I have to choose to make songwriting a priority
Originally I made a lofty songwriting goal: to complete a song every week. I didn't do this although I've written a handful (check out my YouTube channel).

We do what we love!
Life is too busy for self-reflection, doesn't it seem like that sometimes? Who has time to sit and think and write and play music? If you love something (or want to), then you'll want to make time for it. My drive to get better as a songwriter — and that drive is the only thing that will power me through the busy seasons.

When you're on a creative roll, go with it!
Last night, jet lag meant I found it hard to sleep in good time. I was on a creative roll, having just figured out how to connect my midi controller to Garageband, so here's a quick song I did. I added some vocal (first-take only, eek!) at 1:30 a.m. just cause I had a 2004 poem with some words that fit, I think.

"Winter White in Tones" written last night, for fun!

Ways to increase songwriting when life is busy:

• let musical friends know that you write songs and ask for feedback. Accountability is helpful, or even friends just asking, "How is the songwriting coming?"
• post your songs online on a YouTube channel. You can make this private and send to just a few friends, or spread the link on Facebook
• write while learning a new instrument (for me, I wrote with guitar a few months back -- just for fun!)
• Read a book on songwriting and do some exercises, I recommend Six Steps to Songwriting Success by Jason Blume.
• Carry around a moleskine journal and regularly jot down lyrics, words, or lines from conversations that inspire you.
• Fill your mind with new sounds by listening to different bands or genres (for example, Hammock inspired this song of mine.)

Wherever you're at with songwriting, I encourage you to take the next step of songwriting commitment!

Everyone gets their own paper plate with a house built out of graham crackers (4 for the walls and 2 for the sloped roof). Boiled sugar is a solid glue. An upside down ice cream cone works as a tree. Each person gets their own bowl to fill from a variety of candies and a generous helping of icing. Then we get to decorating. 

Some spend time chopping up the crackers to create a multi-story masterpiece, others crush candy canes into peppermint dust. We all laugh, munch on candy, and barter for certain colours or candies to finish our houses.

As I've spent a week with my family at home in Canada, I so enjoy each one of my many siblings and my three sisters-in-law too! Of course, my parents are awesome, and my mom is doing great!

Four months away gives me a greater appreciation for the diversity in my family. I love every single one! Read more about my family here.

2 parents, 7 brothers (3 of them with wives), and 1 sister...
missing a brother and sister-in-law from this picture.

Mark Stevens — To Be With You
Unfortunately, this tune isn't on YouTube yet cause Mark just released this album. Hot off the press! Purchase and preview it on iTunes here.

Israel Houghton — Everywhere That I Go
Purchase on iTunes here or watch this fun live video. Way to go with Jackson Five intro! Hear a bit more from Israel about this song here.

Mike Harvie from RPM — Freedom Never Felt So Good
Here's Mike teaching the song (acoustic version).I wish there was a full band version to show you on YouTube, but having played this with the RPM Edge band, it's rocking! Love it. Here's a tiny clip of it live: 

Deluge — Unshakable
Heard about this band off my friend's facebook a while back and loved their album.

NewWorldSon — Salvation Station
I'll never forget when I met these guys in person in Toronto. Cool folks.

Classes  = Awesomeness
During weekdays in the mornings, we have sessions in different categories: Christian Theology, Leadership, Life Application. We have multiple session speakers and this year I've heard from many amazing speakers -- I started to list my favourites, then realized the list was too long.

We also have seminar groups twice a week, which are where we discuss in smaller groups. (Check out our seminar session on character and check out my "About" page for links to all Academy Quote sessions.)

My favourite day of the week, Thursday, is where we split into our elective streams, and I'm in the Worship Elective.

