The invention of digital music centuries ago😊 is now taken for granted. But could you imagine sitting for several hour in front of a radio hoping they would play that one particular song you want to hear? So it was back in the stone ages.

Music is a powerful medium, something uniquely tied to our common humanity. A beautiful gift from our Creator. Young people have showed me how to put it to good use – build the right play list!

What does this have to do with writing? Let me explain.

I have spent a fair amount of time this last month or two building a particular play list. I am gearing up to seriously tackle my second major study/writing project that wants to become a book. My first book was assisted immeasurably by its playlist, this second book is going to need even more help, therefore it needs its own special playlist.

My daily, weekly, monthly schedule is never the same. The life of a missionary. Some occasions provide gobs of free time that I can give to writing, other times can be a circus, while some weeks I can be “power-less” at remote locations without any electricity or even a cell network.

This is all to say that research and writing gets picked up, dropped, picked up, dropped again. And for anyone who knows me, I don’t have a crystal-clear memory to be able to just “pick up where I left off.”  This where a dedicated play list can be a writer’s best friend.  The music provides a continuity, along with a whole range of emotional affects, that helps “get in the mood” and draw back the memories I need. It puts me in the “zone” to give full concentration. It energizes, uplifts, relieves the pain, and keeps one going like energizer batteries. Thank God for the gift of music!