Praying for You

It’s my prayer that you would experience the Lord directing your hearts into the love of God and the steadfastness of Christ. You can enjoy my song My Prayer for You on my YouTube channel by video or just audio. It’s the last song on my Intimacy Album (check out HearNow.com). Also, if you’re interested in learning the song on guitar, the music notation and guitar tab is available at Gumroad.com. Purchasing the physical album or digital album are also available. No matter what life throws at you, I hope you are encouraged and experience the joy of the Lord!

We are so grateful for your generosity!

We have received $390 through the Amplify the Sound of Hope fundraising opportunity. With this, we were able to purchase a year of MOOZ, which enables us to upgrade training musicians online (MOOZ is like ZOOM for musicians). We’ve already started it with new students and they love it. Mentoring students wonderfully enables us to spread hope. Since part of the funds we need to operate are from donations, we are not able to upgrade our website at this time. If you would like to help out financially with either a one time gift, monthly gift, or yearly gift, visit our Donation Page for more information. Thank you!

My Prayer for You Music Video

We need to have our hearts anchored in a way that gives us undeniable stability through it all. In 2 Thessalonians 3:5, Paul tells us that the two things that give our hearts a strong foundation are “the love of God” and “the steadfastness of Christ.” I was reading though the Bible and came across this verse and thought, “What a wonderful prayer for my family and friends.” Watch my backyard performance of My Prayer for You on my YouTube channel. Sherri has beautifully designed our backyard.

Reggie’s Complete Guitar Course

As I mentioned at the beginning of the summer, I’m creating a world class guitar training course, equipping people young and old with the tools to master guitar playing and dramatically impact contemporary culture for good. These dynamic lessons take guitarists from beginner to advanced. The 49 lessons are “spiral” in that they go in order and build on each other. They work best by taking them in order. Yet, you can start at any level and continue from there. It will take a few more months to complete.

Lesson Tips – Think About It

Take a look at some very helpful tips for students regarding Goals & Objectives, Discipline & Desire, and Practicing & Rehearsing. As you pursue guitar playing and look forward to getting better, it’s important to define goals and objectives. In order to keep your motivation and initiative thriving from lesson to lesson, it is essential to keep a balance between discipline and desire. Thinking about the frequency of your practicing is helpful to improve your skill.

Coming Events

One of the best ways to get important information to sink deeper into our lives is by the “sharing of ideas” with each other.  In this section, I’ll be giving reviews on books, bringing up significant issues, asking relevant questions, and commenting on things worthy of thought and discussion.  Feel free to add your insights and comments.  May God cause His truth to permeate our lives and transform us into His likeness.

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As you pursue guitar playing and look forward to getting better, it’s important to define goals and objectives. Here’s a closer look at what they are and how they can practically help you improve.

Goals are broad, long-term statements of what you intend to achieve, providing a general direction or vision, while objectives are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) actions taken to reach those goals. Objectives break down a larger goal into smaller, actionable steps, allowing for progress tracking and successful completion of the overall aim.

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Goals

• Broad and Visionary: Goals are like the destination on a map, outlining the ultimate aim without detailing the route.
• Long-Term: They represent a larger outcome or ideal that is often achieved over an extended period.
• Intangible and Abstract: Goals are often conceptual and can be more difficult to quantify directly.
• Focus on the “What”: They describe what you want to achieve.

Objectives

• Specific and Measurable: ?Objectives are concrete targets that can be defined with numbers or clear, tangible indicators.
• Short-Term and Tactical: They are the specific, smaller steps that are completed within a shorter timeframe.
• SMART: Effective objectives are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
• Focus on the “How” and “When”: They describe how you will achieve the goal and by when.

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How They Work Together

.1. Set a Goal: Start with a broad, overarching goal.
2. Define Objectives: Break the goal into smaller, specific, and measurable objectives.
3. Track Progress: Use the objectives to track progress and make adjustments as needed.
4. Achieve the Goal: By accomplishing the individual objectives, you move closer to achieving the main goal.

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Example with Health

Goal:
– To improve your physical health.

Objectives:
– Exercise for 30 minutes every day for the next month.
– Eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily.
– Drink 8 glasses of water per day.

Example with Guitar

Goal:
– To improve your ability to play chords.

Objectives:
– Practice chords for 20 minutes every day for the next month.
– Play through 4 different chord progressions while changing chords quickly.
– Learn at least 10 new chords a week.

