by Mary Strait

I guess I’m unsophisticated. I find I absorb & retain simple things best. Not quite down to a sound bite or the click of a shutter, but something like that. Searching the Bible for that small phrase that reveals itself to be God’s word to me for that day. Having a simple melody from Sunday worship take up residence in my head during the week.

Musical composition is new to me. As I’m casting about for ideas, my project-management-trained mind keeps trying to draft some all-encompassing picture, a comprehensive outline. But I’m learning the creativity develops through significant chunks of time focused on one small idea.

Focusing in on one spot, one minute, one feeling. One simple melody, variations on one or two chords.

Then I don’t have to be profound, I can just be—me.

It’s at that point that I begin to find the meaning, as I go deeper. For the Stations compositions: What was it like in Peter’s head right after the rooster crowed? The sense of failure, the what-have-I-done- ness. What did the Sanhedrin’s voices sound like as they were questioning Jesus? Repetitive, rhythmic, jarring—contrasted to Jesus’ pure true tones.

I hope it’s received by the listener in a similar way. I’ve been doing this music thing long enough to know that not always, but sometimes—the listener will hear God’s word to her/him through a few lyrics, a chord progression, a mournfulness in the voice.