 I got in trouble in a staff meeting one time because I made the comment that I didn't like kids. Granted, I was the Children's Director at a church at the time, so I can see why that statement didn't go over very well. In my defense, my comment was made in jest, and in a context that should have been understood, but obviously was not. I seemed to get in trouble for stuff like that a lot when I worked at a church. I don't work at a church anymore.
Let me explain my comment. I am the youngest of five children so I didn't have to engage with younger siblings or watch a little brother and sister. I didn't babysit much growing up. I have never felt even the slightest inclination to work at a daycare. For most of my 20s and early 30s, I really had little desire to spend much time with children other than my own. I did the occasional child-swap-you-watch-mine-I'll-watch-yours-so-we-can-stay-sane with other moms, but that was about it. Please understand, I fiercely love my own kids. And not only do I love my kids, I like them. I think they're the coolest people on the planet and being their mom is IT for me. But other people's kids? Well, they're awesome too - in doses. Surely some of you parents can relate. Please tell me you can. If you say you can't, you're lying. Over the years, especially the last 15 years, I have grown immensely in this whole kid-appreciation thing. I think that's due to a variety of reasons. First, I hope I've simply grown up a bit. Second, I've met a lot of adults who drive me crazy and in turn met a lot of kids who are much cooler and honestly more mature than some adults, so I'd rather hang out with the kids. I'm probably just hoping their coolness rubs off on me. Lastly, over the years, God has revealed some gifting in my life that I have been attempting to steward well as it relates to connecting with kids and equipping them to impact their world. I have also become increasingly aware of the amazing capacity kids have in the area of creativity, and in turn, have felt more and more compelled to encourage them in their creative pursuits. They need the encouragement because being a creative kid can mean walking a tough road paved with ridicule and misunderstanding. I know because I was a creative kid and I have raised / am raising four creative kids. Many of these thoughts are the reason behind a new project I'm working on, which I can't tell you much more about right now. Sorry - cruel teaser - stay tuned. But all of this also speaks to why I feel so strongly about writing kids music, why I think it's so darn hard to do it well, and why it is so important. When I was pregnant with Houston, I recorded my first album of kids music, mostly just to share the songs I had written for my own kids. It went over pretty well. Since then, I've recorded multiple other kids projects, including musicals and Vacation Bible School materials. The process taps into a whole other part of my brain and in many ways, is one of the more challenging things I get to do. Writing songs for kids that are current, memorable, and use vocabulary that is listener-friendly while still not lowering the bar educationally or theologically, is just not easy. I'm competing with radio and Disney and gaming and youtube and all the other options kids have to hear music. What I write can't just be as good as all that; it has to be better. And that isn't easy to do. A few years ago I took a two-day retreat with my friends Lisa Q and Sue C to work on songs for a VBS curriculum. I can't remember how many songs we wrote that weekend, but I remember laughing our butts off while chasing several ideas. I mentioned earlier how writing kids stuff is difficult, but it is also a heck of a lot of fun; thus the laughter. I recently rediscovered one of the work tapes we made that weekend and oh, gosh.... I would share it but I'm pretty sure you'd think we were intoxicated. Which we weren't, I swear. One song from that weekend writing session has found life beyond that VBS curriculum we originally wrote it for. Later this year, the song posted below will also be included in a new kids musical I wrote on the Biblical Metanarrative. That would be the big story of scripture: Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration - easy peasy kid fluff. Ummm, not. It was one of the toughest projects I think I've ever done and honestly, I'm pretty proud of how it is turning out. I can't wait to share it with you when it is released. I take my responsibility of writing kids music very seriously and as I mentioned before, I refuse to lower the bar on what kids can absorb, memorize, and the wisdom they can impart to others. They are capable, eager and deserve the best songs I can give them. And if they end up laughing their butts off too sometimes, well then I will really think I've done my job well. Here's the lyric to one of the fun ones. Enjoy! GREAT IMAGINATOR Gina Boe / Sue Christensen / Lisa Qualsett Hey, what's up with the rattlesnake and all that scaly skin And what's up with the billy goat and the whiskers on its chin Yeah what's up with that jiggly thing on every turkey's neck What's up with all the stuff that I don't get What's up is God's an artist and His work is everywhere From creepy-crawlers in the ground to birds up in the air Each sunset is a masterpiece He paints across the sky Then turns it into shiny stars at night CHORUS He's the Great Imaginator Our incredible Creator And everything that He creates is marvelous it's true He's the Wonderful Designer And the whole world's a reminder Of how amazing our God is and all that He can do Each corner of creation is a little mystery It's all about God showing us His creativity And even though some parts of us might seem a little strange There's reasons why He made it look that way CHORUS
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 And so it begins. Summer of Songs 2018 begins today! WOO-HOO!!!!!!!! So here are a few things about how this will work and why I'm so excited.
