A Sample From Last Week's Recording Session

Last Friday, after I was done for the day with recording, I mentioned on my Facebook page that I had some samples of what I had worked on.

Today, I'm going to share with you one of those samples. It's a little snippet from "When You Speak to Me" and I hope you enjoy it. My brother, Daniel Tekunoff, did the arrangement for me. He is not only very talented, he is a blessing, and I'm not just saying that because he's my brother. =)

Keep in mind that it's a rough draft, (not the arrangement by any means!), the vocals and levels and such. And it's missing background vocals at the moment. But it's a preview and I hope you enjoy it. You can listen to it HERE on SoundCloud. I'd love to hear what you think about it. =)

All glory to Jesus,

Adriel

"Your Word is a Light" - Story Behind the Song

(Link to listen is at the bottom if you're in a hurry.)

Time for another song from the old bunch. This is the second to last. I cannot believe I am going to let you listen to this. The lyrics are good, but the production is not. <cringe>

Anyways, yeah. Let's get back to the story behind the song, shall we?

First of all, this song is dedicated to my parents. I don't know if they want their names publicly posted, so I'm going to play it safe and not do so. <a big wave to Dad and Mom>
My parents raised me in a loving, Godly home. Now, as a parent myself, I appreciate them so much more than when I was a kid. I took so much for granted or wasn't as grateful and thankful as I ought to have been. They made a lot of sacrifices for me, my sister, and my brother. Sacrifices that they didn't have to make, but that they chose to make to give us a stronger, better foundation than if they had chosen the easier, more popular, route. They weren't always popular with other parents, I know they were considered "strict" by some, and they didn't try to be my best friend. They trained me in God's way and I am so thankful that they did. They truly showed me love as I see now how much they laid their lives down for me and my siblings.

Do you know how hard it is to get weird looks from other parents or have to explain your family's opposing position on something that is normal and benign to others? It's not easy, but my parents were a great example to me and continue to be.

So this song is just a tribute to them. A simple declaration that I will continue walking in the truth and Way that they trained me to go. I will not depart from it. Dad and Mom, I really love you! =)


I received this song in 2006. I think it was one of the last songs I wrote that went into the original project (I Exist for You) that I had started a year or two prior to that. Over the past several months prior to receiving this song, the Lord had put in me a strong appreciation for His Word and a realization that the truths that are found in His Word were a foundation that was to be stood upon and not compromised.

At the time, we had just been introduced to Precept Ministries and we were watching the Jude video with those whom we were in fellowship with at the time. The teaching from this book (Jude) was very sobering to me, as I realized that the Word of God had been lost in the house of God. This question formed in my mind: If God's Word is non-negotiable truth, why is it compromised to accommodate the ungodly?

After viewing the video that evening, I came home and sang this song. It is very simple, yet true. It is good to be reminded of these things.

"Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path." Psalm 119:105

You can listen to "Your Word is a Light" and download it for free on SoundCloud HERE. Lyrics are in the song description as well as HERE.

All glory to Jesus,

Adriel

"It's You I Adore" - Story Behind the Song

(Link to listen is at the bottom for those of you in a rush.)

I've been saving my least favorites of the batch of songs I recorded eight years ago for awhile now. I keep putting it off. I'm honestly embarrassed to let you hear these. I'm not pleased with them. They either didn't turn out sounding as polished as I would have liked, they ended up sounding tacky, I didn't sing a certain part just so, the music doesn't really fit the song, and on and on my reasons go.

The story behind this song, "It's You I Adore", is sweet and simple. I was privileged many years ago, to be invited to participate in the organization of the worship time for an upcoming women's retreat. One of the women from our church had invited a friend of hers (sorry, I don't remember her name), who was very gifted in music, to basically lead. A group of four to six of us met once each week in preparation, and I gleaned a lot from the leader. "Free worship" was a gift of hers, which I had experienced as a kid, but not at this particular church. It took some effort for some of us to get out of that comfort zone we'd been used to, but once we began to sing out things on our heart to the Lord as the music kept going, the response came easier. I treasured that time and still do to this day.

This song was an overflow from that experience. It is based on the book of Song of Solomon (or Songs), and is just a love song to the Lord. I hope to one day record a more appropriate version of this song - I'm thinking acoustic, no electronic stuff. You live and learn!

