Sanctify Me

Born from a homework assignment for a theological class called History and Polity... the instructor, my Pastor at the time, wanted his students to use their talents to demonstrate what we learned during our semester. Practical application is always so much better than testing my ability to retain information in a multiple choice test which I forget the next day. And yes, I received an "A" for my grade, everyone did!

Because I am a life learner and love history I jumped on the opportunity to take this class on the History and Polity of the denomination where our family attended church services while living in South Carolina. Consequently I met a few Protestant founding servants that came out of the Pentecostal Holiness & Methodist Holiness Movement at the turn of the 19th century. Moved by the faith and stories of people like Dr. Phineas Bresee, Bud "Uncle Buddy" Robinson, and Phoebe Palmer, I never expected to write a song from my studies. When our Pastor and my instructor said for our final exam he wanted each of us to use our talents to demonstrate what we learned he suggested that I write a song. He was always encouraging and a strong supporter of the music God commissioned me to write. Hence, I loved the idea. Thanks to the support of this wonderful man and his family, I spent ten years of my live traveling and singing God's praises as a Song Evangelist in the Church denomination. It was the work of Dr. Bresee on "Entire Sanctification," that got my attention. To demonstrate, he mentioned phrases like tune my tongue to praise you, search me & cleanse me, and my soul is thirsty for you. Drawing from scriptures and the words of the late Doctor I crafted the lyrics. First acknowledging that God is Holy and then building on that concept to craft the song as a cry for Holiness for the Lord.