If I Could Walk the Heavens

If I could walk the heavens where they share their testimonies
Would I find them ‘neath the oaks or in the breezes of the sea?
A mighty river flowing carries praises of your people.
It leads me to the choir that sings in ceaseless harmony.

Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
Worthy is the King of all Kings!
Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
Forever and ever He’ll reign.

On the streets in celebration the family sings their welcome,
and riches long desired, at last, replace poverty.
In tenderness of spirit the Saints embrace the living,
All then turn to cast their crowns and serve a worthy King.

Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
Worthy is the King of all Kings!
Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
Forever and ever He’ll reign.

Finally at the table where they toast the Lamb’s commission
Empowered by the One from whom all loving blessings flow.
The wonder of the moments, the reunited loved ones
Overshadow momentary troubles now undone.

Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
Worthy is the King of all Kings!
Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
Forever and ever He’ll reign.
©2010victoriajames

Song Circles

As I am a full time public school teacher, I struggle with keeping my art consistent. I have wanted to meet other songwriters and network more in the local area. One of the ways I am doing this is by being part of the Maine Songwriter's Association's song circle.
As a member I can participate and perhaps even help other writers craft their works of art at least once a month.
We meet in Portland in an informal setting and go around and listen to one another, offering suggestions as asked for. I can't write in a fishbowl. I need feedback. Yes, I can close the door and worship in my quiet time but if I really want to grow as a songwriter I need to ask the hard questions, "Am I on the right track?" "Does this make sense to anyone else?" "Is this song structured well?"
If you're not able to make it to a writer's group, try to find at least someone else that can help you. Listen to music in your genre and pay attention to the lyrics, form, and structure of someone's song. Set the pride aside and ask the tough questions. Then take the comments and consider them. You don't have to do everything they say, but at lease consider how you can make your song stronger.
Do it for others. Do it for yourself. And if you are a worshipper, do it for the Lord. Give him your best for where you are right now.

This Morning's Prayer

Lord, let me rise above my failures,
never basking in regret,
and may I learn to love you deeply,
compelled to trust You, better yet.

5-23-09

James has reminded me this am..."Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does." James 1:2-8

Humility and Inspiration

This has been a season of darkness for me. We all go through our lows and highs. I thank God for friends and family that pray for me and Peter.
It's important that I share my feelings...not to be put above others but that it is a way to bond with others. I have found kindred spirits in people that have experienced dark times as well. Does God hide his face when we are in sorrow? NO! In fact, I believe he shows his face in these dear people I know.
My self-centeredness could be my undoing, but God's grace and mercy temper that and help me to see I am not alone.

One of the books my pastor has recommended to me and our congregation is a book of Puritan prayers: "The Valley of Vision", edited by Arthur Bennett. Here is an excerpt. It is my prayer today.

THE MOVER

O SUPREME MOVING CAUSE,
May I always be subordinate to thee,
be dependant upon thee,
be found in the path where thou dost walk,
and where thy Spirit moves,
take heed of estrangement from thee,
of becoming insensible to thy love.
Thou dost not move men like stones,
but dost endue them with life,
not to enable them to move without thee,
but in submission to thee, the first mover.
O Lord, I am astonished at the difference
between my receivings and my deservings,
between the state I am now in and my past gracelessness,
between the heaven I am bound for and the hell I merit.
Who made me to differ, but thee?
for I was no more ready to receive Christ than were others;
I could not have begun to love thee hadst thou not first loved me,
or been willing unless thou hadst first made me so.
O that such a crown should fit the head of such a sinner!
such high advancement be for an unfruitful person!
such joys for so vile a rebel!
Infinite wisdom cast the design of salvation
into the mould of purchase and freedom;
Let wrath deserved be written on the door of hell,
But the free gift of grace on the gate of heaven
I know that my sufferings are the result of my sinning,
but in heaven both shall cease;
Grant me to attain this haven and be done with sailing,
and may the gales of thy mercy blow me safely into harbour.
Let thy love draw me nearer to thyself,
wean me from sin, mortify me to this world,
and make me ready for my departure hence.
Secure me by thy grace as I sail across this stormy sea.

This is a lovely prayer. I'm glad you read it. May it bless you today.

Victoria

The Old and The New...are these themes similar?

Here I ran across a classic by Edna St. Vincent Millay and thought it similar to one of mine. You be the judge.

First, the pro...

THE LEAF AND THE TREE

When will you learn, myself, to be
a dying leaf on a living tree?
Budding, swelling, growing strong,
Wearing green, but not for long,
Drawing sustenance from air,
That other leaves, and you not there,
May bud, and at the autumn's call
Wearing russet, ready to fall?
Has not this trunk a deed to do
Unguessed by small and tremulous you?
Shall not these branches in the end
To wisdom and the truth ascend?
And the great lightning plunging by
Look sidewise with a golden eye
To glimpse a tree so tall and proud
It sheds its leaves upon a cloud?

