Song of Plenty (w/Monologue One)

Posted on May 18, 2022 by Roger E. Bruner

MONOLOGUE ONE:
GIRL: (reading letter)
Dear Mom and Dad,

It seems an eternity since I left home. How often I’ve wanted to write or call, but I couldn’t. The things that have happened. . .Mom and Dad, I didn’t want to make you cry. I lost so much.

But something else has happened. Something special, something great! It’s strange. I had been feeling especially low: lost, empty, hungry for something I didn’t have and couldn’t find.

Then I went to this place–I guess you’d call it a mission–where there were a lot of other kids. They looked so much like me. You could tell they’d been through a lot. But there was something different about them: a spirit! As they talked and moved and laughed and sang, they seemed, well, alive and happy.

[Listen to this song while following the words. Regretfully, the sound quality of the original recording makes it impractical to include the reading of the monologues.]

SONG:
Sing a song of plenty to God,
Whose every gift to us is good.
Sing of perfect plenty to God,
Whose gift to us is His presence of love.

Plenty of God’s presence means plenty of His love,
And plenty of God’s love means plenty to sing about.

Sing a song of plenty to God,
Whose every gift is rich and free.
Sing of God’s every blessing to you with
Lives that are full of His presence and peace.

Plenty of God’s love means plenty of His peace,
And plenty of God’s peace means plenty to sing about.

Sing a song of plenty to God,
Whose every gift is good.

About this Song:
Roger-2021
This is the first monologue and song in SONG OF PLENTY, a “pop-musical story of a modern day Prodigal Son” I wrote it in 1974 and presented publicly three times: at the First Baptist Church of Cambridge, Maryland; at an evening worship service at Long Wharf in Cambridge; and once at a Methodist church in Vienna, Maryland.

The singers were Jestine Pryor and Jack Wright, the pianist was Billy Tilghman, and I played bass guitar. Debbie, my wife at that time, did the dramatic reading of the monologues between songs to a flute accompaniment played originally by Janet Carr and later by Connie Anderson.

Coming next Wednesday: the second song, “Silver and Gold.”  Please join me then. Better still, sign up to receive these weekly posts by email.

I write Christian novels as well as songs. The two most recent ones are shown below and their pictures are links to the Amazon pages. The eighteen-book picture is a link to my Amazon Author Page.

Best regards,
Roger

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The Foundation Has Settled

Posted on May 11, 2022 by Roger E. Bruner

The foundation has settled;
Now let us grow.
We’ve been safe inside our building,
But outside we must go.
Inside, we’re warm and loving,
But outside our love must show.
The foundation has settled.
Let us grow.

About This Song:
Sometime during the early 1980s, the First Baptist Church of Easton (Maryland) celebrated its 25th anniversary. As part of the preparation for the celebration, members submitted theme ideas. “The foundation has settled; now let us grow” won. I took the liberty of writing this song from the winning  theme.

New churches are apt to be vibrant. The members are excited.

But as they settle into a routine, the excitement often diminishes.

So this song–and the theme it’s based on–is a reminder that Christians can’t afford to sit on their laurels. The world outside the church is lost and needs their loving outreach.

A free downloadable PDF of this song is available here. No recordings are available.

I’ll be back again next Wednesday. Please join me then. Better still, sign up to receive these weekly posts by email.

Best regards,
Roger

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By Faith We Are Saved

Posted on May 4, 2022 by Roger E. Bruner

By faith we are saved,
But by our fruit we prove that
We’re what we claim to be.
For we cannot be light
If we hide from the world
That is dying in darkness.

By faith we are saved,
But by our light we are known.

By faith we are saved,
But by our fruit we prove that
We’re what we claim to be.
For we cannot be salt
If we lose the taste of love
That this world’s dying for.

By faith we are saved,
But by our salt we are known.

By faith we are saved,
And with hope we endure.
But with love we are everything
God wants us to be.

About This Song:
Roger-2021
I dedicated this song to the memory of Mrs. Ed Weldon. Mr. Weldon was my junior college choir director.

