Books That Inspired “Beauty and The Bible”

The famous saying goes…behind every successful man is a woman…rolling her eyes. Haha! One of the purposes of Beauty and The Bible is to understand our beloved Bible heroes even more through the eyes of their spouses, sisters or daughters. And I couldn’t have done it without the help of some very talented authors.

“Beauty Queen”, song of Esther

Scripture says, before being presented to the king, Esther and a harem of beautiful women were immersed in a beautification program: 6 months of oil and myrrh, 6 months of perfume and cosmetics. Hence, the inspiration for Esther’s song “Beauty Queen”.

Deciphering Delilah

Any testosterone-filled male, from the richest tycoon to the middle-class layman to the naive geek, is never spared from the coy antics of a woman of alluring and often fatal intentions. She can be present in your place of work, your church, your community and even your home.

“So Much More”, song of Abigail

A lot of people think this is a love song. Well it is, and it isn’t.

This is the second of 3 power-pop-ballads in the roster (the other ones are “Still”, song of Rachel and “Beautiful”, song of the Daughters of Job). Meaning: it’s formulaic. I’ve always touted this one as the American Idol song because it’s meant to be sung in a “take the stage” way or at least something that would sound good in karaoke.

“Still”, song of Rachel

This is one of those compositions where it just didn’t flow. I had to wrack my brains out for this one. What’s a word that rhymes with this…what about that? Maybe the last chorus can be sung a pitch higher for that grand effect? What an admission, right? 

The Aftermath

After executing the musicale in 2009, I knew it wasn’t over. We had received mixed reviews, most of which were positive. While the rest were points of improvement we planned to implement during the next run.

Launch Day

Tools of The Trade

Being foremost a musician (among my other media-related pursuits), I did start writing Beauty and The Bible with the music first before the text/script. Some songwriters begin with the melody, some with the words. I write both simultaneously. Now here’s a rundown of my trusty tools when it comes to songwriting and writing per se:

Where To Buy The Book

Beauty and The Bible is available in eBook and paperback (hard copy) formats. Just click on the icons below to select which one you wish to order. For more information, please email lightswitch.publishing[at]gmail.com.

Cast Profiles

Assembled here are the most amazing group of Christian women, a perfect cast. With no formal auditions, each one was carefully selected based on their talent, fit for the role, and, of course, beauty—the characters they portrayed were women the Bible described as physically beautiful after all!

Rehearsing for The Musicale

The Musicale: Teaser Trailer

Why Do This? pt. 2

Taken from the introduction of the book. Continued from Why Do This? pt.1.

While the themes in this book are woman-centric, it is actually written with men in mind. We who are fascinated by beauty. We who covet it. We who spend for it.  We who sometimes terrifyingly take it by force.

Why Do This? pt. 1

Taken from the introduction of the book.

Now what does a man such as myself know about beauty? When he is guilty of making his wife, mother, sister, girlfriend, female co-worker, friend or neighbor feel just the opposite—he knows more than enough.

The Making of a Musicale pt. 2

Presenting Esther, the beautiful orphan girl who had won the heart of the king. Once queen, unveiling her secret heritage as a Jew would save her people from annihilation.

The Making of a Musicale pt. 1

I gave it my all.

2 years of planning and research, 14 God-breathed songs, 3 months of finding the perfect people to execute it, and 6 months of rehearsals—this was Shepherd King, The Story of David, my first venture into the realm of musical theater. What does it have to do with my latest project?