A Little Night Music in August

As our spring season barreled down the tracks and came to a screeching summer halt, we found ourselves in need of quiet and solace. We borrowed an RV and headed for the mountains of Cascadia. Completely off the grid, we set up camp at a site on the side of a cliff that overlooked the Ohanapecosh river. A humble creek flowed unassumingly behind us in a trickling waterfall over a moss-covered log, glory in every drop of water. We reached our hands into streams of hot springs that trickled over rocks from within the living volcano. The well traveled trail to Silver Falls was quiet and still as perpetual sunlight followed our footsteps. We buried ourselves in books around the campfire, stared up at the stars as dusk descended, swam in the frigid snow-melt, and slept with the sound of the river lulling us into peaceful slumber. With a few other adventures along the way, we feel restored and refreshed, and with so many hours on the road across Washington state, into Idaho, and all the way up home to Beautiful British Columbia, we listened to satisfying music which I want to share with you. Here comes the mother-load!

This month’s “eine kleine nachtmusik” might take a few evenings to enjoy. I think if I ever lost my ability to hear (or more of my ability to hear as some in my family might say), it would be okay, I would hear music in my head and heart all the same, and bounce to the beat the Lord ingrained in my heart. Music is a gift from the Lord to carry us through soaring heights, comfort us in dark valleys, and lift us on eagle’s wings out of canyons of confusion and despair where we can see clearly again. Music is an intimate way to experience life. I think that is why it is so subjective. What touches one person’s soul will be like nails on a chalkboard to someone else. When one person needs the soothing calm of J.S. Bach’s Air on the G String, another might need a bit of pep in the step with the Dave Brubeck Quartet or the volcanic velocity of Eva Cassidy’s vocals in Oh, Had I a Golden Thread. We come from such varying backgrounds and life experiences. There is no end to the creation of new songs, and for those who trust in Jesus, we have the sure and steady hope that we will enjoy an eternal song.

The following is a list of songs that have accompanied me on many miles of travel this summer in Cascadia, a Land of Falling Waters. May this music fall on open ears, soft hearts, and may it bring you to the stream of Living Water, Jesus Himself.

Trust in the Lord - Jon Guerra

A Thousand Shores - Leslie Jordan

Have Mercy - Paper Horses

John 3:16-17 The Words of Jesus Vol. 1 - The Corner Room

Oh The Mighty Hand - City Alight

All Glory Be To Christ - Emily Weiss

Oh sing to the Lord a new song;

sing to the Lord, all the earth!

Sing to the Lord, bless his name;

tell of his salvation from day to day.

Declare his glory among the nations,

his marvelous works among all the peoples!

For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;

he is to be feared above all gods.

For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,

but the Lord made the heavens.

Splendor and majesty are before him;

strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

Psalm 96:1-6 ESV Bible

A Little Night Music in July

Photo by LAUREN GRAY on Unsplash

My Mom set apart Sunday mornings as very special in every way she managed our home on the Lord’s Day. Worship filled our home from the moment my sisters and I awoke as music from the record player downstairs beckoned us to begin anew. Dad was already at church rehearsing his sermon, praying, quietly setting up, and making sure everything was ready for the service. It was the 80’s, so with puffy sleeves, feathered hair, jean purses, and jelly shoes, we made our way to church. My mom would give us each a quarter to put into the offering.

It was those first moments of waking to music that I’ve been thinking about this month. I recall songs from Connie Scott, Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Hosanna! Music Praise series such as one of my favorites… 1989’s Victory Chant! Turn up the music!

I wanted to carry on this tradition with my family of setting apart Sunday mornings as a special time for the kids and I, while my husband went to work to prepare the music for church as a worship pastor, and now in our church plant as pastor. I put on the music on our streaming device and light a candle, bake dutch baby pancakes with powder sugar on top. We quietly get ready for the morning. Sometimes we leave early, depending on how we’re helping serve that week. But the morning is set apart with worship and a delicious breakfast.

