THE POWER OF WORDS

 

         As a songwriter and admirer of poetry I have listened and made a study of words since I was a teenager.  I poured over all the books of poetry in the library I could get my hands on.  Then began to actually listen to the lyrics of most of the popular songs of the day such as the Beatles and Dylan.  These songs had a great affect on me and spoke to my heart unlike anything I heard before.  Just a simple phrase held my affection and I would often sing along to the radio, just as I see my son doing now. I marveled at how well the words were strung together and seemed to flow in a cool way.  What made them cool? I wanted to know why, so I studied lyrics of every song I could get a hold of,  but it wasn’t until I became a Christian that  I  knew the true value of words.  Singing worship songs in church and praying lifted the meaning of words to a higher level.  I relized that words carried with them power.  I learned that in the beginning was the Word, and all creation began with a word, and Jesus is the Word, and the word was deposited in us when we became receivers of the Word.  Then I learned that words affect everyone around us and even the lack of words speaks volumes.  Words determine how far we go in life.  Words can even bring healing (Proverbs 12:18).  Isn’t it wonderful to apologize to someone and see the walls melt between you and old wounds being heald before your eyes?  Words carry power to defeat Satan.  The words you write in a song also carry power to touch and change hearts, not that we give them any power of our own, but power of God who created them and deposited them in us.  Also I think it’s important to not worship the words that  we hear,  like I did as a teenager, but to worship the one creater who gave them to us to use.   

         Now as receivers of the word,  I think our job is to turn around and reflect them to others around us.  So next time you are jotting down some lyrics remember:  there is power in those words.  Keep on writin’ JB>

COMPLETING THE VISION

Observations of a Songwriter

          I listened in disbelief to the car radio as Michael W. Smith’s new song “Above All” played.   “Not another one!” I thought.  That’s the same title I used on a song I’ve penned ten years ago.  Why do I hear the same titles or similar melodies of songs I’ve already written?  Was it so obvious a title that sooner or later someone would discover it?  Maybe I should start picking out titles that no one could ever come up with like, “The Whale Was Hungry, But He Couldn’t Keep a Good Man Down” or “My Life was Like a Gutter Ball Until you Pinned me Down”.  Well maybe not.   

As I listened intently to Michael’s’ song on the radio, I notice the quality of his writing.  It was far better than my song.  He really did put the work into it to make it excellent.  He set it up the same way I did with what God was above; the earth, the heavens, the ways of the world, etc.  But then Michael went the extra mile with a nice bridge and a twist at the end of his chorus “He loved me above all”.  This is the way I see this experience. I may be wrong or right but see what you think.   

God gives us the talent and the vision to accomplish something or write a song for Him, yet if we are not available or ready to put the work into that vision, God will find someone else to do it   If God wants a task done, it will get accomplished.  The question is will we be the one to give it our best to complete the vision, the goal God has instilled into us?  When God gives us a title or an idea are we going to put the work into it to make it something excellent, and then go the extra mile like Michael W. Smith did?  Let’s do all of what God intends us to do.  So what about that song of mine that has the same title?  I’ll probably still use it in the future.  The message is still there.

Welcome MACS

Hey! Welcome to Minnesota Association of Christian Songwriters way up here in the cold north, and anyone else reading this. This is way cool, thanks to Rob B for setting this blog up for us. I wanted to be the first to get the ball rolling. I would like to write about my experiences as a songwriter who has been addicted to songwriting for 38 years now. In that time I have written over 300 songs [good and bad], produced 5 Cds of my music [now working on 2 more], began two songwriters' organizations [MAS in1980 & MACS in1990] which are still flourishing today, helped many songwriters with their own music, however as of yet I still have nothing published on a national scale. Now I am finally getting serious about trying to have my songs published. Hopefully these Blogs will be a benefit to all who read my observations about songwriting and the music business in general.  So enjoy and read on.