Spring Trip 2012: Wilmington, NC

As many of you know, my wife Hazel and I have become some serious birders.  We love finding new species to add to our "life list" and going new places.  Hazel got some really wonderful pictures from our latest trip for spring to Wilmington, NC.  Check her out on Facebook if you haven't already.

It was a hugely successful trip, resulting in seeing 68 species, 30 of which were new to our list.  God's creation is absolutely beautiful.  Here is an alphabetical list of what we saw:

American Crow

American Oystercatcher

American Robin

Anhinga

Barn Swallow

Belted Kingfisher

Black-bellied Plover

Black Skimmer

Blue Grosbeak

Blue Jay

Boat-tailed Grackle

Brown-headed Nuthatch

Brown Pelican

Brown Thrasher

Canada Goose

Carolina Chickadee

Carolina Wren

Common Grackle

Common Loon

Cooper’s Hawk

Double-crested Cormorant

Dunlin

Eastern Kingbird

Eastern Towhee

European Starling

Fish Crow

Forster’s Tern

Gray Catbird

Great Blue Heron

Great Crested Flycatcher

Great Egret

Green Heron

Hermit Thrush

Herring Gull

Horned Grebe

House Sparrow

Laughing Gull

Least Tern

Lesser Yellowlegs

Mallard

Mourning Dove

Mute Swan

Northern Cardinal

Northern Mockingbird

Northern Parula

Osprey

Pied-billed Grebe

Pileated Woodpecker

Pine Warbler

Piping Plover

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Red-tailed Hawk

Red-winged Blackbird

Ring-billed Gull

Royal Tern

Saltmarsh Sparrow

Sandwich Tern

Savannah Sparrow

Semipalmated Plover

Snowy Egret

Tricolored heron

Tufted Titmouse

Whimbrel

White Ibis

Willet

Wood Duck

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Yellow-throated Warbler

Food Review: Gianno's

Tonight I had the pleasure of dining with family at Gianno's, a local Italian restaurant in High Point. This is a review of their dinner special.

The Dish: Blackened chicken with roasted corn relish, served on black bean and corn ravioli, in a red pepper and gouda cheese cream sauce. Paired with an '08 Liberty School Chardonnay.

The View: The vibrant colors of the corn relish - corn, okra, red pepper - were prominent against the pink-orange sauce. Two butterflied chicken breasts atop five large ravioli.

The Taste: "Chicken on some pasta" could easily describe any number of Italian dishes. But Alberto Alvarado, Gianno's executive chef and kitchen manager, has hit upon a delicious southwestern twist to the Italian classic. The chicken being blackened sealed in the juices for a well-cut moist portion. The corn relish was decent, but did not add much, especially considering how well the chicken paired with the ravioli which already contained corn. While the ravioli might have needed an extra minute to really marry the corn and black bean flavors, it still proved to be a surprisingly smart combination of flavors. But it was the red pepper gouda cream sauce that unified the dish. The savory cheese was offset perfectly by the spice of the pepper - a genius combination that should earn itself a permanent placement on the menu. Chef Alvarado's culinary acumen gave the dish a moderate kick that was enough to bring robust flavors, but restrained enough to keep from overpowering the dish.

The Rating: 8/10

A job well done for Chef Alvarado and his crew at Gianno's.

Awake! Quiet Earth

This is a poem I wrote during one of my 15 minute creativity sessions (see previous post). It was inspired by one of the most beautiful spring days I've ever experienced.

Awake! Quiet Earth

Zephyrs of light

Sweetly dance the leaves

Awake! Quiet earth Awake!

Early blossoms take to flight

Magic and mystery of life

Messengers sent; your message clear

Raven and thrush

Finch and sparrow

Home is in bloom

Sing a new song

Her palette is unrivaled

Not a stroke too strong or misplaced

Paint me a spring that can never decay

She knows no bounds

But is born out of souls

Her touch brings joy that must be displayed

What was made to be

Is called out by the voice

Awake! Quiet earth Awake!

Create 15 Minutes

Since February 1, I have sought to intentionally set aside 15 minutes each day to create something. The idea was born during a conversation with a friend over a leisurely billiards match and a much needed basket of Ham's homemade chips. As we got caught up on each others jobs and relationships, it became clear that we each had been seeking some sort of creative outlet. So after kicking around a few ideas, it was finally decided that we would take 15 minutes a day and write. The emphasis was not on churning out a New York Times bestseller, but on discipline. If you want to be a writer, you must write. If you want to be a musician, you must make music. If you want to be a painter, you must paint. But all too often I fall prey to the busy-ness of the day and months go by without my hands touching a single creative thing for my pleasure. And so began this great experiment.

