I get this question ALL the time. "Do you know that (XXX) is coming to Singapore? Are you going for the seminar/workshop/clinic/worship session (XXX) is holding?"
I know this is gonna ruffle a few feathers, but in all my years of serving in the music ministry and having been sent to all these events countless times, I've NEVER been to one that was worth my time.
And what's my criteria for that? Well something is a waste of my time if it doesn't give me something tangible and concrete that I can use in ministry within the next 3 weeks. And no matter who taught in all those I attended, NO ONE has ever given me something that I could use within 3 weeks.
I can feel the temperature rising in here…
And don't get me started on all the vocal or instrumental clinics and workshops that usually follow.
What usually happens is that whoever is holding that workshop has no idea of what to teach the people, so in an attempt to say something that is appropriate for everyone, they end up with what's not useful for anyone.
And because of the low price of these instrument workshops, they usually attract a number of absolute beginners, dabblers who have not made the quality decision to be equipped in that particular instrument.
And so whoever is running that workshop feels obligated to cater to those people and give those people information they can get by going to Yahoo or Google and doing a search.
That of course makes the workshop even more irrelevant to those with a certain degree of skill, and so those with a certain degree of skill end up NOT going to such workshops. And so the proportion of dabblers attending those workshops increases, and thus the gradual and inevitable lowering of the skill level of what gets taught in those events.
Imagine the frustration I felt. I went for all these events hoping to get something that I couldn't get from the other musicians in my church and ended up with info I knew before even playing for church. What on earth was I doing there? I mean, other than wasting my time?
To all the dabblers out there, I say this: stop dabbling. Get REAL. Go join a REAL class. Pay REAL money and make a REAL commitment to equipping yourself for the music ministry. Why pay that few dollars to get what you can get free-of-charge from Yahoo? For the sake of the company and opportunity to socialize with other dabblers?
"He who walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of dabblers…" (Nevermind. You figure that out for yourself)
Why then do people still religiously go for such events?
Well, there are two sorts of people who go for such events. The first sort is made up of those who have made a quality decision to be equipped for ministry. They are actively going for regular classes or are being closely mentored, or both. And they attend such events to get inspiration.
I salute these people. They take concrete action AND have people monitoring their progress. These are the people who will count for the Kingdom of God.
Now, it's the second sort that will be really uncomfortable with this email by now. They attend such events simply because there is no follow-up. No accountability. If you're attending a class, the next lesson the instructor's gonna ask you "Did you practice what I showed you last time?" It's this accountability that leads to growth.
Such accountability and follow-up doesn't usually happen when it comes to worship seminars or the instrument workshop that goes along with it. So those who want to feel like they're growing but are not committed to the effort that brings about REAL growth are perfectly comfortable with such an arrangement.
Now I can't change everything that occurs in this area. And there are probably many who don't want me to.
But if YOU are a frustrated keyboardist with a certain degree of skill and training, and you still want more, and if you have genuine reasons why you can't commit to regular lessons with a good instructor (money issues, a job with shift-work) then I want to help you.
And this is my offer
I play for services at The Living Faith Church (www.thelivingfaith.org) on Monday evenings. Turn up for the worship and listen to what I play.
And if you like what I play and want to play that, email me with your questions. I'll give you a FREE email consultation with me on what I played and why. Email me at jvworship@gmail.com with your questions and I'll give you that free consultation.
Why should I do that, when I can charge you good money for the information? It's simple. If you are serious enough about being equipped for ministry that you'd turn up for a service, pay attention and ask good questions, you deserve that free email consultation, in my eyes.
If you're serious about the worship ministry, I'm serious about helping you.
Yes, there are many things that I can't explain over email. But I believe that if my playing resonates with you and you show God that you're faithful with what the little I can impart to you through my playing and my email, God will provide you the finances and open the way for you to have one-on-one lessons with me.
Of course, I'd like to expand this invitation to guitar and drums as well, but the fact is that I am not ministering with those instruments regularly, so I can't make such an offer for those instruments.
Anyway, my keyboard invitation is open to all. Whether you are currently a keyboard student of mine or not, or even if you've never had any formal lesson with me before in any instrument, you are welcome to take advantage of this offer. Just send me an email to tell me who you are, where you're from and when you'll be turning up, and we'll see what we can arrange from there, OK?
I know this is a crazy offer, and probably unwise too, from a business point of view. But well, in this case I've chosen to be a fool for Christ. (and not the first time either)
Prayer time: I am recovering well. Thanks for your prayers. Gradually getting back into the swing of life again. Pray for God's blessing to be strong upon the drum classes especially during this season, because it's about time for me to tie everything together so that the students can see the whole big picture of the skill and art of playing drums for worship. Thanks, everyone!
