Thinking About Heaven

Another hard day. It was so much easier to ask for prayer for these families the other day, but prayers are very much appreciated still, because both men did pass away. I actually thought about deleting the previous post, questioning why I even try to blog. Yet as I sorted through emails tonight, I saw the comment (prayer) my dear friend, Lisette left on my previous blog. It reminded me about the journey we have with the Lord.

It's so important that we share the journey with each other. Some days I hope something I say will help you hold on to hope. Other days, I can almost hear you laughing with me. Still other times, I realize that the transparency in others has helped me take the next step. How I want that in my life. To be real. Transparent. True. Nothing to hide.

Speaking of nothing to hide, gotta share this picture from the 80's...it's my Grandma Ragsdale, as she hid in the pantry so she could hear. Let it be a reminder to stop what you're doing, and steal a few minutes away, so you can listen. Someone Special has something to say to ya!!!


And, before I forget, it's no coincidence that I started a song about Heaven this week. Been thinking a lot about things to come. Once again, God crossed my path with a great writer, and he joined me in this one. Here's the start:

Great Day
(c)2008 Eva Wilson/LeWain Dysart

V1
I see a light shining over there
I know it’s drawing me to come near
Out yonder no darkness no fear
It’s the light of Jesus shining fair

Pre
There’s no more night ~ Jesus shining bright
ch
Gonna be a great day in Heaven
When all the saints get home
Gonna be a great day in Heaven
We'll meet around the throne
Shouting hallelujah, amen
We'll sing redemption's song
Gonna be a great day in Heaven
With Jesus on His throne

Prayers Appreciated

Time stands still on days like this. Received sad news.

My cousin, Mike, is in a coma. He's been in poor health, but I didn't expect this. I'm holding onto a thread of hope that he could recover, but right now it's not looking good. I haven't seen Mike in many years, but I'm close to his sister, Mary.

My niece's husband's father also fell ill. Not expected to pull through.

So hard on the family. Prayers appreciated.

The Lord brought this Scripture to mind today, and it brought comfort. "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But desire fulfilled is a tree of life." Prov 13:12 Reminds me that here on earth, our hearts are sick with grief as hope is deferred. But the tree of life awaits in Heaven, for all who believe in Christ...and our desires will be fulfilled there.

you ARE the weakest link

Ok, so I would have never made it far on Weakest Link. Nor Are You Smarter than A Fifth Grader?

I gave up on trying to keep the house just so. And I gave up on getting the dishes & laundry "done" ~ I surrender. I'm raising my white flag!!! I hereby resolve to SAY SO when I don't understand the homework, instead of helping a child limp along.

Ta-Da!!! Feels better!!!

Just got an email from Ms. _____ saying:

The answer should be x is less than or equal to -10.

When you divided by -2....you have to "flip" the inequality sign.

If you multiply or divide by a "negative" number...you
have to flip the inequality sign.

why I don't blog more often

Ms. _____,

I have a question about the answers
on the homework that was checked in
3rd period on Oct 27. _________ made a 40.
I was surprised at that.

Can you explain why
"37 is lesser than or equal to 17-2x"
was marked wrong,
when his answer was
"-10 is less than or equal to x".

He took -17 from both sides,
which left "20 is less than or equal to -2x".

Then divided both sides by -2,
which gave the answer of
"-10 is less than or equal to x"

That's one example of how he solved it
by the same rules used in #1 & #2,
which were done in class.

He had planned to go to tutoring,
but I checked his homework and thought I helped him!

Can you give me the answers to that worksheet,
or let me come to tutoring?

:)

Thanks,
Eva Wilson
note to self:
don't spend hrs trying to figure out homework!!!

Write About Jesus ~ Lessons Learned

Here's the re-cap of my weekend at the Write About Jesus workshop. I feel like I'm writing a movie review, and I want to say just enough to make you want to BE there, but not reveal the plot and conclusion. It has taken me a week to reduce this blog draft to bare bones. I really can't say enough about the Clinicians, but don't want to say too much their classes...I want you to COME if ya can!!!! If you are a songwriter, you just have to put the workshop on your calendar for '09. Third weekend in Oct, I believe.

