Going beyond..

we're back!!!

2009-02-10T20:34:00.002+08:00

remember this date: 14 March

2nd Teenz Album Official Launch!!!

the album band are going to be rehearsing to give you a performance you'll never forget.
DON'T FORGET to invite your friends and everyone you think would enjoy great music.

we'll try to keep you guys updated on what's going on.

From You, Through You, For You.

Everlasting God

2008-11-29T12:09:00.001+08:00

One thing I know that I have found
Through all the troubles that surround
You are the Rock that never fails, You never fail

Verse 2:

One thing I know that I believe
through every blessing I receive
You are the only One that stays, You always stay

Chorus:
You never change, You're still the same
You are the Everlasting God
You will remain after the day is gone and the things of earth have passed
everlasting God

Verse 3:
One thing I know that I have found
Through all the troubles that surround
You are the Rock that never fails, You never fail

Chorus:
You never change, You're still the same
You are the Everlasting God
You will remain after the day is gone and the things of earth have passed
everlasting God

Take you back

2008-11-28T23:56:00.001+08:00

Take You Back

The reason why I stand
The answer lies in you
You hung to make me strong
Though my praise was few
When I fall and bring your name down

But I have found in you
A heart that pleads forgiveness
Replacing all these thoughts
Of painful memories
But I know
That your response will always be

[Chorus]
I'll take you back always
And even when your fight is over now
Even when your fight is over now
I'll take you back always
And even when the pain is coming through
Even when the pain is coming through
I'll take you back

You satisfy this cry
Of what I'm looking for
And I take all I can
And lay it down
Before the throne of endless grace, now
That radiates what's true

I'm in the only place
That erases all these faults
That have overtaken me
But I know
That your response will always be

[Repeat Chorus]

I can only speak
With a grateful heart
As I'm pierced by this gift
Of your love

I will always bring an offering
I can never thank you enough

[Chorus Two]
You'll take me back always
And even when my fight is over now
Even when my fight is over now
You'll take me back always
And even when my pain is coming through
Even when my pain is coming through
You'll take me back always

Even when my fight is over now
Even when my fight is over now

You'll take me back always

Even when my pain is coming through
Even when my pain is coming through

You'll take me back

Your Place in God's Band

2008-10-18T09:32:00.006+08:00

Your Place in God's Band

by Max Lucado

Two of my teenage years were spent carrying a tuba in my high school marching band. My mom wanted me to learn to read music, and the choir was full while the band was a tuba-tooter short, so I signed up. Not necessarily what you would describe as a call from God, but it wasn't a wasted experience either.

I had a date with a twirler.

I learned to paint white shoe polish on school buses.

And I learned some facts about harmony that I'll pass on to you.

I marched next to the bass-drum player. What a great sound. Boom. Boom. Boom. Deep, cavernous, thundering.

And at the end of my flank marched the flute section. Oh, how their music soared. Whispering, lifting, rising into the clouds.

Ahead of me, at the front of my line, was our first-chair trumpet. He could raise the spirit. He could raise the flag. He could have raised the roof on the stadium if we'd had one.

The soft flute
needs
the brash trumpet
needs
the steady drum
needs
the soft flute
needs
the brash trumpet.

Get the idea? The operative word is need. They need each other.

By themselves they make music. But together, they make magic.

Now, what I saw two decades ago in the band, I see today in the church. We need each other. Not all of us play the same instrument. Some believers are lofty, and others are solid. Some keep the pace while others lead the band. Not all of us make the same sound. Some are soft, and others are loud. And not all of us have the same ability. But each of us has a place.

Some play the drums (like Martha).

Some play the flute (like Mary).

And others sound the trumpet (like Lazarus).

Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were like family to Jesus. After the Lord raised Lazarus from the dead, they decided to give a dinner for Jesus. They decided to honor him by having a party on his behalf (see John 12:2).

They didn't argue over the best seat. They didn't resent each other's abilities. They didn't try to outdo each other. All three worked together with one purpose. But each one fulfilled that purpose in his or her unique manner. Martha served; she always kept everyone in step. Mary worshiped; she anointed her Lord with an extravagant gift, and its aroma filled the air. Lazarus had a story to tell, and he was ready to tell it.

Three people, each one with a different skill, a different ability. But each one of equal value.

Stories behind songs

2008-09-28T00:48:00.003+08:00

While the album is undergoing intense processing in KL, here are some stuffs to share with you guys.

Be encouraged and enjoy the song & story behind it =)

Everlasting God
(recorded by Lincoln Brewster)

Lincoln talks about the song..

Everlasting God - Lincoln Brewster

Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
Wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
Wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
Our God You reign forever
Our Hope our strong Deliverer

You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
You do not faint You won't grow weary
You're the defender of the weak
You comfort those in need
You lift us up on wings like eagles

You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
The everlasting God
The everlasting

Desert Song (Hillsong)

Video blog about the song..

The song.. (live with lyric subtitles)

How Can I Not
(by Jayesslee)

This is a song about God's dilemma.
He is like a parent watching his child do everything in his/her power to rebel against him. But despite the anger and wrath, he just sighs and smiles saying, "How can I not love you."

(Lyrics from Hosea 11)

When you were a child I loved you
When you were a child I called you my son
But the more I called you
The further you went from me

It was I who taught you
Taught you to walk your first steps
It was I who taught you
Holding you by your hand
It was I who healed you
Healed all of your bruises wounds and pain

How can I give you up
How can I hand you over
How can I treat you like
Treat you like a sinner
How can I look at you
When you turn against me
Compassion is stirring
My love overflowing for you
How can I not love you

I saw you walking
In the desert land
Got me thinking
Got me wondering
Will he be okay
So I cared for you I led you
But you forgot me
You forgot me

When will you understand
When will you see that I am
waiting right here for you
Come back again
When will you see that I am
Ready to forgive you
and to care for you
and love you once again

Living Creatively In The Image Of God

2008-09-09T22:42:00.002+08:00

TEENz album quick update!! =)

Our album is currently under discussion and likely to be sent off to KL to be mixed by a very professional sound engineer.

Projects are being planned about marketing and promotion (tour! concert!) of the album (think magazine advertisements!). Will it come true? Will it be successful? Please pray for us, all for Jesus =)

------------------------------------

Sacred Creativity: Living Creatively In The Image Of God

Creativity is expressed in many ways, and what makes it sacred lies deep in the heart of every person who creates.

By Dan Wilt

Yo Yo Ma, world-renowned cellist, plays a comforting piece as the names of thousands of terrorist attack victims are read aloud. U2 leads an ecstatic crowd in singing a portion of Psalm 40 mid-concert; all hands raised and a sense of wonder filling the stadium. Two local church musicians quietly worship over a cancer patient who will die that evening. A businessman makes his children’s Saturday morning pancakes in the shapes of Saturn and Mickey Mouse. A pastor paints biblical truths on the canvas of hearts with the brush of passionately spoken words. A computer programmer employs principles of logic and design to make complex tasks accessible to the novice. An elderly woman eyes her garden through a sculptor’s lens, ensuring the shapes and colors you encounter in her back yard will take your breath away. A songwriter wrestles with lyric and melody, crafting a song that will inject biblical truth into those who sing it. An administrator sires a detailed spreadsheet laced with formulas, equations and numbers dancing with numbers. A mother decides that her children will be her art; and young lives are fashioned over decades by daily acts of love, wisdom and generosity.

Have we covered you yet?

Creativity is expressed in many ways, and what makes it sacred lies deep in the heart of every person who creates.

The Sacred Image

“First this: God created the Heavens and the Earth – all you see, all you don’t see.
Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness. God’s Spirit brooded like a bird above the watery abyss.” From Genesis 1 in The Message

First, not business or task. First, not necessity or responsibility. First, not duty or obligation. First, the God of the heavens and the earth created. Play and work become indistinguishable from one another as the created order spills from God’s waterfall of imagination and administration. The penchants of God define a creative space that we call “the universe.”

To Live Is To Create

God lives; therefore He creates. It is His nature to say what He has to say in the world, in the myriad of ways He has to say it. Whether He expresses Himself by sculpting galactic phenomena in the far reaches of space or in devising skin and slime colors for over 500 species of snail, He creates. Zephaniah suggests God sings (Zeph. 3:17). Genesis and Revelation suggest He gardens. The Epistles suggest He writes. Genesis suggests He paints and sculpts. Chronicles suggests He is an architect and designer. Numbers suggests He counts, Job suggests He has an affinity for marine biology andthe Psalms even suggest that God laughs (Ps. 2:4)! God has many ways of expressing Himself creatively in His world.

All things began with God at creative craft, alone in His celestial studio, probing the depths of an eternal imagination. Then, turning His eye to the dust of earth, God considers His own image, too sacred for reflecting simply in cosmic configurations. In that moment, the God of the heavens and the earth – brace yourself – decides His pinnacle act of creativity would be…to have children.

Where Babies Come From

“God spoke: Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature so they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, and, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth. God created human beings; he created them godlike, reflecting God’s nature. He created them male and female.” From Genesis 1 in The Message

The Hebrew word for ‘image’ in this passage is “tselem,” which we comfortably translate to mean “likeness, or resemblance.” Yet the literal meaning of the word is far more potent, far more compelling to the Story. The word “tselem” translated “image,” is most closely related to our word “progeny.” It is a word used to relate that a child’s physical, social and psychological image genetically reflects the image of its parent.

It is the inescapable truth that most people realize in their 40s or 50s: that it is a joy (and possible curse!) to reflect the looks, personality traits and even thinking patterns of our parents. In like manner, human beings are children of our Father in heaven. Inescapably, though we may fight and kick and scream, our eyes always betray us; they bear His image.

It’s In Our Bones

As progeny of God, creativity is in our DNA. We cannot escape it, and we do great harm to ourselves and to those around us when we try! You are creative. I am creative. Every human being that has ever existed on the planet has been creative, in some way, shape or form. Often unbelievers reflect facets of God’s image inadvertently – their art testifying to a buried sacred lineage. When Jesus indwells us, He revives our deadened souls, stirs the water of our creativity and becomes the pneumatological impetus and eternally ordained focus of our expression. This is true whether we are storytelling, feeding the poor, caring for a neighbor or leading people in worship.

Sacred Creativity

“Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it,
everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! The variety is wonderful….” From 1 Corinthians 12 in The Message

In the film Chariots Of Fire, the runner Eric Liddell is asked why he loves to run so much. “When I run,” Eric answers, “I feel His pleasure.” What is it that you do, that when you do it, you “feel His pleasure?” I would contend that whatever came to your mind, is a language that your soul speaks with God, a language through which God speaks to you, and a language through which God will speak to the world through you!

In this light, creativity becomes not an option or luxury for the Christian, but rather a necessity; it is your unique language of prayer, a language of the soul for others and for Jesus’ ministry to be enacted through you. We must live creatively to be whole, and to fulfill God’s purposes through us.

A sacred life is one that begins with God, puts God at the center, and places God at the end of all things. Sacred creativity pursues the same goals, by expressing God’s truth in the world, reflecting both the beauty and pain emanating from His creation.

Serving With Our Creativity

“Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.” From Philippians 2 in The Message

I was recently in Rome with a group of Vineyard leaders and we took time to drink in the beauty of a city that is itself a work of art. Upon entering the Sistine Chapel, with its magnificently painted ceiling and wall, I began to weep. My heart was full because someone had used a language to express worship that said what I wanted to say to God. How amazed I was to learn that Michelangelo was a reluctant fresco painter, preferring to sculpt rather than bend his neck for five years to fulfill a commission from the Church. Yet, the sacrifice only enhances the impact, and whether from a right or wrong motivation, Michelangelo’s offering has impacted millions of lives through the centuries.

Our creativity is not made to be simply self-indulgent, though it is intended to minister to us as well. Our creativity must also breathe life into the community - it for the blessing of all of us. Whereas creative people can tend to cave in on themselves, exploring the universe God has placed within, we are made to better the community around us by offering our gifts within the context of community – a community who will sometimes appreciate the gift and sometimes not. That never should change the servant’s heart with which we offer our gifts to the Church, and to the world.

A Dream For Creative Servants

I had a dream a few years ago that has continued to influence my own creativity as a follower of Jesus. In the dream I was standing in a room, holding hands with twelve musicians in a circle. Around us, the room was changing – a gym, a cathedral, a living room, a street, a stadium, a studio. “Why are we here?” I asked the group. In one accord, this circle of friends answered along with me, “We are here to serve.”

Live creatively, directing your life and others’ lives toward God. Worship with your creativity, serve others with the language of the soul God has given you, and allow Jesus to “draw all men” to Himself through the sacred ingenuity He has placed inside of you.

All scripture passages taken from The Message

Dan Wilt is an internationally respected worship leader, songwriter, artist and conference speaker. Based out of St. Stephen's University in New Brunswick, Canada, Dan is adjunct professor of Contemporary and Emerging Worship Leadership. He is passionate about investing today's worship practice with the riches of the ancients, and the interface between the Church and culture (www.danwilt.com). Dan is also the editor of Inside Worship magazine, and serves as the Worship Development Coordinator for Vineyard Churches Canada. He makes his home in St. Stephen with his wife Anita, and three children, Anna, Abigail and Benjamin.

Success in songwriting

2008-07-23T14:56:00.002+08:00

Songwriting Success
By Billy Foote

When it comes to songwriting, I must begin by saying: God does not need any of our songs. He is not waiting for one of us to write the song that will signal the second coming, but He is worthy of our songs. He is worthy of songs that remind us of who He is, what He has done and what He is going to do. He is worthy of songs that encourage the Church and tell of His greatness.

There are over 100 references in the Bible about singing to the Lord. I would encourage you to read Exodus 15:1-21. It is the song of Moses and Miriam. Some scholars believe it to be the oldest song on record. Of course, there are many references in scripture that exhort us to sing new songs. Psalm 33:3 says, “Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.” Psalm 95:1-7 gives a wonderful invitation to worship the Lord. Psalm 98:1-9 is a song of God’s victory. All of these songs praise God for who He is and what He has done. They paint a large picture of our God.

I am blessed to know that God has not lost his ability to inspire new songs in the hearts of his people. He moved on Moses; He put songs in the hearts of writers such as Fanny Crosby and Charles Wesley; and He is still moving in people like you and me. Praise the Lord for his never-ending power!

As we look at songwriting, I believe there are three important questions we must ask ourselves:

1. What is our motivation?
Worship music has never been more popular than it is right now. It has given quite a financial boom to the Christian music industry. In light of that, it is certainly fair to ask what motivates us.

Remember the story of Annanias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-10? Annanias sold a piece of property, brought the money to the apostles and said they were giving the whole amount to the church. In reality, they were keeping some of it for themselves. They could have kept it all, but they lied to God and His people. Have you ever wondered what motivated them to lie? Pride? Recognition? Glory for themselves? We do not know exactly what their motives were, but we do know that God killed them for their actions that day.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that God will kill those who are writing songs with wrong, self-seeking motives. I am suggesting something even worse. If our motives are not pure, He might just remove his hand from the talents and gifts that he has given us. He might just leave us to our own devices with powerless songs that lack the authority that only He can give. He will not yield his glory to another (Isaiah 48:11). Our songs must be for his glory alone.

2. What makes a good song from a theological or Biblical perspective?

A lost person who comes to our worship services will more than likely hear two themes in our songs: God is love, and God is Holy. Of course those are true statements, but He is so much more. I could go and find a secular, godless band and ask them to write a song on God’s love, and I bet that they could come up with something. They could just think about their wives or girlfriends and use God’s name instead. I do not take lightly the love of God. I even wrote a song called “You Are My King (Amazing Love.” But God is so much more than love.

Do our songs accurately represent the attributes of God? Do they give us a bigger picture of who He is? There are so many subjects we can write about. We all hear songs about the grace of God, but what about a song that declares that grace teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness (Titus 2:11-12). What about songs on the Word of God, the power of God (Psalm 68:32-35), the sovereignty of God, songs that declare we are no longer enemies of God (Romans 5:6-10). Even more, songs that remind us of the great commission would honor the Lord. Let me take a moment to point out to all of us that Jesus’ last words on earth were, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation” (Matthew 16:15).

3. What kind of preparation should we put into songwriting?

Some writers write from an emotional perspective, but our feelings can change from day to day. Who God is never changes. When you sense a song welling up in you, do you simply write down everything that comes to mind or do you also make time for study on whatever subject the song contains? As I write this article, I am in the middle of working on two songs. One is on the power of God, and the other deals with the fear of the Lord. At this point, I am not writing lyrics. I am researching the scriptures anywhere the power or might of the Lord is mentioned. I’ll do the same regarding the fear of the Lord. The truth is that I might not ever write a song on either subject. If I don’t, that will be fine. I will have a better understanding of the power of God and deeper insight into the fear of the Lord. If I do write a song on these subjects, I will most definitely have the authority of the Word of God behind these songs. Let us continue to use our God-given talents to paint pictures that give glory to a great God.

In closing, I want to encourage those of you who are reading this article to keep writing. It is easy to get caught up in what songs are on Christian radio and CDs and feel that those are the only ones that matter. Many of us have songs that may never be picked up by other bands or Christian labels. Some of us will write songs that we alone will sing to God. Still some will write songs that only their local church body will use. But let the “success” of our songs be measured by this: Do they bring glory to God? Do they accurately represent His attributes? Do they encourage and teach the Body of Christ? That’s all.

From The Inside Out

2008-07-01T13:00:00.002+08:00

I'm really excited to know that the recording is in the process of it getting done. I really can't wait to hear it! Seriously speaking, I personally think that a few songs in that album are really inspiring and meaningful to me. One of my favourites is fixed my eyes on you. For the very first time I hear the "raw" version, it made me teary. I'm looking forward for the album and hope it will be a blessings to many too! (:

Anyway, speaking of songs that inspire me, there are many many like countless! In different seasons, different circumstances, certain songs speak right to me. One of my favorites among the favourite-est is From The Inside Out from Hillsong's album - United We Stand.

