A Hymn.

I’ve been colaborating with a great writer from Houston. Eva and I have written a few tunes together and recently she asked me to write a hymn with her.

When we were researching the hymn, Eva sent me a link to a sermon on the subject. It turned out that the sermon was an all-night sermon from new year’s eve, 1960. The speaker was W.A. Criswell. Wally Amos Criswell was the pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas from the mid 40’s until the mid 90’s. Pastor Criswell dedicated my two oldest children. He was a gentle soul with a powerful passion for the gospel and people.

The sermon was entitled, “The Scarlet Thread”, the same title we had chosen for our hymn, and was about the common thread of God’s holy sacrifice throughout the history of mankind. Amazingly, the audio tape of the sermon was available in the W.A. Criswell library online! It was amazing to me to listen to a sermon from so long ago, and to be so moved and enlightened. It was an exciting find.

W.A. died in 2002. First Baptist Dallas has had eight senior pastors since its beginning, but only two pastors, George Truett and Dr. W.A. Criswell, for the period between the church’s founding in 1897 through 1995.

The hymn, SCARLET THREAD is the result. Here’s a video of the demo:

Rain Is Rain.

For my birthday, I was treated to a concert last night at the Fillmore in Detroit. Headlining was Jonsi, (Pronounced Yonsi) who is the lead singer for Segor Rόs. Iceland anyone?

To say it was good is an understatement. In fact, the communication of text on page doesn’t really have the means to convey what I want to communicate. The concert was a blast to the senses. A massage for the mind. It was very beautiful. It went from subdued to boisterous. The only way it could have been more complete, from a sensory standpoint, would be if they passed specific things to eat upon crucial downbeats and then generated smells that could waft through the audience as the mood of the music shifted.

It drew upon the talents of so many people, from the player who played the vibraphone with a bow, to the fantastic shadow, fractal, and stop-frame animations upon the full-stage backdrop of a barren forrest, to the lighting artist who It was really amazing.

All this in the beautiful Fillmore, which is a turn-of-the-20th-century opera house that has survived the 21st century economy.

I am continually amazed at how God reveals his creativity. Furthermore, when it is revealed through those who may not even know who He is. How the rain falls upon the just and the unjust... but, is still rain.. life giving, inspiring, thirst-quenching, glorious rain.

If you’re interested in the show details, here’s a couple of videos that tell about the making of the show:

http://www.youtube.com/user/XLRecordings?feature=chclk#p/u/15/4vrGixR7rbM

http://www.youtube.com/user/XLRecordings?feature=chclk#p/u/14/vStUA0g71sM

Someone shot a video of the encore at the actual concert in Detroit...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7P9ajJHNgY8

You Can Change The World

A while back I was thinking about free will. How, in the midst of a omnipotent power, we are each handed the ability to choose. How we are given the choice, each day, between our own agendas and a higher agenda.

In the mix, of course, are the evil forces that control this world at present. This makes the choices much muddier than they otherwise would be. Most would admit that “a higher calling” is downplayed in this world we live.

For those of us fortunate enough to have been brought up by God-fearing parents, we have a better perception than most. But even given that advantage, I find the choices more and more obscured as our hearts acclimate to a colder and colder world.

It’s amazing to me that people will choose to rebel against the creator, and yet, how can I dare be amazed when I do it myself everyday.

It was in one of these thoughtful times I sat down and wrote a lyric. Know, as I remember, its been almost 5 years. I got a message a few weeks back that a publisher wants to sign the song and start pitching it. I’d almost forgotten about it.

I may ruffle some feathers with this song, and you may have a theological difference with me on this. To be honest, I struggle with it still. I know that there’s a plan and a knowledge of our lives, but I also know our free will is a part of that plan and that knowledge. Perhaps you struggle with it, as well. Let me know what you think.

When I wrote the lyric, I tried to give it a musical life, but ended up asking a friend of mine to put it to music.

Alan Johnston is a great songwriter from the state of West Virginia, and he has a voice and life that can speak truth into these lyrics. Alan’s had songs nominated for IBMA’s song of the year, and has had his songs sung by the legendary greats of bluegrass.

When Alan sent me the track, he urged me to add some piano. I decided it was just right where it was, and frankly, I was scared to add anything more.