I can still remember singing it at the First Baptist Church of Cumberland, Maryland, when I discovered it wasn’t as easy to do publicly as it was in my music room at home.

The Scripture basis is Matthew 5:13-14. . .

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
(NIV)

Yet it also hints of ideas in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3. . .

1 If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.
(NIV)

And perhaps a sprinkling of Mark 9:50. . .

50 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”
(NIV)

While this song doesn’t specifically refer to James 2:14-17, I certainly had that in mind when writing “By Faith We Are Saved”. . .

14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
(NIV)

Faith is a good thing. Right?

Faith in God. Faith in our family and friends. Faith in our neighbors. Faith in ourselves.

Yet our neighbors–and even our closest family and friends–occasionally let us down. Just as we let them down.

But God never lets us down. He may not always do things the way we want–He has a perspective and a purpose we lack–but He is faithful. Always. Every time. Under all circumstances.

It’s reassuring to know that our relationship with God results from our faith in Him through accepting His Son, Jesus, as our Lord and Savior.

But as the Scriptures this song is based on emphasize, faith ought to result in “works”–doing the things God expects of us. This post would be endless if I tried to quote the appropriate verses.

Suffice it to say that God expects us to be salt and light to the world. If we demonstrate real Christian love to those about us, we will bear the kind of fruit that shows the world that our faith–and the God our faith is in–is real.

Here’s the lead sheet for “By Faith We Are Saved. And an old recording is here.

I’ll be back again next Wednesday. Please join me then. Better still, sign up to receive these weekly posts by email.

Just a reminder that I don’t just write songs. I write Christian novels. MATCHMAKER PAYBACK is the most recent release. All of my books are available on Amazon in both print and Kindle editions.

Best regards,
Roger

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Make a Joyful Noise

Posted on April 27, 2022 by Roger E. Bruner

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord;
Praise Him with the joy of your salvation.
Praise Him with the joy of your salvation,
And make a joyful noise,
Make a joyful noise,
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord!

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord;
Praise Him for His every perfect gift.
Praise Him for His every perfect gift,
And make a joyful noise,
Make a joyful noise,
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord!

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord;
Praise Him for His every answer to prayer.
Praise Him for His every answer to prayer,
And make a joyful noise,
Make a joyful noise,
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord!

About This Song:

Trying to identify the various verses from the Psalms that comprise “Make a Joyful Noise” would be like trying find specific grains of sand at the beach.

So I did an online Bible search for “joyful noise” to find the relevant verses. Just for the heck of it, I did my search in the King James version–the original 1611 one–and found the following verses…

Psalm 66:1
Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands:

Psalm 81:1
Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.

Psalm 95:1
O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.

Psalm 95:2
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.

Psalm 98:4
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.

Psalm 98:6
With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the Lord, the King.

Psalm 100:1
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.

Thanksgiving is many months away. Nonetheless, what better time than now to “make a joyful noise” of praise to God?

That seems like a no-brainer, doesn’t it? What do you have to make a joyful noise of praise to God about today? How about leaving a comment.

I’ve never made a recording of this song, but here’s the lead sheet.

I’ll be back again next Wednesday. Please join me then. Better still, sign up to receive these weekly posts by email.

Best regards,
Roger

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God Loves the World So Much

Posted on April 6, 2022 by Roger E. Bruner

God loves the world so much
That He gave His only Son
So all who believe in Him
Will not die,
But have life everlasting.
Yes, God loves the world so much
That He gave His only Son.

God did not send His Son
To condemn the world,
But that the world through Him
Might be saved.
Yes, God loves the world so much
That He gave His only Son.

About This Song:
Roger-2021

“God Loves the World So Much” was the second song I ever wrote–sometime in the latter 1960s. The lyrics come from John 3:16-17, Bible verses familiar to every Christian and  undoubtedly our most beloved Scripture.