A thousand times I've failed
Still your mercy remains
And should I stumble again
Still I'm caught in your grace

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
In my heart, in my soul, Lord I give you control
Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise become my embrace
To love You from the inside out

Your will above all else, my purpose remains
The art of losing myself in bringing you praise

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
In my heart, in my soul, Lord I give you control
Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise become my embrace
To love You from the inside out

Chorus 2x
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart is to bring You praise
From the inside out Lord, my soul cries out

I like this song very much, especially the lyrics. Every word in this song means so much to me and it's like a heart's song. *I wonder how it will be if my heart could sing.. hmm* Anyway, I came across this song in my college's C.F. The first time I heard that, I don't know how to sing it, but I just quietly listen to it. I was totally soaked in His presence, very sweet and nice. (: My heart was like "So true so true! God, this is exactly what I felt and wanted to tell You!". I went home googled the song, I only remember "Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades". lol.

I really feel so strongly for this song. Is like really thousand times I've failed and I've stumbled but You never never leave me! Your grace, Your mercy always hold me back and I can just run back to You like many many times, really many many times. Even though the world might give you disapprovements, endless hurts, unpredictable actions. Or even doing the different thing from you and you just want to be the man or woman that honours God, you feel so helpless and lonely. But "Your light will shine when all else fades" and even when things happen I don't know what's Your purpose, please help me to see what is beyond and let me to just love You more from the inside out. And please help me to lose myself and more of You, less of me and see that losing myself is an ART that bring You praise. Surprisingly, losing myself is an art that bringing God praise right? haha.. God ishh shou cute wan..

It's so encouraging for me especially away from comfort zone. Seen many things, learnt many things, literally culture shock. Standing firm for God and every cry of my heart, I want to bring You praise. Being very different, the struggle, really need to surrender whole heartedly to God. The fight for emptiness, loneliness, insecurities and etc, "YESH GOD! PLS CONSUME ME FROM THE INSIDE OUT!". Crying out to God to help me to stay on guard always and from the inside out belongs to You, serve You and Your purpose. (:

From The Inside Out - Hillsong United

Do you have a "heart's song"? *(^_~)*

update!

2008-06-29T17:59:00.002+08:00

i shall be proud to let everyone know that the recording is in the process of it getting done. i've had the privilege of hearing the product after the musicians did their stuff. it's sounding great, i must say.

thanks to all our readers who frequently check for updates. really appreciate it and we promise to update regularly :]

continue to pray for the album committee for wisdom on what to do next so the album can be out by, erm, September. pray for the album band to know what to do when it's their turn to record :]

cheerios.

N.

Namesake - Jason Ma & Mike Whang

2008-06-27T08:40:00.004+08:00

For chinese ppl who aspire to perform/write real good english christian rap songs, this is a good role model for ya.. =)
Namesake

About NAMESAKE: Namesake is a hip hop crew comprised of Jaeson Ma and Mike Whang from Los Angeles California. Their mission is to create Hip-Hop music that communicates the reality, truth and power of God's love. It is heart felt music that seeks to encounter God's manifest presence. The sound is distinct, best described as a fusion of "prophetic worship" and "hip-hop rap" we call it "worship rap" check dis.

Life is Beautiful (preview).mp3 - Jason Ma

(Not the full lyrics..)

Life is full of, ups and downs
And life aint always, what it sounds
Just when you think, you got it down
The moment you realize, you’ve just lost ground
Uh, life aint always what it seems
And life aint always, what you hoped and dreamed
And some people you meet, they can kill your dreams
I understand why, they are so mean?
I mean, it’s just the way that people are
That’s why sometimes, I play my guitar
And just sing away, and play away
Until my problems come tumbling down
And life aint perfect, but it is still worth it
Don’t throw your life away, it’ll be a better day
And everyday I pray, and all I got’s to say
That life is just so beautiful today

Chorus:
Today I’m going to follow you
Today I’m going to walk with you
Today I’m going to run to you
Today I’m going to run to you, run to you Jesus (2x)

Worship your way through it

2008-05-15T11:13:00.002+08:00

Hungry for more of God's words?
Great sermon by Ross Parsley titled "worship your way through it" (45mins).

enjoy =)

boomp3.com

wiki:

Ross Parsley is the Worship Pastor of New Life Church, a megachurch in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Ross is responsible for all the weekend services and oversees all the music ministries within the church. A graduate of Oral Roberts University, Ross has been leading worship for over 20 years in local Colorado churches and has led several outreach teams to other countries. He is the worship leader on Integrity Music's "Lord of the Harvest", "Around Your Throne", "I Am Free", and, most recently, "My Savior Lives", as well as co-producer for the Desperation Band. His wife, Aimee, ministers with him in worship and they have five children. Ross served as the Interim Senior Pastor at New Life Church before Pastor Brady Boyd was selected as the new Senior Pastor of New Life Church

Post live recording sessions: the beginning

2008-05-09T00:27:00.004+08:00

Two weeks ago there is a trial run of re-recording to test the sound and listen to the result of 3 day's 'round-the-clock hard work of editing, EQ-ing and punching in re-recorded parts. Thanks to Darin Browne (from Australia) who passed by Malaysia to help us out and gave lots of really really important tips! =)

Now we are having a few weeks' break due to school/university exams.. The re-recording and mixing will continue very soon, committees are going to schedule every vocalist and musicians to come.

Thanks to our loving and supportive church, we have our simple-looking but powerful in-house recording studio! =)

TEENz live recording album will tentatively be released on September 2008!!.. =D

slideshow... (80+ pics)

Worship

2008-05-07T14:00:00.004+08:00

Christian Worship - More Than MusicChristian worship is often thought of as the music portion of a church service - people singing songs to God, heads back, eyes closed, and hands raised in the air as they sing. Christian worship happens when we sing to God, whether in church or alone - in our cars or in the shower. If our desire is to please the heart of God, it is worship, no matter where the location or how many are involved.

Music affects our emotions and the lyrics can swell our hearts, causing us to become lost in the experience. Christian praise and worship music is a great tool for helping us feel closer to God. It's not uncommon for people to even pick a church because of the style of its worship music. Often people will emerge from a service saying, "The worship was wonderful today," or "The sermon was great, but I was really moved by the worship."

You may be surprised to realize that the entire service is about worshipping God.

Christian Worship - Showing reverence and gratitude to God. Another picture of Christian worship is showing reverence and gratitude by bowing down before God, as in this passage from Nehemiah:

"Ezra praised the LORD, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, 'Amen! Amen!' Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground." Nehemiah 8:6

Both singing and bowing down are acts of worship, but they are only part of the picture. Christian worship is so much more than that!

Christian Worship - It's all about the position of our hearts. Christian worship begins with discovering and admitting what we have been worshipping in our lives. All of us worship something, whether we know it or not. We may not physically bow down to it, or offer it songs of praise and adoration, but whatever we devote most of our time and attention to is often what we worship. Consider this Merriam-webster definition of worship: "Reverence offered a divine being or supernatural power; also: an act of expressing such reverence; a form of religious practice with its creed and ritual; extravagant respect or admiration for or devotion to an object of esteem."

Seen in that light, it's easy to see that we can worship God, we can worship money, or power, or a rock star, or we can even worship a lifestyle. Worship is more than an act of reverence. It is an attitude of the heart.

Christian worship is clearly of interest to God. He knows we have an inner need to worship, so He asks us to worship Him. He, being God, can handle the weight of being worshipped; humans cannot. People who are worshipped by others can often be influenced to think more highly of themselves than they ought. The Bible makes it plain that there is only one God worthy of our worship:

"Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land." Deuteronomy 6:13-14

Do you love God? Are you thankful for what He has done for you through His Son Jesus Christ?

"Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness." Psalm 29:2

You can follow the admonition of Psalm 29:2 by turning away from what you formerly worshipped and acknowledging the lordship of Jesus. Let the life you live be an act of worship to Him. Whether you are called to be a preacher, a singer, a writer, a software engineer, a salesperson, or a truck driver, you can do everything for the glory of God. When you do, you are engaging in Christian worship.

'Once in a blue Koon' (part II) + [add-on]

2008-04-26T01:06:00.010+08:00

So the conversation continues..

K: You know, I think the youth needs good leaders, mentors. Now it's not common to have a mentor, but it will be good to seek counsel from church elders, pastors, because they have went through a lot more in life and are able to help you.

D: oh ya, I never thought of that.. It is a good idea, is it because the teenagers nowadays more troubled?

K: Troubled? Not really, the issues they faced now are similar to my days, it all depends on how you approach these issues: Influence of friends, the media, internet.. and how you treat your leaders.

The teens like to blog now, putting all their feelings and experiences for the public to read. But besides this, they can actually can channel their feelings to God, to talk to God about anything. To God, it's ok; but when you write about it in your blog, people may get a wrong impression about you.

D: Teens like to blog, why ar?

K: As a means of expressing themselves. Some of the teens will think that they don't have an outlet to express themselves, but they can actually talk to God =)

D: Ya, agree, reception is good and talktime is free, plus birthday bonus & daily blessings, heh heh. Ok, change topic. What is your opinion on boy/girl relationships?

K: As a parent of 4 kids, I try to remember what I went through in the past at that age to help them in their teenage phase. Teens always say their parents "don't understand", but this is not really the case..

Ask your parents about their teenage years and I’m sure they will share with you and may share some insight into their lives also.

D: ohh… =) So, can they have boy/girlfriends?

K: I do not encourage having these relationships while still in secondary school, because you don't know where you are yet (in the future, further study, work..).

And I don't believe in playing with other people's feelings, as it will end up everybody getting hurt. If you have any other questions, you can come ask me personally. =)

D: haha! i wonder if ppl will really come ask you.

K: That's why it is important to have a mentor, to give you advice and help you along. If it is me, I will start by asking some questions: Are you going to marry him/her? What are you expecting in love?

D: ohh..

K: Not questions to scare you, but to help you understand. You see, feelings of love don't hold the relationship. When you first fall in love, I see you, and I have this waaaarm feeling inside; we understand each other, I appreciate you, you appreciate me. Unfortunately these feelings won't last long, maybe it lasts for 1 year or slightly more, or might be only months or weeks..

The basis of a relationship is not in feelings, but based on communication and commitment.

When you are in love, learn how to communicate, how do you feel about certain things that are important to you. You will realise that there are many things that you see differently compared to your loved one.

And in a relationship, you are not only having a relationship with one person, you are also having a relationship with the whole family. When you marry someone, you marry his/her whole family.

So don't get into a relationship too early, come to God when you have problems. If two teens with problems have a relationship, it won't solve the problem, it makes a bigger problem.

D: yeah, I get what you mean. Couple-couple can get a couple more problems. It must have felt great to be with a special person, but you wait a bit longer the benefits are greater.

K: For those who are in secondary school, I will encourage them to build friendship, be true friends that will be there in troubles, even willing to sacrifice their sleep for others.

Do you know that my old friends in KL, if I call them urgently in the middle of night, they will come immediately to help me?

D: woah, real good friends.. you want to try calling them now? Haha.

K: =P Develop friendships, not relationships. :)

D: But how to stay at friendship only and not go overboard into a relationship?

K: Have some boundaries, need discipline. Cos now the disadvantage is there's internet, sms, can contact at all times, no more boundaries.

It still comes back to having a mentor/parent to guide you, this also helps in deciding what to study after SPM, go speak to the professionals in church; lawyers, engineers, accountants..

D: Oh.. alright, last question, any advice for teenagers who are interested in music?

K: First, you need to love music. Then pray to God that you can keep a tune (not tone deaf), and take private music lessons outside.

D: Yep, and never give up too. (thought of my past when I first started learning drums.. keep learning, never give up!) Any last words?

K: I used to hear this testimony from time to time from older adults who just received Christ and they said, "my only regret is that I didn't know Christ earlier".

But I don’t have to say this, because I have spent 27 years of my life dedicated to Jesus and I enjoy every moment of it. =)

Don't backslide (don't leave God), it is not worth it.

It's getting late, I took my last sip of Milo Ais, thanked him for 'belanja'-ing me the food, said the bye's and went home. =)

~END~

Once in a blue 'Koon'

2008-04-20T09:30:00.013+08:00

Dewy (D):

"Hey, this guy.. I know him, I think."
"Oh, denise/nicole's father"

These might be the thoughts that went through your mind when you see him. He is uncle Koon =) A doctor working in Singapore (commutes daily), father of 4 children, good bass guitar player, a christian actively serving in church and also English Service's committee member. oh ya, he's also the bassist and one of the key person who holds the musicians together for TEENz live recording album.. =)

Last night I had the opportunity to have this exclusive interview with this man whom I know personally for 10 yrs, talking about many stuffs that you don't know about =P ..about things close to a teenager's heart (i hope so), life, music, church...
so here's the DAAAAARK side of uncle Koon... lol.. no la, just a side of him which you never seen. =)

D: Ok, let's start, wat is your fav food?

Koon (K): Kajang Satay... any satay will do.

D: What are your hobbies when you were single?

K: When I was single ar, I studied.. ;)

D: huh? I mean hobbies, things that you like to do

K: Ya, I like to study (laughs). When I was in kindergarten, I will cry when my bus doesn't come, and I used to be a perfectionist, when the bus is supposed to come at 7am, 7.05am is considered late. During primary school times, cos those days the school bags are a bit "soft", I will put a piece of thin, hard wood in the bag to "straighten" my books. :)

D: woa, haha, interesting! sure or not, like to study.. (can't believe it)Why do you like studying?

K: hmm.. Challenging, especially to remember the whole book as how the WHOLE book is supposed to be. When I was in sec sch, I had my first geography test.. 64%. I was so disappointed, it was devastating.

D: you still remember the exam marks ar, lol

K: Then I went back and study like mad, and in the next test, I got 98% (!!)... my essay section, full marks.. The teacher said I wrote too many points, she mark only halfway, then will stop, and give full marks.

D: "terror".. nice! any of your children inherited your hobby? =)

K: None inherited (haha), but I shouldn't be disappointed, God made everybody special.

D: Do you read this blog?

K: When I can find it, lol. I usually find this link and by clicking it from other people's blog.

D: eh, a bit like me, but now I've already added this link to my favs, easier la..
Oh ya, uncle Koon, when did you start learning the bass guitar?

K: I started learning at 16 years old, there was this band called KKRM, and the band member's brother, Wilson Loh, taught me bass. Not only that, he taught me how to learn. I watched videos, concerts in TV to improve too.. He will teach me how to imitate the bass player.

D: oh.. So, change topic (woo hoo!! me fickle mind, topic change here n there).. What are the teenager's trend in your days?

K: Most christian teens grew up in a christian environment, for me, I come from a non-christian family, I will have to prove to my parents that being a christian makes a difference, and the only way is thru my studies.

anyway, I got life wan, besides studying, I play football. Those days teenagers will spend their free time at the 'padang' (field), outdoor games.. Normally every housing area will have a padang.

D: (he thinks I view him as a study-hard-no-lifer?).. ohhh....
What is the biggest difference between the past (ur teens life) and the current life that teenagers live?

K: hmm.. Those days we were not rich, to buy shoes, I have to save money.. Now, just ask from your parents and you will have shoes. And those days we have to 'fight for our rights', now teenagers are more... blah blah (D: oh no, i can't remember)

D: so, the word for teens now is "complacency"?

K: something like that, not really..
By the way, don't think I only study-study, when I play anything (sports), I represent the school.

D: woah! (he really thought i view him as a study-hard-no-lifer, lol, anyway, he is not bragging, but telling me stories of his past like an old friend)

K: I represent the state in hockey when I was 12 yrs-old, and I got into the best secondary school, Victoria Institution, but I didn't study there.

D: nice! =) why didn't study there?

K: Cos it's too far, it's like from downtown JB to Kulai.
I also do arts, I won in the school's art competition, and I will send my art pieces to overseas competition.

D: that's so unheard of, nice.. which countries?

K: Japan.. India.

D: hmm... good... ok, change topic. In your opinion, what is lacking among the teens now?

K: One thing, don't love God enough, go all out for God, 110%, because if they do, everything will change; attitude..principles..
In the past, when I study, I study for God; when I play the bass guitar, I play for God. And all these years I only play the bass in church, I don't play in pubs.

There was once I nearly went to study at the Royal Military College.

D: mili.. military college? Is it good?

K: Ya, there's scholarship, your future is guaranteed there. At that time, I was a young christian, form 3, I went for the interview (and test), but felt that God said "no". The school is good but almost all are muslims and it's a boarding school (stay there all the time), I don't think I will grow into a strong christian there.

So, I purposely fail the interview. Until now my parents still didn't know about it, heh heh...

A quick laugh, as I sipped the chilled milo ais and grab a few bites of maggi mee goreng.. =)

(To be continued, conversations about love and friendship, and about leaders...)

Worship is about...

2008-04-16T16:15:00.004+08:00

Worship is about... __________ .......

We all have the head knowledge, and most of us had the heart experience.
Let this video be a good reminder. =)

*P.S. Re-recording for drums will start next thursday.

Paul Baloche : Modern Worship Series

2008-04-09T21:06:00.003+08:00

As the church's renovation is still going on.. Share some good stuffs with you guys. This is by Paul Baloche (Integrity Music's worship leader who wrote "Open the eyes of my heart"), excerpts of his DVD "Modern Worship Series" that contains practical instruction for worship leaders and teams.

Enjoy =)

My worship team won't practice

Performance VS worship leading

Story of "Open the Eyes of my Heart"

Others:
Solving personal conflicts on the worship team

Praying during worship

Should I keep a journal

Encouragement for musicians to improve =)
How to choose a drummer, bassist, keyboardist, guitar strumming technique.

Yesus

2008-04-03T18:12:00.003+08:00

Church is now undergoing renovation, so the re-recording will start after two weeks.. Intro u guys another song from the same Indonesian live album - Yesus =)

Yesus

Hidup yang kupilih
(The life that I chose)
Membuatku berarti
(is a life of meaning & significance)
Kerana Yesus Tuhan
(because of Jesus my God)
Tempat yang kupercaya dan berharap
(I believe and have hope)
Kubuka mataku
(I open my eyes)
Lihat sekelilingku
(Look all around me)
Kuharus nyatakan
(I must tell of)
Kebenaran-Nya yang membebaskan
(His truth that sets me free)
Kerana kuasa-Mu
(because of Your power)
Kerana kehebatan-Mu
(because of your greatness)
Kudapat lakukan
(I am able to do)
Perkara besar yang Engkau janjikan
(the great things You have promised)

Yesus, Kaulah sahabatku
(Jesus, you're my friend)
Yesus, Kau yang akan selalu berada di sisiku
(Jesus, you will always be by my side)
Kau sumber kuatku
(You are my source of strength)
Yesus, Kaulah sahabatku
(Jesus, you're my friend)
Yesus, Kau yang tak pernah jemu-jemu di sisiku
(Jesus, you never fail to be by my side)
Kau sumber kuatku
(You are my source of strength)

Dalamnya KasihMu Bapa

2008-03-27T22:24:00.003+08:00

Hi, besides updating abt the album's progress. I would like to introduce this indonesian song to you. =)

This song is from True Worshippers latest live album - All Things New, recorded at Nov 2007.

