lesson 1: song components
the verse: the primary function of the verse is to provide the information that will lead the song's hook or title.
- each verse typically has the same music, melody, number of lines- and new lyrics
the chorus- the primary function of the chorus is to summarize the idea and emotion of the song in a general way and to reinforce the song's title.
- the chorus of a song typically has the same melody and lyrics each time it is repeated. It should be easy to remember (catchy) and should also include the title.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
my testimony
So it is finally time for me to put the testimony about my journey to Ocean's Edge School of Worship down in writing. I realize that my journey is only beginning but it's been on my heart to share how far I've come in the past few years so bear with me as I tell this story. The Lord has blessed me tremendously with love and support from my friends and family and I hope you all clearly see the way Christ has moved in my life through this process.
I first found out about OE in the beginning of my junior year in high school from a girl that I went to bible study with. Katlyn Doughty, who is now one of my closest friends, shared a little bit about the school with me before she left and I was extremely interested in going. Unfortunately, at the time I was not interested in going for the right reasons. I wanted to graduate early and just be on my own in any way that I could so I started to ask questions about OE but I quickly realized that it was not going to work out so I just forgot about it and went on with my senior year of high school. I had a major heart check during me senior year. I was tired of being complacent about my faith in school, worldly things started to bother me and it was almost as if the Lord took me into His hands and showed me how these things were slowly destroying me. I started to see everything in a different light. Then came time for college applications. If you are older and reading this you know exactly how stressful applying to colleges can be. It's that time when you have to stop and collect every single thing you've ever done and put it down on paper. Suddenly every class you should have taken or extracurricular that you should have joined shows up and taunts you as you kick yourself for not being more motivated. Maybe this was just me? As I filled out applications I realized that no, there is no way I will be attending an ivy league school, and probably not UF, but I could at least get into another university. I had great test scores, had taken the highest classes in school and I was also involved in many clubs so I was sure that I would get in to the college of my choice. I chose to apply to other "safety" schools as well and I can still remember the day I got my rejection letter from one of those schools. I opened up the envelope and read the first line "We regret to inform you," shoved the letter back in the envelope and thought "you've got to be kidding." I went up to take a tour of UCF, certain that I would be accepted, and my mother and I went and met with an admissions advisor to make sure I had everything in order for school. We were sitting in that office when he clicked the button on the computer screen and said "Oh, it says you were denied." I was caught completely off guard and I was so confused because classmates who had lower test scores and less extracurriculars were being accepted. I remember sitting in the office of my pastor's wife crying because I was so hurt and she just encouraged me and told me that this was obviously not His will for my life. Let me just say, that was a huge lesson to learn. God is so great and He has the power to shut those doors in your life if He wants, even if it's against all earthly reason and logic.
Fast forward about 8 months: This past January I was starting my second semester of community college, working a part time job, and still praying about the Lord's will for my life. I went out one free day to look for a second job and stopped at my old school to bring lunch to some friends. I started to talk to a girl that I was merely acquaintances with in high school and as we were talking about life she mentioned that her boyfriend was looking at a small worship school called Ocean's Edge. So I said "weird, I used to want to go there, I know exactly what that school is." Honestly, I had completely forgotten about the school until she mentioned it. After a long day I got home and saw that on my status for the day, the OE facebook page commented on how I should be checking out the school. Now, I've learned that with God, there is no such thing as a "mere coincidence" so I started to pursue it and every step I made was blessed and reaffirmed by Him. I visited the school on a day where they had an open worship lab and I immediately fell in love and so did my mother (she was the one I was worried about, she's a tough cookie). I auditioned and got accepted and thus began the next step of my journey.
Money was (and definitely still is) an issue when it came to school. I knew that there was no way my parents could pay for it, nor did I want them to. Tuition is $10,500 and housing for the year is $4,000- total coming out to a whopping $14,500. I'll admit, over the past few months I've definitely had my fair share of freak-outs but it has been so incredible to see exactly how God worked with my heart and with that number. Every time I would start to get scared He would just give me a verse in my head reassuring me that this number means nothing to Him. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills and like Katlyn Doughty says, "He just needs to sell a cow for you!"
In all of this, I have been so touched and so loved by the Body of Christ. It was so moving to see how the Body responded to my need for funds and for prayer. People I never even expected came to events to help and sent in funds for me to attend school. I am so blessed to be surrounded by the family I have in Christ and I will never forget the love and support they have already given me. I know that the Lord is blessing them for having such giving spirits and I can only pray that one day He will bless me with money that I can give away to support others.
Thank you to all who have supported me with prayers or finances, it means so much to me and I am so excited to be at school.
I will be moving down to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida in 6 days! I found out a few days ago that the total amount of funds that I have is $7,000. That means I am halfway there, and God did all of that in 3 months! I can't even imagine how He's going to provide over the next 10 months!
Please, please keep me and my classmates in your prayers throughout our year at Ocean's Edge. God is going to be doing some amazing things and I think I can speak for everyone when I say that we are so thrilled to be a part of this class.
