Cornerstone – Music Story

Does nurturing a hidden all-consuming desire to do away with someone make one a murderer?

Satan wanted to do away with God. But an eternal, all powerful Creator cannot be done away with. When confronted, Satan lied, denying that he wanted God’s demise.¹ He had motive to murder (a lust for power), but lacked means and opportunity. So God set about exposing his heart.

Opportunity: God created a universe where life is mortal, where murder could become rampant, and then entered his creation as a mortal man.

Means: Satan’s agents were the political and religious leaders who rejected Jesus, their Creator.

Murder: Jesus died by crucifixion on a Roman cross.

But God cannot be destroyed, he is immortal. Jesus rose from the dead, conquering death! He offers life beyond the grave to his followers.

From the first century onward Satan has persecuted Jesus’ followers. The Apostle Peter wrote his first epistle to encourage a persecuted church. Eight years ago I composed a song from each of the five chapters in 1 Peter and included 2008 persecution statistics in the videos. Since then the number of Christians facing extreme persecution has more than tripled.²

From the album “Apologia” this video is scrolling playback of a song based on 1 Peter 2:6-8 and Daniel 2.

Kathy

Click here to read 1 Peter2:6-8 and here to read Daniel 2.

Songs for the persecuted church from 1 Peter:
Living Hope
Stand Firm

You can get print sheet music (PDF of lead sheet) for Cornerstone.

Click here for print sheet music.

¹ John 8:44: “He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."

² Compare the statistics at the end of Cornerstone with World Watch List 2026.

Restorer – Music Story

Isaiah 35 is one of the most beautiful poems in the Bible. It sings with joy because the Creator rescues and restores those of his who are destitute. I set the themes of this passage to song when I was in need of hope.

From the album “Redemption” this video is scrolling playback of the song based on Isaiah 35.

Kathy

Click here to read Isaiah 35.

Print music (PDF of lead sheet) and digital music (MusicXML for orchestra) is available for Restorer.

Click here for PDF.

    Click here for MusicXML.
(MusicXML™ is the standard open format for sharing digital sheet music. Check the help files in your music notation app for directions on importing MusicXML files.) 

I Cry to God for Mercy - Music Story

David was a man after God’s own heart.

1 Samuel records three times when David refused to use his circumstances for personal gain.

God had rejected Saul as king and appointed David in his stead. In a jealous rage Saul sought David’s life. He and his troops chased after David. David and his men hid in the recesses of a cave. When Saul entered the cave alone, David’s men encouraged him to take vengeance on Saul. David refused. Instead, he chose to wait for God to rescue him.

Psalms 142:1-2, 5-6
A maskil of David. When he was in the cave. A prayer.

I cry aloud to the Lord;
I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy.
I pour out before him my complaint;
before him I tell my trouble.

I cry to you, Lord;
I say, “You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living.
Listen to my cry,
for I am in desperate need;
rescue me from those who pursue me”[i]

David was a man after God’s own heart. David and Jesus each refused to become king by disobeying The Ten Commandments:[ii] David refused to murder Saul, Jesus refused to worship Satan.[iii] Both chose to wait for God to rescue them.

Continuing the story of “Redemption,” this short Psalm (based on David’s circumstances in 1 Samuel 24 – 26) is scrolling playback of the song.

Kathy

Click here to read 1 Samuel 24 – 26.

Print (PDF) sheet music is available for I Cry to God for Mercy.

Click here for PDF.

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[i] Psalms 142 | NIV Bible | YouVersion
[ii] Exodus 20 | NIV Bible | YouVersion
[iii] The Temptation of Jesus

Shine! – Music Story

A praise chorus.

Original lyrics of this song are based on key phrases from Philippians 2:14-16. The melody hints at the children’s song, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.”¹

From the album “A ChorusBook” this video is music overlaid on slides.

Kathy

Click here to read Philippians 2:14-16.

Digital (MusicXML) and/or print (PDF) sheet music is available for Shine!

Click here for MusicXML.
(MusicXML™ is the standard open format for sharing digital sheet music. Check the help files in your music notation app for directions on importing MusicXML files.)

Click here for PDF.

