Timing
Dec 2, 2007 sojourn, songwriting
This passed weekend is a blur… the gig at Americana was cool. Not a big audience, but the sound was warm and natural, and the other writers in the round made it a most enjoyable time. I played as well as I can expect for not having done a live performance in a few weeks (at least not one playing and singing my own songs). The Larrivee I’m prospecting is sweet, it’s going to need some tweaks, but it seems to fit me as well as any guitar I’ve played. Depends on whether the timing is right to work out a deal for the instrument.
Then today, we were quite unexpectedly blessed by Matthew West, a Christian artist out of Nashville who’s songs have been riding CCM airwaves for a few years. His gifting, only superseded by his heart for Christ, truly inspired me both spiritually and musically. Matthew’s song “Only Grace” spoke deeply to me first time I heard it some 18 months ago; now to hear (and sing along to) his live acoustic rendition, which brought the congregation to a tender place of worship, really stirred my heart.
Surely Matthew being at church today is another example of perfect timing. Seeing then meeting him capped a really cool musical weekend that started after work Friday preparing for my Saturday round. Though I knew I’d only play 9-10 songs Saturday, I wanted them to sound as good as possible — the preparation definitely paid off. The lyric rewrites were 90% or so on the money, and my latest piece “Back to Me” ended up being one of my best performances of the day, at least to me.
It would be easy to say today’s service was just another service… but it wasn’t. It was way special. The choir pulled off an amazing Christmas song in an African tongue the congregation worshiped to. Pastor Rick laid his heart out there with a message on the true meaning of giving — and nailed it. All this, plus seeing Matthew West’s approach to excellence, inspired me to take my writing and spirituality to a new level… by grace, and only grace, I pray I do.
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