Here’s a link to the demo: YOU CAN CHANGE THE WORLD

Here’s the lyric:

You Can Change The World
(But you can’t change me)
©2010 Tim Wheeler, Alan Johnston

Chorus:
You can change the world, but you can’t change me
You can change the world, but you can’t change me
And If I don’t let you, you can’t change my legacy

You can lead a horse to water
You can force a horse to drink
You can get inside a horse’s head
And teach him how to think, and

You can change the world, but you can’t change me        
You can change the world, but you can’t change me
And If I don’t let you, you can’t change my legacy

You can stage a protest
You can change the laws
You can march on Washington
And stand up for your cause, and

You can change the world, but you can’t change me
You can change the world, but you can’t change me
And If I don’t let you, you can’t change my legacy

You can be for the devil
You can be for the Lord
You can be for the president
Don’t care who you’re working for, cause

You can change the world, but you can’t change me
You can change the world, but you can’t change me
And If I don’t let you, you can’t change my legacy

You can walk on water
You can heal the blind
You can offer me forgiveness
It don’t matter ‘cause you’ll find that

You can change the world, but you can’t change me
You can change the world, but you can’t change me
See, If I don’t let you, you can’t change my legacy
If I don’t let you, you can’t change my legacy

If it's not from you

All I have. All I do. If its all my own. If its not from you.
it will fall away. It will not hold true. It will surely die if its not from you.

Demand And Supply

Demand And Supply
©2010 Tim Wheeler

V1
Eleven bucks an hour for a bachelor’s degree
And the waiting list keep growing for the bachelors-to-be
My plumber drives an Escalade, vacations in Versailles
While a scholar fills his order for a Whopper and a fry

Take your place at the end of the line
It’s the law of demand and supply

The economic theories say to let it trickle down
‘n pray it won’t evaporate before it hits the ground
But the ones who do the prayin’ are the ones who get to pay
When their companies decide to take their benefits away

H.M.O.’s are a real good buy
It’s the law of demand and supply

The atmosphere on Wall Street has begun to settle down
The panic is abated ‘cause the bottom has been found
Aint it great when all your cares are fin’ly swept away
By the seven-hundred billion that our grandkids have to pay

Overgrown Mc Mansions dot the ones kept freshly mown
by law abiding suckers who can still afford their loan
There’ll be no revolution, but you can’t deny it’s pull
As we board-up empty houses and pack the shelters full

Squeeze in tight and try to keep dry
It‘s just the law of demand and supply.

A Blurb About Trust, One Generation Removed.

So yesterday I received a blog notice from my daughter’s blog. I was blown away... blessed... and very proud:

i know this is quite different from my typical posts, 

but when i  started this blog, i intended for it to be an honest and real space where i could not only share snippets of my life and provide inspiration (and whatever else it is i do on here), but also a space where i could share my struggles and bring glory to God.

and well, right now i feel like doing just those things.

so deal with it ;)

{photo credit}

over these first two years of our marriage, 

joel and i have had our share of financial struggles,

between me losing my job, twice, & struggling to find work, and Joel going to school full-time.

last summer we even had to move in with my parents 

because we simply couldn't afford to pay rent 

(you don't know how much i appreciate having our own space now)!

during all of these struggles, i always found it difficult to fully trust that God would take care of us, that he would provide in one way or another. instead, i would let worry plague me.

most recently, i have been worrying about what we are going to do less than a month from now, when Joel's full-time job turns into a part-time job (with lower pay).

joel has been amazing about trusting that God will work it out

because he always does, but me, well i've been feeling scared and doubtful.

this past weekend, a defining moment transpired, where God asked me to take a significant step of faith and finally trust our finances to him. i felt his reassurance that he would indeed provide and i finally let go of what i had considered up to that point to be "my" money,

and i trusted him with it.

i'm not going to lie - it was really scary. 

but it was so freeing at the same time.

{photo credit}

and it is simply amazing the blessings he's been pouring on us since then.

i truly feel his faithfulness.

in just these past few days, we have been given several free meals,

my Etsy sales have been on a serious upsurge, and i even won a gift certificate to a vintage shop on Etsy (this was very exciting to me as i have not been able to spend any money on fun things because of our tight budget. as a girl who loves to shop, it has not been easy in the slightest).

of all the blessings we've been experiencing, the most praise-worthy is what transpired today.

joel landed a job at the university that literally begins the week after his current one turns part time.

no joke. 

it came out of nowhere.

he was actually personally contacted about the job yesterday.

they interviewed him today and offered him the job on the spot.

apparently he was hand-picked for the position, and he is still baffled at why/how.

(although i am not.. i think he is more widely known/respected across campus than he thinks).