While regretfully my dear friend has yet to set his hands at 15 minutes this last month and a half, it had a huge impact on me. At first it was all about writing, but now as the discipline has taken root in me, I have expanded out to other endeavors I have long been interested in doing. And 15 minutes is no longer the goal, but the minimum. Now my 15+ minutes can be devoted to:

• Writing - journals, book ideas, poetry, short story, etc.
• Composition - writing songs and producing something tangible like a lyric sheet, chord chart, melody line notes, or a rough recording.
• Sketching - pencil drawings, watercolors, crayons...drawing what inspired me, or drawing something to inspire me, or simply striving to appreciate the beauty of line and color by participation
• Intentional Skill Enrichment - focused practice time on a particular area to improve and expand my talent and ability

I've composed two pages of an instrumental piano piece, learned the first movement of a Mozart piano sonata, compiled a great start on a book about spiritual practice, retuned a handful of hymns, and have a rather haphazard yet charming sketch of a tree in bloom. And the best part?

I have never felt more alive.

These things will likely never earn international acclaim or make me lots of money, and they may never even be seen or heard by anyone but myself. That is not the point. The effort is one of Truth, Beauty, and Worship. I feel it sweeping me up into a world of richness and depth.

My prayer is that it moves me closer to the Creator, makes me a better husband, an inspiring teacher, and present in the loving gift of life.

From time to time you might see some of the fruit of my 15 minutes on here. I'd love to know what you think.

Give it a try. What have you got to lose?

Benefit Concert for Managua Christian Academy 10/30

There is a great local opportunity to make a global impact this weekend! I will be playing a couple songs to open for Shelly E. Johnson, a Christian singer/songwriter from Nashville, TN. Although we weren't on campus at the same time, both Shelly and I graduated from Belmont University. It is a benefit concert for Managua Christian Academy, a school with 400+ students in Nicaragua. The school endured some severe flood damage recently, and the building has been condemned. Part of the effort for this concert is to raise awareness and support to help with a new building for these students and teachers. There is no fee to attend the concert which begins at 7pm. All the information and links can be found on the right side of this page under the "Shows" heading.

Please come out and learn about the ministry of Managua Christian Academy, help support them in their efforts to get a new building, and enjoy some great local music!

Good News

"We are far worse than we would ever dare to believe." That will always be true, but its impact grew deeper and wider for me an hour ago. Driving the familiar road back to the apartment, I looked to my left at Oak Hollow Lake. The scene was stunning. The soft orange-pink of the sunset robed itself in the fall hues of the trees, placid waters below and a couple of elegant herons drifting by above. Nothing had ever felt as real as it did in that moment, it almost had gravity of its own. My soul felt filled, and I knew that this was the kind of thing we were supposed to know and enjoy for eternity. I would argue that we are still supposed to be doing that today, but have lost ourselves in the contrived importance of our days. There is nothing more important than relationship - with Creator, creation, and the created.

But I have not done that. I have not been anywhere close to that. And one last thing crossed my mind. I usually think of being saved as being rescued from this earth, that I am being directed towards heaven instead of hell. But I sense now that I have been in the grips of hell all along.

That is very good news.

A (New) Song: Out of the Deep I Call

The words of Henry W. Baker's hymn "Out of the Deep I Call," have been in my head for weeks. This is a timeless hymn of confession as the words feel almost as though they could have been written this year instead of 1868. You can listen to my retuned version above and get the chord chart below.

Sir Henry Williams Baker (1821-1877) was a well-educated and highly regarded member of London's society during the 19th century. He authored many hymns and edited a collection entitled Hymns Ancient and Modern (published 1861). In addition, he also wrote a prayer book with a great title: Daily Prayers for the Use of Those Who Have to Work Hard. Today he is remembered through his beautiful hymns and honored in stained glass at his church in London as well as All Saints Notting Hill.

Off the Charts

Last week our dear dog Spike went on to rest in peace. There is no doubt that he was one of the world's most unique and special animals, and that is what made him so lovable. Spike spent nearly all of his 16 years with us - traveling from Oklahoma to North Carolina, going on countless family vacations (Spike "loved" camping), cheering me on during Little League games, putting up with (or being put up with) our cats, birds, and other dogs, and teaching us about patience, good humor, and love.