Foundations for Worship
Matt Hooper, Jock James, and Mark Stevens (pictured above) are great session instructors for the worship elective and I've been so influenced by everything I've learned. Here's a few great quotes:

Preparation Breeds Confidence: "You need to prepare and make ready your life: your thinking, finances, relationships, application to life, your attitude to things, your personal and internal disciplines, your quitting points... If you’re in the word of God, you know what God says, you know what He would do about things. You’ve clean hands before God and your heart’s in expectation. " (Matt Hooper, Nov 24, 2011)

Music influences: "Listen widely, He’s a God of variety." (Matt Hooper, September 15, 2011)

"In our worship, we have a reverence, not a blase attitude. We need to understand that God is all powerful. God could change your world instantly! Especially as a part of platform ministry, there should be a sobriety, a reverence: "Wow, I’m carrying the presence of God. I’m going to live my life and go up there with a heart that is to honour You." (Jock James, October 13, 2011)

"Are you a thermometer or a thermostat? Do you just look at the joy and expectancy in the room, and reflect it? Or like a thermostat, do you set the temperature — and turn it up!?" (Jock James, November 10, 2011)

"One devotional size doesn’t fit all. Never let your walk with God weaken or get lukewarm. Stay hot on fire for Him, every day. He wants you to walk deeper with him" (Mark Stevens, September 22, 2011)

"A true worshiper awakens the worshiper within another. When a true worshiper gets on the platform and leads you, they provoke you, challenge you, they arrest something in your spirit." (Mark Stevens, October 6, 2011)

There are so many great quotes, it's hard to choose. Check out my links to session quotes on my "About" page.)

Academy students!
I've been blessed with so many new friends from various places in the world. Most from England, but also Poland, Switzerland, Denmark, Holland, Germany, Sweden, Australia, and Spain.

A few of the many highlights with new friends: caving on our Academy trip away, having a special dinner and evening at Thomas & Natalie's apartment, spending meaningful chats with Liza during Freedom in Christ classes, being beaten mercilessly by Matt at many table tennis games, and practicing music with fellow muso Anna for Academy Worship time. I'm excited about the deeper friendships God is bringing me into with all my classmates!

In a New Worship Team!

Joining the worship team has been the definitive highlight of my time so far. It's been an absolutely amazing few months getting involved. Being a new joiner to the team, there's lots to learn and adapt to, but I feel so humbled and privileged to be involved, learning from the best!

One of the deciding factors for Academy enrollment here was the worship department, and I haven't been disappointed by the character, creativity, heart for God, and sheer brilliance of so many musicians I've gotten to know.It's been a journey to turn off the intimidation, but to turn on the gratefulness at being in such a greenhouse of musical talent!

The schedule has been busy, requiring hours of practice and personal sacrifice with a little bit less of a 'free time', but it's been so worth it. I've been most active in:

1. Academy worship, called Focus." I love to see how God has helped us grow as academy musicians and worshipers this term!
   
2. Friday night is the youth and young adults night — I've most often been joining the Edge band. It's loud, it's energetic, and it's got some of the talented musos ever.
   
3. Playing offsite in a chapel setting with a few ALC church musos on Sunday mornings. It's a different church setting, but great chance to get to know fellow ALC musicians in a personal setting.
   
4. Playing at the ALC Leeds church Sunday evenings. So cool to see how God's been stirring us up!
   
5. Christmas services: special set-pieces and carols. Fun joyous times — check out my xylphone blog!

I've been in a steep musical learning curve since I got here (so ready for a little holiday break), but there's a great benefit to learning new songs! And, best of all, it's inspiring me with my own songwriting - read my blog on how to let songwriting flow.

Spiritually: Finding Freedom in Christ

The personal spiritual lessons (which I don't often write about here) have been significant, and it's certainly not over yet.

• My mom's brain aneurism and surgery in September caused an immediate spiritual response in my life, where I had to simply surrender control to God. I felt powerless, but God gave me such a peace in that time. Read my blog "The Atlantic Ocean Can't Stop Family Prayer for Mom" for more on this.

