"Spark"

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About the songs on Spark
I David Howard - Spark CD cover t still sometimes amazes me how every desire of the heart is fulfilled, many times before we are even conscious of it. When I first surrendered to the idea of recording this album, I feared I would not be able to find just the right songs. I held a belief that I needed to write the songs so that others would take me seriously as an artist. That belief frightened me, because I had never considered myself a songwriter – mainly because I had never written a song. Go figure! When I heard myself say “but, I am not a songwriter,” I also heard a voice that said, “with that thought, you never will be.” So, I made a choice to release that thought, and find one that felt better. I consciously asked for the music to reveal itself in whatever way would fulfill my intention to record an album of heart-opening, life-affirming songs that would inspire others to live life passionately. I received answers in varied ways – the Internet, workshops, friends, old favorites, etc. The songs I chose for this album speak to me and reinforce messages that encourage me to live fully. I believe each of us is here at this time to share ourselves with the world in ways that enliven others and ourselves. Music is one way I can share, and one way I can share passionately with you. I hope the messages will inspire you to embrace your innate greatness and live your dreams.

About the cover
I went looking on the Internet for images of sparks or fire to get my imagination going, but the graphic element for David Howard’s Spark was actually inspired in a moment when I became captivated by photos of crop circles in England.

For me, the design represents...

The spark of an idea, growing…

The spark of design… God's great design, expanding

The spark of wonder…

The spark of hope… it reminded me of a drop of water,

and the ripple effects, moving and spreading out into

the world

The spark of love… shining forth from the heart

The spark of life… an organism beginning it's journey

The circles represent eternity, never ending, simplicity,

the Earth, wholeness...

The list is endless...

-- Sara Hickman

“There Is A Place”

Cinde Borup (High Moon Music/BMI)
David Howard – Vocal
J Kendel Johnson – Piano, Background Vocals
Johnny Marshall – Synclavier
Milo Deering – Violin
John Dexter – Cello
Steve Browne – Bass
Sean McCurley – Drums

This is probably the most heart-opening song I have ever had the honor of singing.
I was first introduced to it at The School for The Work of Byron Katie. Katie uses it as one of the theme songs for the school. Perhaps it is this association that makes it such a powerful song for me, since I definitely had a heart-opening experience there, but I think it’s more than that. I believe “There Is A Place” is such a moving song because, through it, Cindy Borup manages to touch that space within the heart of each of us where we are comforted, loved, and healed. Whatever the reason, I get emotional each time I sing it. I was rehearsing it one morning before a Sunday service at The Center for Life Enrichment, and I began to sob. It reminds me of that deep place that holds, for me, the Truth of my perfection. I encourage you to open up, acknowledge, and accept your Truth. “…it’s waiting, not so far away. It’s right here in your heart.”

There is a place where you can always go, come with me
Where it’s alright to let your feelings show, come with me
What a pleasant journey, isn’t very far
We can go together, stay right where you are
And now it’s time to start
It’s right here in your heart

There is a place where you can be yourself, come with me
And, it’s a place where you can free yourself, come with me
And, you know its waiting not so far away
Need no reservations, we could go today
And now it’s time to start
It’s right here in your heart

And, the light shines through each window
And the door is open wide
And each question has an answer, if you’ll only look inside

There is a place where every sorrow ends, come with me
Where every hope and every truth begins, come with me
What a pleasant journey, isn’t very far
We can go together, stay right where you are

Now it’s time to start
It’s right here in your heart
Now it’s time to start
It’s right here in your heart

“Alive In The World”

Jackson Browne (Swallow Turn Music/ASCAP)
David Howard – Lead & Background Vocals
Steve Browne – Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Bass
Brian Piper – Piano
Johnny Marshall – Hammond B3 & Rhodes
Sean McCurley – Drums
Aaron Thomas – Percussion
J Kendel Johnson – Background Vocals

I spent years subscribing to what I thought was the message of New Age/New Thought philosophy – to ascend beyond physical experience to a higher level of consciousness, finding peace and harmony in “higher” realms. More recently, however, I have come to believe that’s not what this life is for at all. Rather than attempting to ascend beyond life in the world, I choose to be fully living in it. Life is about experiencing all the passion, joy, and excitement that life has to offer. We must be fully in the world to bring the light into the world. We cannot live beyond it and truly make a difference in it. Nor can we live in some ascended state of consciousness outside the body and fully manifest all that we desire to experience in this life space. This Jackson Browne song speaks of a desire to be fully alive in the world, to wake up and be fully present for life. It is my desire to live in the world in that way, while realizing that I am not of the world. Nothing that the world offers defines who I am, but the world offers opportunities for wondrous joy. May you be fully alive in the world!