Spike was not your typical pug. He acted like such a tough guy - didn't like to be picked up, not too big on cuddling, and would certainly never wear any doggie clothes. However, underneath all of that was a loving and loyal friend. One fall afternoon many years ago, one of our other dogs escaped out the front door and started trotting down the street. I took off after him so that he would not get lost or hit by a car, and it wasn't until I caught him and started my way back to the house that I realized Spike had followed right on my heels step for step the whole way. I'm pretty sure he thought I needed chasing after for protection too.

As he aged, he showed his softer side a lot easier. He went form alpha male to generally pleasant, then back to a grumpy old man, and finally spent his last few years as a wiser, slower, and more peaceful friend - a grandfather pug. He lost most his teeth, then his hearing, then his sight, then most the use of his back legs. But boy did his nose still work...and his bark. He knew within seconds when I would walk in because he knew the familiar scent of his boy. No matter how tired he was or how much pain he may have been in that day, he always got up to say hello and spend some time with me. At the vet's office on one of his last visits, my mom saw a chart comparing dog years, cat years, and human years so you could see just how old your animal was. Spike was off the chart. Apparently the makers of the sign underestimated the courage and stubbornness of our Spike. We know now that he is no longer restricted by the pains of old age, but back to being his rambunctious, curious, and pugnacious self.

Spike, you stood by me through elementary school, middle school, high school, college, and even marriage. You brought me up well, with the help of my parents of course. I will never forget you. And it is true, in more ways than anyone else could ever know, in loyalty, humor, quirkiness, stubbornness, barking, begging for food, friendship, love, and being a superb man's best friend, you were off the charts.

A (New) Song: O That I Had A Thousand Voices

As I mentioned last month, I've started a new project entitled A (New) Song. The goal is to take hymns - favorites and the unfamiliar - and "update" them in some way. This could be as simple as keeping the existing melody and making it sound more modern by smoothing out or adding chords. It could also mean, as in the case of this month's hymn, keeping the words and rewriting an entirely new melody and chord progression.

This month's hymn is "O That I Had A Thousand Voices."

It was written by Johann Mentzer (1658-1734), a German pastor and theologian. The Trinity Hymnal places Psalm 126:3 on the hymn page: "The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy."

You can listen below as well as find the chord charts. It is also a free download on myPureVolume site. God bless.

Real Key:

Capo Chords:

The Arm of the Lord is Not Too Short

One word to describe this weekend: AWESOME. The mountains alone make me smile, but when you add in family, friends, music, and glass bottle Cheerwine, I get this goofy grin not even a UFC could knock off my face.

First, a huge thank you is in order to Son's Light Ministries, Holmes Convocation Center, and Selah Media Productions. The amount of time and effort they put in to the Festival is beyond comprehension - but it sure did pay off. A huge thank you also to everyone at the coffee house Saturday night and to all who came by and said hello at my table yesterday - I wish I could thank you each by name, but for fear of leaving someone out just know this means you!

Leading up to this weekend, most of what crossed my mind as I started preparing was fear. Fear of not being in perfect health, fear of not remembering songs, fear that the songs weren't even good in the first place, fear that I was being called to something I shouldn't have been, and the list goes on. What gave me comfort (mostly spoken by my wife) was the reminder that the arm of the Lord is not too short. No matter what, the will of the Lord would be done. There is nothing that any of us could do to thwart His plans. Each and every soul that came together this weekend was purposed, and I pray it was all for the glory of God.

I had a blast, and I hope you did too. It was good to hug old friends and shake hands with the new - next time you'll get a hug too. I will post some pictures of the event soon. In the meantime check out the music of everyone at the event:

Josh Wilson

7-Miles

Marshall Daniels Band

Jonny Diaz

Seventh Day Slumber

Peace.

High Country Praise Festival 2011

A new show has been added!!! On September 4th I will have the honor and privilege of being the opening act at the High Country Praise Festival in Boone, NC. Every year thousands of people gather at the Holmes Convocation Center to worship God and hear the Word. There is a lot of great music, motivational speakers, food, games, and more. Tickets are only $5, so if you don't have any Labor Day weekend plans, this might be the place for you. You can buy tickets here.

