Worship Conference

So I'm getting ready to turn in a little early, because I've got to be up VERY early (at least by my standards). Tomorrow morning, I'm driving to Charlotte to attend an Integrity Live Seminar4Worship. I'm excited and nervous at the same time, because this will be the first time I've done something "alone" since before Lady M was born!! I know, it sounds crazy,but I've not had a night with just me in that long...

I took the girls to my mom's a little earlier today, so I could get my things together, and I HAD to get my tires rotated before I even thought about driving down there by myself. Turns out, I had a screw in one of my tires and it was causing a slow leak- GOOD THING I HAD THEM CHECKED!! My tire pressure light had been on for about a week, but it's messed up before so I thought it was just being silly because of the temperature changes again. THANK GOD I didn't just go on, otherwise I would probably had to have a flat tire changed.

Anyway, I'm super excited about the conference, because I'll be sitting in classes taught by people like Paul Baloche and Joel Auge (sorry, I don't know how to add the accent on the 'e' in his name). Funny thing is that God pretty much dropped this in my lap...

We did the study, The Dream Giver, at my church about a year ago. So many people at my church said they didn't know what their "God given" dream was, but mine was so clear I couldn't deny it. When I was in high school, I initially decided I wanted to be a kindergarten teacher. After shadowing a friend who was going to college for elementary ed, I determined that was not really where I was supposed to be. I remember that I just kept thinking that my future had something to do with music. I took piano from 9 years old until I graduated high school, sang in the adult choir at my church when I was really young, was in chorus and band almost all thru high school, so obviously, I LOVE MUSIC!! It's always just been a part of who I am. So the end of my junior year in high school, I decide I want to go to college for music. Trust me, I heard a lot of negative comments about that, but it was what I felt I was supposed to do. I applied to UNCG and auditioned, and was given the privelege of choosing music education or music performance (which I understand now, most people don't get that choice).I remember one Sunday during my senior year, our pastor at the time was teaching about knowing God's will for your life. I went to the altar, and just really poured my heart out to God. I asked Him to give me a clear, undeniable sign that His will was for me to pursue music. Later that day, I had a piano recital. At the end of the recital, my piano teacher announced that I'd been awarded an anonymous scholarship since I was going to school to major in music. I'd never seen another person get a scholarship at a recital in my entire life, so I knew THIS was from GOD!!

Thru college, I managed to turn my back and run in the wrong direction, deciding after 2 years that I didn't need college because I wasn't learning anything in music that I didn't already know... stupid selfish idea! I was working in a music store (selling CDs and things), and invested in a joint venture in a home music studio with some friends of mine. We made a few CDs, I sang back up on some, but I was not acknowleging God in my life at all.

After all the mess I made for myself, I found myself back at square one last year with The Dream Giver. So I've really been trying to hear God's voice, and His direction for me since then. Early in the summer, I had this deep longing to learn more about "worship", not just music, not just what you do on Sunday morning, but more specifically, what is "worship"? So I found myself really studying more and more about what God says about worship. I really felt like I was supposed to go back to school or something, but when I tried to find info on anything like that online, most "worship" schools are in other states, so that was out. So I just searched "worship class" online, and the first thing that came up was Seminars4Worship, with a conference in Charlotte. I checked the price, funny enough, it was 2 days before the end of the super early bird deal... Amazing how God does that. I don't believe it was coincidence, and now, even more, I know it was all GOD!!

So that's where I'll be til Friday, I'm just praying that God will lead me in whatever direction He will have me go and that I will be receptive to hear His voice, and my heart will be willing to follow.