Like her Canadian prairie home, Munirih Sparrow’s sound is acoustically uncluttered and softly joyous; her groove is strong and soulful. You’ll be moved by her voice and story. Sparrow weaves Baha’i prayers and originally written songs resulting in an intimate performance exploring the interplay of spirituality and art. The performance is intuitive and genuine, leaving you with the feeling that you’ve just made a new friend.

Dear friends!

What nurtures your soul? What makes your heart tender? Prayer, music, fellowship, tea poured in peace, banana bread baked with love and shared with a smile? Whatever the answer might be, sharing songs and prayers with friends gets us all closer to the Creator and recharges us for the days ahead.

This Friday, December 9th, lease join me at 7:30 pm for a fabulous house concert with Munirih Sparrow and a fitting conclusion to the Musical Prayer Station in 2011!

What: Musical Prayer Station – house concert with Munirih Sparrow
When: Friday, December 9th at 7:30 pm

Please let me know if you can come so I can plan the refreshments — or if you have any prayer requests

You don’t want to miss this! And make sure to invite your friends too — they will be grateful as well!

The diversity in the human family should be the cause of love and harmony, as it is in music where many different notes blend together in the making of a perfect chord.

(Abdu’l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 53)

My home is the home of peace. My home is the home of joy and delight. My home is the home of laughter and exultation. Whosoever enters through the portals of this home, must go out with gladsome heart. This is the home of light; whosoever enters here must become illumined….
(Abdu’l-Baha)

What a joyous weekend I had! My dear parents arrived from Bulgaria on Friday night and on Saturday they reunited for the first time in three years with the granddaughters they helped raise. Seeing the joy on their faces — grandparents and granddaughters alike — as they embraced and hugged and kissed, gave me such a joy! Praised be God!

Then we all welcomed into my home my wonderful friends Roya Bauman and George Branyan who joined us with their lovely girls for a home cooked dinner and later on a beautiful evening of spiritual nourishment, uplifting music and fellowship — the last Musical Prayer Station for 2010.

I first heard Roya’s gorgeous soprano in 1996 in Rochester, NY, when she sang “O Baha’u'llah” at a Baha’i celebration there. That was the first time I ever heard this song and I was just amazed at the beauty of it. Later on, Roya’s husband George helped me fix the little car other generous Baha’i friends had given me so I could go to work. The amount of support I had received in those days, by the Baha’i friends at that community is unbelievable. Among them, a true star of selfless support to me was Akin — another dear friend who joined us last night and then stayed for one of those late night heart-to-heart talks, which solidified my decision to try my best to be a Baha’i — back then, and back now — talks about our lives’ journeys and what our hearts’ true calling is.

It was truly a night of the reunion of hearts!

Dear friends!

What nurtures your soul? What makes your heart tender? Prayer, music, fellowship, tea poured in peace, cake shared with a smile? Whatever the answer might be, sharing songs and prayers with friends gets us all closer to the Creator and recharges us for days ahead ahead.

I invite you and your loves ones on Saturday, December 4th, at 7:30 pm, to a Musical Prayer Station with Roya Bauman and George Branyan.

Roya Bauman and George Branyan have sung and enjoyed music all their lives, and it was music that brought them together. George, a former boy soprano, and Roya, who has released two CDs of Baha’i prayers and writings, met while singing in the Washington Bach Consort. Both are classically trained, but discovered the joys of singing “Baha’i gospel” style, and Roya has recently branched out into jazz. Come join us for an eclectic mix of musical styles, infused with spirit and substance.

Please let me know if you plan on coming so I can plan the refreshments, or simply if you have any musical or prayer requests!

Q. The first song that truly struck me besides your guitar mastery on Cream & Suga was Starry Night, and I would say it is my favorite one although I have grown to love the others. Which one is your favorite song on this CD?

A. Hmm…that’s a hard question. That’s like asking a parent who their favorite child is. Though they have a favorite, they may not say it. It depends. I love them all. Sometimes my favorite is Even Though, with it’s tremendous build up three quarters of the way in. Or Starry Night with its gentleness and then a sudden rush in the middle. I’m very proud of Rain and how well my producer, Joby Baker, was able to bring it to life. I thought for the longest time that that song wasn’t going to come alive as well as I had it in my head and I’m happy to say that I found the producer who could pull the sounds out of my head and put them on this CD.

Starry Night

Dedicated to my beautiful wife, Melody
by: Eric Harper

I’ve followed a falling star
Sat by my window and played thru the night
I’ve sung to the man in the moon
But never sang a song for someone like you

I know that sometimes life is hard at times
And we’ll go thru many tests and many trials
But i know you’ll stand by me THRU ALL OF THESE THINGS
AND WE’LL FLY UP HIGH
THROUGH THE STARRY NIGHT
LIKE A CONSTELLATION OF LIFE

I’ve followed a shining star
Sat by my window and prayed to the night.
I’ve danced by the light of the moon
But never thought I’d meet somebody like you

I know that sometimes life is hard at times
And we’ll go thru many tests and many trials
But i know i’ll stand by you THRU ALL OF THESE THINGS
AND WE’LL FLY UP HIGH
THROUGH THE STARRY NIGHT
LIKE A CONSTELLATION OF LIFE
JUST YOU AND I

“Be like unto
like unto
two pure
mirrors
reflecting
the stars of
the stars of the heaven of
LOVE AND BEAUTY”

I’ve talked to the stars in the sky
Sat by my window and sang to the night
I’ve seen the sun smile at the moon
But never dreamed i’d meet somebody…like you

…be like unto two pure mirrors reflecting the stars of the heaven of love and beauty.
- ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Next, read about Eric Harper’s song “Even Though” from his CD “Eric Harper”…

“We, verily, have made music as a ladder for your souls, a means whereby they may be lifted up unto the realm on high; make it not, therefore, as wings to self and passion.”
(Baha’u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 38)

Dear friends!

