The End

Well guys, my journey here has come to an end. With a Certificate of Completion in hand, I am heading back to Sacramento. This has been such an amazing journey! From such joyous moments with the Holy Spirit in worship, to feeling a bit lonely while stuck in my room. All in all, it has been amazing. I have grown in ways that I can't even see yet. I know the Lord is going to use what I have learned in the passed month and I am excited to see what He has planned.

I was hesitant when I made the decision to attend Bethel School of Worship. I had to choose between getting a car and attending this school. It was not a very easy decision(because I need a car!!!), but I knew the Lord had a plan and I'm so glad I listened to Him. ;] All I want to do is obey Him and be used by Him... and if that delays me getting a car for a while, I'm okay with it because I know at the end of the day, God is looking down on me with a smile. :)

This has been such an awesome opportunity for me and I'm so glad I went!
We had some amazing speakers:
Bill Johnson
Beni Johnson
Dan McCollam
Ray Hughes
Judy Franklin
Kim Walker-Smith
Jenn Johnson
Brian Johnson
Jeremy Riddle
Kathy Vallotton
and Kris Vallotton

And some amazing worship leaders:
Brian and Jenn Johnson
Jeremy Riddle
Will Matthews
Kim Walker-Smith
Skyler Smith
Chris McClarney
and Chris Quilala

Oh man, I can't wait to get back to my "normal" life and live with the persecutive that I have now! I have gained so much joy in my relationship with Jesus. I have found more freedom in expressing my love for Him. I have gained a deeper appreciation for myself, life, and all that God has created... aka everything! It is sad to say The End to this journey, but this has just been a small chapter in my "book of life" and I can't wait to turn the page. :] How cheesy am I. ;]


-Melody

My Last Week!

Well, This is my last week of Worship School. Boy, it sure went by fast. I can't believe this journey is almost over. I leave in 2 days! I can't believe it.

I had an awesome 4th of July! Mark came to visit Sunday and Monday. I'm so grateful and happy he came to see me! It was fun to spend time with him... Especially since it had been 3 weeks since I saw him! We had a lot of fun; we saw fireworks, went to Sundial Bridge, swam at Shasta Lake, and saw Toy Story 3! Oh my I love Toy Story!!! :] Mark liked it too. ;] So, I had a great holiday weekend!

Tuesday I had a Prophetic Song class with Jen Johnson. It was really good! It was all about our connection with God and letting the Spirit flow through us vocally. I love the way she expresses her love for God on stage. It gets me excited! :]

Yesterday, I had another vocal class with Joanna Finchum. It was good. It was a pretty relaxed class, we just talked about back ground vocals and technical stuff like where to hold the microphone and stuff like that, pretty basic. Though, it was nice to have a relaxed class because my brain is on overload! haha I feel like I have all this stuff that i've learned in my head, and I need to put it to practice before I explode! haa If that makes any sense...ha

Well, tomorrow is my last day. We have worship with Brian and Jen, Brian Johnson is speaking, and staff impartation where the staff is going to pray for everyone. Then, I head home tomorrow morning... at 6AM...Which means I have to wake up at like 5ish. Talk about EW! ha But, no worries, i'm excited to get home. :]

-Melody

Yeah, I met Kim Walker

Soo, this week has been a pretty busy week! Though, I have to say I had a very exciting highlight! I got to meet Kim Walker-Smith on Monday. Oh my, am I happy about that! Kim is basically the woman who really inspired me to want to learn more about worship and start leading more. I think it's awesome that she doesn't play an instrument(like me) but she is still an amazing worship leader! It was so cool to meet her! I got to talk to her for a couple minutes and got a picture with her. :) She is so awesome! :D So, that was pretty much the best part of my week.

I don't really want to make this a super long post, so I will try and sum up the week with as little words as possible. ;]

Well, like I said Monday I met Kim Walker-Smith. She lead worship on Monday and Tuesday and I took her worship leading class on Monday, which was awesome! I learned a lot.

Tuesday, Jerry Aaronson spoke on how sounds have shapes and how we each have our own unique sounds... I would elaborate more, but i'm too tired. ha Ray Hughes also spoke on Tuesday he spoke on how we are created to carry our light into the darkness.

