New Business

Hey y'all!  I know it's been a while since i've blogged.  The administration in the district where i work is busy wreaking havoc for the staff and students across the board.  Things are going from bad to worse, and i am ready to leave... now!

In other news... i am glad to announce that i am going back to school in January!  I can't remember being this excited to go back to college.  My sister says it's because i'm really ready this time.  I say it's because i get to pursue a degree that is right for me.  Did you know there's a Bachelor's Degree in Music & Worship Ministry?  I'm starting the program with Jesus 101, then i go into more ministry core classes.  I'M EXCITED!!!

What is Worship?

Tiandra Bland, De-Rance (me) & Craig Towns

I look deep, don't I?  lol  This was taken Monday evening during our national CD release concert at Trinity Mt. Carmel Missionary Baptist Church in St. Louis.  We were singing "No One Like You" that moment.  The song was written by one of our fearless leaders, Chris Watkins.  Chris brought this song to us in late 2008 when we were about to release the FIRST second CD (I felt confused when typing that) titled The Truth.  When we performed it at that CD release concert, everyone wanted to get the disc for that song.  Of course it wasn't on there.  So we recorded the song, repackaged the product, and we now have a SECOND second CD.  (The first CD was released in 2002.)

While looking at this picture, I was wondering if people understood why we worship.  Do you know why it's imperative to worship God?  Of course we praise Him for the things he has done. However, we should worship Him for WHO HE IS.  God is God.  God is omnipresent, meaning He can be with me in STL and with you in China at the same time.  Know anyone who can do that?!?  God is THE creator.  He created heaven, earth, man, sky, clouds, grass, trees, animals, angels... you get my drift.  Sure we are inventors, but God is the ultimate inventor.  Because we are existing, that right there is enough to worship Christ.  Who else could be a father, son, and spirit.  NO ONE ELSE!!!

Ever notice that during worship you see people with their hands in the air?  This is an outward sign of surrender.  Instead of surrendering to a guy with a a firearm, we're surrendering to God, our Father.  We're showing Him, and telling Him, that we want to dedicate our lives to Him.  We want God to use us for His work.  It's not about our agenda, but what His will is for us.  In the Lord's Prayer, it states, ...THY will be done on earth as it is in heaven...  That means the work He has for us, and the reward is incomparable to what we plan to do.  GOD is incomparable! 

Of course after surrendering, we will still have challenges in our everyday lives.  The wonderful thing about it now is this:  we have help.  Ever read the poem "Footprints in the Sand?"  The poem is a conversation between God and man.  The man looks at the footprints and sees at first two sets of prints, then he sees just one set.  He became angry because the one set of footprints is shown during the trying times in his life.  He didn't realize that those were God's footprints.  God carried the man during his tough times.  No matter what happens in our lives - good and bad - we can get through these trials with God on our side.  The best way to keep Him in our lives is through prayer, praise and worship.  So go on, and lift those hands.  Sing your favorite worship song.  Recite your favorite scripture.  Tell God how awesome He is!  If you can't think of what to say, tell Him "There's no one like You!"

Aloha from Hawaii!!!

Aloha!!!  It's been forever since I've blogged on here.  A lot has been going on.  I'll start with the Hawaii trip.  I had a blast!!!  Chris & Kyle with True Spirit went to the island of Oahu to minister at the World Baptist Alliance Conference.  The conference is held every five years at different places in the world.  It'll be held in South Africa in 2015!

We stayed for about four days, and ministered for one.  We sang at the beginning of Thursday morning's service, then we had our own showcase that afternoon.  Later that evening, we all went to a Luau off the coast of the Pacific Ocean.  It was sooooo beautiful!  The vibe was wonderful; we swam in the ocean, had fun at Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville, and made time to minister to the people. It was an experience I will never forget.

Happy Birthday!!!

Hello people!  It's June 7 - Prince's 52nd birthday.  I've been a huge Prince fan since I was a little girl.  I remember seeing a concert of his in the mid-eighties, and I saw Prince & the Revolution playing their hearts out.  Then suddenly, Prince got on the drums and started playing like he didn't have any sense - in a good way.  I knew that he played the piano and guitar.  I fell in love when I saw him on the drum set.  This was a real musician playing real music!  As I got older, I started playing music myself.  Because of Prince, I graduated form high school playing eight instruments - piano, violin, trumpet, flugel horn, percussion, bass guitar, acoustic guitar, and voice (you know that our voices are instruments, right).

I hate that I can't play all those instruments now, but I still have an appreciation for the musicality that is used - sparsely - by the real musicians that are still out there.  This new 'cRAP' music that's out now is not real music.  They find a beat, add a stupid dance to it, and make it music.  I wish that kids today had idols like Prince, Mint Condition, Babyface, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Marvin Gaye, and other 'real' musicians.  Thank God I born when real music was still being played.

Hey everyone.  A lot of people have asked me what the United Methodist Women are all about.  Here's a YouTube clip that describes the organization.

