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December 2003 Table of Contents
Stories Behind the Songs
Beyond the People Who Know My Name
By Lindsay Terry
He Is Exalted
Isaiah 33:2-6 The Lord is exalted; for He dwelleth on high.
"My songs are like children who will grow and expand and do things I could never do. They make their way around the world as they are being used for the purpose that God gave them. A song that was given to me in a time of worship is now offered back to Him on a Sunday morning in a small church on a faraway island. 'He Is Exalted' has gone far beyond the people who know my name." Those are comments of Twila Paris as she explained to me her reasons for continuing to write worship songs. Today she is one of the most prominent songwriters in the genre of praise and worship music.
Twila, a PK, was born in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1958, into the home of Evangelist Oren Paris and his wife Inez. She grew up with music all around her, starting her singing experiences at the age of two, in her dad's services. As she grew older her dad, a pianist of extraordinary talent, began to teach her music and to challenge her creativity. She wrote her first recorded song at age seventeen and included it on one of her albums at age twenty.
She relates the following as her conversion experience: "One night in one of my father's services, I went forward during his invitation to the lost and prayed to receive Jesus Christ as my Savior. I was four years old, and yet I believe that my experience was valid for what I understood at that time. As we mature and grow up we add a lot of dimensions to our lives. There was a point in my life, when I was eighteen that I felt my commitment to the Lord had really grown up. I faced a crossroads, and determined that I would submit my ambitions and the goals that I had set for my life to the Lord. I laid them at His feet and became willing to embark on what He called me to do."
After finishing high school, Twila enrolled, for one year, in the discipleship program of Youth With A Mission, thinking that she would enter college the following year. One year turned into two, and by then she was already writing and recording songs, so she continued in her music ministry. Those thoughts brought us to the real reason for the interview and so I asked Twila to share the circumstances surrounding the writing of "He Is Exalted."
"I was twenty-four years old and still living at home when I wrote the song. I wrote it in a place where I often thought, 'How can I write songs from here?' It was in the living room of my parent's home. We had a used, studio piano in the room, which was the center of the house, and a passageway for all of my siblings, my parents, and me.
As was my custom, I was sitting at the piano worshiping the Lord for a period of time. I would usually start singing -- one of my songs or a song written by someone else that happened to be meaningful at that particular point in my life. As I was there before Him, "He Is Exalted," was given to me by my Heavenly Father. I recognized the moment and knew that this "gift" from the Lord was something extra special. It was like taking dictation.
I first sang 'He Is Exalted' in a Sunday service at the YWAM base here in Arkansas. I became a worship leader there a number of years ago. The song was well tested before it was put on the Kingdom Seekers album, recorded in 1985. Several years later, I became aware that a lot of people in churches across the country seem to know my song. It wasn't a big splash, but it gradually made its way from town to town.
One day I was watching a network television news show and the story being reported was of a religious nature. During their comments, they cut away to a congregation singing 'He Is Exalted.' For several moments, it was almost surreal. It took me a few seconds to realize, 'Hey, that's my song.'" She then added, "I hope I never get used to hearing my songs."
After a friend brought the news from Brazil that the people there were singing "He Is Exalted," in Portuguese, she was so thrilled and excited about it she asked if she might obtain a copy in the Portuguese language. After receiving it, she memorized the song and sang it on an album titled, "Sanctuary." So, if you've heard the song on her album, in the Portuguese language, to borrow a phrase from Paul Harvey, now you know the rest of the story.
In the twenty years that Twila has been writing, the Lord has given her approximately 200 songs, most of which have been recorded or published. In this story, space does not permit the many awards and accolades that came to Twila Paris and her songs. When she thinks of the ministry of songwriting the Lord has graciously given, her mind goes to the impact the songs have had on the world -- and she is grateful.
One last interesting part of Twila's story: "A few years ago some friends went together and bought my dad a beautiful grand piano for his living room. He had never had a good piano to play on, and he is such a wonderful pianist. The piano that had been in the family for all of these years, and on which I had written, 'He Is Exalted,' 'We Will Glorify,' and 'Lamb of God,' was about to be discarded. I said, 'Whoa! I want that piano.' So, I got it and I intend to have it restored and put in a special room in our home."
She and her husband Jack Wright reside in Elm Springs, Arkansas, and continue their involvement with Youth With A Mission. On April 29, 2001, after sixteen years of marriage and many sincere prayers, God blessed their lives with their first child, Jack Paris Wright.
Reflection: Let's think back on this story with one of Twila's favorite verses of Scripture. It is the essence of her songwriting. Romans 11:36, "For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to Whom be glory for ever." Twila is given a song of praise that speaks of our Heavenly Father, she shares it, through His power, with the body of Christ, and they in turn offer it back to Him.
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