Are you Listening?

We announced that our young peoples' annual music recital will be held this weekend.  You would have thought that we announced that everyone would have to line up for shots after the service.  My question to those who complain is, "Are you listening?".  The teen choir, teen ensemble, and teen quartet sang tonight.  Many of them have benefitted from music lessons and recitals.  Over 95% of our pianists have had some training in our music program and they play the offertories, the congregational songs, and for the rehearsals. "Are you listening?"
I do understand that there are pains in having a recital featuring many new and unseasoned students.  In spite of the trouble, the inconvenience, and the criticism from the uneducated, students must be given an opportunity to perform.  If they have no goals they generally will not "rise to the occasion".  I remember a time when the older folks would come to the recital just to encourage the students.  I would thank them for taking their time and for their inconvenience and they would graciously tell me that it was an honor to hear the students play their pieces. I looked forward to seeing them each year.
God wants us to have encouraging words for those who are learning to serve Him.  When we fail to support our children with time, attendance, and encouraging words we are discouraging them and their mentors.
Let's don't discourage those who have stepped out to learn a skill.  Let's take time to listen and be encouraging!!!  "Are you listening?"

Praise the Lord in 2012

Did you have any resolutions for the new year?  Of course I have the standing ones: lose weight, be a better soul winner, lose more weight, be a better aunt to my nieces and nephews, lose weight, and be a better mom, wife, grandmother, mother-in-law and daughter.
Sometimes as musicians our resolutions might look like this: practice more, improve technique, start umpteen more music groups, practice more, buy more, more, more, more, etc...
For years I have had the same resolutions: practice more, improve more, start more, do more - but God doesn't want  just "more", He wants me.   If we do our singing, practicing, playing, and serving directly for the Lord it eliminates a lot of distractions and frustrations.  Of course, we want to please our pastor and music director but that will even come more easily when we keep our focus on serving Him.
My heart's theme for this year is "Praise the Lord".  We're working on finding at least one new or archived song for each group that comes right out and praises the Lord.  I believe that we are created for fellowship with God and praise is the starting point for our walk with Him.
The word "praise" and "praises" occurs over two-hundred times in the Bible.  We are told to praise the Lord dozens of times but this is sometimes the last concern we have, even as Christian musicians.
II Chronicles 20:21 - And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD,and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever. ²²And when they began to sing and to praise,the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.
When the musicians sang and praised the Lord then the Lord won the battle for them.  Songs can preach, teach, admonish, comfort, and convict but they should also praise.  When we praise the Lord He is pleased; it is for Him.  How exciting that we can do something for His glory alone.  We become a smaller part of the picture and His power and glory is primary.   That is when He does the work we cannot do.  
Here are some songs that are great for praising our great God:
To God Be the Glory
Glory To His Name
Blessed Be the Name
Praise Him!
Praise the Lord! (He can work through those who praise Him..)
I Was Made to Praise the Lord
Worthy of Worship
Bow the Knee
Almighty, Unchangeable God
All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name
He Is the King of Kings
Lord of All
Jesus, Lord to Me
The Praise Song
That's Him
No Wonder We Call Him Our Saviour


Now's a great time to practice for what we'll be doing in Heaven - praising the Lord!  

Christmas Communication

"You have so many Christmas cards!"  I have heard this several times as guests enter my home and see the card display on the foyer wall.  I sometimes take for granted the friends God has given to me because of the great church and ministry where I serve.  The music ministry connects people.  It forges friendships of a lifetime because of the common goal of serving the Lord.
I was never a great talker as a child so Mom thought that piano lessons would help me with my shyness and lack of people skills. The ability of playing the piano opened so many other doors for me to work with some of the greatest people in the world...church musicians.  Friendships, wonderful memories, and life lessons have been learned at each rehearsal, church service, and performance time.
Christmas time especially brings these people to mind.  Musicians from the present and past have always made this time special with meaning.