A whole slew of music has accompanied our Lord’s Day mornings over the years, but lately I’ve been playing Josh Garrels’ album, Peace to All Who Enter Here, to lead us into worship of our God as we prepare our hearts to worship with our church family.

If you haven’t heard this album yet, I hope you enjoy each one of these songs as eine kleine nachtmusik in July, and may it accompany your Lord’s Day mornings as well. Prepare well, for it is the Lord we worship. Exalt the Lord our God!

Dutch Baby Pancakes:

1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs - lightly beaten
4 Tb butter (I love salted!)
Directions… Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Put it all in a bowl and mix together! While the oven is preheating, put your cast iron skillet in the oven to heat up. When ready to pour the batter, melt 2 Tb butter in skillet. Pour in the batter and bake for 15 mins until pancake is golden brown and climbing up the sides. Pull out of the oven and sprinkle with powder sugar. You can also sprinkle with lemon juice and serve with jam, fresh fruit, or chocolate chips. Enjoy with your people around the table!

Grace upon grace,

Jen

A Little Night Music in June: A Song for a Sacred Moment

Photo by Ozgu Ozden on Unsplash

A few weeks ago, I received the news that a beloved pastor in our denomination was in hospice care. Whenever I’ve received news that someone is in the final moments of life, God quiets my soul. I retreat inward into a focused hush. As grief swells around the wound of loss, my focus turns to prayer for that person as they approach the separation of body and soul. This is a sacred space, and an opportunity for God’s redeemed family to serve their brother or sister in Christ one last time, to get down on their knees and wash their feet through prayer as they prepare to run to their Savior.

Even though I didn’t know Rev. Timothy Keller personally, his gospel legacy reached even me, and I can trace his influence on my life ever since 2007 in the majestic alps of Switzerland where I first heard his recorded, gentle, pastoral voice on a cassette tape.

In a little chalet, with books stacked on shelves from floor to ceiling, I was in search of something to study as a newlywed wife. My husband and I had just gotten married and flown to Paris for his college semester abroad as he was studying for his Worship Arts degree. L’Abri, in Huemoz, Switzerland, was one of our stops on our three month journey through Europe, visiting various Christian places of worship and study. The typical visitor to L’Abri comes to study about their specific interests or questions of faith and Christianity. I didn’t arrive with questions (yet), but I wanted to learn about marriage. So I went in search of books and lectures recorded on cassette tape.

As I was browsing one day, I came across a series of tapes on marriage by a visiting teacher named, Timothy Keller. I popped it into the tape player and put on the headphones and settled in for an afternoon of learning. He sounded knowledgeable and wise, Biblical and methodical, and genuinely earnest. You could tell that he desired his students, from different countries and cultures, to clearly understand what he was presenting to them from the Scripture.

This was a pivotal time in my life. At that time I was 29 years old and my faith was solid. My faith that I had held so strongly before coming to L’Abri was about to go through an unexplainable and unexpected spiritual crisis. Additionally, I believe it was all planned by my loving God to guide and prepare me, through many experiences, and His loving sovereign hand, things that I would need later in life to help others also walk through difficult seasons like mine.

A couple years later, I learned of Tim Keller’s best-selling book, The Reason for God. I picked it up, because I was silently and desperately hanging on to my rock solid faith that was seemingly crumbling in the contours of the valley of all my questions. I was afraid of having questions. I was afraid to tell anyone that I was going through this experience. After all, I was a pastor’s daughter, had served in church ministry since I was in 7th grade, had gone to two different Bible schools, worked in various churches, served on missions trips, traveled all over to share the gospel of grace with anyone who would listen at home and abroad. And now, I was overwhelmed with questions and doubts that assailed me and threatened to overwhelm me. What would people think of me? I was simply ashamed to have questions.

The Reason for God helped me, as did various other books on apologetics, a branch of theology that works to defend Christian doctrine. I dove into it like nobody’s business. It became my daily passion, my evening study after I got home from my job, my constant obsession. Even more than my years at Bible college, I studied church history, sought out the writings and arguments of the leading Christian apologists of the day. My husband and I even went to a debate on Christianity held at the very secular University of British Columbia in Vancouver to hear a visiting Christian apologist explain the validity of Christianity. I pondered these things in my heart and wrestled with them in all my waking hours.