I first found out about OE in the beginning of my junior year in high school from a girl that I went to bible study with. Katlyn Doughty, who is now one of my closest friends, shared a little bit about the school with me before she left and I was extremely interested in going. Unfortunately, at the time I was not interested in going for the right reasons. I wanted to graduate early and just be on my own in any way that I could so I started to ask questions about OE but I quickly realized that it was not going to work out so I just forgot about it and went on with my senior year of high school. I had a major heart check during me senior year. I was tired of being complacent about my faith in school, worldly things started to bother me and it was almost as if the Lord took me into His hands and showed me how these things were slowly destroying me. I started to see everything in a different light. Then came time for college applications. If you are older and reading this you know exactly how stressful applying to colleges can be. It's that time when you have to stop and collect every single thing you've ever done and put it down on paper. Suddenly every class you should have taken or extracurricular that you should have joined shows up and taunts you as you kick yourself for not being more motivated. Maybe this was just me? As I filled out applications I realized that no, there is no way I will be attending an ivy league school, and probably not UF, but I could at least get into another university. I had great test scores, had taken the highest classes in school and I was also involved in many clubs so I was sure that I would get in to the college of my choice. I chose to apply to other "safety" schools as well and I can still remember the day I got my rejection letter from one of those schools. I opened up the envelope and read the first line "We regret to inform you," shoved the letter back in the envelope and thought "you've got to be kidding." I went up to take a tour of UCF, certain that I would be accepted, and my mother and I went and met with an admissions advisor to make sure I had everything in order for school. We were sitting in that office when he clicked the button on the computer screen and said "Oh, it says you were denied." I was caught completely off guard and I was so confused because classmates who had lower test scores and less extracurriculars were being accepted. I remember sitting in the office of my pastor's wife crying because I was so hurt and she just encouraged me and told me that this was obviously not His will for my life. Let me just say, that was a huge lesson to learn. God is so great and He has the power to shut those doors in your life if He wants, even if it's against all earthly reason and logic.
Fast forward about 8 months: This past January I was starting my second semester of community college, working a part time job, and still praying about the Lord's will for my life. I went out one free day to look for a second job and stopped at my old school to bring lunch to some friends. I started to talk to a girl that I was merely acquaintances with in high school and as we were talking about life she mentioned that her boyfriend was looking at a small worship school called Ocean's Edge. So I said "weird, I used to want to go there, I know exactly what that school is." Honestly, I had completely forgotten about the school until she mentioned it. After a long day I got home and saw that on my status for the day, the OE facebook page commented on how I should be checking out the school. Now, I've learned that with God, there is no such thing as a "mere coincidence" so I started to pursue it and every step I made was blessed and reaffirmed by Him. I visited the school on a day where they had an open worship lab and I immediately fell in love and so did my mother (she was the one I was worried about, she's a tough cookie). I auditioned and got accepted and thus began the next step of my journey.
Money was (and definitely still is) an issue when it came to school. I knew that there was no way my parents could pay for it, nor did I want them to. Tuition is $10,500 and housing for the year is $4,000- total coming out to a whopping $14,500. I'll admit, over the past few months I've definitely had my fair share of freak-outs but it has been so incredible to see exactly how God worked with my heart and with that number. Every time I would start to get scared He would just give me a verse in my head reassuring me that this number means nothing to Him. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills and like Katlyn Doughty says, "He just needs to sell a cow for you!"
In all of this, I have been so touched and so loved by the Body of Christ. It was so moving to see how the Body responded to my need for funds and for prayer. People I never even expected came to events to help and sent in funds for me to attend school. I am so blessed to be surrounded by the family I have in Christ and I will never forget the love and support they have already given me. I know that the Lord is blessing them for having such giving spirits and I can only pray that one day He will bless me with money that I can give away to support others.
Thank you to all who have supported me with prayers or finances, it means so much to me and I am so excited to be at school.
I will be moving down to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida in 6 days! I found out a few days ago that the total amount of funds that I have is $7,000. That means I am halfway there, and God did all of that in 3 months! I can't even imagine how He's going to provide over the next 10 months!
Please, please keep me and my classmates in your prayers throughout our year at Ocean's Edge. God is going to be doing some amazing things and I think I can speak for everyone when I say that we are so thrilled to be a part of this class.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Please, do yourself a favor and listen to this song. You might want to listen multiple times, it's that good. Mad props to Drew for introducing it to me.
A little half and half
goes a long way... at least that's what I like to think when I run out of milk and I'm forced to make chai tea with water.
I should probably let you all know that I have an unhealthy obsession with fall weather. The past few months in Florida have been brutal and driving back and forth between two jobs in a car without a.c. (seriously, talk about cruel and unusual punishment) just makes me shed a silent tear when I look at the calendar and realize it's only August, meaning our 'fall" won't come for another couple of months. I choose to fight this battle with the good ol' "mind over matter" thought process. If I pretend real hard that it's fall, I won't feel nearly as hot, right? Right. So here I am sitting cozy on my bed with my hot cup of chai tea by my side. It's working, I promise!
Anyway, I move to Ft. Lauderdale in 18 days. That thought is scary and exciting at the same time. I am looking forward to it more than anything.
I should probably let you all know that I have an unhealthy obsession with fall weather. The past few months in Florida have been brutal and driving back and forth between two jobs in a car without a.c. (seriously, talk about cruel and unusual punishment) just makes me shed a silent tear when I look at the calendar and realize it's only August, meaning our 'fall" won't come for another couple of months. I choose to fight this battle with the good ol' "mind over matter" thought process. If I pretend real hard that it's fall, I won't feel nearly as hot, right? Right. So here I am sitting cozy on my bed with my hot cup of chai tea by my side. It's working, I promise!
Anyway, I move to Ft. Lauderdale in 18 days. That thought is scary and exciting at the same time. I am looking forward to it more than anything.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
a little here, a little there
Hello, welcome to the first post of this blog.
I'm excited to share life with you!
I'm excited to share life with you!
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