One Name presents “Bethany Home” – a collection of songs for praise, adoration, intimacy, exultation, desperation, comfort, passion, devotion, and the hope of Jesus’ return. What follows is a brief summary of the 11 songs included on the album with comments on their creation, development, and some of the interesting events that happened, signposts, along the way. MY SWEET LORD One of the most ground-breaking rock albums of all time is the late ex-Beatle George Harrison's "All Things Must Pass" (I still have the vinyl 4-record set!) with the hit single "My Sweet Lord". Our arrangement of this timeless classic is over 10 years old, waiting first for a "release" from the Spirit. It has finally come. The usage of the Hebrew term "hallelujah" makes this song particularly accessible to Christians. The term is actually a compound meaning: "hallel" - to praise with exuberance; and "Jah" - a shortened version of "Jehovah". This term literally means to express exuberant praise to the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. The God of our Lord Jesus Christ. We do not take issue with the composer's personal spiritual belief; rather, we believe that "the earth is the Lord's, and everything in it." (Psalm 24) We offer it in praise to Him. FOR THE BEAUTY Most church-goers will recognize this tune ("Dix" by Conrad Kocher) and wonderful text by Folliet Pierpoint. "For The Beauty Of The Earth" has been a favorite hymn for over 150 years. The folksy, Appalachian-flavored arrangement with the fiddle really compliments the emphasis on nature, human love, brotherhood, and the church. MY OXYGEN On earth, we live at the bottom of an ocean... an ocean of air. It is always in contact with us, pressing in, ready to flow into our lungs when we inhale, which is really a function of higher air pressure rushing into lower air pressure. Air cannot help but to rush into our lungs, as "nature abhors a vacuum". God's eternal love is like this. Always present, pressing in, waiting for an opening. In 1996 my brother, Richard (formerly of the 80's pop-rock band Mr. Mister), released his first solo album called "Shelter Me", which included this wonderfully intimate song originally written by British artist Nik Kershaw. Rich's contribution made the song more of a ballad, and it was covered in 2000 by the CCM group Avalon. WE ADORE This original song was first penned in 1996 while I was still cutting my teeth as a songwriter influenced by Hosanna!Integrity's keyboard-based pop styles of the day. I recorded a demo of it back then, had it copyrighted and submitted to CCLI, but then left it sitting largely ignored until summer 2011. In the meantime, my worship leading has taken me more into guitar, and I try to find interesting tonalities and voicings when I can. One evening at home, just messing around with a "Drop-D" tuning (tune the low E string down a whole step) I stumbled onto what became the basic motif of this new arrangement. Then taking the tempo up considerably from the original laid-back recording made this song come alive in a way I never expected it to! Amazing what 15 years can do, and God is in no hurry. ONLY OUR GOD AND KING The Revelation passage "Blessing and honor, and glory and power be unto Him who sits on the throne..." comes to us from an entirely "other" place. The magnificence of this phrase of praise must not be minimized through over usage. Indeed, it can't be used enough! I wrote and demoed this song in 2002, but while preparing for a concert event here in Phoenix in May 2010, I decided to re-track the song as a demo for the band members to use for practice. I had rearranged the song to include a spot for a lead solo, and our guitarist, Phil Dockery, was over at the house to contribute some tracks. I had very little expectation for this and basically just told him to have fun. We tracked five or six different passes at the solo, each one gaining refinement and intensity, developing it together as we went. Far exceeding expectations, this talented and anointed artisan of music captured such passionate expressions of melodic praise, we were simply in awe of God's presence and grandeur. Later, working through the various tracks, Toni and I discovered that two different takes began and ended EXACTLY the same way! We looked at each other and seemed to have the same thought: What if we used them both together? The result was simply breathtaking, and stands out to us as a highlight. But more, this was when we started to wonder if God was nudging us to make an album. SANCTUS In 1998 or so, I came upon this bass riff using the 5th, 7th, and 10th fret harmonics of the A, D, and G strings, while playing the walk-up line on the E string as an ostinato (repeated phrase). I realize this means very little to non-musicians - but this is the basic inspiration of this admittedly quirky piece. This motif, the low ascending line with the answering high sustaining tones, is all played on the bass guitar! Since this was simply a riff that repeats, we needed somewhere to go with it. After asking the Lord for direction, I set off on a months-long journey of experimentation with sound processing (for example, the Scripture passage from Revelation is whispered through a Leslie rotary speaker cabinet), vocal, and sound effects (including crowds cheering, roaring lion, thunder, etc.) Arguably the least "song-like" track of the album, it does strain the ear and patience of the listener. It was our goal to create more of a "sonic experience" than a sing-along song. One can dare to close eyes and ask the Lord to inspire the imagination. I know what I see in this: heavenly hosts arrayed in enormous splendor, the four living creatures whizzing about, the proclamation "You are worthy, oh God ... To receive glory and honor and power...", and the entrance of the Lion of Judah to receive the adoration of all. Our guest singer was our daughter, Rebecca, who happened to walk by the studio at the moment I needed her. AS THE DEER Saints around the world have sung this classic Martin Nystrom song millions of times since it debuted in 