Walking with Him

Well, they tell us it is Spring, but I do think someone forgot to tell the weather in Indiana!  We got 3 inches of snow at our house between Monday night and Tuesday morning.  I was not very happy about it, as we have had a rough winter here already. That is one reason why I have not written in a while, it's been really hard on my health.

There is still snow on the ground, but at least the sun is shining!  We've had a few warm days the past couple of weeks. On those days, I took the opportunity to get out for a walk around our neighborhood. Once, my husband was able to go with me. Another time when he was not available, I asked some of my granddaughters, who live near me, but they were not interested.  I was continuing on my walk and feeling kind of sorry for myself that I was having to walk alone. Then God reminded me that I was never alone. He was always walking with me!

Immediately with the thought that God was always walking with me, along came a little melody and some cheerful words that I'd like to share with you today.

My Lord is walking with me;

I know He's walking with me.

The path that He makes,

In faith I will take.

He's walking with me!

Though skies be sunny or dark,

I feel Him down in my heart.

I know He's walking with me;

My Lord is walking with me.

Let me tell you that the rest of my walk was a lot more enjoyable than the beginning of it.  I was singing my little melody, and it put a spring in my step! Those of you who know me well, know that the "spring" in my step was most likely all in my mind.  It shows me how our mental attitude about what is going on in our life affects how much we enjoy our life. 

At the beginning of my walk, with every step I was thinking about lonely I was, and how I wished someone was walking with me. But the last half of my walk, I was thinking about how good God was to be with me always. About how He never leaves me all alone.  The day seemed brighter, I enjoyed the birds and the bits of green I saw here and there.  Were the birds chirping and hopping around at the beginning of my walk? Probably, but I didn't notice them because I was too engrossed in my own little pity party. When we become self-centered, we only see the negative. We miss all the wonderful things our Father has done for us.

 I am glad my heart was "tuned" to God's channel that afternoon. Otherwise, I would have had a miserable walk, missed out on all the pretty things there, and I would not have a cheerful little chorus to sing as I walk.  

My friend, if you don't know that you have God to walk with you every day you will not be able to enjoy life the way He meant for it to be enjoyed. Take time to seek Him! Start by reading from the Bible. John 3:16 is probably the most famous verse in the Bible. It simply tells us that God loves mankind (and that means you, too) so much that He gave His only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross to pay for our sins. He had no sins of His own to pay for, but He became the sacrificial Lamb of God to make atonement for our sins.

I can think of no better time than at the season of Passover and Easter for you to accept Jesus as your own personal Saviour. If you have realized that:

1.  you are a sinful creature, the Bible tells us in Romans 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one. And in verse 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.
2.  and that sinners are condemned to spend eternity in Hell with no other way to pay for their sins, Romans 6:23a For the wages of sin is death; (this word death is not about physical death, but spiritual death, where your soul will spend eternity in Hell)
3. Jesus loves you so much that He has already paid the penalty for your sin, when He gave Himself to die on the cross, was buried in the tomb, and rose from the dead after 3 days, Hallelujah! Romans 6:23b but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.  A gift is free to the recipient, but the cost of the gift is paid by the giver. If someone buys you a birthday gift, they don't give you a bill for the gift when you receive it. They paid for it, and you receive it.  God's gift is exactly the same way.  He paid for it, and you can receive it.  
4. He's waiting right now for you to receive His gift of eternal life: If you understand and believe what I have explained so far, then you are ready for the next step. Romans 10: 9 and 13  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thy heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved....For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.  
5. Believe and Receive. It's not enough to just believe there is a God. You must believe that Jesus is the Son of God, who died for your sins, and arose from the dead.  If you believe that, then tell God that you want to accept Jesus as your Saviour, the payment for your sin, and receive His Gift of eternal life and a guaranteed home in Heaven one day.  The Bible says in John 3:36a He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life... How many gifts do you ever receive that are everlasting?  Only this one, my friend.  It will never break, wear out, or get lost. When God says it is everlasting, that is one guarantee you can count on!

If you read my explanation of God's most wonderful gift, and made the decision today to receive it, please leave me a comment so I will know.

Remember Christmas

It's been a while since my last post because there has been a lot going on. On November 14, I flew down to Little Rock, Arkansas to meet with my parents. The next day, we drove down to Mount Pleasant, Texas to attend the National Gospel Singing Convention.  I stayed with my sweet mother-in-law, Marie Rust, on Friday night. It was so much fun to be with other people who love gospel singing like I do, and especially sweet to get to sing with my Daddy again.  It was a thrill to get to stand beside Daddy as he led my song from this year's book, and to get to hear all the delegates singing along. We drove back to their home in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas after the convention ended on Saturday afternoon. On Monday night we attended another local singing convention, where I got to hear Daddy singing in a quartet with his 89-year-old brother L.Z. Watson. Daddy and I sang a couple of duets, and then I sang my Christmas song, "Remember Christmas."  It is this song that is the focus of my blog today.

