A Song Story

A Song Story
Following is one of the two most interesting and heart-warming song stories that I have ever obtained from a songwriter, and I have interviewed more than 150 such writers. I want to share this with you. Read the story in the songwriter’s own words. It also appears in
I COULD SING OF YOUR LOVE FOREVER: Stories Behind One Hundred of the World’s Most Popular Worship Songs. Publsihed by Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Hearing God’s Invitation Near Wembledon
But the hour cometh, and now is,
when the true worshippers shall worship the Father
in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him.

Brian Doerksen was born into a very musical home in Abbotsford, just outside of Vancouver, British Columbia. Brian said, "I have been interested in music as long as I can remember. I started piano lessons as a child, but as soon as I was old enough to make my own decision I, regretfully, quit."
"I grew up in a Christian home, and it wasn’t as if I didn’t know the truth of the Gospel -- I just didn’t want to live it. But when I was 15 years of age, probably as a result of my parent’s prayers, I had one of those sovereign encounters with God. One night in my bedroom, in the home from which I’m now speaking to you, the presence of God came into the room and I was convicted of my sin. I heard the Lord saying, ‘Give me your whole life to serve me. And I said, ‘Yes.’ I began learning to play the guitar. I played for hours each day, and started worshipping God in my room."
"It was not until I was the full-time Music Pastor at Langley Vineyard Christian Fellowship, in British Columbia, that I began to seriously write songs. I was using songs from other sources, but became convinced that we needed something else, other expressions to worship God."
I then asked Brian to give me the details surrounding the writing of his most famous song, Come, Now Is the Time to Worship. He did so, and I pass it on to you. Tighten your seat belt!
"Emotionally and spiritually the song came at the end of the darkest and lowest season of my life, the summer of 1977. We had tried a major ministry project that had failed. A group working with me, and I, lost over one million dollars. I lost our home."
"I moved my family to England and became the Worship Pastor of Southwest London Vineyard, meeting in the Elliot School. I had no other place to live and no job offers. I felt as if I was barely hanging on to my faith in God. My wife and I were severely tested both with our losses and with finding out that three of our six children had a condition called Fragile X Syndrome, a form of mental challenge."
"One morning, within months of moving to London, I went for a exercise/prayer walk, as I often did. As I was walking through southwest London, very close to Wembledon Stadium, I heard this line as clear as a bell, floating through the air, ‘Come, now is the time to worship...’ I thought, WOW!, the call of worship is being sounded all of the time and in all kinds of ways."
"When I got home I ran upstairs, sat down at the piano, found the key of the song I had just heard and began playing it over and over again. Suddenly I realized that I was in my own dark time, and that His call to worship doesn’t just come to those who have it all together, that have no doubts, or hard experiences, but it comes to all of us, across the board."
"The song became like wings to lift me up from those shadows that had almost engulfed me. It was my private song for several days. I made sure of every word. I then brought it to my church. Within weeks of teaching it to our congregation I began hearing reports of other churches singing it. Within months reports came of the song being sung in other countries. I soon heard that it was being sung in South Africa."
"Requests began to pour in asking permission to record Come, Now Is the Time To Worship. Soon after that we moved back home to Canada, to the house I was raised in. We were able to purchase it from my parents."
Life is better now in Abbotsford for Brian, his wife Joyce, and their children. At the time of this writing Brian has just finished a new album of songs and had the joy of having one of his daughters play an instrument on the project.

