Conviction

WOW. I’ve been at the Xenos Summer Institute for the last 3 days with the likes of Mark Driscol, D.A. Carson, Mark Mittelberg, Dennis McCallum, Gary DeLashmutt, etc. Tonight is the last session, and I am utterly exhausted, but this has been really good for me.
Some big things I’ve taken away at this point:
-I am both very convicted and very affirmed.
-as a whole, the church in our country is (generally) in a very scary state of both rapid decline and a turn away from the truth of the gospel.
-we cannot pretend to live in ignorance of the changes taking place, and must seek God with a whole heart, living in a place of humility and repentance
-people need Jesus. The gospel IS relevant. Jesus IS relevant.
-I need to be led by the Spirit of God, with a heart of compassion for the thousands of people all around me who need the love of Jesus.
-I need to do a better job of making disciples.
-The gospel must remain central (I recently heard it said that “the gospel is both the milk and the meat”.) to all we do—both in us personally, as well as the message that we take to the world around us.
-I'm very thankful for my local faith community, where I have freedom to ask a lot of questions as we continue on our journey. God is leading us. It is exciting.
-I really need a nap.

I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing

So, I've been asked a bunch lately when to start a child with singing lessons...below I've copy/pasted the most recent email reply to the question...in case one of you might be wondering my thoughts on the subject. This is from a parent of a 4 year old girl (or so) who constantly is singing around the house. I'd really appreciated dialogue on this one, if any of you have any other thoughts on the subject....

It sounds like she needs to begin learning MUSIC, as she already knows how to sing. I've seen so many bad singing teachers in my life...even on a university level and beyond. Singing teachers CAN be a very good thing, bringing great training, encouragement and a great source of confidence to a student. They can also completely ruin a great gift, or, on the flip-side, completely fabricate/mislead a non-gift, leading to thousands of potentially wasted dollars, and a lot of pain on multiple levels.
For these and other reasons, for the time being, I would recommend beginning to teach her music theory when you feel that she's ready. The easiest starting place, in my opinion, is to begin with a good piano teacher (or a stringed instrument of some kind). With pianos and stringed instruments, one has the ability to clearly see intervals as they're played, unlike instruments like a flute, trumpet, clarinet, etc., which are much less visual. I would go to a teacher or a place that will agree to eventually implement some sort of music theory curriculum--where your daughter would begin to have an understanding of what is really happening when her voice sings higher and lower, or longer/shorter, etc. Read my blog entry called Tribute , and it will give you some things to look for in a teacher. Also, don't hesitate to switch teachers, if you feel like the things you're hoping for are not being accomplished. Well, that's what I've got for now.
Regarding age, I've seen kids start with the "Suzuki" method (one option for training for you--not the only one, though) before they can talk...there are a lot of studies on it, and starting too soon doesn't hurt. Just don't turn into a freakazoid, way out of proportion music Nazi with a little one...do everything in moderation. The best and most fulfilled musicians are (in my opinion) those who have developed a legitmate love for their art, not just highly trained performers.