Here, I think, is the heart's grief:
The tree, no mightier than the leaf,
Makes firm its root and spreads it crown
And stands; but in the end comes down.
That airy top no boy could climb
Is trodden in a little time
By cattle on their way to drink.
The fluttering thoughts a leaf can think,
That hears the wind and waits its turn,
Have taught it all a tree can learn.
Time can make soft that iron wood.
The tallest trunk that ever stood,
In time, without a dream to keep,
Crawls in beside the root to sleep.


Edna St Vincent Millay


Now the more Novice...

YOU'RE WORTH IT ALL


Time is a vine that grows from the ground
In no time at all it covers like shroud.
And I need to say it. I need to be clear.
Eternity’s knocking for those who will hear.
Compassion is waiting, through fire and water, doubting and fear

Chorus:

You’re worth it all. You’re worth it all.
I truly believe you’re worth it all.
Time gives the call in no time at all.
You’re waiting for me, and you’re worth it all.

Seasons of change, inexplicable ways
Life’s rearranged and nothing’s the same
But there was a moment a moment of truth
I suffered a breakdown of my point of view
Pushed over the edge of believing, believing in you.

Circumstance comes and I watch it go.
The more that I live here, the less that I know
But one thing’s for certain, one thing’s for sure
A moment is more than a time to endure
Opportunity’s calling, a story worth telling, an opening door.


Bridge:

A master plan works in mystery
A day at a time, an opportunity.
A moment revealed, a minute to see,
I’ll find out who’s waiting there for me!

©2007victoriajames

Please post a comment if so inclined.

Thanks,
Victoria



My prayer is that our best family reunion is the one yet to come. Will you be there?

My Summer Reading List

Yeah! Now that school is done for the summer, I've been devising a plan for staying off the couch and away from the television. Of course I am always working on songwriting. I'm back to going through my piano books and guitar sheets from lessons I've had. Along with this list of reading material (see below)...a tall order to be sure...I am working on a larger writing project that I trust God will bring to completion this fall. Please be in prayer as I seek His will and honor His work. (Gotta get in my runs and dog walks too.)

For the songwriting craft:
"The Craft of Lyric Writing" by Sheila Davis+
"God Songs:How to Write and Select Songs for Worship" by Paul Baloche, Jimmy & Carol Owens+

For Worship Themes:
"Created For Worship" by Noel Due√+
"Engaging with God: A Biblical Theology of Worship" by David Peterson
"The Unquenchable Worshipper" by Matt Redman
"30 Day Worship Journey" by Louie Giglio

In General:
"The Problem with Pain" by C.S. Lewis
"A Year with C.S. Lewis" Edited by Patricia S. Klein
"Everyday Blessings: 365 Days of Inspirational Thoughts" by Max Lucado

√=Done
+=Highly Recommended

More titles should arrive from Amazon this week! I'll let you know what happens.

Thanks,

Victoria

Heart of Stone & George Herbert

I was recently at a worship service with some of my friends at their church in which believers were worshiping in different ways. Some were singing. Some were praying. Some were dancing. Some were painting. In this environment I felt lead to worship by writing. So I sat with my pen within the congregation and scribed what was to become one of my newest songs, “Heart of Stone” (©2008victoriajames).

This idea of the heart being a stone is not new. God spoke to his people Israel in the book of Ezekiel about taking out their heart of stone and replacing it with a heart of flesh. Ezekail 36:26.

Also the British Renaissance poet, George Herbert penned “The Altar” in the early 1600’s. As a pastor at Bemerton in England, he was well aware of the sacraments and the attitudes of the heart. Here is the text which when published was laid in the shape of an altar.

The Altar

A broken ALTAR, Lord, thy servant reares,
Made of a heart, and cemented with teares:
Whose parts are as thy hand did frame;
No workmans tool hath touch’d the same.
A HEART alone
Is such a stone,
As nothing but
Thy pow’r doth cut.
Wherefore each part
Of my hard heart
Meets in this frame
To praise thy name.
That if I chance to hold my peace,
These stones to praise thee may not cease.
O let thy blessed SACRIFICE be mine,
And sanctifie this ALTAR to be thine.

From “The English Poems of George Herbert”, Ed. C.A. Patrides, J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd 1974
This book sites the following scriptures that support this work:
Deut. 27:2,
2 Cor. 3:3,
Zech. 7:12
FMI visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Herbert

The chorus of my song talks about hearing God’s word so that I can recognize his voice. As the song is the tool in which I lay down my heart, I pray that I can surrender and listen to him. For he understands what it means to lay down a life in obedience to the Father’s will.

I will hear your words, so I will know our voice
May the song that I sing become my offering.
I surrender to you alone, this heart of stone.

The Process to Production

As I write this, I find myself overwhelmed by what I could communicate to you. I have just finished two new singles. They are going to be without an album cover for awhile, but they have purpose. I've posted them on myspace and one has made it into another book. Thank you Kathy!
"Oh, Come to Me Jesus" was written with a mother's heart. My young men, the teenagers in the family are heading off in their own directions, as they should be. They are maturing and making their own decisions. We have come to bumps in the road in the last year, not seeing eye to eye. There have been two anchors for me to hang on to. One is knowing that they will continue to grow and mature. The other is that there is a God who loves them more than I ever could. He is always watching and protecting them. This may be every mother's dream, to have someone help their kids when she cannot.

