Words

Social Media, especially now, is our most immediate connection to others. 

Our words are exceedingly visible to dozens, hundreds, thousands... almost instantly. The power of written words are MAGNIFIED. 

You can use this power to BLESS others, 

You can use this power to CURSE others. 

Be careful which you choose. 

If you use this power to curse others, even those you deem unworthy of respect, you do not know it, but you are destroying relationships you actually do care about. 

Friends, family, neighbors, brothers and sisters in faith or purpose who would otherwise embrace you... see your words, and guess what? They believe what you say. 

How many times have I said this to myself? 

"Wow, if this person hates and curses THEM so much, if they really knew me, they would clearly despise me too."

Trust is broken. I can never trust this person's inner thoughts again, because I have seen the poisonous outer thoughts put on display for all the world to see. 

So careless with those weapons that are words.

Words that are written reveal your heart. 

Words that are written have power and they stick. 

Words that are written are remembered.

So...

Be INTENTIONAL with what you write. 

Be POSITIVE. 

LIFT UP others. 

EXHORT others to GOOD THINGS. 

To KINDNESS. 

To PATIENCE.

LOVE your enemies. 

Yes, LOVE. 

Sometimes "loving" means simply taking control of your words. 

And putting down your weapons. 

This Christmas - Let's LIVE, not just WATCH.

Some thoughts... 

It has really struck me this last couple of weeks how my generation (I'd say with the advent of Color TV especially) was really the first to "watch" life as much or more than to actually "live" it. 

As the decades progressed, some in the 70's, then a LOT more in the 80's and 90's, our "shared happy memories" are TV shows, sports on TV, and movies...

I grew up with "talk around the watercooler" being about Dallas/Dynasty, Letterman, SNL, Star Wars, Michael Jordan and the Bulls, MTV, The X-Files, Twin Peaks, Beverly Hills 90210, Friends, The Real World, The Office, The O.J. Simpson trial, The LotR movies, Survivor and whatever is the "happening show right now" on Netflix...

Just some examples that come quickly to mind. 

We talk as much or less about "real life" since, as a culture here in the U.S. anyway, how we relate to each other is as much or more about the things we "watch" rather than what we are actively doing in our lives. Talking about what we "watch" is easier than sharing our hurts, or opening up to others, especially when, at this time in our culture, we are more than ever surrounded by mere acquaintances or complete strangers. 

Christmas, too, has become - to a large degree - about what we watch. Our "traditions" now include watching A Christmas Story, Home Alone, Elf... A Charlie Brown Christmas (love all of those!)

I think CHRISTMAS, especially during these difficult times, is a good time - maybe the best time - to try and BREAK OUT of that. 

To SHARE in life, love... to look at each other, into each others' eyes and hearts, to listen, to open up our arms. To TALK to each other about deeper things. 

I know these are extraordinarily difficult times. The time of year when hurts hurt more. Regrets compound. Even without COVID. 

We need something real, not just fantasy. Not just "the show."

Family... it's time to BE FAMILY! 

Family being more than watching things together. 

Being more than a shared escape from our worries and troubles. 

To READ TOGETHER the Word of God... the real Christmas story (Matthew 1-2, Luke 1-2), to discuss it, to talk about and share our joy in the HOPE we have in God, and the PEACE and GRACE that have been gifted to us through the birth of Jesus, the precious Son of God, our Lord.

I am writing this really, to preach to myself... the need for something real. I want to actually BE ALIVE this Christmas. To "live" something. Not just watch something. 

I write this next thing, knowing I may get flack, but... it's OK.

Tonight, for the first time since last March or so, I am taking my family to Church... to our Christmas Eve service. Yes, we'll be masked.... and socially distanced. But I am going there to WORSHIP my Lord and Savior. I am going for HIM and to honor HIM and to offer up my praise. I am setting aside my fear and concerns and my fleshly desire to "stay home and watch the livestream" and I am choosing to worship with other believers in person.  

I want to LIVE this Christmas. I don't want to just watch it. 

Again, I am just preaching to myself here, exhorting myself to make Christmas more than watching movies about Christmas.

Maybe, in here, you will find encouragement too. 

The easiest thing to do is to do nothing. To just watch. 

The Lamb of God is worthy of so much more. 

