Playing with the Academy of Music GR teacher band in the Graceland Guest House Theater in Memphis, TN

Here is my original song, The Writer, which I had the opportunity to sing at The PIER Church. God is the Writer of our story (and the story of the whole world). When we go along with the plan & purpose He has for our life, we can have peace. But too often, we want to do life our own way, so we rebel against God and His plan for our lives... When we rebel against God and try to write our own story, chaos often ensues. God lifts His hand of influence off of our lives and lets us live life our own way... He lets us experience the sin that we thought we would love. But, sin's pleasure is fleeting -- it doesn't last. Instead, we can end up "filled with anguish, filled with sin"... This song encapsulates the journey of someone who turns away from the Lord, tries to live life his own way and write his own story, but then the chaos and despair of that sinful life finally wakes him up to the fact that he really does need the Lord. He needs to be washed clean and forgiven; he needs to live life God's way; he needs God's very Word to give new life to him, once again. The person in this story turns back to the Lord in the end, but I also realize that not everyone does... Friend, if you are living in rebellion against the Lord, it is not too late to turn back and repent. "Seek the Lord while He may be found," as the Scriptures say. The Lord is so merciful and gracious to take you back, no matter how dirty you've ended up on your quest to write your own story. He can wash you up and take you back into His loving arms once again. Life is so much better when we live according to the story that the Writer is writing. He is the Author of Life. Amen. ===== Lyrics: A blank canvas, a barren page A pen unmoving, a hand unswayed Words flow from the mind of the Writer Life comes from the pen of the Writer Words flow from the mind of the Writer Life comes from the pen of the Writer The Writer writes and a heartbeat starts A new light invades the dark The ink from His pen draws the form of men His word can make us born again He is the Author of life... amen A newborn life, a precious soul A story unfolding, a plot untold My life was in the Writer's hands My days marked out before they began My life was in the Writer's hands I was living out His plan The Writer writes and a heartbeat starts A new light invades the dark The ink from His pen draws the form of men His word can make us born again He is the Author of life... But then... "I don't want be a part of Your story! I want my own hopes, my own dreams! I don't want You to get all the glory! I'm tired of You making a puppet out of me!" And somewhere inside came alive A ravenous beast thirsting for life A black-hole hunger with a wicked goal: “I must rise against the Writer's control!" So I’ll step up… My life will be in my control! I’ll take the reins… Power is everything that I hold! "Now You can’t take this away from me! No, I will control my destiny! You thought You had me in Your strings; Now I will live like a king! Oh, you pulled one over on me then! But now I’ll hold the pen!!" Ev'ry day I try to find my way out I know He's always with me How can I escape His eyes? I must get away while He cannot see I must flee. Ev'ry day I try to find my way out I know He's always with me How can I escape His eyes? I must get away while He cannot see Mutiny… MUTINY!! But His eyes saw me!! RUN!! I was running from life's Lord Hiding away with a sharp sword Hoping His face I could ignore Trapped behind this locked door “Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord.” - Jeremiah 23:24 I'll finally escape His story I'll find the key to glory No rules to thwart my vict'ry Master of my destiny “And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.” - Romans 1:28 Filled with anguish, filled with sin I thought this would make my existence begin Filled with anguish, filled with sin Looks like I'm running to You again... The Writer writes and a heartbeat starts A new light invades the dark The ink from His pen draws the form of men His words can make us born again He is the Author of life... Amen… amen… Amen

For use in your own worship service or your personal worship time. :)

For use in your own church service, if you'd like, or just to worship along with. :)

This used to be one of my old songs, but I recently re-wrote the verses of the song and learned how to sing the high notes a lot better (after years of training, not just immediately). It's a song telling God, "I need You to show me who I am." God is the Light who lights up every part of our lives, and we need Him to search us and know the very depths of who we are so we can be the people He's created us to be.

God's majesty and glory is incredible! When God appeared to the people of Israel from atop Mount Sinai (where God gave the people the 10 Commandments through Moses), there was smoke and lightning and the sound of a trumpet, and the people were terribly afraid! They didn't want to come too close to God, for fear of being killed. So they sent Moses to speak to the LORD on their behalf. Too often in the Western church (like here in America where I am), we become perhaps a bit too comfortable with our thoughts about God, only thinking about God as "my buddy." Now, it's true, when we are in Christ Jesus, God loves us and treats us as His own dear children, but He is still /God/ -- the Creator, the Savior, the All-Powerful, the Judge of all the earth. We ought to stand in awe of God and tremble at His words! (Isaiah 66:1-2) One day God will judge the world. We will have to give an account of our lives to God, and He will judge even the secrets of our hearts -- the things no one else knew! God has provided a way to save us from judgment -- His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus came to this world, lived a perfect life, taught us how to live in a way that honors God, and then He died as a sacrifice on our behalf, was buried, and rose again from the grave three days later. Then He ascended to Heaven to sit at God's right hand. Because Jesus died, we don't have to. When we turn away from our sins and look to God as the only one we can entrust our lives to, He creates in us a new heart -- a heart that cares about the things of God and doesn't want to sin anymore. Then when we are immersed in water in the name of Jesus, we are burying our old life behind, just like Jesus was buried, so that we too, like Jesus, can walk in newness of life. And God gives us His Holy Spirit to dwell inside us and give us a new birth, to become members of His family -- His own sons and daughters. But this can never happen if we have a small view of God or think that He's not going to judge us for our sins. God sees everything that we do, and there is a day coming when He will judge each one of us through Jesus Christ. Every knee will bow before Jesus, and every tongue will admit that Jesus Christ is Lord. So, bow in awe of God now. Submit your life and your heart to Him. Turn away from your sins, and trust in Jesus as your Savior.

Ryan Vegh singing his song, "Taste And See," at Ballard Church in Sparta, MI.

A portion of the song I played with some of my good friends at the 2017 Cystic Fibrosis Fundraiser put on by the Academy of Music in Grand Rapids.