Men's Chorus - "O Holy Night"
Jo Hovind - piano/organ duet, "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"
Paul Duckett, Jr. - solo with trumpet, "O Holy Child"
LBT Choir - "Messiah Medley" with Dr. Duckett singing the "Hallelujah Chorus" alone
Paul and Martha Ducket - duet, "No Room"
Alvin Martinez/Dr. Paul Duckett, Sr. - "How Great Thou Art"
Joy Trio - "Lion of Judah"
Victory Trio - "What Child is This?"
Myself playing "The First Noel" as a sixth grader in Miss Beverly Rainey's class
Men's Quartet - "O Come Emmanuel"
Teen Ladies' Ensemble - "Happy Birthday, Jesus"
Amy Robinson - piano/organ duet - "O Come All Ye Faithful"
Voice of Triumph - "Underneath the Tree"
Ladies' Ensemble - "One Small Child"
Teen Ladies' Quintet - "Gesu Bambino"
Teen Choir - "Wise Men Still Seek Him"

These are just a few of musical memories I have each Christmas.  People from the past also are remembered as our Christmas cards are exchanged.  It is such a blessing to receive photo cards of young married couples, who were once my students, serving the Lord with their own families.
I hope you take some time during this holiday time to thank the Lord for family, friends, and special memories of serving the Lord.
Merry Christmas and a blessed and happy 2012 to You!

"Enthusiastic Service"

Psalm 100

A Psalm of praise.

¹      Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

²      Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presencewith singing.

"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm!"  Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Success is going from failure to failure without lack of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill


Wherever you are in your service for the Lord, whether you're on your first year or in your golden years of service keep your ENTHUSIASM!


This fall in the music ministry the Lord has blessed with a fresh breeze of enthusiasm!  Maybe it's my perception or just anticipation of our Homecoming Revival, either way, I enjoy enthusiastic service for God.  :)
What difference does enthusiasm make?
1. Anticipation instead of dread...
2. Enjoyment instead of drudgery...
3. Productivity instead of boredom...
4. Faithful service instead of hit and miss half-hearted attendance...
5. A smile and a lilt instead of stiff jaw and slow-paced entrance
6. Whole-hearted singing instead of mechanical, dead singing
7. A "let's sing" attitude instead of "let's put it off" attitude


We all go through times that are tough emotionally and physically, but that should not take away all of our enthusiasm in every area of our lives.  We can create an oasis of joyful service for the Lord when you walk into the doors of your church, practice area, bus, Sunday school classroom, etc...
I have the great privilege of working with some of the most enthusiastic young people I have ever met.  I can't afford to set the wrong example by dragging into a rehearsal or classroom. I have to realize the gift of working with these young people is priceless.  This fuels my enthusiasm.
Enthusiasm comes from looking at something at a different angle.  It's a perception problem.  
If you are always totally enthusiastic, Praise the Lord!  If you need a little help in this area and you realize it, that's a great first step toward enthusiastic, joyful, glad service for our Lord.

Music Sources

Happy Summer!
It's 110 degrees here in Longview and doesn't look like it's going to cool down soon.  We just returned from vacation to the Northeast, where it also was hot!!!  One thing I enjoy about vacation is hearing/watching/experiencing other church's music ministries.
We attended church with our family in Lebanon, Pennsylvania.  I heard several beautiful songs and want to list them here.
"Glorious, Indescribable" - Cindy Berry, Sheetmusic plus (my niece and nephew sang this with the youth ensemble)
"I Surrender All" - James Koerts, for two violins and piano (my nephew's girlfriend and her friend played this for offertory) - FREE arrangement download, PDF - http://koertsmusic.com/piano-music/
"Everlasting Love" - SATB, the wilds.org - beautiful choir arrangement

Other songs that I heard that never lose their message and appeal - "Our Great Saviour" and "Great is Thy Faithfulness".  We heard these while we were in Colonial Williamsburg at the Bruton Parish Church.
Returning to our home church after vacation and knowing that all of the music ministry was doing well was a great blessing.  My hands did have time to rest for several weeks but I was glad to be able to play for the service.  I am encouraged and energized to start something new and get some new music and arrangements together.
The main thought that I brought with me from vacation was that our Lord deserves only the best from us in every area.  My best may not be as advanced as another, but it must be my best.  The same goes for each group.  If a song hasn't reached the quality level of "best" for that group, it should be replaced with one of their "best" songs.
While achieving our best, we must be patient with musicians working on their best.  Their best may not be up to our "best", but they must continue to work for the future, or their will not be a future in the music ministry.
I have many ideas that I want to share with our musicians, then I'll put them into this blog in the near future.  Let's get to work on our best for our Saviour.

