REFLECTIONS
March 21, 2010
 
 
burst into jubilant song with music;
make music to the Lord with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of singing,
Psalms 98:4-5
 
 
Songwriters
 
The page of lyrics went unnoticed on Buddy’s desk for a week or so. Mark had given it to him and said, “See if you can do anything with this.” Then one day Buddy read them and the notes of a melody began to form in his mind. Mark Lowry’s lyrics came to life. Mary Did You Know was born.
That is how I remember the story as Buddy Greene described the birth of a song. It was fascinating to hear him chronicle its birth because someday I would hope to write a song too—the lyrics and the melody. I have no idea how to do it though. My musical training did not connect very well, and the little bit that did has long been forgotten. Musical talent is not a gift God gave me, but in the words of another songwriter, I Can Dream Can’t I.
In my dreams I hope to write a song that paints a picture of God’s beautiful world like The Sound of Music, and one that inspires courage and perseverance like Climb Every Mountain. And I hope to share an exhilarating experience like Rocky Mountain High; and another that will add a verse to Jesus Loves Me.
Songwriters are blessed with the gift of music. Through their words and melodies they capture powerful moments that speak of life’s beauty, its hardships, its disappointments, and its love. They write Songs of Life that tell the stories that you and I live every day. They set them to music. We write them by the way we live.
The songs we write may never hit the big-time like the one written by Mark and Buddy. The lyrics may never be found on a printed page and musical notes may never be played. But the songs will linger in the minds and hearts of those who know us long after we have completed them.
And if we live anything like right, our songs will paint a picture of God’s beautiful world like The Sound of Music, and inspire courage and perseverance like Climb Every Mountain. They will share an exhilarating experience like Rocky Mountain High; and best of all, each of us will have added a verse to Jesus Loves Me.
 
“You are the light of the world.”
RichardÌ
 


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