As opening week winds down, I’m so glad that I can look back and realize that I could have been even more enthusiastic.

I came back to California after a couple weeks of R&R at home and got right back into college life with the revival services each evening and getting settled back in during the day. Monday and Tuesday, I got to play with Bro. Hopkins in the services, which was so much fun I’m not sure how to describe it!

Dr. R.B. Ouellette and Dr. David Gibbs preached powerful and challenging messages that helped to set the right spirit for the semester.

My roommates are great this year, and I have the opportunity of being more involved in my dorm soul winning group.

Please keep me in prayer, and I promise if you write, I’ll reply as soon as I can.

I’m writing this from Dodger Stadium at the game that the college attends each year. Go Steelers! (Wait… Is that the wrong sport? Can’t be. Go, my favorite sportsteam, go! Defeat them, soundly!)

Dr. Weaver and Dr. Goddard on the big screen

There have been so many experiences that I don’t think I’m going to try to write about them yet; maybe next semester when I’ve had some time to sort through all of my thoughts about what we’ve seen and done.

Of course, you can always follow me on Twitter if you’d like to see some occasional updates, and you can click on the picture show to the right to see them full-sized. If you’re reading this in an email or in Google Reader, the photo album is here.

Take care; see you here next month.

At the Falls

This is finals week here, then Graduation Week starts in really just a few days. Tonight I’m accomapnying in the Senior Recital, tomorrow is the recital for Bro. Hopkins’ students, and then Saturday… I’m going to practice for Graduation Week! Keep me in prayer if you think to do it, I’d really appreciate it.

Visit the college website to see a schedule of the services and to watch them via live-stream. The tour groups will be singing and you may catch me somewhere in the Spring Concert on Monday night.

Thanks for reading this year, maybe next year I’ll post some more pictures of school. If you want to keep up with me this summer, just keep an eye on the sidebar of my blog here for pictures in the photo album, or follow me on Twitter, also available on the sidebar.

God bless, and I’m looking forward to seeing some of you on the road this summer!

I have made a habit of jotting down some of the best quotes that I hear, and of course I use a great piece of software to help keep it all organized, so click here to look through them all, or here to subscribe with RSS or to have them sent to your email.

Also, there is a new podcast of preaching from WCBC Chapel, if you’re into podcasts, I recommend it (and no, I don’t get paid to write this.) Subscribe in iTunes, or click here for other ways.

Hope these resources are a blessing and provide a little closer look at the ministry here at WCBC.

I had a wonderful visit with my grandma and the relatives in PA last week and spend time reminiscing and finding some info about my Grandpa’s WWII service. It’s such an honor to know some of the heroes who kept us free (and the ones who supported the soldiers) in that era.

I was able to preach at my old church and play the piano at my Grandma’s church; it was such a blessing to serve over the break!

When I got back to school, I jumped right back in, and ended up playing background music and solo accompaniment for our music department’s presentation of that timeless biblical story: Cinderella. Click on the little photo viewer to the right to see some pics of the event. If you read the blog via email or rss you’ll need to click onto the site.

I don’t really know how to express this without starting to sound redundant, but I’m so thankful for the amazing life the Lord has given me. I have the best family, I go to the best college, I play the piano for the most amazing people, and I serve our indescribable Lord! Sure, there are some hard times, there have been disappointments, some of them in the last few months, but none of them are on Jesus’ part, and I can echo the psalmist from my heart: for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Thanks for reading my thoughts tonight, I hope you have a wonderful week serving God!

For the last few weeks, Pastor Chappell has placed an emphasis on stewardship and supporting the expansion of the auditorium and campus improvements. The church building has been filled to capacity for months now, so this project is desperately needed, and a good portion of it was given or promised tonight.

Dr. David Gibbs Jr. preached today as he does nearly every year, and both of his sermons were powerful encouragements to support the ministry. Tonight he preached on giving to the Lord because of our love for Him, and by the time he was done, there weren’t too many dry eyes in the auditorium.

I was able to play for a piano-violin duet and for a quartet while the offering was being counted and then after the service. I haven’t had too much stage fright, once I’m up there I’ve been able to focus on the music and forget about the crowd. I think it helps

1. That I don’t have to look at the crowd.
2. That you pray for me.

Please keep it up, I need all the prayer that I can get!

I’m leaving on a red eye tomorrow night, see you back here on the blog after Spring Vacation!

I get to teach 11 of the best piano students, and right now they’re working on pieces for their recital in May. It’s such an encouragement when they put everything they have into the piano, and it will definitely show on recital day! Yesterday I asked one of them how much he practices and he looked a little embarrassed and said “Forty-five minutes or an hour… Is that enough?” I wish that all of them thought that much was too little!

A couple of weeks ago I got to be in a smaller meeting with Pastor Chappell, and it was so wonderful to get to know him and find out what he expects from us on summer tour. If you ever get the chance to meet him in a smaller setting, jump at the chance, it was incredible!

Thanks to a bunch of friends who ask me to play the piano for them, I get to play the 9′ Kawai pianos in the auditorium, and I’m appreciating them more and more (the pianos, not my friends. Just kidding). I think Steinway is still my favorite piano, but these have an amazing touch and sound… so much fun to play! The college orchestra is working on a musical that has no piano part, and since I can play by ear, guess who got asked to come up with piano accompaniment? Pray for me, I’m busy.

