Lessons Learned from a Song

Most of you know that one of the areas Dick and I have spent our whole 45 years of marriage involved in is songwriting. We laugh about some of our earliest creations, grateful we have grown in skill, depth, and discernment! What we might have thought was “a pretty good song” back in 1980 looks a lot different in 2026. (I remember one in particular we wrote that had no real “hook”. It just meandered with a lot of rhyming thoughts. We couldn’t think of a good title, so we just called it “Prayer”. Sad.)

We’ve always been committed to write about what we know about. We have crafted every lyric from the abundance of our own life experiences. “From out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks . . .” (Luke 6:45). And, as you can imagine, there have been songs that we wrote years ago in a particular season where the words were fresh . . .  time passed, and years later those words become fresh again in a new season. I think you see where I’m going here . . . 

In 1993, as we were writing for our second Warner Alliance project (Warner Brothers’ Christian label), we were juggling a season with precious young children (Whitney was 7, Kelsey was 6), careers that were filled with studio singing (me) and production (Dick), and a concert ministry (both of us). We were also involved in a church and were sowing into deep friendships – many who are still some of our very best friends today. During that time, I came across Philippians 3:10 and saw things I didn’t remember seeing before (God’s word is alive and active . . . I know many of you have experienced this). Here’s what the verse says, “I want to know Christ, the power of His resurrection, the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death.” As Dick and I discussed this verse, we labeled it, “the verse that seems to go downhill”. Oh, we all want to know Christ. We want to know the power of His resurrection! But then, hmmm . . . the fellowship of sharing in His suffering? Becoming like Him in His death? Not so sure. 

In fact, we asked ourselves that question, “Do we really want to know Him that much?” and if I’m honest, I would say we pondered it before looking at each other and saying, “Yes, of course we do.” We then embarked on writing a song about this heavy and profound passage. 

When the time came to record the song, we were in the midst of cutting all of the vocals for this project at a steady pace. Because I was in the height of a studio career, this was a season when my vocal skills were honed sharply. I was used to walking in to record a jingle or some kind of solo and getting it on tape (okay, that’s what we used those years ago) after the first or second time through. When I was recording album vocals (okay, we also had albums back then), Dick would produce me and we would take a little more time on each song. He might have me sing a phrase several different ways before we would land on the best choice.

The day I was scheduled to record “I Want to Know Christ” followed a couple of very easy studio days when we had already gotten 4 or 5 songs recorded. I grabbed my water, walked into the booth, put on the headphones, and was ready to go. The music started, I began to sing, the “red light” was on (recording) and we were off! We recorded it through several times with a few slight differences in phrasing or melody. Dick seemed to be happy with what he was hearing on the other side of the glass. But I was frustrated with every note coming out of my mouth. I went in to give a listen thinking, maybe I’m just not hearing well. Or maybe I’m being too hard on myself. But as I listened back to both versions, I was beyond dissatisfied with my performances. Additionally, I heard lies of the “enemy” – things like, “You’re really not even a good singer. This project will be the one where people find that out.” Or “This song doesn’t even make sense. People aren’t going to be drawn to know Jesus through this!”. Oh, how the devil is a deceiver! Because somehow, those lies sounded very, very much like the truth to me in that moment. 

Dick suggested I go out and give it another shot, and I reluctantly did so. In the middle of that take, I said to Dick and the engineer, “Stop! I’m not going to record this song!” And I threw my headphones to the ground. Dick told me later that he looked at our engineer friend and said, “Um, would you go get a cup of coffee and give me a moment with my wife?”  He came out where I was and said, “What is going on?” and I proceeded to share my thoughts with him. He then wisely suggested we take a lunch break and clear our heads. During that time, we called several of our praying friends and shared the story, asking them to intercede on our behalf. Please! 

One of the calls I made was to my friend, Jane, who is now in the presence of the Lord. After we prayed together over the phone she said, “When you get back in the booth ready to do this again, try to imagine how you picture the physical presence of Jesus. Then imagine Him standing there in front of you and sing these words directly to Him.” We dimmed the lights, I walked back out into the booth, headphones in place, track started, and I did just that. What is now cut #3 on the “Left to Write” project is a one-time-through recording that happened in that moment. We finished, I looked at Dick, and he said, “That’s it. No need for another.” 

Now, fast forward to 2026. These words mean everything to me right now as I am understanding with deeper clarity that I do want to know Christ Jesus according to Philippians 3:10. I hope you will be encouraged by the message of this song. And don’t be afraid to trust Him with however He chooses to allow you to know Him the deepest.