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In order to keep your motivation and initiative thriving from lesson to lesson, it is essential to keep a balance between discipline and desire.  Discipline is the “I will” aspect of our commitment toward learning something.  Desire is the “I want” aspect of our commitment toward learning something.  Inspired to play guitar, we get the desire and say “I want to learn that cool instrument.”  Then we embark on a journey to learn the guitar and try to be disciplined saying, “I will do what it takes to get better on the instrument.”  You must have both of these to be effective in your training (I will and I want).  You can have the I want to play all day long, but without the I will, you will never actually learn to play.  You may have the I will, but without the I want, practicing gets dull and isn’t very fun.
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When you practice, remember why you started in the first place and get your desire ramped up.  Then let your discipline kick in and take the time necessary to make noticeable progress.  You will find more creativity and satisfaction in your playing as you keep both discipline and desire strong and in balance.

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Thinking about the frequency of your practicing and rehearsing is helpful to improve your skill and ability. “Practicing” is the habitual procedure or way of doing something, to exercise a skill repeatedly or regularly in order to improve or maintain one’s proficiency. “Rehearsing” is practicing for a later public performance. I think of them as practically the same and will use the word practice for both.

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So, how often do you practice?  I know of some musicians who practice 6 to 8 hours a day and others who practice 6 to 8 minutes a week.  You would agree that practice makes better, right?  Sometimes it’s not just about the time you put in, but the quality of what you practice.  It’s good to go over exercises, songs and techniques until you get them accurate and at a good pace. Make it your aim to put in a little more time in practicing than you have been. You’ll see the difference!

Take a look at this general practice scale and think of how often you practice.  Based on practicing 6 days a week, here is a scale from 1 to 5. What number are you at?

1 = Up to 1 hour a week or 10 minutes a day

2 = Up to 2 hours a week or 20 minutes a day

3 = Up to 3 hours a week or 30 minutes a day

4 = Up to 6 hours a week or 1 hour a day

5 = Over 6 hours a week or over 1 hour a day

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Christmas is a beautiful time to reflect on Jesus and be encouraged through music, family, friends, with hopefully some time to relax a little. Last Sunday, I did a short concert to share some personal songs and familiar carols. The year before, I put together a Christmas sing-a-long for families to enjoy together with words on a screen. In 2020, I recorded a Christmas Album which is available on Spotify, Pandora, iTunes, YouTube, etc. Visit https://reggiecoates.hearnow.com/i-wish-you-a-mary-christmas to find out more about this album (as well as my other 7 albums).

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Home Concert – Christmas 2024 (22 Minutes)

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Christmas Carol Sing with Reggie Coates (30 Minutes)

Have a meaningful and merry Christmas!

Sometimes we are so influenced by the voices around us that we forget the truth about ourselves and God. When I was in Bible school some years ago, the late Dr. Ray C. Stedman taught on the difference between thinking carnally (in the flesh) verses thinking spiritually (in Christ). Here are some beliefs that will help you toward a healthy spiritual perspective.

CARNALITY

• To believe that God loves you only when you are working hard for His glory.
• To believe that, though born again, you are still “human” and cannot be expected to react to pressure or danger in any other way than with anger or fear.
• To believe, that God has stated in Scripture the objectives He expects the church to accomplish and it is up to Christian leaders to find ways and means to fulfill them.
• To believe that Christians best exercise in­fluence in the world through large numbers, great wealth, political pressure, and large and impressive buildings.
• To believe that Christian achievements should be publicized as widely and loudly as possible through any and every media.
• To believe that competition with other Christians for honor, power, finances, or followers is necessary for success in ministry.
• To believe that the enemies of true faith are hateful people who must be opposed by every possible means.
• To believe that God chooses specially-talented leaders whom other Christians are expected to follow loyally and without question.

SPIRITUALITY

• To believe that you are, by virtue of Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension, no longer what you once were.
• To believe that by His transforming Spirit you are now all that Jesus is — a beloved son or daughter of God, loved and lovingly being trained by the Father.
• To believe that, though what you once were (the flesh) seeks continually to reassert its control over you, you are under no obligation to obey it.
• To believe that when you do succumb to its lies you are not changed in essence and have but to admit your wrongness and regret its hurt, to be restored immediately to the sense of God’s love and power.
• To believe that when you so walk with God, He uses the spiritual gifts He has given you to accomplish eternal results through ordinary words and deeds.
• To believe that Jesus is Lord of all your life and is continually opening opportunities for ministry for you in everyday matters and is directly controlling whom you are with and what happens to you.
• To believe, that the world, the flesh, and the devil oppose your spiritual growth by clever and subtle lures and pressures, which, apart from a close companionship with Jesus, you are helpless to resist.
• To believe that you are fulfilling your true purpose for living when, by hearing God’s words, praying to Him, and serving others, you glorify your Father in heaven.