I am a great starter. I am not always a great finisher. But I'm working on it. For some reason, turning 50 last year gave me a little more peace about embracing what I'm good at and coming clean about the things that are not really "my thing." There is a lot of freedom in recognizing and owning both. So, knowing I can struggle with follow-through and finishing, I've learned to set some parameters that help keep me on track. I have also invited people to keep me accountable about the stuff I don't like being accountable for, and flat-out asking a few key people to be my cheerleaders. Yeah, it's okay to do that. There is nothing wrong with telling someone, "Hey, I may need some encouragement along the way and I would love for you to consider being one of those encouragers." The flip-side to that is that I've tried to identify people in my circle of influence who need me to do nothing more than encourage them. Because believing in someone's potential and telling them they're awesome is powerful. Regarding the parameters for this summer, they're pretty simple: Body and soul come first - For me that means staying physically healthy and spiritually healthy will set the tone for anything else I want to accomplish in a day. So, exercise, good food, time with Jesus. It's just foundational stuff for me. Social media management - Comparison kills contentment, creativity, and can make me question my calling. And nothing brings on a good comparison battle like social media. My story is my story and no one else's life is going to look like mine. And no one else's social media life is an accurate representation of their real life anyway. So, it's best to keep my emotions in check by limiting social media time. In practical terms, this means doing my best to limit social media time in general, but more specifically, to have no social media before noon unless I am posting info from my website. To a certain extent, our social media world is a necessary evil since I am actually running a business and social media is a marketing tool. It is what it is. Hopefully I'll use those platforms wisely. Write every day - There is certainly no shortage of work this summer. Between two big projects I want to finish and all the songs I want to write, I can surely find something to write about every day. Most writers will tell you, the more they flex those muscles, the better shape they are in and the better the work they do. So, the goal is to write something every single day. Share the journey and encourage fellow travelers - A couple years ago I was at a retreat where we were challenged to come up with our WHY statement. You know, those few words that basically sum up your purpose. I never quite got my WHY statement finished, (funny, in light of paragraph two) but I did identify four words that I hoped would define what I want my life and my writing to be about. Those words are: ENGAGE, INSPIRE, EQUIP, MOBILIZE. Hopefully each song, each blog, each chapter, and each script, will do one of those four things in some small way. So as I journey, I will share my experiences with you. Not because those experiences will all be incredibly exciting or because I think my life is cool or because I think you should have similar experiences. I just know how encouraged I have been to read other people's good/bad/ugly/success/failure stories and I feel compelled to share mine with you. That's it for now! Appointment #1 starts in 30 minutes and I haven't showered. And the coffee is brewing. And I am praying the ideas will start flowing. Be a blessing! Gina  Two years ago, in the summer of 2016, I made the decision to commit myself to a season of writing at a level I hadn't dedicated myself to before. I called this little adventure Summer of Songs and set specific parameters and goals to help keep me on track. It was a prolific time and while I may not have reached every goal I set, I have no doubt that it not only increased the amount of writing I was doing, but also improved the quality of writing I was producing.
