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12/17/2024

Day 17 of 37 Days of Christmas 2024 (The Conversation)

The word “conversation” has changed in nuance of meaning over the centuries. Currently it refers to “a talk, especially informal one, between two or more people, in which news and ideas are exchanged”. It used to imply more “living together, being familiar with – keeping company”. For example: in the passage of Scripture from the King James Version where it says, “let your conversation be seasoned with salt” it implies more of a sense of letting our “life-style” be seasoned with salt, not just words.

A couple of years ago, Trailand set up a camera and we made a simple recording on an old piano, while I was wearing an old sweater, singing with my old voice – to tell an old story of an old “conversation” that God has been having with us throughout the millenniums. A conversation of engagement, Him expressing His desire to live among us. And no greater clarity of that desire was ever articulated than the use of God’s expression through The Word-Jesus.

Hopefully, this song “The Conversation” will help tell this ongoing conversation. Enjoy!

– Doug

The word “conversation” has changed in nuance of meaning over the centuries. Currently it refers to “a talk, especially informal one, between two or more people, in which news and ideas are exchang…

12/17/2024

Day 16 of 37 Days of Christmas 2024 (Light of Heaven)

Today we return to listening to “whispers of songs” that sing directly about the Visitation of Jesus to earth. The songs for the next 11 days will take us to Christmas Day…these songs are the songs that are going on our new album being released before Christmas 2025. (The Visitation was released in 1988 and The Re-Visitation will be released in 2025 with a few repeats but mostly new songs)

Light of Heaven serves well as a song for Advent.

It was written to use during the lighting of the Advent Candles – over the years we have sung it on each Sunday of Advent and during our Christmas Eve’s candle lighting service. Before Advent Season, we will have a recording and sheet music and a guide on how to use this song. As for now there’s a simple lead sheet available at the 37 Days of Christmas website.

– Doug.

Today we return to listening to “whispers of songs” that sing directly about the Visitation of Jesus to earth. The songs for the next 11 days will take us to Christmas Day…these songs are the songs…

12/17/2024

Day 15 of 37 Days of Christmas 2024 (Dwelling of Praise)

When Jesus visited the earth, He was literally Creator God with us. Here’s another song from “back in the day” that I used for a few seasons to open my concerts. It was my intention to use this song to set the tone for the gathering – we were going to create a ‘dwelling of praise’ of God. The phrase “praise is a dwelling place for God” means that when people praise God, it is considered as a place where His presence can be most readily felt and experienced, essentially creating a space where He can be “found” or “dwell” among His people; this idea is primarily derived from Psalm 22:3 which states, “But you are holy, O you who inhabit the praises of Israel.”

When Jesus visited the earth, He was literally Creator God with us. Here’s another song from “back in the day” that I used for a few seasons to open my concerts. It was my intention to use this son…

12/17/2024

Day 14 of 37 Days of Christmas 2024 (Turn The Heart)

Today we’re still reminiscing about some old songs of mine – but we’re moving from the children’s songs to this one – a song for dads and other adults. Written for a men’s ministry called, Promise Keepers, the year they used the phrase “Turn the Heart” as their theme.

(one of my favorites…what do you think?)

Today we’re still reminiscing about some old songs of mine – but we’re moving from the children’s songs to this one – a song for dads and other adults. Written for a men’s ministry called, Promise …

12/14/2024

Day 13 of 37 Days of Christmas 2024 (I Asked God)

Christmas is the season of giving and the season of asking. Asking God for things is a theme throughout the Scriptures and a theme in my life, for sure! Here’s a song for children and their families – simple but pretty profound at the same time…I’m still trying to grasp the concept of how God answers prayers.

Christmas is the season of giving and the season of asking. Asking God for things is a theme throughout the Scriptures and a theme in my life, for sure! Here’s a song for children and their familie…

12/12/2024

Day 12 of 37 Days of Christmas 2024 (I-M-U-R-F-O-R-G-I-V-E-N)

One of my favorite sentences that Jesus ever spoke was, “Forgive them, Father! They don’t know what they are doing.” Take a listen to another song of mine from back in the day when one of my focuses was writing for children.

I confess, I am forgiven!

One of my favorite sentences that Jesus ever spoke was, “Forgive them, Father! They don’t know what they are doing.” Take a listen to another song of mine from back in the day when one…

12/12/2024

Day 11 of 37 Days of Christmas 2024 (Hello There Children of the World)

This song is not new to my children, but this arrangement is. (It was re-recorded on The Choices Project several years later) I love the intro of this version, spoken by Micah Joy (Harris) Macaulay – she was probably 5 or 6 years old…now she’s a pastor of worship in Chattanooga. Find her on facebook and enjoy her music! (BTW, her dad engineered and produced this project – we were just young dads trying to create something good for children and their families)

Hello, There Children of the World is from Jesus’ perspective singing to children about why he came to earth.

