Whether you’re a long-time church pianist looking for fresh ideas to add to your own style, or you’re a brand-new pianist, wanting to learn how to play hymns using a variety of chord patterns, Natalie has a video course that will encourage and educate you on your hymn-playing journey!
If you’re a note-reader, or if you primarily play by ear, we have great options that will strengthen your skills, give you new ideas, and help you further your gift for God’s glory!
Already Purchased a Course? View your courses here!
Our conversation this morning:
Me: “Asher, what are you thankful for today?”
Asher: “I’m thankful that God so loved the world that He gave.”
Me too, buddy. Everything we have is because of Jesus. Happy Thanksgiving to you all. ❤️
Since the internet thinks I don’t know how to water mums or make mashed potatoes, we’ll just add another item to the List of Things I Cannot Do. 😄😉
So, I actually do know how to water mums, and I make a great pot of mashed potatoes. But I’ll quickly admit that I am a disaster at putting on a duvet. It gets done, but it ain’t pretty. I’m a “flat sheet/comforter” girl, but I could only find this spread in a duvet, and it was just perfect for Asher’s room. I still have a ways to go decorating his “big boy” room, but we’re headed in the right direction! 🦌
Let’s review the Donner DEP-20! Great option for the $300-400 price range. Comment PIANO for the link!
I came downstairs to switch over a load of laundry, and stopped at the piano to play y’all a song. ☺️💙 Today, in Bible time with the kids, we read Psalm 100, and talked about things we’re thankful for! It was so sweet hearing their little blessings. What are you thankful for today?
“Give Thanks”— Don Moen, 1986
I try every year. 😂
Meanwhile, some petunia I bought back in March is still thriving on the front porch, so it’s not a total loss.
So proud of our sweet girl today! She started violin lessons a couple months ago and today was her first recital. She’s still learning her rhythms on open strings, so we aren’t officially on an actual song yet. 🙂 I LOVE the Suzuki method— it focuses so much on good habits at the beginning- bow hold, resting position, violin position, etc… as well as a lot of listening to the recordings of the songs she will be learning. We love her teacher— she’s doing a marvelous job with Raylen. So excited to watch her grow!
I just got off a video call with some new friends, telling them ALL the things we love about where we shop. It’s literally one of my favorite things to do. I don’t sell a thing, but I do love referring people to shop for all the things everyone has to buy somewhere anyway. Yeah, the boring stuff, like toothpaste, shampoo, laundry detergent, hand soap, skin care, etc… One of them said at the end, “Wow, I thought I just wanted to check out the cleaning products. I had no idea the store was this big.”
And it is! Almost 500 products! It’s replaced most of my Walmart and Amazon orders. I’m still getting all of our household consumables (you’re buying those things somewhere too;). Shopping affordable, high-quality, safe, American-made products just makes sense.
If you wash your clothes, dishes, face, or hair, this store has something for you. 🧼 There’s a reason 20K-40K people are switching to shop here every month. 😎 We’ve shopped here two years now, and STILL get excited when that box shows up at my door.
I’ve probably played this song at more weddings than any other song…well, Canon in D may top the list, now that I think about it! 🙂 But this one would be in second place, for sure. I’ve always thought it was such a pretty melody. 🎶💙
Easy, delicious, and healthy? Yes, please! :-)) I found a recipe in a cooking magazine for a chicken bacon ranch casserole, but it used a lot of pasta noodles and some other ingredients we try to eat very little of, especially while we’re following the R3 plan, which focuses on lots of whole foods, proteins, vegetables, etc… so I took the concept, but made it work for us. It is delicious!! I love anything with cream cheese. 😅 This is a full meal, with great meat and veggies, and a creamy sauce that is outrageously good.
You could totally use a fresh head of broccoli, chopped, fry your own bacon, and use your favorite style of chicken- thighs, tenders, rotisserie, etc… This is a super quick version I made yesterday morning, so I could just throw it in the oven when we got home from church. It was so good! 😄🥘
How to play hymns that change chord on almost every beat:
Don’t think in patterns, like octave-chord or rolling motion. Think about octave connectors— how to connect one chord to another, using octave motion in a wide variety of rhythms.
“Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah”- William Williams and John Hughes
Our thought lives are so powerful. You can think about something so often, that you’ll believe it’s true, even if it’s not. That’s why Paul wrote that we should vigilantly “[Cast] down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and [bring] into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”
Do you have thought patterns that need to be brought into alignment with God’s Word?
Thoughts of fear— submit them to God and choose to rest in Him.
Thoughts of anger and resentment— submit them to God and choose to forgive.
Thoughts of lust and sexual impurity— submit them to God and choose to be pure.
Thoughts of negativity and gloom— submit them to God and choose to rejoice.
Carefully control what you allow into your mind, through conversations, images, shows, social media… if it doesn’t line up with the standard of Phil. 4:8, then don’t think about it. Ingesting constant negativity online, watching shows that glorify or depict impurity, and going down rabbit holes of dark information lead to a poor thought life. And that will affect your behavior and decisions.
Anchor your thoughts in the Word of God! That is the source of truth! If you’re battling your thought life, spend some time in Philippians and Psalms today. Write out Scripture. Memorize a verse you can keep in your mind throughout the day.
The battle of the mind will be won with the Sword of the Spirit, your Bible.
We had the most fun trip to Colorado in September. We hiked, explored the town, went swimming in the hot springs (that was so cool!! 98 degree water fed from natural springs!), drove the jeep over the mountain to Telluride, rode the gondola, and just enjoyed being together. 💙 Watching the Fall colors come in while we were there was super special too- I tried to figure out a way to bring an aspen tree home, but it wouldn’t fit in my suitcase. 🙄😂