OK, here goes:

Co-writing Demonstration w/ Joel Lindsey & Twila Labar ~ Thursday pm Would the deer-in-the-headlights look ever leave my face? I was truly astounded by the way Joel and Twila hammered out lyric, genre, mood (major/minor stuff), melody, beat, and even to bridge or not to bridge (Twila sure is a rhythm-girl ~ wish I had that!!!)...all as if there was no one else in the room! Truly a fly-on-the-wall experience, and it was an excellent challenge. As of that night, I had only co-written "live" with one person, Glenn Green. I'm happy to say that it was a great write. Our song will be on his cd, released sometime next yr. Watching Joel & Twila gave me tools for future opportunities. (update: The next day at WAJ I was able to sit down and work on a song Mike Mitcham & I had started online. The next week, God opened the door for me to work on songs with a friend in our church. Great stuff happening! Yay, God!!!)

Recognizing Genres w/ Joel Lindsey & Holly Zabka ~ It was a joy to be in Joel's class again...and Holly also knows what she's talking about! Main points were to do your research so you'll know your target, your audience, and your artist. They discussed the difference between Southern Gospel, Inspirational, Praise & Worship, Adult Contemporary/Christian Hit Radio, Pop, Rock, and Choral Anthems. They encouraged us to write each song toward a specific genre, instead of being "genre-less." Makes sense to me! IMHO, the words themselves tell the genre. Sometimes you can write backwards. Sometimes it's more poetic. Others, you want to say something without saying it. Hanging with Holly & Joel made me wanna WRITE! Mission accomplished!!!

Crafting Great Lyrics w/ Dave Clark ~ Dave Clark. I was told I HAD to go to a Dave Clark class, and I'm so very thankful I listened to that counsel!!! Did Dave address lyrics? Did he even mention songwriting? All I can remember is the Spirit of the Lord was in that place, and He was carving "love Me more" on my heart. I did take notes. Lots of notes. I wouldn't have remembered the teaching if it weren't for my trusty notebook! Some lines from Dave's talk: *Songs are SEEDS falling on different kinds of soil. Some Hard ground. Emotional ground. Healthy ground, etc. *Be transparent, but don't flaunt it. *Always write as simple as possible, but never simpler. *To be a better writer, you need to be a better listener (to God) AMEN!!! Gets ya to thinking, no?

Knowing Your Gifts and Limitations w/ Mark Roach ~ I have followed Mark's music ministry on myspace for a year or so. He is an amazing writer, and has so much to offer. Mark meets you right where you are. He pointed out his own weaknesses in writing, and how he had to learn to not focus on improving on those weaknesses. Instead, he works on strengthening his strengths. This was great for me to hear, as I find myself drawn into the desire to sing and dance. Just kidding. The desire is to sing and play the piano. But if I can zoom in on writing lyrics, the Body of Christ stretches and grows, drawing in other writers and artists to complete the song. Maybe we'll shine clearer and brighter if we're walking in humility before the Lord, saying "I need help with this." I appreciate Mark's transparency (and I'm disappointed that he didn't share a song with us in that class...oh well, maybe next yr!!)

Writing for the Country Market w/ Don Poythress (and Chad Cates, yeah!) ~ OK, of all the classes, this is the one where I walked away speechless. Don & Chad taught as they passed the guitar back and forth. I felt like I was in my parents' front porch. Things they said pierced my innermost parts. I didn't expect to be challenged spiritually in that class, but I was. Tremendously. But it's not because of the things they said. It was their meekness. Here are 2 successful writers, just sitting around like brothers, spontaneously giving examples of country songs that could prove their points. And they weren't "their" songs. That was cool, to see how they admire other ppl's work. Oh, and one thing Don said that I hope I keep tucked away in my heart forever: Write from the heart, from a real place. Oh, and another: Country music doesn't TELL you how to feel; it MAKES you feel. It was all great. Don & Chad's class made me wanna write with depth. Dig deeper with words. I'm loving that!

Out of the Box and Off the Wall: Writing for Kids w/ Johnathan Crumpton, Gina Boe & Sue Smith ~ I NEEDED this class. You'd think I'd know all about writing for kids, since I've been surrounded by little ones since I was a little one myself! But it was awesome to pull away and learn the nitty gritty, such as the structure of kids' musicals. They say that kids' music is an area where songwriters need to write within the box. Keep it real. Keep it simple. Hm. Some of my grown-up music might work better as kids' songs. Hmmmm.

