ARTICLES

9.29.2015 – It has been ten months since first discussing the idea of a music video with Mary in northern New York after celebrating her debut album launch. Over the coming week, I’m going to share some of my thoughts on why the “Psalm 91” music video is important to me. If these posts speak to you, I encourage you to share them, comment, and (of course) pass along the video link to help others needing encouragement.  Here is the first installment!

#1 – It matters because the promise of protection is real.  I realize that this can be a delicate issue. I have my share of friends who’ve not come home from war or have returned with scars seen and unseen. So, I understand the questions and doubts that come with living in a broken world, but I also choose to believe in the liberating power of trust and decision. Trust is about humbling oneself to rely on the power and reliability of another. If we confess Him as Lord, what is that but a declaration of trust? It is a matter of authenticity to confirm that confession with actual trust (i.e., submitting). Decision flows from that trust and becomes a matter of personal responsibility. I take responsibility for my decision to trust in God’s promise of protection. It is not for me to take upon myself anyone else’s responsibility in making that same decision. Nor is it my business to speculate on what has happened to others. The song (hence the video) is about having boldness in trusting and discipline in deciding. The song and choreography are meant to be experienced as living expressions of power and not merely to be observed…just like we ought to read the verses in Psalm 91. Soyez bénis!

10.2.2015 – Continuing on, here is my second post on why the “Psalm 91” music video is important.

#2 – It matters because truth requires boldness and courage.  The promise of protection, like every other promise of the Bible, is inconsequential without the will to believe against circumstance. This is not willful disregard towards evidence; the will to believe is about having conviction in something beyond what we fully know or perceive. The video was (and is) about Mary demonstrating that conviction as an example and an encouragement to others. The personal decision to trust in the promise of Psalm 91 should bear the fruit (i.e., outward manifestation) of action. Fruitfulness in the defense of the Truth is two-fold.

First, one must live according to the Truth: I choose to believe in the promise of protection, bringing forth the fruit of inward and outward peace in the face of hardship. I think this is intuitively understood by authentic people of conscience.

Second, one must be known as an advocate for the Truth: I choose to speak for the promise of protection to others against all doubts…and indifference. When in distress, we must overcome doubts that challenge our convictions. When in comfort, we must surmount our familiarity (with the promise) that tempts us to flippantly acknowledge what ought to be boldly embraced. Can we be what we say we know?

10.4.2015 – Here’s the last post of three on “Psalm 91”. Stay connected to Mary through this website, her artist Facebook page, and her YouTube channel catch the release of her making-of video later this autumn.

#3 – It matters because these promises are supposed to be shared.  In deciding to share the promises of God, Mary had to choose, in a sense, whether she would merely point to the door or if she would proclaim it as a songwriter, i.e., would she write songs and leave to others the role of ministering or would she put the work of her calling out to be scrutinized (or ignored). In 2007, it was not an obvious choice, but Mary decided that her calling (to share God’s promises) was her responsibility and so the path that led to the video was marked. However, producing a video was by no means a given. It was motivated by a larger vision for her album and her music ministry as a whole.

The purpose of “Psalm 91” is more than sharing the promise of protection. It is about sharing a glimpse at the kind of relationship with God that opens the door to bold and life-giving hope in every area of life because grasping such promises begins in the calmness of the journey and not in the midst of a crisis. The music video aspires to open that door, reminding us that great possibilities are available to those who walk with Him and receive. It is the relationship (that brings protection) that the song and video ultimately point to, and it is that relationship with God that Mary hopes each YouTube view nurtures so that when the battles come His people are ready.