When Stories Sound Like Myths

I’d already been thinking about myths.

While listening to a talk at our local library, I’d heard the historian mention that during World War II, German prisoners of war had been held at our nearby Redstone Arsenal, known then as Huntsville Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama.

This was news to me.

photos from U.S. Army supervisor’s widow of POW kitchen crew

Later, in the 1970s and 80s, several of those POW returned to Huntsville to visit the place where they’d once been imprisoned—because, as one said, “life in the Huntsville camp was not a hardship.”

I was surprised again by the story. But it was another, shorter tale that caught my attention the most.

According to the historian, each POW received two cases of beer on their birthday to share with friends. Somehow, a few managed to have multiple “birthdays” each year. One man, he said, aged eight years during his short time here.

Truth or myth? Did the camp wardens really give presents to each POW on his birthday? I’m not sure.

But either way, it’s a touching story.

Someone Else’s Notes Or My Own?

Not long after the library lecture, I joined a Zoom call exploring personal myth-making. The facilitator walked us through a series of prompts, encouraging us to jot down first impressions on the spot.

My own responses weren’t surprising—most revolved around books. Only the week before, I’d been emptying bookshelves to prepare for getting our house painted.

I’d even begun decluttering the piano books that had been piling up for decades in our old piano bench that my dad had made years ago.

One question from the Zoom call caught me totally off guard though:

“Who has been delivering the message of your myth?”

Or rather it was my answer that surprised me.

The obvious answer would have been: Words. Words are almost always my messenger. All my previous answers had revolved around books.

But that’s not what bubbled out. This time, what came out immediately was: Music. Specifically, learning to play the piano by ear (a practice I’ve been toying with the past couple of months).

Then immediately following that answer came this amazing life realization: Why can’t I live my life by ear too? Who says I always have to play from someone else’s sheet music?

The Joy—and Limits—of Playing by the Book

All my life I have only played musical notes written by others. I followed their fingerings, their tempos, their markings for when to get louder or softer.

I have loved it. It’s been fulfilling. I want to continue doing it.

But I also long for more.

I want to be like my late uncle, who could hear a tune on the radio, then sit down and play it without a single sheet of music in sight.

This summer, I decided to see if I could do the same.

It’s slow going—but it’s happening. I can hardly believe it.

A New Myth Begins

At the end of the Zoom call, we were asked to compile our previous answers into a written myth.

My mythical story has turned into this:

Once upon a time, I lived in a piano book every time I sat down to play. I read the notes, followed the score, and trusted the printed instructions to tell me which fingers to use, what pace to keep, how beauty should sound.

But one morning, I wanted to play a song straight from the heart—and I couldn’t. My fingers didn’t know where to go.

In that moment, I realized: I could learn a different way to play—one without notes drawn on paper, without Italian instructions for crescendo and decrescendo, without someone else’s rules.

Now I’m learning a new way of playing. And a new way of living. I’m no longer playing life everyday from someone else’s sheet music. I’m learning to play and live by ear—my own.

Why Myths Matter, Even If They’re Not Fully True

Like the POW beer story, my own myth about music might not yet (or ever) be perfectly true. I’m still learning. Still discovering. Still creating.

And I’m also still playing the piano some with sheet music. Using someone else’s written music is like walking a beautifully cleared path. It’s easy and it works. I don’t have to give up what I already know to add on something new.

But creating my own music instead of only playing hand-me-downs is also bringing me joy. It requires additional learning: chords and rhythms and harmonies. No two sessions are exactly the same. I go off-script when needed. Playing music by ear feels fluid and unpredictable.

I don’t know that playing life by ear will be my new life’s myth for all time—is there ever just one metaphor to perfectly depict life anyway?—but for now, it is a helpful one.

So as long as I hear the music, I will continue to play—and live—by ear.

Do you play a musical instrument? When have you stepped away from the rules and begun to “play by ear” in your own life?

Share in the comments.

Read more lessons from life:

• 5 Keys from a Year of Curiosity
  Curiosity is not just about seeking answers—it’s about fostering compassion, presence, and connection. See all 5 lessons here.
• Do You Have to Earn Your Joy? Guilt in a Box
  The jigsaw puzzle at the beach became an unexpected lesson in permission, playing in the ripples of joy—even before all the work was done.
• That’s Interesting. Tell Me More. {Mantra 4}
  When you get stuck in a conversation, practice saying, “That’s interesting. Tell me more.”

When have you had big news to share? Who did you want to tell first?