This summer, I am embarking on the same adventure. Summer of Songs 2018 officially begins May 29th and I can't wait! I've got a couple of big projects I need to complete, but mostly I'll be slugging it out day after day, writing songs. Most of the same parameters will be in place which I'll detail later, but I am definitely raising the bar as far as my own commitment to the process. More on that later as well. So, why summer? Why not dedicate myself to this type of schedule throughout the entire year? Mostly, because I have to work "real jobs" which requires much of my time and energy throughout the school year. And partly because I am still in a season of mothering two teenage boys who are heavily involved in music and sports. For many years our family lived a homeschool family's life which was incredibly flexible and worked well for me as a songwriter. When we transitioned our oldest two kids into public school, not only did the structure impact the writing plan, but I was also committed to missing as little of their activities as possible. It's a short and fast-moving season of life and no songwriting experience will ever compare to the joy of watching them do what they love. The whole "real job" thing really ticked me off for a while because I felt constantly frustrated by the realization that making a full time living as a songwriter wasn't happening for me. I was having a decent amount of success, but as most writers will tell you, cuts and print projects and radio airplay and awards don't always translate to income. It is what it is. I've come to terms. In spite of the fact I would love to be writing full time, I understand that in order to continue to make the art I am most passionate about, I need to be my own benefactor, at least for a season. I am unbelievably thankful that God has continued to provide work for me in other arenas that I thoroughly enjoy and hope I am making an impact. But time spent there means less time writing. However, with the change in the summer schedule also comes the ability to dive deeper into doing what I love. And dive I will. I intend to blog more frequently and will keep you posted on how the Summer of Songs 2018 is going. It's a journey I love to share and hopefully you will be encouraged and inspired to begin your own creative adventure. I look forward to hearing what that might be!  In many ways, the music business is a man's game. The majority of full-time songwriters are men, as are most most publishers. I think those numbers are changing a bit, but I have no statistics to give you on that. Just my observation from watching things develop over the past 25 years. While I have had some fantastic male role models and co-writers over the years, one of the great privileges in my writing journey has been connecting with women songwriters all over the world. The opportunity to build relationships with women who share a passion for songs has been a true blessing.
One of those blessings is my mentor and friend Sue C. Smith, who has long been one of the go-to lyricists in Christian music. Her career is remarkable with cuts, awards, and accomplishments. However, I'm confident that most people would tell you the reason she is so beloved isn't simply because of her writing. She is a true example of an encourager and has more grace and strength in her little finger than I hope to have in my entire being. I love her. A couple years ago, Sue hosted four women at her house for a writing retreat. We arrived on a Thursday evening, and over the next two days, divided up into groups of two or three and wrote songs. It was awesome. While the writing was a blast, the fellowship was really what made the weekend so incredible. Since that weekend, our little group of five has continued to stay connected via a group text that is filled with little word bubbles that have made us laugh, cry, and mostly pray. I'm telling you, these women pray. The devil does NOT want to mess with these women. They mean business. Back to the retreat.... One of the fondest memories I have of our time together was when the five of us gathered to write a song together. All five of us. Five women. Women who use a lot of words. Could it be done? We were determined. And honestly, it came together pretty quickly. The song ended up being cut by the Tribute Quartet, and from what I understand, during their concerts, they occasionally share the story of how this song was written. That makes me smile. You can listen to their recording HERE. Reading this lyric makes me smile, too. Yes, it's a lot of words. Five verses. One for each woman who poured her heart and soul into an unforgettable weekend. Everybody Come See Jesus Dianne Wilkinson, Sue Smith, Gina Boe, Donna King, Marcia Henry Verse 1 Working in the fields in the dark of night Shepherds saw a glorious sight Left their flocks and took some friends To see a little baby in Bethlehem Pre Chorus Everybody come see Jesus Everybody come now everybody come Verse 2 Standing in the Jordan to be baptized The voice of God was heard on high This is my beloved Son The Spirit came down like a heavenly dove Pre Chorus Everybody come see Jesus Everybody come now everybody come Chorus Son of God and son of man Never been another do the things He can Healer, teacher, savior, lamb Never been another do the things He can See the long awaited promised One Everybody come Verse 3 Woman at the well running into town Five thousand folks in a lunchtime crowd Little Zachaeus in a sycamore tree Changed by the man from Galilee Pre Chorus Everybody come see Jesus Everybody come now everybody come Chorus Verse 4 Standing where the stone was rolled away Staring at the wonder of an empty grave Ran to tell the world the good good news Jesus did exactly what he said He would do Pre Chorus Everybody come see Jesus Everybody come now everybody come Chorus Verse 5 King of kings and lord of lords Every knee will bow before Every nation, tribe and tongue Everybody, everybody, everybody, everybody come Chorus  Several years ago, I was at a meeting with several other songwriters and publishers. We were listening to an artist talk about her next album and what kind of songs she was looking for. We were handed a sheet of paper with possible themes, titles, etc, then sent on our merry way to see what we could come up with. It was like giving a pack of wolves a map to a dumpster full of bacon. I don't know how many songs were written by those writers in the next few weeks, but I'm certain it was A LOT. And like all those other writers, I wrote several songs with various co-writers, aiming for one of the cuts on this artist's new record. Wanna guess how many I got on the album? Zero. Nil. Nada. That happens a lot. Whatever...I'm not bitter. Okay, I'm a little bitter.
