Tag: gods-love

An Amazing Opportunity

An Amazing Opportunity

The first week of April 2026, Shaun Mills, a guitarist with the praise group at church, introduced himself to me and said he had heard that I was a songwriter. I explained that I am more of a poet than a songwriter, but that I had come up with melodies for a couple of my poems and that “Fill Me with Thy Fruit” had been used at Nancy’s and my wedding, and the choir had sung it one Sunday.

          “Would you be interested in meeting a couple of times a week to work on praise songs?” He asked.

          I liked the idea, and we started meeting weekly. We agreed that anything we published would be royalty-free to churches and non-profits. We both want to produce music that glorifies God. Besides, I have to work to keep my ego in check when people appreciate what we do. I get kicks out of making people smile.

          In the meantime, Nancy went through five months of pain. First, in February, her knee replacement surgery somewhat curtailed her horseback riding and gardening. Then, the night after her surgeon cleared her to resume normal activities, she experienced extreme back pain that persisted until the first of July. Lots of prayer, two visits to Pain management, and a wondrous chiropractor brought her back to “giddy-up, go” status. As her caregiver, I was more inclined to stay home with her than play golf, and when I’m at home, I write.

          The first song Shaun and I wrote together was inspired by notes Melanie Cuddy, my friend from Saddleback Church, shared with me. One phrase caught our attention, and the song “Lord, Lead Me On” was the result. “ Joyfully” and “I Know Where I am Going” followed in quick order. Then Shaun left for a three-week visit with his son in Florida.

          When he returned, he was barely able to contain his enthusiasm. His son introduced him to Suno, an A.I. website. With Suno, we feed a song with our original lyrics and melody into the app. Then the app will add the harmonies, instrumentation, and filter our voices or substitute voices we specify. The result is radio-quality songs.

          The first time I played one of the songs for our Joy Group, one lady expressed concern that A.I. has potential for evil. Her concern is reasonable. Recent data indicates that as many as 120,000 new songs are introduced on the World Wide Web each day. A very small percentage of them are wholesome Christian pieces. Shaun and I want to offer to small churches, life groups, and missionaries as many royalty-free praise and worship songs as we can.

          Caveat: I am an imperfect Christian, so some of the songs I write are just for fun. Want to hear some Bible-based songs that land somewhere between traditional hymns and the feel-good nonsense that you hear on some Christian radio? Shaun’s link is: https://suno.com/@mysticlakemusic. My link is https://suno.com/@don_sennott

If you click on the “follow” tab, you will be notified when new songs are released. We have been publishing two or three a week. Between us, we have published over 70 songs.

To God be the glory.

Blessings,
Don

Unrequited Love

The story is told about a kindergartener, who changed schools in the middle of the school year. He was having difficulty making friends, so he came up with the idea of giving Valentine’s Day cards to the kids in his class. His mother helped him prepare thirty-two hand-made cards, one for each child and a special one for his teacher. The day came, and he went off to school carrying a bag full of cards.

His mother was working in the kitchen when he returned home empty-handed. Fearing the worst, she asked him what had happened at school. He shook his head. “Not a one!” he said. “Not a single one.”

His mother was astonished when he suddenly broke into a broad smile. “I didn’t forget anyone, he said proudly. “Not a one!” He did not even give a thought to the fact that no one had remembered to bring a card for the “new kid” in class. The important thing to him was he had been able to show his love to everyone.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  John 13:34-35 (NIV)

That is a humbling standard. It’s almost as difficult for me to get my mind around as Matthew 5:48, where Jesus ends his discourse on loving neighbors with the words, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

In the case of the kindergartener with his valentines, we have a glimpse of what perfect love might look like. His response to unrequited love was pure joy. He did what he did, expecting nothing in return. Sure, he hoped the cards would help him make friends, but he decided the best way to find a friend was to be one.

Easy for a five-year-old but not so easy for adults. Sometimes the risk of putting oneself out there doesn’t seem worth the pain. Maybe, you have been the type of friend Proverbs 18:24 describes as a friend who sticks closer than a brother. But you’ve been disappointed by, or even betrayed by your friend. You have been there through their ups and downs, only to have them walk away when you needed a shoulder to cry on. Unrequited love like that can trigger disappointment that can turn to bitterness that can lead to anger.

Are you angry because someone failed to respond the way you felt they should? It may help you move past your anger to remember love isn’t a quid pro quo virtue. There isn’t always a return on the investment when you are giving yourself. Sure, it’s human nature to feel disappointment when someone fails to reciprocate or respond appropriately to your kindness — it is Christ-like to forgive them.

God so loved the world…we can requite his love by loving him and by sharing his love with others. Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.  1John 4:7-8