"Don't Holler "Uncle!""

To quit? or not to quit?  To disband a group or not to disband?  These are some questions that can come to mind in the music ministry. When there are years of investment in an ensemble or group and a repertoire sheet as big as a phone book you shouldn't throw it into the garbage pile in a quick reflex of the moment.
Sometimes we want to make a quick decision to eliminate a singing group based on three months of bad feelings or anger.  If a group has worked well for ten years, that's 520 weeks of good.  I have learned that we can put a group on "hold"for a personality conflict or spiritual adjustment time just like we do when there's a physical illness.  Our God is a problem-solving God, not a trasher.  Evil things should be thrown out but not our Christian brothers and sisters.  Maybe the group needs a fresh start with a different rehearsal time, new songs, and a new pianist.  There are lots of options to be explored.
We have several groups at our church that have been together for twenty-plus years.  Don't you think there have been times when we wanted to "hammer the nails into the coffin" and put them in the ground?  Yes! Nothing went right for several months: rehearsals with low attendance, or none, outfit problems, sickness, even death.  Humanly there is nothing we can do to quickly fix a problem.  It takes time, patience, and God's wisdom and power.  Just check the group's file into "rehab" and let the Lord do His work!
When problems arise and God irons them out, they are permanent press as far as He's concerned.  The problem is that we have memories like elephants when it comes to other people not measuring up to our expectations, or we react quickly to one or two negative personalities surrounding us.  It helps to have a great spirit and attitude when doing anything for the Lord Jesus.  Expecting perfection, though, is not realistic.  I have group members skip to practice, walk to practice, and some drag to practice - but I'm thankful for them all.  Every person has a bad day, let them have one or two, or how many it takes to get right.  To be willing to be faithful to church, tithe, go soul winning, follow the dress code, and come to rehearsals is a BIG DEAL!  Be thankful for those attributes.  Maybe they don't like your song selections, keep trying and be positive. Pray and ask God for wisdom.  Thank each group member as they come to rehearsal and as they leave rehearsal, before they sing and after they sing, whenever!
Yes "tribulation worketh patience", which we all will eventually have... Let's learn as much as we can from each trial so the tribulation will ease up a little!  Don't holler "UNCLE" too soon!

Teen Convention 2011

Singing from the heart makes such a difference!  We are blessed to have singers who actually love to practice and sing for the Lord.  It is a joy to work with people who sing with this attitude.
We just finished our Teen Convention and the LBT Teen choir and Enduring Praise teen ensemble sang during each service.  They worked very hard to memorize each piece.  We didn't have to chase people down to sing or look for missing singers.  Each person was in their place.  That is a blessing.
Each evening the Texas Baptist College Chorale sang.  I have to tell you that I was surprised just to have them here in Longview for the meeting.  All of the on-campus students went home for the summer.  Out of nineteen chorale members sixteen were present each evening.  One of our three members who were missing was home in....Australia, so we'll forgive her for that!  It had been over six weeks since our last rehearsal but they came together right away. Praise the Lord!  Even our newlywed chorale members, Josh and DeAnna Doyle joined us on Wednesday evening to sing "Somebody Prayed for Me" and "Candle in the Darkness", bringing our ensemble up to eighteen singers.  I thought about the group.  We had singers who had driven from the following states: Nebraska, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Tennessee, and South Texas (that's a drive!).
Spiritually, mentally, and emotionally they were excited and prepared to sing.  Was it perfect? - probably not.  Are they the best-looking chorale we've ever had? - maybe.  Were they used of the Lord to bless? Definitely!  Practicing with this type of group is definitely more fun, too.
I have learned to praise the Lord and thank Him repeatedly when I notice a servant's heart attitude with young people.  I can't wait to see how the Lord will continue to use their lives!!
Thank you teens and college students.  God bless you this summer!