I want to live in the world
Not inside my head
I want to live in the world
I want to stand and be counted
With the hopeful and the willing
With the open and the strong
With the voices in the darkness
Fashioning daylight out of song
And the millions of lovers
Alive in the world

I want to live in the world
Not behind some wall
I want to live in the world
Where I will hear if another voice should call
To the prisoner inside me
To the captive of my doubt
Who among his fantasies harbors
the dream of breaking out
And taking his chances
Alive in the world

To open my eyes and wake up alive in the world
To open my eyes and fully arrive in the world

With its beauty and its cruelty
With its heartbreak and its joy
With it constantly giving birth to life
and to forces that destroy
And the infinite power of change
Alive in the world

To open my eyes and wake up alive in the world
To open my eyes and fully arrive in the world
To open my eyes and wake up alive in the world
To open my eyes and fully arrive in the world

“Comfort’s Sigh”

Sara Hickman (Le Petite Bonheur/BMI)
David Howard – Vocal
Sara Hickman – Acoustic Guitar & Background Vocals
Sam Swank – Acoustic Guitar
Jamey Perrenot – Electric Guitar
Carter Albrecht – Piano
John Adams – Bass
Sean McCurley – Drums
Aaron Thomas – Percussion

There is a tribe in Africa where the birth date of a child is not counted from the day it is born, but from the day the child is first a thought in the mother’s mind. When a woman decides that she will have a child, she sits and listens for the song of the child that wants to come. She then teaches that song to her mate, and they sing the song together as an invitation to the child. After the child is conceived, she teaches the song to the midwives and the women of the village, so that they can sing the song while she is giving birth. Everyone in the village is taught the child’s song so that at each right of passage they gather and sing the song. If the child falls and is injured, someone picks it up and sings the song to it. So it goes throughout its life until finally, at the time of death, all the villagers gather and sing the song one last time.

I am grateful to Sara Hickman for all of her contributions to this album including singing background vocals, playing guitar, and art direction, but I am most grateful to her for writing this song and for being an example of a what life can be like when we sing our song. Each of us has a song. It may not have been taught to us as children, but we can listen for it and learn it for ourselves. It is a unique and wondrous melody within the song of Life. You may choose to teach your song to others, perhaps just one, who will remind you of your song at those times when you stumble or get hurt. Only you can sing your song. Believe and have faith in your song. Take refuge in it and gather your strength from it to carry on no matter what.

I must have faith...in my own journey
I must believe that I belong
Though I am weary...and feel forgotten
I’ll find the strength in my own song

I see the sorrow of my yesterday...I read tomorrow’s front page news
I hear a heartbeat long ago and bittersweet...it’s a glass slipper I’ll never lose
I must have faith in my own journey
I must believe that I belong
Though I am weary...and feel forgotten
I’ll find the strength in my own song

There is a shadow over your shoulder ....
Oh, I can witness...for I’ve had one, too...
The lonely anguish...the flicker of anger
So many questions...of what to do

I must have faith in my own journey...I must believe that I belong
Though I am weary...and feel forgotten...
I’ll find the strength in my own song

Many the stranger...standing at the window
Watching the street...eyes in the rain
Behind this curtain I’ve watched my dreams die
Waiting for a lover’s hand...and comfort’s sigh

I must have faith in my own journey
I must believe that I belong
Though I am weary and feel forgotten
I’ll find the strength in my own song
I’ll find the strength to carry on…

“Never be the Sun”

Donagh Long (Little Rox Music/ASCAP)
David Howard – Vocal
Jeff Black – Acoustic Guitar
Jamey Perrenot – Acoustic Guitar
Milo Deering – Violin
John Adams – Acoustic Bass

Near the end of recording this album, I was faced with the prospect of replacing one of the songs I had spent much time and energy tracking. I was disappointed and dismayed. I had no ideas for a song to record, so I asked for it to be revealed to me. Within a few days of asking, a friend emailed me with a recording of this song. I immediately fell in love with it and knew this was the song. It is, to me a lovely lullaby. I can just image what a different world we would live in if each child around the globe heard these words every night before going to sleep. It is a reminder to us all that it matters not who we are, where we are, or what we experience in this life, each of is The Light.

