Happy Easter!  The truth of the resurrection never gets old and the life of Jesus continues to empower me and my family.  We celebrated Sherri’s birthday last week at Filoli and saw some beautiful gardens and flowers.  She’s also reworking our gardens at home.  I thank God for being so blessed with Sherri and my boys.  They bring a lot of joy and fulness to my life.  Sherri held a crafts elective at Mount Hermon a couple of weeks ago for their woman’s retreat and had a blast.  Brandon and Austin are enjoying school and are faithfully involved with staying on top of their studies.  They only have a month left to go.

I could use prayer for the next couple of months as my time with Open Door Church as an Interim Worship Leader will be ending the end of June.  It’s possible I could become the permanent  Worship Leader and I should know by the end of May whether this will work out or not.  I’ve really enjoyed ministering with them, but continue to seek God’s guidance to work with the church-at-large through Heartfelt Music Ministry and work with a local church as well.  I know the poor economy has hit many of you very hard.  We too have been working hard to make it through.  These times have stretched our faith in new ways and continue to bring us back to God and His faithful care in our lives.  We thank God for His resurrection power and the opportunities for ministry He brings our way everyday.

I can’t believe it’s the last day of 2010.  God has shown Himself so alive this year through some of the most memorable times both good and bad.  Watching God work around me and experiencing God work through me is faith-building and incredibly encouraging. “Thank you, Lord, for your presence and care throughout 2010!”

This year has had its ups and downs.  The poor economy has affected me and my family in significant ways.  At the same time, we are amazed at people’s generosity and care.  Friendships are such an encouragement in tough times.  Thank you for your prayers for us and inspirational notes along the way.

We have grown closer as a family also which has given us a stronger platform to minister to others.  We had the scare of health issues which turned out to be nothing.  I lost my job in June which launched me back into a Bay Area wide ministry.  My sons are growing up with such maturity for their age, making great decisions.  They have really enjoyed school this year.  Now 16 and 18, they are both into driving.  Sherri had a blast being involved with the Mount Hermon Christmas Crafts Boutique this month and will be involved with crafts more this year.

I’ve been doing well spiritually, physically, and mentally.  I know it’s not an accident as it takes work (or should I say God compels me to be disciplined?).  I’m still daily reading Scripture and regularly study God’s Word which gives me perspective, direction, and nurtures/renews my spirit.  I’m thankful to a handful of guys that meet with me monthly to hold me accountable and faithfully pray for specific needs in my life.  Time alone in the car traveling has given me hours of prayer time to grow more intimate with God.  Physically, I’m daily exercising and keeping in shape.  I just performed a demonstration of Tae Kwon Do, Korean sword fighting and nun-chucks for about 100 children at a church in Martinez…very fun!  And I’m staying sharp mentally as I work with so many people, helping them on their journey, encouraging teamwork and leading them toward intimacy with God.

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
Amen!

The Coates family is doing well.  I’ve been very busy, but make it a priority to spend quality time with family.  Sherri is gearing up for Mount Hermon’s Christmas Boutique as she will be selling some crafts there.  Brandon and Austin are enjoying school which is a breath of fresh air for us.  We appreciate your prayers.  May you have a wonderful Thanksgiving as you think of the many things to be thankful for!

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I have received some very encouraging emails lately and wanted to share some of them.  Thank you so much for words that spur me on!