We’re looking at popular Christmas hymns at Do Not Depart this month. In “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” the shepherds had great news to share.

What’s your current good news? How can you share it?

Read it all here

* * *

Will you join me here? “3 Ways to Go Tell It on the Mountain”

“A Christian is a radically changed person the moment he or she trusts Christ.

This doesn’t mean we become ‘saints’ in practice overnight. It does mean a new creation — a new principle of life — has been planted within us by the Holy Spirit, and we can never be the same again.
– Jerry Bridges, The Discipline of Grace

Yesterday morning we sang the song once. Twice. Three times.

Each time, I was moved.

“I’m no longer a slave to fear/
I am a child of God”

That usually means something. The song was meant for me.

No Longer Slaves \\ Jonathan and Melissa Helser \\ Bethel Music

But it’s one thing to sing the words. And another thing to mean them.

I do know I’m a child of God. I totally believe that.

But no longer a slave to fear?

Um, I’m not there yet.

It can make me question whether I’ve been truly transformed into Christlikeness. I know I’ve been fully justified, but what happened to being sanctified?

It’s a process. A long one.

But a real process, nonetheless. I mustn’t forget. Because the truth is, I have been delivered from bondage to fear. And as I grow in understanding and practice of that, I continue to see more of the transformation.

“In justification we rely on what Christ did for us on the cross. In sanctification we rely on Christ to work in us by His Holy Spirit. In justification, as well as regeneration, God acts alone. In sanctification He works in us but elicits our response to cooperate with Him.”
– Jerry Bridges

I want to fully depend on what Christ did then.

And I want to fully cooperate with what he’s wanting to do now.

So I continue singing:

• to declare it as truth,
• to preach it deeper into me,
• and to claim it as a promise that will be fulfilled.

“You split the sea so I could walk right through it /
My fears were drowned in perfect love /
You rescued me so I could stand and sing /
I am a child of God”

Even though I’ve been changed, I still continue to change—sometimes in ways I can see, and sometimes in invisible ways that lie beneath the surface.

Either way, I’ll never be the same again, praise God.

* * *

In what ways have you seen change? In what ways do you still long to see change? Please share in the comments.

Listen, believe, and worship with No Longer Slaves here. 

When you hear the word “worship,” what do you think of?

Maybe someone idolizing a pro football player. Or an ancient worshiper burning a bull on an altar to their gods.

I often think of Sunday mornings. In the past we called our church gathering a “Worship Service.” Many still do; it remains accurate. We do offer our worship to God there.

I know, though, that our worship extends past Sunday praise-singing. It’s Monday clothes-washing, and Tuesday dinner-cooking, and Wednesday pantry-serving, etc.

But still. Singing my worship on Sunday mornings starts the week with joy and peace and power.

I believe how David Mathis describes it in Habits of Grace is true:

“Like no other means, corporate worship combines all three principles of God’s ongoing grace: his word, prayer, and fellowship.”

But I don’t always feel full of grace at 8am on Sunday mornings when I walk in our church building to review the songs we’ll be singing.

Yet once I’m there, God pours grace on me before I get a chance to offer anything back to him.

• Through his promises we sing about
• Through melodious music he has inspired
• Through other people worshiping beside me

As God reveals himself worthy of worship, it’s easy to give him praise. We lose sight of our own woes and gain clarity of Christ’s awe.

Self-forgetfulness and Jesus-awareness are heightened during worship.

“Worship is an end in itself. We do not eat the feast of worship as a means to anything else. Happiness in God [which is the heart of worship] is the end of all our seeking. Nothing beyond it can be sought as a higher goal.”
– David Mathis

Worship is a perfect way to start a day, a week, a life. And a perfect way to end one as well.

Worship now with “He Is Yahweh,” a song we’ve been singing with our church.

[click here if you can’t see “He Is Yahweh”]

VERSE 1
Who is moving on the waters
Who is holding up the moon
Who is peeling back the darkness
With the burning light of noon

Who is standing on the mountains
Who is on the earth below
Who is bigger than the heavens
And the lover of my soul

CHORUS
Creator God, He is Yahweh
The Great I Am, He is Yahweh
The Lord of All, He is Yahweh

Rose of Sharon, He is Yahweh
The Righteous Son, He is Yahweh
The Three-in-One, He is Yahweh

VERSE 2
Who is He that makes me happy
Who is He that gives me peace
Who is He that brings me comfort
And turns the bitter into sweet

Who is stirring up my passion
Who is rising up in me
Who is filling up my hunger
With everything I need

* * *

What do you think of when you hear worship? Do you have a favorite worship song that you sing with your church or at home? Please share in the comments.