1984. Not that there's anything wrong with the way we normally hear this song, but I began to feel its desperation some time ago while just reading the words from Psalm 42. A deer - panting for water. Have you ever been so thirsty that you're literally panting? Maybe after helping push a car off the roadway, or carrying a heavy burden up several flights of stairs. The body simply MUST have water - or it will die. I was inspired to change the feel to something more intense. Musically, we've swapped the tonal orientation of the first section (originally in D major) and the chorus section (in the relative B minor), so that the song now starts in the minor key for the verse “As the deer pants…”, allowing the chorus "You alone are my strength and shield..." to resound in a brightly sparkling major tonality. We feel it’s more aligned to what is being expressed in David’s psalm. BETHANY HOME The title track is the only song written during production of the album. We began to sense there was a real "home group" intimate fellowship feel for much of this album, and we let the Lord just mold that into the name. The Gospels mention a community on the outskirts of ancient Jerusalem called "Bethany". This was where Jesus' friend Lazarus lived with his sisters, Martha and Mary. It always struck me that this just seemed like one of Jesus' favorite places to hang out with friends. It is also where Martha infamously protests about Mary sitting with Jesus while she did all the meal preparations, and where He famously tells Martha that Mary had actually chosen the better thing. Also, this is where Lazarus was raised from the dead, and where Jesus makes the phenomenal claim, “I am the resurrection and the life…” In the first decade of the 20th Century there were many tuberculosis clinics in the Phoenix area. One that was run by "a religious organization" was called The Bethany Home. Now, over 100 years later, the facility has long since been demolished in favor of houses and a large shopping center (Christown/Spectrum Mall is in the area now). But the road leading to the Bethany Home still bares its namesake (Bethany Home Road). One day I was going through a box of old song ideas (recorded on cassette!) from probably 1985. This song's chord progression was one of those early recordings, and now - what, 26 years later? - it was about to find new life with lyrics and fresh melody. It was such a perfect fit, one of the Lord's little buried gems just waiting to be rediscovered. Toni makes her lead vocal debut on this song. We have been fans of the jazz group Weather Report for years. Their late virtuoso keyboardist, Josef Zawinal, had the ability to make the Moog Synthesizer cry and fly. Much the musical inspiration of this unique song. HOLY SPIRIT TRUTH DIVINE Once again, inspired to bring a hymn text into modern life, this text was written by Samuel Longfellow (cousin to the famous poet) in 1864. Taking license with the sequence of the original verses, three verses were created but something was still lacking. A chorus, or "B Section" was yet to come. Somewhere over the years, I’d heard the phrase "revealer of Jesus" referring to the Holy Spirit's ministry. It always intrigued me, and I have found myself praying that many times. The lyric "Oh, sweet comforter, revealer of Jesus..." is the only original in the song. Everything else is Longfellow's. When we decided to add the song to the album, kind of a late add-on, we felt something was needed in the middle. I didn't have a clue what, until one night the inspiration snuck up and after about 20 minutes playing with, again, another ostinato bass tune (in 5/4 time) we had our middle section. Mainly instrumental, this quickly became the highlight of the piece. This arrangement features a keyboard sound not often heard these days, the harpsichord. The vocal parts are by far the most ambitious on the album. This final track recorded (not final in sequence) had such a sense of closure and completion that we felt God’s release on the collection. THE ONE I LOVE There is much to learn from the Old Testament book, Song Of Solomon. Most Bible scholars consider this poetry to be a double meaning; of course the obvious, the thrill of human love in the context of marriage; but more significantly a prophetic tale of love between a bride (considered to be the church) and her bridegroom (Jesus). The concept does not stand alone in these chapters, indeed "Bridal Paradigm" teachings are plentiful in the Psalms, Gospels, and in the Epistles. This is why Christians are typically so protective of the state of marriage in the natural - it is a picture of the pure and holy love and yearning our Bridegroom has for His bride, and the union that is yet to come. One passage descibes a "troubled night" when she has awakened too late to let her Lover in, and He was gone. She pursues Him, calling out "Who has seen the One I love...?" A desperate cry of yearning for Jesus. The song has a romantic Latin flavor that was beautifully expressed in Ron Pettit's magnificent classical guitar solo. Brady Putzke is featured on acoustic (upright) bass. IN TIME There is a day, to be sure, that is promised and coming that will be unlike any day in history. Just as the day of Christ's birth, and the day of His resurrection, the day of His return will suddenly usher God's kingdom into this existence. All will see it, and all will be held accountable - whether still living or long since gone - for their choices in this life. Now today, however, we see "in a glass dimly." But then - on that day like no other - we will see "face to face", and the wondering and waiting will end. Jesus will reign, no question, no contest, without foe or equal. This song helps to answer the instruction of Paul to "comfort one another with these words". The struggles to come may be horrendous (many in the world today already suffer greatly for Christ), as the "last days" play out on the world stage, for all to see. But His return will also play out, for all to see. Take comfort in this, fellow followers of Christ. He will return... in time.