Eventually, over time, the faithful hand of God brought me through that spiritual crisis, and because of it, Christ gave me a more compassionate, gentle, and understanding heart for those who struggle with doubt. He took what seemed to be crumbling apart and strengthened it through the fiery trial.

I was working on my computer in our cozy family room the morning I learned that Tim Keller had died. My music streaming device had pulled up a new song that I had never heard before. This song and this grief collided in God’s perfect timing as the reality hit me that an era was over, that my brother in Christ was now with Jesus. I am so thankful for Tim Keller’s faithfulness to Jesus. I share this song here, because that moment was a sacred moment for me. A faithful pastor was home. God is making all things new.

All Things New - Ethan Nathaniel

A Little Night Music in May

Unexpected beauty startled me with joy one spring morning at our church.

Well, hello in May! I am just loving writing these monthly music posts this year. It makes me so happy to share songs that bless and comfort me. Thank you for joining me this year on this musical journey. It breathes life into me to find music that I enjoy, that strengthens me, that feeds and nourishes my soul and mind. In God’s Word, we are told to think on…

“whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” - Philippians 4:8

“And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” - Eph 5:18-21

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” - Col. 3:16

“Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise from the end of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that fills it, the coastlands and their inhabitants.” - Isaiah 42:10

So let us sing to the Lord, shall we?

This month, I want to invite you to discover some music you may not have heard before. Several years ago, while at seminary, a few talented friends collaborated with my husband and I in recording some original songs. It was a creative delight to do something so organic and worshipful while my husband was in the throws of earning his Master of Divinity. In the midst of learning Hebrew, Greek, how to shepherd souls, how to counsel, how to preach the Word of God, how to administer the sacraments, and how to teach from every book in God’s wonderful Word, God allowed these needed outlets of creativity, self-expression, and worship to our Creator and Lord. It was a joy-filled side gig and one that built community and friendship.

There are three albums attributed to Gateway Hymns, this collaborative effort of creating music for the church. Each album is unique in its theme:

Songs for the Journey

Good Friday

The Songs of Fanny Crosby (This album was recorded after our seminary years, but during a two year church planting internship with the Northwest Church Planting Network before church planting in the Pacific Northwest.)

May these songs be a balm to your soul, at the end of a tired day, with a cup of Sleepytime Tea and a place of quiet for your soul to be restored. Be reminded of the God who is there, who loves you, and who paid with His life to purchase you for Himself.

Grace upon grace,

Jen

A Little Night Music in April

Photo by Kenrick Mills on Unsplash

The candle is lit, Mozart’s strings and flutes play in the background and I sit down for a moment of rest and reflection. Its been a full month, and it seems I am only able to write once a month here on my blog. We have seasons that are fruitful and seasons where our fields lay fallow. Each season has purpose and our labor is to ask the Lord what shall we do in each of those seasons. What shall we do with the time we are given? Should we harvest, or is it time to plant? Should we till the soil and add the nutrients and minerals that will produce a better harvest next year. Should we let the field rest and restore as is God’s wisdom in caring for the land He has entrusted to us. Writing is a place of rest and creativity for me. So the field of this writing space is where I come to recharge and pour out of that rest, but, at least for this season, it is perhaps more sparse, but still there is work being done in feast or fallow.

Today, I want to share some music that has blessed me this month, and may, in turn, bless you the reader. I had never heard of Tenielle Neda before this month, and I am captivated by her music. Her songs are scripture based and come from a Reformed theology background. She is a wife, mom of two, and driver of iron ore trains in Australia - which I think is incredibly cool.

This is the music I play as I have become the chauffeur of my tweens and teens, to transport them and their friends, to drop off at track & field, music lessons, driving to and from school. I am in that season where I spend a large portion of time in my vehicle. So I must be prepared to use my time wisely, to be nurtured in my soul and mind, to learn and grow, to relax to music, and to pray. Driving time can be used for so many kingdom-minded moments. Tic Tacs, hand sanitizer, a bottle of water, a good pair of sunglasses, and a hat for bad hair days are also along for the journey!