You'll never be the sun, turning in the sky
And you won't be the moon above us, on a moonlit night
And you won't be the stars in heaven, although they burn so bright
But even on the deepest ocean, you will be the light

You may not always shine as you go, barefoot over stones
You might be so long together, or you might walk alone
You won't find that love comes easy, but that love is always right
So even when the dark clouds gather, you will be the light

And if you lose the part inside when love turns round on you
Leaving the past behind
Is knowing you'll do like you always do
Holding you blind, keeping you true

You'll never be the sun, turning in the sky
And you won't be the moon above us on a moonlit night
And you won't be the stars in heaven, although they burn so bright
But even on the deepest ocean, you will be the light
You will be the light
You will be the light

“One Last Day To Live”

Jeff Black (Lotos Nile Music/BMI)
David Howard – Vocal
Steve Browne – Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Bass
Carter Albrecht – Piano
Johnny Marshall – Hammond B3, Rhodes & Synth
Sean McCurley – Drums
Annagrey LaBasse – Background Vocals

I love this song by my friend, Jeff Black. He is truly an inspired and gifted singer-songwriter. How many of us have asked ourselves, “What would I do if I knew I only had one day left to live’’? I certainly have. Every time that question crosses my mind, I have the same thoughts. I would make amends to those I feel I have harmed along my path. I would tell my family and friends how much I love and appreciate them. And, I would sing for as many people as would listen. Wouldn’t it be amazing to live each day free from fear, doubt and shame? What an empowered life we could live if we knew, really knew, there is nothing to fear, that we are perfect in the heart of God, and that we can trust our “inner knower” without a doubt! I believe the world is waiting for us to show the way. Will you? Will I?

If you had one last day to live
And your soul was free from doubt
Would you tell them how you feel?
Would you rise before the sun?
Would you write a letter home?
Would you try to make amends?

Does the light look different now?
Does it break without a sound?
Does it make you laugh out loud
Like when you were a child?

If you had one last day to live
And your soul was free from fear
Would you kill that monster now… dead?
Would you race the summer wind?
Write a song that does not rhyme?
Get stoned and sail the sea?

Would you pray to god or not?
Get real drunk and cuss a lot?
Bitch about what you ain't got?
Or get you something new?
Would you kiss the one you love
Down below and up above?
Could you bear the burden of
Nothing left to prove?

If you had one last day to live
And your soul was free from shame
Would you let your real light shine?

Does the light look different now?
Does it break without a sound?
Does it make you laugh out loud
Like when you were a child?
As you go kicking through the dew
Think of all that you've been through
Hey don't you realize it, too?
We've been wasting so much time

“Reach for the Light”

James Horner, Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil (Horner Music In Motion/Universal MCA Music Publishing/ASCAP, Dyad Music, Ltd./BMI & Songs Of Universal, Inc./BMI)
David Howard – Vocal
Jamey Perrenot – Electric Guitar
Carter Albrecht – Piano
Johnny Marshall – Hammond B3
John Adams – Bass
Sean McCurley – Drums

This is a powerful song that came to me through an internet search that had nothing to do (or so I thought) with this album. The title immediately caught my attention, so I clicked on the link and read the lyrics. I was inspired to learn more about this song. It is the theme song from the animated film, Balto. The movie is based on the true story of a wolf named Balto, who led a sled team through the snow and ice of Alaska to deliver medicine to sick children. It is a story of finding and accessing the light within us to do what we often believe is impossible. It speaks to me of the Light that shines brightly within each of us, a light that we sometimes hide because we are afraid to let it shine. When we uncover this light, we ignite it, and it shines forth to illumine our path. With this light, we become beacons in the world assisting others along their paths as well. Reach for your light! It just might show you more than you ever thought possible.

