I led worship at Peninsula Bible Church in Willow Glen and it was like a mini-reunion seeing a number of folks I ministered with when I was the Worship Pastor at Peninsula Bible Church in Cupertino 20 years ago.  God has been so faithful in our lives.  It was a joy see how God’s blessings have been given throughout the years.

There’s only two weeks left for the first Quarter at Valley Christian School, but it seems like we just started.  Thank you for your prayers as I lead the students toward intimacy with God.  I am coordinating the chapels for both the Jr. High School and the High School and this is where 2,000 students are encouraged and nurtured toward a close relationship with Christ.  I took one of our worship teams to sing at a missions event which you can watch below.

You are invited to a new workshop I’ll be leading at Guitar Showcase called Playing Worship Songs at Various Skill Levels, Sunday, October 28, from 3:00pm to 4:00pm ($20.00)  This guitar workshop is for all who would like to find enjoyable and creative ways to play worship songs at different skill levels. Each song can be played with various chord voicings, strums, picking patterns, and tunings. Together we’ll sound like a guitar choir. Individually you can be comfortable or challenged in what you choose to play.  More information can be found at https://heartfeltmusic.org/calendar/ .

May God’s life in you bring you such peace and joy unlike anything the world can offer.

Blessings,

Reggie

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 than you have been to practice. 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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The beginning of the school year has been a whirlwind.  Last week was Spiritual Emphasis Week at Valley Christian Schools.  I was able to teach on Jeremiah and his dirty underwear during one of the High School chapels (Jeremiah 13:1-11). The week turned out to be very inspirational and encouraging.  Would you continue to pray with me that God would nurture and mature each student spiritually in the coming weeks.

I took one of my worship teams to sing for a missions organization called Innocent Voices (who help fight human trafficking).  They did a fantastic job and it was a great way to get closer as a team.

I am leading worship at various churches each Sunday and would love to minister with yours.  I’ll be at Peninsula Bible Church in Willow Glen the first Sunday in October and will continue to lead with Redwood Chapel once a month (check online at https://heartfeltmusic.org/calendar/).

I’m continuing to teach private lessons in Los Altos, San Jose, and Mount Hermon.  I would like to add 4 or 5 more students if you know anyone passionate to learn and develop in both their skill and faith https://heartfeltmusic.org/academy/.

Again, thank you so much for your prayers and encouraging emails.  Your support is such a blessing.  May you experience God’s brilliant love in every aspect of life.

Hope you’ve enjoyed the summer!  It went by so fast for me.  I will be working full-time at Valley Christian School in San Jose and will not continue as the Director of Worship Ministries at Redwood Chapel after next week.  This will mean more focus, more time at home and less travel.  Please, pray for the transition to be encouraging for all.  My family and I were able to go to Southern California for vacation last week.  What a joy to spend extended time together.

Songwriting Intensive This Saturday

August 11 (Sat), 9:00am-12:00pm – Songwriting Intensive, Mount Hermon

I will be facilitating a three hour Songwriting Intensive this Saturday at the Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center Fireside Room, limited to 10 participants.  It is more of an intimate setting with personal interaction and attention.  Call me if you’d like to attend.  All the information is at our website under courses/camps.

Concert/Worship Night This Sunday

August 12 (Sun), 7:30pm-8:45pm – South Hills Community Church, San Jose.

I will be  leading a worship night and share some of my own songs.  It is entitled “Empower” which will inspire and encourage you to let Jesus empower you to fully live life!  It will begin at 7:30pm Sunday.  More information can be found at https://heartfeltmusic.org/calendar/ .

May you be empowered to live life to the full.  Thank you so much for your prayers and support.

Hope you enjoyed the Fourth of July!  We can celebrate the freedom we have in Christ and be thankful for the freedom we experience in this nation.  Last Sunday’s concert in Los Altos was a fantastic start to the “Empower” summer concert tour.  I’ll be with full band this Sunday in Castro Valley doing an UpReach worship night combined with an acoustic concert.  If you can come, I guarantee you’ll be refreshed in your faith!  This Saturday morning will be the Adult Beginning Guitar Intensive at Mount Hermon.  So, if you know anyone who’d like to learn guitar quickly, tell them about this training workshop (details below).  Thank you for your prayers through these events and your encouraging notes and comments throughout the month.  I hope my music touches your heart as God has touched mine.