¹ https://www.godtube.com/popular-hymns/this-little-light-of-mine/

Joy! – Music Story

Joy! a praise chorus. Original lyrics of this joyful chorus are set to the tune “I’ve Got the Joy.”  This lively chorus about Jesus’ love will get your hands clapping and feet dancing.

From the album “A ChorusBook,” this video is scrolling playback of a song based on Philippians 4:4.

Kathy

Click here to read Philippians 4,

Print (PDF) and/or digital (MusicXML) sheet music is available for Joy!.

Click here for PDF.

Click here for MusicXML.
(MusicXML™ is the standard open format for sharing digital sheet music. Check the help files in your music notation app for directions on importing MusicXML files.) 

The Song of Moses – Music Story

The Song of Moses, sometimes called The Song of the Sea, is the first song in the Bible. It was written at the time of the Exodus, around 1400 BC. Here it is beautifully formatted on three different Torah scrolls, each one hand-copied from a previous copy of the Torah. Notice, the scrolls are dated centuries apart, yet are formatted identically. The formatting symbolizes columns of water on either side of the children of Israel as they walked on dry land through the Red Sea.[i]

I have been privileged to see several Torah scrolls and marvel at the beauty of the penmanship, the careful attention to detail, the amazing accuracy of each copy.

From the album “The HymnBook – Thirty-four Hundred Years of Praise” this video is scrolling playback of the song.

Kathy

Click here to read The Song of Moses.

You can get print (PDF) sheet music for The Song of Moses.

Click here for print sheet music.

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[i] 📜 שירת הים | Shirat haYam :: the Song of the Sea (Exodus 15:1-19) • the Open Siddur Project ✍ פְּרוֺיֶקְט הַסִּדּוּר הַפָּתוּחַ

 

Hannah’s Song – Music Story

Hannah prayed for a child.
And the LORD granted her petition.
Then Hannah prayed and said,
“My heart rejoices in the LORD … there is no Rock like our God.”

From the album “Sing” this video is scrolling playback of her prayer set to music.

Kathy

Click here to read Hannah’s prayer.

Lead sheet music (PDF) is available for Hannah’s Song.

Click here for PDF.

Romans – Music Story

Something is wrong with the world.

We live in a violent world. War is raging on every continent. In fact, thirteen major wars are being fought right now, including the civil war in Myanmar that forcibly displaced over a million people. As the military was seizing power, my niece evacuated on one of the last planes out of the country.

We live in an asylum-seeking world. Thousands of Mexican migrants with their belongings stuffed into one bag are bussed to “sanctuary cities” in the U.S and simply dropped off. In a major city just a few hours from my home they fill a third of the already overwhelmed family homeless shelters.

We live in a world battling over orthodoxy. In a neighboring state, an education law resulted in the removal of hundreds of books from public schools, classic works of fiction, nonfiction history books, even Pulitzer Prize winning contemporary novels!

The apostle Paul explains the root of the problem in the New Testament book of Romans.

Three songs from Romans

1.      The Mind of God

We originated in the mind of God. We are created by, through, and for a triune God to reflect his unity and diversity.[1]

2.      Bad News! Good News!

The problem is personal. We don’t reflect God’s unity and diversity. We have fallen short of the glory of God. We are sinners. God’s solution to the problem was personal. God sent his Son, Jesus, to demonstrate that he loves us. We are forgiven and made right with God through Jesus’ death.[2]

3.      The Love of God

Surrounded by violence? Forcibly displaced? Seeking asylum? On the wrong side of orthodoxy? For those who have accepted God’s solution, nothing can separate them from the love of God.[3]

Kathy

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[1] Romans 11:33-36

[2] Romans 1:2-6, 3:10-18, 5:1-11, 10:5-13

[3] Romans 8:31-39

The Majesty of the Maker! – Music Story

In 2007 a group of us gathered to plan a Darwin’s Day 2009 celebration. We were going to celebrate the Creator’s majesty with drama and music. We outlined a story. A script writer would pen the drama. I had written thirteen songs based on thirteen creation passages in the Bible. A professional musician would arrange the music for his group. They would perform music and drama. We would book venues around the city. Then … our script writer started grad school. Our professional musician changed jobs. Both had to bow out due to time constraints. We had no Darwin’s Day 2009 celebration.