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” (Isaiah 26:3)

• I am becoming free from ways of thinking that aren't true, including ideas about self-promotion. In a world that strives to be in first place, I need to find my own identity not in what I do or achieve, not what others say about me, but in who God says I am. I'm learning to relax in God's grace. This means putting others first... (Check out a great talk from Charlotte Gambill gave at a RockNations conference called "After You")
  

"When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: "When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this man your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." ( Luke 14:7-11)

• Finally, I'm learning that grace means true love from God... no strings attached.

Here's the original:

Joy!!
This morning, I was reminded how our God is a God of joy. It's so awesome when that feeling floods me, and that happened during "Born is the King." So fun to see joy on the faces of people clapping along this morning.

I'm not talking about man-made joy based on how good our day was, how good our week was, or how good our spiritual performance was.... no, joy is the fruit of God's spirit.

Even though I had a spiritually rough night last night, somehow God's grace floods over me and my failures, and He gives joy anyway. Joy given just because He wants to. (That's grace.)

I'm counting my blessings. WOW! When I think of my Mom and her recent brain surgery and how well she's doing now, I feel so blessed! I'm living proof that God puts the lonely in families. I've made many good new muso and non-muso friends. Really, I don't deserve it, but this is grace!

Music music music!!
In other great news, I played keys at ALC Leeds tonight and keys at Friday's Edge (11-18 year olds). I had a blast and really feel that I've got new siblings in this band! I'm a (bit) older than most of the musos, but I feel like I fit!

God is doing amazing things in my heart, and in the church meetings I attend. Being on the receiving end is so strange. It's Christmas time and I'm the one getting gifts!

Wahoooo!

_“Don’t just be a history student. Be a history maker!” — David Matthew (Tuesday, December 6)

“Emotions are  a bit of a mystery to us. One of the reasons is that we don’t teach much about it in the Christian church. We often talk about your spirit, and your behaviour, but we don’t often talk about your soul.” — Matt Hooper (Wednesday, December 7)

“You don’t feel your way into good behaviour, you behave your way into good feelings.” – Freedom in Christ

“So why can’t we be honest with God — because we’re afraid that He can’t handle our dysfunction?” — Matt Hooper (Wednesday, December 7)

_“Having a broad awareness of the Psalms really enriches your devotional life and your ability to communicate with God.” —Stephen Matthew (Wednesday, December 7)

Re: Proverbs, “Wisdom is more than a character attribute; wisdom is a person. The more you read, you begin to form an understanding that the wise one who is calling you is very familiar: Jesus!” — Stephen Matthew (Wednesday, December 7)

Re: Ecclesiastes, “It’s the book that helps you get your head around the question, “What is life all about?” It confronts you with the reality that life is completely and utterly meaningless.” — Stephen Matthew (Wednesday, December 7)

Re: Song of Songs, “The religious scholars of old didn’t know what to do with it, so for centuries, Jewish rabbis tried to de-literalize it.” — Stephen Matthew (Wednesday, December 7)

“There has always been a close link between what God is doing and the music that is written in the day.” — Tim Staples (Thursday, December 8)

_“The times when God has moved has been when people would sacrifice the norm and do something different.” — Tim Staples (Thursday, December 8)

“I don’t think you need to have a heart to lead kids in worship, you need to have a heart to worship.” — Esther Nixon (Thursday, December 8)

“When you’re a worship leader, or playing in the team, people know when it’s an act or when it’s not genuine” — Jock James (Thursday, Dec 8)

“Music is neutral. It can be harnassed to promote all sorts of emotion.” — Jock James (Thursday, Dec 8)

“You have to manage money; it’s in your life, whether you like it or not.” — Stephen Matthew (Friday, Dec 9)

“Money is a terrible master. If you serve it, you will be ultimately destroyed. Even those who have stacks of it, aggressively pursue it. Whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.” — Stephen Matthew (Friday, Dec 9)

Give secretly. It demonstrates you’re secure, at peace, and you know that God sees it, and that’s all that matters.” — Stephen Matthew (Friday, Dec 9)

_Check out previous quotes from Academy Lectures:
weeks 10 and 11, week 9,  week 8, weeks 5 and 6, weeks 3 and 4, and weeks 1 and 2

It's funny how painting brings back memories. Here's a few from years ago that came to mind yesterday.

