Dearest Children, God is Near You
My life never changed so much as when I had my daughter. When this tune developed, the only lyrics that matched it were to the song Dearest Children, God is Near You. I have always thought these words were so tender and I have enjoyed thinking it in terms of a soft lullaby. It was fun to record this with Sarah. It took 2 takes. The first one wasn’t right and then she sang the second time and came out almost crying. I asked her if she was okay – and she said that she had found the right inspiration, her sweet daughter. I am so thankful for the inspiration our girls are to the both of us.
Charles L. Walker wrote this poem which was later set to music and used in church services after that. Although this makes me think of my daughter, I cannot help thinking that sometimes I am the child that needs reminding that God is Near me too.
It is HERE!!!!!
I am so excited!
The CD is finally here!
And I am so happy with it!
Again , thank you to everyone who has contributed to this project! We could not have done it without your love and support! And and update: my sweet daughter has finally started to ask me to sing again.
Feel free to buy one via PayPal (button on the side or click on the Buy CD page).
CD eta…
I just got word that the finished CD should be here some time THURSDAY of this week!!!
WOOOOOO HOOOOO!!!!!
I can’t wait to see what it looks like!
Master, the Tempest is Raging
The music for Master, the Tempest is raging came really fast to me. Sometimes I struggle with a song. I’ll have the melody stuck in my head but no accompaniment. But it wasn’t that way with this song. It just came and stayed in my brain. It was all I could think about when I woke up in the morning and all I could think about when I went to sleep in the evening. The original music is much more cheerier than my version. However, I like the way the song reads in this new order (verse, verse, verse, then chorus). I think that it portrays a heart-felt plea that we sometimes have in life, and the response we can eventually feel.
Mary Ann Baker lived between 1831 and 1921. Raised with a belief in Christ, she was orphaned at an early age. A life of much hardship followed. As she grew up she became what she termed as “wickedly rebellious”. She wrote: “But the Master’s own voice stilled the tempest in my unsanctified heart, and brought it to the calm of a deeper faith and a more perfect trust” (quoted in Phil Kerr, Music in Evangelism, Glendale, California. Gospel Music Publishers, 1939, pages 167-168). Though her life was difficult, I am deeply thankful to Mary Ann Baker for writing these words down. I hope you enjoy this new version.
Copyright 2009 Laurel Blair
Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me
Welcome!
The first song that I composed in the this project is Jesus, Savior, Pilot me. In late 2007 I had a friend diagnosed with cancer. It quickly took her life. It was hard to watch her and her family suffer through this hard time. I turned to a hymn book that I have found previous solace in, sat down at the piano, and a new tune for this beloved hymn was born.
The lyrics were written sometime after 1870 by a minister named Edward Hopper. He wrote the text because his congregation was made up mostly of sailors whom he thought would connect with a sea themed song. Having grown up near the Pacific Ocean, I know first hand how boisterous the waves of the sea, and the waves of life, can be. Enjoy.
Copyright 2009 Laurel Blair
Photo courtesy of Vladimir Fofanov
