Springbarrel Sunday A Christian Devotional Inspired By And Written Especially For Songwriters.
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WHAT'S THE MEANING OF LIFE
Written By: Springbarrel Represented Pro Writer Deb Zemke
WITH YOUR WHOLE HEART
(To the chief Musician upon Muthlabben, A Psalm of
David)
I WILL praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart;
I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.
I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise
to thy name. O thou most High.
Your whole heart! Wow! This is where the song
has to come from; your heart; the well that holds your
inspiration. If your song comes from your desire to get
rich quick, that's not your heart, that's your flesh. If you
think your song comes from your intelligence, this
could easily transform into arrogance. God sees the
heart of man. You know in your heart when
something is going to strike a chord of emotion in
someone.
Did you notice that David, the featured Songwriter
of the Scriptures, wrote "I WILL praise", not "I did", or "I
shall", but "I WILL", as he kept that commitment
ever-present and constant in his heart. The Pslamist
seemed to be vowing to always to give God the
Glory!
WORDSMITH WISDOM
David certainly dealt with his share of the earthly
bonds of this flesh. Nevertheless, he stressed
praising God with his entire being - his whole heart.
David planned to show the world the marvelous
workings of God through what he was, who he was,
and who he was to become.
How can you tell if you are on your way to being
whole hearted when it comes to your songwriting?
A good sign is if you think you just might "die" if
you don't write. If you are "breathing, eating and
sleeping" the songwriting craft, you are well on your
way to becoming a successful songwriter.
PRO WRITER TIP
Write from your heart and do it while the feeling is
fresh. Then, go back and craft your initial emotion.
As a songwriter you have a very important role in
society. Never lose sight of the positive impact your
song could have on the lives of millions or perhaps
that one destitute soul in search of the light.
I will never cease to be amazed by e-mails
relating how one of Howard's co-writes touched
someone's life.
I still hear stories of how "Prop Me Up Beside The
Jukebox" brought a moment of laughter to an
otherwise sad occasion, how proud parents handed a
set of keys and CD single of "Pickup Man" to their 16
year old son when they helped him purchase his first
truck, and one of my favorites, the occasion on which
Gary Barlow sang "So Help Me Girl" at one of the late
Princess Diana of Wales' Annual Charity Benefit
Concerts.
Be encouraged.
Your re-creation of God's creation can and will
touch a life, even if it's only your own.
STONES
(Mark 16:3-4)
3. And they said among themselves, Who shall
roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?
I4. And when they looked, they saw that the stone
was rolled away: for it was very great.
What is your "stone?" What weighs you down and
becomes your trouble, your heartache, your obstacle,
your giant which you must slay?
No matter what difficulty you are enduring, God
can roll your "stone" away. You simply have to
surrender your burden to Him, and never pick it up
again. This can be a difficult thing to master, but God
will continue to put us in these situations until we
learn (or are willing) to give the "stone" to Him.
I've learned that I must depend on the "Jesus in
me" to provide the strength necessary to simply let the
burdens lay in His mighty hands. I don't have this kind
of strength on my own. Only through faith and trust in
Him can this measure of strength be found, but this
act of willingness is part of the complete
surrender.
The Bible speaks of stones often. The single stone
which God hurled from David's slingshot to slay
Goliath. The stone that the builders rejected. And,
the stone in front of the sepulchre.
Scripture reading related to "stones":
(Mark 16:3-4) (Ps. 118:22) (Matt.21:42) (1Peter
2:7)
WORDSMITH WISDOM
Rejection seems to be the hardest "stone"
songwriters have to deal with on a regular basis.
Remember that Jesus was and is still rejected
on a regular basis. So how can we expect to be
treated any differently?
It is crucial for songwriter to learn to handle
rejection.
Each time a song is rejected or "passed on" know
that it doesn't necessarily mean your song isn't good.
It usually means the song just wasn't quite right for
the Artist's current project.