15 years ago this month was a very hectic time in my life. Our daughter Jaime was getting married in about 2 weeks, I had a business meeting in Orlando, Florida to plan and attend the same week as the wedding, all on top of the usual hustle and bustle of the holidays. It was about 9 pm on Saturday night when I realized I had committed to singing in a ladies' Sunday School class the next morning.  I had barely gotten the tree up and decorated, and no gifts were yet wrapped.  I was still finishing up my daughter's wedding dress. I had no idea what I was going to sing in the morning.  I sat on my piano bench looking at the tree, and the dress, and just wished everything would slow down for a moment.  I wanted to enjoy it all, but I felt like I was missing it all as I tried to "be all things to all people." It was in that moment that God gave me the words and the melody to "Remember Christmas," and I sang it for the ladies the next day.  It became an annual tradition that continues to this day.  I will post the lyrics here, followed by a link to an amateur video of me singing it during my Arkansas visit.  I don't know how to edit video, or I would probably edit out the part where I forgot my own lyrics--but then, that is so typical of me that I won't let it bother me if it doesn't bother you!

Remember Christmas

When I was a child, my parents taught me

That Christmas was more than gifts under a tree.

They told me of Jesus, His Bethlehem birth-

When in mercy and love, God came down to earth.

Let me remember Christmas the way it should be;

Let the Christmas tree remind me of a Tree on Calvary.

The best Christmas Package you can receive

Is The Babe in a manger. O, won't you believe?

Now life gets so busy, we hurry and run;

And it seems we can never get ev'rything done.

Trim the tree, wrap the presents; have I left someone out?

Did I forget the One that Christmas is about?!

(insert lines from Away in a Manger)

Let me remember Christmas the way it should be;

Let the Christmas tree remind me of a Tree on Calvary.

The best Christmas Package you can receive

Is The Babe in a manger. O, won't you believe?

The video is a Capella, as I do not have the music anywhere but in my head. Click on the link to view the video.  I hope it will help you to "Remember Christmas" this season--Merry Christmas!

Remember Christmas, Nov 2013 

How I Came to Write My First Gospel Song

The older I get, the less I remember dates. Rather, I tend to remember "landmarks" that happened around the time of the event I am trying to remember.  I know that our daughter, Jaime, got married at the end of 1998, which puts this story somewhere in 1998.

Dr. Jack Hyles was our pastor at First Baptist Church in Hammond, Indiana.  I was in the choir, which gave me a "ring-side" seat, and made it easy to pay attention to every word.  He was making a comparison between the old standard songs we sang in church and the modern ones.  Then he said something that really got me thinking.  He said that he was not against new gospel music, but he was against music that had no gospel message. Dr. Hyles pointed out that while our minds and bodies respond to perky tunes, they do not further the cause of reaching others for Christ, or for edifying those who are already part of the family of Christ.  He then said that he wished there were more people willing to produce good gospel music.

Until that time, I had never attempted to write music.  I had written poetry and essays for as long as I could remember, but had no idea that it would even be possible for me to compose original music.  But his words lay heavy on my heart, and I couldn't shake the feeling that began to follow me everywhere, even in my sleep.  I prayed that God would allow me to be one to write gospel music for Him.

I was working in downtown Chicago at the time, and rode the South Shore Train for approximately a 30 minute one-way trip each morning and evening.  I began to "hear" a melody in my head as I rode on the train one morning.  I began jotting down thoughts about heaven and why I loved to sing about heaven.  For several days, I spent my morning and evening commute with pad and pencil, trying to make my thoughts fit with the melody in my head. I finally got it to my satisfaction, and then I thought, "Now what?"

This is the point where Curtis Doss came into the picture. (If you did not read my last post about my mentor, I suggest that you go back and read it before continuing with this post.)  After I showed Curtis my work and got encouragement from him that he could get it published, I began the painstaking task of putting the song into the format of 4-part harmony.

It is important to understand that even though I have been involved in gospel singing my entire life, took six years of piano lessons, and 7 years of band--plus a year of the famous Flutophone, I did not study music composition. Pecking out a melody is one thing, but putting a song into parts for Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass is another thing altogether. It takes me weeks of work to get a song ready for the publisher, and it almost makes me wish I had worked harder on my music theory lessons when I took piano. Almost. 

I did finally get it all done, but I did not submit that particular song to the publisher until 2007. Below is a copy of "We'll Sing Glory!" in it's published form.  Next time, I will talk about what was going on between 1998 and December of 2000 when I did send my first submission to the publisher.

