Welcome to The Dennis Jernigan Podcast. The purpose of this podcast is to help you find healing for your wounds; find hope in your despair; find intimacy in your loneliness; find refuge from the storms of life; Basically, to help you find a deeper walk with Jesus. There is one thing I know after having lived all these years: God wastes nothing. Not our sorrows. Not our wounds. Not even our failures.
Hi. I am your host, Dennis Jernigan, and I am so excited about the next few weeks of the Dennis Jernigan podcast because I absolutely love the subject matter that we're covering.
For the past few weeks I have been sharing the stories behind songs inspired by fantasy book series I wrote for my children and grandchildren. You are used to hearing me share the stories behind songs of worship and praise; songs of ministry; songs of comfort; songs from Father God’s heart to ours…but the song I am sharing today was inspired by a 3-book series of fantasy novels I wrote for my children and grandchildren way back in 2015. You may be asking yourself, “Why would a worship leader and song receiver write series of books and songs about a fantasy world?”
I will not take the time to share all I shared the first few weeks of this series. You’ll just need to listen and catch up by beginning with the episode titled “Riding the Wind” through this week’s podcast. That will catch you up as to why I am sharing these songs. The utter reality is that the Lord used fantasy and myth to lead me to utter and unwavering faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, He really did.
The song I am sharing on this week’s episode is called “Fairies”, a song I wrote for the book “Captured (Book 1 in the The Chronicles of Bren Trilogy). “Captured” is my life story written in allegory as a legacy to my children and grandchildren. As I wrote the books, I envisioned what it might sound like if Disney ever made a movie based on these books. I completed the songs for the first two books but never got around to writing songs for book three. That book is about my vision for my 9 children…and their real-life stories are still being written. They will need to write their own songs.
This week’s song, “Fairies”, was received sometime in 2015 0r 2016 and was intended to infuse a bit of humor in the story. In the land of Bren, fairies are servants of the kingdom and are known to help guide people to where they need to be. In book one, Captured, the main fairy is named Rania.
Rania is a good yet mischievous fairy. Rania was was inspired by my daughter Raina. As a little girl, we actually called her Velociraina, after the velociraptors from the movie Jurassic Park because of her sneaky, mischievous way of dealing with her younger brothers! Raina is so beautiful and so loving and such a servant it was easy to see her as a fairy, flitting around guiding people to where they need to be. Her relationship with her older sister, Galen, inspired the relationship between the Hawken girl, Galenna, and the fairy, Rania.
There is no deep spiritual truth I was trying to convey through this character. I just wanted to have a little fun so I created a character who liked to have little fun. The song was written to describe this character and was fun to sing. I wanted the music of the entire album to have a bit of Celtic or Medieval flavor to it because I think it fits the story well and gives a sense of wonder to the saga. Here’s something I never imagined saying: Enjoy my song about fairies!
SONG
Proverbs 17:22 NIV says, 22 A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
I hope you do not mind me taking this detour along the way of the journey through my music through the years. These songs were truly a joy to write and the fact that knowing my grandchildren and great-grandchildren will one day listen to them brings my heart so much joy it's hard to explain. It just does.
If you have not already done so, I encourage you to read the trilogy, The Chronicles of Bren and that you would listen to the music with a completely different attitude and point of you. I just want to give every opportunity for my grandchildren and great-grandchildren for generations to come to know there is a creator who is Savior and Redeemer and that these stories might, in some small way, lead them to that understanding.
That being said, I have some great news about the music from my fantasy series. You can listen to and even download the entire album for book one absolutely for free. It is called “Captured - Songs For the Journey” and it can be found on the website www.thechroniclesofbren.com. I encourage you to read the book “Captured” and then listen to the songs inspired by each of the main characters. This album is meant to encourage young men to look past their shortcomings and failures and the lies of the enemy and see and be who Father God says they are.
Thanks for tuning in to The Dennis Jernigan Podcast. For more about me, my story, or my music, visit dennisjernigan.com. You can also catch me on Facebook and Instagram, and find my music on most major streaming services. And hey, if you really want to be a part of my team, you can even become a Patron over at Patreon.com/dennisjernigan. I'd love to have you on board!
The book “Captured” is available at Amazon in paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats. I encourage you to read the book “Captured” and then listen to the songs inspired by each of the main characters.
Thanks again for being part of today's podcast. Remember, God loves you, and so do I. Now, I challenge you to rise up and be the warrior for the kingdom God has called to to be today. And I urge you to put off the lies of the enemy and put on the truth of who the Lord says you are and then go and BE who your Heavenly Father says you are…
Fairies
WWORDS & MUSIC
Dennis Jernigan
©2015
Verse
Fairies tend to vary
And can have quite an attitude
Some can be quite merry
Some can practice less than gratitude
Mischievous and magical
And more than a mystery
Bringing good from tragical
And leaving quite a history
Oh! Oh! Oh!
Oh! Oh! Oh!
Who can tame a fairy?
Oh! Oh! Oh!
Oh! Oh! Oh!
This will never be!
Oh! Oh! Oh!
Oh! Oh! Oh!
Who can claim a fairy!
Oh! Oh! Oh!
Oh! Oh! Oh!
When catch what can’t be seen!
Chorus
Oh! Oh! Lucky if I see one!
Oh! Oh! Fairy! Fairy! Fay!
Oh! Oh! Lucky if I meet one!
What a simply wonderful day!
Verse
Flitting through the forest
In the grand land of Make Believe
Or are the things we hope exist
A part of true reality?
Something there to guide me
I the grand land of In Between
Between the realm of what I see
And What I think that I can dream
Oh! Oh! Oh!
Oh! Oh! Oh!
Who can tame a fairy?
Oh! Oh! Oh!
Oh! Oh! Oh!
This will never be!
Oh! Oh! Oh!
Oh! Oh! Oh!
Who can claim a fairy!
Oh! Oh! Oh!
Oh! Oh! Oh!
When catch what can’t be seen!
Chorus
Oh! Oh! Lucky if I see one!
Oh! Oh! Fairy! Fairy! Fay!
Oh! Oh! Lucky if I meet one!
What a simply wonderful day!
