with each other, we’ve told many people to get out. Instead of drawing the world a little closer we are drawing divisional lines in the sand. We’re not closing gaps, we’re creating gaps.
When we close our ears and eyes we are missing the beauty of an extremely diverse world. A world that was created for our benefit. It was created out of love for us. All of it’s beauty and splendor was designed by our Creator, for good! So what does it say when we turn from His ideals, from what He deems good for us, from His loving vision of our lives (Ephesians 2:10)?
Diversity does not demand division.
We bridge the gaps by putting aside our differences, by opening our eyes and ears to new and different sounds and sights. When we open our mind to new ideas evolution can occur. The natural flow to a united and loving world begins with a judgement free view of life (Romans 12:16). Thankfully we don’t all lookalike, and soundalike. That would be pretty boring don’t you think? Well thinking everyone should think alike is the same thing. It’s a very narrow view of a very panoramic creation.
So I spend my days first trying to identify, and then trying to bridge these gaps. The inspiration comes from my never ending idealistic dream of a loving united world. One that cares for others more than themselves. One that truly finds more satisfaction in the act of giving than in receiving (2 Corinthians 9:7). A world that differs a great deal from the one I currently seem to live in.
My platform for such change has always been music. I find enormous joy in touching the hearts of others through poetry and song. A tough message can be much easier on the ear when it’s riding the the crest of a memorable melody. or being propelled along by an irresistible rhythm.
Come, let us walk together Come. let us walk hand in hand Cone, let speak with one voice Come, let us walk in the light of love ~ E.M. (‘Come. Let Us Walk’)
My plea is one of compassion. If we start with a loving approach to our differences I believe that we would see and hear things with a new found appreciation. I invite you to join me in opening up a new world of inspiration. Pray for a cleansing view of the world. Ask God for new ears and eyes that would lovingly see and hear the beauty of diversity. That fresh mindset will bridge gaps both small and large over a period of time. A period of time when we can draw closer as friends and families… as our Creator intended.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven ~ Matthew 5:16
During the month of February, while we recognize a dream, a groundhog, and a valentine, let us do so while shining a light of love in our world.
Let it be a light that brings about a notion of peace, a moment of happiness, and a vision of hope.
You can do that! God’s provision is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9), he has provided you with all that you need to make a difference in someone’s day, or better yet, in their life. So there it is, shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Let it shine! Let it shine! Let it Shine!
Call me, text me, tweet me, message me, email me, write me… we were brought together by God for a reason.
We probably don’t listen as well as we’re designed. If we did, then scripture, and the lessons within, would produce much more love and compassion in the world. It exists, but it probably pales in compassion to our creator’s hopes. So when I wrote this, I was doing a deep dive into what nature offers us each day in the way of invitation and inspiration. The Kingdom is in constant conversation with us everyday. It never truly sleeps, it is fluid in that it is alive and changing continually. Loving God with all our heart, soul, and mind (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) requires us to hear that conversation and to be a part if it. It’s only in that neighborhood that we can genuinely listen and love.
On September 25, I’ll be releasing my seventeenth album ‘Pray On.’ It’s my prayer that these songs will enable you to find some encouragement and optimism as you journey forward.
Lyrics: There’s a bird in a tree, and it’s chirping at me Listen and love There’s some moss hanging free, and it’s swaying at me Listen and love
There’s a breeze from the sea, and it’s hailing me Listen and love There’s some shade that’s sincere, and it’s inviting me near Listen and love
Listen, Oh listen Listen and love All across the universe Listen and love Oh won’t you, listen and love
There’s a mist in the air, and it’s raining somewhere Listen and love There’s a cloud hovering by, and it’s whispering why We should… listen and love
There’s a leaf floating free, and it’s winking at me Listen and love There’s a stillness about, and it’s calling me out Listen & love
There’s a full moon tonight, and it’s making things right Listen and love There’s a flower in bloom, and she’s making me swoon There’s a rain pouring down , and it’s flipping’ my frown Listen and love There’s a rainbow above, and it’s promising love Listen and love
There’s some wind in the trees, and it’s buckling my knees There’s a tide rolling in, and it’s late again Oh we should, listen and love Oh won’t you, listen and love Why don’t we, listen and love
Those of you who know me well, know that I’ve been using “Pray on!” as a farewell for twenty-plus years. So I guess it was only a matter of time before it became the focus of a song. A short while ago, I was meditating on Proverbs 1:33 when this evolved into a song idea.
‘Peace lies in the heart of the believer Calm lies in the hands of compassion Love lies in the words of the one, who’ll pray on, so pray on’ ~ E.M.
It seemed timely when I first wrote it, and now today it feels even more fitting as we find our way forward through this time challenging season.
Though it hasn’t seen the light of day as of this writing, I’m excited about introducing it here in video form, and looking forward to unveiling it live in the near future.
Lyrics: Peace lies in the heart of the believer Calm lies in the hands of compassion Love lies in the words of the one who’ll pray on, so pray on
Quiet’s in the heart of the believer Grace lies in the hands of compassion Love lies in the words of the one who’ll pray on, so pray on
Fair is the lone star that smiles amongst the clouds Bright’s the tiny light amongst the darkness When love shines in the midst of judgment Hope is the one that’ll pray on
Joy lies in the heart of the believer Mercy’s in the hands of compassion Love lies in the words of the one who’ll pray on, so pray on
‘There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus’ (Galatians 3:28 ESV), and there you have it, in God’s eyes we are one.
There’s a church not far from my northern home, which looks like, and sounds like, the harmony, and color of the world. I believe it’s exactly as God had imagined. All are welcome in His house.
This was written as a gathering song for worship, it has brought my ministry into places that I never would have imagined. It is impossible to understand the hand of God and how he uses our gifts, but every once in a which we catch a glimpse, and when we do, it’s divine.