Be blessed!
I know this is gonna ruffle a few feathers, but in all my years of serving in the music ministry and having been sent to all these events countless times, I've NEVER been to one that was worth my time.
And what's my criteria for that? Well something is a waste of my time if it doesn't give me something tangible and concrete that I can use in ministry within the next 3 weeks. And no matter who taught in all those I attended, NO ONE has ever given me something that I could use within 3 weeks.
I can feel the temperature rising in here…
And don't get me started on all the vocal or instrumental clinics and workshops that usually follow.
What usually happens is that whoever is holding that workshop has no idea of what to teach the people, so in an attempt to say something that is appropriate for everyone, they end up with what's not useful for anyone.
And because of the low price of these instrument workshops, they usually attract a number of absolute beginners, dabblers who have not made the quality decision to be equipped in that particular instrument.
And so whoever is running that workshop feels obligated to cater to those people and give those people information they can get by going to Yahoo or Google and doing a search.
That of course makes the workshop even more irrelevant to those with a certain degree of skill, and so those with a certain degree of skill end up NOT going to such workshops. And so the proportion of dabblers attending those workshops increases, and thus the gradual and inevitable lowering of the skill level of what gets taught in those events.
Imagine the frustration I felt. I went for all these events hoping to get something that I couldn't get from the other musicians in my church and ended up with info I knew before even playing for church. What on earth was I doing there? I mean, other than wasting my time?
To all the dabblers out there, I say this: stop dabbling. Get REAL. Go join a REAL class. Pay REAL money and make a REAL commitment to equipping yourself for the music ministry. Why pay that few dollars to get what you can get free-of-charge from Yahoo? For the sake of the company and opportunity to socialize with other dabblers?
"He who walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of dabblers…" (Nevermind. You figure that out for yourself)
Why then do people still religiously go for such events?
Well, there are two sorts of people who go for such events. The first sort is made up of those who have made a quality decision to be equipped for ministry. They are actively going for regular classes or are being closely mentored, or both. And they attend such events to get inspiration.
I salute these people. They take concrete action AND have people monitoring their progress. These are the people who will count for the Kingdom of God.
Now, it's the second sort that will be really uncomfortable with this email by now. They attend such events simply because there is no follow-up. No accountability. If you're attending a class, the next lesson the instructor's gonna ask you "Did you practice what I showed you last time?" It's this accountability that leads to growth.
Such accountability and follow-up doesn't usually happen when it comes to worship seminars or the instrument workshop that goes along with it. So those who want to feel like they're growing but are not committed to the effort that brings about REAL growth are perfectly comfortable with such an arrangement.
Now I can't change everything that occurs in this area. And there are probably many who don't want me to.
But if YOU are a frustrated keyboardist with a certain degree of skill and training, and you still want more, and if you have genuine reasons why you can't commit to regular lessons with a good instructor (money issues, a job with shift-work) then I want to help you.
And this is my offer
I play for services at The Living Faith Church (www.thelivingfaith.org) on Monday evenings. Turn up for the worship and listen to what I play.
And if you like what I play and want to play that, email me with your questions. I'll give you a FREE email consultation with me on what I played and why. Email me at jvworship@gmail.com with your questions and I'll give you that free consultation.
Why should I do that, when I can charge you good money for the information? It's simple. If you are serious enough about being equipped for ministry that you'd turn up for a service, pay attention and ask good questions, you deserve that free email consultation, in my eyes.
If you're serious about the worship ministry, I'm serious about helping you.
Yes, there are many things that I can't explain over email. But I believe that if my playing resonates with you and you show God that you're faithful with what the little I can impart to you through my playing and my email, God will provide you the finances and open the way for you to have one-on-one lessons with me.
Of course, I'd like to expand this invitation to guitar and drums as well, but the fact is that I am not ministering with those instruments regularly, so I can't make such an offer for those instruments.
Anyway, my keyboard invitation is open to all. Whether you are currently a keyboard student of mine or not, or even if you've never had any formal lesson with me before in any instrument, you are welcome to take advantage of this offer. Just send me an email to tell me who you are, where you're from and when you'll be turning up, and we'll see what we can arrange from there, OK?
I know this is a crazy offer, and probably unwise too, from a business point of view. But well, in this case I've chosen to be a fool for Christ. (and not the first time either)
Prayer time: I am recovering well. Thanks for your prayers. Gradually getting back into the swing of life again. Pray for God's blessing to be strong upon the drum classes especially during this season, because it's about time for me to tie everything together so that the students can see the whole big picture of the skill and art of playing drums for worship. Thanks, everyone!
Be blessed!
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