Letter From A Burning Heart
My dear friends,
I have been putting off this letter mostly because of pride. However, after spending this past weekend with godly friends seeking God’s face together, seeking wise counsel, praying and listening, I have come to believe that it is time to share what is on my heart and trust God with the rest.
Since childhood I have known two callings from God that have remained till this day: composer and pastor. Not a pastor in the traditional sense of leading a local congregation, but as a pastor through music, inspirational writing, and speaking. I trust my newsletters have been a glimpse of this. My piano music is becoming less about John’s dreams and more about the heart of the Father. It is my response to His calling to inspire and encourage with creativity, to call all men and women back to that which should be sacred, holy and pure. It is in fact a call to worship, not in our formulaic rituals, but in every ounce of our created, creative beings.
For instance, my next piano project will require my full attention over the next year as I work with ten families who have lost a baby, unborn or newly born. The world sometimes thinks of these little ones as insignificant, but it only takes a few seconds listening to their mothers to know just how valuable they are. And when we search the Scriptures we find that their value lies not in the opinions of man, but in the image of God that they carry. They are our equals, handcrafted by their Creator, even if His plan for their lives was much different than our own.
I will be composing ten piano works, orchestrating them, performing and recording them for these families. The end product will be a CD that will minister to these and countless families around the world struggling with the loss of their baby. Photographers working with the Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep (NILMDTS) organization will be able to use this music freely with their photo slideshows to give families like these something by which to remember their little ones.
God has called me to do this and I am obeying. I need your prayers and support during the coming year. It has been and will continue to be gut-wrenching, but it is worth entering the pain of these families. I can’t begin to tell you what this means to them. My heart is broken for them, but God is reshaping it to become more like His own.
My dear friends, if you believe in what I am doing, I ask for your support. Here are some ways you can help:
- Pray for me as I compose, perform, record, orchestrate, mix, master, manufacture, and market this project. Pray for me. Pray for my family. Pray for these ten families. Pray that God would use this project to call all people back to a deeper sense of the sacred.
- Buy my new solo piano CD, Zuzu’s Petals, for your Christmas gifts and stocking stuffers. My kids sleep to it every night, and Becky loves to cook and read with it. I’m sure you’ll find other ways for it to minister to you and your family.
- Join my “street team”. Let me send to you 6 of my new Zuzu’s Petals CD that you can sell to family and friends as Christmas presents/stocking stuffers for $15 each. Then send me the money.
- Contribute financially. This project will require a considerable amount of money, and I have given all I have. It will require even more.
- Introduce me and my music to others who would care about this project.
Please let me know if you are interested in helping in any of these ways. I look forward to keeping you posted on my progress and letting you hear the finished project.
I am so grateful to have friends like you. Thank you for your prayers and support.
Your servant in Christ,
John Albert Thomas
Zuzu’s Petals Listening Room
FINALLY! You can now listen to ALL 11 tracks from Zuzu’s Petals in their entirety here, or go directly to http://johnalbertthomas.bandcamp.com to see all tracks at once. (Be sure to check out the cool flower visualization. It grows with the music!)
TRACKS:
1. Zuzu’s Petals
2. Be Still And Know
3. In The Shadow Of Your Wing
4. February Fall
5. Dancing With Fireflies
6. Lullaby For Hope
7. Blessed
8. Waltz Of The Wildflowers
9. Glass Slipper
10. The King’s Daughter
11. The Prince On The White Horse
Please note that you now have the ability to name your own price for the music on this CD. Just click Download and you can enter the amount you feel is appropriate. Thank you for your support!
Zuzu’s Petals CD Release Concert
Come join me on Saturday, October 10th at 7 p.m. as we celebrate the release of my new piano CD, Zuzu’s Petals, with a FREE concert event. You will walk away relaxed, inspired, and encouraged! One person will walk away with a free CD and a $25 Restaurant.com gift certificate!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
7:00pm – 8:30pm
Christ Church Arlington (map)
11900 Highway 70
Arlington, TN 38002
Call for more information at 901-313-8558, or email at john@johnalbertthomas.com.
“A Passion For Purity” Advice Contest
Being a father of four little ones, I’m always interested in hearing other people’s parental advice. I mean, who wants to mess their kids up simply because they don’t know what they are doing? Well, right now, with a nine year old daughter and three siblings behind her, I’m very interested in how to teach them about purity. So let us have it! What is your best advice to folks like me trying to rear children with a passion for purity?
After you enter this contest, be sure to visit http://WhoIsZuzu.com for more chances to win!
Zuzu’s Petals CD Tweet-stakes
Announcing Zuzu’s Petals, a new solo piano CD by John Albert Thomas. Take a listen and enter the twitter contest by following the instructions below.
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One person who tweets @grandopus #zuzuspetals will be randomly selected to win a Zuzu’s Petals CD and $25 Restaurant.com gift certificate! Deadline is Oct. 7 at 11:59 PM CST.
If you want to guarantee a copy for yourself, then simply pre-order the CD with the button on the right of this page. The official release date is Oct. 10, 2009, but it is possible (not guaranteed) that pre-orders will ship prior to that date.
After you enter this contest, be sure to visit http://WhoIsZuzu.com for more chances to win!
John Albert Thomas began composing original, melody-based piano works when he was 12 years old. His compositions have the simplicity and thinly-layered delicacy of Mozart, combined with a contemporary sound reminiscent of Enya, George Winston, and Jim Brickman. In 1995, John graduated from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, with a bachelors degree in Music Theory and Composition. Upon graduation he moved to Memphis, Tennessee where he now lives with his wife, Rebecca, and their four children. John has released several solo piano albums, and continues his work on future projects. 