Of course, the whole "free worship" thing, also known as "spontaneous worship", can become weird and disorderly, and that is certainly not what I am talking about here. I know are movements that have popularized this type of worship and they are way off. With the right leader who is truly in tune with the right Spirit, the Holy Spirit, (not something weird), free worship can truly be beautiful. =)

You can listen to "It's You I Adore" and/or download it for free on SoundCloud HERE (you may have to register, but it's free and easy), and lyrics are also there in the description, as well as HERE.

All glory to Jesus,

Adriel

Let Me

It's funny to revisit a song recorded eight years ago, written before even longer than that. The message God gave me through it is still relevant to me today. But those words seem more precious now - more of a reality.

There are seasons in our lives when we are physically weak, either from a burden that is weighing heavily upon us or just because of natural circumstances. My experience when I received this song, "Let Me", in 2006 was a combination of both. I was sitting at the piano and the Lord spoke this song to me and I began singing it. The words were so comforting to me, releasing me from the burden that I was carrying, allowing me to rest in the Lord regarding my health.

"Come to Me, all who are weary and 

heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 

Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, 

for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 

For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Matthew 11:28-30

  God's invitation is, "Let Me hold you. Let Me take this weight from your heart." He's always willing. But I'm not always willing to let Him. I'm not sure why I fight God, pushing Him away when I am in desperate need of Him. I have become keenly aware in the last 12 months that I am naturally a self-sufficient, self-reliant, self-righteous, proud, strong-willed, determined, stubborn person, trying to do everything myself. (I sound really nice, right?) I suppose that it is easier for some of us to do that very thing - let God. But for someone like me, "surrender" translates into "failure" in my mind and soul. "Letting God" means that I'm too weak to do it myself.

  Fast-forward to several years later and God is still extending that invitation to me. "Letting Him" is really what God has been teaching me through the last year with my health collapsing and being pretty much bedridden for a month or two. God doesn't love me because of what I can do. He just loves me because I am His. That was a really hard concept for me to accept. I don't know why. It's all over the Bible. It's not like it was new or anything. But I knew it in my head, but not in my heart.

  That time of being utterly dependent upon other people for just about everything was excruciating for me. I despised it at first. But God taught me so much through this trial and continues to teach me more, and I am so grateful that He cared enough about my spiritual health to allow my physical health to fail.

  I'm learning how to be a dependent, humble, submissive, pliable, reliant, surrendered person, looking unto God for my righteousness, goodness, strength, and salvation. Ultimately, "letting Him", instead of thinking I can do it all by myself, which is such a ludicrous idea anyway.

  I could write a lot more, but that's quite enough for one post. I'm sure I'll be talking about this at another point in time along the way. After all, I'm still learning. =)

  You can listen to "Let Me" and download it for free HERE if you want (signup may be necessary, but it is quick and free). Lyrics can be viewed HERE.

All glory to Jesus,

Adriel

#music #songs

"I Come to You" - Story Behind the Song

After a mid-week Bible study some time in 2002, I sat down at my keyboard and started singing this song. We had been talking about letting the Lord fill our lives with more of Him and this song was just the response in my heart. When I sing this song, I sing it as a prayer to the Lord. It is a very intimate worship song, good for reflection and reminding. We have a constant need in our hearts and lives that can only be filled by Jesus. He is the One!

  I have noticed in my own life that during hard times, my need for "comfort" climbs incredibly high. But the things that my flesh finds "comforting" are not, in actuality, filling my heart with the comfort and peace that only Jesus can bring.

  As hard as those times are, I am thankful for them, because they help me grow and mature in the Lord. I find myself running to the Lord more and more instead of running to those other things that are so empty. Do I still try to find comfort from other things or people instead of the Lord? Yes, I do. But I catch myself at it faster than I used to (or rather, God reminds me of what is really true) and I remember the One whom I should be clinging to.

  I love these encouraging verses that are wonderful reminders in those times when I am feeling that need for comfort:

"You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, 

and cling to Him."

Deuteronomy 13:4

"I cling to Your testimonies; 

O Lord, do not put me to shame!"

Psalm 119:31

  You can listen to and download "I Come to You" HERE at soundcloud (you may have to register, but it's easy and free) and you can view the lyrics HERE. This is the newer version - mastered, edited, sweetened up, produced, and much more by Matthew Winfree.

  May God bless you and may you come to the Lord today to be filled with more of Him. He alone can satisfy!

All glory to Jesus,

Adriel

Sunday Encouragement

Happy Sunday to you! I recently found this song on youtube from Gateway Worship. I am always a sucker for new worship songs, especially ones that declare the greatness and truth about my glorious God!