THE PAINTINGS

The Languid Limb and the Lighthouse

Marilyn is back to painting following her battle with cancer. She has just completed a picture that she calls The Languid Limb. It is painted from a photo that we shot on a picture-taking excursion one day. This is a very special painting and comes at a vital time in her life. The word "languid" means listless or lacking in vitality or energy. The "limb" has seen its best days. It no longer will be a growing, thriving part of a strong tree that children can climb on.
But, in the background you can see the St. Augustine Lighthouse which has stood since 1871. It is as strong today as when it came into being. It points those to safety who are languishing on a troubled sea. What a contrast!
Many were the times while in the throws of her battle with her cancer treatments and surgery that Marilyn longed for the return of the vital, vibrant and victorious days. She yearned to be rescued from this sea of distress and uncertainty -- this dreaded cancer. She ached to be free of the chemicals that brought on this lurid fever, these chills and this frightful nausea, and yes, this "thing" that took her "glory" -- her hair. Yet, through it all she kept her eyes on the Lighthouse.
Unlike "The Languid Limb" she has revived, with the help of our blessed Lord and Savior. She has gained new strength and vitality and sailed into a quiet and peaceful harbor. She is back in church and singing in the choir. In the fall she plans to be back teaching her ladies Bible classes. She is back to going places with our children and grandchildren, cooking and planning activities for them, and driving herself to the store.
The Lord, her eternal Lighthouse, is ever standing strong and mighty to help in time of trouble. He is good, all of the time!

LIFE’S JOURNEY

Guilty!, What Now?

Adversity, how blunt are all the arrows of thy quiver
in comparison with those of guilt. - Blair
In the early 1900s, a lad of 12, went out into the barnyard among the animals one day and saw a goose walking by. He threw a stone and hit it squarely on the head. It fell dead. His mother had twenty-four geese, but this one was her favorite. He quickly buried it, and was unaware at the time that his sister had seen him carry out his deed.
That evening after supper she informed him that if he didn’t volunteer to do the dishes she would tell his "secret." For several days she was able to get him to do her chores by simply reminding him of the goose incident. He felt bound to do her work rather than confess his guilt to his mother.
Finally, one morning, after his sister had tried to persuade him to do the dishes by reminding him of the "goose," he went to his mother and meekly told her the whole story, asking her to forgive him. She hugged him and said, "I was looking out the window and saw you kill the goose, and I was wondering how long you were going to be your sister’s slave before coming to me. I forgive you."
Fear of reprisal at the hands of his own mother, who loved him with all her heart, had made his life miserable. She was longing for her child to come to her with the problem and let her assure him of her forgiveness.
The Sin That Blocks Our Fellowship
There is only "one" sin in our lives over which we cannot find victory -- the "unconfessed" sin. Satan has made a slave of many of us -- if only for a period of time -- simply because we could find no way to deal with guilt. We would not believe and accept God’s promise given in 1 John 1:9, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Experiencing Victory in Christ
There are several factors that can contribute to a victorious life.
• Confession of one’s sins. Remember, we have learned that Jesus knows about them anyway, so confess them and leave them at His feet, determining never to do the same again. Remember this also; the sins of a Christian need the covering of the blood of Christ every day, just as when he or she was first saved. His blood cleanses our sins daily!
• Claim His forgiveness as your own. When you are urged within yourself to confess "again" something that has already been confessed to Him a number of times before, just pause and thank Him for the forgiveness of your sins. Say, "Lord, I realize you have forgiven me and washed away my sins...THANK YOU!" "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9
• Care for others. The greatest way to get your mind off of yourself is to remember others and serve them in some fashion.
• Commence some task for Christ today. Loose yourself in some deed for the Savior.
Often we have heard that time is a great healer. Our actions are the healers -- as we act on God’s bidding and on His plan.

The heaviest load any man carries on his back is a pack of guilt.
- Anon

Forgiveness from others is charity; from God, grace; from oneself, wisdom.
- Unknown

Never does a man stand so tall
as when he forgoes revenge, and dares to forgive.
-J. Harold Smith
Additional Scriptures:
"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven , and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14
"Judge not, and ye shall no be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven." Luke 6:37

Lindsay and Marilyn Terry
Our Blog

Welcome! Each time you visit our blog we want you to take away some information that will help you to, (1) live a more victorious life, (2) know more about our resources and art, and (3) read something that will cause you to want to come back to our blog week after week.

Please pass the web site address along to your friends. We will do our best to make our blog as varied and informative as possible.