If you’re like me, you memorized the King James Version translation:

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

A few years ago I bought an album that contains the very familiar John Stainer arrangement of that Scripture. Even though I’m not fond of the Early Modern English the King James version of the Bible was written in, it sounds beautiful in the Stainer choral arrangement.

As I always do when writing songs based on Scripture, I reword them my own way, making every effort to remain true to the intent of the original. However, one choice I consciously made with this song was to say “God loves”–present tense–instead of “God loved.”

While God sent Jesus in human form only one time, His love is past, present, and future. Hence my preference for “God loves.”

Non-Christians often question how a loving God can “condemn the world.” That’s the result of sin, something that happened because God wanted human beings to have free will, and every one of us sins. Nobody is “good enough”  to meet God’s standards. Not on his own.

You may listen to this song here. The lead sheet is available here.

I’ll be back again next Wednesday. Please join me then. Better still, sign up to receive these weekly posts by email.

Best regards,
Roger

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Yesterday’s Dirt

Posted on March 31, 2022 by Roger E. Bruner

When I get up in the morning,
I jump into the shower.
I turn the water on full force
And lather up some soap.
Then I commence to scrubbing
From my head down to my toes,
So I won’t keep on wearing
Yesterday’s dirt.

Yesterdays’ dirt was something awful;
I was really quite a mess,
And I wondered if I ever could get clean.
But when I’d finished bathing
And the dirt all washed away,
It’s amazing what a little soap can do.

Then I slip off to some quiet spot
With my Bible in my hand,
So I can listen to the Lord
And see what He wants from me.
I immerse myself in God’s love
And scrub off with His truth;
Forgiven, I am free
Of yesterdays’ dirt.

Yesterday’s dirt was something awful;
I was really quite a mess,
And I wondered if I ever could get clean.
But when I’d finished bathing
And the dirt all washed away,
It’s amazing what the love of God can do.

Don’t ask me why I go to bed
Before I’ve had a shower.
I know I would sleep better clean
And wake up more refreshed.
But sometimes it seems harder
To do things the easy way.
Lord, don’t let this become
“Yesterday’s Dirt.”

Today’s dirt is something awful;
I am really quite a mess,
And I wonder if I ever can get clean.
But when I finish bathing,
I know the dirt will wash away;
It’s amazing what the Love of God can do.

About this Song:
I hope the words to this song have left you smiling. Maybe even laughing. I mean, who but me would write a song about taking a shower? (Unless you’re old enough to remember Bobby Darin’s hit from the fifties, “Splish Splash.”) Or even use showering as a metaphor for something else?

Yet the message is quite serious. The dirt I’ve described is guilt. The shower itself is the overall process of seeking and receiving God’s forgiveness. The soap we scrub with is His love. The water is His willingness–His desire–to forgive us. And the resulting cleanliness is freedom from guilt.

You probably caught that part, though.

The real importance of this message is that we so often–too often–wallow in our guilt for a period of time before we finally turn to God rather than come to Him when we first became aware that we’ve sinned. We could have “showered” then without suffering unnecessary guilt and enjoyed His forgiveness and the freedom from guilt all the sooner.

Have you been postponing this kind of shower for something you’ve done? It’s not too late, you know.

Here’s an audio recording from 1993, the only one I ever made of this song. And here’s a PDF of the lead sheet.

I’ll be back again next Wednesday. Please join me then. Better still, sign up to receive these weekly posts by email.

Best regards,
Roger

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When Two Friends Walk Together

Posted on March 24, 2022 by Roger E. Bruner

When two friends walk together,
When two friends walk together,
When two friends walk together and one falls,
The other helps him up.

But when someone walks alone,
When someone walks alone,
When someone walks alone and he falls down,
There’s no one to help him up.

If a rope has several strands,
If a rope has several strands,
If a rope has several strands and one strand breaks,
The others will hold fast.

When I’m walking with the Lord,
When I’m walking with the Lord,
When I’m walking with the Lord I need not fear.
He will not let me fall down,
He will not let me fall down,
He won’t let me fall down.

About This Song:
Roger-2021
I always associate this song with my father. The week he died, he fell in my parents’ bathroom and wasn’t able to get up. My mother couldn’t lift him.