Nice song, you can sing & worship along.

Till then, take care, have fun in school/college, study well, enjoy your life, God bless you =)

About: (Indonesian malay)

Album LIVE Recording dari konser True Worshippers "All Things New" yang dilaksanakan pada tanggal 8 November 2007 ini berhasil menjual habis tiketnya 4 hari sebelum konser dan dihadiri lebih dari 5,000 orang di Tennis Indoor Senayan. Sesuai dengan temanya, True Worshippers kali ini banyak membawakan lagu-lagu dengan pesan pengharapan dan beriman akan sesuatu yang baru untuk terjadi di negara Indonesia. Didukung dengan layar multimedia selebar 20 meter, konser ini menyuguhkan tidak hanya seni musikalitas tapi juga video-video pendek pendukung setiap lirik dari lagu yang dibawakan.
Dengan penggarapan aransemen lagu yang lebih matang, lirik yang kuat dan video & show direction yang penuh persiapan menjadikan album "All Things New" karya yang sangat berbeda dan menonjol. Dengan dirilisnya album audio dan video "All Things New" diharapkan dapat menjadi tolak ukur standar untuk dunia musik tidak hanya Kristen tapi juga sekuler di Indonesia.)

Lyrics:

Dalamnya Kasih-Mu Bapa
(How deep is Your love, Father)
Terlebih dari segalanya
(Deeper than anything)
Pengorbanan yang termulia
(most noble sacrifice)
Selamatkanku
(Save me)

Dengan darah yang tercurah
(You shed your blood)
Ampuniku atas dosa
(To pardon my sins)
Kubersujud kepada-Mu
(I bow before You)
Oh Yesusku
(Oh my Jesus)

Engkau kusembah Kau yang terindah
(I worship You, most magnificent)
Pulihkanku dengan darah-Mu
(Restore me with your blood)
Engkau kusembah Bapa mulia
(I worship you, Father)
Seumur hidupku kumau menyembah-Mu
(All the days of my live, I will worship You)

The Beginning of the End

2008-03-26T01:31:00.008+08:00

Tonight the TEENz album committee had a meeting @ Burger King, Bugis, Singapore. A small bunch of us gathered 'round the table and discussed about the "beginning of the end"..

almost every live recording will have a "re-dub"/re-recording (even 'live' recording CDs you hear from hillsong & integrity music), but the original atmosphere & background sound will remain to preserve the original feel & anointing of that day of concert.

when the sound tracks of 16 march's concert were recorded & lightly balanced (volume)and being listened again, u will hear some minor or major mistakes that will need to be fixed. Like a note that the singer sang juuuuust a little out of tune, the drummer that missed a beat, the guitarist might strum a wrong chord, etc..

it is very common for these mistakes to appear especially when u are out there on stage, 14 songs, leading the crowd to worship. So our Mr Titus drafted out a timeline & schedule of the re-recording sessions that will last till june/july. Boon Fei's gonna confirm the schedule with the PA guy and first we will record the drums by next week, the backbone of rhythm, followed by the bass guitar.. blah blah... vocals.. choir.. there will always be something going on every week from now on..

listened over & over & over.. the live recording track.. fill in empty spaces, correct mistakes, sing nicely, play professionally..
All these at the re-record stage, then only followed by mixing, mastering, printing...

"woah.."

After 12 months, begun by vocal auditions for backup vocalists, musician selection, song selection, music arranger selection, arranging songs, fine tune lyrics & melody of written songs, months, hours of practice, musician prac, vocal prac, marketing planning, stage management, transportation logistics, group practices, choir practices, final rehearsals.

Now the 1st half has ended.

Let the hard work begin, again.

All for you, all for God, we give our best =)

**The committee is thinking of having an album cover design competition, still not sure whether this suggestion will really happen, heh heh =P

Show you an example from Hillsongs.. =)

This is a video of the live recording with live audio mix, meaning that the sound recording is purely from that night, without any studio modification.

And below is the final product after re-recording, mixing & mastering.
Able to hear the difference? (especially in quality & some minor changes)
Enjoy this great song =)

Hosanna

(Verse 1)
I see the king of glory
Coming down the clouds with fire
The whole earth shakes, the whole earth shakes
I see his love and mercy
Washing over all our sin
The people sing, the people sing

(Chorus)
Hosanna, hosanna
Hosanna in the highest

(Verse 2)
I see a generation
Rising up to take the place
With selfless faith, with selfless faith
I see a new revival
Staring as we pray and seek
We're on our knees, we're on our knees

(Bridge)
Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like you have loved me
Break my heart for what is yours
Everything I am for your kingdom's cause
As I walk from earth into eternity

Abt THE day4

2008-03-19T20:39:00.009+08:00

This, my friend, is the 70th entry on this blog and it's going to be a special one.

You see, this blog was created last year with the little intention to keep "album-gaga-ers" updated on the latest progress. Well, that's basically you readers out there.. We've..
(I should save this for the last entry - lol )

Back to the concert.

1st session.
It was, aweeesome. When I first stepped into Sanctuary at around 7.30pm, there was already a vast crowd praising and worshiping God. I've never seen such numbers in any of the concerts we had nor any Teenz held events. That goes to show that the Church which is represented by the brothers, sisters, uncles, aunties, boys and girls are truly indeed amazingly supportive.

Half way through P&W, the singers started marching out from the right, neatly like always and at the other side, the musicians walked up the musicians way. You know how they walk up stage, don't you? haha.. Opps.

So anyway, the moment the worship leader passed the microphone to Boon Fei, red LEDs were lighted up on every video cameras and recording equipments . We were officially going on live recording. They boomed the atmosphere by starting out with "How Great is Our God (bridge part)". Which inevitably stirred up everyone's soul. No doubt about that. Hands were raised all over Sanctuary.

The whole recording progressed along with a number of songs. One tip for those who didn't make it to the concert. The band played very tight together with the singers. It's so obvious that they put in a lot of effort and they certainly did. Great job guys !

(end of 1st session)

Sharing.
Pastor James on shared his own life experience and of his parents. What better way to capture the hearts of people than with your own life story? Although I've heard that sharing quite a number of times before, but still life stories will always remain as the greatest stories one can ever tell. Only that the kids went a little too noisy. Throwing their light sticks like paper aeroplane.

Yong Thai rapped in the 2nd session. Mr.White cap rocks the house! That was the highlight.

Dum che tak dum dum che tak.

Dewy:

haha, i think it was a great night, but because i was the drummer, didn't get to see much of wad's happening around me.. cos the drums is way behind. But i really enjoyed the worship and playing along with other musicians & blending in with the music and singing =)

I'll talk more about the preparation before the concert starts..
At about 4pm, a team of 'makeup-people' brought their little suitcases of powder, spray, lipsticks, mascara etc and set up in room H4-5. The choir members and backup singers are the earliest to get dressed and be ready for makeup. When i mentioned "get dressed", it's actually some cool black t-shirts & jeans for choir, and other nice clothes, not really dress laaa =P

So the girls get their faces powdered up first, while the guys 'elek' at one corner.. pai seh X 2, don't-want-don't-want la.. haha. In the end guys still need to put on some light makeup so that they will look good on stage =) bright spotlights shining on stage tend to make you look pale..

Some ppl even go hair saloon to have their hair done professionally wor.. Boon Fei's hair like got sparkling bright-bright stuffs, and terence dyed his hair a little red/brown. Nice nice.. As for me, I have asked Peter to style up my hair with gel/clay/wax or watever that makes my hair stand or look stylishly messy & (maybe) younger, and somehow other guys came to help out & my hair is done in 20 mins by 5 guys, lol.

In the makeup room, everybody is just chilling out, chatting or just sitting there, but i could feel the nervousness and excitement building up for the concert in the evening. Everybody is waiting for it to happen, the concert that we had been preparing for 12 months. =)

Later on, at about 5+pm, we had sound check in sanctuary, the concert venue, testing all the microphones, choir's condenser mics, guitars, bass, the overall balance, equalisations... we start to see teenagers pouring into the hall, it was so exciting, because we are going to have a great time and God is going to do great things.

*Praise God that 23 ppl received Christ and about 800-900 ppl came to the live recording concert! =)

nice la, anybody want to add any comments, please leave a comment or at the chatbox to the right =)

So..

2008-03-17T01:51:00.005+08:00

So, how was it? it's so..like.. so... totally.. you know... kinda like.. you know..

stay tuned ;P

Tonight..

2008-03-16T08:47:00.004+08:00

Tonight is the night. =)

Final prac pics =)

2008-03-13T08:49:00.019+08:00

A picture is better than a thousand words..
16 Mar (sun) 6.30pm, come.. =)

*100+ more photos in teenz album's friendster & facebook account.

By the way, I am pleased to announce that we have 229 ppl who signed up to fast & pray for this concert. and...

We have loads of adults who volunteered to fetch the young ppl home after concert, almost 70 cars! and a bus that can fetch 31 ppl to the bus stop outside The Store, easier to take bus home. yay!! =D

So for those who lived at diff areas, you can register a place (those who need a car ride) through ur cell leader; while the buses from Jusco to concert venue, and the two bus routes home after concert are still ON (don't have to register)! heh heh. Check our previous blog entry [transportation] or HERE for more details.

See you on Sunday 6.30pm!! =)

Map (click to enlarge)

the full dress rehearsal...the FINAL one as well.

2008-03-11T21:20:00.005+08:00

first thing...
SORRY for being so slow. a thousand apologies :(

the rehearsal started at 1.00pm SHARP.not really. but we did start in the end, after the sound check and everything. while we were getting ready, the choir conductress, Aunty Lynn asked the choir to start praying. don't waste time y'know.

then we went through the whole thing once. had some minor glitches here and there. brushed up on the finer stuff. the timing and all are indeed very tricky.

after that, the pre-recording worship team came on stage and had a quick practice for their four songs. then it was our turn. everyone felt a lil nervous cos it seemed like the real thing.

this time, our rehearsal was recorded to be the backup for the 16th. it went as smoothly as possible. the choir was so hyped up and i must say, they sounded really good. adds the atmosphere to it. a lil mistake here and there but it was pretty okay :)

at the end of it, we gathered and were briefed on what was time to be there, what colours to wear and NOT to wear and so on.
everyone went back feeling all hyped up for the concert. all together fasting and praying for the 16th.

a short prayer:
God, thank you for giving us this opportunity to reach out to the young people in JB. please help us to make the best out of it. help us to remember that the most important thing is to worship YOU with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.
in Jesus name i pray, Amen.

hope you guys remember to pray for the concert :)

Dewy:

Yay man, hey nicole, don't have to apologise la =) thks, great job in blogging.
The last practice was indeed quite stressful for everybody, we recorded all the songs - twice. Altogether sang & played the musical instruments for 14 songs X 2.

Today I just received mp3 copies of that recording, only with balanced volume (no mastering), and it sounded good =)

I really enjoyed the practice and I am looking forward to attend the live recording concert!! =)

Photos will be out tomorrow (thurs).

Pre-recording song list: (songs that will be sung before live recording starts)

1. Open up the gates

2. 拣选

3. Magnificent

4. Beautiful saviour

5. How great is our God

Transport.. Vroom vroom!! [updated]

2008-03-10T23:39:00.007+08:00

Mushi mushi!!

i heard that some of you guys can't wait for the blog entry about the final full dress rehearsal.. 'Cho toh ma teh' yar (1 or 2 more days), blogger still writing & photographer still editing the photos. Don't be so upset hor..

Meanwhile, I have info (!) about transportation, for those who need a ride to the concert venue, or back home after concert. Listen up! =)

From Jusco Tebrau to Concert venue: (free bus ride)

-6.20pm
-6.40pm
-7.00pm
-7.20pm

After these times, the buses will not fetch anymore people to concert venue therefore u must be there on time!

-------------------------------------------------------------------

After concert (to go home): (free bus/van ride)

Bus 1*
Concert venue -> Permas Jaya -> Tmn Iskandar (Shell Petrol Station)

Bus 2**
Concert venue -> Tebrau highway -> Plaza Pelangi (coffee bean)

*For Bus 1 that goes to Taman Iskandar, It will stop at BP station (opposite Giant, Plentong), Shell station (formally ProJet), then it will go straight to Taman Iskandar.

**For Bus 2 that goes to Plaza Pelangi, it will stop at bus stop just outside The Store (the one after Carrefour), row of petrol kiosk opposite Giant (formally known as X'tra), Taman Suria, then it will finally stop at Plaza Pelangi..

Please understand that these services are mainly to send ppl to main road so that their parents, family members will come and fetch them back, so we have decided to stop at safe place - bright and easy for picking up.

This is for everybody. And for people who attended TEENz service before, please register with your cell group leader by this coming saturday.

adios! =)

5 days till TEENz album live recording concert.. Feel the rumble, the excitement...

Choir with pre-concert musicians & singers =)

*In case you forget, the live recording concert starts at 6.30pm, 16 Mar (sunday) @ Full Gospel Church [1A, Jln Anggerik 21, Tmn Johor Jaya.] Admission is free, non-christians are most welcomed =)

[click map to enlarge] Email me at the email add in the image below for more info.

13 days to the Live concert!! =)

2008-03-03T09:42:00.017+08:00

You can sense it coming..

You can feel the excitement..

You see the nervousness of the choir and the fun during the rehearsal..
(this clip is soundless)

Another 13 days wor.. and one last final full dress rehearsal..

TEENz live recording album @ 16 March (sunday)- 6.30pm @ Full Gospel Church!! =)
And this whole event's theme is - You.
Come and experience the great God, great music and vocals, great songs, great atmosphere.. you won't want to miss this, heh heh.

Zap! cut-cut!..
ok, besides the advertisement.. the last full practice went well, though there are some loose ends to tie up, especially on the music side.
This is the first time the 30+ ppl strong choir (that consists of teenagers and young working dults) join the musicians and backup vocalist in practice.

Choir (left)

Choir (middle)

Choir (right)

The musicians went through some critical parts of some songs.. the choir joined in, the professional sound crew finalised some tuning, and we recorded all 14 songs for reference and backup.

woah.. so tiring... in the middle of recording, until the 7th song (fix my eyes on You), we took a 10-min break.

Oh yeah, by the way.. if you want to know the song list and to learn the songs.. Go to http://teenzalbumsongs.blogspot.com!! =)

toilet break, drink water break, hanging ard elek break.. Piano boy (samuel) enjoying some silence before the noise starts again, hehe.

And back to recording again..
Pai seh, my camera n I not pro, so it'll take 3 photos to cover the stage.

left side of stage

Middle.

Right side

After more than 4 hours of practice, the choir shouted "hooray!!" and packed up their stuffs to go, haha.

wait wait..

Eh, our pastor Albert is here watching us practice all along. He gave us some encouragement and advice, saying that he is very proud of us, and spurs us to really sing with our hearts (not only with our minds) and be more expressive!

And we listen on attentively..

After this.. go home & rest, yay!..
..While the musicians and arrangers gather 'round for a 40-min meeting to confirm some music arrangements.

The practice's recording tracks will be out in a few days after some editing from uncle Jit and the sound crew, then the TEENz album committee will listen to it and take note of areas to improve for next week's FINAL full dress rehearsal..

Till then, see ya at 16 Mar live recording! So excited!! coming soon will be our next blog entry of the 9 mar final full dress rehearsal..

**Happy birthday to one of our backup vocalist! =)
by the way, nice cheese cake, yum! =P

***BONUS***

A new improvised intro for "Who You Want Me To Be", preview version. still in working progress among the music arrangers. Recorded solely by Peter, one of the electric guitarists.

*Check out TEENz album friendster or facebook account for more photos.

the very FIRST choir practice - 25Feb08

2008-02-26T21:14:00.009+08:00

Nicole:

YAY!
the first choir practice was on Sunday the 25th.

it was very encouraging seeing so many people who were willing to sacrifice their Sunday afternoon to come for practice.if i'm not wrong,i think there were at 40 people who turned up.

they were separated into two groups.the first group went with Titus while the other went with Boon Fei.they started with learning the Chinese songs.must applaud the choir.really fast learners.
i don't know about the other group but the group with Titus managed to learn about 8 songs,if i'm not wrong.

really happy to see how the preparations for the concert are going.next choir practice will be on Sunday, 02 March.hope to see everyone there :)

Dewy-eyes:

Yeap, I am pretty impressed by the ability of the choir to conquer the steep learning curve too. Some of them break into even smaller groups, being led by the backup vocalist in practice.

I love the enthusiasm of the choir, so excited and cheerful, really brought a lot of energy to the group =)

*Last saturday, a day before this choir practice, there is also another choir practice for those who can't make it on sunday.

On that day, the boxes of TEENz live recording concert flyers also arrived. Unfortunately, there had been a miscommunication, the date printed is "15 march", the correct one should be 16 march.

Wah, stress!!..

3 weeks away from the event and now got printing error.. but thank God for..

"it's a bird!"

"It's a plane?!!"

"No, it's a team of volunteers!!!!!"

They stayed back after TEENz service to help to fix this error, by covering the mistake with a red sticker marked "16"! =)

so touched by their willingness to help. A big thank you to all these "faceless" people, doing all the jobs without getting much attention, but their effort and impact makes all the difference in the world. =)

**clap clap**

For more photos, check out the photo section of our friendster or facebook account. see ya!

The songz

2008-02-25T15:00:00.003+08:00

Wanna learn the songz first?? =)

Click here -----> www.teenzalbumsongs.blogspot.com

You can also download them at our mother site!! ---> http://fgcteenz.com/trial/

Interview with Pris

2008-02-21T22:54:00.006+08:00

Hi! =)
P: Helloooo

Who are you?

P: I am Priscilla, one of the backup singers for the coming 16 March TEENz live recording. And I am NOT 12 years-old...