What is My Hope? - Tenielle Neda

“And if we live, we live to the Lord. And if we die, we die to the Lord…”

The Heidelberg Catechism was published in 1563 and can be summarized as “an ageless summary of an everlasting comfort.” Question 1 asks, “What is your only comfort in life and death?” The New City Catechism also asks this first question, “What is our only hope in life and death?” The answer is the basis of this song, and Scripture is the basis of this timeless answer.

Romans 14:7–8

For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.

The Heidelberg Catechism answers it this way:


That I am not my own,

but belong with body and soul,

both in life and in death,

to my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ.

He has fully paid for all my sins

with his precious blood,

and has set me free

from all the power of the devil.

He also preserves me in such a way

that without the will of my heavenly Father

not a hair can fall from my head;

indeed, all things must work together

for my salvation.

Therefore, by his Holy Spirit

he also assures me

of eternal life

and makes me heartily willing and ready

from now on to live for him.

This composition is full of emotion as it takes the listener from a minor key, asking the question of what is my hope? Even this simple question is evidence that we live in a broken and sinful world in need of restoration. The fact that we have to ask what our hope is, shows that we need hope to live in this world. It is a sacred question and one that confronts the darkness all around us, the emptiness of worldly pursuits, and the desperate need to be filled with the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit in our souls. There is a sadness that accompanies this question. It is not stated, but it is there in the backdrop of our need to define what is the most important thing about our existence.

The song moves victoriously into the chorus with a triumphant major key resolution, almost a sense of rest as it guides one into the truths of Scripture, the food for our souls to be nourished by. There is an answer to the longing of our souls and it is found in the Bible, the Word of God. As a youth, I remember this verse standing out to me as I searched the Scriptures to know Yeshua more intimately. “If we live, we live to the Lord” was such a radical truth that imbedded into my soul. God was calling me to live for Him.

The words and music of this song become perfect companions for the meaning of these truths and the rest that all Scripture gives in answer to the questions we ask in this dark world, a world that is being and will be renewed and restored by King Jesus.

I pray that you are blessed by this song as much as I have been, and that it will be eine kleine nachtmusik to reflect on in a moment of quiet.

A Little Night Music in February

Music helps us to "keep time" in the sense of keeping us in touch with time, not just time as an ever-flowing stream that bears all of us away at last, but time also as a stream that every once in a while slows down and becomes transparent enough for us to see down to the stream bed the way, at a wedding, say, or watching the sun rise, past, present, and future are so caught up in a single moment that we catch a glimpse of the mystery that, at its deepest place, time is timeless. - Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking

At sunrise, past, present and future were all bound up in one moment as I saw strawberry plants proliferating through the winter weeds from last year’s garden.

I have never read anything by Buechner, but when I came across an article last year about his death, I realized I had heard his name before, in what season of life, I cannot remember, but his words dove deep into my heart that I knew I must read his writing at some point in the future. This month, through an online bookclub, I am making the effort to read one of his works. When I searched the internet for quotes on music, this one above met me in a personal way. Music does help us keep time with the fleeting moments of our lives. In fact, for me, it is a way to look back through my life at different stages and seasons. I often think in terms of the soundtrack of my life. Because music is such an important part of my life and being, when I hear a certain song, it brings me back to times and places and allows me to see “down to the stream bed” of that particular moment in time and what God was doing in my life back then. The following are my February selections to share some songs that might join you on your journey, and if nothing else, it may be a eine kleine nachtmusik to enjoy at the close of the day with a cup of Sleepytime tea.

Wait for the Lord - Taizé Community, music by J.Berthier

“Wait for the Lord, whose day is near.

Wait for the Lord, keep watch, take heart.”

