{"id":1409,"date":"2011-01-13T01:27:51","date_gmt":"2011-01-13T01:27:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2011\/01\/leaning-on-the-everlasting-arms-thoughts-about-shared-songwriting.html"},"modified":"2011-01-13T01:27:51","modified_gmt":"2011-01-13T01:27:51","slug":"leaning-on-the-everlasting-arms-thoughts-about-shared-songwriting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2011\/01\/leaning-on-the-everlasting-arms-thoughts-about-shared-songwriting.html","title":{"rendered":"Leaning on the Everlasting Arms: Thoughts About Shared Songwriting"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two days ago, I posted the story of the history of the hymn that forms the musical basis of the soundtrack for the recent film version of True Grit<\/i>. In short, “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” was co-written in the late nineteenth century by two friends, Anthony Showalter and Elisha Hoffman. Showalter conceived of the refrain for the hymn as a way of encouraging two young men whose wives had recently died. But he just couldn’t come up with the words for the verses. So he wrote to his friend, a prolific hymn writer, asking for his help. Hoffman came up with three stanzas for the chorus, which Showalter then put to music. The result is one of the most beloved hymns among Christians in America.<\/p>\n

I’m impressed by Showalter’s willingness to acknowledge his inability to come up with the right lyrics for the verses. I’m quite sure he could have put together something that rhymed and had theological merit. But Showalter apparently had his standards. Plus, he was willing to admit his own inability to meet those standards. This kind of humility is impressive, and it led to the production of a fine hymn.<\/p>\n

I have often thought that today’s worship songwriters would do well to team up in their writing. Yes, some are able to writer wonderful lyrics and tunes while working alone. But so many songs, it seems to me, contain great raw material, but are published before they’re ready. Some intentional teamwork would have made them much better.<\/p>\n

Many times throughout the past two decades, I have been asked to help songwriters with their lyrics. Some of these writers are well known; others are “undiscovered.” But all of those whom I have helped have been humble enough to say, “I need some assistance.” Usually, they’re looking for theological guidance, though sometimes they want help with the poetry. To this point, nobody has asked me for help with the music . . . for good reason. <\/p>\n

\"Greene-Buddy-Harmonica-5.jpg\"<\/form>\n

The story of the co-writing of “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” reminds me of a more recent example of such teamwork. It began when Mark Lowry wrote some lines for a Christmas pageant at his church. They were used in the service, and that seemed to be the end of it. But, sometime later, Mark Lowry gave those lines to his friend, Buddy Greene, asking him to put them to music. Lowry says he made a joke about “writing a hit for us.” Greene didn’t get the joke, however. He put Lowry’s words to music, and thus was born the song “Mary, Did You Know?” In less than two decades, this song has become a Christmas favorite, and for good reason. Score another big point for collaboration in songwriting! (Here’s is a YouTube video of Lowry and Greene singing their hit<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Speaking of Buddy Greene, who is a friend of mine and a regular, beloved leader at Laity Lodge, he is not only a fine singer\/songwriter, but also one of the top harmonica players in the world (literally). For a delightful gospel-music version of “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms,” featuring Buddy on harmonica, check out this link<\/a>. And if you want to see his amazing classical performance in Carnegie Hall, click here<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two days ago, I posted the story of the history of the hymn that forms the musical basis of the soundtrack for the recent film version of True Grit. In short, “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” was co-written in the late nineteenth century by two friends, Anthony Showalter and Elisha Hoffman. Showalter conceived of the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[203],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hymns-and-songs"],"yoast_head":"\nLeaning on the Everlasting Arms: Thoughts About Shared Songwriting - Mark D. Roberts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2011\/01\/leaning-on-the-everlasting-arms-thoughts-about-shared-songwriting.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Leaning on the Everlasting Arms: Thoughts About Shared Songwriting - Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Two days ago, I posted the story of the history of the hymn that forms the musical basis of the soundtrack for the recent film version of True Grit. In short, “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” was co-written in the late nineteenth century by two friends, Anthony Showalter and Elisha Hoffman. Showalter conceived of the…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2011\/01\/leaning-on-the-everlasting-arms-thoughts-about-shared-songwriting.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-01-13T01:27:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/files\/import\/photos\/Greene-Buddy-Harmonica-5.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Leaning on the Everlasting Arms: Thoughts About Shared Songwriting - Mark D. 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1409","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1409"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1409\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1409"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1409"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}