Oregonian Article June 15, 2006-- by Cornelia Seigneur
Three years ago, while mom Courtney Spears was studying for a chemistry class as part of her pre-nursing curriculum, she was drawn to the piano in her home. She said to her husband, Ward, "I feel pulled toward wanting to write music and dropping my pre-nursing classes." "And he felt the same thing, that I should write while I am inspired, so it was a confirmation," she said recently. In 2004, she withdrew from her pre-nursing classes to concentrate on writing and recording songs. She will perform her music June 25 at Rolling Hills Community Church in a concert marking the release of "Redeemed," the debut album she co-produced with Martin Landsverk, the CD's engineer. Sparked by Amy Grant's contemporary Christian style, Spears writes songs about real-life issues as well as praise songs for churches. "I pulled a lot of my inspiration directly from reading the Bible and remembering the truths about God," said Spears. "My songs are about balancing our faith with disappointments, finding our hope in the Lord." She was surprised making a CD took two years. "But looking back and realizing some of my best work came in the last six months, I'm thankful I didn't rush it," Spears said. In college, Spears pursued athletics, playing volleyball and basketball. Yet she was still always singing. She tells of a maintenance worker complimenting her singing at Washington's Lake Merwin in 1996. "He then offered me his guitar, saying, 'You can have it if you promise to do something with it,' " Spears said. It was a Guild guitar he had taken from his attic. Spears began using the guitar to lead church worship and hopes someday to thank the worker. As a mother of three children ages 4 to 8, she juggles music with motherhood. "I definitely get a lot of interruptions, but when I see the kids are having fun, I'll sneak away to write and play on the piano," Spears said. "And I'm a night owl, so I do a lot of writing and practicing while they are sleeping." Creativity "comes in spurts. I've woken up in the middle of the night with a melody or words and I'll write them down, or pray the Lord will help me remember the song in the morning." She also finds songs come to her during difficult situations. Spears wrote "Healing" in June 2003, six months after her friend Denise lost her only child, 21-month-old Sam, to a virus. " 'Healing' was the first song I wrote for the CD," Spears said. "I have felt guilty that their tragedy was the beginning of my songwriting, yet I know his parents are so thankful the memory of Sam will live on through his song and that God can use it to encourage others." Chapman and her husband, Doug, who live in and now have another child, Elijah, 2, are amazed at Spears' song. "It was as if she plucked those thoughts right out of my head. She just framed these words into this amazing beautiful heartbreaking song from my heart," Denise Chapman said. mom Carrie Postma said: "Courtney's songwriting cuts to the heart on a personal level; it's not just superficial lyrics. God has definitely blessed her with the talents to express emotion and experiences through her songs." Music is Spears' instrument for fulfilling her desire to help others. "When I went into pre-nursing I did so with the intent to impact people by bringing them comfort," she said, "but now I am bringing people comfort in a different way, through the medium of music." (some locations and names were omitted for website use)

Cornelia Becker Seigneur
Freelance writer/editor/instructor
www.writermom.net