What could I do with a bare outline of a story and a few songs? I finalized the story line and wove it between songs I had written. I now had a musical that any worship team (yours!) could adapt and make their own.

The Majesty of the Maker!

He’s a homicide detective and a new father. He wants something real, something solid to pass on to his son.

He discovered the Bible’s claims about creation match reality:

·         The creation Psalm matches reality.
The Majesty of the Maker from Psalm 104

·         The Cause of the universe must lie outside the universe.
Son of God’s Love from Colossians 1:15-17[1]

·         Life cannot exist unless the universe is stretched out.
Fingerprint from Isaiah 40:21-18[2]

·         The Genesis creation account matches reality.
The Odds from Genesis 1[3]

·         The Genesis creation account of man matches reality.
Family Tree from Genesis 2:7-25[4]

He discovered the Bible’s claims about God and people match reality:

·         People are immeasurably valuable, yet deeply flawed.
Garden of Decision from Genesis 3:15[5]

·         If the Creator became a man, he would be like Jesus.
The Word from John1:1-18[6]

·         Jesus promises to meet the deepest longings of the heart.
Christmas Every Day from Revelation 21:1-5[7]

·         The Creator’s promises can be tested.
A Sure Bet from Jeremiah 33:25-26[8]

·         We instinctively know that the Creator exists.
Secret Lives from Romans 1:18-20[9]

He weighed the evidence:

·         Creation shows the existence and grandeur of God.
A Prayer from Psalm 19:1-3, 14[10]

·         The Creator is good, loving, and just.
I Cry to God from the book of Job[11]

·         The Creator can be trusted when pain engulfs.
You Are There from Psalm 139[12]

 Here’s scrolling playback of the opening song of the musical.

Kathy

Can a cosmic beginning (and thus the need for a cosmic beginner) be avoided by appealing to quantum gravity theories? Can abiogenesis, panspermia, or directed panspermia account for life on earth? Click here for a review of the scientific literature.

You can download PDF of the entire musical and/or digital (MusicXML™) music for just the opening song.

Click here to download 50-page PDF of the musical: book, music in lead sheet format, lyrics.

Click here for digital sheet music of the opening song, The Majesty of the Maker.
(MusicXML™ is the standard open format for sharing digital sheet music.
Check the help files in your music notation app for directions on importing MusicXML™ files.)

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[1] https://www.songsofmyheart.net/2023/08/son-of-gods-love-music-story.html
[2] http://www.songsofmyheart.net/2017/07/fingerprint-music-story.html
[3] http://www.songsofmyheart.net/2017/03/the-odds-music-story.html
[4] http://www.songsofmyheart.net/2017/01/family-tree-music-story.html
[5] http://www.songsofmyheart.net/2017/02/garden-of-decision-music-story.html
[6] https://www.songsofmyheart.net/2018/04/the-word-music-story.html
[7] http://www.songsofmyheart.net/2017/12/christmas-every-day-music-story.html
[8] http://www.songsofmyheart.net/2017/05/a-sure-bet-music-story.html
[9] https://www.songsofmyheart.net/2022/08/secret-lives-music-story.html
[10] http://www.songsofmyheart.net/2017/08/a-prayer-music-story.html
[11] https://www.songsofmyheart.net/2018/10/i-cry-to-god-music-story.html
[12] https://www.songsofmyheart.net/2023/07/you-are-there-music-story.html

I Pray for You – Music Story

He was the youngest of seven and the first to die. Two months ago, I got an unexpected phone call saying he was gone. I never thought my baby brother would die first. I’m shaken and dazed.

Jim was a fluid power specialist, an antique motorcycle enthusiast, a miniature railroad hobbyist, a friend of stray cats, a country boy who never married but used his resources to help care for his single sisters. Family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers attended his funeral. Many told me how he had touched their lives. In 2009 Paul’s prayer for the church in Ephesus became my prayer for him. Someday I hope to learn how God answered that prayer.