She called me and I rushed over from work, but he was too heavy for me as well. So we called the paramedics, who had no problem putting him on a stretcher and transporting him to the hospital.

The song–like many of mine–is based on Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12.

9 Two are better than one,
    because they have a good return for their labor:
10 If either of them falls down,
    one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
    and has no one to help them up.
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
    But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
    two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
(NIV)

At first glance, that Scripture doesn’t sound “religious.” Those verses express truths that don’t appear to have anything to do with faith or God.

Yet the Scriptures–and consequently my song–have always seemed Christian.  Even before I added a new final stanza a few years ago (twenty-seven years after first writing the song), using an idea not based on Ecclesiastes.

As a whole, I think the lyrics describe the ultimate in Christian unity and fellowship: when a Christian helps to lift a fallen brother or sister; when a church as the body of Christ cannot be broken by the failure of one weak member.

So it’s not surprising that I view the second stanza as a sad reminder of the hopelessness of people who aren’t part of a church fellowship and have no one to depend on. Therefore it’s ultimately a call to be on the lookout for the fallen who may not even be part of the church fellowship–and to be willing to help.

Willingly. Without counting the cost.

You may listen to an audio recording of this song here.  It predates the addition of the fourth stanza listed above. A free lead sheet is available here.

I’ll be back again next Wednesday. Please join me then. Better still, sign up to receive these weekly posts by email.

Best regards,
Roger

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Now Let Me Share it with You!

Posted on March 16, 2022 by Roger E. Bruner

When Jesus Christ was born upon the earth,
Son of God, yet fully man,
His Father sent a choir of angels
To announce the good news.

“Glory to God, peace on the earth,
Good will from God to man. Christ is born.”

I’ve heard the Good News; I believe it.
Now let me share it with you.

When Jesus Christ arose from earthly death,
Son of man, yet fully God,
His Heavenly Father sent an angel
To announce the good news.

“He is not here; the tomb is empty.
Christ lives again. Go tell everyone!”

I’ve heard the Good News; I believe it.
Now let me share it with you.

About This Song:
Roger-2021
Okay. So early March isn’t during the Christmas season. But that doesn’t make the message of “Now Let Me Share it with You” any less relevant for Believers. Especially now that we’re getting closer to the Easter season.

God used angels throughout the Bible. Maybe more in the Old Testament, although we may be more familiar with those in the New Testament.

They were messengers. And the messenger-angels in this song–as in the Scriptures it’s based on–announced the best of Good News, Jesus’ birth as a human baby and His resurrection from death.

The first stanza is based on Luke 2:13-14…

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”  (NIV)

The second stanza comes from Mark 16:4-6…

4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.”
(NIV)

I wasn’t alive at the time of Jesus’ birth or resurrection. But I’ve read and heard those biblical accounts  many times, and I believe they’re true.

And now that I’ve used this song to preach to myself, I’ve also shared that same Good News–at least in part–with you.

What better news have you heard today? Ever? How about leaving a comment.

You may listen to an audio recording of this song here. A free PDF lead sheet is available here for you musicians.

I’ll be back again next Wednesday. Please join me then. Better still, sign up to receive these weekly posts by email.

By the way, I’ve written and published nineteen Christian novels and I’m currently polishing #20. Click on the graphics below to check them out at Amazon.

Best regards,
Roger

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One Lone Angel

Posted on March 9, 2022 by Roger E. Bruner

In these days of great darkness,
The righteous are not spared.
Though they’re on mission for their God,
The dangers are quite real.
Sometimes the Lord assures them
That He’s still in control
By sending one lone angel forth
To lead them through the storm.

‘Twas in the midst of chaos,
A bullet struck her head;
Unconscious for a moment,
She lay still upon the ground.
Her husband rushed to help her;
The bleeding would not stop.
A friend helped get her to the car,
Their passports left behind.

