Author Archives: dougandtrailand

Today’s post is the song, “Be Made New,” based off Belhaven’s verse-of-the-year from 2004: “there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes” (Eph. 4:23). Real renewal isn’t an event we remember; it’s a spiritual work that reshapes our thoughts and attitudes over time—beyond a moment and into a pattern. Spiritually grounded renewal actuallyContinue reading “Day 27 of 37 Days of Christmas 2025 – Be Made New”

Dear Friends, Since 2003, each year at Belhaven University has been guided by a “Verse of the Year”—a Scripture chosen by President Roger Parrott to encourage and shape the life of the faculty, staff, and students. For more than two decades, I have had the privilege of writing a song each year based on thatContinue reading “Day 26 of 37 Days of Christmas 2025 – God Alone Knows”

Dear Friends and Family, I love the Christmas season—the sweaters (some better than others), the food, giving and receiving gifts, and all the little traditions that sneak their way into our lives each year. But if I’m being honest, my favorite part of Christmas has always been the music. I grew up with a slightlyContinue reading “Day 25 of 37 Days of Christmas 2025 – A New World ‘Wakens”

We were gathered around the green dining table in late November, easing into a annual conversation about Christmas. The kids were still small, and the air was full of anticipation. We talked through the long arc of the season: the twenty-four days of Advent, each day bringing activities of waiting; the Advent wreath glowing aContinue reading “Day 24 of 37 Days of Christmas 2025 – God Gave His Presence”

Suedale Schierman—one of my favorite artists and collaborators—once handed me the two verses of a song called Do Not Be Afraid. I later wrote the chorus, we made a few small adjustments together, and then, like many songs, it quietly found its way into a file cabinet where it’s been resting for years. Some songsContinue reading “Day 23 of 37 Days of Christmas 2025 – Do Not Be Afraid”

Joseph’s Song is shaped by my imagination—by wondering what might have passed through Joseph’s heart in those first quiet days after Jesus’ birth. I remember the joy and astonishment of holding my own children, and now my grandchildren, as they are new to the world. There is a particular kind of awe that comes withContinue reading “Day 22 of 37 Days of Christmas 2025 – Joseph’s Song”

Enjoy this arrangement of Joy to The World from my friends the Murphys crew, SingKairos. – Trailand

Let’s listen to a “whisper of a song”—specifically one about the coming of Jesus to earth. A Christmas song. “Whisper of a song” is the phrase I use to describe the recorded demos of my songs. It feels more accurate than saying “a glimpse of a song”—comparing the audio to visuals. It’s not the finalContinue reading “Day 20 of 37 Days of Christmas 2025 – Awesome Most Delicate Lord”

The word “conversation” has changed in nuance over the centuries. Today it usually refers to “a talk, especially an informal one, between two or more people, in which news and ideas are exchanged.” It once carried a deeper meaning: living together, being familiar with, keeping company. For example, in a passage of Scripture from theContinue reading “Day 19 of 37 Days of Christmas 2025 – The Conversation”

I wrote “Only in Christ” for a study on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians at Community Presbyterian Church in Danville, California. Ephesians is often called Paul’s “in Christ” letter—he uses that phrase, along with closely related ones like “in Him,” more than thirty times. This song is an attempt to sing that core conviction: thatContinue reading “Day 18 of 37 Days of Christmas 2025 – Only In Christ”