Worth my effort, worth all risk, worth all my energy. 

To be ALIVE in Christ. 

To experience family. 

That's what I want to really dwell in this Christmas. 

May the Prince of Peace greatly enrich and bless your Christmas and holiday season.

Your Own Personal (and Private) Jesus

I was recently (February 2014) asked to write a 500 word article/commentary for the Religion section of the local newspaper. I discovered how very difficult is it so write something of substance, make your points and explain those points in just 500 words! My first revision of the article was over 800 words... far too much, so I had to take a more minimal approach, constantly editing down, reducing my number of points, cutting, simplifying and being as succinct as I could.... Even with all that, I went over a bit (by 11 words!) Fortunately, the paper was accommodating. Here's the final text of the article as submitted.

---

Your Own Personal (and Private) Jesus

As a follower of Jesus Christ, I want my life (and my thoughts) to honor Him. That can be difficult when, wherever I go, I am surrounded by a culture that thrives on sensuality and selfishness. Spiritually, I feel like I’m always on defense, continuously having to “avert my eyes” and my mind. According to a 2012 Gallup poll, 77% of Americans “identify with a Christian religion.” If that’s the case, why doesn't our nation better reflect Christian values?

There are many reasons. I’ll focus on two. First, let’s be honest, most Christians are far too caught up in the pleasures and distractions of this world. We are surrounded by images that stimulate not only our senses, but our desire to WANT things. We spend our time chasing after possessions, ideals and fantasies that have no value whatsoever in God’s Kingdom. Secondly, we've bought into the idea that we should keep our faith in Jesus private. The culture tells us… “Let’s not make others uncomfortable,” so we comply, keeping our Jesus-faith “personal” and hidden. We walk around in “secret,” blending into the busy, always-in-a-hurry world around us.

The result? Many Christians don’t look like Christians. We look like everyone else. We talk to our friends/family/coworkers about the latest movies, games, gadgets and politics… but not Jesus. We remain spiritually anonymous, which begs the question… if the people around us don’t see Christ in us, are we truly being Christians? Think about it (1 John 1:6).

In Matthew 5:13-16 Jesus says that we are to be the salt and light of the earth. Salt is meant to add flavor. It’s not intended to “blend.” It’s supposed to enhance, and if it doesn't Jesus says, it’s “no good for anything.” Light also has a purpose… to shine, to be seen, to light up the dark, and to “glorify your Father in heaven.” Jesus intends that His followers be salt and light. He wants them to be noticed, seen, heard and observed. Jesus did not intend for Christians to remain anonymous, because HE is not anonymous.

While not all of us are called to be pastors or teachers of the Word, we are all called to be ambassadors of Christ (2 Cor. 5:18-20, Col. 3:17). As His ambassadors, we should represent Him wherever we go, encouraging others to seek reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ. God put us in a specific job/city/school/place for that reason, so that when others look at us, they see Jesus reflected, reaching out to a lost world, offering forgiveness, peace, and hope of everlasting joy.

Go take a look in that metaphorical mirror. Do you reflect Jesus? What do people see when they look at you? Does Jesus ever enter into your conversations? Do you encourage others with scripture? Do you pray with those who are hurting?

My words of salt to you: if you call yourself a Christian, make sure that in all you do, all you say, everything you post on Facebook… you reflect Jesus Christ. Let His light shine through you (Eph. 5:7-14), drawing others out of the darkness. If every Christian did that, our culture would be a little less dark.

David Nevue

An abandoned church in Locust Grove, OR. Photo by David Nevue.

Interview with David Nevue: On Playing and Arranging Hymns for Solo Piano....

On February 17th, 2014, I was sent a list of questions by a college student who was assigned a research project for his music education courses. The subject of his research: the modernization of hymns. A fan of my solo piano music, the student sent me this list of questions about hymns and my overall approach to arranging them. I hope you enjoy it! Now, to the questions...

---

What drew your attention/interest toward hymns?

