Making music is a life-long process of music-writing, skill-building, and heart-listening to the symphony of my Father.
Three years after receiving my guitar for Christmas, I still feel like I’m just scratching the surface of building that skill. Vocally, the past two years of social isolation have driven me to constant singing. I have also spent hours upon hours each week refining vocally; I have found the “sweet spot” that emerges as I release all control in the Spirit as I sync with Him.
I adore the process of training musically, writing songs, building skills instrumentally, strengthening and broadening vocals, and leaning into the heart of the Father.
Just as Christian discipleship, this process of putting on the heart of worship and ministering through worship requires three major things: Practice, prayer, and partnership:
1. Diligent commitment to building skill and repetitive practice.
2. Total active surrender to the power of the Holy Spirit.
3. Development of worship community:, individuals who are willing to honestly provide feedback, help us train, and collaborate with the projects laid upon our hearts.
The third necessity is the most difficult for me: in practical ways, and because fear often leads me to hide rather than share my work. I need collaborators. I need fellow worshipers who hear the symphony of creation as it reflects the ancient harmonies of its Creator, and I need the perspective of others who are not like me. Music is an event created to exist in communion with God and others. I pray that we can come out of hiding and humbly and boldly step into the light of the community of worshipers.
In summary, this is what I am learning: No lone rangers, not even guitar-toting ones! Also, there are no short cuts. We must be people who are not afraid to practice the discipline of the mundane activities that strengthen our skill set. Most importantly, we are to be constantly in a place of abiding in our Creator. He’s the one in whose image we are made, and He made us to reflect His beauty; to translate it into digestible expressions of which others can partake. This can only happen when we are plugged into the Master Composer.
The Beautiful Broken 