A man stepped through the chaos,
A stranger to them all.
He knew this lady would die soon;
Her life was in his hands.
He led them to the clinic
By many twists and turns.
The precious moments that he saved
Helped get her there in time.

The doctor said the bullet
Had passed right through her head,
And it had done no damage,
Though it glanced against her skull.
He said, “You are hard-headed.”
She laughed. “Like those I love.”
While friend and stranger went back for
The passports left behind.

When their friend turned to thank him,
The stranger was not there;
Though this was in an open place
With no place he could go.
They said, “We’ve seen an angel
Sent by the Lord today:
He’s come here just to help us
And remind us of His care.”

In these days of great darkness,
The righteous are not spared.
Though they’re on mission for their God,
The dangers are quite real.
Sometimes the Lord assures them
That He’s still in control
By sending one lone angel forth
To lead them through the storm.

About This Song:
Roger-2021
Around Christmas we’re apt to think about angels. The Bible usually portrays them as messengers. For example, an angel told Mary she would become the mother of Jesus. An angel told Joseph not to reject Mary for her pregnancy because God was the father. Angels announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds.

But angels in the Bible aren’t limited to Christmas. Neither are they limited to being messengers, as we see in this song.

“One Lone Angel”  is based on a news article written by Robert O’Brien and published by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) a number of years ago. It’s an accurate rendering of Robert’s article. The incident took place during fighting in Albania, where Burt and Debbie Ayers served as CBF missionaries.

The “friend” who helped Burt was an unnamed Mennonite missionary. The stranger who saved Debbie’s life was–who knows?

Not everyone believes in personal angels. But it’s difficult–in my case, impossible–to read this story or consider the words of the song and deny that something quite supernatural occurred that day. If you don’t believe it was an angel, please share your explanation in a comment.

The Ayers don’t have any other explanation.

A free lead sheet for “One Lone Angel” is available here. An old recording may be heard here. In spite of the recording quality I highly recommend listening to it to get a feel for the song itself.

I’ll be back again next Wednesday. Please join me then. Better still, sign up to receive these weekly posts by email.

Best regards,
Roger

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One Word from Him

Posted on March 3, 2022 by Roger E. Bruner

The grass will soon wither,
And the flowers will soon fade;
So the strongest of men will soon weaken and die.

Only the Word of the Lord lasts forever;
And one Word from Him gives us eternal life.
One Word from Him gives us eternal life.

About This Song:
Roger-2021
“One Word from Him” is one of my Word-related songs. It comes from the book of Isaiah:

Isaiah 40:6-8…
6 A voice says, “Cry out.”
    And I said, “What shall I cry?”
“All people are like grass,
    and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
7 The grass withers and the flowers fall,
    because the breath of the Lord blows on them.
    Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers and the flowers fall,
    but the word of our God endures forever.”
(NIV)

At seventy-five,  I’m far past middle-aged; I have no hope of surviving to the age of 150. And I have no idea how long I will live–and remain healthy enough to enjoy life.

But as I look at the pill bottles on the breakfast counter–the cholesterol, blood pressure, thyroid, and blood sugar medicines keep all of the numbers looking good–I’m also aware that I’m a blade of grass and a flower. My time to wither and fall is coming. It’s inevitable.

Gracious! Like any of you–no matter what your age–I may not have much time left on earth. None of us knows for sure, do we?

But do I find that depressing?

I’m smiling as I respond to that question. My confidence is in the never-failing “word of our God.” He has promised more abundant life on earth–and He’s certainly lived up to that promise–and He’s promised eternal life with Him in Heaven for those of us who are Believers.

So no matter how much I enjoy my earthly life–no matter how much time I hope I have left–my hope for the future is in the Lord.

I hope yours is, too. How about leaving a comment?

You can find a free lead sheet of this song here. The only recording I have is very old, but you may listen to it here.

I’ll be back again next Wednesday. Please join me then. Better still, sign up to receive these weekly posts by email. And if you like to read, I’ve written and published nineteen Christian novels and am working on number twenty. Click on the book covers and postcard below for more information.

Best regards,
Roger

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