Wednesday, Dan McCulliam spoke about how we need to strive for excellence in worship because God uses our creativity in worship to speak and connect with others. I also took a class with Dan on Redeeming sounds. He talked about how each country, each land has their own unique song that has power. It was an interesting class.

Thursday, Ray Hughes spoke again. He spoke on how as leaders, we need to have a fire in us to want to worship God, and we also need to have a fire in us to see others worship God. It was really good. We also had creative expressions during the second part of the day which was cool. Creative expressions is when some of the BSW students get to come up and share their gift with the rest of the school. Their was some awesome talents. So, that was fun to watch.

Today, Ray Hughes spoke once again! He talked about how we need to create an environment that God can't stay away from and in order to create that environment we need to have Passion for Him.

And now it's the weekend! Which i'm sooo happy for that! I'm loving BSW, but there is just soooo much awesome information to learn in such a short time, my brain hurts...literally! haa I've been trying to soak it all up, and I think i'm doing a pretty good job of it, it's just my brain is exhausted! haha Also, I'm SUPER EXCITED for the weekend because some of my friends are coming to see me!! Yay!! I can not wait to see my friends!! I miss them like crazy crazy crazy! Sunday they come and are staying the night, so it's going to be a great holiday weekend :)


-Melody

It's Hott!

Wow, it has been so hot this weekend in Redding!! It was 102 yesterday, and today is suppose to get up to 105. The pool has definitely been my friend this weekend, and our relationship will continue though out the week. :] It's crazy to me that it was like 85 degrees outside last night at 10:30pm, that is just NOT right. hah I'm for sure bringing out the shorts and skirts. Jeans have no place in weather like this. Well anyways, I had a good weekend! I went to the pool, went shopping, and had a jamba juice with an unexpected new friend! I bought a couple shirts and a skirt! So, that put me in a good mood. Also, I'm getting TAN! woohoo! I'm super excited that I am not blinding people with my whiteness as I walk by. haha I have a nice summer glow. ;] Yay to being tan! Man, I love summer! The only thing that is missing with my summer at the moment is my friends. But, it's okayy. I will see them soon! Which reminds me, I am officially half way done with BSW. It seems like it goes by so slow sometimes, and then other times i'm like omg slow down! haha But yaaa, 2 more weeks until I head home.

I'm super excited to continue classes this coming week! Especially tomorrow! Kim Walker is leading worship, teaching the main session, AND i'm taking her worship leading class! So, i'm going to have a day filled with Kim Walker. Oh just thinking about it makes me smile. :) I freak'n love her. She was basically my inspiration to wanting to grow deeper in worship...not to mention her range is crazy and her voice is amazing! Oh, tomorrow will be a good day. :)

-Melody

my week

Well, I haven't written in a couple days so, I will try and sum up the last few days for you. ;]

Tuesday: Tuesday was awesome. Chris McClarney(the guy who wrote Your love never fails) led worship which was great! Brian Johnson spoke again during the first session and he talked about how worship leaders need to inspire others to have joy and express their worship. Brian also talk about how worship teams need to become united. Teams need to be like a family and they need to spend time with each other outside of church to create relationships. As a team, we need to build each other up with prophetic and encouraging words. So that was good! The middle of the day, I took another Voice class. It was basically a continuation to the first Voice class I took on Monday. I really enjoyed this class because it was basically putting into practice all the stuff we learned the day before. It helped me understand all the info I got the first vocal class which was crazy overwhelming, so I was very happy with that class. We practiced vocal warm ups and we learned a lot about our chest voice and head voice. It was good. At the end of this day, Bill Johnson spoke. He talked about how we need to spend time in God's glory and how we are hosts of His presents.

A few things I thought were cool that Bill said:

"The Holy Spirit is in us as a river, not a lake. He flows through us, so we need to let His presents be released through us."

"We can't live in a world of reaction to the devil, we need to live in the influence of God."

"God is not looking for worship, He is looking for worshipers."