This song is not new to my children, but this arrangement is. (It was re-recorded on The Choices Project several years later) I love the intro of this version, spoken by Micah Joy (Harris) Macaulay…

12/12/2024

Day 10 of 37 Days of Christmas 2024 (A Guaranteed "YES")

Tessa, our first born, was 1 year old when I recorded the children’s album, It Takes Love, for Children of the World / Campus Crusade for Christ. It was part of a curriculum and not so much part of our music ministry to children and their families as my album, The Choices Project. So, I’m enjoying paying these older songs and introducing them to my kids and my grandchildren and probably to most of you at the same time.

God said he would save the world and He did – He’s still in the business of keeping His promises.

Tessa, our first born, was 1 year old when I recorded the children’s album, It Takes Love, for Children of the World / Campus Crusade for Christ. It was part of a curriculum and not so much part of…

12/12/2024

Day 9 of 37 Days of Christmas 2024 (Sophia)

In the Hebrew (the language of the Old Testament) every noun has a gender – wisdom is feminine, “Sophia”. In the Book of Proverbs 8, wisdom is personified as a woman, actively calling out for people to choose her path of life and understanding; this imagery is used throughout the book, to emphasize the value and attractiveness of wisdom.

Then the New Testament frequently refers to Jesus as “the wisdom of God”. God’s wisdom came and dwelt among us.

A couple of years ago Trailand made his first music video – “Sophia”, using some of his favorite books, his daughters play blocks and poetic lyrics singing of the wisdom of God.

In the Hebrew (the language of the Old Testament) every noun has a gender – wisdom is feminine, “Sophia”. In the Book of Proverbs 8, wisdom is personified as a woman, actively calling out for peopl…

12/12/2024

Day 8 of 37 Days of Christmas 2024 (To the Glory of God)

“Glory to God in the highest heaven…” giving glory to God is a major theme of the Incarnation/Christmas story – the messengers from Heaven stated it clearly to the shepherds that glory was ascending to God and peace was descending to earth.

My young family was part of the dream and part of church plant in San Ramon, CA back in 1995-96. The sentence chosen to express our mission/theme agreed with the angels’ that it was our purpose to give glory to God. We expressed in this way, “To the glory of God, by the power of His Spirit, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are.” In the beginning season of this new congregation, we chose to put an emphasis on the arts in the expressions of our worship and teachings and I wrote the song, “To The Glory of God”. We were still a fledgling church when we recorded an album of some of our favorite worship songs; it included, “To the Glory of God”.

“Glory to God in the highest heaven…” giving glory to God is a major theme of the Incarnation/Christmas story – the messengers from Heaven stated it clearly to the shepherds that glory was ascendin…

12/12/2024

Day 7 of 37 Days of Christmas 2024 (Awesome Most Delicate Lord)

Let’s go back to listening to a “whisper of a song” – and specifically about the coming of Jesus to earth – a Christmas song if you will. (Whisper of a Song” – is the phrase I use to describe the recorded demos of my songs. It seems more accurate than saying, catch a “glimpse of a song” – you know, the audio vs. visual thing – It’s not the final version/quality of the finished project, just a whisper of what’s to come.)

If the incarnation is true, (and I believe it is) if Creator-God became a person to become Savior-God of the world, (which I believe He did) and if he was conceived, born, grew into an adult, died and ascend back to Heaven as Lord of lords, (and I believe it all) then the telling of that story is the greatest expression of a mixture of power and humility / awesomeness and tenderness. This song attempts to capture that mixture.

Let’s go back to listening to a “whisper of a song” – and specifically about the coming of Jesus to earth – a Christmas song if you will.  (Whisper of a Song”  – is the phrase…

12/12/2024

Day 5 of 37 Days of Christmas 2024 (Glimpse of a New Man)

Living in Boulder, CO gave me the opportunity to be connected to several expressions of Christ’s church. Several men’s groups that beat into me some strong godly ideas and teachings and beat off me some useless and dull edges… (iron sharpens iron) One gathering was an early Friday prayer breakfast from whence a few of the guys went on to start Promise Keepers… years later, I was re-connected to Promise Keepers and wrote a few songs that were sung at some of those large gatherings. Here’s one that I want my present men’s-prayer-group to hear. I meet with a group of guys each Thursday from a diverse background of culture, race, denominations, political expressions – but all men of faith in the Lord Jesus.

I’m the oldest guy in the group and I hope the younger guys don’t laugh too loud at this song written in the ‘80’s. Before a few of them were probably even born.