Published Works
I want to tell you about a song story book that was recently published. Hal Leonard Corporation, the largest print music publishing company in the world, contacted me and told me that they wanted to publish a book containing some of most popular worship songs in the world.
Normally they print secular music such as broadway musicals and the latest in popular compositions. However, this time they said that they not only wanted to publish the worship songs, but also wanted to include the stories behind each of the songs. They asked if I would take on the project of providing the stories behind the songs. I agreed to do so, and was sent a list of the songs they were publishing.
They had, at first, considered scattering the stories throughout the book, or perhaps putting them in the back of the book, along with some biographical information about me, but before going to press they decided to put the stories and the bio material right up front. You can see a copy of the book on this web site.
You can order the book from amazon.com or halleonard.com or call 1-800-554-0626. Most of the Hal Leonard music is sold in secular music stores.

The Paintings

In this blog we want to share some news about Marilyn. Many of you know what she has endured in the past six or seven months, but not everyone has heard so consider the following,

In December, 2008, Marilyn was diagnosed with “stage 3” breast cancer. She had been seeing specialists and gynecologists for fifteen years trying to find out why she had so much pain and so many problems in the left breast. After many mammograms, cyst aspirations, an MRI, X-rays, CT Scans, etc., etc., showed no definite problems, a wonderful surgeon, Dr. Leopoldo Gonzalez, who only does breast surgery, decided to take four biopsy samples of a suspicious area. Four days later he informed us that Marilyn had cancer.
She took four treatments of chemotherapy, which Dr. Gonzalez said completely annihilated the cancer. A tumor the size of a quarter had completely disappeared. However, he and Marilyn had already decided that a mastectomy should be done. That was completed on June 4, 2009. Several lymph nodes were taken which were negative for cancer cells. Therapists are now working with her to get her range of motion back to normal. She is doing fine.
Her oncologist, Dr. Marc Warmuth, has informed us that CT Scans, an MRI, bone scans, etc., have revealed that she does not have any detectable cancer anywhere else in her body. For all of these things we truly thank the Lord! We are grateful to so many who prayed daily and regularly for her.
She is now being helped at home by therapists who are trying to get her back to a normal range of motion with the left arm. Lymph nodes were removed from under her arm.
As I write this information about her, she has gone upstairs to her studio and is now painting again. During her treatments it was almost impossible for her to continue painting. She is working on a beautiful Florida scene that we hope to show you in the web site in the very near future. Continue to pray for Marilyn and her complete recovery.

Life’s Journey
Abortion

A baby is a small member of the human family who makes love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, the bank roll smaller, the home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for.

Do you know what is the number one surgery performed in America? It used to be tonsillectomy. That is no longer the case. Believe it or not, today, it is abortion. According to the latest figures, since Roe vs Wade went into effect, there have been more than forty million abortions.
Here is a most profound statement from a letter to the editor of a periodical, addressing a basic question: “A person’s death should not precede his birth.” This is exactly what happens in abortion, which should be defined honestly.
Abortion means ending a pregnancy. Most abortions are done in the first trimester (the first 3 months of the pregnancy). They are done by a doctor and other health care professionals in a hospital, doctor’s office or health center. There are two types of abortion: medical and surgical. Currently, abortion laws vary from country to country, with regard to religious, moral, and cultural sensibilities.
Every physician who performs abortions will readily tell you that during the procedure, in any stage of the pregnancy, something living is killed.. The life that has begun in the womb of the mother is brought to a swift and deadly end. That is an indisputable fact, not a moral judgement.
Yes! Scientists agree that a new and unique human individual is created at the moment of conception. From that moment --when life begins--any further formation of the person is a matter of time, growth and maturation -- a process that each of us continues throughout our entire life.

Helpful Scriptures:
For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.
I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. - Psa. 139:13,14

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. - Isaiah 49:1

Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. - Jeremiah. 1:5

I've noticed that everybody that is for abortion
has already been born.
- Ronald Reagan

I’ll never walk the shores of life
Or know the tides of time.
For I was coming, but unloved;
And that, my only crime.
- From Ballad of the Unknown by Fay Clayborn

The product, abortion, is skillfully marketed and sold to the woman at the crisis time in her life. She buys the product, finds it defective and wants to return it for a refund. But, it’s too late.- Carol Everett