And it's been a month since I've posted...

My how a month does fly, especially in the spring when we can get outside (read: not bundling up in a blanket drinking coffee, blogging or napping with Baby P). Here's what I've been doing...

Reading:

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss and it's sequel The Wise Man's Fear

These books are so, so good. They were recommended to me by a friend and I've been enjoying them immensely! If you like fantasy then you will love these! Though this is way over-simplifying, think: "Harry Potter is suddenly dark, brooding, brilliant, good looking and goes to college."

I've also been finishing Counterfeit Gods by Tim Keller and let me say that if you read ANYTHING, read this book. Keller's insights on American culture, analysis of those things that the human heart makes into idols, and application of Scripture are deeply convicting and incredibly uplifting and gospel focused at the same time.

Idolatry is not just a failure to obey God, it is a setting of the whole heart on something besides God. [...] Jesus must become more beautiful to your imagination, more attractice to your heart, than your idol. [...]

Rejoicing and repentance must go together. Repentance without rejoicing will lead to despair. Rejoicing without repentance is shallow and will only provide passing inspiration instead of deep change. Indeed, it is when we rejoice over Jesus's sacrificial love for us most fully that, paradoxically, we are most truly convicted of our sin. [...] When we rejoice over God's sacrificial, suffering love for us--seeing what it cost him to save us from sin--we learn to hate the sin for what it is. [...]

(My favorite) To rejoice is to treasure a thing, to assess its value to you, to reflect on its beauty and importance until your heart rests in it and tastes the sweetness of it. 'Rejoicing' is a way of praising God until the heart is sweetened and rested, and until it relaxes its grip on anything else that it thinks it needs. (Keller 171-173)

Singing:

It's Easter season so it's been music, music, and more music preparation for Easter Sunday and other special services. There's a piece that we do every year with 70 member choir, organ, timpani and glorious brass that I absolutely love and I think the text is one of the most moving and beautiful poems ever written about Christ's resurrection.

Joy to the Heart

1. Look there! the Christ, our Brother,

comes resplendent from the gallows tree

and what he brings in His hurt hands

is life on life for you and me.

Refrain:

Joy! Joy! Joy to the heart

all in this good day's dawning.

2. Good Jesus Christ inside His pain

looked down Golgotha's stony slope

and let the blood flow from His flesh

to fill the springs of living hope. Refrain

3. Good Jesus Christ, our Brother died

in darkest hurt upon the tree

to offer us the worlds of light

that live inside the Trinity. 

Joy! Joy! Joy to the heart

all in this good day's dawning!

Here is this "Joy to the Heart" by K. Lee Scott

performed on Easter 2009 by the choir

at the American Church in Paris.

My friend Zach is the organist and assistant there!

Cooking:

Well I have been cooking, but mostly on the grill. That's been great! We have been experimenting with marinates and rubs. I'll share some of our favorites soon.

Last week I had to take a dessert to a dinner so I looked on Tasty Kitchen for ideas. Found a great one!

Three words...

Nutella Cream Pie

Make it. I one and a halfed the nutella part of the recipe and topped it with simple whipped cream instead of the corn starch spiked cream. I also used a sweet tart shell recipe instead of plain pie crust, but that's just preference.


Cleaning:
Well, I have been doing some packing and cleaning to get ready for our move at the end of June, a little yard work here and there in honor of spring and some wiping down baseboards on my hands and knees...but....I've mostly been doing some fun sewing projects.

Found a website that I love! Dana at MADE is so talented and she posts free tutorials for sewing projects from baby diaper covers to women's skirts and home improvement ideas. I've been making tons of these sweet diaper covers in cute prints for Baby P. They're not just for girls!! He's small enough to pull them off with a cute little onesie and a sun hat.

I've also been making little pants, shorts and overalls. Pictures to come...this post is already too long.

Happy Easter week! Reflect on what God has done for us through Christ, in His 'hurt hands' He brings life and peace and joy! 

Makes me hoarse just hearing it...

              This is Baby P's new thing. Can't figure out where he got it. The other people in this household are a little more concerned about vocal health and this certainly doesn't sound like any singing I've ever heard.

The tough guy that I made cry...

I've had several requests for what I did to make that poor young man cry. Yes, I said cry...I'm still crying over it myself.

Well...let me just say that in a college choir setting, if you can't match pitch (this means, sing the same pitch as others or the pitch being played on an instrument...i.e. the right pitch), then you know about it. Actually, you probably aren't in that choir in the first place, but if it's just a momentary lapse, your neightbors give you the stink eye and the director may point at you and say, 'You're flat, dummy.' This is completely acceptable in a semi-professional setting like a college choir.

In a non-professional group full of teenagers, this is not a good method and it is very difficult to gently let a student know that they cannot sing. Really...can not sing...while still keeping their young, fragile egos in tact.

