Doris Au MacDonald (left) and Sharon Dennis performing in Chambersburg, Pa.

I feel some affinity with Doris Au MacDonald, considering our mutual expertise in writing, graphic design, and music, and our shared background as UBs in the far west. Doris has spent her entire adult career in missionary service with Wycliffe, and I think the world of Doris and her husband, Alan. These are quality people, quality Christians.

But during my junior high Bible Quizzing days, Doris was The Enemy. She and her older sister, Margo, the Au sisters, starred for the team from the United Brethren church in Glendale, Calif., in the LA area. This church had a glorious quizzing history, having won a couple of Pacific Conference championships, from what I had heard.

I was among six bratty 7th and 8th graders from Lake Havasu City, Ariz., a new church with a first-year team. And we won the conference championship. Lucky upstart pipsqueaks.

Actually, it was the San Diego team that we despised, a gaggle of emotional, moody, highly-competitive girls who never lost without shedding buckets of tears and accusing the universe of unfairness. There was one guy on the team, always sitting in the number 4 chair, and we liked him. But his teammates–not so much.

The Glendale team, on the other hand, was imminently likeable. They won and lost with grace. Plus, their pastor, Ed Mast, was the sharpest-dressing pastor I’ve known, the Pat Riley of United Brethrenism. And the Au sisters–they were smart, talented, cute, and just plain nice.

Today, Alan and Doris live in Virginia in the D. C. area, and Alan interacts on Wycliffe’s behalf with diplomats from countries around the world. High level stuff. Doris, meanwhile, is half of a musical duo called The Braeded Chord. Doris plays the piano far better than I do, she sings (which I do only at the peril of nearby ears), she writes music (which I’ve proven unable to do, despite feeble efforts), and she arranges orchestration (which is in another universe). In other words, when it comes to music, Doris knows her stuff.

A few years ago, Sharon Dennis invited Doris to play for her church’s praise team. Doris loved it and sensed a calling. She and Sharon formed The Braeded Chord in 2003 and began performing together. I got the chance to hear them in May at a missions conference in Pennsylvania. Sharon sings lead and plays a mean guitar, while Doris manages the keyboard (always selecting just the right sounds) and harmonizes. They are musically tight, with wonderful vocal harmonies and instrumental parts that don’t complement each other by accident. That takes work, thinking, creativity, care.

Keep in mind that I’m no music critic. I’ve been playing music most of my life. I know pretty much what to look for, and I recognize stuff that works. But I’m still an amateur, a guy who sits in the audience and often makes superficial judgments concerning what he likes and doesn’t like. As a listener among that audience in Pennsylvania, I really enjoyed The Braeded Chord. Watching Sharon perform, I decided that at heart, she’s a rocker chick. In this setting, a discretely restrained rocker chick. I told her afterwards, “You’ve got a Melissa Etheridge thing going on.” Sharon looked at me with a smile and said, “I take that as a compliment.” I find it intriguing that Sharon holds a Masters in Petroleum Engineering. Go figure.

Doris (left) and Sharon, from the cover of the “Dream and Dare” album.

They gave me a copy of their latest CD, “Dream and Dare,” and I listened to it on the way home as Pam drove. As the songs played, I followed along with the lyrics on the liner notes or whatever they call that printed thing they put in CDs. See, I’m an amateur. Don’t even know the proper terminology.

But I know writing. And I was astounded by the quality of the lyrics; by the careful, meticulous attention given to each word and phrase. Truly superb stuff. Sharon and Doris wrote all of the songs–Sharon wrote a few by herself, and they collaborated on the rest. I can imagine them fussing endlessly over individual words, searching for just the right expression. I’m also impressed and oddly amused that they worked three four-syllable words into the songs–palpitating, incandescent, and reminiscent. And they work.

I don’t know how to classify The Braeded Chord. You’ll find a variety of musical styles–Christian folk, blues, gospel, rockabilly. At the mission conference they mostly led us skillfully with worship songs. So there’s plenty of versatility.

Well, I need to talk about some individual songs and expose you to their lyrics. So I’m going to just walk through some of the ten songs on the album.