{photo credit}

anyway, it is clear that God was at work here.

this is truly a testimony that when you trust,

God is indeed faithful.

he may not work according to our own timing,

but i am slowly learning that 

his timing is best.

help me to trust you with not only my finances, but with all areas of my life, Lord.

Working Up My Chops

Planning my April writing trip to Nashville. Driving down after church on Easter.

This trip will be great. I’m looking forward to writing with some of my Nashville friends, and this time I’m getting a little help setting up some appointments, as well. I’m excited to work with some new folks, and I’m scurrying to get my ideas organized and quivered up.

My mantra when going into a new cowrite is to always have more to offer than is needed, and one of the most sought after resources in a cowrite, especially a new one, is ideas. WIthout a good idea, all the craft in the world can not render something worth the time. I’ve been storing up my thoughts and ideas and hooks for the past few months, and adding them to the ones I’ve had for awhile. Its always a fun time to go back and revisit some that have fallen out of my memory.

I’m looking forward to getting with some of the writers from the Write About Jesus conference in St. Louis. I don’t know who will be in town the week I’m down, but I’m sure it will be a blessing, no matter who they are.

Another new thing, this time, is that I may play out a bit. I’m not too used to playing out, I prefer to let someone else do that, but a writer’s round is a great place to test songs, and I’ve found that at writer’s rounds you find a lot of... writers..

Pulling some songs out of the sawdust, though, and trying to remember how some of them go. Wow. Its tougher than I thought it would be.

All in all, though, it feels good. I’m looking forward to floating them out there. No better way to get a feel for whether they work or not. No better way to improve the chops than by swinging the axe. (I’m a keyboard player, but I love using the analogy, anyways!)

Performance Royalty Act Still In Jeopardy

Dion Warwick appeared on capital hill on Tuesday to urge legislators to support the Performance Royalty Act.

"I'm sure you all thought that I walked on by with my little check in hand," Warwick said in a reference to her popular tune "Walk on By." "I wish I had, but all I did was walk on by."

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=9989979

Senator Conyers had a good take on the measure supporting peforming musicians, who currently get paid nothing for performing their music on broadcast radio:

"They work and they don't get paid," Conyers said after the event. "That's involuntary servitude. They don't even get any choice of whether they want to work or not — they just take their work product."

The event was sponsored by the Music First coalition. Please check out their website, here.

For a better perspective on this issue, view this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5WWzD8Jycg

Incidently, you will not hear this view or perspective on a broadcast radio station.

T

Using Logic Mainstage

Had a busy weekend this week. On Saturday, met up at Kensington with the 4th week band and started rehearsal at 12:30. Saturday night service started at 5:30PM, and call time the next morning was 7:30 AM for the other three services.

We’re in the middle of a series on marriage and the theme for the weekend is Search Me Oh God. We had a great drama that starts out in divorce court, then flashes back to the the beginning of the end, and then again to the beginning of the marriage, revealing that the faults that each saw in each other at the end were there in the beginning.. in ourselves. Its the things in our lives that need to be purified, not the things in our spouses.

Music for the day: We opened with a song by the Plain White T’s called “1,2,3,4”, a schmarmy love song, complete with a melotron intro (That was fun). We played transitions for the drama with the song “Falling in Love in a Coffee Shop”, by Landon Pigg (the guitarist for Sixpence None The Richer.. he wrote Kiss Me). Coming out of the message we did a Danny Cox original (with Danny singing) called Search Me, Oh God.

To lighten up the whole “look in the mirror” idea of marriage we closed out with the Weezer tune. “I Want You To”. Renee Mulinicks and Chuck Jones did it as a duet. Sara Bareilles sang it as a duet with Weezer in this Jimmy Kimmel video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCmqtyAh8IM

What a blast!

I showed up with my M-Audio Ozonic and midi’d in the church’s Yamaha Motif. For sound bank, I used my MacBook Pro using Logic Studio’s Mainstage with Reason Rewired in. The Ozonic acts as my audio interface and midi controller, meaning I simply wire my stereo outs from the Ozonic to the board through a DI. The ozonic has to stereo’s out and Mainstage can send each instrument or patch to any output, so the routing can either be mixed by me or the board, depending on preference. The secondary output can be used to disperse a click track to the band, should I want to have a click or some other presentation running for video. Imagination is the limit...

On 1,2,3,4, for the Mellotron sound, I used the Reason Abbey Road Plugin mellotron flutes, with a tremolo affect to get the calliope feel, layered with a legato cello section so I could do the whole thing with 10 fingers or less.

