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Lessons from the 2024 Sing Conference: An Introduction
This year I had the opportunity to attend SING! the Getty Music Worship Conference. The Sing! Conference is "A creative collaboration of hymn writers and expositors celebrating the greatest songs ever composed." Attendees…
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My rogue pinky: lessons in gratitude, music, my gifts, and kitchen safety
For those few brief days, I had to accept the reality that I might have to stop playing. I'm still kind of in awe that I've been playing the piano for over two…
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Free Indeed (Blessings from an Unsuccessful Church Merger Part 1)
2023 brought many opportunities for our family to grow and change. One of the biggest opportunities was the sixth months our church spent in "conversation" with another local church about a potential church…
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Redemption Stories: My Song in the Night
I began writing music when I was 16, a scared girl who found comfort in God - my "song in the night." The originator of our Psalm 118 song was our youngest guild member,…
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Disentangling (and reclaiming) the hymns of the Lord’s Table
As my fingers have learned new accompaniments of hymns I've known from my childhood, my heart has been disentangling them from the meanings ascribed to them in legalistic environments. The words have washed…
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Our Eleventh Anniversary: Musings & a Marriage Playlist
It’s 4:38 a.m. and I’m awoken by a child who needs his nightlight fixed…and a snack. When I crawl back into bed a few moments later, I breathe a sigh and lay my…
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Practically perfect in every way? A Mary Poppins Returns review
Mary Poppins Returns: Remake, Sequel, or Bust? Viewers may have mixed expectations about the new movie, “Mary Poppins Returns.” For some purists that have loved the classic since it was released in the…
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How to listen to grown up music (even when you have kids)
A pumpkin spice candle flickers on my mantle. The boys are playing together as peacefully as two rowdy boys can. And my favorite music is streaming from Pandora on the living room TV.…
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What music history can teach us about mental challenges
I’m a week away from being done with my music appreciation class. I have found this class to be highly enjoyable and enlightening. The book has covered the lives of many of the…
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Social Skills CDs for Children with Special Needs
Social skills and communication skills can be hard for any child to master. Children with special needs especially struggle in these areas. Recently I was looking on Amazon for CDs that address these skills…