I'm teaching four workshops, leading two jams, and Amber & I are performing on Saturday night. My buddy, Aaron O'Rourke, is the other mountain dulcimer teacher. I haven't seen him for 4 years, so I'm really excited to see him again. He's an incredible musician. We will undoubtedly be picking late into the night and getting very little sleep! It should be a great weekend!!
~Enjoy Life~
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( 2.9 / 172 )I love music. All kinds of music, really. It has the power to touch people's lives like nothing else. Music can prompt someone to get up and dance, or fall on their knees in tears. Being a musician is a really big responsibility. There are times when you hold the audience in the palm of your hand-- what you do with them is then up to you. Will I use this powerful gift of music for good or for harm? Of course, I choose good, but am I always successful? This week has been a reminder of the responsibility I have to share my music with as many people as the Lord puts in my path, and to use it for His glory.
The first reminder was through my classes here at South Plains College. I have three ensembles: bluegrass, Irish, and jazz; four lessons: piano, Irish dulcimer, music theory, and voice; and three classes: Audio 1, Computer Music Notation, and Marketing/Merchandising. It's been good to get back into the groove of things, and to have random jams in the hallway with other musicians who just happen to be there. My responsibility for right now is to learn as much as I can, and to be a light for Christ up and down the hallways of the music building. I am really excited about what I am learning and will learn this semester, as well as for the opportunities I anticipate having to share my testimony through my music.
The second reminder came from a lunch-time conversation with our "Uncle Lester". We were in Amarillo for a bluegrass jam, along with our roommate Kasey. Kasey had a date with her "beau", so Kirk took Amber & I out for lunch. We talked extensively about our music, how to promote it, logistics of being touring musicians, and of the power music has. He was so encouraging to us, pushing and prodding us to do the leg-work to get hired at bigger and bigger venues and festivals. Sometimes I feel so inadequate to be doing what I dream of, but "Uncle Lester" inspired me to keep working towards that goal. I realized that sometimes God gives us a dream and a vision, and then asks us to take the steps to see that dream become reality. We have to step out in faith, trusting that the Lord has put that dream in our hearts and will, therefore, bless our endeavors towards that end.
The next reminder was of the power music has to really touch people's lives. It came about through our gig at the "Cactus Theater" in Lubbock. It was gospel night there, and we were invited to play four songs-- two in the first half and two in the second half. All of the groups gathered together before the show to pray over the concert, which was a really good reminder that we are playing for the Lord, not for ourselves or anyone else. Even so, God often uses music to reach into people's hearts. During intermission, a lady came up to us and told us that our performance of "Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven" had made her cry. I thought to myself, "that isn't even a tear-jerker song; it's rather lively, in fact." Yet, something in it touched her. That's a God-thing! Then, we did "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing", I shared a bit of my testimony, and we played "Green Pastures". By the end, you could hear sniffling throughout the theater. That's powerful, friends!
Finally, I was reminded that God often throws incredible opportunities into your lap when you are regularly seeking Him. After our show at the "Cactus Theater", we were rather hungry so we started thinking of places to eat at 10pm. "Uncle Lester" suggested a place called Stella's that often has live music. When we walked in the door, we were delighted to discover that one of our professors, Mark Wallney, and his band were performing. We greeted them, then sat down to order our food. Before long, they say to us, "go get your instruments and play a song with us". We (Kasey & I, as Amber had crashed by then)ended up playing two songs with them, then they had us do two songs by ourselves. It was such an honor to be asked by one of my teachers to join him for a public performance, off the cuff! How cool, and definitely a God-thing!
I got kind of long-winded, but I'm really excited about my music and where God is taking me with it!
~Enjoy Life~
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( 3.1 / 176 )Amber & I have safely arrived in TEXAS! We left home on Thursday, after a very eventful morning. We got up at 5:30am to pack the car and say good-bye to Dad before he left for work. We successfully fit everything we needed into the car and were set to leave at 7:06am-- just 6 minutes late! And then... much to our dismay... the heater wouldn't turn on. It was a mere 6* outside, with wind-chills below 0. We spent the next half-hour trouble-shooting, calling people, changing fuses, and freezing to death. Finally, we decided there was no hope; we'd have to take the truck. So, at 7:30, in the freezing cold, we transfered everything from the car into the truck and got on the road just a little after 8:00. Not bad, all things considered.
From then on, we had an uneventful trip. We enjoyed a nice weekend with our roommate, Kasey's family. We did go skiing at Angel Fire, NM on Saturday. Amber had a ton of fun. I made it through the two-hour lesson and decided that was enough skiing for me. Considering that I spent the vast majority of my time flat on the ground instead of up-right, two hours was plenty long enough! Kasey's mom and I enjoyed some hot chai tea while Amber, Kasey, and Kasey's dad continued to ski for a couple more hours. That way, we were both happy!
