My Psalm
4/7/09
It’s when stinging teardrops stain my heart
And tired fingers lose their grip
Sore from clenching, dangling, hanging
Resisting the urge to let go
It’s when I’m striding purposefully forward
Gaining momentum with every thought and action
While enjoying the comfort of a routine day
Content with a kiss from husband and baby
It’s in these moments, life’s moments
That I feel You
That I know You’re there for me
Oh Lord, You are worthy
Of all the praise man can offer
Blessed be Your Name!
It’s when the cross on my back
Mercilessly bends my frame
And the weight from the wood
Sends me to my knees again
It’s when I tune into the still small voice
Resonating from the holiest place in my heart
As He asks me to sit and listen
While He sings His song of life and love over me
It’s when I’m standing there in the sun
Not aware of the wave around the corner
Sometimes blessing, sometimes testing
I know You know what’s best for me
It’s when I rejoice at the birth of a new baby
And writhe in agony when a loved one dies
A glimpse of heaven through life and love
A hope of heaven through loss and pain
It’s when it comes down to this:
It doesn’t matter what I’m doing or what’s happening to me
My soul testifies to what is true
It cannot help but scream in praise to You:
Savior, Lord, Creator, Redeemer
Almighty, I AM, Counselor, Healer
Master, King, Lover, Friend
Almighty, Jehovah, the Beginning and End
All Knowing, the Way, the Truth, and the Life
Defender, Just, Righteous
Healer, Wise, Holy, Sinless
God in the flesh, Love, the Lion of Judah
All hail Christ Jesus! Long live the Messiah!
It’s in these moments, life’s moments
That I feel You
That I know You’re there for me
Oh Lord, You are worthy
Of all the praise man can offer
Blessed be Your Name!
an Easter challenge
For those of us who believe in Jesus Christ, we are commissioned and compelled to share our faith. I have been wanting to do this for a while, and am sad to say that I really know very few unbelievers. Every time I have listened to Easter, I am so moved by the message of the cross that I want to give it to someone who hasn’t heard the song yet. I figure, if the person is already saved, it will be an encouragement. If they are not, perhaps they would be more apt to listen to the message in a song than a face-to-face conversation with a Christian. My husband, Ryan, has recently gotten into handing out gospel tracts. This got both of us thinking. What if we handed out Easter singles everywhere we went? If I saw that someone had put a cd on my car, I would probably listen to it. Most papers I find on my car I just throw away without more than a glance.
We told Jaimie we wanted to pay for 100 singles, but when she heard what we planned to do, she said that she would much rather that we just bought one mp3 and then burned as many copies as we needed. She was even hoping I would write to all of you and encourage you to do the same.
Though handing out Cd’s is not a substitute for verbally sharing our faith, it is a wonderful way to “scatter the seed” of the Gospel and bless those of like faith. (I would recommend that you include some form of instruction with the cd on how one becomes saved. Also, encourage your recipient to pass the song along when they are able.)
If you end up trying this out, let us know how it is going! I will keep you posted on our efforts as well.
PS For those of you who have ordered Jaimie’s EP The Other Way and still have the Easter single, consider giving your single away. Easter is included on the EP.
March fanmail
Jaimie received the following letter shortly after the release of her first single, Easter.
Dear Jaimie,
I’ve been wanting all week to write telling you about our experience with your song, Easter. The day after I got the CD from you, the kids and I drove out to the Oaks. We listened to the song…and then listened to it again…and again and again and again…and AGAIN! We listened to it multiple times still on our way back home later and more each subsequent time we’ve driven somewhere. Each time it touched so deeply that I cried and laughed and found myself breaking into spontaneous prayer – rejoicing in and awed by Jesus’ sacrifice and God’s eternal power. Riley and Sagey were affected, too, and began asking questions about the song and the story. I would stop the music and explain what was going on and why – which prompted more questions and more in-depth discussion. At this point, Riley may be better versed in spiritual matters than some adults; he soaks it up like a sponge and has since he was old enough to talk…Both of the kids request repeatedly to hear “Jaimie’s song” while we’re in the Jeep. I love that they want to hear it as much and as many times as I do. I sing loudly as it plays and, from behind me, hear Sage singing too!
Grandma Dolores and I listened to Easter together one night. As it finished, she said, “Jaimie has tapped into a heavenly, powerful sort of music that I believe God is sending to us in these times.” Hmmm…I wouldn’t doubt it. Interestingly, each time I play the song, I begin praying, requesting the Holy Spirit. This is not something I’ve done much of, and yet I pray that my children would be filled with the Holy Spirit! I pray that He would fill and empower me to do His will! Somehow, for me, praying for the Spirit to come and move in power on the earth and in His people is inseparable from the song Easter. It’s unavoidable when I listen to the music.
I’m so proud of you – and of God in you. He is working!
Your friend,
Heather
As Easter is distributed, stories like Heather’s are common. Want to share your experience? Send me a note at jana@pinkclovermusic.com.
a little hello
Hello PCM fans and the curious,
My name is Jana and I am the official blogger for pinkclovermusic.com. I have been listening to (and enjoying) Jaimie’s music long before there was a little pink Clover, and it is an honor to be a part of this website. From time to time I will be posting my thoughts (or yours) on Jaimie’s current projects or anything musically related that may pop into my mind. If you have anything you would like to share with me, you can contact me at jana@pinkclovermusic.com. Looking forward to hearing from you,
Jana
World Vision Benefit Concert
Musicians: Jaimie Stepro, Noah Stepro, Jen Snodgrass, Joel Hatcher; Photographed by Ryan Perea
We had a successful turnout for the World Vision Benefit Show at the Desert Vineyard last Friday night, March 20th! Most importantly, we raised $2500 (all our ticket proceeds went to World Vision). Our efforts were quadrupled by the federal government for a grand total of $12,500!!!