Writing on Assignment for Your Church w/ Gina Boe, Sue Christensen & Lisa Qualsett ~ Curiosity kills the cat, right? I attended this just to see how the process works. I love Gina, Sue & Lisa, and wanted to find out how they do what they do. I don't know that I'll ever have the opportunity to write toward specific church goals, but I'm willing! For my church or yours. hahaha. That reminds me of a Kelly Willard song from the '80's. I remember singing it at a youth camp talent show. Little did I know that it would come back to haunt me for many years. Little did I know it would be my crutch, helping me realize I needed to ask the Lord to give me a willing heart, in many areas of my life.

Willing Heart, by Kelly Willard
If you don't have a willing heart,
ask Him to give you one
If you can't seem to make a start,
trust in His power
For the Lord of love is watching you
He sees what you're going thru
And He will make a way if you want Him to
Oh, do you want Him to?
Then tell Him so. He wants to know.
Go on and tell Him so.

Whehehehew. that's good stuff!!!

Being Your Own Publisher w/ Twila Labar ~ To publish or not to publish. I've been asking myself for 3 yrs. My greatest hesitation is that I find it hard to promote my own material. When Twila started teaching, I wondered, "Why am I even in here? I don't want think I could be my own publisher. I don't want to be perceived as pushy." But I knew I wanted to learn how, so I could make an educated decision.

Was I ever surprised and delighted to hear Twila's story! The Father revealed some of His plan for me that afternoon. As she talked about building bridges, I realized I never set out to build bridges, but the Lord established that in my life. It's not because of anything I've done. It's His work. And the acceptance of other writers and artists. I can't explain why God shows favor in those ways, but I'm fovever grateful. As people have cared for me, taking me under their wings, I also want to continue to draw in the writers who are just beginning. I find that so refreshing. I'm not equipped to train, but I love walking hand-in-hand with those who are just beginning to explore writing about Jesus. I love that about God!!!

Twila gave helpful tips for Independent writers, and where to find more online. Her personal walk really ministered to me, except when she talked about goals from early on in her songwriting career. I've been writing almost 4 years now, and have never set goals. Don't get me wrong, I have little goals, like, writing every day. I do that. But bigger...that's the hard part. I tried it that evening. Goals like that don't feel right to me. They seem lofty, unattainable. I gave them to God...might re-visit them someday!!!

To top off the weekend,
a group of artists performed at
The Crooked Tree Coffeehouse.
Great people, great music.
SWEET TIMES!!!!

l-r Allie & Nick LaPointe, Benton Stokes, Sean Smith, Chris Filer

Write About Jesus Workshop 2008

Thank You, Lord for taking me to the Write About Jesus workshop!!!
I know it was YOU!!!!

Thank you, John & Sue Smith,
for capturing the vision and, with God's help,
making it soar!!!
Although this was only my first time to attend,
you welcomed me in as family!!!
Thanks for being REAL!!!
For being all God wants you to be!!!
You DO make a difference!!!

And the drumroll, please ././././././././././.
introducing my "new" lil bro, Eric, and his wife (and me)

A huge highlight of the workshop was getting to meet Michelle & Eric Myers of Troy, MO. Eric and I have written together for over a year, but hadn't met until Thursday. Woot-woot! Yay, God!!! I just posted some of our songs HERE Holding Me, No Regrets, & I Will Sing. You'll LOVE them...ck 'em out!!! Eric is an outstanding writer, and it is a privilege to call him my brother!

You, Amazing Me, is also posted, which came from a quiet time with the Lord. By the next day, Eddie Cavazos, of San Antonio, had sent me a beautiful production!!! I couldn't believe it!!! I entered You, Amazing Me into the song competition. It didn't place, but I know it's the one the Lord wanted me to submit. Having songs critiqued was a great experience.

