Early in the morning or even in the middle of the night. These are perfect times to play the harp for worship –time set apart to be with Abba Father, experience Jesus and be filled with His Spirit.
I’ve been worshiping this way for about ten years. A long time ago I used the harp –with no thought of God– to accompany ballet classes for money. The novelty soon wore off and my interest in the harp faded.
About 20 years later, I had become a Christian and was looking for a way to accompany myself for worship, but piano and guitar didn’t suit me. During a visit to a harpist friend in Ohio, she played a couple of my piano worship compositions on her full-sized harp. All of a sudden the harp came alive for me. I bought an old, used Scottish lever harp and began taking lessons.
My thought at the time was that the harp would be a way to lead worship without needing someone else to accompany me, but now I see the Lord had many plans beyond what I ever imagined. I’ve found myself playing the harp in parks surrounded by children, in a local convenience store playing God-given songs for strangers, in a ghetto fried chicken restaurant in front of the wire mesh order window, in the hospital for people dying of cancer, and most often at church during prayer meetings and worship services.
Many times I’ve taken a harp to Israel to worship in all kinds of interesting places—near the Western Wall, at the gates of the Old City, on Zion square, at the children’s cancer ward with Jewish and Arab children at Hadassah hospital, in rocket victim’s homes in S’derot, and on a “Jesus boat” in the Sea of Galilee. Sometimes, Orthodox Jews stop to inquire about this mysterious instrument they know so well from the Torah but often don’t even recognize when they see it played live.
I’m a fifth generation Californian living in Ithaca, NY. My musical background includes studies in composition, classical voice with a dash of other styles (early music, Sundanese, jazz and minimalist) and now the harp. Previous recordings include “Lullaby My Baby”, a collection of international lullabies that I recorded by faith for our daughter who wasn’t yet born, plus two CD’s of original worship music and scripture settings available on my website, “Living Waters” and “Flowing Streams.”