The CD starts with the “The Ride,” which is easily my favorite. It’s about a roller coaster ride, with a tacked on (but appropriate) reference to Daniel in the Lion’s den and those three guys in the fiery furnace, perhaps to give it some redeeming spiritual application. And it’s a nice little addition, fitting nicely with the rest of the song. I just enjoyed the carefreeness of this song. It’s the most up-tempo song on the album, and it shows-off Doris’s piano playing. It also gets in the word “palpitating.” Here’s a glimpse:

Well, my stomach’s feeling queasy and the g’s pin me into my place.
My body’s goin’ numb and the wind spits in my face.
My eyes squeezed tight when I think we’re flyin’ upside down.
Get me off this crazy ride, I want my feet back on solid ground.

“I Will Wait,” written by Sharon, is about going through a low period, and waiting for the time to be renewed and to “mount up with wings like eagles.” I read that it won something in the 2005 Great American Songwriting Contest. Here’s a gorgeous couple of lines:

Somewhere down the road, there’s a cross to bear the pain
Somewhere there’s a tear shed for me
In between the lines of life and underneath the shadow of your wings
I will wait for you.

Sharon and Doris recording in the studio.

Too often, I’m dense when it comes to understanding lyrics. I know a song is supposed to speak for itself and shouldn’t require any setup explanation. But I too often need that. I just don’t “get” a song while I’m hearing it for the first time, without some framing. I suspect that in their concerts, Sharon and Doris provide just enough explanation to get listeners aboard the right train.

The notes for “Free to Fly” include this line by Sharon: “My past was paralyzing me until I met Mercy.” That brief explanation puts everything in context and gives the song meaning. This piece also includes the line which, after having relistened to the entire album, has chosen to keep repeating in my head: “Now I’m free to fly, I’m free to follow rainbows.”

Sharon and Doris collaborated on “All the Oxen Come Free.” This song has my favorite lyrics on the album (though overall, I still like “The Ride” best). This is just a beautiful little folksy song with poetic, evocative writing. I’d love to quote the entire thing, because it’s entirely wonderful, but I’ll just give you this much to whet your appetite:

You painted the sunset, then smeared it with blackness,
poked holes and called them the stars.
The sky couldn’t tame the strength of the sunrise,
and colors burst forth into dawn.
But the sun was so strong, and my bright yellow basket
turned pale and started to fray
Life wore a hole in the base of my basket,
and all of my dreams got away.

“Sail the Dream” says to “dare to sail the dream you’re meant to dream.” My favorite part says, “No, you’re not insane; the calling of the deep / is the risk of being free to dream and dare.” And thus, the album’s title.

They also get in another four-syllable word here in this line: “A reminiscent ripple is etched upon your heart, a smile from God to say a job well done.” Reminiscent ripple–isn’t that delightful? How’d they invent that word combo?

“Rain Upon the Suff-ring” is another of my favorites. It’s a slow song with nice acoustic guitar. One line says, “I would dare to say that I’ve seen too much rain / You smile soft on my complaint.” That’s my favorite part of the song. I can picture God hearing someone complain to him about their tough times, and he just smiles knowingly, accepting the criticism without trying to defend himself, even while he’s at work to bring relief.

“O Tiny Child,” written by both Sharon and Doris, is Mary reflecting on her newborn child. “Your tiny hands could shake the earth and melt the stars in space / or hold the clouds, or move the moon and gently change its face.”

And finally, there’s “Fly Away Home,” a fun little bluesy piece that asks a bunch of “what if” questions, like, “What if I make a left turn when I should’ve made a right? What if it gets dark and I can’t see at night?” The answer is always, “Fly away home.” I’m really not sure what that means. But it’s a catchy song.

“The Ride” and “Fly Away Home,” the first and last songs on the album, are more up-tempo and “fun” (to my shallow ears) than the other songs. In between, the sound of the songs is similar–slow or moderate tempo, acoustic guitar and piano, simple (but just right) background orchestration. Quite a bit of the heart-bearing troubadour, like Michael Card or John Michael Talbot. But when you examine the lyrics, they are distinctly different songs. And examining the lyrics is what makes this album so special to me. That, and the fact that a long-time friend and long-ago “enemy” helped make it happen.

The Braeded Chord has their own website where you can order their CDs. Or go to CDBaby.com, where you can order a copy for $13 and it’ll ship within 24 hours. “Dream and Dare” is their second CD, and a third is in production. I’ll definitely want this third CD, and when I listen to it, I’ll hold the printed lyrics in front of me, no doubt basking once again in their beautiful writing.