What nurtures your soul? What makes your heart tender? Prayer, music, fellowship, tea poured in peace, cake shared with a smile? Whatever the answer might be, sharing songs and prayers with friends gets us all closer to the Creator and recharges us for days ahead ahead.

I invite you and your loves ones on Saturday, July 31st, at 8 pm to a very special Musical Prayer Station and House Concert with Hillary Chapman. He will play some Nashville songs to give us all a flavor of his own song writing, then ease into spiritual music and conclude with group singing.

You don’t want to miss this! And you should tell your friends about it too! Let me know if you need the directions!

The diversity in the human family should be the cause of love and harmony, as it is in music where many different notes blend together in the making of a perfect chord.
- Abdu’l-Baha

Dear friends!

What nurtures your soul? What makes your heart tender? Prayer, music, fellowship, tea poured in peace, cake shared with a smile? Whatever the answer might be, sharing songs and prayers with friends gets us all closer to the Creator and recharges us for the week ahead.

This Friday, June 25th, at 8 pm, I invite you and your loves ones to a very special interfaith Prayer Station in Arlington with the music of Gustaff Besungu, Pam Hill and Ali Youseffi. What do a Cameroonian percussionist, an American-born South American-raised Iranian-American guitarist and vocalist, and a Southern violinist have in common?  Music for the soul!

Music for the Soul – Summer tour 2010 from Ali Youssefi on Vimeo.

You don’t want to miss this! And you should tell your friends about it too!

And if you want to join me, please contact me for directions!

After the meal, we watched a movie “The Promise of All Ages” and after a break, we tried for the first time the board game “Spiritual Pursuit”. I am not sure we actually figured the rules but we had fun. It was quite fascinating to observe the gentlemen, in a typical ignoring-directions fashion, pull back as the ladies were reading the instructions trying to figure out how to play the game. Lo and behold, we did play the game and it truly challenged our knowledge of the Baha’i Faith. I highly recommend it. I also recommend reading the rules in advance

Then the time came to get into a more reflective mood. Music helped set the tone. We started with “Dastam Begir (Hold My Hand) Abdu’l-Baha”:

Then we listened to the narration by Hand of the Cause of God, William Sears, on the life of the Master, Abdu’l-Baha, followed by the beautiful song “The Most Great Branch” by Vahid N’Dobe and then read from the story of the Passing of Abdu’l Baha. We sang together “Look At Me, Be As I Am” and offered some prayers, in Farsi and English, before we concluded with The Tablet of Visitation and the “Prayer for the Southern States” from Red Grammer’s CD “Prayers from the Tablets of the Divine Plan”:

O my God!  O my God! Thou seest me in my lowliness and weakness, occupied with the greatest undertaking, determined to raise Thy word among the masses and to spread Thy teachings among Thy peoples.  How can I succeed unless Thou assist me with the breath of the Holy Spirit, help me to triumph by the hosts of Thy glorious kingdom, and shower upon me Thy confirmations, which alone can change a gnat into an eagle, a drop of water into rivers and seas, and an atom into lights and suns?  O my Lord!  Assist me with Thy triumphant and effective might, so that my tongue may utter Thy praises and attributes among all people and my soul overflow with the wine of Thy love and knowledge.

Thou art the Omnipotent and the Doer of whatsoever Thou willest.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Many creative people have shared their inspiration online — see this video of Elika Mahony‘s beautiful song “Persecution“:

or this video adopted from the award winning movie “Persepolis”:

But what most personally touches my heart these days, probably because I relate to it on a very deep level, is the beautiful, touching song “Forgotten” by Grant Hindin Miller:

The cell was like a kennel, they dropped him like a dog
Staring at cold metal, in a blurred and darkened fog
Plucked from his own work-place, innocent of crime
Taken, shaken, in the late daylight

The prison was a chasm, wind was in the yard
They took him out an hour each day, herded by the guards
Shuffling over concrete, with the other inmates there
Not allowed to speak in open air

And the iron bars, dark and hard, spider-webbed, human cage
Especially when evening came, they drilled into his brain

Left alone in shadow, not knowing noon from night
Mealtimes infrequent, rudimentary slop
The cell was cramped, inhuman, with a never-ending smell
He tried to pray, but every day, his thoughts went to himself

I’m forgotten, I’m forsaken, I’ve been left here on my own
I’m forgotten, I’m forsaken, left here to die alone

Cut off from his family, cut off from his friends
Where was Baha’u'llah, now he needed Him
Even Abdu’l-Baha, neglected where he was
He felt his consciousness slip down – to the abyss

I’m forgotten, I’m forsaken, You have left me on my own
I’m forgotten, my faith is shaken, left here to die alone

In the yard a prisoner brushed against his arm
No bigger than a finger-nail, something squeezed between his palms
And in his cell when guards had gone, he found it like a star
The torn-off photograph of Abdu’l-Baha

And words arose, in the Master’s tone, stirred up from long ago
Learnt by heart in a children’s class, now they echoed in his cell
“Do not think that ye are forgotten, for one moment, do not think
Do not think that ye are forgotten, for one moment, do not think ”

And the iron bars, like candelabras, they dissolved in a rosy gold
Angels soared within his soul, as the words spoke to his heart

“Do not think that ye are forgotten, for one moment, do not think
Do not think that ye are forgotten, for one moment, do not think.“