For Falling In Love in a Coffee Shop, I used the Logic Mainstage Yamaha Studio Grand patch with the Blue Carpet pad layered underneath. To get the full affect to match the song, I added a tremolo to the Blue Carpet and took the volume down. To ensure that it didn’t get muddy under the piano, I mapped the low key just above middle C.

On the Weezer tune, I mainly clapped the song, except for the chorus where I used the mellotron patch from the first tune and played the melody up a third to create a common feel to the front and back end of the service.

I’m really liking Logic Mainstage as my instrument. For one thing, if the church or venue has a main midi keyboard its an easy load in, as the ozonic sets into place with one hand and a small zip-up keyboard case. The ozonic sits easily on most keyboards. On the motif, there’s room for the laptop, too.

Here’s a screen shot of Mainstage, showing the second song of the set:



Each time I play, I create a set for the date, (see February 28) program and title each song, and when the service starts I simply hit my up and down arrows on the keyboard, or a programmed button on my midi keyboard to move from one song (or multiple selections for complex songs) to the next.

You can see my song list on the left and note the sounds layered on the large keyboard. You can see the Blue Carpet is layered on the top section of the keyboard.

I’m even able to map layers with intensity, triggering layers of sound based upon how hard I hit the keys.

Anyways, after the the 4th service, I packed up the ozonic and my laptop and headed down to Grand River and Southfield to the Jerusalem Temple. Pastor Cal runs a church ministry for the mentally disabled, and our small group has gotten into the habit of bringing dinner for the congregation every few months. What a blessing it is to serve this congregation.

The church members participate in worship and the program, and it is really a treat to see so many members of this congregation participate in the service.

I’m always amazed at the need, but more so, the blessing every child of God gives to another. We had way too much food, but had plenty of take out boxes to pack and send home with each member of the congregation. We’ll be doing that again soon.

On the way back home, we stopped at the Oxford Inn in Royal Oak to see Jeff Scott’s CD release party. Turns out, it was sold out, but we were fortunate that a few people didn’t show up.. we sat with GW and Claudia of the Black Crystal Cafe in Ann Arbor. Bill Edwards opened up with some his great original songs. He played “What’d I do?” and “Leave It There”, two of my favorites. Duane Harlick’s band backed Jeff Scott for the rest of the evening. Duane’s amazing as his band. Jeff Scott’s a great writer. You’ll need to get your hands on his CD.

It was a great night, but if you’re counting, I hadn’t been home in 17 hours by the time it was over. I slept really good last night.

The Invention of Lying (Faith)

Rented this movie last night.

It had a 57% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Not terrible, I guess. Better than 50/50. I should have required a higher standard. What’s odd, is that when you read the reviews, they are totally polarized. Witty / Stupid Hit / Flop. There seems to be no connect between the reviews. Its as if they’re talking about two different movies.

I think I figured out why.

It was a pretty funny premise. No one lies. Everyone tells the truth, in fact; Everyone is compelled to be brutally honest.. its their nature.

As a result, there are a lot of funny scene possibilities. Unfortunately, most of them are acted out in the first 10 minutes of the movie.

The first lie happens after the main character (played by Ricky Gervais) has lost his job and is evicted from his apartment because he doesn’t have the $800 for his rent. He goes to the bank to withdraw his last $300 so he can rent a truck and move his stuff out. The system is down and when asked how much is in his account, he is so obsessed with the $800 dollar figure he blurts it out. Conditioned that no one lies, the teller assumes that there is a mistake in the system and gives him the $800.

All is well and good until his mother is on her death bed, scared of an eternity of nothingness. Equipped with his new ability to lie, he tells her that she is in fact going to a good place and that she will see all her friends and her deceased husband.

Happy, she dies, but the entire hospital crew, who’s been listening, wants to know more.

The next day he returns home to find throngs of people on his front lawn, wanting to know where they go when they die, and the main character is revered like Moses. The people wait for his revelation.

He goes inside and spends some time, writing down his story. he thinks his scribblings look unimpressive, so he pastes them on the back of pizza boxes. He makes his way downstairs and reads out his 10 “facts” about the man in the sky who makes everything that is good and also makes everything is bad. But he makes more good things than bad things, so its ok.

So, the religious similarities are complete.

Ricky Gervais had an agenda. A self-avowed atheist, he took a pretty funny premise and used it to paint faith as a lie, cooked up to make people feel better about dying into an eternity of nothingness.

Now I know why the reviews are polarized.