If you want to hear a beautiful song for Easter, listen to this one from Bethel Music. We sang it with our church last Sunday and it was very moving to hear and to see the response as everyone worshiped.

[click here if you can’t see the video]

Lyrics
“For The Cross”
by Jenn Johnson, Ian McIntosh, and Gabriel Wilson

Verse 1
The life You gave
Your body was broken
Your love poured out
You bled and You died for me
There on the cross You breathed Your last as You were crucified
You gave it all for me

Chorus 1
Hallelujah what a Savior
Hallelujah what a friend
Hallelujah King forever
We thank You for the cross

Verse 2
There in the ground
Sealed in the darkness
Lifeless laid
The frame of the Father’s Son
In agony He watched His only Son be sacrificed
He gave it all for me

Verse 3
But on that day
What seemed as the darkest hour
A violent hope broke through and shook the ground
And as You rose
And the light of all the world was magnified
As You rose in victory

Chorus 2
Hallelujah it is finished
Hallelujah it is done
Hallelujah King forever
And we thank You for the cross
Oh we thank You for the cross

Bridge
Oh my sins are forgiven
You paid the ransom for me
Though our sins are scarlet
You have made us white as snow

© 2013 Bethel Music

* * *

Do you have a favorite song for Easter? Please share in the comments.

If you need to give heartfelt praise to our Creator, this song can help you do just that. May we offer pure worship now and forever to the One who is worthy!

[Click here if you can’t see the video “No Other Name“]

“No Other Name”
Hillsong Worship Live
Lyrics

One name holds weight above them all
His fame outlasts the earth He formed
His praise resounds beyond the stars
And echoes in our hearts the greatest One of all

His face shines brighter than the sun
His grace as boundless as His love
He reigns with healing in His wings
The King above all kings the greatest One of all

CHORUS:
Lift up our eyes see the King has come
Light of the world reaching out for us
There is no other name
There is no other name
Jesus Christ our God
Seated on high the undefeated One
Mountains bow down as we lift Him up
There is no other name
There is no other name
Jesus Christ our God

Find hope when all the world seems lost
Behold the triumph of the cross
His power has trampled death and grave
Our life found in His name the greatest name of all

CHORUS

BRIDGE:
The earth will shake and tremble before Him
Chains will break as heaven and earth sing
Holy is the name
Holy is the name of Jesus, Jesus, Jesus

CHORUS

* * *

It’s been a hard week, doing difficult things, making tough decisions. I see brokenness and I wonder how God can put things back together again.

But this song reminds me of the truth that, yes, even though we all are broken, God’s love “can take broken things and make them beautiful.” I’m resting on that hope.

[click here if you can’t see the video, “The Broken Beautiful“]

“The Broken Beautiful”
Ellie Holcomb
Lyrics

I know that I don’t bring a lot to the table
Just little pieces of a broken heart
There’s days I wonder if You’ll still be faithful
Hold me together when I fall apart
Would You remind me now of who You are

CHORUS
Your love will never change
And there’s healing in Your name
And that You can take broken things
And make them beautiful
You took my shame
And You walked out of the grave
So Your love can take broken things
And make them beautiful

I’m better off when I begin to remember
How You have met me in my deepest pain
So give me glimpses now of how You have covered
All of my heartache oh with all Your grace
Remind me now that You can make a way

CHORUS

You say that You’ll turn my weeping into dancing
Remove my sadness and cover me with joy
You say your scars are the evidence of healing
That You can make the broken beautiful

You make us beautiful oh oh
You make us beautiful

* * *

I’m writing today for Ed’s synchroblog, “What saved your faith?” for the release of A Christian Survival Guide: A Lifeline to Faith and Growth.

Sometimes I need to snap out of it. A bad mood or a negative attitude or a hopeless mindset. Maybe one I’ve had only briefly, or maybe one that’s lingered underneath the surface awhile.

So I love when God springs an alarm clock to wake me up—through music. It’s so often music. A song familiar or new. A lyric that pops into my head or flies out of the radio. A truth embedded in melody and harmony.

FOUR YEARS AGO
My daddy was dying and my mother was losing her memory. God used songs like these to remind me to hang on to hope, that he was still in control, and that he still cared.

