Liner Notes

The CD liner notes appear below for my album, “Consecrated.” I kept them brief to adhere to space constraints. Within online articles I share a great deal more. Links appear at the bottom of this page.

The album’s title and cover were derived from the song, “Take My Life and Let It Be Consecrated.” Consecrate means to set apart or dedicate to a higher purpose. Along these lines, the image of open hands conveys a willingness to being led and used as God desires. This was my prayer at the onset of this project. I want my life and music to reflect the values and teachings of my Christian faith. As a pianist, the song’s lyric, “take my hands and let them move at the impulse of thy love” especially resonated with me.

Love is a central theme throughout the album — both the love that God has for us and the love that we should have for our neighbors. This is at the core of Christ’s teaching. I hope the album will remind people of faith to live lovingly within the current political climate, where we are seeing a model of Christianity that doesn’t seem to align with the teachings of Christ.

The song, “By Our Love” became the springboard for another collaborative project. An animated short video was produced to raise questions and generate discussion about incongruities between faith practices and politics. A coinciding group discussion program is offered at www.by-our-love.com, where the animation can also be viewed. To purchase musical arrangements, read insightful articles about the “Consecrated” album, and to schedule performances, visit www.earlmacdonald.com.

~ Earl MacDonald, 02/05/2021