Concert/Worship Refreshment

I will be doing concerts this summer throughout the Bay Area.  They are entitled “Empower” which will inspire and encourage you to allow Jesus to empower you to live life to the full!  In each location, the concerts will begin at 6:00pm Sunday evenings.  I’ll be sharing songs that haven’t been recorded yet and some favorites.  The evening will also include worship songs you can sing along with.  More information can be found at

https://heartfeltmusic.org/calendar/ .

• July 8 (Sun) – Castro Valley Concert & Worship, Redwood Chapel Comm. Ch.
• July 22 (Sun) – Felton Concert, Felton Bible Church
• July 29 (Sun) – Morgan Hill Concert, Morgan Hill Presbyterian Church
• August 12 (Sun) – San Jose Concert, South Hills Community Church

Guitar Intensives

I will be holding six three-hour Guitar Intensives this summer.  Three are for youth grades 5-12 and three are for adults.  The youth ones are held on Fridays from 9:00am to 12:00pm at Valley Christian High School in the Conservatory Bldg. (San Jose area).  The adult ones are held on Saturdays from 9:00am to 12:00pm at Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center in the Fireside Room (Santa Cruz area).  The Advanced Guitar one has been changed to July 14 at my home from 1:00pm to 4:00pm.  Make sure you fill out an Application Form and get it in right away.  They include three hours of instruction, a challenging training/resource book (The Complete Guitar Manual, with DVD included), a notebook, and relevant handouts.  All the information is at our website under courses/camps.

• July 7 (Sat) – Beginning Guitar Intensive (Adult), Mt. Hermon
• July 13 (Fri) – Beginning Guitar Intensive (Grades 5-12), VCHS
• July 14 (Sat) – Intermediate Guitar Intensive (Adult), Mt. Hermon
• July 14 (Sat) – Advanced Guitar Intensive (Adult), 1:00pm, Reggie’s home
• July 20 (Fri) – Intermediate Guitar Intensive (Grades 5-12), VCHS
• July 27 (Fri) – Advanced Guitar Intensive (Grades 5-12), VCHS

Songwriting Intensive

August 11 (Sat) – Christian Songwriting Intensive (Adult)

I will be facilitating a one day Songwriting Intensive this summer at the Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center Fireside Room, limited to 10 participants.  It is more of an intimate setting with personal interaction and attention.  Because it’s limited, make sure you get in the Application Form right away.  It includes three hours of instruction, sharing songs, personal coaching, a challenging training/resource book (God Songs, by Paul Baloche with Jimmy & Carol Owens), a notebook, and relevant handouts for $85.00.  All the information is at our website under courses/camps.

Support

You can go to https://heartfeltmusic.org/about/support/ to either donate a one-time gift or begin a monthly contribution.  Any amount would propel us forward.  Your tax deductible gifts enable us to minister more broadly and effectively.

With the sun shining so lavishly, bringing in the summer with a smile, and Jesus pouring life into every ministry effort, there is a deep joy that certainly makes life worth living!  The Christian Guitarist Fellowship brought a wide range of ages from a number of churches and proved to be a very encouraging time.  The performance at Spirit West Coast with the Cede band went well (what a joy to play with such highly skilled musicians).  Unfortunately, my guitar didn’t make my flight and I had to wait for it to arrive on the next one.  The last picture above  is my Guitar for Fun class at Valley Christian Elementary School.  There are a lot of events coming up.  Take a look and I hope to see you at a few of them!

Private Lessons This Summer

I am teaching private guitar lessons this Summer at the following locations for June and July.  I will be taking all of August off.  If you’re interested in lessons,  just email me at [email protected] and I can set you up.

• Guitar Showcase in San Jose
• Valley Christian High School in San Jose
• Bridges Community Church in Los Altos
• My home in Mount Hermon

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Reggie’s Concerts This Summer

I will be doing a number of concerts this summer throughout the Bay Area.  They are entitled “Empower” which will inspire and encourage you to allow Jesus to empower you to live life to the full!  In each location, the concerts will begin at 6:00pm Sunday evenings.  I’ll be sharing songs that haven’t been recorded yet and some favorites.  The evening will also include worship songs you can sing along with.  More information can be found at

https://heartfeltmusic.org/calendar/ .