• Watching my Grandfather using a screwdriver to pry open the metal lid of a paint can and stirring it with a wooden stick. (I mimicked that technique, using the only tool available: a plastic-handled butter knife: It worked!)
• Helping Josh & Sarah paint their basement apartment on Moss Lane years ago: using a straight edge paint brush to edge the walls with accuracy!
• Aunt Christine teaching me that putting a garbage bag in the pan tray first makes clean up way easier. This I did!

A duplicate of this castle is on the other side of the room, and had been painted 2 years ago, so my job was to duplicate the stone work. Creativity was flowing as I was mixing paint colours to match, using sponges, and worked with silver paint (that's intended for car rust touch up). See the finished silver door behind me and Fi in the middle picture (below).

The only 'downer' of the day was I wore inappropriate clothing. Now they have paint on them. Boooo.

_“Sin becomes less palatable if we know the consequences of it means that Satan has a foothold in our life.” — Matt Hooper (Wednesday, November 23)

“God can strip one thing away from you, so that you can do something else” — Mark Stevens (Wednesday, November 23)

“The gifts of God are for building His house and for tearing down the enemy’s house. They can be seen as tools that belong to God. You don’t need a hammer when you need a saw. You don’t need a screwdriver when you need a spade. ” — Mark Stevens (Wednesday, November 23)

“Never underestimate the gifts of God, and of the spirit. They are downloaded by God into our life, as He wills. It is one Spirit that gives. We don’t will them to happen, we allow them to happen. ” — Mark Stevens (Wednesday, November 23)

_“I am body, soul and spirit. And sometime my soul is very loud — because it’s all about the emotions.” — Pammi G (Thursday, November 24)
 
“As something comes further and further away from the where echo started, it gets lighter and lighter — Our echo becomes lighter because we haven’t been close to the Source.” — Pammi G (Thursday, November 24)

“Stop switching the switch of love off in you.” — Pammi G (Thursday, November 24)

“Keep in tune with the heartbeat of heaven.” — Pammi G (Thursday, November 24)

“The playing of music was not just for social benefit, it was at the core of what God was doing through his people.” — Tim Staples (Thursday, November 24)

_ "Often when you see spiritual activity taking place, you often see a priest blowing a trumpet. Music and spirituality are closely connected." — Tim Staples (Thursday, November 24)

“The story of the OT tends to be that the children of Israel take what God is doing in them and turn it into a religious experience, losing the purpose for what God intended.” — Tim Staples (Thursday, November 24)

“Sleep is an incredibly important part of a well balanced approach” — Matt Hooper (Thursday, November 24)

“Anybody can lead a parade.” — Matt Hooper (Thursday, November 24)

“You are not a song leader, you are a spiritual leader. You bring a lifestyle and life that brings context into the local church. We’re not after a better singer, we’re after the sound of your life.” — Matt Hooper (Thursday, November 24)

“If you’re in the word of God, you know what God says, you know what He would do about things.” — Matt Hooper (Thursday, November 24)

“If you want to be a powerful person of praise for God, you cannot let what is happening around you keep you small, keep you down, or hurt you. God looks for fervency, for those who dominate the atmosphere. They know how to take authority and bring attention to Jesus.” — Mark Stevens (Thursday, November 24)

_“Girls, you are powerful. There is a femininity and beautiful nature that God has created in you, but there is also a Lion on the inside, that you have to let out — the Holy Spirit.” — Mark Stevens (Thursday, November 24)

“I don’t need a pretty song today, that’s not what I mean. Praise is a declaration, a victory cry. Praise is a powerful sound. Praise is a sound of heaven. Praise is a sound of authority, moving forward!” — Mark Stevens (Thursday, November 24)

“Thank you Father God that you are my Future, Shield, my Rock, my Lamp, my Salvation, my Refuge, my Protector, my Shield, my Armor, my Faith!” When you feel a little bit down or things aren’t going well at home, you praise Him: “Thank you for provision!” — Mark Stevens (Thursday, November 24)

_Check out previous quotes from Academy Lectures: 
10 and 11, week 9,  week 8, weeks 5 and 6, weeks 3 and 4, and weeks 1 and 2

Comments? Thoughts? I'd love to hear your favourite quote from the list?
Click the comments link and drop me a line, I'd love to hear from you!

