A Piece of The Journey
This CD represents a piece of my walk in life, thus the title "A Piece of The Journey". It was written during some of the most challenging circumstances. Many of these songs got me through some really hard times. I hope they encourage you to press on.
Song Samples available on Sara's MySpace:
Song Descriptions:
1. I Need You
There wasn't a specific event that spawned this song... this was one of those songs that I wrote and then went through a lot of stuff after it was finished.... kind of got to experience the song after the fact. The lyrics were ones that I repeated in my head many times as things around me seemed a bit bleak. It helped to acknowledge my need for God in my situation. No striving on my part would get me out of the things I had been going through. It helped to know I wasn't alone and I could lean on God to take care of things for me.
2. Run Away
This song came about in a strange way.... I wrote the words and music a few days before some pretty horrible news came my way. At the time I was about 2 1/2 months pregnant. About two days after I wrote this song I had some complications that led us to the doctor's office for testing. After a few hours of testing and probing I was diagnosed with having an ectopic pregnancy and we would later find out that it was a rare type where the baby was in my ovary instead of my uterus. I had to undergo emergency surgery to have my child removed so my ovary wouldn't burst. Back to the song... when I first wrote it I was a little confused that God would put a song in my heart about running away from things. Well.... if you are human at all you know that when things happen that is the first thing we think about. Man, if I could just run away from it all... maybe it would cease to exist. After going through a few weeks of hell with losing my child in such a traumatic way and then getting hit with severe bronchitis and stomach flu in the weeks of recovery after, I realized that I couldn't run away. I had to come to Christ and let Him heal me so I could come out of the whole thing still alive. That is when I was inspired with the ending of the song...... realizing that I couldn't run and I only had to call out to Him to help and He promised He would carry me through.
3. Bleeding
This song didn't come in any special way. It is a song for all the people who have had their hearts crushed over and over again. It took me a long time to realize that people are human and will hurt others. By the time I found God, my heart was in pretty bad shape. It had been abused by a lot of people. This song is just about finally surrendering my bleeding heart to God so He can make it whole and beautiful again.
4. Waiting
I wrote this 2 days before finishing in the studio... it was my last minute inspiration. We've all been in a place of waiting before. You feel like you are going no where and nothing is moving forward in your life and all you are hearing is silence. You feel helpless and all your efforts seem meaningless. This song is my reminder that God will come through. His timing is perfect. It is also a reminder to reflect on the fact that He has come through before and will come through again. He had promised to never leave us or forsake us.
5. Suddenly
This song is about how God shows up suddenly when we needed Him most. We think we are alone and things could never get better and then He shows up in the most unexpected way. He shows up and gives wisdom, comfort and direction. I love how God knows each of our names. Something about that really speaks to me. If we listen, He speaks directly to us and shows up in ways unique to each one of us.
6. Break Me
This is the first song I wrote. It is actually a remake of a song I did in one of my old bands called SoulFoundry. It was a heavier song back then! I could always hear it as a beautiful ballad. I hope I did it justice! This song just speaks of how I relate to God. I surrender, He takes what's left and a lot of the time has to do some shaking and breaking to make me what I should be. We have to be cleaned up before he can fill us up..... kinda like you wouldn't put fresh food in a moldy bowl.... the mold would make the food bad. God has to clean up areas of our lives so he can make us better.
7. Where You Are
This was the first song I wrote on the guitar. My friends may remember my rough versions on their back porch! LOL! Hey... we all start somewhere! Anyhow, this is just a song about wanting to be near God. I want to live in a way that I can walk with Him and be near Him...... when you walk near to God you experience so much peace that you just can't get anywhere else.
8. E's Song
This song started when my son, Emmanuel, would fiddle around on the keyboard at home. He kept playing this one pattern over and over and over. I started to hear music and a cool beat around it then started to hear the lyrics. The name of the song actually has a dual meaning..... it is "Emmanuel's Song" I call it "E's song".... it is my son's song and also a song honoring God for rescuing me.
9. Breathe
This song has had a few different forms but finally ended up how I wanted it. This song is a prayer. I kept it low key for that reason. This is a song that I would sing over situations in my life. When I couldn't take it anymore, I would ask God to breathe over me and my situation. Too often we forget just how powerful God is. When He created the universe, He spoke it into existence... mere words from His mouth brought life. He breathed upon Adam to bring Him to life. King David refers to God's breath when God conquers His enemies. Just His breath alone can change things and create new things. We sometimes need that in our lives. Just His gentle power poured out on us. Giving us what we need to make it through. All we have to do is surrender and ask Him to breathe on us.
Credits:
Words and music written by Sara Maciak
Sara Maciak - Vocals (keys on Bleeding)
Joe Loftus - Bass and Guitar
Lenny Spinelli - Keys and Drums
Emmanuel Maciak - Keys on E's Song
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Joe Loftus at JL Studios