You can read the stories behind the inspiration to write each song on my CD below.  Lyrics are provided here: Listen/Purchase - Enjoy!

This was one of those songs I just seemed to wake up with one day. Years of diligently following the path of God's Word caused this song to come bursting out of my heart. It is a song celebrating a transition announced by God Spirit that I was finally coming into the blessings I had seen and believed by Faith alone. Such Faith caused me to endure when all else would call it quits. In sitting down to write the song at my keyboard, the words and the melody flowed into a harmonious statement of victory.

Take Up Your Cross was derived from the scripture in Mark 10:21 where Jesus said to the wise teacher "it takes more than just doing good to find Life". The teacher lacked one thing, to give up full control of his live to God. He also needed to take up his cross and follow Jesus. The importance here is to be fearless in laying our lives down for the Lord, and to let go of any self preservation. This became a personal and daily choice in my life to follow Jesus and to lay my life down. That choice led me to follow the path of God's Word that was lighting my way.  The road that leads to life is narrow, and all other roads lead to eventual destruction. My hope in writing the words of this song was to encourage believers to continue to choose Life.  And in doing so there is a far greater reward than one can possibly conceive. 

The title Worth It All alone is of itself one of those statements that gives the listener an anticipation of what to expect in the song. This song speaks for all the believers who have endured through many difficult days.  As the Apostle Paul put it, "I count it all a loss that I may gain Christ". What is left is nothing of ourselves, as we see in 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV) Now these three things remain, faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love. With these virtues we press into the needs of others and not our own. We use our measure of victory for the promotion of the gospel and not for our own. Writing this song is what moved me into the recording arena. Previously I had a nice collection of songs I had already written. But now it became clear to my heart that it was finally the season to actually record my songs. When the producer of my CD had listened to this song he stated to me that he felt it had come from the depths of somewhere very special inside of me.  He encouraged me to go back to the drawing board and bring out more songs. As a result, I have continued to write songs that inspire and encourage the body of Christ.  I am always so encouraged myself when I hear people say how these songs have been a blessing to them. 

When the still small voice of the Holy Spirit speaks to us it's undeniable. It's a whisper that speaks far louder than a trumpeting parade of religious rules and regulations. Hearing the tender call of the Holy Spirit is more than a tugging pull on our hearts. It moves past our intentions and reaches to the core of the spiritual beings God created us to be. It brings us into a realm where we reach beyond our natural senses into our spiritual senses. One taste of the gentleness of God compels us to leave the previous place of spiritual darkness where we journeyed on our own. It becomes a thing of the past. Our new life of walking in the Light then becomes a clearer path as we continue to seek God's Spirit more and more. The writing of this song was inspired one day by simply sitting down at my keyboard in a mode to write a song that would minister to the body of Christ about hearing God's voice. 

One day I felt a desire to sit down and write a song, but I had no previous thought of what I would be writing. With a pen in hand, I simply began to write the words that came to me. They seemed to come without thinking of them. I knew that it was the Lord leading me by His Spirit to express words that would minister to the body of Christ.  As I jotted down phrases I began to see a common thread.  From there I utilized my own knowledge of scriptures that fit into the song in progress.  This song You Never Change has a powerful appeal to the one standing in Faith to continue to stand believing, even in the darkest of hours. It reminds us that when God speaks His Word, He does not change. Our feelings may change, and we may even feel that God is not there at all. The principal lesson we learn in such circumstances is found in 1 Peter 1:3 (NKJ) Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

The Name Of The Lord Is To Be Praised is a song with a strong personal conviction that we are to open our mouths, lift our hearts and engage our minds and bodies in the act of worshiping God.  I am personally convinced that it is impossible to know God's goodness unless we believe in our hearts and make such a confession with our mouths. The days I wake up with doubts and continue in those doubts through the day end up being very frustrating days. I see a clear difference in the days I move myself beyond those feelings and begin to praise God according to His Word. On those days I am choosing to say I am saved by His Son's precious blood, that I have right standing with God, and that whatever I am facing will turn out for my good. We have to be convinced that God's blessings are coming to us by faith, and that we are able to rest in God's love and protection. Singing this song to myself has helped to get me out of tight spots where discouragement was pressing down on me. Having these words in a melody made it easier to let the words flow out of my mouth. In doing so, it become evident that my feelings can be replaced with excitement and joy that comes from God's Spirit.