_Leading volunteer teams…

“If I am in my ‘youth box’ but somebody needs a lift to rehab, and if I don’t have an attitude that says ‘I wear many hats,’ then I’m going to miss out!” — Abs Niblock (Tuesday, November 15)

“When building teams, one of the biggest things you need to navigate is people’s lives…You need to get to know them so well, that you know the context in which they serve in your department.” — Abs Niblock (Tuesday, November 15)

“People will return to where they feel comfortable, included, and empowered.” — Abs Niblock (Tuesday, November 15)

_Martin Luther and the Reformation…

“At 20 years of age, Martin Luther discovered a Latin Bible. He read it with absolute enthrallment. When he read through Romans and read of the grace of God bringing Salvation, he was overwhelmed. It was an absolute revelation to him that he couldn’t save himself by his prayers and penance and fasting. He couldn’t earn it and pay for it.” — David Matthew (Tuesday, November 15)

_“The Pope sent the Papal Bull (an official document of excommunication) saying, “All Luther’s writings must be gathered and burned in the sight of the people.” It didn’t put Luther down at all.  He said, “I will organize this bonfire myself.” Instead of burning his own works, he burned the Pope’s letters, and the church’s canon law. He and his followers became called “Protestants” because they protested the Pope’s claim.” — David Matthew (Tuesday, November 15)

“Luther survived. He was outlawed, but one of his supporters (Elector of Saxony) took him off to his castle for safe keeping. There Luther was confined for a whole year. He translated the New Testament into German.” — David Matthew (Tuesday, November 15)

“The Society of Jesus” was founded by Ignatious Loyola. The Jesuits’ single aim was to oppose everything to do with the Reformation.“ — David Matthew (Tuesday, November 15)

“People who try to take a stand on issues have a hard time from the traditionalists — it’s always been the same for any rediscovery of a truth in the New Testament that’s brought to the fore. Traditionalists have always resisted that.” — David Matthew (Tuesday, November 15)

“Ten years from now, you might find younger people come up with ideas that you resist, and you will become the traditionalist. That’s just part of the human condition.” — David Matthew (Tuesday, November 15)

_“We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Cor 10:5, NASB)

“Sometimes a little thought is planted in our mind by something that happened in our past.’” — Clair Hooper (Tuesday, November 15)

Stronghold: “A mind-set impregnated with hopelessness that causes us to accept as unchangeable situations that we know are contrary to the will of God.” quote by Ed Silvoso

Stronghold: “Mental habits patterns of thought that are not consistent with God’s Word.” quote by Neil Anderson

“If we’re going to live in freedom, we need to first understand the truth and compare that to our behaviour.” — Claire Hooper (Tuesday, November 15)

“Your brain is like an airport. You are the airtraffic controller and the thoughts are like planes. You have the choice to let certain ones land.” (Tuesday, November 15)

“You can reprogram your mind with the truth, but you have to want to, you have to choose to.” – Tim Staples (Tuesday, November 15)

_The Pentateuch

In Leviticus: Moses the Deliver

“The closer you get to God, to have intimacy with the Holy of Holies, the more separation was required from this world and things of this world…Leviticus is about distinction with anything that would mess with that holiness.” — Stephen Matthew (Wednesday, November 16)

Lev. Chapters 1-16: The Way into Fellowship with God: SACRIFICE
Lev. Chapters 17-27: The Walk of fellowship with God: SEPARATION

“They point forward to the new covenant, where it’s out of gratitude of the heart, not a “have to” but voluntarily. The minute we do it since God says so, it’s duty and religion.” — Stephen Matthew (Wednesday, November 16)