Gathered together, and yet feeling each alone in a way, we knelt before the Lord with men and women from various nations, on the carpeted cement floor before candlelight and tapestry. Christians from various denominations and backgrounds were gathered to worship Jesus as a global Body. Awkwardly, we flipped through our songbooks full of worship songs in English, French, Latin, German, Zulu, Japanese, Tamil, and so on. We stumbled our way through singing songs in other languages and took in this experience of the Bride of Christ, believers in Jesus from different languages, tribes, and nations, gathered together in worship.

This was the first time I heard and sang this beautiful song of waiting and anticipation. The Taizé Community is an ecumenical monastic community nestled in the lush landscape of Taize, France, just a short bus ride from the small town of Cluny in eastern France. My husband and I traveled there sixteen years ago as part of a Christian worship & arts study trip. The kind people who lived and worked there, led our small group in worship, in work, and in discussion for our week long stay. I remember going for walks on the snow-covered bridge, the sun setting early, and enjoying simple, yet nourishing, meals from red plastic bowls. There was a stillness and calm reverence just being there. There was laughter in the midst of awkward cultural differences and language barriers. We all knew that to be there was a gift, and one where the Lord was doing a work in each of our hearts and minds. I long to go back there one day. It is a dream of mine.

We sing this song at our church plant. It is a song of perpetual advent, one that can be sung in the season of Advent, but also one that can be sung all year as we wait for the Lord’s Second Coming as He promised.

A winter walk at Taize, January 2007

Love Song for a Savior - Jars of Clay

“Someday He'll call her

And she will come running

She’ll fall in His arms

The tears will fall down

And she'll pray

I want to fall in love with you”

In 1994, a new Christian band came on the scene, Jars of Clay. Their album was named, Frail, and that year I was sixteen years old, and I was very frail. It was the year my life was upended by a chemical imbalance and anxiety disorder that turned me inside out and left me in a Job-like wilderness of confusion, brokenness, and despair.

It was also the year that the Holy Spirit was raising up song writers and music that would deeply touch me, ignite my emotions, and stir millions around the world in a revolution of heartfelt worship to Jesus. 1994 was a year of incredible worship music. This song was on repeat in my little car as I pushed the cassette tape into our ancient Toyota Corolla with no air conditioning, windows down, hair flying in the wind. I was sixteen, I was anxious, and I needed my Savior.

I don’t know the songwriters’ intentions behind this song or the story of how it came to be, or the industry standards each song and album needs to meet to make money. All I know is how this song impacted me. The Lord used this song as He stitched my frail mind back together. I knew His gentle eyes looked on me with blood-bought love and salvation. The strong sense of His sovereignty and love for me personally was something I needed very much, and something I wept for. The lyrics opened up the reality of multitude Scriptures and teaching I had received for years, and Jesus won my love and devotion, forever.

All throughout Scripture, God’s love for His people and each individual child of His is on full display, blood & covenant display, repeated over and over in the sacrificial system of the Old Testament temple to the actual incarnating work of Jesus the Messiah, whose love was expressed everywhere throughout Scripture from clothing the fallen human race, to His individual care for men and women in Old Testament antiquity, to the poetry of the Psalms, the messages of the Prophets, the redeeming love of a Savior, the God-Man who came to rescue souls from eternal judgement. His love for you is displayed, and He invites you into this Psalm-like desperate love and acceptance, this intimate relationship of Him with you every second of every day, the One who will never leave or forsake you. He is the One who is there with you now. The love He portrays through the picture of marriage between a husband and a wife, is just a glimpse of the unimaginable love of the Creator for His people.

Yes, Jesus did call me.

Yes, I did come running to my Rescuer.

Yes, the tears did fall down, over and over with love.

And yes, I did pray, “I want to fall in love with You”.

And I still look up into the sky and tell Jesus, “I love you. I love being loved by you.” I cry out from the depth of my being to love the One who first loved me.

Wildflowers by Tom Petty

Since it is February, and St. Valentine’s day is today, I want to share a little love song. In our newlywed years, my husband introduced me to a whole vast repertoire of music that was new to me. Tom Petty’s Wildflowers was one of those songs that we put on repeat in our little blue 2 door hatchback as we traversed the countryside on our adventures as husband and wife. I dedicate this one to my man:

“You belong among the wildflowers

You belong in a boat out at sea

You belong with your love on your arm

You belong somewhere you feel free…” - Tom Petty

Walking in Paris with my love, 2007.

