Question: How do I play the piano fancier during worship songs? How do I play more than just a chord? This lesson was requested by my wonderful Mom, who ironically is the one who first taught me piano. Since then, 3 years of classical lessons and 15 years of contemporary worship team experience has multiplied the harvest she sowed in me. I'm excited to be able to finally give something back!  If you're like my Mom, you don't really practice outside of the worship team stuff. Even if you were to somehow find the motivation to sit down at the piano during the week, you would be lucky to pra ..read more

Jump to section: Wait, wait… Why me?! Why Write MORE Worship Songs? God is Infinite Everyone is Unique Starting with the Basics Purpose: What is it for? Direction: Who is Speaking to Whom? Writing the Lyrics Keep it Personal Keep it Authentic Keep it Simple How Do I Write the Music? Common Song Structure What Rhythm (Time Signature) to Use What Notes to Use What Chords to Use Common Chord Progressions Making it Singable for the Congregation Need More Help? Let me be the first to say: I’m so glad you’re here! Songwriting is an amazing way to worship God and express your unique rel ..read more

Having trouble singing in key? You’re not alone! This is a very common issue for many people, including professional singers. It’s nothing to be ashamed of or intimidated by. Keep at it and don’t give up! I believe you have what it takes to be an amazing singer! I might take some practice, but there’s definitely hope. I wrote this with church worship team singers in mind, but it can be applied to anyone. First things first, if you’re convinced you’re tone-deaf, watch this video! In fact, if this video solves your problem and you never end up reading this article, that’s awesome! That’s my goal ..read more

Dreaming of playing sheet music free? Want to toss chords around and “just play” like the rest of your church worship team seems to do so easily? I learned to play both by ear and by music. Here are my personal thoughts for anyone struggling to play by ear after starting out with sheet music. I made this for anyone who wants to play on a worship team, but I hope it’s helpful for other music goals as well! We Need to Talk... Do you like coffee? Go ahead and get some real quick. I’ll wait. Please don’t freak out when I say this but… Out of the 15 years that I have been playing "by ear," it took ..read more

I've met many piano players who are unsatisfied with their piano skills. While it's understandable and even healthy to want to get better, sometimes it can be discouraging. I hope these tips will help get you out of that rut and make you feel more empowered to keep doing what you love! There are a few quick fixes to this problem! You may not need to take a ton of classes. Here are the top 5 ways piano players can improve in just a few short hours. It doesn't take long before I can get their enthusiasm back again! This has worked for many people! Why not give it a shot? I go into a few of these ..read more

Let’s talk about dream crushers: lies you may be believing about playing the piano. Have you ever quit piano lessons? Think you don’t have what it takes? Keep reading. I may be able to get your runaway dream back–for good this time. Musicians used to be taken for granted, there were so many. Even today, in many countries, music is deeply ingrained in the culture. Kids, from the day they’re born, grow up singing and playing traditional songs with family and friends. It’s not just a lesson once a week or a monthly recital. Music is their way of life! It becomes as natural to them as speaking the ..read more

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and [Adam and Eve] hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” -Genesis 3:8-9 ESV YHVH called to Adam, "Ayekah!" I wanted to cry when I found out the true meaning of this word! I've never thought about it before, then I stumbled on it during some research. Ayekah has the exact same spelling in Hebrew as eikhah, which is a mournful cry, "How?! How can it be?" Eikhah is the very first word in the book of La ..read more

The bud closest to your pruning point will produce the best quality fruit and branches. That’s how it works! Plants will always send most of their energy for renewal to the nearest cutting point. -Hand Pruning In This Article I did an in-depth study of John 15:1-17, the True Vine Parable. It has long been one of my favorite parables in scripture. This study has taken months to complete. I pray it is enlightening and encouraging! These are the highlights of my research. There's a ton of information to go through. So much about the words and the context of wine growing ties back into Yeshua's le ..read more

There's so much meaning that's lost in English! It's not anyone's fault, that's just the way language and culture works. It's like trying to create a movie out of a book. As accurate and well-meaning as the movie might be, it's just not the same. They're two completely different ways of communicating. And that's okay. (See also Chesed) Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. -John 15:2 ESV The word for "branches" here in Greek, klema, actually means "tendril" or "offshoot." The usual word for "bran ..read more

and you [Pharisees] do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. John 5:38 ESV I've been studying John 15 lately about abiding in Christ. Although "believe" is not found in chapter 15, John connects belief with abiding in Christ throughout his books. So to understand more fully what it means to abide, let's revisit the word for believe. See also: Aman--Secure Belief Like a Tent Peg The Greek word used here for believe is pisteuo. It is also translated as "entrust" in John 22:23-25. It is used 248 times in the NT, again most of those uses are John's ..read more