Wednesday: Chris McClarney led worship again. It was super cool though at the end of worship the music stopped, but everyone kept focused on God and worship and prayer and the whole santuary was COMPLETELY silent for 40 minutes. It was so crazy, yet amazing. You could sense the Holy Spirit in the room. it was super cool. So, since we went so over time, Chris McClarney was suppose to speak, but he didn't really have time in the end, so he just did a Q&A session with everyone. He talked at one point about how In order to go deeper with God, we need to be challenged and stretched outside our comfort zone. That was the end of Wednesday because the kingdom conference started this day.

Thursday and Today: I went to the first part of the Kingdom conference on both Thursday and today. It goes from 10-7 Thursday and Friday, but I did not feel like going the second part of the day. I've been hearing soooo many lectures every single day for the past week and a half. Don't get me wrong they have all been AMAZING, but my brain can only handle so much information! haa So, I decided to only go to the first part of the day yesterday and today(from 10-12). Anyways, both days were really good. Beni Johnson spoke Thursday. She spoke on how we need to carry hope in us and how whenever the Lord is speaking to us, we need to just do what He is asking us to do. She also talked about how things are going to change in the world soon.
Bill Johnson spoke today. He spoke on how we need to declare the word of the Lord and how God wants us to plant a seed in peoples lives so he can plow it. He also talked how we need to make sure that when ever their are problems in the world or in our own personal life, that those problems never get any bigger than God. When that happens, we need to repent and refocus.

Wow this was a long post...haa

Now it's the weekend. I'll probably go to the pool and do some shopping. Gosh, I miss everyone back at home. Someone come to Redding and hangout with me!! haha

-Melody

Voice Technique!

I have to say, this school has been super awesome so far! Though, i'm forming a complaint. :b Don't worry, it's not on the actual school(the school is awesome!), it's more personal. ha The only thing I very much dislike about being here in Redding is how much I am alone. Everyday after school from the time I get out until the time I go to bed, I am by myself. It's not that fun. I usually just go into my room and hangout in their with my laptop. Thank you Jesus I decided to buy a laptop! I would go insane without one. hah Anyways, the past weekend here was pretty lameish. I was feeling a bit bored and lonely. Yes, I went out of my four walls and did stuff; I went to the store, I went to the pool, and took a walk. stuff like that, but it's not that much fun when your all alone! And you can only lay out by the pool for so long! ha So, having so much free time and alone time has made me miss everyone at home a lot. More then I thought I would. I didn't think I would start missing everyone so quickly! I miss my family, I miss my friends, and of course I miss my boyfriend... a lot! But, God has a plan for while i'm down here, so i'm keeping focused! :)

Well, back on the topic of the school! ha Kathy(Kris's wife) spoke this morning! It was great!(as usual!) She spoke on transitions, and how God challenges us. He puts us in uncomfortable situations and creates situations where we feel under pressure. He does this on purpose to strengthen us and help us have a firm foundation so our foundation won't crack in the future.

I also took a voice technique class today! It was great! Though, I have to say their was A LOT of information to take in! I have like 4 pages of notes just for that class today... and I missed a lot of info because while I would be writing something down, she would say something important! So, it was a bit overwhelming, but it was really good! I learned things like, it's important to blend your voice, so you have smooth transitions. Also, we learned it's important to remember that with your voice, volume doesn't create strength, strength creates volume. So it was very good, just a lot of info!


Now I think it's time for a coffee. I'm sensing an Iced Carmel Macchiatto calling my name. :)

-Melody

Week 1 complete!

First week of class is over! Well, it was actually only 3 days...So, technically it wasn't a full week, but I don't need to get all technical do I? haa Anyways, First week was amazing! It was full of amazing worship and great speakers! Brian and Jenn lead worship the first 2 days, and Jeremy Riddle lead worship today. Every morning there is such amazing worship and every time the holy spirit is in the room. Everyone can since it. It's amazing.

Yesterday we had an art project, which was super cool. We collaged notebooks(the ones with the cow like print on them). There was a bunch of magazines and we were told to go through them and anytime a picture or word stood out we should cut or rip it out and use those to decorate our notebooks. It was super fun and I like my notebook a lot. :] Also, Jenn spoke! I always like it when Jenn speaks. Yesterday she spoke on the Holy Spirit and how it is super important to stay in alignment with Him. She also talked about how we need to stop waiting to "arrive" in where we want to go in life, we need to find joy in where we are now.

