Read how some of the original songs from Stephanie’s most recent CD, “Come Away,” came about…

Song Stories

 

It brought tears to my eyes when my sister told me that she used the raw version of the “Come Away” CD that I gave her to quiet her two-month old baby, Sophia, and her seven-month old niece.  She said that the songs were like lullabies.  I pray that these songs wouldn’t just be “lullabies” for these babies, but that these songs would be lullabies to many hearts.  May the heart of our Father quiet us and sing us into His Rest.

 

Come Away

 

This song came as if He was singing it to me.  It was an invitation at a major intersection in my life when I was resigning a church staff position of nine years.  My schedule came to a screeching halt and after I detoxed from my busyness, I found myself sitting at His feet, listening to His voice. 

 

Shepherd Song

These words didn’t start as a song; they started as a prayer.  It was a prayer that I wrote during one of the most difficult times of my life.  It wasn’t until 2006 that I realized that there was a song hidden in these words.  With His help, I took the words to the prayer and combined them with the reality of who I’ve found Him to be. 

 

 

Be Still

Oddly enough, I wrote this song during a silent fast.  (a time when I don’t speak, sing, hum – it’s a bit of a stretch!)  ( – :  I heard it in my head, wrote down the lyrics, and played the melody line that I was hearing into my keyboard.  I was so glad to finally sing the song.  Only He can cause a song to be written out of silence.

 

Still My Heart

I wrote this song several years ago.  The significant part of this song to me was the spontaneous part that was written in the studio.  It was at the end of a full week of recording.  I was more than a bit frazzled and frustrated after not making a lot of “progress” that day.  I was trying to not totally lose it in the studio.  Through the tears, the Lord brought this song together in one take. 

 

For the Honor

My favorite worship leader is someone that I’ve never heard live, never saw a DVD of a worship service that she led, but I’ve read about her worship in the Gospels.  What an offering of worship to Jesus!  Her worship demonstration was so culturally and financially audacious that it required Jesus’ defense.  My heart is that I will never offer Him worship that can be rationally explained, but instead that He would receive an offering from me that is so audacious that it would require His defense.  Her demonstration didn’t involve words, but it was so loud!  Her quiet worship silenced a room as Jesus acknowledged her fragrant offering.

 

 

Savior’s Feet

I got a call late one Saturday night asking if I could lead worship at my parents’ home church because the worship pastor was very sick.  That Sunday night, we were singing “Pour My Love.”  In the intimacy of the moment, He brought this spontaneous song that “just so happened” to be caught on DVD.  (Thanks, Mom.)  There are many times that I hear and sing this song through my tears.  I love His feet.  They’ve led me to His face.

 

Perfect Love

A few years ago, I heard the Lord tell me to read a love story.  My mind went to Jacob and Rachel – how He worked seven years for her and the “years seemed like days because of his love for her.”  (I know – mushy!)  Of course Jacob got a real shock when Laban deceived him and gave Leah to him in marriage instead of Rachel.  He didn’t take too kindly to this and the Bible says that he loved Rachel more.  I went on to read that God opened Leah’s womb because He saw that she wasn’t loved.  She named her first child Rueben meaning “one who sees,” recognizing that God saw her.  She named her second child Simeon meaning “one who hears,” recognizing that God heard her.  I realized that the love story between Jacob and Rachel wasn’t the real love story at all.  The real love story was between God and Leah.  The concept and some of the words came from this story…. “I’ve seen the One who sees, I’ve heard the One who hears.”  He sees us.  He hears us.  He has searched out my heart and my Perfect Love has found me!