I grew up singing hymns in the church... but as a kid I never liked them much. I remember one of my early piano teachers trying to teach me how to play hymns and I completely resisted... I didn't want to be a "church hymn player." Of course, I was twelve at the time. In my late teen years, I discovered an album (an LP, remember those?) in a used record store bin called The Vigil by Kemper Crabb. I just loved the album artwork, and so bought it unheard. That record became one of my favorite records of all time. Included on the record was an arrangement of Be Thou My Vision that just really spoke to my heart. And that was when the tide started to turn. I created my own arrangement of Be Thou My Vision for my third CD, The Last Waking Moment. That was the first "hymn" arrangement I recorded. In fact, it was the very first song I ever released that was not my own original composition. And my fourth album, The Vigil, was conceptually inspired by Kemper Crabb's album of the same name. That's how much that record impacted me.

How did the form and structure of original hymns influence the harmonies and structure of your arrangements?

To be honest, I'm not sure that "hymn form and structure" had any influence on me at all... I've never thought about the songs that way. For me, it's all about the melody. And of course, the melodies of the great hymns, well, they have lasted for generations for good reason. The melodies are incredibly memorable and instantly recognizable. And when arranging hymns, the melody has to be the main thing. You can deviate a little, and you can take some creative liberties, but the substance of the arrangement... it really needs to hang on that melody. Otherwise you start to lose touch with the heart and voice of the original hymn.

Did the text of the original hymns influence your writing?

Yes and No. No, in that I don't think the text of the hymns had any influence over how I arranged the songs, per se, but YES, in that that text did impact how I approached the songs on a spiritual level. While working on them, the words of hymns drew me inward toward God... almost like moving closer and closer to His throne. So there is a seriousness, an awe and a reverence that goes along with that. I have really come to view the hymns as sacred... the words are so deep, so passionate and they resonate with my Spirit. They 100% speak the truth unashamedly and there is no holding back. They are a deeply felt response to God's grace, forgiveness, and Christ's death on the cross and resurrection. With the classic hymns, there is no sense of "let's make this song palpable to the general public." When you compare modern contemporary worship music to the great hymns, there is simply no comparison lyrically. Not to knock contemporary worship, I love a lot of the modern songs, but they are basically lyrical fast food, and for the most part, they don't require us to think too deeply. Whereas the classic hymns... well, dwell on those words, really consider them, and they penetrate your heart on a deeper, maybe even life-altering level.

What was your inspiration for your piece Eden Again ?

My belief that the day is coming when God will redeem all of his creation and return it to its original state, uncorrupted by sin and the fall. Essentially, "Eden" again. The song looks forward to the events spoken of in Revelation 21 and 22, when God dwells with us here on Earth once more. Just as it was in the Garden of Eden, when God met and walked with Adam and Eve, so it will be then when God dwells with us (Rev: 21:3).

Why do you write for solo piano?

Ultimately, it's because as a solo pianist, I have complete control over the output. I don't have to rely on anyone else to do their part. When I was young and in college, I played in a few rock bands. Nothing came of those years (aside from some great friendships!) but I did discover one of the problems of working with others to create music... there are lots of clashes of opinion and personality. Those clashes can result in some amazing music, but it's also very volatile. Musicians, you see, are generally very sensitive people. We're insecure, subject to ego, and emotionally tied up in what we create musically. So during my "band years" I struggled with all those things. I didn't want to feel that my musical success was dependent on other people. So... that was when I first started composing for solo piano. I found the process much more peaceful. Less angst. And the only person I had to worry about playing a part perfectly was myself. And as a bonus... it's much easier (and less expensive) to record a quality solo piano album than it is to record an album featuring multiple personalities and instruments.

In regards to your albums, how do you decide the grouping of your songs?

Generally speaking, I am telling a story with the music... not only with the songs, but with the album as a whole. So the scope of the story I am telling over the course of the album will determine, to some degree, the order the songs appear in. Key signatures and the general feel of the songs affect the song order as well. All of those elements play a big part.

Why do you have some albums that are specifically dedicated to hymns while other albums have hymns interspersed?