Today, like I said Jeremy Led worship and Spoke. It was awesome! He talked about how the church needs to start doing what they are singing. For example, when churches sing about dancing and no one is dancing.. why are they singing the song if no one is going to dance? He also talked about how worship leaders need to be releasers of God and the Holy Spirit and how we need to develop our own history with God so we can have encounters with Him.

Next week we start taking the different classes, so i'm excited about that! :]

-Melody

First day...Complete!

Well, I had my first day at BSW. It was awesome! It wasn't a full day of classes it was more of getting to know the staff and letting them talk about all the classes that are being offered. We also had an amazing time of worship this morning! Wow, I just love the worship here!!!! I can't believe that I am going to have that worship for the next 3 weeks!! Ahh, I just love it.

Brian Johnson spoke this morning. He talked about how we need to pay close attention to the voice of the Lord. And how we need to be driven by the Lord, not our own ambition. I can't wait to take one of his classes on worship leading!

Also, Pastor Kris(I forgot his last name) spoke at the end of the day. He had a really great word about how we need to have strong roots in the Lord...And that starts with being able to take instruction from others with an open heart and a willingness to listen. Kris made a cool point, that if a person can't take discipline from people they can see, how could they take it from God who is invisible. His message was great.

Today I got pretty much all my classes picked out for the next 3 weeks!
Prophetic song with Jenn Johnson
Voice Health with Joanna Finchum
Vocal Technique with Joanna Finchum
Empowering your team with Christa Black
Supporting the worship leader with Christa Black
Worship leading with Kim Walker
Worship leading with Brian Johnson

I have a couple more that I am thinking about, so we will see which ones I decide to take! :]

Time for Dinner!
-Melody

Getting Excited!

Day one of being "independent" was a success! haa It's so weird going grocery shopping and realizing that i'm shopping for me...and only me. I'm used to going food shopping for my family of 6. Major difference when it comes to food quantity!

Also, living on my own for the next few weeks makes me think so much more about money. For example, when I went food shopping today I found myself trying to find the best deals on EVERYTHING to save a few bucks. Saving a dollar here, saving 50 cents there..It totally adds up though. The more money I save the better! haa Though it's weird shopping for only myself, it's fun! I love the feeling of independence. I feel all cool and grown up. ;]

Tomorrow is my first day of BSW(Bethel's School of Worship)!! I'm super excited to see what God has in store for me while I am here. Though, I have to say I am a bit nervous. This is my first time doing anything like this, so we will see what happens! All I know is that I am totally in God's hands and I will continue to let Him guide my foot steps.

My oh my, It's such a cool feeling actually doing what I set my mind to do. At the beginning of my Senior year of High School, I made some goals. One of them was to grow deeper in worship leading and singing. I thought it would be awesome to go to some sort of program where I could learn more about worship leading. I have to say I was a little hesitant at first because I was scared, but I knew this is what God wanted me to do. So here I am, about to start BSW. Ahhhhh, I'm just so excited!

Well, i'm off to bed!
-Melody

Here we go!

Hey Guys!

So, since I am going on this cool adventure to Redding, I figured I would write about it! Though, I have to say that I am not much of a writer, so you're going to have to bare with me. :)

I left earlier today around 5:15pm for Redding, and I arrived about 2 hours ago. It was pretty bitter sweet to say good bye. I am going to miss my friends and family a lot, but I keep telling myself it's only 3 1/2 weeks, no biggie...Right?!?! haha But, I'm not going to lie...a few tears were shed over this departure. ha

Well, I am all unpacked and settled in(for the most part). I am staying with a young couple (Melissa and Josh) who live in a cute two story apartment, where I have my own room. :) Melissa was here when I arrived to show me around and help me settle in. Her husband, Josh should be home any minute, so i'll meet him soon! They seem like a really cool couple! :)

I'm not totally sure what I am getting myself into, but I know God has a plan and i'm excited to see what is going to happen the next few weeks!

-Melody

P.S. I'm so horrible about keeping up to date with these blog things, but I will try my best to stay updated with everything. :]