How do you prepare for this recording?
P: Hmm.. We the backup singers meet up every Saturday 9am-1pm to have our vocal training, we start off the practice by praying for the live recording/concert.

Since when did this practice started? P: I think it started a year ago at different times, once or twice every month, and gradually the practices becomes more often as 16 March gets nearer.
There are about 8 vocalists.

How is the practice conducted? P: We start off by warming up with breathing exercises for 10-15mins, then we warm up our vocal cords for 15-20mins.. exercises like "brrrrrrr...", "lalalalalala" (up & down the scale), etc.
And we learn the album songs and sing together, taking note of the pitching (tone), pronunciation (diction), when to breathe, how long to hold the note, and stuffs..

oh, not easy eh, practice for so long... So, what are your expectations for this coming big event (live recording)?
P: I hope that God will move and lead as we worship Him, and many heart are touched by Him, and of course, souls to be saved.

huh??! Speaking from a non-Christian perspective, what do you mean?

P: To realise the fact that you are not alone, somebody cares, and God is the only one that can satisfy your emptiness. And can't deny that God is real.

hmm... so let's say i go there, I don't know anyone, I see everybody singing songs, maybe jumping and enjoying themselves, lifting hands... what is your advice for me?
P: Firstly, don't think that they are crazy, because they have experienced God before, and they are expressing thanks and love for God, not just doing it for fun or influenced by great music. It is real joy! =)

2ndly, you have come to the right place, keep your heart open as you try to understand the songs and sing along with it. If you have any other questions about us, ask the person beside you, haha =)

nice..nice...
This event will be great, with very good musicians and vocalists who have practiced for almost 12 months, you will enjoy the music, the vibe, and experience God. It's difficult to describe, must come lorh! =)

The live recording won't be just all singing though, at the middle part there will a short speech and heart-felt sharing of real-life stories.

This concert has NO age limit, you can be in Form 1, Form 5, in college or uni, or even working man..

Come with your friends, come with parents or CF teacher, come alone also can, there will be people there, you won't be the the only one there that is 1st time, there will be people to accompany you. Enjoy the time of your life la. =)

The crunch

2008-02-20T09:51:00.005+08:00

2 days before the previous "Big" practice. The musicians and song arrangers meet up at auntie Lynn's music shop to decide on what to play for "Immeasurable".

[8.30pm]

guitarist... think... think.... this idea not good enough, try again... try another strumming style....... 30 mins passed... 1 hour... 1.5 hours....
ok... all together, with drums, keyboard and bass.. guitar solo.... not good, try another solo... try again..

just for this song.

[11pm]
ok, practice other newer songs... "Almighty God".. "Fire Burn Within Me"..

[12am] Last song.. the vocals for "You Are My desire"....
Harmonisation, different tones, bass..tenor..soprano....

The guitarist (Peter & Ming) get some rest first.. hehe

Discussion of stage position and use of limited microphones....
stage management...
where will the guitarist stand, where will the singers stand..
the pit singers, choir singers...

[1am]

yay! end of session, see you guys two days later for the "Big" practice with the singers.
5 hours practice in sanctuary. Practice all 14 songs for 4 hours, then at the final hour, record it for evaluation..

The "Big" practice

2008-02-17T20:57:00.004+08:00

everyone's back from their CNY holidays.

the album crew's first practice since the concert on Feb 6th. one by one they filed into the sanctuary. some carrying their guitars and keyboards. the singers came in with this thick stack of papers. hmm...wonder how many trees were killed in the process :)

lalalalalala *sorry ah. sore throat. too much goodies during CNY*. the vocalists were having their warm up. they were doing this breathing thing until they were red in the face. "use your diaphragm!"

SOUND CHECK!!!
guitars. keyboards. drums. piano. everyone has sound? yes? let's go.

after having one round of going through the songs, they had a recording done. nothing major. just something to hear how the songs sound like and where to improve and whatnots. "RECORDING: TAKE ONE."

the whole thing ended at about 5 plus. after everything, everyone all tired and starting to feel those hunger pangs. shows how much stamina we need. must exercise leh...

seeing how the album committee planned the whole sequence of the songs and everything, can't wait for the actual day of the recording. still going through every detail. trying to make sure of every little detail.

take a break, have a KitKat!

psst...tell you a secret.
there's going to be a few solos as well as a duet. sshhhh. classified information :)

Woah, can flip the pages so fast.. lol

2-2-08 concert photos + comments

2008-02-06T01:10:00.000+08:00

Snippets of concert photos are out! For much more and better photos, must check it out soon on our mothership! =)

oh yeah, and the blog entry abt the concert is right below all these pix yar.

commentary|thought|deep|joke|cold|reflect|

(D) = dewy-eyes
(W) = Mr. Wahehe
(S) = summershanshine

(D) People mountain people sea..
(S) Are ya ready to praise and worship? =D

(D) Overall pic, can see that the shirt colour theme is "gleen gleen" wor.. so dark, can't see the ppl down there..
(S) I think the "gleen gleen" are very well blend, dark gleen, light gleen, lemon gleen and rubbish gleen. haha..

(D) Karl: "hey Fu Yao, does my shirt smell?"

(D) Laugh wad, very funny meh.. huh, huh!!
(S) Terence got nice coat. (new year coming huh..) =p

(D) Vocalist.. Ter, Vic, Reu, Nic, Abi, Pris, Vynn, Min..

(D) Earthquake.. earthquake!!!
(S) Jesus gonna shake this planet.. woohoo!

(D) I love to see ppl's expression of worship to God.. arms slightly up, 60 degrees.
(S) Standard! AH AH AH ah ah ah~ ;D

(D) Speaker is Pastor Gideon, our TEENz leader.
(S) Ah! cute expression! Like acting drama. I love the way Pastor Gideon preached, very dramatic and very funny life exprerience, will never fall asleep.. haha.. Oh yea, not forgetting our interpretor, he's Danny, our TEENz leader too.

(D) Many young ppl came to the front to receive Christ, yay!!

(D) When I was younger, it does cross my mind on what is the meaning of lifting our hands... in my own interpretation, it is a sign of surrender to God and let him take control of your life, reach out, admitting that i need God. And i always think that it's like some little kid who tried to swim in deeper waters to impress or for fun, then got into trouble, and reaching out for daddy's help, knowing that he will come rushing.

(D) We're gonna dance dance dance in the freedom we know..
(S) Panas panas panas! We're on Fire!

(D) Wah! Titus clap so fast!! soooooo fast!!
(S) Like that can make other things look blur and focus on his face.. muahahahahahah.. jk jk.. =p

(D) We cannot take it! Titus clap too fast!!!
(S) Victor Lum : *wind blow effect on my hair* hahahaha..

The 2-2-08

2008-02-02T22:37:00.000+08:00

"teh teh net, teh teh neh-neh..... veli the hot lah!"

Summershanshine:

It all started around 7.15pm. Everyone had their dinner, all set ready and went into sanctuary with the heart of expectation. Warm welcome from the ushers and almost half of the sanctuary were packed with youths and new friends! I'm overjoyed when I saw all these. Actually I have no idea how this concert will be, but in my heart I somehow think it's going to be a very different concert. Very different.

When all the musicians and singers flashed in, wah... So environmental friendly. GLEEN GLEEN NEH.. From the view of the audience seat, I can see that all the musicians and singers were excited and can't wait to start praise the lord. I don't see any nervous faces, all are like army that are so ready for a war and going to CHIONG all the way~

All the songs are very very very well written. I love the melody, the lyrics and the flow. I believe these composers must have gone through the goodness and faithfulness of God, to be able to compose songs that are so related to our lives, things that we really want to whisper to God and just praise Him. I believe our church do have some very talented and blessed composers! Praise the Lord for that! Although these are new songs, the congregation's response were good. The place was filled with so much joy and peace. I think joy and peace are really what nowadays people are seeking for. I really enjoyed the concert, so do a lot of people. I even see new comers go with the flow singing and jumping. Who said church is boring? The house of God is big and there's room for everyone and it's never boring, it is always filled with love, peace and joy. And with a bunch of radical youth, we will never stop praising Him and our feet will never stop jumping for Him!

I must say that good job musicians and singers! Firstly, you guys are really alert. There were a few parts where situations changed and you guys just picked it up so quickly and no lag in between. The musicians were pro! There's one part I'm not sure other noticed or not, the musicians were perhaps too high and played the chorus but actually it was supposed to be pre-chorus for the song 耶稣，时代拯救者. The musicians quickly switched back on track with a smile on their face. I smiled too when I saw that because you all just responded too well for it.

Secondly, it's really from the heart. The singers were really good in bringing the people to worship. I personally enjoyed watching little Hui Min singing because I think she's an angel, very pure in heart for God, a growing up girl. hehe.. Oh ya! Yong Thai did some rap thing right? It adds up some little sparks for that song! As for musicians.. I saw Denise banging the keyboard and singing in a very very concert style. Very cool neh.. And Victor played drums like Whoa!

Thirdly is for the PA team and the lightings! I noticed there's a difference if there's lighting effects and without it. PA was good, not too loud nor too soft and as what I see nothing happens? hehe.. I think the music ministry is going to a higher ground.
Going beyond.. (:

Chung Hwa's preaching was funny and cool! I mean talking about self image, that's like something really puzzled a lot teenagers. For acceptance, for being somebody, the sense of belonging. We have the Christ identity, we have the precious bloodline in us, the child of God! Two thumbs up for the preacher and also not forgetting Danny, our interpretor! Quite a lot new friends responded to the alter call. Some are shy to step up, but from the minute they made the decision, the seed is growing..

After the concert, happy people were all around. =)

I truly soaked myself in the presence of God. I can't help surrender all the worries and just tell God even sometimes I cannot make it, but I want to trust you and praise you for who you are. My feet could not stand still, is like I want to dance dance dance in the freedom. hahaha..

Anyway, I love all the songs very much. Especially Fix My Eyes On You, 在你爱中安静, You Are My Peace. Sometimes circumstances can really pull you down, you have so much things to do, to study, things just don't go the way it is.. All we really need is to fix our eyes on God, to quiet down and the peace will just flow in. Perhaps you seems to have everything, life seems good with nothing to complain, or maybe having a great day, but after everything ends, the happy ends, then what now? Sometimes it could be really lonely, a feeling like what now? But we know we have the peace in us, we will never walk alone, we will never afraid any more. Grab hold on it! Even if sometimes we will fall, we will fall back to God's arm and trusting his faithfulness. Living a life that is pleasing to God will be the best melody to God's ears. (:

We give all glory and honour to God.

*God, are you smiling at us right now?*
=p

I really can't wait for the album recording and the day for the album's debut!
=D

*Photos coming soon-soon!

Song of the week:
(click play button to @ the right column - songs of the week) [imeem]

The Freedom We Know
by Hillsong

We’re gonna dance dance dance
In the freedom we know
We’re gonna dance dance dance
In the freedom we know
We’re gonna dance dance dance
In the freedom we know
Because the freedom we know is gonna last forever

The world turns in all of its ways
But I’m soul set on a holy name
And when all earth is said and done
Still I will praise Him

There’s no end to the love that He gives
And now broken dreams have life again
In the hope of the risen King
So let us praise Him

A mystery unthinkable
That He took the fall just to save my soul
Now to love is the life I know
On and on and on we’ll be singin’

Soul set free in the One I love
Oh come on come on
And let the whole earth sing
In the freedom we know
So come on come on and praise Him

Come come all the lost and the found
Let us rise up with a holy sound
All the earth unified as one
Just to praise Him

In full view with nothing to hide
Like a city on a hill we’re gonna shine
In the light of Your freedom
Let us praise Him

We’re gonna dance dance dance
In the freedom we know
We’re gonna dance dance dance
In the freedom we know
We’re gonna dance dance dance
In the freedom we know
Because the freedom we know is gonna last forever

What are you waiting for

2008-01-28T19:30:00.000+08:00

What are you waiting for? Prepare your heart, bring friends! =)

TEENz Concert
7pm|2Feb|Sanctuary|FGC

What are you waiting for by Natalie Grant

Sometimes I get that overwhelming feeling
So sad those faces on TV
If i tried to make a difference would I help anyway
But then I stop and to myself I say

CHORUS:

So you wanna change the world
What are you waiting for
You say you're gonna start right now
What are you waiting for
It only takes one voice
So come on now and shout it out
Give a little more
What are you waiting for

Sometimes I feel a little helpless
Seems like I can't do a thing
But anything is possible just you wait and see
Good things happen if you just believe

(Bridge:)
Someday somehow
Gonna take that step
'Cause time is ticking away
Right here right now
Before it's too late
Gonna face tomorrow today

Go...

Bigger Than the Dream

2008-01-27T21:41:00.000+08:00

Bigger Than The Dream
By Kathryn Scott

Bigger Than The Dream:

What happens after nothing happens? For worship leader Kathryn Scott, that was the question. The answer took its time in coming, but it was worth the wait.

I love the fact that all of us are on a journey in life. We all have a unique story with twists and turns that shape us into the people we are now, and the people we will become in the future.

When I look back, one of things that amazes me is how instrumental God has been in even the smallest details of my life. It’s part of how I know that He loves me and still has plan for the rest of the story too… And it’s just the same for you.

I became a Christian when I was three. My Mum and Dad had been Christians since they were 19, and by the time I came along, they were involved in fulltime ministry. My Mum was a soloist for a guy, Dick Saunders, who travelled around the UK holding meetings in a big circus tent, preaching about Jesus. My Dad was the sound guy. He did all the PA and recorded radio programs for Transworld radio.

My Mum wrote her own songs and sang every night at these meetings, which ran from May through September every year. Because I grew up with that, I thought it was totally normal to be telling people about Jesus all the time, and to write your own songs.

When I was nine, I decided it was about time I started writing songs seriously too. I had no idea that God would use me as a grown up in this area, and I certainly had no idea how He would do it either. But I didn’t really mind not knowing because I had no ambition to be a star. I just really loved Jesus and wanted to do what He wanted me to do.

I went to college when I was 19 and studied theology—and a boy named Alan Scott. As it turned out, I managed to get the degree and the boy! We married in 1996 and started to work as assistant pastors in a Vineyard church in Glasgow.

The following year, I was privileged to meet Brian Doerksen (“Come Now Is The Time To Worship”), and he invited me and 10 others to be mentored by him over the next two years.

During that time I wrote “Hungry” and “Child of God.” And also during that time, Alan and I also moved back from Scotland to Northern Ireland (where I was originally from) to plant a church of our own.

The reason that those two things are so significant is because—on the songwriting front—I hadn’t been able to write for three years! On a number of different occasions, it had been prophesied over me that the Lord was going to use me to write songs that churches all over the world would use as their expression of worship. But almost from that point on, for three long years, I wasn’t able to write a single note. That was not the way I was expecting the Lord to start the process!

On the church-planting front, we knew we were called to do it, but when we went home, the church we started only grew by one other person for the first nine months! Of the seven people who joined the Causeway Coast Vineyard, six of them were family members of mine! We didn’t really look like church planters – and yet, that was the way God chose to begin the church through us.

But the Lord taught us something through that time that we wouldn’t have learned any other way: When God gives you a dream, don’t follow the dream. Follow Him.
To be honest, if we had followed the dream of writing worship songs that were going to be sung all over the world, of planting a church that was going to touch thousands of lives, we would not have gone about it that way! But if we hadn’t done it that way, we would have missed how God wanted to do it! After all, it was those twists and turns in the road that so clearly taught us that this journey is about obedience and not ‘success’ the way we normally think of it.

We are not in control. God is!

Since writing “Hungry,” I have had the most amazing opportunity to write and record an album of my own, Satisfy, and currently I am working on a second album.

Our little church has grown over the last seven and a half years from the seven of us to 400 adults and around 170 kids! In the last two years, 250 people have given their lives to Jesus for the very first time!

We’ve also started to see God do amazing things—ordinary people healed of all sorts of diseases as we pray for them on the streets of our town.

When we first started out, most of the time we’d just end up catching the illness of the person we were praying for! But then God asked us to spend ourselves going after the lost, letting them know that God knew them and loved them and could make a huge difference in their lives. Church became all about reaching out to people with the love of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Today, I’m totally astonished at what God is doing. It’s the most incredible thing I’ve ever been part of.

When God gives you a dream, don’t follow the dream. Follow Him. You’ll get to watch Him do way more than you could ever have imagined.

He is amazing!

Dewy-eyes:

Wow, how totally true. This article really encouraged me as I always thought that I should pursue my dreams exclusively. but no, not my dreams first, pursue God, then the dream will fulfill.

Hey, stop there for a moment. Do you know what is God's dream for you? Something that is beyond you, something that will change the course of your life, something big, full of blessings and riches for eternity, and God's glory will shine forth through you.

Do you know it? Ask Him, allow Him to lead you, follow in his footsteps, one step at a time.

See the difference =)

and..
see you in concert! =)

"teh teh net, teh teh neh-neh..... veli the hot lah!"

Concert rehearsal!

2008-01-21T20:38:00.000+08:00

Dewy-eyes:

two long weeks left and da TEENz album crew held their supposedly last practice @ sanctuary on last sunday.

at about 12.15pm, you see them 'climbing up' from english service onto sanctuary's stage, musicians bringing their huge luggage as if preparing to go on a road trip to musician's haven, uncasing it and started tuning or whacking around.

the singers gathered together nervously and so warms up those young, or old haggy hornbags into crystal voices, making hilarious noises throughout the process. Hey, smiles around. =)

'supervisors', or album committee looking serious and watching intently, ready to scrutinize on every little detail that comes across their pricked-up ears. Like the old light tower, highly experienced and watchful, knowing when to light up, and when to lighten down, especially at the sight of youthful jumpings or victor's attempt to be funny with the drums. oh, and there's uncle koon's successful but accidental try to make the music fall with a show-stopping bang! uncle Jit is not gonna like it. heh. not big deal, not big deal..

