All posts by rachel

How Will A Hammer Help Me Sing?

When I was a teenager my dad Lenny Smith asked my sister Megan and I if we wanted to make some extra money and help him on a construction site job. We both agreed and all day we had to drag roof shingles with large nails in them and throw them into an enormous trash receptor. Hour after hour, we drug these heavy black shingles and the pile never seemed to end. My father stood on top of the roof with a couple of other men and the shingles continued to pour down.

 Shingles

Megan and I struggled but were determined to finish out the day. She continued on working with him over the years along with Daniel, David, and Andrew, but that day under the hot sun was my first and my last. There was no amount of money that could tempt me to get back in there to do that gruesome work.

Dad digs out foundation for addition.
Here my dad digs out a hole for the foundation of our house addition. My mom was getting a new kitchen.

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Working on plumbing in Harrisburg.

Dad and Daniel Studio
Daniel and Dad working on the Sounds Familyre Studio

I tell this story because my dad Lenny Smith is an artist—a singer, songwriter, worshipper who also needed to provide for his wife and five children. Every man and woman struggles with balancing their passions, gifts, and desires with the practicality of life. Often we think that if we aren’t working in our passions full time than maybe we aren’t quite a success. But that is a lie that our mind tells us. We are successful when we simply DO regardless of man’s praise or scorn for our work.

Lenny Smith Album Cover

Lenny Smith has written songs to the Creator since his youth. Now in his 70’s I see his plethora of work before him…not simply the hundreds of songs he has written, some more successful in the eyes of man than others, but the work of his hands, providing for his wife and children. His love, provision, music, words, encouragement is the fruit of the beauty of the Holy Spirit within him. This is what is powerful in an artist, not the “mainstream success” of a song. Knowing how to do what you need to do in the style with which you are inspired is an admirable attribute. Lenny has never tried to be anyone but himself. He could never be anyone but himself.

I encourage all of you artists out there to be who you are. Why is it that musicians in particular are so insecure about their work? About being who they are and expressing what they love and what comes easy to them? I never care about sharing a design I’ve created and could care less about any opinions against it, but music….it comes from your soul. It is a deep part of yourself in all of its raw beauty.

Who Was And Is And Is To Come

Come and enjoy the raw beauty of Lenny’s “Who Was And Is And Is To Come.”All of his five children have come together to support him in this beautiful expression of his heart with Daniel Smith of Sounds Familyre mixing the different voices and instruments into a masterful yet simplistic composition.

Love,

Rachel Transparent

THANK YOU for Galaxy Art

Thank You

Our week of Thankfulness continues and so I continue to think of Glen Galaxy and his awesome worship album, THANK YOU. For those of you who would like to know this, there are FREE LEAD SHEETS available so that you can play and sing along.

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Today I’m also going to share with you some really interesting things about Glen Galaxy that you may not know. We all know that he is a musical genius, but did you know that he is also extremely passionate about creating art?

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Glen likes to collect interesting pictures. He is constantly on the lookout for this media of inspiration which goes into a box until it is time for it to be transformed…or boxes; many many boxes as Cathleen his wife would say.

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From these snippets of inspiration come amazing unique pieces of art. Here is just a small collection I will share with you today.

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This is a man who has a plethora of talents! To see more of Glen Galaxy’s amazing pieces of art, go and visit his FLICKR SITE

Love,
Rachel Transparent

Links To Click On!

Glen Galaxy’s Thank You
Soul Junk
Octagrape
Sounds Familyre Records