The story of this song is without question one of those divine experiences where we see God's intentions without our previous knowledge. In November of 2007 my husband Kevin was in Africa on a trip to continue the development of the children's food distribution centers and the educational programs for these children. This program is called S.E.E.D. (Starvation Elimination, and Education & Development). While he was on his trip I was at home writing this song Take Me. Upon his return he put together a DVD about S.E.E.D with the pictures he had taken of the children and the programs in progress. This DVD would then be used to draw the attention of individuals, churches and organizations to the S.E.E.D. program for their prayers, labor and financial participation. The words to my song happened to match exactly the message Kevin intended for making the DVD. It was an amazing realization that the story told by the pictures and the words in my song were simultaneously being developed without knowing ourselves in advance.  Putting the two together was a perfect match for the S.E.E.D. DVD.  Just another example of God's devine plans.   

Sometimes the mercy displayed by God's love is overwhelming to me.  Sitting down at my keyboard I asked the Lord to help me write this song Mercy Flowing Like A River. Within a matter of a couple of hours I had a very beautiful melodic song that spoke of the amazing mercy of God. Upon finishing it I made an unusual move on my part, and that was to go ahead and sing the song at our weekday church service we would have on the same evening of the day that I wrote the song. Before the church service I introduced the song to our church praise band.  After we ministered the song to the congregation, I realized that there were people in the church that were weeping as a result of being touched in a very beautiful way. Though somewhat spontaneously, most importantly we had acted in the right ministry "timing". I receive many comments on this from individuals who listen to my CD. The words reach into our human frailty that we can all relate to. The words and melody of the song have a very soothing effect.

Several years before I recorded the song Come On And Praise Him on my CD our church congregation was already familiar with singing it. However, the style they previously new the song to be was faster and more upbeat. When the producer of my CD heard this song he convinced me to change the way I sang it. After some hesitation I finally agreed. Now I am glad I made the decision to go ahead with the change. Hearing the song now, I understand the working of the Holy Spirit towards changing it. Often times we feel that when we praise God we need to stand to our feet, sing at the top of our voices and give a shout of praise. While this is true in many sences, it is not always the case. We may at times find ourselves on our knees in a reverential mode of praise. I found myself in this position some years ago when I had a very devastating thing happen to me. Going back I realized the mistakes I had made, unknowingly, or unintentionally of which had contributed to my problem. As a result, feeling that I would not come out of the situation was doubly devastating. Knowing God's Grace displayed in His Word and the many testimonies told of His Grace, I was able to move beyond my despair. Even with tears streaming down my face, I gave God praise. It was not a shouting holler. It was a deep respect for the reality that I did not deserve God's help, but because of Jesus I would be able to break out of the situation I was in. Soon after my day of testing I was moved into a place of victory. I ended up being more blessed than I was before. I would never forget it.

There have been songs I've written, as the producer of my CD put it, that have all the qualities that make a song great. On the other hand, some songs are great because of the simplicity of the words. Wait is one of those simple songs that ends up with a powerful impact. It was inspired by the scripture Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV) But those who wait on the Lord shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not grow weary; they shall walk and not faint. Clearly a powerful promise of hope with a condition attached to it. While the concept is simple to grasp, the meaning is deeply touching to our lives as we experience the tug and pull of our own will in contrast to God's. Because He is Holy, He will not move in our timing but His own. I remember times, looking with hindsight, where if I had received what I had prayed for in the timing I had wanted it, I would have ended up with more problems. But God sees our end from the beginning. His ways are not our ways. The format of this song repeats the words of Isaiah as the song progresses into a strong exhortation to wait, and the hope of the outcome "if" we wait.