We arrived in Levelland with Kasey on Sunday afternoon. Our other roommate, Courtney, and our friend Justin helped us unload all of our stuff. It's really amazing how much stuff you can fit into a small two-bedroom apartment! We did some shopping today and have the apartment mostly put together, just in time for classes to start tomorrow. It's going to be a good semester!
Thanks for checking in. May the Lord bless you this week!
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( 3 / 115 )Sis and I leave for school tomorrow morning at 7:00, if all goes as planned. We've had a wonderful, amazing, super-duper, fantastic break.
We're feeling sad about leaving home, but we're really excited about our classes. We successfully filled the trunk of the car this afternoon; just have to load the instruments and all the last-minute things we think of in the back-seat in the morning. We're going to spend the weekend with the Armstrong family in north-eastern New Mexico, then move into our apartment Sunday afternoon. We're going skiing at Angel Fire on Friday-- wish us luck! We've never been skiing before. It should be interesting.
We had a nice family evening tonight. Grilled steak for supper, a little "Emerson, Lake, & Palmer" music with coffee (hot cocoa for me & sis), and then a stupid movie that made us all laugh. It's awesome to have a family that laughs so much together. We were all rolling by the end of the evening.
I'm going to try to post some pictures and more stories from our break soon, but for now I need to get to bed. I have to get up at 5:30 to have any hope of getting out of here by 7. If you get bored, go check out www.scenicroots.com where we've been up-dating things. Next time you hear from us, we'll be in TEXAS!
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( 3.1 / 115 )This past week has been filled with many special moments. I am completely overwhelmed by God's goodness. I am SSOOOO blessed!
As you know, I had my CT scan and check-up with Dr. Beck. I got good news from him-- "You're still cured on paper", he told me. While that was very exciting, it was playing music in the chemo room withOUT being hooked up to an IV myself that was really special. I also found out that Dr. Beck has been using my "Quiet Sunshine" CD in the bone marrow room. When I recorded that CD, I dreamed of it being used for things like that but had no idea how to make it happen, or if it would ever would. Wow.
Thursday, I rode with my friend Kathy to Lindsborg. I was truly blessed by the conversations I had with Kathy on the way there and back. She is my parent's age, but we are definitely "kindred spirits". It was so refreshing to talk with another like-minded Christian about our relationships with God, the things He is teaching us, and they ways He is challenging us.
From Thursday night through Monday morning, we had company. Our friend Kyle Cooper (from Nashville) and two of his friends, Brian and Joel, came to town for the Teens for Christ Rally and stayed with our family. They are all talented musicians and very strong Christians. It was awesome to watch them spend time every morning studying their Bibles and praying together to prepare for their programs. Their music practice came after their quiet times with the Lord, even though the music was the most obvious part of the program. It was a joy to witness that, and also just to be servants to them, preparing & serving meals, printing sheet music, making powerpoints, etc. Now that I'm feeling well and have energy, it is a delight to do simple things like clean and cook and shovel the driveway and carry in wood... things that used to be tedious work.
Friday evening, Amber & I took "the boys" to the Beloit Juvenile Correctional Facility for the monthly Teens for Christ (TFC) program there. It was the smallest group of girls we've ever had, but they seemed genuinely touched by the message that Kyle, Brian, and Joel shared through music and testimony. This program was the one-year anniversary of TFC's presence there. It has been life-changing to spend time with the girls there. They are criminals, and yet they are just little girls who are hurting and need the love of God in their lives. That God would choose me to be a part of sharing that love with them is just incredible. It leaves me speechless.
Saturday evening was the TFC rally here in Concordia. Another one of Kyle's friends, Jeremy, came up from Wichita to play drums. The four of them also invited Amber and I to play with them on several songs. It was really special for me. You see, I have a huge heart for worship and love worshiping with my dulcimer, but leading worship is not what the Lord has called me to with my music. Saturday was one of those rare times when I got to combine my passions for music and worship, and it was enormously refreshing.
Additionally, Amber & I were honored in a really special way by Kent and Lisa, directors of TFC. They declared us "honorary staff members" and gave us each a beautiful plaque, honoring us for our support and involvement in their work with area teenagers. It was a really emotional moment. Amber & I had no clue they were going to do that, so it caught us completely off-guard. We all shed a few tears. We've been involved with Teens for Christ programs since I was in high school, and they've done so much to encourage my spiritual growth. What a blessing!
To culminate this very special week, our family will be celebrating Jesus' birthday with friends tonight for Christmas Eve. We will be having chili and cinnamon bread, and then a birthday cake for Jesus. We always close the evening by reading "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and then the Christmas story from Luke chapter 2. Through the years, our time as a family on Christmas Eve has become one of my fondest memories. We've always dedicated this night to focusing on the Greatest Gift of all-- our Savior, Jesus Christ. As much as I enjoy giving and receiving packages on Christmas morning, it is Jesus' birthday party that means the most to me.
Ok, enough rambling and sentimentality... Merry Christmas and may the Lord richly bless each of you as we celebrate the birth of our Savior!
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