• July 1 (Sun) – Los Altos Concert, Bridges Community Church
• July 8 (Sun) – Castro Valley Concert & Worship, Redwood Chapel Comm. Ch.
• July 22 (Sun) – Felton Concert, Felton Bible Church
• July 29 (Sun) – Morgan Hill Concert, Morgan Hill Presbyterian Church
• August 12 (Sun) – San Jose Concert, South Hills Community Church (Please note the date change. The last eNewsletter said August 5 which is no longer correct)

Guitar Intensives This Summer

We will be holding six three-hour Guitar Intensives this summer.  Three are for youth grades 5-12 and three are for adults.  The youth ones are held on Fridays from 9:00am to 12:00pm at Valley Christian High School in the Conservatory Bldg. (San Jose area).  The adult ones are held on Saturdays from 9:00am to 12:00pm at Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center in the Fireside Room (Santa Cruz area).  The Advanced Guitar one has been changed to July 14 at my home from 1:00pm to 4:00pm.  Make sure you fill out an Application Form and get it in right away.  The curriculum is more intensive in order to get a lot in, but they are intentionally divided up to benefit certain age groups and skill levels.  They include three hours of instruction, a challenging training/resource book (The Complete Guitar Manual, with DVD included), a notebook, and relevant handouts.  All the information is at our website under courses/camps.

• July 7 (Sat) – Beginning Guitar Intensive (Adult), Mt. Hermon
• July 13 (Fri) – Beginning Guitar Intensive (Grades 5-12), VCHS
• July 14 (Sat) – Intermediate Guitar Intensive (Adult), Mt. Hermon
• July 14 (Sat) – Advanced Guitar Intensive (Adult), 1:00pm, Reggie’s home
• July 20 (Fri) – Intermediate Guitar Intensive (Grades 5-12), VCHS
• July 27 (Fri) – Advanced Guitar Intensive (Grades 5-12), VCHS

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Worship Leading Intensive This Summer

June 30 (Sat), 9:00am to 12:00pm – Worship Leading Intensive (Adult).  We will be holding a three-hour Worship Leading Intensive this summer at Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center in the Fireside Room (Santa Cruz area), limited to 10 participants.  It is more of an intimate setting with personal interaction and attention.  Because it’s limited, make sure you get in the Application Form right away.  It includes three hours of instruction and practical interaction, a challenging training/resource book (The Worship Leader’s Handbook, by Tom Kreauter), a notebook, and relevant handouts for $85.00.  All the information is at our website under courses/camps.

Songwriting Camp This Summer

August 11 (Sat) – Christian Songwriting Camp (Adult)

We will be holding a one day Songwriting Camp this summer at the Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center Fireside Room, limited to 10 participants.  It is more of an intimate setting with personal interaction and attention.  Because it’s limited, make sure you get in the Application Form right away.  It includes three hours of instruction, sharing songs, personal coaching, a challenging training/resource book (God Songs, by Paul Baloche with Jimmy & Carol Owens), a notebook, and relevant handouts for $85.00.  All the information is at our website under courses/camps.

National Anthem at the Infineon Raceway

I’ll be playing the National Anthem on electric guitar on Sunday, July 22, to start the races.  Racers For Christ will also be holding three Chapels that morning in which I will be leading worship.  It’s a very exciting event with dragsters, funny cars, and motorcycles racing throughout the day.  Racers for Christ are leading the chapel fellowships and teaching during these events.  For more information, contact one of the Racers for Christ chaplains, Bob Hadidian, at (805) 801-7579.

Would You Consider Contributing to Heartfelt Music Ministry?

Go to https://heartfeltmusic.org/about/support/ to either donate a one-time gift or begin a monthly contribution.  Any amount would be propel us forward.  Your tax deductible gifts enable us to minister to others who greatly desire our services but cannot afford to pay for them.

I hope your summer is filled with joy as you let Jesus live through you.

In His Life & Love,

Reggie

The Coates family is doing very well.  Sherri is working at Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center getting the cabins ready for the summer camps,  Brandon is working at the Boardwalk caricature drawing, and Austin is continuing to teach private guitar lessons.   In the pictures above, Austin finished the school year with a group drama presentation, Sherri’s friend took a picture of beautiful Santa Cruz at dusk, and Brandon get’s paid to do what he loves…drawing.