I could see the famous Mr. Wahehe with Jesmond, hanging around, watching.. looking.. stoning.. heh heh. no la, i can't really remember.

hmm.. i wonder how will it turn out on that day of concert, on a saturday night, 7pm. PA team gonna record it on 8-tracks, i think - that means there are 8 separate links to record, for example, there is the drums, piano, backup vocalists, worship leader, keyboard, guitar, and you can take out those individual tracks for editing.

i heard that on the recording day, there might be more than 40-tracks!!

all will be songs from the album + king of majesty, open up the gates and what the world will never take.

i particularly liked the chinese slow songs, very chinese-like, meaningful lyrics, you can sing and be quiet with God..

hehe, What the World Will Never Take.. with the guitar intro, teh teh net, teh teh neh-neh..... veli the hot lah! =P

In the midst of all the speculation, anticipation; when the music ends, i bet i will hear a faint sigh of relief for a work done well for God. I guess it's not easy for a normal teenager or non-participating adult to see the work and practice & sacrifice needed in order to make it sound nicely.. All the vocal practices, even a vocal camp, not to mention the vocal audition earlier to select vocalist, musician practices, committee meetings, logistics arrangement... all for one night..

but it will be a night of lasting impact & huge difference, a night of lives coming closer to God, souls getting saved.. i believe all the unseen sweat and brain juices are not out of God's sight, may God bless them ya! =)

so, the whole thing wrapped up at 3pm, and.. i will let Mr. Wahehe finish my sentence.. =)

Mr.Wahehe:
.... not so fast Dewy-Eyes,

*insert superhero introduction theme*

"teh teh net, teh teh neh-neh..... veli the hot lah!"
-Dewy-Eyes

The BIG BIG Mr.Wahehe font above is to lure your attention HERE. In any case if you're scrolling down faster than reading, or even not reading at all.

One of the things that attracted me was the newly written songs by our very own FGC members. It's like how Roti Prata and Nasi Lemak have made their way to our local heritage. They all started out humble, simple and yet people are able to relate to it. Yes, if there's one thing you should anticipate for this coming concert, be it the songs and its beautiful lyrics.

It's amazing to see how God lifted the whole album team to the next level. With more songs, more passion, more talents and ideas. Well, come for the concert and see what's what.

they say, the walk-out should be similar to the walk-in.. So,

again..

"teh teh net, teh teh neh-neh..... veli the hot lah!"
-Dewy-Eyes

that's how I end your sentence, dewy_eyes.. heh.

Concert @ 2 Feb 08

2008-01-16T09:14:00.000+08:00

hey hey peeps! TEENz is going to have another concert again @ 2 FEB, 7pm! The worship will be led by the TEENz album worship team.

more details to be out soon, invite your friends, BFFs, acquaintances, and blahs! =)

Go go go!

2008-01-02T22:46:00.000+08:00

Happy New Year!

Looking back at 2007, I'm sure there's so much stories to tell. Whatever it is, it's a brand new year, start writting resolutions, setting goals and make 2008 a better year! I'm looking foward for 2008!

Teenzalbum live recording!
*screams*

Are ya ready?
*aite aite captain!*
Just a few words of encouragement for Teenz!

Singers, Worship Leader, musicians : All the auditions, vocals trainning, practices, yesh yesh you guys work really really hard. Just remember, sing and play for God! Do not feel lousy or dishearted because you are going to bring joy and be a blessing for others. You bring smile on God's face because I'm sure he will be delighted by the voice of truth that came out so sincerely from your heart and the music that you play to bring him glory. Bringing people to come closer to God through the melody and lyrics. Every song that you sing, every word that you declare and every tab/chord that you play will bring victory over sorrows, over condemnation, over darkness. Keep up the good work! Although I don't play any instrument, I can understand a bit the frustration when you just can't get the thing right. Practice makes perfect? But seriously, I really enjoy watching musicians playing and when the heart is right, it is just so special the way they play and the sound that is coming out. haha...*personal opinion* Oh! Singers maybe can remember to drink more liang teh (jia jia liang teh!), go jogging, er? what else? hahaha.. Most important, serve with a heart of worship, expectations and go go go! :D

YOU! your face is going to be in the live recording! Relax relax, don't camera shy.. haha.. erm.. just bring out what Teenz has it! I've watched those praise and worship live recordings. Some scenes are very touching, how God ministers to them and tears just start to roll down their cheeks, how joyful they can be to dance before the Lord and etc.
I think it's never too early to get ourselves armed and prepared. I pray everything will go according God's will! The financial support, recording, PA will be obedient and etc. I'm all excited! 2008! TeenzAlbum! May all the glory to God! (:

2008! :)

2008-01-01T12:24:00.000+08:00

Happy new year to all readers, bloggers & TEENz members! :)

As of the month of december '07, album preparation is not frequent because of christmas & GAP mission trips, sorry for the lack of updates but this year there will definitely be more entries :)

2008 will be a year of breakthroughs for our church, many exciting things will happen (including TEENz live recording!) Let's prepare ourselves and also pray that this project will be a great blessing to TEENz, the church and the youth community.

Vocal Retreat!! (9-10 Nov 07)

2007-11-22T09:27:00.000+08:00

i muz say tt it's a great honour to be asked to write sumthin for de teenz blog.thx.
newae...

de retreat started on the 9th.myself, abi, reuben, huimin n terence were de first ones there. we started "boot camp" at bout 7pm. we started with doing breathing exercises. we laid on de floor, sum of us 'finding' our diaphragms. it wuz tiring. all of us were out of breath by the end of the exercise.

then we started revising the songs we previously learnt. we sang YOU ARE MY PEACE and also used it as a worship song, singing with feeling :p
titus and ee vyn telah sampai then we all sang for a while more. after terence ask us what we felt or what God said to us during that short worship session. i can't remember who said what but then there were so many encouraging things said.after that we pergi makan dinner *we need food lyk any other human!!!

after we balik church. priscilla and victor lum joined us.after tt we revise lagu again after doing warm up.sing sing sing until bout 11+ den boss say "ok,we are off for de nite!" wanted to go yam cha but den aunty ann and uncle boon fei say we shudn't cos we need the rest.de gurlz spent de nite at angela's hse but den de guys stayed in church.

next morning we met again in de cosy H2&H3. we did our TAWG then oso worship sikit. den after that MAKAN!!! some of de orang had the privilege of indulging in de legendary nasi lemak. de rest of us at normal ppl food :p

after we balik den we sing sing again. we belajar lagu baru.then after tt, terence made us all sing our own rendition of HAPPY BIRTHDAY. it wuz so funny. no one ever thought tt singing such a simple song cud be so difficult. we sang it in our own comfortable keys. it wuz fun.after tt, we oso had to choose one song out of all de songs we learnt and sing it ALSO at the other end of the room.the thing is none of us cud choose de same song.so one by one we pergi nyanyi SOLO.
after semua orang habis nyanyi their solo den we had sumthin almost lyk an evaluation bout the whole retreat thingie.everyone had positive feedback bout this.so after get we gether gether again go MAKAN lunch!

-end of retreat-

most probably de next one will be one de 14th and 15th of dec.
can't wait!!!

-Nic

*dewy: gud job, nicky! :)

pok-pok!!

2007-11-16T11:18:00.000+08:00

Chicken Khorma And The Art of Worship Leading:
I like to cook! OK ….. there I said it.

Makes me pretty happy to see friends bite into my low fat crab cakes and grin. Or go back for seconds on the Chicken Khorma or Thai salad. I’m a pretty good chef and have made some great meals just by winging it. But, more often than not, I’ve gone to a cookbook, followed a recipe and hit it out of the park.

Good chefs know great dining starts with a meal plan. Fresh ingredients, full of flavor and nutrition, exquisitely prepared and presented, are required to make the experience one to remember. Oh yeah, and it helps to know what the guests like to eat. Bacon wrapped shrimp for my Jewish friends…. uh, not so much.

It seems to me that leading worship is a similar experience. Stay with me on this.

When I lead worship, I have a responsibility to “serve up” an experience that helps the congregation find their own expression of worship that touches the heart of God. I do my best to know the folks in the congregation and get a bead on their tastes. Then, I work to balance out style and content to help make the worship experience meaningful and spiritual. After all, it’s about helping THEM enter into God’s presence, not scratching my creative itch.

In a media driven world, there is a lot of pressure on us to deliver fast food worship. That means creating convenient packaging; then offering bite size portions with little nutritional content and common flavor.

Too often, many of us spend our energies chasing the worship flavor of the day. Today that flavor is modern worship, but as much as I like U2 and the mandatory guitars with trailing delays, I’m kind of ready for the next course. I am not sure how this is going to “taste” or what it will sound like. I just know that I’m hungry for something different. (At least once in a while)

As I write this, I’m in the middle of an extended fast that my church does. Maybe that’s why I am thinking about food. I find it odd that while eating very little, I am acutely aware of the quality of what I eat. Fat, sugar and preservatives are out. Fresh, organic and high quality foods are in. I also know that when I come off a fast, my diet changes drastically.

I wonder what might happen if we fasted from modern worship. What would remain and what would we do differently when we got back in the saddle. We might rediscover the pure ingredients and important things that really help us express our love and admiration to the Lord of All.

I have a hunch those ingredients might be psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Those are tasting pretty good right about now, and I am pretty sure that some of the things we feel are important now might go away.

Liturgy in worship has always made sense to me. The word liturgy means “the work of the people”. It is a map that leads people through God’s Word, and causes them to acknowledge sin, thank God for all he has done and receive forgiveness. In that process, true worship occurs. The Word has historically had a key role in liturgical worship, but it seems that in the contemporary church, we have downplayed the Word of God and placed our focus on the presentation.

Recently, I had the great privilege of working with Todd Fields (worship leader at Northpoint Community Church and 7:22 in Alpharetta, GA.). As Dir of A&R at Integrity Music, I asked Todd to help us with a project (called Word of God Speak-The Worship Sessions) that was 100% pure scripture set to music. Music that is appropriate for today’s contemporary church.

In the making of this recording, a couple of things became clear. Things that should be the main ingredients for any great worship experience.

Here’s the recipe

1) Give people a great melody and they will sing with you
2) Play the heart of the song and you will move a person’s heart (doesn’t have to be stadium rock)
3) Use songs that are based on God’s Word. It is powerful and will NOT return void. It WILL accomplish what it was ordained to accomplish and people’s lives will be changed.
4) Be creative in content and style. It is OK to try something different. People are not afraid to try a new dish

Both during and after the recording process, I have heard numerous testimonies of how God spoke and ministered as the participants listened to and then sang God’s Word. Some have said that they were impacted by almost all the songs…not because of the vibe of the record, but purely through the power of scripture.

So, as you look to your next worship “menu”, I encourage you to look closely at the ingredients. Make sure the songs have significant content. And, what better content is there than the Word of God. If you can’t find songs you like, try writing your own scripture songs. Well actually, they will be a 50/50 co-write. Written with God.

I can not think of a better way to minister to your congregants than singing the power of His Word.

Blessing and Wisdom and Bon Appetite!
Steve Merkel

Woa la!

2007-11-07T23:36:00.000+08:00

It's a crazy many weeks after the last post. Many things happened but words tend to elude me when i needed them most. sigh.. :(

Currently the core activities are vocal practices and musician practices.

LalalaHrr!

A lot of emphasis is being put into vocal training, maybe cos most vocalist need improve on their breathing and "lala"-ing.

From my observation, there are practices like lying down and singing, singin' sounds that help in err.. singing the right way! :)
And practice singing the album songs.

*pardon me, cos i noe nuts about singing, i tot it's just air passing through the throatie..

You can do it, la-la's! Breakthrough to realise ur full potential!!

Muzikians

Most of the songs practiced during the last few sessions are soooothing worship songs.. Lots of piano & keyboard action. There are chinese songs too, with R&B romantic-like intro, very Chinese-pop style, like a new song that popped out of 933 hits.

oh, i can't wait till next yr for the..

transform!
power musicians!
bratz singers!

bian! bian!

2-in-1

combined prac! (muzikians & singers combine)

lame lame.. wahaha!

Artist Spotlight: Paul Baloche
By Christa A. Banister

Artist Spotlight: Paul Baloche

Texas-based worship leader Paul Baloche opens up on the popularity of worship, his songwriting process and how he avoids cynicism.

Although he’s written congregational favorites like “Above All” and “Open the Eyes of My Heart,” worship leader Paul Baloche still wouldn’t exactly be considered a household name—something that’s “just fine” by him. Now in a revealing interview, Baloche opens up about the continued popularity of worship music, his songwriting techniques and how he’s manages to avoid cynicism (something that isn’t always easy in the Christian music world).

IntegrityMusic.com: Michael W. Smith says he always envisioned himself becoming a professional baseball player. I thought I’d be a sportswriter instead of a music journalist. Did you ever envision that you’d write the songs that people would sing in Sunday morning services worldwide?

Paul Baloche: I can honestly say that I never did. I was always “just the guitar player” and was pulled into leading worship reluctantly. Then in the midst of leading worship at my church, there were just moments in between songs where I would just sense this prayer rising up. And I would just start singing a simple phrase—from the prayer—and I just figured that it was just for my church. As the years have gone by, I’ve tried to be more intentional in writing worship songs. But I must say that in the beginning I never quite imagined churches around the world would be singing anything I’d written.

IM.com: Since you’ve been in the business for a while now, trends seem to come and go in music. But worship music has stuck around for a while and continues to connect with audiences. Does that surprise you?

Baloche:I guess it doesn’t. As crazy as our culture continues to get with things changing so far, I think people are crying out for an anchor in their lives, and they want to connect with God. Music is such a powerful vehicle. It involves our emotions. Modern worship music isn’t a brand new thing by any means, but I can’t see it going away. I think as long as people are trying to reach out to God and are trying to connect with Him, I think music and songs are a great vehicle to help in that process.

IM.com: Does there ever come a point in songwriting where you feel you’ve said everything you can say in a congregational worship song?

Baloche: At times, having written all these years, you tend think at any moment you’ll run out of things to say to God. But the scripture written a 1,000 years ago says to “sing a new song to the Lord.” So for me that means the Bible is commanding us to sing a new song. So that’s what I try to do.

IM.com: How does that process of coming up with a new song work for you?

Baloche: I would say that no two songs come together the same way. But most of the time it comes out of different times during worship. Maybe it’s in between songs where there is just that moment of lingering, and I just kind of sense these phrases. Or maybe a song results from something I read earlier in the week, a scripture or something I wrote in my journal, maybe even a prayerful idea.

“Open the Eyes of My Heart” was an example of where I didn’t start out to write a song. It was just a phrase I had in mind, and I find that process happening over and over again—where I have one little line, and that’s the beginning for me. Then throughout the weeks that followed, I’d take that line along with other ideas and just try to chew on them throughout the day. Maybe I’d sit down with the guitar (and I’d call it worshipping with it), take the idea and not just try to click into songwriting mode, but try to let it gestate. I’d let that seed germinate and kind of worship with it and sing it out prayerfully with a melody. Then all of the sudden you get another line, and a concept starts coming. You start to think this could be a really neat song about a particular aspect of God’s character. So I try to do more of that, just spending more time letting worship songs become more of a byproduct of honest worship, instead of like cranking out something clever.

IM.com: With that method, how do you remedy a situation where you might get stuck on a particular line?

Baloche: There comes a point, way later in the song where it become a kind of crossword puzzle—where most of it’s inspired, and you’re just missing a couple of lines. There’s where you might take out the rhyming dictionary. I try to hold off on that as much as possible, because it seems like the good stuff come from a place of worship, an honest moment of saying “I need to connect with God.”
Sometimes you write a song just to flex the songwriting muscle, just to stay in shape. But the ideal is what I just described.

IM.com: An important distinction for most worship artists is that worship is a lifestyle. How does that statement apply to you personally?

Baloche: The first time the word worship is used in the Bible is when Abraham is getting read to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. There wasn’t any music involved, Abraham certainly wasn’t singing, which underscores the point that worship isn’t really about music. Music is a vehicle to help us worship, but what I think God is after is a relationship. Worship, at its essence, is what we were created for— relationship with God. And that has become a cliché, but it’s true. We were created for his pleasure, and if we are not plugging into God and we’re not seeking His will for our life and being a part of advancing His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven, then we are missing God’s best for us. Worship means wanting to learn how to receive God’s love, and to not try and find my identity from other places. I used to skip that one, I was like, “OK, worshipping is loving my wife and loving my kids.” And in the last couple of years I’ve realized before I do that, I need to come to God as his child and learn to receive love from him, grace, mercy, identity, all the things we can try to look for, even in ministry. When that’s in place, worship naturally leads to loving my wife, trying to be sensitive and saying I’m sorry. It’s loving my kids and being available to them, trying to be a good friend to my neighbors, trying to be a good son to my parents.

IM.com: As someone who’s been doing this for a while, how do you
prevent worship from becoming a kind of old hat to you?

Baloche: I think it is so easy for people like us to become jaded and cynical. We just hear Christian music all the time, and you have to guard your heart from being too familiar with it, even as a worship leader. So I encourage people to ask themselves “What are the things that inspire you in the Lord?” Do more of that. What is it? I tend to get oversaturated with noise, and I just need quiet. As a worship leader, I can’t be encouraging people to go anywhere that I’m not going myself. If you do it for any length of time it becomes more work. God can become like a job. But each day, when I wake up, I say, “I am going to get up today, try and be led by Him and by his spirit, and try to love others in his name.” That’s the best thing I can strive for.

Album Practice

2007-09-18T11:26:00.000+08:00

We'll start off with a spark of inspiration.

Ahem..

and

Behold...

Mr. Wahehe is back!

Aw, Come on, go tell the poor man that you guys missed him so much that you all grew old just to wait for him.

He will be so touched and boy he sure will be grateful for the sacrifices you all made to grow old.

I'm only speaking on behalf of him. (nGehh heh-heh)

-------------------------------------------------

Alright, back to giving you guys an update on what's going on. On the 16/09/07, a faithful, bright, not so sunny, peaceful Sunday afternoon, a bunch of musicians and singers filled the skies with rhythms and tunes of jazz. With rojak notes played by the guitarist (Cornelius) and pianist (Samuel), saxophone on the keys (Karl) and brushes on the drums (Victor).

Everything was good.

With the most rojak-est notes played by the guitarist, he had to make up his mind what to play before he gets a wake up call from the "upstairs people". Definitely that was a hard call because everything sounded so nice and he got himself carried away so far, he could only feel his guitar and all the notes flying around inside his head. Until he descended back to land and welcomed by his fellow musicians.

