Frequently Asked Questions

What makes your music different?

Well, I'm not a lyricist, at all, so I would say that the primary reason I might stand out is that I only sing Scripture or hymns (or old poetry). Compared to lots of artists who primarily write their own stuff and have begun venturing into the realm of hymns (which is totally cool) I only do those things. I had a hard time at first with that limitation the Lord had given me, but I soon found great freedom in it. At least I know I'll never run out of things to write! And I have the added benefit of knowing that my theology will always be right on when I'm writing from the Scriptures!

The sounds flow from my heart and from what the words do for me personally. They evoke a thought, a feeling, a mood a whole range of things which spill out into some sort of musical expression. They're influenced by the sounds of other cultures, of my own culture and of whatever the Creator placed inside me.

What inspired I Belong to Jesus?

Well, it was sort of done because the songs had almost all been written and I'd been singing them to my kids for years already. I simply wanted to share with others what has been going on in our home for five years. It seemed a pretty natural type of album to work on (considering the variety of generes that I write in) because of where I'm at in life as a mom and ministering to young families.

How long did it take you to record I Belong to Jesus?

3 ½ months. We took the summer basically because it's the slowest time of year in terms of ministry and we knew things would kick back up into high gear in the fall so we wanted to get in and out. Budgetary constraints also helped to keep a cap on how much time we spent on it. Being in the studio 2x a week was a lot for my family to deal with so from hear on out it will be nice to only be in the studio every couple weeks. I can work that into my family life much easier! But, as it stands, it was a great way to do it, because now the product can get out there and the rest of promotion and future recordings can be worked into our lives at a more sane pace.

Where did you record?

Studio A in Dearborn Heights, MI. Co-producing with Eric Morgeson has been an absolute blast. This would not be the album it is if he hadn't been behind the board, ecouraging me, counseling me and believing in me! I've been really blessed to have worked with him. We're so similar it's a little scary! He's a real asset to our team! And then there's Mark and Marilyn and all the others who made this experience so memorable. But you'll have to get the album to read the credits!

What's the vision behind I Belong to Jesus?

Check Vision under Sarah of this website for details on that!

How long have you been writing music?

I began playing the piano when I was seven and began composing shortly after that. (I guess that makes it twenty something years. I began singing my songs when I discovered words that I could sing (the Scriptures and Hymns) so that wasn't until I was about 15.

Do you ever write your own words?

Not a chance! I am actually the worst lyricist you'll ever run into! When I was about 15 or so, I discovered that the Scriptures and my Hymnals contained an arsenal of songs that I could use. So I found my texts and all I had to do was write the music! I particularly found setting the Scriptures (word for word) to music challenging and extremely satisfying, as much of it doesn't appear to be - "song-like." So my music falls into those two categories (Scriptures and Hymns), generally. I also love and have worked with old poetry (John Donne etc.) and plan to do much more with that in the future.

How would you categorize your music?

It's quite broad, really. I'll begin with an "all" description and then get into the more narrow categories. I've written about 175 songs, I think. And it's about half and half between the Scripture songs and the hymns. I need to get on the ball recording, I guess! But anyway.

All of it can be enjoyed by anyone at any time. It will build you up in your faith specifically as you'll either be listening to Scripture itself or the greatest hymns ever written. The hymns will satisfy your desire for a "new song" to be sung to the Lord because the music is completely original. Only the words remain the same.

Some of the songs lend themselves to meditation. You could listen to them as an addendum to your own personal Bible study. They musically communicate the emotion, the mood of a scripture passage or intense hymn.

Some (not most) of the songs lend themselves to corporate worship in terms of their accessibility and their ability to be sung by a wide audience. Much of my music can be used in a worship service as "special music" to be played as an offertory or other special time in a service.

Some songs lend themselves intentionally to Scripture memory.

Some songs are oriented around children, geared at communicating Scriptures or hymns to them.

What sounds influence your music?

Folk, some modern Christian, ethnic, and classical music. I love ethnic music. Before I met my husband I was about to pursue ethnomusicology with the goal of going on the mission field in Africa. I love the sounds of every culture but the sounds I love the most are African, Celtic, and Asian. Ironically, I write solely at the piano, so until I get into a studio or play with other musicians, there isn't much opportunity to get an ethnic sound into my stuff. But the potential is there! People say they hear Sarah McLachlan, Ginny Owens, Sara Groves, Loreena McKennit, even Jewell, in the stuff I do. But it's still it's own thing because the nature of the texts really determines a lot for me.

Where do you get your Bible passages from?

I've written from almost every section of Scripture: The Law, the Psalms and Proverbs, the Prophets, the Gospels, the Epistles. I haven't done the Histories or Revelation yet. "yet". I especially love the challenge of the Prophets and the Epistles.

How do you choose the hymns you do?

I work out of the Trinity Hymnal as it contains the best collection of Reformed hymns available. My blue book is practically falling apart! I like to pursue different sections of the hymnal, for instance "Children's Hymns" is the section containing all the songs on my next album. They're songs written to be sung by parents to their kids during their childhood, as they're tucking them into bed, telling them of the wonderful works of our great God, praying with them. "Love songs to Christ" is another favorite section - I've set 5 out of 8 songs in it. It's sort of devotional for me, like a quiet time with the Lord where I can explore a theme and express my heart to Him through these words so masterfully crafted long ago.

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