My Music Mentor

In the mid-1990's, my parents moved from Texas to Hot Springs Village, Arkansas. They bought a condo from an older couple who were very active in gospel music. When I went for a visit to see their new location, Daddy mentioned that he wanted me to meet Curtis and Norma Doss, the previous owners.  They had been singing gospel music for many years. It turned out that Curtis was a prolific gospel songwriter. We found several of his songs that we had sung in the singing convention books used in singing schools and local gospel singings. One of his songs, "Come and Meet Me," had even been featured on one of the Gaither Homecoming specials.

One afternoon, Daddy took me over to the house where they had moved after selling my parents their condo.  The door was opened by a little old man who had a full thick head of grey hair and hands that were gnarled with arthritis. Daddy made the introductions, and this is my memory of the rest of the visit: Curtis asked me if I sang, to which I answered, "yes I do." Then he said, "follow me." We followed him back to the den, where he had his piano.  He picked up some hand-written sheet music from the piano, and passed copies to Daddy and me. It was a new song he was working on. I felt a bit like I was in a classroom. As I was looking over the song, Curtis said, "Suzan, you will sing the first verse," and, somehow with those gnarled old fingers, he began playing an introduction.  At that moment, I was so glad for my years in singing school and it's emphasis on sight-reading.  So, he played and I sang the first verse of a song that no one had ever seen before. Curtis and Daddy joined in as we sang the chorus. Then he told Daddy to sing the second verse, and we all sang the chorus again.  

I had never had someone I just met tell me to sing a solo on a song I had never seen before. But it was Curtis' manner that made me do it without questioning. He was very quiet, but I could tell that he expected people to just do what they were told. So I sang. Afterwards, he explained that he was trying a new style of song, and he wanted to see how singers would interpret it.  That is one thing I learned about Curtis: he wanted his songs sung the way he wrote them.  

We had a discussion then about what he had intended for the song, because neither Daddy nor I had sung it the way he "heard" it in his head. He asked me for suggestions that he might write so that future singers would know how he intended for the song to be sung.  Later, when the song was published, I was pleased to see that he used my suggestions.

From that day forward, my heart was forever joined with Curtis.  I told him that I had been thinking about writing a song, and asked him to look at it and give me his thoughts. He very graciously looked at my hand-written, first time efforts.  He talked to me very openly, giving honest critique.  He was never one to mince words. He told me what he liked about the song, and he told me what he thought should be changed.  He also gave me some very good advice. He told me never to let another person's opinion override what I felt.  If I felt that God was giving me a certain message in song, I should write it that way, no matter what someone else thought.

Curtis encouraged me to finish the song and let him submit it to Marty Phillips and jeffress/phillips music company for their annual songbook.  I worked on it for a couple of years before I finally submitted it.  I actually submitted 2 or 3 others songs for publication before I was satisfied with the first song I showed him. The first song I published, "Rainbow of Grace," came out in the 2001 songbook, and I have had a song in their book every years since then. Every year, Curtis and Norma made a point to let me know that they had seen my new song and liked it.  I was so honored to know that he was following my work.  After wanting my music to be pleasing to our Lord, I wanted Curtis to like it.

In January 2011, in the same week, my Aunt Jean Watson and Curtis Doss moved from this earth to Heaven.  I saw the goodness of God in the timing.  Because I live in the Chicago area, I would have never been able to attend both funerals if they had been spaced farther apart.  God took them home one day apart, which allowed me to pay my respects to them both.

I had one last "Curtis" moment when I arrived a few minutes early for Curtis' funeral.  The singers were practicing for the special music and they were singing Curtis' songs as was a fitting tribute.  His sweet wife Norma was observing the practice.  I had already noticed that they were singing the song much faster than Curtis would have liked, and so had Norma. She did not hesitate to tell them that Curtis would want that song much slower.  And I just smiled, because that is exactly what Curtis would have done.

Beginning with my next post, I plan to take each song that I have written and tell the story behind it.  Until then, sing for Him!


Psalm 30:4  Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. 

History Fascinates Me

Thanks to all who left me such encouraging feedback on my initial post!  One of those comments was made by the Weavers, long-time acquaintances from the time when both our families were serving in the ministry in Louisiana.  They knew a singing evangelist whose father had taught singing schools in Arkansas, in the same area that my parents live.  The singer's name is Reggie Payte. This information made me want to do some follow-up. I emailed my Daddy, Travis Watson, to see if he knew Reggie Payte.  And here is what I found:

He knows someone who knows Reggie Payte (isn't that how things are down south?) BUT he did know Reggie Payte's father Olin Payte! Olin Payte sang in the Hartford Quartet (out of Little Rock, AR) at the same time as Daddy's next older brother, Lloyd Watson.  Now Daddy is not exactly sure when it was that they sang together, but says it was either in the late 1940's or early 1950's. [That is close enough for me.  I love history, but am not a slave to exact dates. My theory is that you should be able to place important events in the correct decade.] I passed this information on to the Weaver's and to my cousin, Donna, the family historian and daughter of my Uncle Lloyd.  She was glad to know the name of the quartet, as she had given up trying to find it. Aren't I the helpful one?!