In the event a particular pro critique has been
given on your song it is wise to listen and not become
too arrogant for improvement.
Ask God to help you not let a rejection crush you.
Let it strengthen, weed, water and help you grow in
your songwriting abilities.
PRO WRITER TIP
The Important 1st Verse.
Let's talk a little bit about song structure.
More will come, but we will begin with some tips on
the 1st verse.
The 1st verse has to setup your hook and chorus
material.
Never re-hash the 1st verse's material. This is a
common error because your initial emotion is usually
involved here and you are hesitant to let go of it, but
the "hat trick" is to keep the emotion but move the
song forward.
The 2nd verse must move the song forward and
be stronger lyrically than the 1st verse while
strengthening your hook line.
Recommendations
We highly recommend that all Writers join
NSAI
Nashville Songwriters Association International.
Visit their website at
NSAI
We also recommend you subscribe to American
Songwriter Magazine and join American
SongSpace.
American Songwriter Magazine
God's Gemstones
Pearl
An organic gem, pearls are formed inside
mollusks such as oysters and mussels. They are
formed when an irritant such as a tiny stone or bit of
sand gets inside the mollusk's shell. A lustrous
substance, called nacre, is secreted around the object
to protect the soft internal surface of the mollusk. As
layer upon layer of nacre coats the irritant, a pearl is
formed. Light that is reflected from these overlapping
layers produces a characteristic iridescent luster. This
process of building a solid pearl can take up to seven
or eight years.
Credits for this explanation and for
further study. Bernardine
Alexandrite
Although extremely rare, the most sensational
feature about Alexandrite, however, is its surprising
ability to change its colour. Green or bluish-green in
daylight, alexandrite turns a soft shade of red, purplish-
red or raspberry red in incandescent light. This unique
optical characteristic makes it one of the most
valuable gemstones of all, especially in fine
qualities.
As you will read in the Scriptures noted below, the
Bible speaks of gemstones on several occasions.
Obivously, my favorites are the pearl and alexandrite.
With respect to the pearl, I find it both facinating and
uplifting that these small natural wonders manifest a
true patience and the ability to turn an "irritant"
or "injury" into something beautiful. But, God does promise
to turn our "ashes into beauty."
Awh the alexandrite, I love how it's colour
changes when a different light is cast upon it. If only I
could change as quickly when God shines His Light
on me. Time and again He has illuminated my life by
revealing a Scriptural meaning or by showing me a
valuable lesson I should learn while going through
one of life's "irritating" situations.
WORDSMITH WISDOM
As Songwriters we can apply some of nature's
lessons to our songwriting careers. Most of the time
we are forced to wait on things to become beautiful
and it takes some time for God's Light to change us
for the better.
Let's explore here two of the meanings of the
phrase "wait on." First to "wait on" someone usually
means we are waiting for them to arrive. But,
"wait on" can also mean to serve someone.
From God's perspective He wants us to wait for
Him and to serve Him. But, during the process
He sometimes does some weeding. Ouch that hurts!
But, He only takes out the bad stuff! Even if it's a lyric
that doesn't work in a song, which could keep it from
being cut.
I used to pray for patience, but what I would get
was another trial or tribulation that forced me to wait
some more. I thought God wasn't answering my
prayers. Then through the Holy Spirit I realized He was indeed answering
my prayers! The only way to gain patience is to be
forced to wait. Needlessly to say, I have quit praying
for patience!
In closing, we all must learn to rely on God's
perfect timing. Only when we finally wait without
complaining do we acquire the true meaning of
patience.
The 4 P's to a successful songwriting
career.
PRAISE, PRAYER, PATIENCE,
PERSISTENCE
Hebrew 11:6 KJV The Book Of Job KJV
May God bless you and your songwriting
endeavors.
Carol Perdew
Creative Director and owner of Springbarrel
Songwriter Services, LLC., has worked within the
Music industry since 1970. Currently serving
Songwriters and Publishers through Catalog
Representation, Consulting and Creative
Services.