“What struck me as soon as I started reading your newsletter is how faithful you have been over the years to teach and encourage young/old musicians. Guitar playing hasn’t been my focus, but I’m so grateful that you are building this skill with musicians. What a blessing you have been to many with your teaching and worship leading! May He continue to enlarge your ministry!” ~ Wanda P.
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“I have been thinking lately about people who have a great idea and do something about it. You are one of those people! As I was dwelling on that idea, you came to the very front of my mind and I could not shake the feeling that you could use some encouragement.  MANY times when I have my guitar in hand I remember the training and good times I had at the Christian Guitar and Bass Conferences. All of that great teaching and encouragement in one place! What an awesome thing!!! I know that it had to take its toll on you and your family (to whom I am also grateful ) but you did it. I’m sure you would say not without the Lords help, but someone had to be the hands and feet for it. I am glad it was you! I have enjoyed your company and gentle spirit every time that I had the opportunity.  So I just want to say thank you for “getting out of the shower, drying off and doing something about the great idea that you had” for the CGBC. May God continue to bless your endeavors and your great ideas in the future!! Thanks again.” ~ Jeff C.
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“Enjoyed your teaching at National Worship Leader Conference East. We could surely tell that as much as your formal training is in voice, your love is playing guitar.  Thank you for the cords and techniques to work with. May God bless you as you encourage others to glorify Jesus with their best skills.”  ~ David B.
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“Reggie is the amazing triple play, fabulous musician, inspirational leader, and fantastic teacher. To find all these qualities in one person is rare, to find them in a person as humble as Reggie is astounding. I’m extremely grateful for Reggie’s mentoring, he has helped my playing and worship leading immensely. I’m proud to count Reggie as a friend.” ~ Steve M.

We had a fantastic trip to Washington DC as a family with many great bonding moments.  There were some ministry events which brought us there (leading worship for the 100th Anniversary of the Boy Scouts Jamboree, leading worship for New Life Community Church, and holding two workshops at another church), but most of the time was spent sight seeing.  We took a lot of pictures, but I just included a few to give you an idea of our wonderful experience there.

We were able to visit my brother and his wife, see many memorials (like the Lincoln Memorial), see many museums (like the Space Museum Annex and the Marine Corps Museum), go swimming in the Potomac River because of some good friends (the Turner family), see George Washington’s home, visit a Tavern in Fredericksburg, eat lunch in Georgetown, and stay with some truly amazing friends (the Katsarelis family) in Stafford, Virginia.

Thank you for praying for us.  It was a blessing that everyone enjoyed the flights for the most part.  We were all pretty flexible with the schedule and that made it enjoyable and not rushed.  The weather was actually pretty nice during our stay there.  We had many reasons to thank God for this trip, but the best one is the closeness of our family.  We are all very grateful for this.

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July has been a month of defining direction for the Coates family.  Last month was a tough one with the surprise of my position being eliminated at the church I was ministering at full-time (because of church financial struggles).  This month, I’ve been working to launch Heartfelt Music Ministry full-time again.  This is a new direction from the last two years as I’ve been doing more discipling, teaching, and nurturing the people of Creekside Community Church spiritually and musically, staying more local.  Now, I will be traveling more and ministering to the church-at-large.  Brandon just graduated from High School and is going to San Jose State University in Animation/Illustration which is a new direction for him (though he has been anticipating it for years).  Austin is doing well, taller than everyone in our family, and will be going to a new school as a sophomore this fall.  Sherri also is doing well enjoying the community of friends at Mount Hermon.  Both of us miss the people at our old church and are feeling a sense of loss.  Through all the changes, we’re excited about the future and realize it’s all a part of God’s adventurous plan.  We trust Him fully and look forward to seeing how God is going to use us for His glory!

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Due to financial difficulties at Creekside Community Church in Alamo, where I’ve been the Associate pastor, they announced to me on Wednesday, and the congregation today, that my position has been eliminated. I will be looking for a new ministry opportunity to begin in July. Any ideas? Appreciate your prayers for me and my family.

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Right in the middle of this month, a dear friend died of cancer.  Ron Miller’s example and testimony was such an example of God’s mercy and love.  He maintained such a sweet attitude throughout his life and even at the end in the last weeks.  He, and his wife Carol, were adult leaders while I was a Youth Pastor 20 years ago.  We’ve been at Creekside Community Church together for the last two years.  We will miss him greatly.
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My Heartfelt Music Ministry activities have mostly been teaching private music lessons this month, but beginning in June I’ll be doing a lot more workshops, concerts, and worship leading across the nation. Mark your calendars to pray for the following events and come if you can.  Thank you for your continued support and prayers for me and Heartfelt Music Ministry.  Here’s some of the events & workshops coming up:
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• May 31 – Jun 11 (Mon+) – Beginning Strumming and Finger-Picking, Music Dojo .com online courses  [https://www.musicdojo.com/main.asp].  Reggie will be teaching 5 beginning strumming patterns and 5 beginning finger-picking patterns over this two week course.  These are affordable lessons with email interaction with Reggie tailored to your schedule.
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• June 7 (Mon) – Joni and Friends’ Family Retreat, Mission Springs Christian Conference Center, Scotts Valley, CA [http://www.joniandfriends.org/fr_schedule.php].  Reggie will be doing a concert on their first night.

