piano

Have Thine Own Way

Daniel Segraves

November 22, 2025 | Daniel L. Segraves, Ph.D.

As often happens, I went to my K. Kawai right after breakfast to practice a bit. Paying no attention to what might be going on elsewhere in the house, I slowly worked my way through an old hymn. When it occurred to me that things were hushed elsewhere in our home, I wondered what my sweet wife, Susan, might be up to. Was she secretly recording my efforts, as she often does? As you will see, in my last few notes, I discovered that was precisely the case!

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All that Thrills My Soul

Daniel Segraves

August 20, 2025 | Daniel L. Segraves, Ph.D.

It has been a while since Susan, my wife and videographer, caught me playing the piano and the first time she captured a shot of me playing while wearing a fedora!

She just now told me to tell you she managed to “sneak up” on the maestro.

I am thankful to God for a beautiful grand piano just a few feet from my home office and for those who taught me how to play it.

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Goodbye World, Goodbye!

Daniel Segraves

February 19, 2025 | Daniel L. Segraves, Ph.D.

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord” (I Thessalonians 4:16-17, NKJV).

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The first purchase for our new home.

Daniel Segraves

February 18, 2025 | Daniel L. Segraves, Ph.D.

Eleven years ago today, Susan and I made the first purchase for our new home.

We married on September 28, 2013 and lived for six months in a two bedroom suite at the Residence Inn by Marriott in Earth City, Missouri while our home was being built. We moved in to our new home on April 23, 2014.

What a day that was! At the beginning of the day we had no grass. Not a blade. But throughout the day thirteen men were on site, laying sod, carrying our furniture in from the Bekins truck parked out front, and two men were hanging wallpaper in different rooms.

As I passed by one of the paperhangers, I heard him say on his cellphone, “This place is a madhouse!”

But by the end of the day we had a full, lush lawn, front and back. All the furniture was in the house. All the paper was hung.

We were home.

About one month after our marriage, Susan and I visited a local Lacefield Music Store. There we viewed the beautiful Kawai pianos on display. On such occasions I always enjoy experimenting with the pianos. We really did not plan to buy one that day, but the store manager assured us we could still purchase a K. Kawai for the Black Friday price even though we were past that day. We took the bait, but we could not take delivery until our house was built.

In the meantime, Lacefield had a top of the line Shigeru Kawai on display. I took advantage of playing this astounding concert grand while we were in the store. If you wish, you can view the video below.

Two days after we moved in, two men arrived with our new K. Kawai, seen below. I have enjoyed playing this piano now for eleven years. It is less than ten feet from the desk where I spend a lot of time doing research and writing my new books.

Susan and I are so grateful to God for His lovingkindness. He brought us together, He has met all our needs, and His presence dwells in the home He has given us.

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Somewhere …

Daniel Segraves

November 2, 2024 | Daniel L. Segraves, Ph.D.

This is not my typical post, but this video came up today as my iPhone reminded me of some recordings I made a while back. I’m unsure of all the lyrics, but there is a Christian version if you want to look them up!

On another subject, since I usually have something to say about my Psalms project, I’m happy to announce that yesterday I submitted my commentary on Book 3 of the Psalter (Psalms 73-89) to the editor!

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Celebrating our first date!

Daniel Segraves

September 5, 2024 | Daniel L. Segraves, Ph.D.

Daniel and Susan Segraves

Our first date was on June 15, 2013. I invited Susan to a concert by the Ambassadors of Harmony, an a capella men’s chorus consisting of more than 100 members. Their harmonies are breathtaking.

I discovered the AOH on YouTube while still living in California. I had no idea the chorus was headquartered in Saint Charles, Missouri, next door to Saint Peters, where Susan and I now live. Nor did I know their concerts were performed at the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the campus of the University of Missouri in St. Louis.

Many members of UPCI churches in the St Louis metro area attend these concerts, and on our first date, several of our friends, seeing us together for the first time, quickly figured out what was going on!

The photo above shows us at our most recent visit to hear the AOH. We are standing before a Steinway piano. The reason we have such big smiles is that we are happy people on the verge of celebrating our eleventh year of marriage! God has blessed us richly. We are deeply grateful He brought us together, and I am so glad Susan said, “Yes!”

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Is Thy Heart Right With God?

Daniel Segraves
It has been a while since I have posted a piano video, but our friends ask for them. This morning Susan and I were going about the house singing “Is Thy Heart Right With God?” As she was preparing breakfast, I sat down at the piano to play this song. Here she came with her phone, so here it is! I hope you enjoy it.
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“I Bowed on My Knees and Cried Holy”

VideoDaniel Segraves

This morning after breakfast I sat down at the piano to play a song written almost 100 years ago. Susan came into the room to record it. What a privilege we have to come into the presence of God to worship Him!

Verse 1

I dreamed I went to that city called glory

So bright and so fair.

When I entered the gate I cried Holy;

The angels all met me there.

They carried me from mansion to mansion

And Oh, the sights I saw.

But I said I want to see Jesus,

The One who died for all.

Chorus

Then I bowed on my knees and cried Holy, Holy, Holy

I clapped my hands and sang glory,

Glory to the Son of God

Verse 2

I thought when I entered that city,

My loved ones all knew me well.

They showed me all through heaven;

The scenes are too num’rous to tell.

They showed me Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!

Mark, Luke, and Timothy.

But I said I want to bow down and give praise

To the One who died for me.

Verse 3

I thought when I saw my Savior

Oh, glory to God!

I just fell right down before Him,

Singing praise the name of the Lord.

I bowed down and worshipped Jehovah,

My friend of ‘calvary,

For I wanted to give praise to Jesus

For saving a sinner like me.

Words by Nettie Dudley Washington and music by E. M. Dudley Cantwell (copyright 1923, 1925 by Hill & Range Songs, Inc.).

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