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Coming Events

March 1 (Sun) The Christian Guitarist Fellowship in Alamo
March 6 (Fri) The BASS Convention in Castro Valley
March 13 (Fri) Private Lessons in Danville
March 20 (Fri) Private Lessons in Los Altos
April 5 (Sun) The Christian Guitarist Fellowship in Alamo
April 17-19 (Fri-Sun) Sugarpine Father/Son Mountain Men I Retreat in Oakhurst
April 24-26 (Fri-Sun) Sugarpine Father/Son Mountain Men II Retreat in Oakhurst

The first Christian Guitarist Fellowship was a blast and went very well. Ten people came which was just fine for the first time considering it was the Superbowl weekend. I started out with a Phil Keaggy video as people were coming in. We started at 2:00pm with an introduction and discussion as to people’s expectations and desires. I gave a lesson on contemporary chords, did a little demonstration, and then we paired off in order to “jam” together. I took two young beginners, an advanced guitarist friend took another adult beginner and the rest paired off with varying skill levels. We came back together and played through some well known praise songs. Everyone enjoyed it and said they want to come back in March. We are going to hold it the first Sunday of every month. I’m excited about it!

I’ve been teaching private lessons in guitar, voice, songwriting and worship leading in Los Altos for over 2 years and find it both fulfilling and a powerful avenue for students to become what God is leading them towards.
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I’ve upgraded the lessons/coaching to include:

• A new notebook for helpful handouts and song chord charts.
• A Lesson Video Summary to download and see the techniques from each class.
• A Private Assignment Page which I communicate with each student their individual assignment and resources.
• More DVD and audio/visual examples to spark new ideas and rivet a particular technique into memory.
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I’ll be teaching once a month in four locations:  Los Altos, Danville (my home), Mount Hermon, and Sacramento.  Let me know if you’re interested or you know someone who is.

2009 has come in like a flood and, in some ways, it feels like I’m riding a huge wave.  The cool thing is that, instead of feeling out of control, it feels like I’m surfing this wave with my family right beside me.  There’s a lot going on at Creekside Community Church as the Worship & Arts Ministry Pastor:  worship leading, counseling, coaching, teaching, organizing, etc.  But, the people are really fun.  It’s a good season in the life of the church right now and I praise God for it.  Helping other aspects of the church life spills over on my family too, like the High School Ministry Home Invasion at our home last week.  The whole family worked to make it a blast of a night for the 45 that came.  Next week, I’ll be going with Brandon on the High School Snow Go.  I’ll be teaching and leading worship for the weekend (my first time Snowboarding).  Brandon just started college courses last week which fits in well as a Junior in High School.  Austin is going to Hume Lake with the Youth Group and Sherri is as busy as ever taking care of us three boys.  She is such a fun and joyful person to spend a life with.  The biggest social endeavor in our family right now is Facebook.  What a cool tool to reconnect with friends and people from the past.  I pray that God is undergirding you with his faithful love, comforting peace, and encouraging joy!

The Christian Guitarist Fellowship is a monthly event for all Christian guitarists the first Sunday of each month, 2:00pm-4:00pm, at Creekside Community Church (1350 Danville Blvd.
Alamo, CA  94507, 925-820-9031 x111).  Everyone is invited from beginners to advanced players, from rockers to alternative players, from acoustic to electric players, from teenagers to the ageless.  There will be training with handouts, short demonstrations, time to jam with others, resources, and good relationship building with fellow guitarists.  There is no charge for admission and no dues.  That’s right, it’s free!
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Our first time together will be Sunday, February 1, 2009, 2:00pm-4:00pm.  Come join the first one and make a difference for future gatherings.

The Christian Guitarist Fellowship is sponsored by Heartfelt Music Ministry and Creekside Community Church in Alamo, CA.  For 14 years, Heartfelt Music Ministry has held the Christian Guitarist Conference (and the Christian Guitar & Bass Conference) in Northern California and throughout the United States.  The economy has made it difficult for most guitarists to justify going to a specialized guitar conference, so the Christian Guitarist Fellowship is the solution.
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Invest in yourself and share your talent with others. For more information email info@heartfeltmusic.org See you there.

A young worship leader had a good question on my “My Space” page which I think is relevant to bring up here:

You have a good question, “How do you become a professional worship leader?” God gives each one of us a different journey, so there’s not just one way. A professional worship leader is one who gets paid for leading worship. In order to get paid, Christian employers are looking for three things: character, competency, and chemistry. Character means being trustworthy, gracious, reliable, believable, and one who is a prime example of a God worshiper. Competency means you have experience to handle people issues, organizational details, skillful on an instrument, strong in Christian faith, with the ability to make a service flow from beginning to end. Chemistry means you’re able to get along with those you work with, and even more, you’re able to encourage and shepherd those around you. You need to “fit” into the group you’re working with. Remember, ministry is about people and drawing them closer to God (not just music). God’s priority is on relationships and His passion is intimacy! Have the same ambition as Paul in 2 Cor. 5:9, “This is my ambition…to be pleasing to the Lord.”

