SRM (Scott Roley Music)

Someone once asked me what my favorite song that I’ve written was? That is a great question because after writing four hundred songs all of them have some connection or emotional meaning. But I actually do have a song that I am especially proud of. Interestingly, I would say my favorite song is really the song my wife Linda most loves. It’s title, To Keep Me Struggling On, came from a Bible verse where the Apostle Paul confessed that He struggled with faith off and on in his life. I found incredible comfort knowing the greatest communicator of the Gospel in Scripture struggled to live for Christ.

I wrote the song after I had been traveling for several weeks with my band, Albrecht, Roley and Moore. I remember the tour ended in the middle of the night after an unusually warm Michigan summer evening. As I arrived home late which happened often during my touring I tried to quietly carry my duffle bag and guitar up the narrow staircase of "The Junk Man’s Flat" (the place we rented for 135 dollars a month in Southfield, Michigan) and headed to the small living room area in the apartment to collapse on the couch.

I was trying not to disturb Linda and was somewhere in between complete exhaustion and some burst of creative energy. I pulled my guitar out and began to write the lyrics to the song which took several hours of rewrites. By sunrise I had the music done and the song finished and then woke Linda up so she could hear it. My habit was to subject her to all my songs as soon as I finished them. Somehow having her approval made it ok to keep going and I was fine with that. She listened and honestly liked it and later would say it represented her favorite ideas and thoughts of mine. It still is her favorite song that I wrote and I’m proud she feels that way.

If you take the time to look up the lyric you will find you have to invest listening to the two long poetic portions making up the unusual pattern of writing. The payoff is that we all struggle don’t we? If "any of this is getting to you" please let me know. Our prayers are that His Grace and Mercy are sufficient for you and your family. We love you deeply and believe God’s blessings are in the midst of our struggles, even with the past weekend's events.

Today is my lovely brides birthday. She has loved me and our children through many of life's struggles and I am a grateful man for the grace that she shares with me each day. I pray you find the peace of Christ in sharing the love of God with those around you.

Scott