Choir Tour 2010!

Why Choir (And Tour) is Amazing:

10. The voyage. In all three of my years in Choir I have yet to experience a far-away tour, but I have high hopes forthat in my fifth year. Outside of that, however, the trips to Quebec and Northern Ontario have actually been loads of fun. It's essentially a giant, God-centered road trip with a bundle of your best friends.

9. The attitudes. Granted, some people are there for poor reasons and have bad attitudes. And even still some people with great attitudes get tired and cranky. But there is no denying that it is hard to imagine any group of 20-something-year-olds with more joyful spirits.

8. The jokes. Every tour has them, and some of them are just too good to forget. This year for me it is Dontcha, Taylor's attempts at French and Joz my passionate lover. And I love the fact that I can glean this from a week of bus-riding and fatigue!

7. The music. Take it from someone who favours screamo, rock and punk over Beethoven, Bach and Handel (not Liszt, I would take him over anything!), there is a whole world of absolutely incredible music that our generation is going to miss out on. Were it not for Choir I would never have heard of O Magnum Mysterium (Lauridsen), Christus Factus Est (Bruckner), Crucifixus (Lotti) and Requiem (Faure's, Gilles' and Brahms') among many other marvelous repertoire.

6. Sopranos. They might be divas sometimes, but so many of these ladies are the nicest, most honest people I have ever met. Many of them inspire me to be more in touch with my femininity.

5. Tenors. There are few sections where you can find pop stars, politicians, math buffs and basketball players. But we have them all, and they love nothing more than to give out hugs and spread joy.

4. Basses. Some of the manliest men I know, and some of the most reliable friends I have.

3. Altos. There is not one alto in choir that I don't absolutely adore. These ladies are entirely dedicated to love, to God, and to each other.

2. Dr. Teeuwsen. While he may come across to almost everyone in their first impression as the scariest, most intimidating man alive, T-Man is like a giant teddy bear. True, he plays organ like a world champ. And true, if you aren't singing to your full potential he'll scare the crap out of you in a concert. However, he will also sing "Dontcha" and "Go for a Soda" on the bus, will hug anyone, anywhere, anytime, and will become your father while you are at school.

1. Faith.  I'm not the only one who wants desperately to understand, and when we sing songs like this all together, I feel certain that we're all seeking answers together.

Thoughts on Faith.

For God commanded angels to watch over you
That they shall protect you in all your living keep you
For their hands will uphold and guide you
Lets you dash your foot against a stone, stumbling
For they shall protect you
In all your living keep you
For they shall, shall protect you
They shall protect you, protect and keep you


"From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it." Matthew 11:12.

"Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling" Philippians 2:12b.

I like to imagine what a pure faith would look like.  Not a religion full of useless rules or something stupid like that... but a real faith that somehow made our world better or managed to actually exemplify love.

You've Made Me So Very Happy

This is a very good day.
Very good.

1) My laptop came home
2) The weather is beautiful
3) I got to see the house for the summer
4) I fell in love with the house
5) I am an alto in choir
6) Next year is going to be amazing
7) I am learning all about real friendships
8) I realized I have a lot of them
9) I may have a job this summer -- outside!
10) I'm aceing exams left and right


RAD-FREAKING-TASTIC!

Return. You Were Supposed to Return.

(That's a lyric from OK Go's "Return", an excellent song).

I'm feeling compelled to share my journal for today. Mainly because I'm feeling compelled to type it instead of write it, but I assume there's a reason for that.

Throughout the past few weeks, our dorm has lost much of the joy and unconditional love that it had at the beginning of the year. It seems that as we grow more comfortable with each other, we grow further apart. Why is this? I doubt I'll ever understand. However, this made the dorm environment less than 'joyful', and less than enjoyable. It got to the point where I would go to the music rooms or Library just to avoid going home.

But on Reading Week, I was blessed enough to be able to go on a tour of Québec and Ontario with Redeemer's Concert Choir. I had been excited for a while, but I had not fully understood what it would mean. I knew there would be a lot of work involved, but I assumed that by the end of the week relationships would have deteriorated much like my dorm. After all, seeing people every moment of every day for a week -- sleeping with them, being on the bus for hours, practicing in small areas, changing side by side, eating with them -- can be fairly grueling.

Words can never express how wrong I was. The people in Redeemer's Choir are unlike any other people I have ever met. Every person, no matter how tired or emotional made time for others. Everyone was joyful all the time. People allowed their toes to be stepped on, and I didn't hear one complaint all week. People showed unconditional love at all times.

I've never felt anything like I felt on choir tour. I haven't grown up in the church like a lot of people here at Redeemer, and my view of Christians has been tainted by a lot of past experiences. But if someone were to ask me to point out someone who truly lives out their faith, I would be forced to point to the other 34 students and 1 director in my Choir.

To be a part of it has been a great blessing... Even if I am just a tenor :)