After only a
couple of weeks of preparing for another year of NET, I arrived in Brisbane for
the Ignite School of Music run by Ignite Youth, AKA music training. A little
known fact about me is that I actually grew up playing lots of instruments -
the air guitar, the air drums, the air keyboard, I even played the air trumpet
at one stage, but gave it up pretty quickly. Seriously though, growing up I
wanted to play so many different instruments, but for varying reasons was never
allowed. On my first year of NET there were some very talented guitarists who
taught me a few of the basics. It was enough for me to attend music training in
2013. And then God blessed even more by placing me on a team with more talented
musicians in my second year. I picked up some basics on the keyboard and learnt
a whole lot more about playing guitar and singing. So these are the God-given
gifts that brought me to Ignite School of Music this year.
So what is Ignite
School of Music? It’s a five day program of hands on training and formation in
contemporary Catholic worship. Worship. The five days were all about worship. I
came to Ignite School of Music so excited to learn new skills that would help
me lead worship, I forgot the most important thing about leading other people
in worship was that I must first have a relationship with Jesus and worship Him
in order for others to be lead in prayer.
About twenty
or so of this year’s netters joined a whole bunch of other young people at this
year’s School of Music, where team from emmanuelworship lead us in different
sessions. We started each day with a Heart session. This was literally all
about our heart. Well, not the organ that pumps blood through our bodies, but
our heart for worship! One of my favourite talks was entitled ‘What’s in your
hands...baby?’ Now in this talk I learnt that everything is apparently much
cooler when you add ‘baby’ to the end of it! This is debatable, however, the
good thing is I managed to take other things from this talk. Music is in us. It’s
in us. And it expresses the inexpressible. I was blown away by listening to a
heartbeat and knowing that it’s music; and it’s the first music we hear. Way to
drop a sick beat there, Jesus! But what hit me the hardest is how much I had
forgotten about the heart of worship. Maybe I hadn’t forgotten. Maybe I’ve just
become complacent in my worship. Worship isn’t about us. It’s not about the
feelings we receive or the lights or the band. It’s about God. True worship is
a song of the heart and not of the lips. And it’s why we were created! Jesus
draws us deeper into relationship with Him through worship. And that’s what
happened for me over those five days.
After a
conversation with a friend I had the realisation that I am doing a third year
of NET. It kind of hit me like when you’re pushing a kid on a swing and you
look away for just a second and they kick you right in the face! You know it’s
there. You know it’s coming. And then out of nowhere - BAM! It hits you and you
really feel it! But it was through this realisation that I was able to
acknowledge that I’m not perfect and I don’t have everything right, but God is
and does. And He is going to do great things in and through me because of this
very simple little fact.
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| A little bit of praise and worship kicking off a Heart session |
On a more
practical note I learnt a whole bunch of new skills on the good old acoustic
guitar. I’m taking away a few new chords and new ways to play old chords. We
were split into bands and each band got to practice and lead everyone in a time
of worship. During our band practice times each person in my band got to lead
the rest of the band in one or two songs. This was a personal highlight for me.
I didn’t actually want to do it, but I did it anyway! And I messed up the
chords. I messed up the singing. But I was worshipping so it didn’t even
matter! This is a massive achievement in my life, as a year ago I didn’t ever
want to sing in front of others, let alone lead them in worship!
After a day
off and a change in host homes, us netters came together at the NET office for
an extra day of music training. We spent a lot of time practicing the Rivers
Youth Mass Setting and learning how to play a whole bunch of songs we’ll need
to know for the year. I found it really helpful and could tell my skills had
improved a whole lot since many a failed attempt at playing an E minor chord
just two years ago! I’ve come a long way!
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| Music Training continued at the NET office #thirdyearnetlife |
We’ve been
sent out with new hearts and new skills to share who Jesus is through the
language of music. It’s exciting. It’s a little bit scary. But mostly it’s
exciting. Tomorrow training begins. All the netters of 2014 will come together
for the first time. It’s also mostly exciting, but a little bit scary! But I’m
looking forward to the adventure that will be this year.
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| Netters of 2014 at Ignite School of Music |
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