So the idea came last fall. How does one write "I don't know what the future holds"? Well, you can do just that, write those words. Or you can come up with a new way to say it. "Here between the present and the not yet seen". Maybe there is something even better. But this is how it was put down.
One tip is to write and rewrite the line to get many options. Then see which fits in with the music. Many new writers say "It's done" too early.
It has taken one year to produce one song. Sometimes it takes longer. Be patient. Try different angles. Rewriting is writing I've been told.

Good Luck!

Victoria

From Idea to Hook

After my quiet time today, I wanted to work on creating song seeds. I call them seeds because they are just the beginning, the beginning of new life. It starts with an idea and I will pray that the Spirit will water as I work.

First, I created a spreadsheet. Now I know what some will say "That's a bit organized, don't you think, Miss Type A?! I've got my napkin to jot on." I say, "Great, whatever works!" My thought is to have a working copy to add to and manipulate. I'll save the former for my tea time.

So up came ideas while I was reading Matthew, Acts, John, and Psalms. These include words and phrases,...taste
light
stroke of a pen
accomplished
face of an angel
God of Glory
covenant
enable me
time draws near to fulfill his promise
living words to pass on
when the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do? Ps 11
though the bows bend, and aim is sure
keeping sound
balance
being fruitful by remaining in him

Second, I put on some music. Chris Rice's Smell the Color Nine. I love Chris' lyrics. I can tell he puts a lot of thought into them!
A mood developed. I remembered how grateful I am to be able to create and write for Him.
The next thought came..."Will I ever be able to make another album?" I love doing this sooo much!
Bearing fruit...uhmm.
Then I let my fingers type the following. There's no structure. It's free flowing. Can you see a hook yet? There is no melody yet. No music. But there is an idea to start with, a seed. May God continue to give me fruit as I remain in Him. And thank you Chris!

Waiting for the possibility of having my heart still sing for you
Whilst limitations and aspirations strain my point of view
For when I sing I know you smile not because of me but your hope you show in what you've given me to do
it's for me
it'’s for you
I love to sing to them for you
for you, my Lord

How will these songs grow?
What will they say?
Can I knit them in plastic to soar across the earth
spinning round and round
or broken in the bites they need to be to be heard

You're word has been my light and I just want to tell them
you're real there's hope in you and I can see
you're reality for me.

Next Time: Decision: Hook, Hold, or Hang it?

Songwriting: Finding and Saving Ideas

Writing starts with ideas. Whether you are a songwriter, book author, journalist, or poet.
Where do writers draw their ideas from?
Most will react to personal experiences, but if you're writing for hire or to make a living, quite often the topics are dictated to you.
Here's a list that I have drawn from in the past:

family experiences
personal feelings
people I know and their situations
responses to other people's work
weddings, funerals, births, or other public events

Let me just comment on the 'responses to other people's work'.

Bette Midler has a wonderful voice, but she sang a very popular song about God looking at us 'From a Distance'. I just had to disagree. So I wrote a song that reflected my views about that.

"A god in the sky looking down on a stage
would not assume the role of man
but a Lord who sees creation in need
has compassion and understands."

I believe that God came to earth as Jesus and 'assumed the role of man' or took on our humanity. He did not do this from a distance. He breathed our own air.

I hear that Ms. Midler did not write the lyric and who am I to argue with the song's popularity? It sold a lot of copies. But in my own mind, it didn't make sense so I wrote what I thought about it. He lived on earth for a while and now he lives in believer's hearts. He's very close to us.

I've written songs for weddings, and our sons' baby dedications. When a student died at Gordon where I went to college, I wrote about her passing.

Ideas come in many directions.

Tip:
Keep a running list of topics to consider. Review it every once in a while. Add to it. A lot of writers do.

Thanks for checking in.

Victoria

Where do you find ideas? Leave a comment.

Next Time: From Idea to the Hook

The Craft of Songwriting

Welcome to my newest blog. Here, it is my hope, that you will find topics for the craft of songwriting. But not only that, if I can coax some of my networking friends and colleagues I hope that they will add their ideas, opinions, tools of the trade, and reviews.
For most people, when you're called to be a songwriter, and I believe that it is a calling, you develop a desire to write for other people. You're not in it for yourself. You have something to share. That can be a daunting task. "How can I communicate what I want to say?"
You'll discover that it is a personal journey, full of rewrites and hard work, but it is also full of rewards. You are crafting a gift for people when you write.
Some people write to express feelings. They may hear other people say "Me, too", when they share their situations.

Whatever your genre or venue, wherever you share, from time to time you may want to stop by and see our posts. I hope they are helpful.

Best Wishes in your journey.
Feel free to add comments that are helpful to others.

Victoria