In my open critique session, I was comforted to see the familiar face of Mike Mitcham, an awesome online co-writing friend...Mike & I started several songs earlier this year, and committed to finish at least one (this year? did we sign on the dotted line?) She Whispered to God is probably my favorite of those we've written together. I'll post when it's done. But there's also a southern gospel song, a contemporary Christian one, and I believe I sent him a lyric that answered Oprah's question about "What About Jesus"...can't wait to finish that! The open crit went well, btw, as Phil Mehrens listened and gave suggestions on how to improve Shadow of El Shaddai. I appreciated his feedback for minor tweaks. Great man. Great musician! I admire Phil's calming affect on a room...he doesn't create tension:)

That group was filled with excellent songwriters. I know this tiny speck of iron within me was sharpened by the chunk of iron seen in their lives!!!

That was Friday. On Saturday we had our competition song critiqued. That was quite interesting. Twila Labar & Johnathan Crumpton were the judges. They were EXCELLENT!!! I learned from their feedback for my own song, but also for the other songs that morning. Such depth and experience...but they walk in all humility and meekness. I think that's what I was most impressed with, that none of the clinicians saw themselves as superior to others. And they spoke the truth with love!

There were classes other than critiques...here's the list of the ones I attended...I'll tell what I learned in tomorrow's blog:

1. Co-writing Demonstration w/ Joel Lindsey & Twila Labar
2. Recognizing Genres w/ Joel Lindsey & Holly Zabka
3. Crafting Great Lyrics w/ Dave Clark
4. Knowing Your Gifts and Limitations w/ Mark Roach
5. Writing for the Country Market w/ Don Poythress (and Chad Cates, yeah!)
6. Out of the Box and Off the Wall: Writing for Kids w/ Johnathan Crumpton, Gina Boe & Sue Smith
7. Writing on Assignment for Your Church w/ Gina Boe, Sue Christensen & Lisa Qualsett
8. Being Your Own Publisher w/ Twila Labar

It may take more than one day for me to write about those, no?

All in all, I felt like I was at a family reunion. You know the kind, where, you ask someone "who's that? I know her face, but can't remember her name!" I've known several people from simply interacting on the WAJ discussion board, but it was such a joy to meet face to face.

As at any reunion, there were missing faces. I was missing Andrea & Edwin Parker (it was Andrea who introduced me to WAJ and she listed ME in her cd's credits, as her mentor...exactly who mentors whom?). Other WAJ regulars had to miss...even some clinicians took the year off. I heard names again and again, as ppl were looking for friends. Maybe the 10th anniversary, in 2009, will draw us together before the Lord, for some special time together!!!

What a blessing to meet those who promised to pray for Liz as she faced the challenges in Africa! Nothing compares to the sweetness of gathering with those you've been pulling for, asking God to bring healing, provision, direction, protection...oh, the list goes on, how a prayer request draws hearts together.

Before I forget, I do want to admit that I stuck out a sore thumb with my TEXAS ACCENT!!! Plus, I had a few "oops" moments, like, one time when I said, "Bless his heart" about someone whose music is very popular because it's GREAT, I was told, "Where I'm from, that means he's already 6 feet under!" Well, I guess I'll drop THAT from my vocab!

I was about to POP when Kerry Cox got up to sing "The Best View Ain't Always from the Top" because he's a great family guy AND it's a great song that reflects just that. I was singing along, cuz we'd crossed paths and we exchanged ideas about our songs...I felt like a proud mama in the crowd because I was the only one singing along. I tried to be discreet. Really!!!

Tricia Zody NAILED her song (oops I forgot the name of it...but I love all her stuff)

Dean Pyle. New to me. Great stuff. Oh, Dean was the WAJ tshirt guy!!! Yay!!!

Kara Smith of Cheyenne, WA. Felt like I'd known her forever. Diamond Horizon is a beautiful song, Kara!!! Keep singing!!!

Melisa Joy Wood you better keep in touch!!!

A fly on the wall at my house? Enter at your own risk!!!

I had a worktape playing tonight after dinner, and accidentally left it (repeating) while I ran an errand.

It's the song with Tim Juillet. Tim has a very deep, piercing voice that obviously draws the listener.

At one point he sings "Only One, Oh, Holy One, You are the Only Holy One."

When I got home, what a joy to hear my daughter-in-law singing it, from upstairs (with depth, no less!!!)

