An Update...2024

 11 YEARS!!!

I started this plog 11 years ago.  I had lofty intentions of recording a spontaneous song of worship every week for a whole year.

11 years later after my bandcamp sites had been shuffled around years before, I've just reviewed and updated many of the links on this plog so that at least the post matches the embedded song now!  Woohoo!

What happened?

So for all of you wondering what happened to this project from all those years ago: I didn't quite make the whole year of spontaneous worship I set out to do.  But it was close!! Sickness made this effort very difficult and I abandoned a little early! But although I didn't quite make the year, what I did end up with was a steep learning curve of how to record and produce music at home, a whole lot of time spent singing the scriptures, spontaneous worship and soaking music that lasts for all eternity, and a couple of albums of raw unadulterated worship to look back on all these years later (here and here).

In addition, with my Lion & I bandmate James, we got a whole album of commercial music "Send Your Glory" out of this blog.  You can find that album here. And the good news is you can download and own that album for free! (as well as our earlier Lion & I album here and the raw spontaneous sessions).

My perspective from 2024

It's been an interesting exercise going back over some of these old posts and songs.  I'd forgotten a lot of what I'd recorded back then.  And a lot of things have changed since my time doing this plog: my church situation, my living situation even my marital status and name have changed.  Heck - the whole world has changed sinced 2013!  Listening back I can hear a lot of growth and maturity that has happened since these songs... I can also hear some of the unhealed parts of me and even some unhealthy attitutdes. But some things haven't changed.  And certainly my love for God, for sitting in His presence and singing His word has only grown since this time.  So although I look back on some of this time with a sense both of joy and sadness, one thing doesn't change: He's Good! And His grace covers all things.

Looking back I'm so pleased I did this little exercise.  It's a snapshot in time of where I was at in my worship journey of 2013/14.  A stake in the ground even when I was feeling so very ill and empty physically. And I was particularly encouraged to come across the post that spoke of my little niece Chloe and her first effort recording a worship song.  I'm so proud to report she is now a beautiful young adult who has only grown in her gifts and is now working as a pastor, leading worship and writing songs all the time!!  

What a lovely little walk down memory this has been.  And a beautiful reminder that 11 years later although some things pass away... other things we do have lasting impact... 

Blessings,

Sally

Born Again

Flesh give birth to flesh.  but spirit gives birth to spirit.

I've been pondering these things lately.  Particularly after watching the "son of god" movie.  I was really challenged.  If i was John or Peter or any of the disciples - would i have left everything to follow this man who just appeared and said "follow me"???   I have a feeling that my mind would be saying "this man is crazy".  But if i took the time to listen to my spirit, it would be screaming "Follow Him.  Follow Him anywhere!!"

So I have this dilemma - I know that if i let my mind judge situations or people, I will miss the things of God.  The only solution is we must be born again.  We must learn to see with eyes that see what is not really seeable!!  Because my eyes only see the physical things.  Flesh things.

…"That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. "Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit."…  John 3:6-8

It's a whole new way of seeing.  Of walking.  And of trusting.

Born Again

This week's song is a meditation on this truth.  Let it sink deep, deep into your spirit.  Let it remind you of how the Kingdom of God operates.

Psalm 139 - Chloe and Sally

This weeks song is very special to me. Not just becausee it's based on one of my favourite Psalms (I've used Psalm 139 as inspiration on this plog before - here). But because in a spontaneous sessions first, it's a duet with one of my favourite people - my niece Chloe Turner.

A few years ago, when Chloe was only 10 and on a visit with me over the summer holidays, we decided we would do some worship together.  I asked her to write out a few verses of her favourite Psalm and we sat at the piano and made up a spontaneous song based on those verses.  I couldn't believe my ears!  Here was a 10 year old girl making up a song off the top of her head, making up harmonies and melodies and singing beautiful and creative praise to our God.  I'm not ashamed to admit I had a bit of a tear in my eye because it touched me so much.

Fast forward a few years and Chloe is now a beautiful young woman of God.  She serves on her church worship team, her youth team, and is a dedicated lover of God.  I'm so proud of the person she has become and is becoming! So the last time she came down, we recorded a track based on her choice of Psalm 139:23-24:

23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting.

So here we are (on a track recorded and then remixed by my Lion & I bandmate James Bough, and of course it's all spontaneous!).  Free to download!  Share it with your friends :)

Chloe and Aunty Sally recording Psalm 139

The One Coming

It's been a very long time since we've been here.  Oh spontaneous sessions, I've missed you!!  My 12 months of spontaneous-ness was interrupted by illness. Boooo. And altho I'm not completely better (yet), I'm determined to pick up where we left off.  So here we go again!  (And just a reminder that these tracks are free to download! Just click on the link below)

What really matters?

You know the cool thing about living in the western world when you've got nothing else to do but lie in bed? Lots of entertainment and distractions.  You know the bad thing about living in the western world when you've got nothing else to do but lie in bed? Lots of entertainment and distractions.  To truly fellowship with and know the Lord takes us making a decision about what we will do with our time.  It's the same decision for each of us whether we're well or sick, rich or poor, troubled or at peace.  It's too easy to be caught up in wasting our lives on things that in the end don't really matter.

Psalm 132

The first 5 verses of Psalm 132 speak of the vow that David made before God  He sets making a dwelling place for God as a priority in his heart. Todays spontaneous session was inspired by the desire to make knowing and loving God the number one priority in my life.  I don't want to just give "the minimum i can get away with giving" - I want to experience the fullness of what God has for me in this life.  To live a life abandoned to the one who is coming!

Send Your Glory - Lion & I

In this break between recording new spontaneous sessions, I've been very happy to share with you tracks from the new album by Lion & I.  These tracks were originally recorded as spontaneous sessions for this very blog, so it's just as if all is normal!!

This week I'm sharing the eponymous track from the Send Your Glory album, called....  well...  "Send Your Glory"!  It's a song borne out of a love for our country and our city.  It never fails to stir a cry in my heart for revival!!  I hope you will be stirred to pray and cry aloud for your country too:

"Send your glory to this place!"

Anointing - Lion & I

This is turning out to be a longer than usual break from new recordings!  But I'm sure to be better and back to "spontaneity" soon!

In the meantime, here's one of the awesome spontaneous worship tracks off the Lion & I just-released-album Send Your Glory.  Recorded right here on "the spontaneous sessions" back in May, this is one of my favourite songs to sing.  In true Lion & I style, it has been re-worked, and even features a rap by our very own James Bough!

I hope you enjoy it!

Sally

There Is Joy - Lion & I

Recording is still on hold whilst I recover - but normal transmission will resume as soon as I can possibly manage it!!!  So this week, I'll be sharing one of the spontaneous songs that appears on the new Lion & I album Send Your Glory.

Oooh - and in the meantime, if you live in Melbourne and would like to be a part of a live "spontaneous session", I will be leading worship (along with the Hope of Glory church worship team) at the Glory Revolution Conference on Monday 11th November.  It's gonna be a great time!

About "There is Joy"

So - to this weeks song.  It's entitled "There is Joy", is full of fun and celebration, and is based a little on Psalm 16

"...you will fill me with joy in your presence..." (Psalm 16:11)

and a little on Psalm 84

"Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you" (Psalm 84:4)

It also features some rather cool guitar playing by James Bough, some Spanish linguistics by Alisha Moure, and trumpet playing by me!!!

Enjoy!