Thank you for reading, beloved ones of the Father. May you walk through fields of wildflowers, sail on gentle waves, and find a song whispering to you of light, and life, and the love of the Savior.

A Little Night Music in January

Violin, Augustine Haugland, c. 1937

I walked into my piano teacher’s front room to wait my turn for lessons. My teacher amazed me. I can still see her youthful smiling face, and see her introducing to me a new piece I was going to learn. She sat down at the piano, and put her whole soul and body into playing the masterpiece. All the while, a joy so passionate radiated from her face with an indestructible smile and eyes closed. I was in awe of this woman who displayed great strength and fervor for her creative work in this world. Learning classical piano from my teacher was not only an education in music, but it also opened my mind to other places and languages and art. There was a large poster on the wall in her front room with the title Eine kleine Nachtmusik, a little night music. I was studying both French and German languages that year and it brought me a little whisper of joy to be able to read this song title in German. The piece was by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Listening to it now as I write brings forth a little giggle. It is so playful and youthful, like an uncontrollable smile just almost breaking into laughter.

This year, one of my writing goals is to share a post each month about music. I will share about songs that are currently on my playlists, streaming through both my truck stereo and kitchen streaming device while I work to prepare oh so much food for my growing teens and tweens. The kitchen is the heartbeat of the home, my father-in-law likes to say, and I agree, especially when there is music!

This month, I will share a few selections of music that have been in my soundtrack of recent months. And, kind readers, if you find a selection that companions your pathway this year, I would be delighted. The following are my January selections to share with you. May you be blessed with a little night music.

The Lark Ascending - (arr. for violin and choir by Paul Drayton) Performed by VOCES8 and Jack Liebeck

The first time I heard a portion of this song was actually in the “early o’s” as my hubby likes to call the 2000’s! It was the intro to a song on a live David Crowder album. I was stunned when listening to the soaring violin solo and was taken captive by its originality and the rise and fall of beauty in sound. This last Fall, I learned of a choral group from England called VOCES8. As I explored their music, I found this song performed by them, and was immediately gratified by the beauty in every note as it tells the story of a bird in flight.

O God Beyond All Praising - Performed by Sarah Kroger, Words by Michael A. Perry (1982), Tune composed by Gustav Holst (1918)

At the end of 2021, I remember looking at an auto-generated list sent to my email about which songs I listened to the most that year on my music streaming app, and this one was top of the list. I don’t even remember how I came across this recording and version of this song, but it’s here to stay. Sarah Kroger’s voice is clear and bold, giving praise to the Triune God through this more modern hymn written actually when I was a young child. And of course, the triumphant orchestral suite by Gustav Holst, The Planets, provides the landscape for this song of praise. In fact, I would like to study more about Gustav’s composition, written between 1914-1917, and based on each of the seven known planets (not including Earth or Pluto… where are we at with Pluto these days?) at that time in history. The combination of words and music both give glory to God, the Creator, beyond all praising.

In the Bleak Midwinter - Performed by John Van Deusen, Words by Christina Rossetti, Tune by Gustav Holst

Honestly, I didn’t know much about this song until researching for this post. I did not know that this song was originally a poem by English poet, Christina Rossetti, nor that Gustav Holst who composed The Planets, as mentioned above, also composed the tune used in this famous Christmas carol. In fact, the first time I heard this song was on Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan’s Wintersong album released in 2006. When searching this past Christmas for new music to listen to, I came across this album by John VanDeusen. Before listening to the music, I was already hooked by the album artwork of a vintage rural scene in winter. The simple and quiet acoustic style was warmly received by the whole family.

Winter, by Joseph Rubens Powell

I look forward to curating a list of songs to share here in February. Be blessed and may you find wonder in ordinary tasks and the beauty of created order all around you.

“I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music.”
-Albert Einstein