Need prayer? There's an app for that! Part 2

So I went on and downloaded the Methodist Church app for my iPod Touch.  I can say that I would continue to use the app - if I had an iPhone.  The app contains a prayer for the day and daily bible study.  The only way to keep up-to-date is to have wireless access or be on a phone.  Since the Internet isn't always available, the app isn't a necessity for me.

Need prayer? There's an app for that!

So I was checking my Twitter account and iTunes apps for updates when I received a 'tweet' about a new Methodist Church app.  For those who don't know, an app is an application that you can download onto your iPod Touch, iPhone, or even an Android phone.  I'm blessed to have an Android phone (which I truly love) and iPod Touch (which I truly, truly love).  For the past few months, it's been about nothing but apps for me.  I'm always looking around to see what new and exciting applications I can use.  On my Android, I have Pandora Radio, Facebook, Twidroid (Twiiter for Android), and these cool soundboards from Family Guy and the Boondocks.  My iPod touch has apps that I use for my music lessons.  There is a violin tuner, a virtual piano, a  metronome, and guitar tuner. Although I have perfect pitch, I still want to make sure that I'm staying in tune.  I also have different games on the iTouch as well; I'm addicted to Bejeweled and Action Bowl right now.  Anyway, I digress...

There was a tweet from Everyday Christian stating that the Methodist Church of Britain has developed an application to be downloaded from the App Store on iTunes.  This app provides bible studies and daily prayers, and it's free.  I went on and downloaded the app to see what it was all about.  In a couple of days, I will blog a review about the app.

Did you know that you can also download the bible???  Love it!!!

Assembly 2010

Today is the second day of rehearsals and preparations for the United Methodist Women Assembly 2010.  The rehearsals have been great, especially since it's an opportunity to fellowship with musicians who are on one accord.  Today I walked into the Dome, where the main stage is for the weekend-long conference.  It looks amazing!  The center of the stage is a painting of Earth.  That's where I'll be standing for my solo on Saturday morning.

An overwhelming feeling of gratitude has come over me while standing in the middle of the stage.  God has given me this opportunity to display my gifts on an incredible platform, and I'm expecting a mighty move from Him.  God is about to elevate me, and I'm going to enjoy the ride while maintaining my focus on His will.  Gotta rehearse!

Trying Times

I'm thinking of that Boyz II Men song called "Trying Times" as I'm typing this in church.  I know, I know.  I should be listening to my pastor talk about 2Kings, but I've been a little occupied with recent events that have been going on.  I left my boyfriend of 4 years, and I found out after Easter that my job position is being eliminated effective July 1st.

Although these events are going on, I am not feeling worried, scared, or any kind of negativity about them.  I am reminded that On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand...  I look at other people who are worried, angry, and even terrified about what's happening.  It's amazing how my maturity in this walk with Christ has helped me deal with issues that pop up like this.  I praise and thank God for the peace that I have.  Even if the door closes with Normandy, I know that another door will open with better things for me.

NEW YORK CITY?!?

I'm blogging from a UMW boarding home in Greenwich Village.  The place is pretty nice, but there are no televisions. I will be sleeping on a twin sized bed (I don't know when was the last time I slept in one!).  There is WIFI though, so I'm able to type on my iPod and/or the laptop in the lobby.  So far, the trip has been nice.  There's plenty of snow here, like every place else.  I'm waiting on delivery from Fat Sal's Pizzeria; wanted an authentic NY pie tonight. 

We rehearse for the UMW Assembly tomorrow with everyone except for two people.  I was asked to bring my violin; I slipped and used my outdated music resume. lol  Anyway, I'll be here in NYC until tomorrow evening. Then I'm off to D.C. for a couple of hours, then back home to STL. 

God continues to bless me, and I'm just glad for the opportunity to use my gifts to praise HIS name.  PIZZA'S HERE!  Gotta go. :-)

New Year, New Beginnings

This post is a month late, but here it is...

Merry New Year!!!  We are now in the year 2010 guys.  Can you believe it?  A new year means a new start; begin things with a new frame of mind.  That's what I'm trying to do regarding the Praise Team at church.  Unfortunately, I'm not really feeling it.

Usually when I go to church, I'm ready to warm up, pray, and give God my praise and worship.  For the past few weeks, I've been ready to get it over with. After talking to a couple of people who are on the team, I started feeling angry.  I recently brought these two ladies to my house to look at different dvd's of various Gospel artists so they could see how other people worship God - just for observation.  For some reason, they thought I wanted them to act like the singers and musicians on the videos.  After telling them that I only wanted to open their eyes to other things that are going on besides what we do, I started shutting down when they would talk to me, or wanna rehearse new music.  I'd start thinking, "Why do new music; it might influence you."

A really popular group is coming to town, and I'm reluctant to telling them about the concert.  I don't want to be an improper influence, so I haven't said anything to them about it.  Maybe I'll change my mind by Sunday; highly doubt it though.