tag:www.kolkeministries.com,2009-01-31:/main//1 2009-02-15T17:19:50Z "making disciples through words and song..." Movable Type Pro 4.2-en tag:www.kolkeministries.com,2009:/main//1.373 2009-02-15T23:06:13Z 2009-02-15T17:19:50Z

danny Perhaps you are a bit like me and as you go through your day you find yourself singing a new song.  Perhaps you have words or perhaps it's just a melody.   Regardless of how complete it is; hopefully you find it an inspiration at that time of your day.

Music can touch us in a special way.  When things are difficult, having a song can lift us up.  When things are going our way, having a song can seem to keep us on a role.  How wonderful is that?  And where would we be without that interaction?

For me; new songs come and seemingly go in waves.  Sometimes I will be inspired with a specific melody and a chorus all at once.  Sometimes I can hear and see the chords even though I am engaged in some other activity they come as clear as if I were playing piano.  Sometimes I will just get a chorus and I have to work and play the song out before the other ideas come. 

I find that music can do a lot of things for me.  Music has a certain power over my day.



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danny
There was a period in my life where I gave up on music.  I had devoted many of my early days to music and the pursuit of a career in music.  I had talent and I had a passion for it.  My brothers used to tease me because I didn't have a childhood.  When lot's of other kids were out playing sports, playing in the neighborhood, I was organizing my own Jazz combo and playing with musicians 10 and 20 years older than myself.  I fell in love with the rhythm's of the genre of Jazz and I wanted to be a Jazz pianist more than anything.

I dropped out of High School to go to the local community college and study in their music program.  This college at the time was not the typical college.  For the 2 years previous to my quitting high school I got to know Bob Nixon - who was leading their Jazz Band.  I learned to expand my playing and learned new dimensions to voicing and fell in love even more with Jazz.

By the time I was 16, there was a big teachers strike in the local district.  It was my brothers ideas really that lead me to leave high school and pursue playing with the local college.  I dove in head first and by the spring I was playing with the Jazz band, playing with combo groups and had the opportunity to fill in for the pianist spot in Soundsation.

I learned so much and I grew a lot.  I learned that good influences are really important for kids, especially gifted teens in the area of music.  In my own walk I was fortunate to have a great family and supportive parents that helped me make better decisions that I probably would have made if I was on my own.

I got to do some really great things. I got to play some really great gigs.  I also got to meet and play with my heros, including getting to play a couple songs with Dizzy Guilespie.  In all that, what I learned the most is that I didn't fit in with the lifestyle of Jazz.  I didn't want to travel my entire career.  I wanted to live a different life.

So I quit.  I stopped playing piano in that setting and got a job, started a business or two, and tried my hands at the business world. 

Even though some wonderful things happened to me over the years, I always felt miserable in the area of music.  I played on rare occasion but nothing that really fulfilled the hole I had in my heart.

It was years later that my brother finally tricked me into helping out as an interim pianist for his church choir.  I said yes, after much prodding.  I didn't have any real time to commit and I am a lousy accompanist.  I have always struggled with site reading charts, especially charts with lot's of notes on them.  I improvise - a lot. In my tenure I had a lot of fun.  I am thankful to Ray for dragging me in. 

Ray started writing songs and he had some great ideas but some of the chords were a little weird.  Some of the phrases a little misplaced or misformed, so I helped.  Then Ray got the idea for the praise team for this church (First Baptist Church of Kent) to record a CD - and we did.  This project reminded me how good it felt to focus on a reason to do music.  It was used as a gift and an outreach to visitors.  Along the way I started writing music and when it came time to do the Easter program, Ray and I got together and wrote an Easter contata. 

I fell in love with music again.  And this time the purpose was not about a career, it was not about me.  It felt good.  Life started going better for me.  I felt more fulfilled.

I realized that God gave me a gift of music.  Not everyone has it.  It's different. 

Some of you reading this may say to yourself, "duh."  But for me it was a revelation.  I didn't realize what I had was special.  I thought everyone had music and they just didn't know it.  I thought that anyone could play. After trying to teach Jazz piano, I realized that this wasn't the case.  Everyone has their own talents and while many are common, we all are different.   

I also learned that when you have a gift and you don't use it, it's like a curse.  That is what music was to me for many years, a curse that I could not realize it's potential in my life, nor understand why I was given this gift.

Music for me continued on in the background as I sought to understand what I should do with it.  In many ways I am still seeking what I am to do with the gift talent to me.

Perhaps I am no different than you in that way.  You have a gift that the Lord has given you.  It's unique to you.  You don't understand what it's meant for; but it's there.

I have prayed many hours since asking the Lord to use me.  Use me for your will.  Take my life, and everything in it and lift it up for your glory not mine.  Show me how I should serve you.  Teach me how to take the gifts given and use them for your will.

I learned that when I didn't use my gifts, I felt cursed.  When I use my gifts, I feel blessed.  Blessings and curses from the same gift. 

I challenge you to seek out the purpose of your gifts, don't run from them.  Use your gifts and find the purpose that your Lord has for your gifts.  If you are like me and have talents with music, your life may not feel fulfilled unless you have a way to share that music with others.  Don't hold back.  Your Lord has given you the gift and the desire to praise Him in song.  Your music will bring Him joy.






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