*upstairs people = Coordinators *

However, playing in such a project might sometimes derogate the primary purpose of serving. Fame and recognition could bring someone directly off course. Funnily, sarcastically, it is all true. That's just a slight reminder to all.

[dewy: Ya, i truly think that relationship with God is important, if not then at some point of time in the ministry, you'll get tired and just walk off.. ]

May God Bless all readers out there as much as he had bless the Album team.

Until the next entry on this blog.

See ya!

Continue to visit la.

Post-concert personal comments (dewy-eyes)

2007-09-08T22:07:00.000+08:00

What a day it has been! =)

THE concert, with about 300 (i think) teenagers (which occupies more than 2 big 'chair-sections' of sanctuary) singing praises to God n having a great time in His presence.

There were not many ppl at 3pm but they kept streaming in after that. Aaron start off with "Open Up the Gates" (planet shakers), music blasting off with drums, bass, keyboard, percussion and 3 guitarists playing in unison, and the psalmist goes "boink-boink" while singing the chorus. hahah!
:D

Folollowed by many hot songs that declare God's greatness, like "God Is Great", "Salvation Is Here". Buddies are heated up to sing and dance before the King.

Then worship time, sing slow worshipful songs, give our whole attention to the One deserving it. How Great Is Our God, sing with me how greeeaaatt...

To me, it was wonderful, having seen a dream come true today; that TEENz would one day grow big enough to be using the biggest hall in church, and.. just amazed at how God works when i stop to think about it.

Joseph Lok-lok shared a short sermon about blessings, or more accurately in chinese - Xing4 Fu2. He even sang Guang Liang's "Tong2 Hua4" at the beginning of the sermon, drawing 'woos' from the congregation, heh - meaning that everyone's looking for Xing Fu in their lives, and God can provide the whole package if you invite him into your life.

then, then...

17 (if i remember correctly) ppl received Christ!!!!

so elibadi veli hepi then ve xing mo xongs and praise God!! :)

take, take, take it all!!!! ...... wo, oh, ooh!!!
finish liao then still shout ENCORE, so we sing again "open up the gates"...
so that later we can go out of sanctuary, hah. *cold*

At 6pm, basketball court - TEENz WMM gathering!
play-play, tok-tok, and yum-yum~!!!!

ah mr. joseph lead fun-fun ice-breaker, play until tired, aha, but nice.
then Boon Fei talk-talk and encourage us,
then we eat...

eat what ar, nothing much la, just fresh out-of-the-oven pizzas lor, so tasty and nice with the cheese and pepperoni melting in your mouth when u bite it... and a tinge of roasted mushrooms and tomato paste blending together, creating fireworks behind you while you close your eyes and chew reaaaal slowly.. cos you just tasted a piece of heaven.

:P

okkk.. Boon Fei shared about the progress of the TEENz Album, or some called it the live recording, inviting everybody in TEENz wmm to be a part of it and commit to think of ways so that everybody can be involved in this project.

so... what a day it has been. :)

i am anxiously, excitingly waiting for photos of the concert to be published, either here, or link it from the TEENz main website.

we are living at a time where prayers are becoming fulfilled fast, and more & more exciting things in TEENz are happening. So let's remember to PRAY, and come for TEENz's pre-service prayer meeting at 2pm to pray together and see revival in ourselves, and one day finally, in our land..

The harvest is here, can you see it, feel it?..

Young people need Jesus..

You can make all the difference in the world..

Remember... PRAY

What If His People Prayed
by Casting Crowns

What if the armies of the Lord
Picked up and dusted off their swords
Vowed to set the captive free
And not let satan have one more

What if the Church, for heaven's sake
Finally stepped up to the plate
Took a stand upon God's promise
And stormed hell's rusty gates

Chorus I:

What if His people prayed
And those who bear His name
Would humbly seek His face, yeah
And turn from their old ways

And what would happen if we prayed
For those raised up to lead the way
Then maybe kids in school could pray
And unborn children see light of day

What if the life that we pursue
Came from a hunger for the truth
What if the family turned to Jesus
Stopped asking Oprah what to do

Chorus II:

He said that He would hear
His promise has been made
He'll answer loud and clear, yeah
If only we would pray

Bridge:
If My people call by My name
If they'll humble themselves and pray
If My people call by My name
If they'll humble themselves and pray..

080907@HigHer grOunD

2007-08-31T01:12:00.000+08:00

TEENz Concert
080907
Sanctuary

TEENz 1st milestone concert upstairs! There will be people from other churches too. Bring your friends to this gospel concert! :) For new friends needing transport, can contact Pei Pei, pickup point will be at City Square & Tebrau Jusco.

1st combined prac! =)

2007-08-15T08:36:00.000+08:00

wah, sorry for the super duper latee entry! I'll try not to publish a blog entry as frequent as the sightings of the Loch Ness monster.

TEENz gang of 'album-makers' have come together on 22nd of July for the very 1st combined prac (singers & musicians). (You see, prior to this, the musicians and singers always have been practicing separately, to focus on better improvement)

We went through a list of songs, sing --- play ---..

crash & burn & record with titus' laptop. haha.

no la, not that bad; the singers did quite well, learning to adapt to the musicians, while the musicians seemed to leave behind memories of ever practicing together.

"oi.."

ha. record it anyway, for revaluation & reference purposes.

warm up your vocal cords..

pai seh, pai seh
'serious' musicians ;)

"dong tuck-tuck dong tuck"

nice way of posing.. nic, face please..

I’m With The Band.. er, no.. Worship Team

2007-07-18T19:49:00.000+08:00

How to keep your church worship ministry from becoming just another great band
by Tom Curley
(Integrity Music article)

Over the last few decades, thousands of local churches have changed their worship leading models from the traditional “choir, piano, and organ” model to the contemporary “worship band” model. This exciting approach to leading congregations in worship has brought a greater cultural relevance and a more modern sound that has helped the church to facilitate worship for a new generation of worshippers.

However, the “worship band” model has also brought with it a new set of problems that have frustrated many worship leaders. Most of these problems stem from the fact that the musicians and vocalists who volunteer to serve in a local church worship ministry have only experienced the “band” model. These volunteers have great intentions and want to serve God with their talents, but they may need a better understanding of how playing music in a local church setting is different. The musicians of our generation are band experts. We have grown up consuming the bulk of our musical entertainment from groups of four or five guys playing bass, drums, guitars, and keyboards. As a teenager, I remember idolizing bands and wanting to be a “rock star” myself. My musician friends and I spent a lot of our time forming bands, naming our bands, creating cool graphic art of our band’s name and trying to find a place to perform. (We probably should have spent some time practicing!)

When I grew older, I had the opportunity to join a worship band in a local church. I brought with me the experience and expectations of “being in a band,” and this way of thinking continued as I later became the lead worshipper. My personal music paradigm was opposite of Romans 12:2 which says, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world.” NLT

Thankfully, God in His amazing grace helped me to see a clearer picture of music ministry in the church and how it is more than just having a great “band.”

So hop on the tour bus with me and lets explore together some key differences between being in a band and serving in a local church worship ministry.

Six Key Distinctions Between Bands and Local Church Worship Ministries (LCWM)

1. A band is finite, a “closed circle.” A LCWM is infinite, an “open circle.”
Most of us have been exposed to popular secular bands like the Beatles. This band was strongest as one unit: Paul, George, John and Ringo. When the Beatles split up, no individual member achieved success as great as the group enjoyed. In fact, no secular band has ever enjoyed long term mainstream popularity while constantly changing the key members of the band. Because of our exposure to this musical culture, we often assume the following incorrect statements:

Our worship team is strongest when it is “us four and no more.”
The ultimate goal of a worship team is excellence, which can only be achieved by the same group of musicians playing together for a long period of time so that they fully know each other’s playing styles and can together produce music that is “tight.”
Adding a new member will mess up the “chemistry” of the band

The truth is that a LCWM is not a band, even when it looks like a band, and a LCWM must be an “open circle.” This means that our worship ministries, like our churches, must demonstrate inclusion instead of exclusion. God has called us to open the circle wider to train up new worship leaders, musicians and vocalists to be the lead worshippers for the next generation. How many musicians have disappointedly left churches when they felt they would never get an opportunity to serve unless a current band member died or moved away?

A great way to put this into practice is to have multiple volunteers at each position. Finding extra singers may not be difficult, but training and investing time in new musicians can be a challenge. Still, that is what we are called to do! Using a variety of musicians and singers is a “God” idea as revealed in 1 Chronicles 25:8, “The musicians were appointed to their particular term of service by means of sacred lots, without regard to whether they were young or old, teacher or student.” NLT

2. A band is about ownership. A LCWM is about stewardship.

A drummer with a “band” mindset gets concerned when anyone else plays “his” drums, even when the church owns the drums. Ownership mentality is concerned with “my music,” “my place on the platform,” “my equipment” and “my position” in the band. Ownership says “because of my years of faithful service, I deserve to play every Sunday.” Even in worship ministries that do rotate multiple members, if one member is disgruntled because he wasn’t chosen to play on Easter Sunday even though he has been with the band longer than the musician that was selected, the attitude is incorrect and is more influenced by a “band” mindset of ownership rather than a mindset of stewardship.

A true stewardship approach to worship ministry says, “I am only holding a position of service for a season until God brings someone else for me to share this with or pass it over to.” Stewardship recognizes that we don’t own anything, nor do we have any rights to demand. Paul said it best in 1 Corinthians 9:17-18: “If I were doing this of my own free will, then I would deserve payment. But God has chosen me and given me this sacred trust, and I have no choice. What then is my pay? It is the satisfaction I get from preaching the Good News without expense to anyone, never demanding my rights as a preacher.” (NLT) Paul knew he was “crucified with Christ” and as a “dead” man had no rights that he could demand.

Many musicians and singers with a “band” way of thinking feel that they are entitled to certain “rights” due to their degree of talent or their tenure on the team. I discovered this myself when our church changed to in-ear monitors and all instrument amps were removed from the stage in order to provide a cleaner sound for the congregation. This change took our worship team out of their comfort zone. Some team members were unhappy that they could no longer have their preferred equipment played at their preferred sound level and left the team. They could not fully see past their personal sacrifices to grasp the overall vision of an improved worship experience for the congregation. As a leader, I had to shoulder much of the blame because I had not done a good job in teaching about servant ministry.

One practical way to limit team members feeling of ownership is to ask the church to purchase most of the musical equipment. Back in the day, ownership wasn’t really an issue because the church owned the piano and the organ! However, today many worship team members feel overly possessive because they use their own personal equipment. I’m not suggesting that churches provide a guitar for the guitarist, but they would do well to purchase the less personal items such as drums, instrument amplifiers, keyboards, etc…

Let’s teach our worship teams about stewardship and watch how God’s blessings pour down when we realize that everything we have comes from Him and belongs to Him!

3. A band is an exclusive, privileged group. A LCWM is about serving.
Our culture tells us that a band is all about the elevated platform, the spotlight, the exclusive backstage area, the arrival by limo and the autograph session. Though your average church musician will not arrive by stretch limo, this mindset of band exclusivity can still invade the church. It will often manifest itself by band members asking, “Where is my bottled water?” Now there is nothing wrong with bottled water and vocalists and drummers can certainly use hydration, but lately it seems that all church worship teams are sponsored by Dasani. Between songs and especially at the end of the song service, every musician and singer whips out a bottle and starts chugging away in front of a congregation that may be just as thirsty but not as “privileged.” (By the way, I am a worship leader with a water bottle, not a disgruntled congregant!)

Another manifestation of this “band exclusivity” mindset is when some worship bands leave the sanctuary as a group after the worship to go to a room to wait for the sermon to finish so they can come back and do the closing music. I visited such a church one time, and all I could think about was how the pastor must feel as he watched his worship team leave for java and donuts instead of staying and supporting the ministry of the Word.

“Band exclusivity” is also projected when the worship band informs other ministry leaders in the church that the band members are unavailable to serve in the nursery or other service areas of the church due to the higher priority of their presence on the platform on Sundays.

Remember, any action or activity that separates the worshipers on the platform from the worshippers in the congregation only contributes to the perception of the worship band as an exclusive insiders “club.”

God’s Word tells us that we should prefer others above ourselves. (Romans 12:10) We should follow the example of Jesus who “made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant” (Philippians 2:7).

Put this into practice by giving your worship team opportunities to serve the church and community without using music! Serving may not develop a tighter sound in your band but it will develop something greater: character.

Other ways to lessen the distance between the worship team and the congregation include being more discreet with the band privileges such as the water bottles and personal cooling fans, or try putting the band off the platform and on the ground floor for a real “we’re in this with you” worship experience! Also, having multiple worship teams allows each volunteer to have as much pew time as platform time to help keep a healthy perspective.

4. A band can be gender, talent, looks or age prejudiced. A LCWM is open to all.
If we were to look at popular secular and Christian bands as sources of information on how to create a great worship band for our church, we would have to exclude almost all women, anyone older than 40 or younger than 20, anyone that is not handsome or beautiful, and any musician or vocalist that does not have “recording studio” quality talent. While these criteria may work best for selling CD’s, they are not good guidelines for selecting worship ministry participants.

A worship team that only includes “perfect” people sends the wrong message to the congregation. It conveys that if you don’t look a certain way, there is no place for you to minister at our church.

While the culture of this age puts priority on talent and looks, I suggest the following criteria for selecting worship team members:

Are they faithful?
Are they dependable?
Are they humble?
Are they teachable?
Are they servant/leaders with a passion for God?

Remember that the temple worship instituted by God included participants that were old and young, teacher and student. (1 Chron. 25:8)

5. A band has “band” goals. A LCWM has church family goals as defined by the senior pastor’s vision and the local church’s mission statement.
If your worship team members’ expectations are to record CD’s, make a name for your worship band, travel and give worship concerts, but your senior pastor has expectations of the music ministry providing worship for the seniors’ Christmas banquet and the homeless shelter outreach, then someone is going to be disappointed!

A LCWM cannot do its own thing and operate as an independent group within the church. The function of the worship team is to serve the church family by facilitating worship for all its members. You may find that as you focus on serving your senior pastor and your church family, God may open doors for you to make that recording you’ve always dreamed of!

When was the last time you invited the senior pastor to a worship team rehearsal to share from his heart his vision for music in your church?

If we don’t clearly communicate the vision and mission for our worship ministry to our team, we can only expect that our volunteers will fill in the blanks with their own personal dreams and ideas. Remember, like the “Blues Brothers” we are on a mission from God!

6. A band is about performing. A LCWM is about facilitating.
A musician with a “band” mindset is interested in having a place in the worship set for his Jack Black “School of Rock” guitar solo, shopping for his next “rock star” shirt to wear onstage, and asking his buddies to make sure he is heard in the mix (and if not, to go to the sound operator and let them know of their ghastly oversight). The hoped for response from the congregation is “The band sounded great today!”

For a worship team, facilitating worship for the congregation takes priority over personal musical preferences. The hoped for response from the congregation is “Wasn’t God’s presence felt here in worship today!”

I tell my team to think of our church families as weary travelers who have spent six days walking through this broken and depraved world to make it to our sanctuary on Sunday. Our task is to wash their feet with our worship and lead them to the refreshing presence of the Lord.

Our worship service should begin with strong leadership that arrests the attention of every attendee away from the distractions of this world and its problems and lift it towards our glorious King who can solve any problem! And as we carefully guide our friends along the path to His presence, we purposely begin to become less and less visible so that all they see is their precious Savior. We must decrease so that He can increase. At this holy moment, clever modulations are inappropriate, amazing vocal acrobatics are distracting, and impressive displays of instrumental virtuoso only cloud the view of One who is perfect and altogether lovely.

And so, my fellow worshippers, there is nothing wrong with being in a band if that is what God has called you to do. I am thankful for all the wonderful Christian bands that provide us with great music that inspires and lifts us up.

However, if you volunteer in a local church worship ministry, don’t approach your opportunity to serve with the attitude of finally “making the band,” but, rather, take on the attitude of Jesus who spent his last evening on earth washing the feet of his friends and, in doing so, provided a beautiful illustration of what true ministry is all about.

A taste of church in jusco

2007-06-29T12:33:00.000+08:00

After keeping all readers in suspense for such a long time. Finally, the highly anticipated, sought after, most talked-about post is finally here. Give it up for..

Straight Street Band
performance in Jusco Tebrau City
17 June 07

*claps and cheers, balloons over our heads, fireworks over our roofs and some birds got fried* =D

A minute with some true facts.

- A roadshow organised by Yamaha.
- SSB got invited to perform after being recognised from the Asean Beats Competition.
- SSB feels it's a great opportunity to share the love of God in public.

Sincere apologies for those who thought it was at 2pm & kept waiting till 5pm for the presentation, it was due to schedule problems and miscommunication with the yamaha organisers.

So after the the long wait in jusco, the people got excited when straight street band went on stage. hee.. what a long time it took to setup & get ready, cos need to move the keyboard on stage n setup.. vic & peter started to play some cool grooves & licks to fill the awkward silence till the band is ready. and later on..

angela: "hello people in jusco!". woohoo.. guitar intro, drums.. they played "your love is beautiful" by hillsong. It simpler rendition and quick ending to get the crowd heated. i opened my small eyes n looked, left, right, up.. woa ha, so many ppl from FGC! but also got many other ppl too. :)

while i'm excited standing wif fellow church friends n waiting for the next song to start, Caleb walked to the front of the stage and to my surprise, goes rapping wor!! "yo..yo..." yay~!!

"Father God i am clay in your hands.."
me: "yeh man, that's it yo.. rap on!"
friend: "oi, quiet la, he rap, not you rap"

terence sang the chorus, with anne (from TnT) & nicole singing the bridge..

sorry, it's been quite some time after jusco performance, i can't remember the sequence of the songs. i'll just describe the songs that came in mind. Hot, rock songs - "Dare you to move" and "Live This Life", nice! I could feel the energy bursting to life while listening n mouthing the words.

Fu Yao sang the unplugged version of "zai xin zhong" (loosely translated as 'In My Heart'). wow, it's so nice.. haha, pardon my lack of vocabs, like everything is "nice.." only, but it is! :P

did i mention that Su Kang is using church's professional camcorder to record the performance? that guy is appearing from everywhere, taking daring shots & being 'pro'. hee..