I just finished reading through the book of Job.  It’s amazing what pain he goes through and still remains upright and godly.  Though he doesn’t say much at the end, he ends up humble and blessed!  Now I’m digging into the Psalms to experience all kinds of emotion being expressed.  As I finished up this year at Valley Christian School, the memory verse for the Worship Band was “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!” (Psalm 150:6)

Summer is almost here!  School is wrapping up for the year and already we are making plans for the summer.  The following events are ones you may want attend or let others know who may be interested: Concerts, Training in guitar, worship leading, and songwriting.  You may be interested in a few lessons as a Tune-Up.  Thank you for your encouragement and continued prayers for me and Heartfelt Music Ministry as we work in God’s strength to lead others toward intimacy with God and equip others to glorify God.

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Christian Guitarist Fellowship

The Christian Guitarist Fellowship is back.  Everyone is invited from beginners to advanced players, from rockers to alternative players, from acoustic to electric players, from teenagers to the ageless.  Come and meet guitarists from all over the Bay Area. Heartfelt Music Ministry is holding the Christian Guitarist Fellowship to help motivate you in your guitar playing and encourage you in Christ. There will be a short lesson for all levels; we will have breakout “jam” sessions where you pair-off with those in your skill level; we will play some worship songs together; a few will perform in front of everyone; we’ll pray together; and we’ll discuss resources for guitarists in the Bay Area. It will be fun fellowship and it’s free! Even those who have never played before, but want to learn to play the guitar are welcome. It will be at Redwood Chapel Community, 19300 Redwood Road, Castro Valley, CA 94546, on Sunday, May 20^th, from 3:00pm-5:00pm.  http://www.klove.com/events/detail.aspx?i=205954

Guitar Intensives This Summer

I will be teaching six one day Guitar Intensives this summer.  Three are three for youth grades 5-12 through Valley Christian Schools and three are for adults at Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center through Heartfelt Music Ministry.  The youth ones are held on Fridays from 9:00am to 12:00pm at Valley Christian High School in the Conservatory Bldg. (San Jose area).  The adult ones are held on Saturdays from 9:00am to 12:00pm at Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center in the Fireside Room (Santa Cruz area).  Make sure you fill out an Application Form and get it in right away.  The curriculum is more intensive in order to get a lot in, but they are intentionally divided up to benefit certain age groups and skill levels.  They include three hours of instruction, a challenging training/resource book (The Complete Guitar Manual, with DVD included), a notebook, and relevant handouts.  All the information is at our website under courses/camps.  We decided to identify these as Intensives rather than Camps because they are only on one day and not multiple days.

• July 7 (Sat) – Beginning Guitar Intensive (Adult), Mt. Hermon
• July 13 (Fri) – Beginning Guitar Intensive (Grades 5-12), VCHS
• July 14 (Sat) – Intermediate Guitar  Intensive (Adult), Mt. Hermon
• July 20 (Fri) – Intermediate Guitar Intensive, (Grades 5-12), VCHS
• July 27 (Fri) – Advanced Guitar Intensive, (Grades 5-12), VCHS
• August 4 (Sat) – Advanced Guitar  Intensive (Adult), Mt. Hermon

Worship Leading Camp This Summer

June 30 (Sat), 9:00am to 12:00pm – Worship Leading Camp (Adult)

This worship leading camp is a great way to develop the skill of leading others in singing and worship.  As Jim Burns has said (National conference speaker & author, President of HomeWord Ministries):  “Reggie Coates is one of the finest worship leaders in the United States.  He has the incredible ability to lead people toward a loving relationship with God through a humble and beautiful style of leadership.”   Reggie will be teaching and coaching you to be your utmost for Him.  The morning includes a challenging training/resource book, a notebook, relevant handouts, and three hours of interactive instruction.  The book is called The Worship Leader’s Handbook  by Tom Kraeuter.  Each person will lead and receive critique.    It includes three hours of instruction and sharing songs, a challenging training/resource book (The Worship Leader’s Handbook, by Tom Kreauter), a notebook, and relevant handouts for $85.00.  All the information is at our website under courses/camps.