Well, when I started composing, I never had any intent to record hymns at all. That wasn't in the plan early on. I mentioned earlier the story of Be Thou My Vision and how that came about for my 1997 album The Last Waking Moment. That was just a one-off thing. I did it because the song spoke to my heart, and I was drawn to it. The next album that I put a traditional hymn on (if you don't count my Christmas album or my arrangement of Jesus Loves Me on my album Sweet Dreams & Starlight) was Overcome. That album, released in 2005, was dedicated to my father, who I had lost to cancer in 2003. My father was a great man of faith. He was a pastor, evangelist and missionary, and in composing the album in his honor, I felt led to include a couple of hymn arrangements that were his favorites... so there are two hymns on that album, plus three praise song arrangements. During the process of arranging the hymns for Overcome I dug out my hymnal and really started to read the words of the hymns for first time. I started flipping through the pages and memories came flooding back... memories of singing those old songs with my family in church. And it was at that point, that I really fell in love with the hymns. That's when I started reading the words and realized what a treasure they are. And those moments at the piano with the hymnal put the desire in my heart to sit down and arrange some of my favorites. And that led to next album, Adoration: Solo Piano Hymns, which is entirely made up of hymn arrangements. The following album, Revelation: Solo Piano for Prayer & Worship, contains five hymns, ten praise song arrangements, and a couple of originals. Revelation was a complete accident. Most of the album was improvised and recorded during the Adoration sessions. So again, that album really was the work of the Holy Spirit. Not something I planned... total a God thing. After that, the only hymn I've recorded was For the Beauty of the Earth for my most recent album Open Sky. I heard the tune, got an idea for arranging it, and it fit very nicely within the context of the album... so I used it. So that's the story of the hymns so far.

Where is your preferred location to write your music? Do you take a keyboard outside (I noticed that a lot of your pieces are titles reflecting nature)? Take a photograph? Or do you just imagine the location you are writing about?

It's all in my head and in my heart. I compose the music on my piano in my living room. However, I also arrange the songs in my head when I'm out and about and especially just before I go to sleep. I hear the tunes in my head and I work on them, and then I'll take new ideas to the piano the next day when I'm at a place where I can sit down at the piano.

And there you have it. I hope you enjoyed the interview!

What Sustains Me? How Do I Do it All?

A friend of mine asked me this question last night....

"For years I've always been in awe of your energy to get things done; to devote time to your family, your touring, your recordings, your church, etc... How do you have so much energy? What do you think it is that sustains your energy?"

I thought about it for a moment, and here's how I answered...

Wow, what a question. It's nice to know that I am perceived this way. 

I don't know that you'll like my answer as it's going to sound a little cliche... but really, it's a God thing. 

Everything I do in music really is an expression of my faith ultimately. I see myself as a servant of the Most High King...   I believe that God has given me certain gifts... music yes, but also the gifts of administration, marketing, communication, writing and even theater (my performances). And since I believe God designed me specifically to do these things, I feel like these things are a part of my "purpose."  And so in applying myself to this purpose... in doing the very thing that I know God designed me to do... it brings me joy and peace. And it's that joy that keeps me going. 

But sometimes, it can still be a struggle to stay motivated when I am doing things that don't obviously seem to be a part of my "purpose." Because the reality is, God uses all kinds of things to bring us into His will for us... and sometimes they are not obvious. I mean, when I spent ten years working at Symantec doing customer support and quality assurance work, I didn't really feel like I was working in my gifts (well, I was, but not in the way *I* wanted to), and yet God used those years to mold me into who I am now.

So really, I find that a lot of my prayer time is asking God to lead me, and to give me patience to wait for Him to reveal his plan for me, because I don't always see it. And being content in all things, in all situations, bad and good, is not an easy thing to do. But the longer I live, and the more of my life that I have lived, the more I look back and see how God used everything (even what I perceived as bad) to bring me to where I am now... and so that strengthens my faith. And seeing that also gives me the strength to keep on going.

Each day that we have is a gift from God. Every moment we have with our family is a gift. And so in all things, I try and take those gifts and give them back to God. And doing that requires an heart of thankfulness... and I also think it takes a humble heart... one that is willing to submit to God, to yield to Him and to simply say "Thank you, forgive me for my selfish ways... give me patience, wisdom, and help me to conform to your purpose."

I could say so much on this topic... I am typing stream of conscious here a little bit... but I hope that it makes sense. 

To sum it up... I have a lot of joy in what I do because I see God's purpose in it and because I try to give every moment back to God in thankfulness. And the more I see God's hand in my life, the more that encourages me to keep on going, even when I feel like I sometimes don't have the physical (or emotional) strength to do so. And if I fall down on one particular day (more days than I like), I just start over again the next one, because God's mercies are new every morning... and even if I am not always faithful to do what I'm supposed to, God is always faithful to do what He does. 

