Hymns - Prayers in Song

I am thrilled to announce that my latest music project is nearing completion and will be released soon. I am envisioning that the finished product will available no later than December 15, 2018. Please join me in holding that vision.

The project is entitled Coming Home. It is primarily a collection of standard hymns arranged by Martha Yordy, the music director at Unity Spiritual Center Denver. It also features two of Martha’s original compositions. Coming Home is the flowering of a shared vision inspired by our roots deeply grounded in traditional Christianity. The seed for this project was planted in my mind many years ago, but it took some time and just the right ground and nurturing for it to take root, sprout and blossom into form. Martha and I began talking about it two years ago; however, for various reasons, we only began working on it in April. Amazingly, with the help and support of many people, it has become a reality in just a few short months.

Recently, when I shared about the project with a friend, she asked, why I would want to record hymns. Her concerns is that they are filled with ideas about an external God that are not in alignment with Unity philosophy. She was curious about why I as a Unity minister would encourage that theology. Others may have similar wonderings, so I thought I would share some of my thoughts.

I chose to entitle this project Coming Home because the title captures so much of what it means to me. For many years, after being rejected by traditional Christianity because of my sexual orientation, I disavowed everything related to my Christian heritage. I wanted to get as far away from it as possible. I wanted nothing to do with a capricious, condemning God in “his” heaven.

After entering a spiritual recovery program and finding Unity and New Thought philosophy, I discovered a God of love and acceptance. Still, I was not comfortable using the word ‘God’ or talking about Jesus or the Bible. After many years of contemplation, meditation and several mystical experiences, I have come full circle in a sense. My understanding of God, Jesus and the Bible has changed dramatically. As a result, I can now embrace and celebrate my Christian heritage and the foundation it provided. It took time for me, and I know that not everyone shares my perspective.

So, I understand why my friend might be concerned about me recording hymns that seem to express more conventional views of God and our relationship with God. However, for me it is Coming Home. Phrases, images and melodies that were etched in my brain at an early age and that I suppressed far into the subconscious for many years often come floating back to my conscious awareness as I sit in quiet contemplation.

These melodies and lyrics embody the essence of our shared humanity and our common desire to know and to connect with that which is greater than we comprehend ourselves to be. They express our longing to know the Divine, celebrate the Divine, and to experience the Divine in ourselves, others and all creation. Yes, some of the terminology is archaic, not gender neutral, and not necessarily New Thought. I lovingly invite those who are bothered by it to listen from a deep heart connection and experience the energy alive in the ones who composed the melodies and lyrics. Listen beyond the words for the longing, joy, and even pain being expressed through them.

This collection of hymns is reflective of all those that have begun to sing themselves through me during my times of meditation and contemplation. I know that they are my soul’s way of calling out from the depth of its knowing to that which seeks recognition.

I have altered some of the lyrics to better express where I am in my own understanding and spiritual evolution. It is my desire that these hymns, whether well-known to you or not, will speak to a place within your soul that knows and is eager to be remembered.

Please watch the video below to learn more about this project. Three songs are featured in the video. Martha’s original, Heavenly Light, is beautifully sung by Lauren Shealy. She is featured with lead and harmony vocals on several of the other tracks, as well. 

Love One Another, which Martha introduced me to, was written by a Germaine Habjan formerly a Catholic nun. Her lyrics are reminiscent of Jesus’ commandment that we love each other as we love ourselves. They also remind me of Ram Dass’s quote, “We’re all just walking each other home.” This song is a prayer. These are words spoken not to God, but from the consciousness of the indwelling Divine calling us to remember that we are here to be love in the world.

Breathe on Me Breath of God and Breathe on Me are masterfully interwoven by Martha in a medley. When I sang it recently at a Sunday service, someone suggested that instead of singing “breathe on me” that I should sing “breathe as me.” Again, I understand that this lyric may evoke images of an external God which is not in total alignment with Unity teaching. However, when I think about the “Breath of God,” I imagine the very Life Force that animates all. It is that which breathes us. It is every breath we take. Yet, we are often not awake to It. From time-to-time we lose conscious connection with it. 

As I sing this, I imagine my awareness of the Divine as the flame of a fire beginning to diminish in intensity. I am calling upon the Life Force that lives Itself as me to breathe new life into me, to help me release any limiting thoughts and to fan the flames of my innate desire to truly know and live the life of passion, warmth, light and purity that is the eternal flame of God.

Our hope, mine and Martha’s, is that these songs will speak from our hearts to your hearts. We invite you to join us in this journey of Coming Home to who you truly are.

If you like more information, or if you would like to pre-order a copy, please visit my website – DavidHoward.com. Thank you for your support!