Deep in the night
The winds blow cold
And, in a heartbeat
The fear takes hold

Deep in the storm
There's a place that's soft and still
Where the road waits to be taken
If you only will

The voices inside you
Can lead your soul astray
Believe in what you dream
Don't turn away
Don't you turn away

Reach for the light
You might touch the sky
Stand on the mountaintop
And see yourself flying
Reach for the light
To capture a star
Come out of the darkness
And find out who you are

Somewhere in time
The truth shines through
And the spirit knows
What it has to do

Somewhere in you
There's a power with no name
It can rise to meet the moment
And burn like a flame

And you can be stronger
Than anything you know
Hold on to what you see
Don't let it go
Don't you let it go

Now, there's no turning back
When your destiny is calling
Listen to the thunder roll
And let your heart break free

Reach for the light

“Silver Lining”

David Gray (Chrysalis Music/ASCAP)
David Howard – Vocal
Jamey Perrenot – Acoustic & Electric Guitars
Carter Albrecht – Piano
Johnny Marshall – Synth
John Adams – Bass
Sean McCurley – Drums
Annagrey LaBasse & Michael Gott – Background Vocals

I believe, as David Grey says in this song, that “we were born with our eyes wide open, so alive with wild hope.” Each of us was born of and as the Light that illumines the world. Only, sometimes we forget and stumble around in the darkness. This song reminds us to hold the Light and shine it brightly. This Light is peace. It is Love. It is compassion. When we claim this Light, we become as Ghandi said, “the change we wish to see in the world.” When we shine this Light, the world we see begins to change. The walls of prejudice, hatred, bigotry, and judgment can come tumbling down. It is up to each of us to be a beacon of Light in our world.

Take this silver lining
Keep it in your own
Sweet head
And shine it when the night is
Burning red
Shine it in the twilight
Shine it on the cold, cold ground
Shine it till these walls
Come tumbling down

We were born with our eyes wide open
So alive with wild hope now
Can you tell me why
Time after time they drag you down
Down in the darkest deep
Fools and their madness all around
Know that the light don't sleep

Step into the silence
Take it in your own
Two hands
And sprinkle it like diamonds
All across these lands
Blaze it in the morning
Wear it like an iron skin
Only things worth living for are
Innocence and magic, amen

We were born with our eyes wide open
So alive with wild hope now
Can you tell me why
Time after time they drag you down
Down in the talk so cheap
Fools and their madness all around
Know that the light don't sleep
Know that the light don't sleep

Time after time
They drag you down
Down in the darkness deep
Fools in their madness all around
Know that the light don't sleep
Know that the light don't sleep

“Cicadas”

David Howard, J Kendel Johnson & John Adams (Dayboo Music/BMI, Rainy Mountain Music/BMI & Congruent Music/ASCAP)
David Howard – Vocal
Sara Hickman – Acoustic Guitar & Background Vocals
Sam Swank – Acoustic Guitar
Jamey Perrenot – Electric Guitar
Carter Albrecht – Piano
Johnny Marshall – Hammond B3
John Adams – Bass
Sean McCurley – Drums
Aaron Thomas – Percussion

Late one warm summer afternoon around dusk I was sitting quietly in my living room reading. Suddenly, I became aware of the familiar sound of the cicadas outside the window. I was transported in my mind to a summer as a child in Georgia when the sound of cicadas in the trees on my grandmother’s farm was nearly deafening.
It stuck me as odd that, in my present-day home, I had not, until that moment paid them much attention, even though I was sure that they had been “singing” for many days prior. I guess I had become so accustomed to the sound that I was tuning them out. As I sat there, I began to meditate with the sound, and in a sense join with it. These words came to me, and as I began reading them aloud the melody came as well. How often do I tune out the song of Life as it sings all around me? How often do I silence my own song for fear that it will not be appreciated? The cicadas were a reminder to me that Life is constantly singing its song as each of us in a special way. Like the sound of the cicadas, it will be music to some and noise to others. Sing it anyway. It is not something we have to strive to do, simply something we allow. Allow Life to have its life as you. Rise up, and sing!