I've written many songs aiming for a particular artist, who then passes on the song. Always a bummer. But sometimes the song gets recorded by a different artist and you realize it may have found the better home after all. And that's fun. Then there are times the song never gets recorded and you find it later in your files and you think, "I remember writing this! I love this song. Wonder why it's never been cut?" Actually, that's not always true. First you think, "What the heck is wrong with people? Didn't they hear this is a hit? Those idiots don't have a clue what they're looking for!" Then you remember things like the sovereignty of God and His perfect timing and how he knows exactly when and where and with which artist a song should land. And He knows the songs that were written only for you and your co-writer or simply to get you to the next song or maybe to share on a blog someday. Then you get over yourself a bit and move on. 'Cause it's all good. This is one of those never-cut songs. Written with my sweet friend, Twila Labar, who I rarely see anymore but have so many great memories of writing songs together so I'm sure we'll write again someday. If she isn't some big-time film director by then and only taking calls from Hans Zimmer! Her directorial debut film comes out in July! I am so proud of her. When I rediscovered this song on my computer I couldn't find the demo we had made to pitch to the artists. So the only copy I currently have is the work tape of Twila singing it. Which is SO perfect. I love it more simply because of the memories it brings back from the writing room, and because Twila sounds so beautiful. For now, you just get the words, because this is Wednesday, people. Wednesday's words, okay? Only words. But maybe I'll post the work tape sometime too. I think you'll enjoy it. Even though that darn artist didn't. Not bitter...not bitter... GOD OF THE OUTCASTS Gina Boe / Twila Labar VERSE ONE She lies on a cardboard box under the highway Never dreamed she'd live this kind of life The people drive past her but never stop to notice That she's someone special in somebody's eyes But the one that the world has passed by Is loved by the God of the outcasts tonight CHORUS He sees them, He knows them The wounded, the broken He has not forsaken the lost and forgotten He's holding them close to His side They are loved by the God of the outcasts tonight VERSE TWO He wanders the city streets to find what he's craving Anything to give him some peace for a while We just turn away 'cause we can't comprehend it And never see that this man is somebody's child But the one that the world has passed by Is loved by the God of the outcasts tonight CHORUS BRIDGE The helpless are precious The hopeless are priceless And He will not abandon His own No He will not abandon His own CHORUS  Many years ago, I was given some valuable advice for my life as a songwriter - celebrate everything. Every song written, every hold, every cut, every good thing that happens all along the way. Taking even just a moment to pause and give some thought to the wonder of anything positive happening in your career is so worth it. There are so many discouraging things that can happen in the music business, so if you want to have any chance of maintaining some sanity, and more importantly, experiencing any joy in the journey, the choice to celebrate the good stuff is important.