It is an event sponsored in large part by Son's Light Ministries, a group of folks that have been kind enough to support me in ways too many to count. They are doing great things for the Kingdom, and so I hope you check out the website or even pay them a visit at the coffee house in Boone. It's like Cheers...even being there once everyone is sure to know your name and be glad you came.

If you make it out on Sept. 4 be sure to come by my table along the outer ring of the Holmes Center and say hello. Even if you don't, say hello anyway in your prayers.

A (New) Song

I have started a new project entitled A (New) Song. It is essentially a collection of hymns that I have retuned, smoothed out, or otherwise updated. As a worship leader, it is important to be sensitive to the needs and preferences of the congregation and the worship team, and over the years that has meant lowering the key of some songs or writing out chords (and capo chords) to more difficulty harmonized hymns or even scrapping the original melody and transplanting the rich lyrics into a new melodic soil. Each month (around the 2nd Sunday) I will be posting a (new) hymn to my PureVolume website. Along with a recording, there will also be chord charts posted both here and the PV site. And the best part is, they will all be available as FREE DOWNLOADS. Please take the ones you like and share them with your congregation. I'm very excited about this ongoing project and hope that you join me in worshiping and playing - and maybe even suggesting a hymn or two you'd like to hear updated!

"Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord all the earth."

--Psalm 96:1

Change and the Unchangeable

Life brings us changes on a regular basis. Sometimes the changes are small, like your favorite television show moving to a new night or another traffic light. But sometimes the changes are big, like moving to a new state or a promotion or a new member of the family. We find ourselves in a constant state of inconstancy. So where do we find stability? Who or what can we count on to help maintain our equilibrium? Or for Inception fans - what is our totem?

If we are to believe Hollywood, the answer would be ourselves. We are told to seek what we want, be ourselves, follow our hearts. Though it's hard to admit sometimes, my heart is not made of the most reliable stuff. I am fickle and inconsistent.

"The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who

can understand it?"

--Jeremiah 17:9

If we are to believe our nation's leaders, the answer would be the government. Through programs and agencies our needs will be met, our routines regulated, and our safety made certain. But no amount of rules or committees could ever account for all of our trials and triumphs in this life. The leaders change, the beliefs change, the country changes. The government is made of fine men and women, but even the finest still have fallible hearts.

"Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot

save."

--Psalm 146:3

If we are to believe science, the answer would be the laws of nature. Gravity, inertia, angles of deflection - these things remain unchanged from the world around them. But will gravity always stand by my side? How are the raging seas of my soul to be calmed by mathematical formulas, theorems, and postulates?

"They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and

served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever

praised. Amen."

--Romans 1:25

There must be something greater. The things of man simply do not offer hope of the disordered becoming ordered again. Even nature, over which we have almost no mastery, does not provide us with comfort or hope for wrongs to be righted. At a time in my life when many things are changing and I'm surrounded by a lot of newness and unknown, there is but One who can provide peace.

"People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the

oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument.

Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his

purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he

confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two

unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie,

we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us

may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an

anchor for the soul, firm and secure."

--Hebrews 6:16-19a

This has been of great help to me. I hope it is for you as well. And here is one last bit easier to memorize that I hope you can keep with you throughout every step of your day:

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."

--Hebrews 13:8

PureVolume Site Launched!

Just a quick music update here. Starting today I have a new PureVolume site that is going to serve as my musical home base. I will still be frequenting this blog as well as my SoundCloud site (linked to your right), but the PureVolume site provides a much better online presence and musical community.

Right now both albums "Diary of a Sinner" and "Home" are streaming in their entirety as well as a few available for MP3 download. Leave comments, be my friend/fan, check the events and blog, and join the fun!

www.purevolume.com/michaelkuehn

Old Things New

I spent a good bit of the night cleaning and restoring some old NES video games. It was very nostalgic, enough so that I got sucked into an hour or so of Super Mario, Mega Man, and Galaga. There was also real satisfaction in watching the blinking screen of death turn into a crisp 8-bit masterpiece. But it was the deeply spiritual aspect of it that really caught my attention.

All it took was a little love and attention and this decades old toy looked and played just like new. The old became new. It occurred to me that I may not be so different from that Pac-Man cartridge next to me. I am covered with dirt and grime again and again, day after day, but with God's love and attention I am washed clean and made new. And let us not forget He crafted us out of dirt in the first place. All around us we can see the hand of our Creator being the Sustainer and Restorer of all things. So we join the band Gungor in a prayer of praise and adoration:

"You make beautiful things out of the dust."