Cicadas boldly sing their song
And take no thought of being wrong
No apology they make
For the cacophony that awakes

Strident voices! Nature’s din!
Every new breath, born again
A song that only wins an ear
From the ones who truly hear

Tones blending, tempo building
Into… crescendos that call out “Hey, you!”
No, not begging to be heard
Simply voicing their unspoken word

Hear the song that sings as you
Give it voice, nothing else will do
Let your life sing out loud
Make noise. Do the cicadas proud!

Hear your song, with your own beat
Learn your dance, and move your feet
You alone can sing your part
The melody’s deep in your heart

Be the song of life
It sings of boundless Joy
Through you it brings Peace and Hope
Please understand
The gift of Love is in your hands

Oh, listen… Hear that? All around!
A symphony, a graceful sound
It plays and dances on the wing

You are. It’s Life. Rise up and sing!

“Spark”

Karin Bergquist & Linford Detweiler (Nettwerk Melodies Publishing/ASCAP & Scampering Songs Publishing/ASCAP)
David Howard – Vocal
Jamey Perrenot – Electric Guitar
Carter Albrecht – Piano
John Dexter – Cello
John Adams – Bass
Sean McCurley – Drums
Johnny Marshall – Synth
Annagrey LaBasse & Michael Gott – Background Vocals

This song was written by Linford Deitwiler and Karin Bergquist of Over The Rhine in tribute to John Lennon and his ardent voice in the peace movement. In it they have captured a great truth. We cannot have peace in the world until each of us has peace in our lives. We cannot solve anything with violence – to others, or to ourselves. We cannot create a peaceful world through fear. Love is the only power to change what we have created. When we release the fear and claim the love, we will wake up dreaming.

It's not the spark that caused the fire
It was the air you breathed that fanned the flame
What you think you'll solve with violence
Will only spread like a disease
Until it all comes 'round again
Was John the only dreamer?

Sleep with one ear close to the ground
And wake up screaming
When we lay our cold weapons down
We'll wake up dreaming

Obsessions with self-preservation
Faded when I threw my fear away
It's not a thing you can imagine

You either lose your fear
Or spend your life with one foot in the grave
Is God the last romantic?

Sleep with one ear close to the ground
And wake up screaming
When we lay our cold weapons down
We'll wake up dreaming

Only love can turn this around
I wake up dreaming
Everything we've lost can be found
We'll wake up dreaming

“This Morning I am Born Again”

Slaid Cleaves & Woody Guthrie (Woody Guthrie Publications, Inc./BMI)
David Howard – Vocal
Sam Swank – Electric Slide Guitar
Jamey Perrenot – Electric Guitar
Carter Albrecht – Piano
John Adams – Bass
Sean McCurley – Drums

I can just imagine Woody Guthrie waking up one morning and feeling completely connected with all creation and in that moment knowing what it truly means to be “born again”. I have had those moments when I know that I am One with all life, when I see the beauty all around me, when I am totally at peace, when I know that all my needs are met, when there is no thought of the past or the future, when it feels as if I am truly born again in the newness and wonder of life. There is no longing for anything, not even the promise of heaven, for we experience heaven now. I believe that heaven is not a place, but a state of being. It is not something to be hoped for in the afterlife, but is the experience of connection with the Divine in the present moment. Heaven is not a reward, but a gift of Love freely given to each of us. It does not have to be earned, only accepted, appreciated and shared. I challenge each of us to practice waking up each day in the awareness of heaven and proclaiming “This morning I am born again!”

This morning I am born again, and a light shines on my land
I no longer look for heaven in your deathly distant land
I do not want your pearly gates, don’t want your streets of gold
This morning I am born again, and a light shines on my soul

This morning I am born again, I am born again complete
I stood up above my troubles, and I stand on my two feet
My hand it feels unlimited, my body feels like the sky
I feel at home in the universe where yonder planets fly

This I am born again, my past is dead and gone
This great eternal moment is my great eternal dawn
Each drop of blood within me, each breath of life I breathe
Is united with these mountains and the mountains with the seas

I feel the sun upon me, it’s rays crawl through my skin
I breathe the life of Jesus and old John Henry in
I give myself, my heart, my soul to give some friend a hand
This morning I am born again, I am in the promised land

This morning I am born again, and a light shines on my land
I no longer look for heaven in your deathly distant land
I do not want your pearly gates, don’t want your streets of gold
And I do not want your mansion, for my heart is never cold