My Blog

Even the rocks...

Mon, 17 May 2010 12:21:21 +0100

Why do certain activities get treated so differently to others. For example, the arts are treated as things that only gifted people or those under therapy through it should enter into.

Eg Someone wanting to feel and sound better when they sing - if people deem them as not having talent, then pursuit of improvement would be thought a delusion of grandier, where as, if someone wanted to improve their maths or English, it would be regarded as wrong to deny them that. No one assumes a mathematician wants fame but everyone assumes that a singer does!!! Am I the only one that finds those presumptions strange?

My gripe is with a society that perpetuates the myth that success is about fame and/or fortune and that therefore talent equals those things and that, in turn, there is a cut off point for any participation if someone shows less than an acceptable amount of talent. It is 'beyond their reach', 'what right do they have to think that they...' etc.

Singing is a wonderful, enjoyable, natural thing. It should feel comfortable, freeing and left to it's own devises it can draw people to God. Enjoying singing and desiring to improve is perfectly natural and shouldn't come attached to assumptions and judgement from others.

Who has the problem, the person who just loves to sing and wants to improve and really does need to, or the person that automatically categorises such a person as a crack-pot who should recognise their place in life?

Even if the person thinks it's about becoming famous - isn't that just a society wide miss-understanding of the purpose of singing, who can blame the individual. If they genuinely love to sing then that should be honoured (as that is a God-given desire to worship Him, that is simply just not understood as such as yet).

Helping someone to see the real purpose of singing is about mindset, personality and character. But the beautiful opportunity of building character and correcting wrong-thinking is not spotted by those whom equally attribute fame/fortune to success.

The difference between the two: the one who still wants to pursue, well, they still have hope - be it wrongly placed. The other doesn't. Killing hope doesn't produce understanding or character. It is a quick fix by those whom don't see the possibilities beyond their own insular idea of what singing is really for. Who should be entertained by our singing? Ultimately God, right!

Correct vocal technique is good for a persons health, well being and self-esteem and incorrect vocal technique is bad for those things. Singing is deeply personal and changes/improvements can have a profound effect on people that otherwise may not occur.

God never created people to be worshipped, he created them to worship him. Even the rocks... Right? So why not the one who loves to sing but doesn't yet know why?

I long for the day when singing will be treated in a like manner to any other activities, viewed no more fame-seeking than doing the washing up. God doesn't deem singing 'out of someones reach', He designed us all with strings and pipes and He longs to hear His children sing praises :-) Even the rocks....

Relying on Him

Sat, 1 Aug 2009 21:52:41 +0100

Although I am always learning to rely on God and let Him live through me, there are times when I truly come to the end of me and my ability.

I did my first gig with Neil last night, and life had a way of ensuring that practicing was very minimal. It would not have been either of our intention to have been left with a minimum of time so late in the day. But God is sovereign, and knows everything. He knew the trials we would experience, the crazy logistics and the acceptance of His ability above and beyond our own that we would need to rely on.

I am utterly convince, without a shadow of a doubt that way beyond our knowing each other well, or either of our abilities that God, in HIs ability, did the singing and playing and brought it together. ‘Christ in us the hope of glory!’

It’s not over till the little lady sings!

Mon, 18 May 2009 22:52:14 +0100

Well, another month has flown by, another year in my life gained, another valuable lesson learnt. The voice is such an amazing thing, and one that I feel is only over shadowed by the God who created it. See last weekend I experienced a real down vocally, hadn’t been singing, so singing was definately not the cause. Had a throat ache that came about through a neck ache, brought on by creating a bad habit of how I slept on my neck. I’m still working on getting rid of the habit, but have started to.

But through a concentrated effort to relax and warm up beyond the norm and the intervention of a God that never fails, my voice went beyond capacity and peaked by the end of the week. See, it ain’t over till the little lady sings. Cos when I know ‘I can’t’ I definately know that ‘He can’ and that he will when I know for sure that I’m just a vessel for him to sing through. And it is indeed my joy and pleasure to be just that.

I know for sure, that there are times when I swear my mouth opens after the sound comes out. No one can ever convince me that I am the sole-producer of the voice that comes out, I know it is above and beyond my capability, I’m well aware that it’s too good to be the result of my effort. A perfect picture right there of Gods grace, ‘which he has lavished upon us’. Totally mind-boggling and awesome! :-)