So, men, I’m writing a new song based on our new vocabulary of “boy soul versus man soul”. But the thoughts of this 1980’s song and the new 2020’s are similar – what you think, guys?

Living in Boulder, CO gave me the opportunity to be connected to several expressions of Christ’s church. Several men’s groups that beat into me some strong godly ideas and teachings and beat off me…

12/12/2024

Day 4 of 37 Days of Christmas 2024. (Heal Me O Lord)

Jeremiah wrote in what we call the 17 chapter of his book,

“The sin of Judah
is inscribed with an iron chisel—
engraved with a diamond point on their stony hearts”

I relate to Judah in that I can be described in the same way – with the same heart condition. I also relate to the women that Jesus encountered at Jacob’s well and her conclusion and her village’s conclusion; “…we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.” (see John 4) Since He is the Savior of the world and my Savior – I’ll echo back to the words of Jeremiah when he wrote

“Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed;
save me and I will be saved”

The recording today is a song edited from a live recording…I mention this mostly because it starts off softly…so listen closely as it will build.

Jeremiah wrote in what we call the 17 chapter of his book, “The sin of Judahis inscribed with an iron chisel—engraved with a diamond point on their stony hearts”  I relate to Judah in that I c…

12/12/2024

Day 3 of 37 Days of Christmas 2024. (It Takes Love)

Again today we’re doing some reminiscing of some of my old songs and recordings. In the early ‘90s I wrote several songs for children and their families when Tessa was a toddler. One of the albums was intitled “It Takes Love” which was a collection of songs that accompanied a curriculum for Children of the Word (a division of Campus Crusade for Christ) and was used in several countries as a study guide for character development for children – based on the life and teachings of Jesus. (This was a precursor of my more well-known album, The Choices Project) The album, “It Takes Love” was translated into several languages and used around the world. The same world that God loved so much that He sent Jesus here to save it! In the bridge of the song, it speaks of the “incarnation”:

We all agreed that God must love us
That’s the reason He gave us Jesus
He was a child Himself, so He knows
What it takes to make us grow

Here is the title song of the album and it gives a picture of how the curriculum was to be used – getting children together with the intention of loving them and teaching them about Jesus.

Again today we’re doing some reminiscing of some of my old songs and recordings.  In the early ‘90s I wrote several songs for children and their families when Tessa was a toddler. One of the a…

12/12/2024

Day 2 of 37 Days of Christmas 2024. (Build Your Fire)

During this season of what we call the 37 Days of Christmas, I’m going to be doing some reminiscing. That is a good Holiday Season thing to do, don’t ya think? So, we’re not just playing “Christmas” songs, but will include some old songs of mine, that my adult children may have not even heard. For example, here is blast from the past that we still use now and then in our worship gatherings, but they’ve not heard the recording. Build Your Fire. (written a couple of years before Trailand was born)

During this season of what we call the 37 Days of Christmas, I’m going to be doing some reminiscing. That is a good Holiday Season thing to do, don’t ya think? So, we’re not just playing “Christmas…

12/12/2024

Day 1 of 37 Days of Christmas (Judah's Great Lion Now Lamb).

My father wrote Judah’s Great Lion while he was working as the “Composer in Residence” at First Presbyterian, Boulder CO. – mid ‘80’s. He made this recording in 1989 while he was still living in Colorado. As far as we know this is the only recording to date.

I’m 28 and I was born in 1995, so that means this song is a few years older than me. The beauty and truth of the Christmas story is that it is older than all of us. The story was written and foretold long ago.

Just recently my father told me the story of when Judah’s Great Lion became his favorite poetic expression. There was a sermon series on the Old Testament prophets that he was a part of while he was living and working Boulder. That is when he got the initial spark that inspired him to write this song. He learned that Judah’s Savior had long been foretold in the Hebrew scriptures and that story is fulfilled in the New Testament. The story of Christmas does not turn out like people expect it. Judah’s Great Lion became a Lamb.

– Trailand

Judah’s Great Lion – The Visitation 1989 My father wrote Judah’s Great Lion while he was working as the “Composer in Residence” at First Presbyterian, Boulder CO. – mid ‘80’s. He made this recordin…

02/20/2024

Did you see the announcement yesterday? - https://mailchi.mp/e59b915e8da9/did-you-see-the-announcement-yesterday

02/19/2024

We would like to give you a gift. - https://mailchi.mp/a7936a9a8950/we-would-like-to-give-you-a-gift

It wasn’t until I was a little older that I learned that for every advent season since 1977 my father, Doug, has written a new song about the incarnation of Jesus.

We’ve collected some of our favorite songs that we’ve written over the years that we want to share with you now - then right before the 2024 Holiday Season you will receive a brand new recording, "The Revisitation".

https://www.trailandeltzroth.com/the37daysofchristmas