Spring Vacation starts next week, and I’m going for the week to see my Grandma in PA. I’m looking forward to seeing all of the family and relaxing for a week, then coming right back into the swing of things, May is coming quickly!

Chapel piano is the best. I mean really, I get to play a 9′ piano while almost 1,000 people sing some great hymns! I remember the first time I played in chapel last semester, I was on second piano (the one that doesn’t matter and that no one can hear) playing with a senior, and I was more nervous than when I played my first special in church ten years ago! Even though I told everyone I played “chapel piano,” I really only played about 4 times last semester. (Like I said, watch out for my self-promotion.) This semester, I really do get to play first piano every other week, and just doing that has stretched my ability and made me work harder. When the line of college administration walk onto the platform behind you and head to their seats, they’re not stopping, and nothing will stop Bro. Wall (not height, nor depth…), so you’d better be ready! There’s a song called Let Us Fix Our Eyes on Jesus that has come to be so real to me after playing in chapel. When Bro. Wall gives that preparatory beat, if my eyes are anywhere else but on him, I will ruin the song; if I block everything else out though, and focus on his hands, I will play the song perfectly. It’s not unlike our relationship with the Lord, and it was a great illustration to me.

I also play for two tour groups and some various soloists and small groups, all of which combined, keep my schedule hectic and my music binder full. I have been able to travel with one of last year’s tour groups to some churches near us for the last couple of weeks. The group is awesome to be with, and I’m glad that I’m getting some experience this spring without as much pressure as we’ll have this summer. Practice with my summer group is going well, and they’re singing in chapel for the first time tomorrow! One of my good friends asked me to accompany him in church the other Wednesday night, and he did a great job with a song called It’s Real, you can watch it on YouTube here.

Last bit of informative news: I also get to teach nine piano students from the Christian school here, they are doing very well, and we’re starting to work on pieces for them to do for the recital in May. Speaking of… I take lessons too, from Bro. Hopkins, who is, in my opinion, the best. We’re working on some exciting things this semester, can’t wait for you to hear those!

I have a 16 credit class load this semester, but most of those are in Missions and Music, which I’m most interested in, which makes it much easier to enjoy. Dr. Don Sisk teaches Intro to Missions (required for nearly everyone I believe) and The Making and Ministry of a Missionary (a study of the Apostle Paul). One of the reasons I came to WCBC was to learn from Dr. Sisk, and he only teaches here during the Spring semester, so when I saw those two classes from him that I was able to take, I jumped at them this semester.  This morning in Intro Dr. Sisk taught part of his lesson on what the Bible says about world-wide evangelization. It’s amazing to sit in a classroom a few feet away from a man who led BIMI for so many years and was so instrumental in sending the gospel to the world. If you want to learn Missions… what can I say? He’s the best!

Congregational Songleading, New Testament Survey, Principles of Graphic Design, Practical Theology, Men’s Ensemble (tour), and college orchestra round out my classes. Next semester I’ll take some harder Bible classes, but for right now, I’m happy to be able to focus a lot of time on my piano lessons with Bro. Hopkins and my Missions classes.

Now, to why I love the college administration. I have had the privilege of getting to know many of the faculty and staff, and I’m aware that most of the students here know them too, but every time I get to talk to one of them, they take the time to not only be friendly, but to get to know me. Yesterday I decided to drop in to Dr. Weaver’s (the Dean of Students) office (under good circumstances [I don't think I'll enjoy it as much if I have to go for disciplinary reasons]) and say hi to him. He took about fifteen minutes to talk with me and share some of his life with me (like when he took a tour group consisting of nine guys, chosen only for their musical ability, not their character).

Never again.

- Dr. Toby Weaver 2-3-2010

I think I have mentioned this before, but the last few months I have been so thankful for all of the wonderful things that have been placed in my life of late. I know that the Lord has blessed so many of us so abundantly, but I can’t help but be grateful for all that He’s done for me.

I’m looking forward to telling you about what I’m doing musically this semester.

I’m listening to Holy is He at the moment.

Also, without giving too many details, there is another amazing musical opportunity that I’m praying will work out. I would have the chance to accompany an amazing violinist in some special concerts here in Phoenix, and it would help to develop me in the area of classical music. When I first began studying piano, I was being trained classically, since then things have taken a turn for the worse. For about nine years, I didn’t have a teacher, so much of what I learned, I learned incorrectly on my own, and I didn’t learn much theory at all. This next semester I’m going to be studying more classical music with Bro. Hopkins, and playing with a concert violinist will help by forcing me to have the music perfected enough for a concert.

So, these two posts are most of my five week Christmas break (one week left to go), and the break did exactly what I had hoped, it got me rested back up and looking forward to school again! Thanks for all of your encouragement, Philippians 1:3 comes to mind at the moment.

I can’t give a blanket promise for more posts next semester, but I will make an effort to turn this into something that’s enjoyable to read on a regular basis. Thanks for reading! Here’s one more song for you: Sing the Mighty Power.