-----

As a follow up to this... 

Check out Ephesians 2: 1-10, but especially verse 10, which speaks to this...

I particularly like the NASB translation... 

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."

It reflects the idea that one, we are crafted carefully by God (as an artist would design his masterpiece), designed specifically for doing the good works that God prepared for us to do before we were even born... 

So as God's artwork, I think we are happiest when we do the things He crafted us to do. 

If you think of it that way, with God being a great artist who designed us for a specific purpose, you can see why if we deny His existence (or even just ignore Him) and go our own way and chase after our own selfish desires without any thought for Him, it leads to not only eventual unhappiness, but also a great feeling of loneliness and emptiness that we have a hard time filling. 

When we are out of His purpose for us, we are completely out of sorts... because we are going at it alone and because I believe innately....subconsciously...  we realize we are actually out of step with God's design for us... but we don't want to admit to it because we want to serve ourselves with earthly pleasures. So truly, without Jesus we are "lost," wandering aimlessly from one thing to another... filling our soul with empty things... like blind men. 

So right now... I'm going to go and submit to my purpose, which at this moment is practicing the piano!

David

Open Sky: The Story of the Album....

Within just a few short weeks, I'll be releasing my new album, Open Sky, to the world. This project has been a long, long labor of love.... and that is an understatement. I don't know that I have ever worked so hard on a project... or for so long. I am ready to release this puppy, let it go, and move on with my life.

That said... if this the last music I release to the world... then I'll be OK with that. This album really feels like a capstone. Like the final icing on a "David Nevue" cake. I don't know that I can ever outdo this.

I am so thankful to God for my life... and for filling my heart and hands with music. He has been so good to me... to my family. All around are blessings.

And so, now that we are only a month or so out before many of you begin to hear the music, I thought I would share the liner notes with you... this will give you a little insight into the album and the music it contains..

Enjoy...

Out Under the Open Sky...

I have always been rather prolific when it comes to writing music. No matter where I am in life or how busy I am, I can't seem to stop the flow of new material that comes bursting from my soul. So even though I spent most of my creative time between 2005 and 2009 arranging and recording hymns and praise songs for my Adoration and Revelation album projects, I continued to compose my own original music on the side. By 2010, I had a stockpile of original works that I was anxious to record and release.

Songs from that "stockpile" finally started to see the light of day in 2011 when I announced A Delicate Joy, a cheerful album of light, bright music. That album featured all the "sweet, peaceful, happily-ever-after" style tunes that I had composed (but not released) up to that point. Once that was finished, I was left with a dozen songs that didn't fit into the Delicate Joy concept... songs that were more driving, edgy, experimental and even melancholy. It's those remaining compositions (plus a few new ones) that now make up this album, Open Sky.

Open Sky begins with the title track, which to me feels a little like the "Wild, Wild West." It's a song about freedom, exploration and the exhilaration that comes from seeing and experiencing new things. I picture myself out on the open road, driving with the windows down, enjoying The Sound of Sunshine and the amazing landscape around me. It is a celebration of those "wide awake moments" when you feel truly alive, almost as if you were somehow standing a little closer to heaven.

Dragonflies and Butterfly Dance are basically musical paintings. Two flying creatures, two very different moods. When our family visited the Badlands in South Dakota, dragonflies flitted about everywhere, zipping to and fro. Dragonflies is an attempt to capture that cadence. As for Butterfly Dance, during a visit to Yellowstone, I watched a butterfly dance its way around a dozen boiling, steaming mud pits. That picturesque moment stayed with me. Butterflies are such carefree creatures.

For the Beauty of the Earth is a hymn arrangement and the first of four "cover songs" on the album. The tune just struck me one day and I started exploring it on the piano. It seemed appropriate to include. Forgotten Places takes me back a few years to when I took my family on a self-guided tour of abandoned churches and ghost towns in Eastern Oregon. There's something quite sobering about visiting places that have faded away into history. As you walk among the empty, broken buildings, you can almost feel the weight of time.