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I hope this Christmas is filled with meaningful moments with family and a strong sense of “making room” for Jesus.  As the Christmas carol Joy to the World exhorts, “Let every heart prepare Him room!”  Though times are tough and we wish things could be different, let’s turn to the One who is in control and worship Him.  This Christmas, may you have a “Mary Christmas!”

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The book by Bob Kauflin called Worship Matters is very helpful for any ministry to gain clarity on the ultimate priority of God:  Worship.  I agree with Matt Redman’s comments, “Bob loves God, values theology, and cares about people.  This mix is found throughout this wonderful and helpful book.  Worship Matters will inspire you as a worshiper and spur you on as a leader of worship.” This blog post is a forum where you can comment and interact on the book.  Anyone can join in and add to the insights.  The book is divided into four sections which we’ll take some months to explore.

• Part I – The Leader
• Part II – The Task
• Part III – Healthy Tensions
• Part IV – Right Relationships

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In this post, let’s dive into Part I on The Leader. A leader is anyone in front of others who is influencing them (singers, readers, drummers, etc.).  I like how Bob describes many of the little things that consume us as leaders:  what people think, attitudes, musicians not showing up, and even technical things going wrong.  However, the most important thing is giving worth to God.  Worship matters to God because He is the one ultimately worthy of all worship.  It matters to us because we are created to worship God.  It also matters to leaders because it is one of the greatest privileges to lead others to encounter the greatness of God.
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The next four chapters identifies four important aspects of leaders:

• My Heart:  What Do I Love?
• My Mind:  What Do I Believe?
• My Hands:  What Do I Practice?
• My Life:  What Do I Model?

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What are you doing with your heart? We live in a culture obsessed with idols.  Bob explains how he was seeking his own glory and went through a major depression because of it.  He discovered he could lead others in worshiping God while he was worshiping something else in his heart.  God has made it clear “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37).  Bob states that “what we love most will determine what we genuinely worship (p. 25).”  As we value and love God more than anything else, we will respond in appropriate worship from our hearts.
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What are you doing with your mind? If you truly know God, you will want to know more about Him.  What do we believe about God?  Have you taken time and energy to know Him and know about Him?  It’s important that we get our minds engaged by developing our theology and docrine through Scripture.  As a young Christian, I was encouraged to memorize Scripture which has helped me in my understanding and in my leading.  I can share the “thoughts of God,” which have eternal significance rather than my random thoughts.  Some think that studying about God shouldn’t be hard…they would rather spend more time on a cool “lick” than dig deeper into a topic like “glory.”  Some think they can know God better through music than through His Word…though music truly moves us, truth transforms us and gives music its meaning.  Some think theology and doctrine cause problems…instead, theology and doctrine rightly applied will solve problems.  Mind and heart belong together.  May we be as familiar with the Word of Truth as we are with our instruments (or more so).  “If we do so, there’s a strong possibility people are going to walk away from our meetings more amazed by our God than by our music” (p.32).
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What are you doing with your hands? What you practice will develop who you are.  Skill is important as God has commanded in Psalm 33:3, “…play skillfully with a shout of joy.”  There’s a difference between trying and training.  If you are one who trys hard, you may get better, but it will be almost by accident.  If you are one who trains hard, you will get better faster as you intentionally work with disipline and initiative.  Skill is a gift of God for His glory.  It must be developed.  It is not an end in itself, but helps us focus on God and serve in many ways.  We not only need to be skilled in our craft (singing, media, sound engineering, etc.), but we should develop other important areas like leadership, communication, and technology.  Let us give ourselves to the diligent practice and careful attention necessary for biblical leadership.
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What are you doing with your life? God wants us to be a good example to others, not only “up front,” but in our daily lives.  Paul told Timothy to “set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12).  In speech, we must be very careful with what comes out of our mouths.  Last year, a young drummer on a worship team had to step down for a season because of some bitter and inappropriate words on his social media blog.  In our conduct, we must be above reproach.  What we do makes a difference as people are closely watching us.  We must build our reputation so people can trust us.  This trust is what gives us the connection to people to genuinely lead them.  In love, we demonstrate the greatest commandment of God:  loving God first and then others as ourselves.  In faith, we truly believe Jesus is alive, God is present, the Spirit is at work right now!  Lack of faith can hinder your ministry.  God promises to “reward those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).  In purity, means our character makes a big difference.  Christ demonstrated on the cross how serious God is for us to be pure.  How are you handling your sexuality?  Your anger?  May we model the Christ changed life in how we live daily.
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What do you think?  Your comments are welcomed and encouraged no matter how big or small.  Thanks.

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).