The problem is, that the tough guy that I made cry is not the student that can't sing. Go figure. The student that can't sing is completely unaware of this fact and I can't get him to realize that when he thinks he is singing the same pitch as his neighbors he's actually singing a dissonant interval below them (a note that absolutely does not belong with the right one to any ear, even crazy 20th century composer's).

To enlighten the singers to pitch problems, it's common practice to stand in a circle and sing. They hear the right thing coming at them from all directions and it usually fixes the problem, in this case the ones singing the right thing started holding their ears, crossing their eyes and doubling over in pain in the effort to stay on the right note. So, I changed the drill. One person starts singing, then his neighbor starts, and so on around the circle. This makes them really listen and hopefully hear themselves a little better. The 'student that can't sing' went merrily along singing the wrong pitch and the tough guy got embarassed. I looked up at him (he's about twice my height, curly brown hair and dark complected) and he started to blink back tears from his huge brown eyes. My heart melted and I stopped that excercise immediately and said 'Good job guys, blah, blah, blah...' and he left the room shortly after. He did come back and I tried to diffuse the situation some more. He was smiling by the end, but only time will tell...Ugh...

There you go.

The fist bump is something that can only be passed on from master to pupil, you couldn't possibly get the coolness of it through the written word.

The difference between children and teenagers...

               As a choral director, I get to work with lots of different age groups. Right now, I'm helping direct a college choir, an adult church choir, a children's choir and a youth choir (teenagers). I love the challenge of being 'everything to everyone,' but sometimes I'm surprised by how much it takes to keep each different group interested and enthusiastic and confident. The college group is pretty easy: they like to laugh and hear stories about your life (there's a squirrel eating my fake berries right now, by the way), but they don't have to be funny. They like to talk about their studies and clothes and the music we're working on. The adult choir doesn't need to be entertained, they just want me to explain things clearly and be consistent with my decisions about directing. It's more about the music for them, since they all have busy work days and are taking time from family to be a part of a choir. It's nice to work with a serious group like this, we make some beautiful music!

               Now, the children and teens are about as different as water and coffee. Well, water and coffee should be very different, it's too bad some people don't know how to make coffee and it ends up more like water. You shouldn't be able to see through coffee, sorry, tangent...they're as different as night and day. Maybe a list would be the best way to convey this:

1) Being the center of attention: 

Children: love it, thrive on it, try to do things to be it

Youth: Not including the 'class clown,' make them the center of attention (particularly with something like singing) and they may cry, leave, and never come back. I made this mistake last night and am trying to put out the flames (totally unintentional).

2) What I have to do to keep them coming?

Children: They always think you're fun and awesome, just email parents when and where.

Youth: Jump through major hoops, invite them individually, bring candy and food, send lots of reminder emails, be cool and funny and musically talented, pick music that they like, make each one of them feel wanted and talented and missed if they weren't there (althoug not too much or they might be the center of attention), sometimes guilt trip ("you're a leader, dangit"), make sure to call them by name. It's completely exhausting, I go home after a Youth rehearsal, curl up in a ball and cry then sometimes dream/nightmare about it.

3) Time spent building morale and enthusiasm:

Children: None, they are totally excited about everything we do. They actually make me more excited and enthused. They bring their buddies to choir because they love it. You can have 2, 10 or 50 children and they will be at the same level of enthusiasm.

Youth: Hours, days, weeks, years.... I'm not joking about years. It took me two years to build the youth choir from zero teens to about 30-35 who come consistently. It is a hell of a lot of work. I have to try to do things, like activities and food, that give them something to look forward to. Heaven forbid they invite someone to come--too embarassing. If we have rehearsal and are missing a number of our singers or leaders, it's like someone took away their iPod Touch. There is no enthusiasm and they are way too cool to be there if 'so and so' isn't here and smiling is totally out of the question. I'm so, so glad I'm not a teen anymore (especially a middle-schooler)

4) Time spent babysitting vs. time spent having fun and making music:

Children: 30 or 40% babysitting and 60 or 70% making music. Depends on how many preschoolers are on the front row. Last night two adorable little preschoolers were having a tickle fight in the middle of one of our songs--not kidding. 

 

Like this but more smiling and less choking.

Youth: 3% babysitting 97% having fun and making music. Besides the occasional "put away the gol-durned cell phone and quit texting," we can be goofy and silly and make lovely music all at the same time. I love taking a surly teenage boy who never smiles and teach him how to sing and have fun doing something other than strolling the mall or punching unsuspecting siblings in the bicep. 

So, while the children are easy to inspire and make me cheerful after every rehearsal, there are few things more rewarding than helping teenagers, who could be up to no good, learn to sing and take pride in creating music with other young people for the glory of God. Plus, that surly teenage boy who never smiles taught me how to do a fist-bump handshake the other day...'not the white way, the right way.'