Dwell Within My Heart - RichardShekari

Wow, thank you, F2F! That genuinely means a lot to me. I spent a lot of time trying to keep the arrangement simple and heartfelt, so I'm really happy it resonated with you. I truly appreciate your support and thoughtful feedback.

Thank you, Gizmo! I really appreciate it. Thanks so much for taking the time to listen and share your thoughts!

Thank you, Asociale, I feel honoured.

Hey brother, how have you been? How's music going for you these days? I hope you're doing well. Thanks!

Hello! I hope you're doing well, Maestro. Thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement. They truly mean a lot to me.

Thanks, man. I really appreciate both the feedback and your honesty.

I actually relate to what you said. I've never been comfortable accepting something as truth simply because it's written in a book. To me, truth has to be experienced, not just read. The real question is, what does it mean to know the truth?

For most of my life, I resisted the idea of faith for that very reason. But after facing many challenges and having physical and spiritual encounters I couldn't explain, I felt I had no choice but to seek the answers for myself. That journey led me to the conclusion that no one should believe anything about Jesus if they've never encountered Him personally. I think He knows that too, which is why He reveals Himself to each of us in ways we can understand.

I see it like this. If we were lost in a desert and decided to split up in the hope that one of us might find help, and I came across an oasis with fresh water and a tree bearing good fruit, I'd taste it and discover that it was good. The first thing I'd do is mark the path and go looking for my friends to tell them what I'd found.

I wouldn't force anyone to drink the water or eat the fruit, though, because that's a choice they have to make for themselves. All I can do is tell them where the oasis is, describe what I experienced, and invite them to come and see. Some of my friends might choose to keep wandering under the scorching sun rather than believe me, especially if they had known me as someone who wasn't trustworthy before I found the oasis, and I'd understand that. Trust has to be earned. Others might even think I'd mistaken a mirage for an oasis and come back with a foolish story. I'd understand that too.

But even then, I could never keep the oasis to myself once I'd found it.

The interesting thing is that, from my own experience, once you truly encounter Him, the questions don't necessarily disappear because everything suddenly makes perfect sense. They disappear because the answer outweighs the questions. It's like the scale tips so heavily in one direction that the doubts no longer carry the same weight. They don't feel suppressed or ignored. They simply lose their grip in the light of what you've experienced.

If anything, I completely understand when someone says, "It's a lie," after hearing something like this. If you were anything like me, someone who carried a heavy stone tablet engraved with questions about God and life from the very beginning, and you climbed the mountain determined to challenge everything, only to come back because what you encountered not only melted the stone in your hands without harming you but also shattered every doubt you carried, then you'll understand.

You'll also understand why the people still down in the valley, holding nothing but ink, paper, and questions, might laugh when you return and say, "There truly is heaven and hell."

I don't blame them. I was once standing beside them.

Thank you, Raj

Thank you so much, I really appreciate your kind words. It means a lot coming from you.
I actually noticed James mentioned the same thing about the tempo, so hearing it from both of you tells me it's something I should seriously look into. I'll do a bit of research, experiment with increasing the BPM slightly, and see how it feels.
Thank you and James for that valuable feedback, and thank you for taking the time to listen so carefully and share your thoughts. It really means a lot to me.

And thank you for asking about my family. We're all doing well, and we're grateful for the new addition. I hope you and your family are doing great as well, brother.

Thanks, James. I really appreciate your thoughtful feedback. It's interesting because Pnnywze mentioned the same thing about the tempo, so I think it's definitely worth exploring.
I'll experiment with increasing it by about 3 BPM or more and see how it feels.
Thanks again for taking the time to listen so carefully and share your thoughts. I really value your input, and it's helping me hear the song from a different perspective.

Hi James,

Thank you so much for your thoughtful feedback. It really means a lot.

I wrote the lyrics and composed the song. The piano part is based on a MIDI file, and the drums came from an FL Studio template, which I then arranged and produced into the final track.

I'll definitely try increasing the tempo as you suggested and see how it feels. It's currently at 74 BPM. Out of curiosity, what tempo do you think would suit it? Were you thinking around 76 or 78 BPM, or something a little faster?

Thanks again for listening and for always taking the time to share your thoughts. I really appreciate it.