John Albert Thomas Solo Piano

First Things First

Re-evaluating priorities and rethinking the purpose of my music

For the past 20+ years I made it my goal to make a living from my music, yet God hasn’t seen fit to bless it in that way. Instead He’s blessed me and my family through software and web development.

If I can find a web/software job, I’m taking it and staying there until God peels me away from it. I’d rather provide for my family everything I am capable of giving them than pursuing a dream that God doesn’t seem to agree with me on. The latter leaves my soul lean.

So I am letting go of the goal which has robbed me of my joy and consumed my mind to the exclusion of more important things. I will still compose and produce music, but only because I enjoy it. It will be a hobby to share, and not so much a business to run.

What does this mean to you, my friends?

The biggest change is in my mind.  The second biggest is allowing my fans to pay what they want for my downloads (including FREE), and to share it freely with their friends.  I will still sell sheet music, CDs, licenses for business use, piano tributes (portraits), etc.  Please stay tuned over the next week as I implement this change.

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Better to forget the things we THINK will make us happy than to forget the things that ALREADY make us happy.

Another thought that has haunted me over the past few months is that I only have seven more years with my oldest daughter.  She’s had a father who is preoccupied mentally and emotionally with his dreams.  What she needs is a father who cares more for her than for himself.

Whatever we can dream up will last for a moment, but children are eternal.

Pursue them first, and then when they are gone, pursue your dreams.  If they are good dreams, they will rise again.

The world says pursue your dreams at any cost; but it is far better to enjoy what God has already given to you with contentment, joy and peace.

$100,000,000 Dream – Part 2

Here we are several months later and God is shaping the landscape of our lives.  Since the last entry regarding this dream I have sought the Lord’s direction in the music world.  Daily I have whittled away at ideas, fashioning them till who am I converges with what I do.

Earlier in the summer, Becky and I developed a unique gift idea for husbands to impress their wives.  We named it Piano Portraits because in it I try to paint a portrait of an individual in sound, recognizing and promoting their uniqueness and value.  The prototypes were a complete success, but we wanted to expand this concept to compose lullabies for children as well.

I was also persuaded that I needed to license my music to photographers and videographers, so I launched a website called PianoGraphy which allows me to interact with them directly.  This led me on a quest to find the best way to reach photographers with my music.

During my research I stumbled upon an organization, Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep, which connects photographers with families who have just lost a baby.  These volunteer photographers go in on a moment’s notice and take professional photos so a family can remember their precious little one.

Having spent several mornings asking God for direction with my music, I immediately knew what to do.  I called the organization and asked for permission to reach out to 10 families and donate Piano Portaits to them in honor of their baby.  With their permission, as long as it was a 100% donation, I posted a call for volunteer families.  Within one week, ten families volunteered.

I couldn’t just throw together 10 piano works.  I determined to interview each family on the phone.  I am still in this process.  It has been heart-wrenching to go through the stories, the photos, and the videos.

When I talk with the moms, I ask them to describe their baby.  I ask them to list some of the hopes and dreams they had for their baby.  I write down these words and phrases.  They become the inspiration for the melody, the rhythm, and the mood.

The more I talk with the moms about their babies and what I am doing, the more I realize that this really means something to these moms.  It recognizes and promotes their baby’s uniqueness and value in a way that nothing else can.  Photos require the attention of the eyes, but music carries throughout the house.

So how does this all relate to the $100,000,000 dream?  What if, alongside pastors and missionaries, we open our countryside getaway to families who have just lost a baby so they can have a safe place to grieve?  Think about it.  The dream grows.  I welcome your comments.

Eat, Drink and Be Merry, For Tomorrow We Die

If you are like me you have plenty of entrepreneurial ideas with lots of optimism and hope for the future, but you also struggle with those moments of doubt when you wonder how you are going to pay the bills every month. Will one of my ideas finally take off? What if my dream flops? What if I jumped too soon? The moments of doubt can lead to days of worry, fretting and frustration.

This morning I woke up feeling that way. Quite frankly, I didn’t really want to go to church. I’d rather spend the hour alone and maybe have my own little service. But I went anyway, and I’m glad I did.

During the time of praise we sang a song I needed to sing:

Because He lives I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives all fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
live is worth the living just because He lives.

Then I thought, “What is the one thing that has given me strength in my moments of doubt?” The thought that comes back every time to en-courage me is the fact that “He holds the future.” I can face tomorrow without fear because He is already there. Will it be rosy and care-free? Maybe, or maybe not. Doesn’t really matter. Just knowing that He’s prepared it for me and will walk me through it. As the Psalmist wrote, “Though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I will not fear for you are with me.” (Psalm 32)

Can you imagine if He doesn’t live? Tomorrow would be dreadful thought; all is fear; the future is chaos; life is of no value. Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.

Praise Jesus that He kept His promise to raise Himself on the third day. If He can keep the promise to do that, then He can certainly keep His promise of hope to us. Not only hope in this life, but in the life to come.