From the joy of reflecting on Christ’s birth to the difficulties of our strained economy, this December has mixed emotions to say the least.  Keeping our eyes on Christ will give us the hope necessary to keep a fervent faith into 2009 (“…Christ in you, the hope of glory” Colossians 1:27).  May you have a hope-filled Christmas and New Years during the next couple of weeks.
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The culmination of this past year for Heartfelt Music has been one of meaningful ministry and successful equiping in a variety of ways.  Through Christian Conference Centers (i.e. Mount Hermon; Sugarpine), church training events (i.e. New Life Community Church, VA; Lincoln Glen Church, CA), private lessons (i.e. Los Altos; Danville), Band, Guitar, Voice, & Songwriting instruction (i.e. Bethany University; Los Altos Christian School),  online training (i.e. worshipteleseminar.com; guitarnotes.com), worship leading (i.e. First Baptist Church of Los Altos; Creekside Community Church, Alamo), special conferences (i.e. Christian Guitar & Bass Conference, CA; Worship Wayfarer Conference, OR), concerts (i.e. Silver Spur Tean Camp; Cambrian Park), and mentoring sessions (i.e. BASS Convention; Creekside Community Church Worship Intern Program).  It has been very fulfilling for me to invest in so many lives and see God’s glory manifested in so many lives.
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Heartfelt Music Ministry will continue to touch peoples lives and train them for ministry in 2009.  One of the events to put on your calendar, if you are a guitarist near the Bay Area, is a monthly Guitarist Fellowship beginning Sunday, February 1, at Creekside Community Church in Alamo.  More information to come.
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The Coates family has seen many changes as we’ve transitioned from Mount Hermon to Danville.  We are doing well.  Brandon and Austin are finding they really like Venture School in San Ramon and are now taller than I am.  Sherri is enjoying fixing up the house for the holidays and caring for the three men in her life.  All of us are thankful to be ministering with Creekside Community Church who are wonderful people to be with.  Thank you for your prayers for our family and for Heartfelt Music Ministry.  We appreciate you!
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Merry Christmas!
Reggie

It is the season of Thanksgiving which causes us to reflect on what we’re thankful for.  With hearts of gratitude, both the board of Heartfelt Music Ministry and the Coates family thank you very much for who you are and your prayerful care for us.  May the Lord richly reveal His blessings during this season and give you reason to stand in awe of His love and faithfulness.

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I’m teaching guitar lessons all day this Friday in Los Altos (10:30am-9:00pm).  Each student is unique and important.  God is using each one in their own arena leading worship in churches throughout the Bay Area.  One sings and plays for Juvenile Hall, one for a Christian Conference Center, and a couple play lead electric guitar.  All ten love God and want to use their talents to glorify God.  Coaching these students not only empowers them to unleash their full potential, but it also inspires me to see their determination, skill, and faith.  Pray that God would bless each lesson!

We’ve been reading the second part of Bob Kauflin’s new book called Worship Matters.  Part 2 covers THE TASK of worship leading.  Bob beautifully gives a working definition of the purpose in worship leading with the following sentence:
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A faithful worship leader
magnifies the greatness of God in Jesus Christ
through the power of the Holy Spirit
by skillfully combining God’s Word with music,
thereby motivating the gathered church
to proclaim the gospel,
to cherish God’s presence,
and to live for God’s glory.
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There is a wealth of practical and helpful insights in this section.  Yet, it is a little intimidating to try and summarize it in a few paragraphs here.  I’ll give you ten points that I think are significant.  After reading them, add comments, questions, or other points you think are significant.
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1. Leading people to praise God involves energy, intentionality, and thoughtfulness (page 59).
2. We want people to leave in awe that God would speak to us – encouraged by His promises, challenged by His commands, fearful of His warnings, and grateful for His blessings (page 63).
3. We need to remember that our access to God is not based on last week’s performance, today’s practices, or tomorrow’s potential.  Rather, we’re accepted “in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6) and need have no fear of rejection as we come before God’s throne (page 74).
4. We need the Holy Spirit’s power when we worship God… Three attitudes are indispensable in this area – desperate dependence, eager expectation, and humble responsiveness (page 82).
5. A faithful worship leader combines the Word of God with music to magnify the greatness of God in Jesus Christ (page 96).
6. Throughout history, God has inspired music to be a primary expression of our hearts to His, yet it is so easy to argue about.  Music wars have been fueled by publishing houses, revivalism, charismatic outpourings, cultural shifts, sound amplification, electronic instruments, and of course, our own sinful hearts (page 98).
7. The selecting of music is of utmost importance.  If someone was born in our church and grew up singing our songs over the course of twenty years, how well would they know God, based on the song’s content (page 119)?
8. A worshiping community is made up of individuals whose lives are centered around the Savior they worship together each week.  A worshiping community expects to encounter God’s presence not only on Sunday morning but every day.  A worshiping community recognizes that passionate times of singing God’s praise flow from and lead to passionate lives lived for the glory of Jesus Christ (page 127).
9. As we help people understand the relationship between God’s love for us in Christ and our daily struggles and challenges, their love and appreciation for the gospel will grow.  The result will be a joyful, gospel-centered community that demonstrates and proclaims the good news of God’s grace to a lost and hopeless world:  God’s grace forgives!  God’s grace redeems!  God’s grace restores! (page 134).
10. Genuine worship changes lives and inspires us to live for God’s glory:  making us humble, secure, grateful, holy, loving, and mission-minded (page 144-149).