Songwriting Camp This Summer

August 11 (Sat) – Christian Songwriting Camp (Adult)

We will be holding a one day Songwriting Camp this summer at the Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center Fireside Room, limited to a 10 participants for each session.  It is more of an intimate setting with personal interaction and attention.  Because it’s limited, make sure you get in the Application Form right away.  It includes three hours of instruction and sharing songs, a challenging training/resource book (God Songs, by Paul Baloche with Jimmy & Carol Owens), a notebook, and relevant handouts for $85.00.  All the information is at our website under courses/camps.

Reggie’s Concerts The Summer

I will be doing a number of concerts this summer throughout the Bay Area.  They are entitled “Empower” which will inspire and encourage you to allow Jesus to empower you to live life to the full!  In each location, the concerts will begin at 6:00pm Sunday evenings.  I’ll be sharing songs that haven’t been recorded yet and some favorites.  The evening will have worship songs you can sing along with.  More information can be found at  https://heartfeltmusic.org/calendar/ .

• July 1 (Sun) – Los Altos Concert, Bridges Community Church
• July 8 (Sun) – Castro Valley Concert & Worship Gathering, Redwood Chapel Comm. Ch.
• July 22 (Sun) – Felton Concert, Felton Bible Church
• July 29 (Sun) – Morgan Hill Concert, Morgan Hill First Presbyterian Church
• August 5 (Sun) – San Jose Concert, South Hills Community Church

Cede and Reggie Performing at Spirit West Coast in Del Mar

Cede will be performing at Spirit West Coast in Del Mar (Southern California), Friday, May 25^th.  I’ll be playing acoustic guitar and singing with a few others from Cede at the Hope Christian Bookstore tent.  We will be singing favorites from our CD and other worship songs with a motivation to live in Jesus.  For more information see http://spiritwestcoast.org/Delmar/  [The Monterey Spirit West Coast festival has been cancelled for this year.]

National Anthem at the Infineon Raceway

I’ll be playing the National Anthem on electric guitar on Sunday, July 22, to start the races.  Racers For Christ will also be holding three Chapels that morning in which I will be leading worship.  It’s a very exciting event with dragsters, funny cars, and motorcycles racing throughout the day.  Racers for Christ are leading the chapel fellowship and teaching during these events.  For more information, contact one of the Racers for Christ chaplains, Bob Hadidian, at (805) 801-7579.

Would You Consider Contributing to Heartfelt Music Ministry?

We would greatly appreciate any financial contribution you could make at this time.  Go to https://heartfeltmusic.org/about/support/ to either donate a one-time gift or begin a monthly contribution.  Any amount would be such a help.  Your tax deductible gifts enable us to minister to others who greatly desire our services but cannot afford to pay for them.  May you have a Spirit enriched summer.

Living In Jesus,

Reggie

This month and next will hold some events you will not want to miss.  All the details can be found on our site at https://heartfeltmusic.org/calendar/.

Sunday is Easter and I’ll be leading music for Mount Hermon’s Easter Sunrise Service at 6:30am on the Ponderosa Lodge hill where the cross is. Then, at 11:00am, I’ll be leading worship at Redwood Chapel for their Easter Service with orchestra and choir as well.  Next Friday, April 13^th, I’ll be doing a concert with Bob Bennett in Atascadero, CA (7:00pm).  We’ll be gently sharing about Jesus through personal stories and music.  April 15^th, I’ll be leading a workshop on Improving Performance at Guitar Showcase at 2:30pm.  I’ll be leading worship for South Hills Men’s Retreat at Mission Springs (4/27-29).  In May, there will be the Christian Guitarist Fellowship at Redwood Chapel (5/20, 3:00pm-5:00pm) where everyone is invited.  I’ll also be performing at Spirit West Coast Del Mar in the Hope Christian Bookstore booth (5/25).  In June, I’ll be performing at Spirit West Coast Monterey in the Hope Christian Bookstore booth (6/23).  In July, I’ll be playing the Star Spangled Banner at the Infineon Raceway on electric guitar like last year (7/22) and leading the racers in worship in three services that morning.

Please, continue to pray for me and this ministry as we lead others toward intimacy with God.

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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.