Less accurately, I heard my 12 yr old, Jonathan belting out "Obe One, O Obe One, Obe One Kenobi"

Whehehehew!!!! Gotta love my life!!!

Joys of Co-Writing

Tonight I couldn't go to sleep. Well, not yet, anyway. I just couldn't settle in without reflecting on an awesome blessing God has graciously given me recently.

I've lived most of my life within the framework of serving on a team. Can't recall Dad or Moma ever calling our family a team, but that's how we lived. Working together, at home & Dad's business, we learned quickly to give and take (mostly to give!!!!). I can now see that the Lord was equipping me, not only for having a family of my own, and for ministry, but also to learn to give-and-take in this so-called songwriting.

The Father amazes me again and again...for instance, here's an email I sent Tim Juillet August 10th, 2008:

I'd love to see what the Lord does, Tim. I'm definitely stronger on lyrics than music. Have you co-written before? Tell me about yourself, and what your hopes and dreams are, before the Lord.

Let's commit to honor the Lord in all we do and say...that's wayyy more important than any song we could ever craft!

There are some guidelines I have for co-writing...here are a few:

1) Write what you know, from personal experience or at least what you've learned from others;)
2) If it doesn't soar, let's put it on the back burner. Maybe re-visit later.
3) Be tender-hearted, but thick-skinned. Brutally honest.
4) When we decide a song is finished, neither the lyric nor music can be used with another song.
5) Keep each other updated. Ex: we don't want to both enter the same song into a contest. Waste of time and money. (and one of us waste a song that could have been heard)
6) I hate deadlines. The few songs I've tried to get demo-ed for a deadline (contest) were rushed.
7) Pray, pray, pray.
8) If I send you a lyric idea, I will tell you if it's complete, as is, or if it's a seedthought....there are some pieces I work on for months, and I believe there's not much room for tweaking (too dear to my heart.) Others, I'll say tweak or toss. Sometimes there may be one phrase, or even one word that is "worthy" of building a song on. I'm ok with that. Totally!!!
9) The rights to the song are 50/50 if there are 2 writers. If we bring in another writer, it would be 33.34/33.33/33.33 ;) and so on. (I have one song that had 4 of us writing!!! arrrrgh very hard, but worth every bit of it!)

There are other courtesies I haven't covered, I'm sure:) but that's it, off the top of my head.

About me:
I've been married to the love of my life for 23 yrs. Barry is pastor of adult ed at Houston's Second Baptist Church, North campus. We have 9 kids, ages 6-22. Although I've only been writing for 3 yrs, I believe the Lord is requiring me to write! It's for my spiritual livelihood, to be able to express the greatness of God in the universal language of music. I want to encourage and strengthen the body of Christ, and subtly teach His character through words and music. It's my desire to reach out to those who need to know that there is hope for today. And I believe the Father wants to reclaim some of His sheep who have wondered away from Him. If a song He puts in my heart can be an instrument, I want to be obedient in writing every day.

I'm affiliated with BMI and CCLI. And I'm a grandma:) 5 wk old Jacob is my tiniest heartthrob!!!

Now it's your turn!

God bless you, and I mean that!!!
:),
eva
ps If you have a lyric idea, give me a shout! I'll get started on it. If not, I can send you a few ideas.

Well, we didn't really talk much until toward the end of September. But God then met with us, and we're building a song that lifts up the Lord Jesus...what could be better? My part (lyric) is pretty much done, as I've hesitantly sent bits and pieces to Tim. It's been an excellent experience, and I can hardly wait to hear the finished product!!! I'll share the link once it's ready! Yay, God!!!

btw, here's some of Tim's work...beautiful music, for our beautiful Lord!!! I pray you can meet with the Lord as you listen/watch:

www.youtube.com/timjuillet


PS: Toward the end of writing our song, we were down to a very special part of it, and Tim wrote this:

Like you might go into a very spirit filled church, & the music minister might pray a prayer that uses direct reference to s scripture. It might be cool to find a scripture that specifically will work here...? hmmmm...

Well, that wasn't hard!!! I go into a very spirit filled church every week. And our pastors & other leaders have no problem proclaiming the Truth as they pray. (And God led me to the right passages to use there...thank You, Lord!!!)