 Donna
Mae Murphy, Christian Composer
In 1992, Donna gave her life to Jesus Christ. Although, she dedicated
her life to Him and told Him that His will was hers, she did make one
small request - being given a music ministry, if it would fit His perfect
plan for her life.
As she waited for an answer from Him, playing the guitar and enjoying
music, He placed a piano in her home. She had married and with her marriage
came a step-daughter, complete with piano.
Having never had piano lessons, Donna simply sat at the instrument, day
and night, trying to play something - anything in fact! - with little
success. But one day, she heard a song in her head and somehow she began
to play it, with God giving her each note. He would awaken her in the
middle of the night with the lyrics. The result of this first endeavor
was "Words of Peace", which eventually became the name of her
first album. More songs followed rapidly, complete with lyrics, as she
continued to pray for direction.
1993 was a difficult year: Donna's husband and Godmother were both diagnosed
with cancer, and within 24 months, both had gone home to the Lord. That
same year, her twin sister suffered a double aneurysm and two strokes,
and she herself was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Desperate for answers,
Donna turned to Scripture and prayer. She talked with the Lord daily,
asking for His help. She continued to compose music even in her grief.
Then God began opening doors for Donna: without any effort on her part
and no special connections to the music industry, talented people began
crossing her path - including an arranger, and a professional singer named
Tina Smith, the latter looking for original music. God continued to improve
Donna's piano-playing. He even directed her to pull into the parking lot
of a music store that just happened to have on sale, for only $1700, a
$4000 Wurlizer keyboard with memory and a floppy drive - just what she
needed to be able to arrange her own music. Then, three days later she
received a check for $1700 for serving as executrix to her aunt's will.
An inheritance from this aunt followed, and Donna immediately applied
it to recording and producing "Words of Peace" - an album that
is now available in Christian book stores and churches.
"The thrill of working for God is indescribable", Donna said
during a recent interview. "His timing, His ways and His blessings
are always perfect. When we let Him take charge, everything falls into
place without any intervention on our part. That's why it is so important,
for anyone who has given his or her life to Christ, to listen closely
to His leadings and refrain from questioning the outcome. The Lord has
plans for each of us!" she said. "All we have to do is to stand
back and let the Holy Spirit carry out those plans through us - His servants."
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