The challenge, of course, is that these types of songs are so inspirational and uplifting that you can walk away from them feeling like you are in the clouds and closer to God. But the real deal is how it affects my spiritual walk. My desire is to hear these beautiful, inspiring songs and walk away from them with my walk changed and my mind renewed, not just a good feeling.

God bless you this coming week!

Adriel

"Keep Me" - Story Behind the Song

  During the summer of 2004, my husband began looking into starting our own business. After praying and finding the Lord's peace in this new venture, we decided on a franchise and began looking for a location. We found a spot and began the lease negotiations.

  In the process of the negotiations, my husband felt led by the Lord to be closed on Sunday. This was kind of a scary step of faith, as we had already paid the franchise fee and this closure had to be approved by corporate in addition to being approved by the landlord, not to mention the closure of that day taking a bite out of our total income. If anyone said "no", the whole venture was going to end for us, regardless of the money we had already invested.

  The Lord gave me this song during this time of uncertainty and wondering what was going to happen. My journal entry that goes along with this song says, "We still haven't found out for sure if the landlord is okay with us being closed on Sunday, but we will find out soon. Even so, it is so good to be resting in the Lord and trusting Him. Sometimes we can get ahead of God and lose the peace and it's so good to just stop and see where we lost it."

  Everything ended up going through fine with those critical negotiations and decisions. Actually, we didn't even end up opening up our store in that first location, but at a different location three years later, in February of 2007. And wouldn't you know it, that location was in a more corporate business area, so being closed on Sunday was no big deal, even income-wise. It was pretty dead around that area on the weekends.

  That whole experience of owning and operating our own business is another story in itself. I'll just say for now that we ended up selling it almost four years after we opened.

  It's kind of interesting to look back to those times which, at the time, seemed to be desperate and urgent, as if our very lives were hanging on by what happened or didn't happen. Now, that whole "drama" seems somewhat insignificant, especially when I compare it to things we would later face in our lives. But that's just part of the journey. Growing up and maturing in the Lord. It begins with the small things. And staying with God, right where He is, is so important - more than I can say.

  You can listen to this song and download it for free HERE on SoundCloud (you may have to register, but it's simple and free), and you can view the lyrics HERE. Enjoy!

All glory to Jesus,

Adriel

"Speak to Me" - Story Behind the Song

If you don't like long stories, scroll to the bottom!

The year 1996 became the spring board that literally propelled me into songwriting. God first began working in me through songwriting during this year of my life. Two monumental things happened that year that impacted me greatly. I was about 15 at the time, so they may not seem so monumental to you, but they were to me at the time.

The first "monumental" event was that I gave up playing the violin, something I had been doing for 10 years. This was a really hard decision for me to make, but since playing was causing the beginnings of (probable) tendonitis in my wrist and also giving me neck pain, my parents and I both felt that quitting was the best thing. Music was a very important part of my life, of me, really. Out of desperation, I began playing around on the piano and my mom taught me the basics of chords. I couldn't have thought at the time that God had a very special plan for me that could on occur by taking away my ability to play the violin. It seemed to me, at the time, to be a tremendous loss and an incredible waste of so much time and effort. However, the piano opened up a door in my heart that led me to the secret place where the Lord makes music and inspires new songs. I didn't see it then, but it's crystal clear now. {smile}

  The second "monumental" even that impacted my life greatly later in my 15th year was my grandma being diagnosed with cancer, the prognosis not hopeful. I was very close to her and she was a special person in my life. Knowing she would die within a year or two was hard to accept and caused great pain in my heart. When you're 15, things like this really shake up your world. This news and revelation certainly did that for me.  

The Lord gave me this song during that time of wrestling with my grandma's suffering and impending death, which gave me great encouragement and comfort during this time. Right before my Grandma passed away, a friend of my family's made it possible for me to make a recording of this song and I was able to share the finished product with her. How sweet that God gave me that special opportunity!

  So, that is the story behind "Speak to Me" and the Lord has continued giving me songs ever since! And wouldn't you know it, that song is how my husband became interested in me. Kind of a silly thing, I know, but God used it for a variety of purposes - good purposes! =)

I hope that no matter what you are walking through or the turmoil going on inside of you, that you will pray these simple words:

"God, speak to me in my heart, calm the storm raging in my mind. Give me peace, just speak it to my soul. Speak to me, speak to me, Jesus."

You can listen to and download "Speak to Me" for free HERE and view the lyrics HERE.

All glory to Jesus,
Adriel