From the album “Sing” this video is scrolling playback of a song based on Ephesians 1.

Kathy

Click here for my brother’s obituary.

Print (PDF of Lead Sheet) and/or digital (MusicXML) sheet music is available for I Pray for You.

Click here for PDF.

Click here for MusicXML.
(MusicXML™ is the standard open format for sharing digital sheet music. Check the help files in your music notation app for directions on importing MusicXML files.)

Ordinary Lives – Music Story

God longs for “every day” Christians.

For ordinary Christians who represent him in the mundane things of life.
For Christians, every day, in every place, humbly clothed in heaven’s grace.

Every day in every place humbly clothed in heaven’s grace

 “…So that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.”

From the album “Main Street” this video is scrolling playback of a song based on Titus 2:10.

Kathy

Click here to read Titus 2:10.

Print (PDF) and digital (MusicXML) sheet music is available for Ordinary Lives.

Click here for PDF.

Click here for MusicXML.
(MusicXML™ is the standard open format for sharing digital sheet music. Check the help files in your music notation app for directions on importing MusicXML files.)

Before Time Began – Music Story

I was recently asked how a creation filled with millions of years of pain, suffering, and death could be very good.

Pain and Suffering

I would agree that in the Garden of Eden there was:

•       No relational pain and suffering (Adam and Eve didn’t devalue or abuse each other)

•       No emotional pain and suffering (no depression, no panic attacks)

•       No spiritual pain and suffering (no guilt, no shame)

However, based on scripture, I am convinced that there was physical pain. After the couple disobeyed God, God told Eve that her pain in childbirth would greatly increase. You can’t greatly increase something that is not already present. If Adam stubbed his toe in the Garden, it would hurt. If a coconut fell on Eve’s foot, it would be painful.

Death

Job was a blameless and upright man who trusted God. Satan is a predator.[1] God allowed Satan to prey on Job, to destroy his family, his business, his health. When Job complained to God, God didn’t comfort him. Instead, God directed Job’s attention to very good creation, one filled with predators, prey, and powerful, frightening animals.

Satan was present in the Garden of Eden as a serpent. Adam and Eve were his prey. In a predator-prey relationship something is going to die.

if Adam and Eve’s desire for forbidden fruit didn’t die, they would die.

and, knowing they would eat forbidden fruit, God planned to die.

The serpent deceived Eve. So, God cursed the serpent, limiting its prey to dust.[2] Adam was made from dust, as was Job, as are we. Satan deceives and preys on us.

Pain, suffering, predation, and death have been part of God’s very good creation from the very beginning. Before time began God had a plan to use death to make life possible.[3] From the album “Sing” this video is scrolling playback of a song based on Titus 1:2.

Kathy

Click here and here to read about God’s plan.

Print (PDF) sheet music is available for Before Time Began.

Click here for PDF.

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[1] 1 Peter 5:8

[2] Gen 3:14

[3] Gen 3:15

Doxology – Music Story

The Doxology I grew up singing pales in comparison with the Doxology that ends Jude’s book.

                Now to him who is able

                to keep you from falling

                and to make you stand in his presence

                unblemished, faultless, and with great joy—

                to the only God our Savior

                through Jesus Christ our Lord,

                be glory, majesty, power, authority,

                before all time, now, and forevermore!

                Amen.[1]

From the album “A ChorusBook” this video is scrolling playback of the song.

Kathy

Jude is only 25 verses long. Click here to read Jude.

Click here to hear the Doxology I grew up singing.

Lead sheet (PDF) is available for Doxology.

Click here for PDF

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[1] The lyrics for Doxology are compiled from these versions of The Holy Bible:

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 24 – 25 ESV)

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 24 – 25 NASB)

To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. (Jude 24 – 25 NIV)

Now to him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory, without blemish and with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever. Amen. (Jude 24 – 25 Christian Standard Bible)

And to Him who is able to guard you not stumbling, and to set you in the presence of His glory unblemished, in gladness, to the only wise God our Saviour, is glory and greatness, power and authority, both now and to all the ages! Amen. (Jude 24 – 25 Young’s Literal Translation)

Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. (Jude 24 – 25 KJV)