Angela also gave a beautiful solo of "Small" by Amanda Falk. It's those kind of songs that can calm my heart in the storm, and quiet down the whole world to listen to that still small voice in my heart. Kudos to her soothing voice too! "i wanna be small~, i wanna be just like a child, i wanna be quiet in your arms~ "

Titus led the band in the familiar song, "Mighty To Save" by hillsong. the atmosphere in Jusco became similar to church, and we worshiped God, in public.

At the end, the band sang a reprise of "your love is beautiful" again, now with instrument solos!

drums! "tak-tak tak-tak-dong dong~"..
bass guitar! dum dum dum-pak!~
guitar! tiao lo lo~ twee tweek twee!~~
another guitar! trum-trum-trum~~
keyboard! pam-pam pak pam-pam~~

haha :)

So it ends, so quickly, though it was a good 45 minutes..
We went nearer to congratulate the band for a wonderful presentation for the people & for God's glory. It was a good one, and not only that, it also established better grounds with Yamaha Music and Jusco management.
Who knows, they might invite the church again for future performance! :)

~lala, don't wanna gain the whole world and lose my soul~~

stuffs!

2007-06-26T15:48:00.000+08:00

So many events and life-changing moments since the school holidays. Stuffs like TEENz camp, jusco performance, and recently, TEENz's 1st (!) chinese concert.

soory dudes, promised to come out wif a short narration about the jusco performance but words got stuck in my mind and only seeps out little by little like sos kicap, ha. so Mr. Wahehe's gonna write abt it very soon.

people..

seems that concerts and thingy-s are jam-packed in TEENz calendar..

concert in Holy Light church coming up on sunday afternoon, next month (july) will be Manners month in TEENz.. i wonder how would it be like, teaching you how to sit, walk, eat, talk like a gentlemen/fair lady? hahah, i'll leave it to your imagination & excitement for July.

for official articles & photos, remember to visit our mother website. :)

Chinese Concert

wow, what a great concert it is last saturday during TEENz service! although my cup of english tea is being toppled over, i enjoyed singing praises to God in my mother tongue. i loved the enthusiasm and energy of the choir, vocalists, and worship leaders. i can see God moving powerfully during the worship and sharing by 'lok-lok' (joseph)!

remember what uncle Chung Wah said after the concert ends, worship does not end when the music fades, continue your devotion to God in preaching the gospel and meeting the needs of the people. How true!

ok, main topic, ALBUM.

all parts are preparing for the 'live' recording in March 2008. The musicians, arrangers, singers, and also the church.

there are questions of technicalities in recording, nature of the album, difficulty in keeping up with schedule, and other challenges that the directors of this album need to face. Do keep them in your prayers, pray for God's wisdom and guidance in this big project.

Last sunday, the musicians and arrangers had a wonderful practice and simple recording of "Fix my eyes on You" in canaan hall. It is an 'unplugged' version with nice acoustics; piano, guitars & percussion.

Imagine the sound of bongo playing in the background with the occasional deep bass thump, and the guitar strumming lightly and plucking a few strings in between, while the bass guitar provides good backup and the piano lighting simple but special touches to fill-in the space.

it's beautiful. :)

many people are working on the album, you don't see them practicing (they practice when nobody's around), maybe you don't know who they are (cos they don't parade around showing ppl they're involved, lol), but do pray for this group of dedicated people, pray for this album project to be a big success - high quality album, impacting the church & beyond, and drawing more people into God's kingdom! :)

2007-06-15T06:37:00.000+08:00

Christian performance
Sunday - 17 June
2pm
Jusco Tebrau City

*bring non-christian friends! :)

Album Interview

2007-06-06T01:24:00.000+08:00

Dig down town for an interview done! An interview with our very own talented and gifted songwriter, Titus Chan - Tikus!

1) What is the theme of this Album?
You

2) What is the main purpose of this album
- Going beyond our boundary, our comfort zone in terms of music and worship
- Touch peoples’ lives with our songs, and reaching out to the young people, who are attracted to music
- An avenue for the youth in the church to write songs
- An encouragement to other churches in this path of album making

3) What is your vision?
To see our purpose for the album being fulfilled, and to see revival coming
to JB, Malaysia!!! All for the Glory of God!!

4) Are there any encounters with god during the whole process?
From my part, it will be in the planning of the songs for the album. When
the final list of songs for the album was given to me, i prayed for the
right sequence of the songs. And as i was arranging the sequence of the
songs, i saw what God wanted to do with this Live Recording. It will be a
Evangelistic Concert cum Recording (hor hor...secret's out liaoz)...Must
start praying for it.

5) What are the genre of the songs?
well...from the arrangement of the first few songs....it will be a mixture
of genre from rock to motown...anything can happen...it's up to the
creativity of the arrangers...

6) What are the targeted groups of people? Can this album relate to the older generation?
Our target group would be the youth group ranging from TEENz to TnT....
well...of course it can relate to the older generation coz i believe God can
work through this album...

7) Compared with the previous album, what are the improvements or changes being implemented?
One obvious change would be the recording style...from studio to Live
Recording...reason being...we are much more at ease with Live Recording
since we play live every weekend..haha...and this would also involve the
church...

8) What do you see in the youths these days?
They are looking for a sense of purpose, a sense of satisfaction in their
lives. Only in God, will they find all these.

9) Any encouragements to them? to write songs, etc.
Fix Your Eyes upon God...Writing a song is like writing a note to God with a
melody, it's your expression to God...Try it! Record it down! Share it! = )

10) What can we expect from this album?
Expect an experience with God!!! Expect Souls saved on recording day and
also through listening to this album!!!

11)Any insights of the album you are able to share? How is process so far?
One of the insights was written in Qns 4....= ) I thank God for the good
process so far, with nice arrangements from the arrangers, and productive
band and vocal practices...

12)When is the recording, release of the album?
The recording is on 16th March 2008, and the release of the album is
targetted on the second half of 2008..

God Bless all readers!

Cheers!

Amazing grace... bum bum..

2007-06-04T19:54:00.000+08:00

blog entries are writteeen, wirrtten.. .. while life might be temporarily boring here, let's see how a pro bass player plays "amazing grace"..

Musician article

2007-05-31T17:28:00.000+08:00

Improve Your Ear,
Improve Your Serve

(by John J. DiModica)

The keys to serving well as a musician in worship ministry are more common than you think.

Consider this: playing music is dialogue not monologue. It is not a bunch of individual voices speaking simultaneously, but rather a lively exchange between instruments. It's a musical "conversation," if you will, where one musical idea inspires another. Performing, then, should be a mutually enjoyable, interactive experience. For a variety of reasons, however, when music is played, it is often not this kind of engaging dialogue but rather the opposite. The good news is that by developing good listening skills, we can greatly enhance our performing experience. Those we regularly play with will benefit, too.

Read more..

Impressive Arrangers & ...what if

2007-05-24T01:38:00.000+08:00

After 4 musician practices, songs like Live This Life, Let The Saints, You Are My Desire and others came alive.

I'm not a pro in music n its technicalities.. but the music arrangements are like what pasta sauce is to spaghetti, cream to a cake. It surprises, delights, and gives definition to the song lyrics, excites musical taste buds that you never knew existed.

haha. like, really nice lorr!!

i like the piano intro by Samuel in You Are My Desire, i like the energy in Live This Life.
so many "i likes"..

Good work, song arrangers and musicians, I can't wait for the end result of the arrangement as it develops and evolve further. The best is yet to be. :)

heh, better check on the progress of the vocalists next week, i passed by the corridor last sat mornin' and it sounds wonderful!

This splendid track 1 that u're listening now is "What If" by Jadon Lavik.

Have you ever wonder will God love you less? or more?
Does God love the pastor or cell leaders more than He loves you?
Will God still die for you if you're the only person on this round, watery planet?

Ever stereotyping God into your own mold? Thinking that He has an "all-powerful and wouldn't care less if you die" attitude? Maybe this time, after the many times, He won't forgive you again? Hmm.. or God doesn't want you to bother him with your little needs - tomorrow's exam, the guy or girl you liked, the new pimple, the mind that doesn't absorb knowledge well, the game level that is impossible to win, the spiritual life that stubbornly refused to grow, the finger nail that chipped off?

Hey, God, do you love me? I mean, really, love me?

What If (by Jadon Lavik)

What if I climbed that mountain? What if I swam to that shore?
What if every battle was victorious? Then would You love me more?
Would You love me more?
What if I were everyone’s first choice? What if I went farther than before?
What if I stood high above the rest? Then would You love me more?
Would You love me more?

You say I belong to You, apart from the things I do
You say I belong to You, I’m in awe of why You do
Why You do, why You do, I’m in awe of You, ooh

What if I ignored the hand that fed me? What if I forgot to confess?
What if I stumbled down that mountain? Then would You love me less?
Lord, would You love me less?

What if I were everyone's last choice? What if I mixed in with the rest?
What if I failed what I passed before? Then would You love me less?
Lord, would You, would You love me less, oh no, oh no, oh no

You say I belong to You, apart from the things I do
You say I belong to You, I’m in awe of why You do
You do, You do, You do

What have I done to deserve your Son sent to die for me?
What can I give? I want to live, give me eyes to see
In a world that keeps changin’ there’s one thing that I know is true
Your love is stayin’, there’s nothing else I’ll hold onto

You say I belong to You, apart from the things I do
You say I belong to You, I’m in awe of why You do
Why You do

The way You love me, the way You do
The way You do , the way You love me, You love me, You love me
The way You do, the way You do, the way You love me,
the way You love, You love, You love

God is love.
(1 John 4:8,16)

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
(1 Cor 13:4-8)

And since God is love and loves us so much, by sending his son for us. He is also..

Patient and kind to you..
Not proud before you..
Not rude to you..
Wants the very best for you..
Not easily angered with you..
Keeps no record of your wrongs when you confess and repent..
Rejoices when you learn and walk in his truth..

Always protects you..
Trusts you..
Gives you hope and runs with you..

God never fails to love you.

How important are you to him?

He took great care in creating you while you are in your mother's womb, he laid the path for your whole life even before you were born. He took notice when you sit and rise, and every little thing you do. His hands are always with you, protecting, motivating, leading.
(Psalm 139)

"You are the apple of my eye"
(Deut 32:10)

The things He did for you in the past, the work He is doing in your life now, the plans He has for you in the future.

All for love

Like a parent who loved the child during infancy, adolescent, adulthood..

God loves you, no matter how old are you; if you are as immature and insecure as an infant, as rebellious and disobedient like a problem teenager, as lost and dissatisfied as an adult having mid-life crisis.

So in respond to his love,
will you come before him once again, for today?
will you spend a little more time talking to him today?
will you talk to someone about his gospel of love today?
will you surrender your heart and let him guide you today?

Kota Masai Concert

2007-05-20T18:26:00.000+08:00

So sorry for this massive delayed entry. I, (Mr. Wahehe) was busy researching why "Patrick" from Spongegbob Squarepants is sort of dumb. Cause he's a pink one. ha, ha. Alright. Starfishes are cute.

Anyway, back to the concert. The 2nd Teenz Concert AWAY from church. It all started off by an invitation to Boon Fei from the Kota Masai Church which appears to be our "sister church".

The team arrived in all 4 cars. Including a drum set, a bass guitar, a electric guitar, a keyboard and few amplifiers. Amazing isn't it? Best still, there were still extra seats. Sounds like the 2 fishy and 5 loaves miracle?

Overall the concert was amazing, a simple yet sweet kind. Majority of them were aged 11 - 13. Therefore, Boon Fei's "message for the day" some how did relate to them. He shared on his own life experience. How he will pray to the idols for good grades but he was only able to seek help in Jesus. Ask the man himself if you want more insights. lol! (For your info, it's the man always jumping on stage during praise and worship. toingg toingg.. SK2. HAHa.)

So, in mathematical terms, normal cases, 1 leads to 2, and 2 leads to 3. Right folks? Which means, there will be more concerts coming our way. We either play it Home or Away.

Cheers folks!

What is worship to you?

2007-05-18T16:04:00.000+08:00

What is worship to you?

What is worship? your opinions, testimonies, a phrase or paragraph, or just a word. Give us your views, type it in the chatter box or 'comments' below. :)

Pei pei:
Sing to Him with a hymn of love, fix my eyes on Him.

Boon Fei:
worship... recognizing that He is God and we're not and everything else also not... He is the only Great God

Karl:
worship hmmm...
it's definitely more that singing songs praising our Lord.
to me, it's ur life that is presented as a worship offering to God. Live life glorifying Him and that will be a worship of "spirit and truth".

Vincent:
worship to me is more than just music...it is a refreshing of my soul...and a test of my communication with God..

Titus:
worship is what you do when you meet God.

Story of a fisherman

2007-05-16T09:19:00.000+08:00

Summershanshine:

Once there's a man who lives along the seaside. Everyday, he'll go fishing & he'll have 2 rods on his lap as a benchmark for the size of his catch. If the size of his catch is big enough & just nice to fit the length of the 2 rods, he'll keep it & bring it home for dinner. If it's within the 2 rods, he'll throw the fish back to the sea.
One day, the weather is perfectly fine & it's a great day for fishing. Sadly, all the fishes are within the length of the 2 rods on his lap, it's too small. So, he says to himself that he'll have a one last try. And YESH! He could sense that a BIG one is ahead of him.

After several fight backs, he got a very very big fish! But he throws it back to the sea because it doesn't fit the length of the 2 rods on his lap. WHAT A WASTE!

WHY? people ask him..

"I don't have such big frying pan!"

Moral of the story:
Expand your mind, get a bigger frying pan! :D

Expectations.Bigger Mindset.Pray.Listen To The Voice Of Truth.

Be Prepared for Camp! (:

Voice Of Truth

Oh what I would do to have

The kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I'm in
Onto the crashing waves

To step out of my comfort zone
Into the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He's holding out His hand

But the waves are calling out my name
And they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again. "Boy, you can never win!"
"You can never win!"

Chorus:
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says, "Do not be afraid!"
The voice of truth says, "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant
With just a sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors
Shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand

But the giant's calling out my name
And he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
Time and time again. "Boy you can never win!"
"You can never win!"

But the stone was just the right size
To put the giant on the ground
And the waves they don't seem so high
From on top of them lookin' down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
When I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
Singing over me

I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

Dewy-eyes: Yeh, amen! Get a bigger fryin' pan for the coming teenz camp! Have bigger expectations from God, be fully prepared by praying & fasting!

don'ch limit de immeasurable.

..fish fry-fry....

For more info on TEENz camp 2007, visit our awesome mother website!

Guitar: The Open-chord concept

2007-05-14T23:00:00.000+08:00

The Open-chord Concept

(by Paul Baloche)

Leading worship with just your guitar? Try these chord shapes for a fuller sound.

To read more, click here.

Who is who?

2007-05-09T00:22:00.000+08:00

Here's a little guessing game to play. Just write your answer in the comment box.

Answer shall be revealed soon!!

And yesh! a NEW POLL IS UP!
hot hot panas panas out from oven. Go vote it!

Live This Life: Story behind the song

2007-05-08T10:20:00.000+08:00

Live This Life: Story behind the song

In John 15:13-14, Jesus says, “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.”

Imagine the God who made the heavens and the earth, the God of all, is considering us His FRIENDS. Not only that, He laid down His life for us at the cross, bearing all our sins, so that we might live His life in exchange. That verse was spoken by Jesus, before He was crucified on the cross. GOD meant every word that He said. That's how much He loves us. Therefore, we should live this life for Him, every moment, everyday, with every breath, and with every beat o our hearts. As a result, this song was written in response to God's GREAT LOVE for us. Let's not only sing it, Let's Live it!"
It was written long ago, in 2002. =)
-Titus

Raw sample:

Next.

2007-05-07T07:48:00.000+08:00

TEENz Concert in Kota Masai

12 May (coming sat.)
7.30pm

Jesus. king. saviour. worship. lift. rain. sincere. talk. heart. running. cry. him. sing. her. glory. river. throne. flow. power. prayer. concert. God. reach. in. go. open.

Come.

Black is the new back!

2007-05-01T23:12:00.000+08:00

Black is in okayy,

Summershanshine: Last Saturday, we 3 bloggers were so excited looking around got people in Teenz CHUAN HEI HEI (wear black black) or not. HAHA! Indeed still there's some teenz responded to it. (: I even heard the levites counting how many people actually wore black shirt. And heard them saying "He got wear" "She got wear" & things like that..

Anyway, it's just a little survey thingy we had. Thanks for those who read this blog & your support too! May this blog will be a blessing to you. (: Oh ya! if you have any nice song, you could recommend to us. And anything you think we could post it, email us (teenzalbum@gmail.com)..

Mr. Wahehe : This proves that there are quite a number of Teenz who are reading this blog but some turns out coincidental. However, to the readers of this blog who eventually took action to wear black, thanks!

Story behind the song: Let the Saints

2007-04-29T17:03:00.000+08:00

Victor Tan:

One night at home, 5-6 years ago, I was doing my homework while there is adult cell group going on in the living room. During the worship, a lady was praising God loudly and kept saying: "we the saints praise you...", something like that. Inspired by the phrase and melody of the piano, a new melody and lyrics sprung up in my head, which is the chorus of "Let the Saints". I checked the online bible to verify the validity of 'saints', and realized that because of Jesus, we are redeemed and had become saints. And King David wrote many psalms relating to the saints, the call for them to love God, to sing praises to Him.

The written chorus of this song kept ringing in my mind for days, and in 1-2 weeks, the verse is being written. The phrase 'raging fire' is being inspired by one of Ginny Owens' (my fav christian artiste) songs, which sings of a desire to not only be a flame, but the raging fire that is tired of its own will and way, and reaches out for the higher calling of God.

So, this is how the song came about. It was sung in english service & TEENz a few years ago, and I am very surprised that the album committees and arrangers picked this song to be in the recording! =)

Dewy-eyes: Surprised ler, siewvic, teehehehe..

Hey Hey you you!! Remember my promise to publish e demo of e 1st raw recording of tis song? Here it is! Cool intro hor!!
(*this is not the final arrangement of the song, it'll sound much better during final recording wor!)

Leave

2007-04-29T16:20:00.000+08:00

Dewy-eyes:
*sad*.. Summershanshine has left us to further study in KL, but she will still be the designer & occasional writer of this blog..