Undertow was composed in 1987 and was originally part of a soundtrack I wrote (on synthesizer) for a theater production of C.S. Lewis' book, "The Screwtape Letters." I've always liked the energy of the piece, and decided it was high time to reinvent it for solo piano.

I first performed Scarborough Fair as an improvisation with two other pianists at a concert in Albuquerque, NM. I liked what I came up with so much, I just had to keep working on it. It's really fun to play! As for Summer Rain, it reminds me of my time living in Colorado, and those summer afternoon storms that would quickly appear, pour down rain and lightning, and then disappear all in the space of about an hour.

Distant Thunder is an improvisation left over from my Revelation recording sessions. I've only ever played the “song” once and that was purely by accident. I just happened to be recording when the "accident" happened. When my wife heard the tune, she commented that she could hear distant thunder in the piece. I thought that was the perfect image for it.

Twister is a real challenge to perform. You can't fake your way through the song or play it half-heartedly. It only works if you go for it! One of my happiest achievements with this album was to finally get a recording of Twister that I was mostly satisfied with. Swirling and intense, it's a real finger-twister!

The Water is Wide is my take on the traditional English melody. I've always liked the tune. Haunting, dreamy and pensive.

Dark Afternoon was composed in the late 1990's. The tune was originally called Nails as it represents Jesus' dark afternoon on the cross. The composition was part of a musical Passion Play that I performed on a few occasions for Easter and Lent. An early recording of this song was released in 2002 on a short-run CD called Foreshadows. Only a few copies of that CD were ever made, so if you happen to own one, treasure it. It's very rare.

Echo Canyon is the newest piece on this collection, written just a week before I went into the studio to record this album. I was noodling around on the piano and my son walked in and said "I really like that... what is it?" I told him I was just messing around. Five minutes later my daughter walked in and said the exact same thing. At that point, I decided to try recording the song. The key to this composition working at all are the dynamics. They add a sense of mystery, power and purpose. To me, it feels like walking in a very ancient, remote place. Thus, the title.

Stargazing takes me back to a late night road trip across the Utah desert with my family. The night sky was as clear as I'd ever seen it, so I pulled off the highway onto a secluded road and woke up the kids. We all got out of the car and marveled at the starry, starry sky.

I started writing Eclipse around 2006. I was showing the chord progression to my friend (and fellow pianist) Joe Bongiorno when he joined me at the piano and began improvising a melody over the top of what I was playing. That melody stuck with me... and changed the tune forever. It left me with two variations of the song; my "original" version and a "four hand" version (as played with Joe.) In the end, I combined the two versions, arranging the piece so that it could be played with just two hands (otherwise, how could I ever play it?) This hybrid is the result.

Finally, I was asked to play Morning Has Broken for a wedding and worked up this rendition. While I've never been partial to this particular song, I sure enjoy playing this arrangement. It's got a little edge to it. A fitting finale for the album, I think.

That sums it up. I really hope you enjoy this collection. It's been a long, long labor of love.

- David Nevue, April 2013. 

Coming Fall 2011: Awakenings: The Best of David Nevue: 2001-2010

I am excited to formally announce the soon release of Awakenings: The Best of David Nevue (2001-2010). We just finished the concept for the cover art design and I wanted to share it with you all...

Here it is!

Nice, eh? I really like it as it looks so unlike any of my other album covers. I think it's very striking. The photo was taken on location at Shiprock in New Mexico by my lovely wife, Julie. The art design is by my good friend Matt Strieby of Newleaf Design.

At any rate, this album will be a collection of fan favorites from my albums Postcards from Germany, Sweet Dreams & Starlight, Overcome, Adoration and Revelation.

Here's the tentative track list...

1) Overcome
2) Eden Again
3) Big Snow in Salzburg
4) Winter Walk
5) As the Deer
6) In God's Hands
7) Treasure Falls
8) The Kindness of Strangers
9) The Lion and the Lamb
10) Sweet Dreams & Starlight
11) The Gift
12) Wonderland
13) Greensleeves
14) Broken
15) Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
16) Here I Am to Worship
17) Amazing Grace
18) The Amazing Accordion Man (Live)

I expect to release Awakenings in November... just in time for Christmas!

Also, my new album of original music, A Delicate Joy is on track for release on September 6th.

David Nevue
http://www.davidnevue.com