However, there is something I have found to be of greater importance than celebrating the good stuff. It can be much tougher at times, but over the years, I have discovered the more I do this one thing, the more settled I feel about my writing life. It's the message I have preached to my own kids over and over as they have grown up, and yet I still have to challenge myself with on a regular basis. So what is it? CELEBRATE OTHERS. For me, if there is an antidote for all of the negative things I've faced as a songwriter, celebrating others would be it. The intentional act of taking my eyes off my own stuff and choosing to celebrate someone else does wonders. The jealously over other writers' success becomes petty. The frustration over missed opportunities wanes a bit. The anger over the injustices and political crap starts to fade. And somehow, by celebrating the good stuff in another creative person's life, I begin to have peace about living my own story. As I sit writing this blog, I am very aware that several states away, a group of songwriters is gathered at a retreat for a few days to write songs, enjoy the company of other writers, and laugh their butts off. I have attended this retreat many times but it just wasn't in the cards this year so I'm home. Part of me sure wishes I was there because I love those people and the thought of doing what I love for three days straight in that setting would be incredible. But that's not my story for this particular week. My story this week is subbing and soccer games and doing some research for a new project and writing on my own and all of that is so okay with me. There have been seasons when I would be sitting here wallowing in self-pity, with unhealthy emotions boiling up and causing my blood pressure to rise. But not today. Don't get me wrong, I still struggle with jealousy, frustration, and anger at times. More times than I care to admit. But hopefully age and experience has given me a little perspective. And perspective gives me the opportunity to choose differently. So today I choose to celebrate the fact that a bunch of amazing people are sitting in little rooms in a church in Georgia, sharing ideas, drawing out of deep creative wells, and doing the hard work of crafting songs they hope will be unleashed into the world in one way or another. And countless people will be blessed and encouraged and challenged by the work they do. That seems worth celebrating to me.  I live in a small town - around 2000 residents. We are currently the fastest growing community in our state and you can see evidence of that everywhere you look. In the past year or so we got a new gas station/convenience store, Dollar General, and True Value Hardware. We are livin' large now, people. Thankfully, our house still backs up to a corn field which makes "city" living tolerable for this farm girl. We moved off an acreage almost 12 years ago and I still miss it. But I do love this little town.
My regular running path takes me up and down its streets, through the park, and across our busiest intersection which is currently home to the only stop light in town. I am a creature of habit so I could probably run this route blindfolded. However, one day I chose a different route, going down a street I had never even been on before. Not in 12 years. Keep in mind, this town is tiny. I could easily go up and down every street in its limits in a few hours. So why haven't I? I guess it's that creature of habit thing. For some reason, the simple act of going down a different street in my town that day set my songwriter wheels in motion. I wasn't sure where the idea was headed, but I thought there was something there. Working title: Streets I Never Went Down. Was it simply a song about life in a small town? Was it about missed opportunities? Interesting people I hadn't yet crossed paths with? A story song about google maps? I wasn't sure, but it was an idea worth chasing. During that particular season, I was writing pretty regularly with a couple of writers named Donna King and Lee Black. I shared the title/idea with them, but there wasn't much more to share, other than the possible options I saw for where we could go with it. It was one of those writing sessions where we all threw out possibilities, tried a few different approaches, and finally landed on something that felt good. The biggest issue in our rewriting discussions was about pronouns. I have several emails we sent back and forth to each other about pronouns. HA! If memory serves, we had to revisit this one a couple times before we were convinced we had it right. The whole process felt like co-writing at its best, simply because of the give-and-take, the excitement about how the song came together, and ending up with something we loved. This song is about being acutely aware that we are all once choice away from a very different set of circumstances. (If you don't think that's true, or that it's true for your kids, well, I'd love to sit down and have a cup of coffee with you sometime.) The song is about the decisions we make in a single moment, the occasional wondering what might have been, and the gratitude for the fact that even if we do make some poor choices along the way, God has the final say in where those choices lead us. STREETS YOU NEVER WENT DOWN Lee Black / Donna King / Gina Boe VERSE 1 There's a hairpin turn on River Road Twisted metal from a whiskey haze That could've been you but it wasn't 'Cause you pushed that drink away CHORUS Doors you never opened Shoes you never wore Ships you let sail without you And you know you're better for it now All those streets you never went down VERSE 2 Splittin' hearts and kids and holidays From an empty night in a stranger's bed That could've been you but it wasn't 'Cause you chose love instead of regret CHORUS VERSE 3 Just a broken man who lost it all Followed the devil down to a dead end It could've been you but it wasn't 'Cause God got the last Amen FINAL CHORUS Doors you never opened Shoes you never wore Ships you let sail without you And you know you're better for it now And nothing you lost compares to everything you found All those streets you never went down |
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