music, music, music...

My week has been filled with great music. Most of it secular but the mellow kind that just makes me smile and want to nap in front of a cozy fireplace. I have a renewed appreciation for the power of just one singer playing a guitar or piano, but I still get chills when I hear a full orchestra accompanying a classically trained opera singer. Of course it doesn't hurt when the singer's voice melts my heart.

I've also had to start choosing songs for the youth band to play for AWE, which is coming up in a month. We were supposed to have our first practice today but had no chord sheets to start with so instead I've spent the evening emailing and downloading and listening to the songs I've got chosen so far. I often forget the power of worship through music when I'm the one on stage, worrying about making mistakes or keeping the drummer in time - and I've said it many times before that in the past, I've felt convicted of worshipping the music itself and not the One who created music. It's easy (almost second nature, for me) to slip right back into that sin without realizing it. When the band really gets it together and we approach a dramatic part of the song and nail it, I often give a hearty "YEEEEAH!" but does worshipping my Father give me that kind of satisfaction? I'd love to say that the shouts are for Him, but that would be a lie. I simply love the music.

So far, for AWE, the songs I've chosen are:
1. Made to Worship - Chris Tomlin (how appropriate)
2. Yesterday, Today and Forever - Vicky Beeching (I tried introducing it a few years ago and it wasn't given much chance to catch on...very great song)

I think these two songs have significant meaning for me right now. One is that no matter how messed up life gets and how I wander off, God remains God and He is unchanging (yesterday, today and forever...). The other, of course, is that my purpose in life is to glorify the Creator. I was made to worship. It's something that needs to be tattooed on my brain or something coz I forget THAT pretty easily, too.



Aside from all this, I've had a great chance to read and do a bit of outlining for my next assignment for school. This book on mentoring is actually pretty interesting and I'm often having to stop and think "That's exactly what I feel/fear/wonder/desire/hope for." It's intriguing, exciting and intimidating all at the same time.

It means 100%...
Honesty about issues, struggles and temptations.
Acceptance that neither I nor my mentor are capable of perfection.
Openness to loving guidance and correction.
Vulnerability. (I used to advocate this when I first became a Christian. I now avoid and even fear it.)
Accountability.

To sum it up so far, the book says:
Mentoring is a lifelong relationship in which a mentor helps a protege reach her/his God-given potential.

At first it seemed simple. Looking back on it now, it carries much more weight than I originally thought.
I've got a lot to think about.

But on the fun side, God placed another prayer item on my heart. I've decided that I'm going to stick with a fairly steady format of who to pray for month to month...meaning I'll stick to a few things about my spiritual, professional and ministerial (word?) life, and also for a close friend, and finally for a youth. But of course I can't stop praying for the "February" people so I just have to remember them while I add in a new "focus" for the month. God gave me a youth to commit to praying for this month and I think it'll be exciting.