The history lover in me couldn't leave it there, so off I go to bing and search "Hartford Quartet, Little Rock, AR", not really expecting to find anything since I had never heard of this quartet.  I was excited to find it popped up very quickly. There was a blog that chronicles the history of gospel quartets (who knew?), so I click and go. 

I didn't learn anything new about my uncle or Olin Payte, but I did find out that Albert E. Brumley sang with the Hartford Quartet beginning in 1929. If that name sounds vaguely familiar to you, then you have probably sung "I'll Fly Away,"  "The Blood That Stained the Old Rugged Cross," or any one of his many other songs.  The blog called him "the most prolific white gospel songwriter."  I have a copy of a book of his songs.  It was compiled by his daughter, who had a resource table at the Arkansas State Singing Convention that I attended a few years ago.

What does all this have to do with my journey in song?  Wait for it.....
When I was in the 3rd grade at South Heights School, in Sapulpa, OK, I sang a fairly new song in the school talent show. It was the first time I remember singing anywhere other than church.  The name of the song was, "It's Bound to Be the Lord" by Albert E. Brumley. It was published in 1963 by the Stamps Baxter Music Co., in their Golden Harvest book.  It is a very happy memory for me.  I can still sing that song from memory, all 3 verses.  It was probably written for quartets or convention singing, but it is an excellent song for a children's choir.  I doubt that today's society would allow a child to sing a song about God and His creation in the public school talent show, but it is their loss.  I am happy that my school was not like that.

That little rabbit trail was not on my original map, but I am really glad I chased it down.  If anyone is interested in "The Best of Albert E. Brumley", please contact Albert E. Brumley and Sons, Powell, MO 65730.

Psalm 18:49  Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name. --KJV

How I got on this journey

I grew up in a gospel music family.  In fact, my father grew up in a gospel music family.  My grandparents, Clifford and Clara Watson raised four boys and taught them to sing gospel music. 

In those days, there would be a "singing" on Saturday. People would bring food for the "potluck" lunch.  They would sing all morning, break for lunch, and go back and sing all afternoon. They sang from "convention" songbooks, published for the purpose of use by the gospel singings.  Stamps Baxter was a popular book.

In the summer, there would be "singing schools", usually taught by someone from the publisher of the song book.  I remember attending these in my teen years.  The one that I attended was held at Greenhill Methodist Church, in Mt. Pleasant, Texas.  It was taught by Robert S. Arnold.  Mr. Arnold wrote "No Tears in Heaven" and many other gospel songs.  He wore the old-fashioned, round, horn-rimmed glasses.  I thought he looked like an owl. 

I was 12 the first time I went to singing school. We had just moved to a new town and I didn't know anyone.  But I had grown up singing gospel music.  My daddy was the music director at every church I had ever been in.  Singing was the one thing I was not shy at doing. However, Mr. Arnold took me out of my comfort zone when he declared that each of us would learn how to direct the singing.  I was shy, and terrified at standing in front of the church and directing the singing. In Mr. Arnold's class, no one could opt out of any segment of the school.  So, I learned how to beat the time for every time signature.

We learned all the fundamentals of singing.  The emphasis of the singing school is sight singing.  The songbooks are written with shaped notes, because many of the old-time singers did not know the lines and spaces of the staff.  They learned the do-re-mi method, where each note has a distinctive shape.  I am sure it would come back to me, but all I remember of the shapes is that "do", which is the base chord or the key in which the song is written, is a triangle.

I wish everyone could experience an old-fashioned gospel singing.  My daddy still has one in Hot Springs Arkansas.  I believe they meet on the 4th Thursday of the month.  Everyone brings food for eating after the singing.  When you arrive, there is a sign-in sheet for those who want to lead a song, sing a special, etc.  Daddy opens the singing and then calls on those who signed in to pick a song from one of the books.  They take turns leading a song and everyone sings together. A few will sing a solo or a quartet will sing.  This goes on for an hour or so, and then they eat and fellowship.  It is a wonderful time of singing about our Lord Jesus all evening.

So, that is how I got on this Journey in Song.  In future posts, I will talk about the songs that I have written and the stories behind them.


Psalm 13:6  I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.