Take heart, girl! Walk with courage on waters of trepidation & uncertainty, God is wif u!

Hee ya! Summershanshine we miss you.. ( and ignore other lyrics please :P )

Cool black on saturday!!

2007-04-22T23:38:00.000+08:00

Dewy-eyes:

oh no, mid-yr exam is coming soon, uni kor-kor n jie-jies are having exams too. *sighs..

okay, before i sink into the achromatic colour mood of burying myself in the library of spinning stresses and boring books, we little bloggers want do a little survey:

If you do read this blog (which you already do right now),

Wear a cool [ Black shirt ] on e comin' saturday's (28 Apr/3pm) TEENz service!!!

we want to know how many ppl reads tis blog.. why black ar, because..because.. it's a cool colour?

wahehehehe.. :D
don't forget yar, peeps. "chuan hei-hei" wor!
and if u know summershanshine personally, do take note when u walk into canaan hall on that day yar.. got wad ar, *secret-secret* :P

Encouragement for vocalists! :) :)
(click "comments" below for the lyrics of this song)

album update:

musicians, album committees n arrangers just roughly recorded two songs for preview, heard that the results are not bad! Of course there r many things need to change n improve.
A short sound clip of "let the saints" raw recording will be released soon!

**Look below! Bloggers wanted!!!

Yeah, YOU!

2007-04-21T11:44:00.000+08:00

JOIN US!
Don't hesitate anymore!

ah Ah aH AH AH~

2007-04-14T22:57:00.000+08:00

Dewy-eyes, with the help of an assistant, gets "snoopy eyes" around k-corner n went to office and talk-talk with the vocal trainer after the 1st vocal training on 14 April 12.30-1.30pm.

ppl who went for training: Terence, Karl, Georgina, Meliza, Eevynn, little Hui Min, Abigil, Nicole, Jasmine..

they stood in a circle, and follow the CD's voice & music to train, with assistance and explanation from the trainer.

~tired n slight serious mood~

[Dewy's messy-'ching chai' report]

After reports from observation n conversations wif the trainer, this is what i remember:
(vocal trainees & newbies, take note yar)

The purpose of this vocal training actually covers a pretty wide scope. - to help you understand voice, widen vocal range (can sing higher n lower), techniques of discovering your voice, improve your diction (pronunciation/say the words clearly), expression of voice.

There is a new vocal technique being introduced, the "neigh, neigh" practice. This is to help you sing high using your speaking voice, rather than the old-school way of singing falsetto (artificial high tone/"jia3 ying1").

The trainees will be getting practice materials soon; must prac min. 3 times a week, every time 15-20mins. Probably will injure your throat if practice the wrong way. So must practice "right-right" ya!

Problems: (oh ohh..)

The vocal trainer is a little disappointed at the lack of enthusiasm among the trainees. A bit "sian sian"..

Trainer: "Putting myself back when i was younger, I would be very excited if i am given a chance to be part of the album-recording, but i don't see it happen here (I don't see any enthusiasm n excitement during vocal training). I mean, how many teenagers have the chance to actually record an album? "

"there is no 'oomph!' among the trainees"
tired? shy?

2nd problem:

Diction.
During diction practice, they pronounced the words with the song's melody in mind, so the sound volume of words is not consistent, it gets softer and fade off sometimes.. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.... not good!

I guess the trainer expected them to say it out louder and to really practice to sing in clarity at the correct timing.

maybe the trainees are not used to this type of training..

**Vocal audition is to spot potentials only; vocal training is to train them until they are good enough to hold the mike n sing.

Dewy-eyes: wah! recording really got high standard. i heard from the trainer that if they can be more 'excited' and practice seriously & diligently, they can sing really well and be good enough to hold the mike n sing lo =)

Concert!

2007-04-10T12:00:00.000+08:00

Wah, looks like very happening hor when I was away for a few days. So sorry ppl for the late update! Ish! Me no no tai tai!! No no lao tai tai! No no popular (but Harris =.=)!! No no chopping knife!! BIG BULLIES! But nvm, love is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrong. =p
Want see me stomp on the ground? Not so easy. muahahahahha!

Woot~!
Concert! It's a blast man!! I came in around 2pm for pre-service prayer & I just knew that today will be a GREAT day! The prayers were so kao kao, the drum power & it was like never ending, everyone wanted to pray more & more. By that time it was already 2.45pm, Canaan Hall already flooded with alot of people. We still continue praying until 3pm. And it began..

A headstart by singing "One Way". Everyone just so excited, elated, high, jumpy & whatever adjectives you could think of. "You will never ever change, yesterday today the same". I felt so encouraged by it! I think the climax was the part we sang "To Worship" & "How Great Is Our God". I enjoyed singing it & lifting up my hands high high just to worship & really really amazed that what God had did in my life. Is like alot of things just reminded me that, it's the grace of God & it brings smile to my face. The feeling is so great!

The 1st part ended. Ps. Gideon shared about his testimony. Some part were so funny & everyone laughed. Some part were so "you-need-to think" & everyone quiet down, began thinking especially new friendsI guess. How Ps. Gideon went round & round, seeking a God that could help him, his life & family. An almost broken family, false hope, living in fear & so on, but finally he found it & God made the broken whole, bringing hope & peace to him and family. Altar call time, the harvest time, the we-so-nervous-yet-excited time.

*Close your eyes*
*Count to 3*

1

2

3

"I see your hand, you could put down"

"Yes, I see yours"

"Thankew, I see you"

Ps. Gideon asked those who raised up their hands to come to the front. There it goes 2 people, 5 people..
MORE & MORE!
EVEN MORE!!!
17 people.. nope.. more!! even little kids came out.

22 people accepted christ out of those 70 new friends!
We had around 220 people attended our concert!

PRAISE THE LORD! YAY-NESS! XD

2nd part of the concert started with "Salvation Is Here". WHOA! Is like, YESH YESH! SALVATION IS HERE!! Then "Beautiful Saviour", "Mighty To Save". It's so incredibly indescribable! && "Reflector", "Tell The World" & "Take It All", we sang our hearts out, right right? Whether you're new friends or old friends, we just want to jump around & praise our God! (:

After a few busy weeks, gospel station, youth rally, concert & all, it's all worth it just to win 1 more soul for Jesus. =D When you see someone dedicate their life to Jesus, it's all worth it. I don't know how to describe that kind of feeling, but you just feel so happy right?

*put your right hand on your left shoulder*
*put your left hand on your right shoulder*

NAH! GIVE URSELF A BIG BIG HUG!
It's all worth it!

The Conversation.

2007-04-09T01:10:00.000+08:00

One night, Dewy-eyes and Mr. Wahehe were in their pajamas sleeping like dead logs, but when midnight strikes, they remembered something, something very important. So, in the nick of time, they both met up in a deserted land, the land of the unknown, "MUAH, HA, HA" it is called the cyberspace. "Woo, Wooo.... cyberrrr.. Wooo.. space.."

-PAUSE -

Boss: "Oi! Mr. Wahehe, stop the effects hor!". You Woo.. Woo what? You think Horror movie har?

Mr. Wahehe: "Heh, Paiseh ar Boss, over-excited mar. "

Boss: "...ish!!.."

Dewy-Eyes: This is the 4x250= ?? times already. sighs,

-PAUSE-

Anyway, they finally met up at cyberspace, the revolutionary, unthinkable, unimaginable, un-bleblable, It's none other than.. MSN Messenger.. *Claps*Claps*Claps*. Their conversation went;-

Mr. Wahehe: Ehy Dewy Eyes, my avatar very chio hor, reminds me of Spidey!

Dewy-Eyes : ??

Mr. Wahehe : Blah, nevermind, you're just a kitten *.* Meoww.. Anyway, Shrek 3 is coming out!

Dewy-Eyes : Spiderman 3, Shrek 3 and the 3 bloggers!

Mr. Wahehe : Long live the 3. 3, the number 3!! pweet pweet!!

Dewy-Eyes : I asked shanshine to write about concert, then hor.. She went CBC retreat.

Mr. Wahehe: Looong live the 2 then! Laaa.. Laaaa, LAkk! That Shanshine always retreat here and there one what. XD

Dewy-Eyes: Hmmm.. So popular lor, some people. Not like us, everyday squat at home and do nothing.

Mr. Wahehe : We squat down play marbles. Never mind, One day we 2 also can be famous one, then we also can retreat-retreat liao hor!

Dewy-Eyes: hahah. Anyway, the Teenz Concert very Geng right!

Mr. Wahehe : Two words. Power - pack - all - in - one - super - combo - 100 - hit - kao - kao Concert!

Dewy-Eyes : Wah! You call that 2 words ar?! We'll leave more details for Shanshine to update us with. i wonder what is summershanshine's response when he/she reads this entry, teehehehe.. sure: "hanar hanar!! I very popular lor!!!" *stomps on the ground and snort angrily".

Mr. Wahehe : Sorry, my ang moh language/English kaput one. She's the all time "tai-tai" what! Fierce arh!! $%%&^$#!!

Dewy-Eyes : hoho! "lao" taitai.. Argh, summershanshine's coming down to hit us! Retreat retreat!!

Mr. Wahehe : Waa! she's holding a chopping knife and a "Ah Kong" walking stick! AhHH!!

Summer Shanshine : >.<

TEENz concert 7th Apr

2007-04-07T01:20:00.000+08:00

If TEENz concert is like coffee..
We are brewing it now.... =)

Plant your roots in God, direct your heart to Jesus, splash the world with colour..

Mr. Pokey Nosey:
Brief updates for TEENz album,
'live' recording will be held early next year, venue still yet to be determined (maybe sanctuary?). The 1st song for the recording will likely be "let the saints", Peter (guitarist) have already thought of an awesome intro for it, totally clean & groovy, and it's only electric guitar n drum sound; imagine when it's added with bass guitar n other instruments. Raw recording of the song's intro have been done in canaan hall last sunday. Song still under arrangement? It will be sung in two keys, like Hillsong's "Need You Here". Tons of things to fine-tune; let's say for the intro alone, it would take at least days to think of a good one, let alone to put it into discussion with fellow musicians & arrangers.

Many people think that playing a good song intro is easy, because we just imitate what's being recorded in the CD. For example. Hillsong's "Salvation Is Here" intro, simple enough. But do you have what it takes to think of that intro from scratch? Out of nothing? Tons of creative juices needed man, plus 10 times more in fine-tuning it to perfection.

Meanwhile, after some weeks of singing "To Worship" during TEENz's P&W, i think now they're going to change to another song.
You see, since the song list for 'live' recording is already set, the committees decided to teach TEENz congregation the new songs by singing each song for 3 weeks straight.

vocal training starts next week? not sure yet, will find out more from the committees..

Uh Ghah Sha Ghah LAI LIAO!

2007-04-02T13:29:00.000+08:00

Dewy Eyes and Summershanshine, Your parcel, "Mr. Wahehe" as you ordered from ebay has just arrived this afternoon 1455 via TAkair, awaiting for collection. It's sealed in a red box, located at gate D3.

Some say he's made from sticks, some say he's from the land of the Beatles, but we say, he's Mr.Wahehe, our newly imported blogger.

Ellos!! Me is Mr.Wahehe the imported blogger. Oh la laa. Beatles is me love. Those Americans are just so crazie'. Ohh, to me co-bloggers, Dewy Eyes (*-*), the kitten and summershanshine, the taitai? ($.$) It's me pleasure and me take full delight blogging with you people.

Alright enough with that, as for this entry, is basically giving you guys a slight brief on the concert FGCTeenz had on the 1st of April at Holy Light Church.

As for the band, you guys just brought the whole hall down man. Even with the little space provided, the lil' squeeze here and there, guitars bangin' guitars and chords flying around, you guys still managed to kept it, like said, "One sound, One Band". Tight and neat. Thank god for all the different talents god placed in everyone. From such experience, It sets our alarm clocks reminding us, FGC-reans, should really be appreciative and thankful at the same time for the space and facilities provided at our church and stop complaining (for some).

As for the Sermon, Pastor James shared from his own personal testimonies to the fact that true happiness is never about position and possession. He closes by explaining the 2 types of lives in our life. The life with Jesus in control and the life with the own self in control and had a alter call to those who wants to commit their lives to god once again. Around 10 people responded. All glory to God.

This concert I believe is special for many of us as it is our very first at our neighboring church. On behalf of the blogger team, I am giving a LOUD SHOUT OUT to all who were involved, half involved, a quarter involved, not so involved, not not so involved and those who supported a BIG Thank You and Cheers!! (Ice Kacang).

Summershanshine:

TADAH! Here's our very new "fresh" blogger- Mr Wahehe!

*applause*

Ahem Ahem! Me ish no tai tai! Me ish my BIG daddy's little girl. >.<
some fire we had to the church youth there. Although we just had our Youth Rally on Saturday night & everyone was so tired, still we managed to go there. (: How's everything? Ah! Mr Wahehe already told the tales.. But all I can say is, it's really really great that young people can come together going together for one same purpose is really really great! It's not about how loud the music is, is not about who the people is, is not about how cool the church is, all these will come to an end. Is all about that special encounter when the music flows in your heart, the peace is with you, is all about the word of God that speaks through your heart, is all about when you quiet yourself down in the presence of the lord, you just feel so close to him. Did you have the same feelings too? Haha..

Anyway, here's some highlights after the visit to Holy Light church.
*special*
*wink wink*

Want some more? Good things need to wait. We have more.. muahahahaha.. No no.. is wahehehehehe. X)

dewy-eyes: hehe.. =P
the song that u're listening to now is dedicated some ppl, more details at the blog entry below. enjoy la =D

Pre-concert SAMPAT!!

2007-04-02T00:05:00.000+08:00

Pre-concert sampat-sampat!!

Dewy-eyes:

I like to talk talk, but i can't wait for summershanshine n
Mr. Wahehe (new blogger!!)
to write their highly interesting entries!! hu-gah-shah-gah, hu-gah-shah-gah!!

some sampat intro for the other 2 bloggies:
- holy light church concert, heard that it's vely the nice wor.. *something bad happened to uncle Chong Hiang's laptop during sermon??!!
- they go makan-makan n something vely farny happened wor!!
- vocal training starting soon, where ar, when ar, how ar..

er, then hor, last sat's Youth Rally/ Cafe night got so many new friends come wooor! heard that got more than 100 new friends ler.

Street-evangelism people! Cafe people! Concert people! Behind-the-scenes people!!
This song is dedicated to u: legacy-leavers, history-makers, Jesus-pleasers =)

Thank you!

Legacy

I don't mind if you've got something nice to say about me
And I enjoy an accolade like the rest
You could take my picture and hang it in a gallery
Of all who's who and so-n-so's that used to be the best
At such'n'such ... it wouldn't matter much

I won't lie, it feels alright to see your name in lights
We all need an 'Atta boy' or 'Atta girl'
But in the end I'd like to hang my hat on more besides
The temporary trappings of this world

I want to leave a legacy
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love? Did I point to You enough
To make a mark on things?
I want to leave an offering
A child of mercy and grace who
blessed your name unapologetically
And leave that kind of legacy

I don't have to look too far or too long awhile
To make a lengthly list of all that I enjoy
It's an accumulating trinket and a treasure pile
Where moth and rust, thieves and such will soon enough destroy

Not well traveled, not well read, not well-to-do or well bred
Just want to hear instead, "Well Done" good and faithful one...

chik gun chiang!! We are published on Malaysia christian website!

2007-03-25T23:29:00.000+08:00

hey hey! our TEENz 1st album is featured in a malaysian christian music website wor! =D

must see!! click here! (*scroll down slowly n see ya, it's the sixth album from the top)

**tired, sleep 1st, write again soon.. (summershanshine n new blogger, write 1st ya, hehe) leave comments ya, of your feelings about this. =)

take care, dudes.
"hello, my warm pillow n soft blanket!! here i come running into your embrance, bring me to wonderful dreamland!" *muak muak* (dewy-eyes gone crazy in exhaustion).

pleaaaaaase write something in "comments" or the chat box at the right column..
and if u think summershanshine did a good job, do encourage her in church.
please...

insider information:
- we have confirmed song list for second album
- date of live recording confirmed
- i think musicians confirmed already too

will provide more info when the time is right.

album arrangers are now busy arranging the song, eg. thinking of new ways to play the song, different intros, chords, building together the best way to present the songs.

last TEENz concert prac went well, the team can't wait to go to Holy Light Church on the coming sunday (1 April) 3pm!!

summershanshine: muahahahaha.. We're on a christian music web! This means that our CSI album actually is introduced to all Malaysians! Phweet Weet~ I like the part "the title track CSI has good & catchy rock feel". And only I realise that actually we Malaysia do have some christian album. Buatan Malaysia!

*Imagine one day, in Stadium Bukit Jalil or some big big field.. A concert flooded by people worshipping God & so many people till you can't see the person at the end of 4 corners. WHOA! =D

dewy-eyes: haha. yeah, then worship teams from all over the country will lead worship together..

Song of the week, something fun to listen to. =P

Cartoons

(Chorus:)
I was thinkin' the other day,
"What if cartoons got saved?
They'd start singing praise
In a whole new way..."
Yeah, I was thinkin' the other day,
"What if cartoons got saved?
They'd start singing praise
In a whole new way..."

Fred and Wilma Flintstone
Sing "Yabba-dabba-do-lu-yah"
Scooby-doo and Shaggy:
"Scooby-dooby-doo-loo-yah"
And the Jetsons' dog named Astro:
"Rough-ray-roo-loo-yah"

(repeat chorus)

Teenage Mutant Ninga Turtles:
"Cowabunga-loo-yah, Dude!"
Then there's, "Kermit the Frog here, singing,
High-ho-le-loo-yah"
And that little bald guy, Elmer Fudd:
"How-ay-woo-yah"

(repeat chorus)

Oh that big old moose and his friend Rocky,
"Bullwinkle-loo-yah"
And our favourite bear named Yogi,
"Hey, Boo-Boo-loo-ya"
Then there's all those little blue guys
And they'd sing, "Hah-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-lay-loo-yah"
How about Beavis and that other guy?
"Nah!!"

Now, there's a point to this looney-tune
I'm not an Anamaniac
But there's a lot of praisin' to do
And cartoons weren't made for that
It's our job
So, let's sing hallelujah