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• June 15-17 (Tue-Thu) – Regional Worship Leader Conference, Calvary Church, Albuquerque, NM [http://www.nationalworshipleaderconference.com/home].  Reggie will be teaching both the Electric Guitar and Acoustic Guitar training workshops.

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• August 1 (Sun) – Boy Scouts of America 100 Year National Jamboree, A.P. Hill, VA [http://www.bsajamboree.org/].  Reggie will be leading worship for the Protestant Sunday Service in the middle of their week-long conference.
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• August 30-September 2 (Mon-Thu) – Christian Songwriters Conference, Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center, CA [http://mounthermon.org/adult/professionals/songwriters].  Reggie will be teaching songwriting workshops and judging for the songwriting competition at the conference.
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• September 3-6 (Fri-Mon) – Labor Day Family Camp Weekend, Sugarpine Christian Conference Center, CA [http://www.sugarpine.org/camps/FamilyCamp/FamilyCamp.shtml].  Reggie will be leading worship throughout the weekend.

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Easter was a nice shot in the arm to remind me to live anew in the power of the resurrection of Christ.  Right after Easter I took a two week vacation which was a renewing time for me personally and also a wonderful time with family.
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I have to share with you an April miracle which encouraged our whole family.  My oldest son is going to college next year and I’ve been looking at getting him his own guitar to take with him.  Both of my sons have been playing a lot lately and making remarkable progress.  I found two really nice affordable guitars at Guitar Showcase, but the only way to buy them was to sell one of my guitars (My 1985 Ovation Collector’s Guitar, the first nice guitar I ever bought).  I put it on eBay for a few days.  No one bid on it, so I re-listed it for another few days.  A number of people were looking, but no bids.  After a couple of days, someone sent a message asking if I “wanted” to sell the guitar or if I “needed” to sell the guitar.  I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I answered honestly about how I really didn’t “want” to sell it.  I explained how the guitar had meaning to the whole family, but we “needed” to sell in order to buy the two guitars for my sons, so they could continue to develop their own ministry creativity.  Within an hour of my reply, the gentleman sent me another message saying, “I have just purchased the guitar through eBay.  Now I donate it back to your ministry.”  Praise God!!  You should have seen the excitement we all had…tears, dancing, laughter…and much thanks to this generous man and our loving God!  Now, my boys have their own guitars and have been playing like crazy while I continue to use the Ovation to God’s glory.

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I was so encouraged by this email I received on Monday.  I am amazed at how faithful God has been throughout the years.
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Hi Reggie,
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It was great to hear you lead worship on Sunday morning service last week.  I was sitting right in front of you with two of my children and wife.  As I was sitting there, the sound of the guitar and your voice brought me back to my high school days.  I couldn’t figure out why you were familiar until the third song as it finally dawned on me that I remember you leading worship at Redwood Christian high school camp during the late 80’s.  A flood of memories came back as I contemplated the importance your music played in my walk with the Lord as a high school kid.  It was during that week at camp meeting that I decided to commit my life to God as a young man and take my walk with God more seriously.  Your music profoundly ministered to me by the Grace of God.  I have wavered in my faith from time to time and definitely have lots of work to do in my life today but I thank you for your service to God and his church.  When I arrived home from church I brought out my old box of tapes and found three Reggie Coates albums waiting to listen to.  My family and I praised God while we were working on dinner and listening to those three tapes.  Shout for Joy!  Don’t give up in doing good and know that you are reaping a harvest for Him.  I look forward to seeing you in person in the coming weeks to say thank you in person.
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Sincerely,

Scott