Amen.

A Little Reframing

Conversations are not always the best places for self-discovery. We have all uttered a few sentences that made us stop and think, "wow, do I really feel that way?" or "I had no idea that's what I wanted." It can be rather embarrassing at times. While the feelings and thoughts may have been there all along, it was not until your larynx vibrated the words out past your lips into the air that you could really understand. But when your conversation partner is a good friend, it can be a refreshing and liberating experience. I had such an experience this week.

Most of you know that graduate school is the general direction in which I've been heading. Granted "headed" there is a vague term reminiscent of Island Time, but heading there nonetheless. A lot of progress has been made on the what, where, and why, so it feels more like just a matter of when. In talking with a dear friend, it occurred to me that there were two ways to frame the timeline in my mind. The first, which is how I viewed it up until recently, is that everything I am doing right now is merely the in between until graduate school arrives. It takes a lot of time, money, and energy to do graduate work, and so it is natural to have a few years of preparation. By having this perspective, I felt the need to qualify my current life situation by saying, "...that's what I'm doing now before I start graduate school." Then the conversation would shift to all the great things I was going to do and study.

Now I see things a bit differently, which leads us to perspective #2. I realized that everything I am involved in - for work or play - is comprised of the very things I am passionate about and are within my skill set. What I should be focused on is engaging the things I find right in front of me, entering into the work and community in which I've been planted. These things are real things, not just meantime things. Graduate school will come when it comes, if it ever does. I'm okay with that sentence now. God has brought me here from where He has led me, and He will lead me forward into the next step. And I would do well to pay attention to the tasks as hand for they are the very things that will shape me into what I'm becoming.

A lot of people are at a crossroads right now, and I hope there is some encouragement in this for where you are. Look up from the map you've drawn for your life and see the place where God has brought you. You might be surprised how beautiful it is.

Musicophilia

I am a lover of music. I love everything about it. From the simple summertime windows-down pop song to the intricate, beautiful complexity of the masters in their craft, it captivates me. My knowledge and collection grows constantly, and I hope that growth continues each day even into the everlasting, where music is sure to be at its finest. There is so much to my relationship with music that I'm not even sure I could put words to it. But every once in a while, something specific jumps out to me. This morning I was struck by Truth in an unlikely place.

I love when secular music gets it wrong. (I don't particularly like the phrase "secular music," but it will work for this purpose). When a song starts down a road that is contrary to my convictions, sometimes it can be frustrating, uncomfortable, or in extreme cases, offensive. But there are other times when it actually strengthens my faith and helps to solidify my thoughts. Take this line from a Desaparecidos song:

"And it reads just like the Bible

Twenty centuries of scandal

Yeah, it all depends on how you interpret it"

I still smile when I think about it. The truth of something is not dependent on our evaluation of it. No matter how much I convince myself that gravity is a myth, the fact remains that gravity is very, very real. That thought gets rooted deeper into my daily life the more I hear this song. And that leads me into worship. I rejoice that God's ways are not my ways and that His thoughts are not my thoughts. No matter how crazy life gets, I can trust in the Truth of Scripture.

I also love when secular music gets it right. Part of me believes that secular artists have a better perspective on the human condition and the human experience than Christian artists. Perhaps there is a pressure on Christian artists to constantly watch what they say. Nonetheless, I often benefit from the insights of secular artists and believe it valuable due to the common grace extended to us all. Take this excerpt from an Ani DiFranco song as an example:

"But as bad as I am, I'm proud of the fact

That I'm worse than I seem.

What kind of paradise am I looking for?

I've got everything I want, and still I want more..."

The first two lines remind of just how big of a sinner I am. It brings to mind a quote I once heard (forgive me for any inaccuracy): "Cheer up - you're worse than you think. And you're loved more than you know." I don't think I'm proud of that, but there is an element of humility to the realization that I am worse than I seem. I can put on a happy face with the best of them, but the truth is my heart is nowhere near the condition required by God. And there is so much joy in the fact that the blood is enough to even cover that. The second two lines are quite familiar as well. Satisfaction is often elusive, which is something I am working to correct. Not only are those lines a comment on my greed and attitude, but they urge me to seek out the One who Satisfies. My prayer is that the Lord continues to draw me into Himself, and that He might do the same for Ani.