As he read the 10 facts, and suspecting his agenda, I couldn’t help but be annoyed with their silliness, and how the crowd, portrayed as gullible, saw all the holes in the idea of a “man in the sky”. Ricky, improvised and although it took him 2 hours to get through the 10 FACTS, he became rich (another over-obvious cliche’ comparison to televangelists) and was immortalized in stain glass windows in churches where people go to “think about the man in the sky”.

The part that constantly annoys me (with these types of films), is the simplicity with which the arguments against faith are made, and the way in which multiple religions are kneaded together to create inconsistency and contradiction in their logic. But he’s the one making the movie, and he can do whatever he wants. He’s the guy with the script and the investors, and the popularity to at least float such a movie.

What annoys me more is that there are not more people of faith using the same arena to tell their stories. If they do, the standards are almost always lower. (Bruce Almighty, excluded) The dismissal of the arts and excellence in many segments of the church is at least partially responsible. Its a travesty that more people of faith aren’t well-versed in the theatrical arts and comedy writing. At least if we poke fun at the human race, we could do so with an accurate depiction of the elements of faith.

Back to the reviews. The movie premise was funny, but the plot was terrible and predictable. The schmarmy ending was one in which you instinctively turn to those with whom you’re watching with a face that says “That didn’t just happen, did it?” It was really bad writing and acting. If Ricky’s character had had more tension against him, the movie could have worked. As it turned out, he was revered throughout, and there was never the successful delivery of a moral. I guess its appropriate that a movie portraying faith as a lie has no moral.

So, the reviews? What was that about? How could there be 57% good reviews on this movie? Perhaps they liked the agenda, and it was funny for some to see faith bashed, even at the expense of the writing and acting.

As for the 43% of bad reviews, I suppose some of them didn’t like the agenda, but I’d have to assume most of them just wanted to see a good movie...

Yeah, right.... Oh? You're serious?

So I mentioned that I started leading a new small group 24/7 with Jesus series.

Sounded like a good idea. A good study for our group.

Well, this week we’re looking at Simplicity, Silence and Solitude. Great, right! I’ve written songs about silence and solitude, and how important it is; Even how scary it is. How we avoid silence, even when we’re getting ready for sleep and turn on Conan or Jimmy Kimmel to keep our minds busy while we drift off.

Silence is always a time when you hear things. Important things. Things you need to hear.. sometimes things you don’t want to hear. Maybe that has something to do with why we avoid it so aggressively...

Well, I’m prepping the lesson and the instructor (on the video) asks the question, of the 168 hours we have in a week, what do we need to change in order to free up 7 hours a week to train. 7 hours to be in silence and solitude with God.

7 HOURS!?! Wait a minute? Did I sign up for this? Surely there must be another way! Can’t we get a CD to play while we drive to work? Maybe we could buy some subliminal tapes to play while we sleep? Sure I want this, but.. 7 hours?

No one said anything about giving up things like TV watching, getting up early, saying no to stuff, just so I can free-up time to spend with God.

Hmmm? Wondering how this lesson’s going to go over with the group tonight?!? Based on my initial (if I’m being honest) reaction, I’m a little worried. : )

I’ll report back later.

T

Finding The Way Home.

In mid-December, I was contacted by one of my favorite publishers in Nashville looking for material for an upcoming gospel project. The artist is a once-well-known recording artist. This artist had had huge successes back in the early 70’s and had been recording ever since. All in all, over 50 albums.

I set out to learn about the artist. Google is wonderful. From the articles and interviews I found, I learned that the artist had a love for horses. I read about the artists’ family and their history. I learned of recent projects and the genres they were targeted towards.

I googled photos of the artist and saw several album covers, promo shots, etc. I submitted a song that was not so much gospel as a song that spoke of a person of faith. It was forwarded and I pretty much forgot about the pitch for a few days.

Then a writer I work with, Jim Evans, sent me an email. I had mentioned the pitch to him and he had an idea for a song. What he sent me struck a chord and I went to work. The premise of Jim’s lyric was a classic theme, one that painted many pictures. I took that and what I had learned about the artists’ passions, family, and struggles and tried to paint a song about tradition, values, and redemption. I tried to write a lyric that would strike a chord with the artist, and yet be a song that could be universally understood.

I started with a classic gospel feel, but quickly reverted back to a hymn form. In fact, I originally had written a soaring bridge, but decided the hymn form made it feel as if it could have been written a century ago.

When it was ready to see the light of day, but I put down a piano track, sent it to my publisher. He brought in a Nashville fiddle player and sang the vocal.

Hope you enjoy it.

You can hear it here.