“Before the Morning”  [Josh Wilson]

Would you dare, would you dare to believe
That you still have a reason to sing
‘Cause the pain that you’ve been feeling
It can’t compare to the joy that’s coming

“It Is Well”   [Kutless]

When peace like a river attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot thou hast taught me to say
It is well, it is well with my soul

“Always Enough”  [Casting Crowns]

You hold the world within Your hands
And see each tear that falls
Through every fire and every storm
You’re always enough, always enough

TWO YEARS AGO
When we were transitioning between releasing one church and embracing another, God sang grace and protection and courage through these songs, among others.

“Great I AM”  [New Life Worship]

The mountains shake before You
The demons run and flee
At the mention of Your Name
King of Majesty

“Lay It Down”  [Matt Maher]

Oh what a sweet exchange
I die to rise again
Lifted up from the grave into Your hands of grace

“Ready or Not”  [Britt Nicole]

I refuse to keep this buried deep inside of me
This lil’ light of mine it’s time to let it shine a bit
‘Cause there’s no point in hiding it
It’s everything I am, the source of all my hope
And it’s the reason why I stand

NOW
When freedom is as evident as it’s ever been and God’s presence breaks through the thin places again and again, yet I still struggle with occasional (though less frequent, praise God!) worries about my kids or fears about new adventures, God reminds me through songs to keep focusing on him, keep showing up to love, and keeping praising through everything.

“Beautiful Exchange”  [Hillsong Chapel]

Holy are You God
Holy is Your name
With everything I’ve got
My heart will sing how I love You

“With Every Act of Love”  [Jason Gray]

God put a million, million doors in the world
For his love to walk through
One of those doors is you”

 “Open Up the Heavens”  [Meredith Andrews]

You’re the reason we’re here
You’re the reason we’re singing
Open up the heavens we want to see You
Open up the floodgates a mighty river
Flowing from Your heart filling every part of our praise

I listen. I sing. I worship.

It saves my faith. Over and over again, amen. Selah.

* * *

What song means something to you right now? Please share here.

Related:

• Do you use music or does it use you?
• What are you singing?
• I hear voices

Good songs in us help. When we’re going through a hard time, or even a good time, we use songs to help express what we’re thinking and feeling.

But we all have a repertoire of bad songs in us, too.

So how do we choose songs to build our faith up instead of tear it down? How do we use music instead of letting music use us?

We’re looking at 3 WAYS TO USE MUSIC through the song “Cornerstone” at Do Not Depart.

Read the rest here

Listen to “Cornerstone” here

* * *

What is one of your favorite worship songs?

But for this Sunday morning, although we didn’t know it yet, it wasn’t really over.

Because God wasn’t finished with it yet.

Everybody’s in the middle of something. All the time. We’ve all got our things. Maybe it’s a chronic ache in the body or an interruption to our plan or a relationship bump we can’t get past.

So my mind that morning was going to my things, wondering how God was going to work them out.

The song was reminding me to keep the spark of hope burning. But what happened next lit it on fire.

As we sang the last notes, Pastor Mark stepped on the platform with intention. He’d heard from Pastor Priscilla. She’d been awake between midnight and 3 a.m. a couple nights earlier and felt compelled by the Lord to look up scriptures on the word “over.”

She’d printed out a list for herself and emailed a list to Pastor Mark. Why? She wasn’t sure, but she was obedient.

And that obedience turned into a word for the whole church.

Pastor Mark invited her to share it with us. When the Word goes out, it doesn’t return void. She encouraged us with verse after verse about God taking us over, him being over all, death having no power over us.

Over and over we heard that when God is in something, it’s not over.

After she stepped down, we sang the song again, this time with new depth and power, believing stronger and wider.

When God is in it
There is no limit
When God is in it
It’s not over, It’s not over

I’ve been singing it in my mind ever since.

May you find hope today in God, too.

“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”
Isaiah 43:19

Here’s the song:

It’s Not Over
Ricardo Sanchez
LYRICS

 

CHORUS
It’s not over, It’s not finished
It’s not ending, It’s only the beginning
When God is in it, All things are new
 
VERSE 1
I know it’s darkest just before dawn
This might just be the hardest season you’ve experienced
I know it hurts; it won’t be too long
You’re closer than you think you are
You’re closer than you’ve been before

 

So look to the sky
Help is on the way

 

CHORUS

 

VERSE 2
Something is moving, turning around
Seasons are changing, everything is different now
Here comes the sun, piercing the clouds
You’re closer than you think you are
You’re closer than you’ve been before
 
So look to the sky
Help is on the way
Our God is faithful
He’s faithful to say
 
CHORUS

 

BRIDGE
When God is in it
There is no limit
When God is in it
It’s not over, It’s not over

* * *