The Lord can work through everything. I believe this is just one of a bajillion ways He speaks into my life through my love of music. I pray that whatever things captivate you in life are filled with things to strengthen your faith and markers of the Eternal.

Stuff Happens When You Do Stuff

Firstly, I am now officially over 100 plays on SoundCloud!!! I greatly appreciate all of the folks who have spared a few minutes to listen. Local music is made possible by local people. Part of the hope is that my songs are the first part of a longer conversation, so please feel free to comment on this blog or on the songs so we might fulfill perhaps the greatest end of art: community.

I also wanted to be sure and say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who came to see Hazel's photography and hear Zoo and I play - especially given the extra driving to the "back-up venue." Although things didn't quite go according to schedule, I felt the evening was fun and hope we can do it again sometime. Be sure to check out Zoo and Joe Next Door.

That night got me thinking about a lot of things. It made me want to play out a lot more for one thing. I really only play a handful of times a year, and with how much fun it is, I ought to increase that number. The night also renewed my sense of adventure. A friend and I have started using the phrase: Stuff happens when you do stuff. While it is a rather unremarkable sentence, it still has significance. The bottom line is that if you spend all your time isolated in a life-sucking routine, you don't experience existing and this adventure that is your lifespan. So when the night gave us one curve, we adjusted and took action. Everything turned out just fine in the end, and we all got to experience a wonderful evening of the arts. We did stuff, and stuff happened. Just yesterday Hazel and I took a trip down to Charlotte just to have a fun Saturday. As we were driving, we saw a sign for Mallard Creek Church Road, and then promptly saw a Mallard flying down to what looked like a small creek with a paved walkway. So we exited the interstate and tried to find it. We never did, but we did stumble upon the Reedy Creek Nature Center and got a chance to walk around and see some beautiful scenery. While we must always use the brains God gave us to make the best decisions, that doesn't mean we don't set out to blaze a trail every once in a while. Being with friends, supporting local art, going with the flow...that is a beautiful thing. Do yourself a favor: do stuff...because stuff happens.

Grace Arts Community Outing

The Grace Arts Community (GAC) is a group focused on participating in creative opportunities by sharing individual art, facilitating artistic discussion, and attending community performances/exhibits. This Friday April 8, there is an excellent opportunity to join GAC in supporting local art and to make some new friends.

Hazel Ellis, my fiance, has two photographs on display in a gallery in the WFU Medical Center. After we go to view the gallery, we will be heading over to Cafe Roche where my good friend Zoo and I will be playing some songs. Come on out to one or both and enjoy a fun night. Info is on the right of the screen.

Resolution Progress - Month 3; "Scales"

March proved to be another successful month in my reading journey. Here's the progress:

C of N: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - Lewis

The Great Typo Hunt - Jeff Deck and Benjamin Herson

In the Beginning, God - Marva Dawn (in progress)

I'll start with the second first. Typo Hunt was an absolutely amazing story. Jeff Deck writes with so much personality and wit that his journey starts to feel like your own, or at least makes you want to go on your own. I highly recommend it for someone looking for a fairly light-hearted read with some humor and an occasional deep thought.

Dawn Treader impacted me more than Prince Caspian, but I am certain that a lot of imagery and meaning was lost on me this first time around. My two favorite parts were the ending with the bright light and sweet water, and the part with Eustace being turned into a dragon. The latter inspired a song I'd like to share with you. The lyrics are below, and the song can be heard just below those. I hope you enjoy.

Scales

I can hardly recognize this heart of sin

These are not my hands, this is not my skin

How I came to be this way I'm not too sure

I'm looking for some hope, hoping for a cure

I want to see, a change in me

One by one the scales they fall

But underneath there's more

I need sharper claws than mine

To reach down to the core

I'm sorry for the things I have been

I just want to be a boy again

I slip deeper in this cave to hide my shame

No one knows this face, let alone my name

But with each day I just feel more and more alone

I miss my friends, I miss my home

Who can call me out of the dark?

And pierce this armor right down to my heart?

Chorus

Your breath has filled my lungs

I thought I could breathe on my own

You dig down to my soul

Undressing me right down to the bone

Cast me into the waves

So that they can wash me clean

The stinging that's on my skin

Tells me that I'm alive again

Gone are the tears and all of the pain

As I wrap my fingers in your mane

And one by one the scales they fell

And under there's no more

You've got sharper claws than mine

That reached down to the core

Forgiven for the things I have been,

You let me be a boy again

Scales by Michael Kuehn