Praise God for everyone’s generosity! Many children will be fed because of the money raised!
Updates and Reminders
Thanks for stopping by~
Physical CD – $5
MP3 (through email) – $2
*Payments received through PayPal
*Black women’s tees arrive next week!! Sizes L and XL, $15, also available for order on website
*Children’s book “A Clover Lullaby” is now TYPO-FREE!
(Sorry for any who were worried after seeing the prototype) ($10)*Please subscribe to our mailing list on the homepage of the website or under the tab “News” for updates if you haven’t already! pinkclovermusic.com
*Sign the guestbook while you’re there!
*Most of you are aware, but you can add “Easter” to your facebook profile page by clicking on the “add” link where you can also “dedicate” to someone. (Though yes, quite the odd song to dedicate, haha.) You can find the song on my profile page or the Application ilike under Jaimie Stepro (and there you can become a “fan”).
*Myspace users can also add the song to their profile page. I would love to be added as a friend, if I’m not already, and hear from you!
*Keep the feedback coming, whether on ilike, myspace, or the guestbook on the website! I genuinely enjoy reading your responses to the song and those from whom you’ve shown. It’s very encouraging!
*Always interested in new places to play, so let me know! Contact me directly at jaimie@pinkclovermusic.com
*World Visionpre-sale tickets – $7; at the door – $10
All ticket proceeds go to World Vision!
my perspective on the debut of “easter”
Friday, February 20th I played my first show at my dad’s church in Littlerock. My nerves were going absolutely crazy. It’s one thing to lead worship, another to play your original songs and hope people are enjoying the music!
My friend Justin Ibrahim opened up the show with an accoustic set and was fantastic! He did a wonderful job warming up the crowd and I was amazed at his natural ability to connect with them. (Check out his songs on myspace.com/justinibrahim) January Squires followed suite with a mellow yet passionate set of her original songs. She and Justin gave brief backgrounds into the inspiration for each song which further drew in the audience. At moments I found myself getting lost in their music, so proud of my friends, and then suddenly filled with dread when I remembered I had to get up there and do it too!
After my first song, “Praise the Lord”, I realized I had nothing to be afraid of. I think I was focusing too much on whether or not the audience would like my music and if I was going to sing well (nerves do scary things to my voice). But my primary aim, regardless of what it is I am doing, must be “Am I glorifying the Lord?”. As this thought flew through my head between choruses, I began to relax. The more I relaxed, the better the music sounded, and I was able to focus my efforts towards Him, the Giver of all musical talent and the Author of the songs in my heart. As a result, I believe I was able to enjoy performing for my audience. (Which definitely wasn’t a critical crowd, everyone was so supportive and had such a sweet spirit.)
After singing “Easter”, I received my very first standing ovation.Though I was nodding my head, saying “thank you” I very strongly felt that the applause was for Jesus and what He accomplished on the cross. It was amazing to watch my friends and family responding in worship to a song that originated from my pen and paper. What an awesome experience that the Lord let me be a part of!
So, to sum up the night in two words:
A SUCCESS!!!!
I am very excited for the next show!
A Big and Hearty THANK YOU!
I have thought a lot about the phrase “a self-made man”, and though I haven’t quite “made” it anywhere yet, I don’t believe being “self-made” is true.
Throughout this musical endeavor, I have come to realize how absolutely vital every person involved has been! Whether you are someone that just stopped by the site, or listened online to “Easter” or added it to your profile, left an encouraging comment, signed the guestbook, passed along the link or song, bought merchandise, attended my show, prayed for me, babysat Clover or gave me a ride, did all of the artwork (Ryan!) or a bucket of hay (Jana!), been there emotionally for me through the ups and downs (Noah!, my parents!, Jana!, Elaine!), designed my book (AJ!), written a bio for me (Jana!), taken pictures, made order forms and single-handedly designed the website at ungodly hours (Elaine!), made fliers (Noah and Josh!), helped with ALL of the behind the scenes aspects of this project (Noah!), or offered musical advice and spent hours playing for free and band and sound direction (Joel!), provided inspiration for my songs, as well as the musicians that recorded with me, and friends that opened for free (Jan and Justin!), and the t-shirt guys that made the t-shirts and heck, even the Staples girls that printed my books, and let’s not forget those that brought cookies, or collected money at my debut and smiled while stamping hands (Laura and Jannise!), and worked the merchandise table (Judy, Cara, Elaine again!!) and everyone else that has helped - I TRULY could not have done this without you.
If I have forgotten you on this list, please do not take it personally, know that this shout out is for you too – THANK YOU!!!
Apparently it takes a village to raise a child AND to create a musical artist.
Welcome!
The Pink Clover Music Team
Welcome to the Pink Clover Music blog!
Check back soon for updates on everything you can think of!
Thoughts, ideas, recording updates…we told you, everything!