Playing Religion

The biggest trap that most Christians fall into after having spent some time in church is to start to “play religion”. What do I mean by that? We start to turn our Sunday worship and fellowship into a kind of routine activity. We turn up at church on Sunday because it has fostered into a habit - something pre-programmed in our circuits. It’s pretty much like going to school everyday: we go because we know we ‘have to’ go.But there is a great danger when church becomes a routine, or even when prayer becomes a routine. There is no excitement or expectancy in wanting to meet up with God anymore – we do things because we just ‘have to’. There is no desire, there is no thirst. What is desire? What is thirst? Have you ever worked very hard, queued up or waited very long for something you eagerly wanted? For example, did you read the news about how some people in the US queued up for three whole days (camping outside the Apple store) for the iPhone (in spite of wet weather)?

Thirst needs to be built up. These people who were crasy for the iPhone built their excitement for the iPhone by reading daily headlines in the technology section of the papers, whetting their appetites by oogling at the ’new’ features of the iPhone. Similarly, our thirst for God on Sundays needs to be built up. We need to read the Word of God, and speak the Word of God daily through prayer and devotion, not just as a routine or a discipline, but as an act of love.

I pray the words of Psalm 27 over you:

4 One thing I ask of the LORD,
       this is what I seek:
       that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
       all the days of my life,
       to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
       and to seek him in his temple.

May this be the desire of your hearts as you commit your life to loving God.

True Worship

Most of us have accummulated many hours of singing praise and worship songs over years in church. It is not uncommon to find phrases like “Lord I give you my life” or “Lord I give you my all” in such songs. We have all sung these words to God at one time or another.

But somehow it’s quite strange that sometimes our actions don’t agree with what we sing. When God asks us to do something, or to offer him something, such as our time and energy to serve Him and bless other people, we tell him flatly ‘no’. According to the Bible, this is contrary to true worship:

John 4:24 “God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

Truth means whatever I tell God I want to do, I will do – no excuses, no ‘buts’; It’s plain and simple. If you are only able to sing all kinds of beautiful songs and sweet sounding lyrics to the Lord, but are unable to back what you say with your actions, the Bible says you are but only

1 Cor 13:1b “.. a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal”

I know its not always easy, but guys, let us be a true worshippers who only seek to please our mighty God.

The Rich Man

The Rich Man

Book of Matthew

16 Someone came to Jesus with this question: “Teacher,^[f] what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”

17 “Why ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. But to answer your question—if you want to receive eternal life, keep^[g] the commandments.”

18 “Which ones?” the man asked.

And Jesus replied: “‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. 19 Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[h]”

20 “I’ve obeyed all these commandments,” the young man replied. “What else must I do?”

21 Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

22 But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. 24 I’ll say it again—it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”

Rules enforce boundaries which keep us safe. Just as how traffic rules are a prescription for safe and sound operation on the roads, the commandments God has given us are a prescription for success in our lives.  Our obedience to His word brings us success.

At the first glance at this passage, it seems as if Jesus doesn’t like us to be rich, for a rich man cannot enter the heaven. Some of us read this passage and think “Thank God I am not rich, so this passage doesn’t apply to me”, and filter off this teaching, skipping to the next page. Now, this rich man’s problem was in having “many possessions”, and not in having “many valuable things”. Possessions are not just valuable things, they are things you value more than you value God. This rich man held on so dearly to his “many possessions” – he clung on to them so tightly, that he would not let go of them no matter what, even if God asked him to.

So of us are like that. A long time ago, we were more than willing to obey God unquestionably, because we knew we were nothing apart from Him. But along the way, as we started to receive His blessings, we begin to collect “many possessions”, and we start to become proud and “rich” in spirit. Excuses start to find their way in “I’ve got a good job, I come from a good school, I am reasonably well-off, why must I serve the poor, why do I need to embarrass myself to share Christ to my friends.” or “I’ve got no time, I’ve got to work hard to get more salary, to get better grades, so that I can have an even brighter future, I don’t have time to bless other people”.

Like the rich man, we need to once again remember: Our obedience to His word brings us success. Yes, we need to work hard to succeed in everything we do; and yes, God wants us to work hard, that our hard work isn’t the key to our success. God wants us to know that, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17). Always obey God, no matter what anyone else tells you, even if your natural intellect tells you otherwise, and you will be successful always.

G-Kidz Guitar Track 1: Lesson 9

1. Where do we go from here? (10 minutes)

We have reached the last lesson in Track 1. You can look forward to Track 2, where we will take you deeper in your journey as a guitarist. You will learn many interesting things, such as open chords, individual & band dynamics, how to derive chords, major and minor scales, effects & gear etc.

2. Self-help (20 minutes)

There are many websites where you can get chords and lyrics for songs we play in church. There are also many websites that offer chord diagrams to show you how to play chords. As for the strumming patterns and riffs in songs, these are sometimes available, but if in doubt, feel free to contact us.

3. Q & A (30 minutes)

G-Kidz Guitar Track 1: Lesson 8

1. Playing the song “Shepherd”

Intro :     Em   Cmaj9   G   D  (x 2)

(NC)                                        G       G  D/F#
I  will  give  my  heart  to  You
Em             C
Forever  faith – ful  God
G                                         D
Guide  me  to  Your  truth
Em             C                                G    Gsus
I  will  go    where  You  may  lead
Em                                 C
Your  hands  of  grace    will  guide
G                                     D
They  draw  me  to  Your  side
Am7
I  praise  Your  name  forever
C
Join  with  the  shouts  of  Heaven
Em    D    C
Glo – ri – fy

G
You  are  the  King  of  glory
C
You  are  the  Lord  Almighty
Em                                                           D      C
You  are  the  Shepherd  of  my  heart
G                                                   C
I  will  give  You  all  my  praise
Em
I’ll  follow  You  always
D    C
The  Shepherd  of  my  heart

G-Kidz Guitar Track 1: Lesson 7

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

So far, we have learnt 2 songs, “Our Love Is Loud” and “Holy Spirit”. Today, we shall learn another song, “Shepherd” by Paradise Church. To play this song, we need to learn some chords in the Key of G. We will need to learn a new strumming pattern as well. There is also a short sequence of running notes, or riff, to play at the introduction of the song.

2. Listen to the song “Shepherd” (5 minutes)

3. Chords in the Key of G (15 minutes)

4. Strumming Pattern for Shepherd (15 minutes)

5. Intro Riff for Shepherd (15 minutes)

G-Kidz Guitar Track 1: Lesson 6

1. Higher chord voicings (15 minutes)

These chord voicings are played really high up the fretboard. They are played during the 2nd chorus of the song, strummed 16 times per bar.

2. Listen to the Song “Holy Spirit” (5 minutes)

3. Play the Song “Holy Spirit” (40 minutes)

Intro:
C  G/B  F  Am7  G

Verse:
C
You're all I need
G/B
You're all I breathe
      F           Am7       G
It's You that I'm thirsting for

C
It's You I seek
G/B
On bended knee
     C/Bb         F       G
It's You that I'm longing for

PreChorus:
Dm7                   G
I want to worship You only
   C      G/B    Am7
In spirit and in truth
Dm7                  G
Longing for Your Anointing
          C/Bb
To fall on me
       F         G
Let it fall from heaven

Chorus:
C            F
Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit
Am7        G
Come Holy Spirit
     F        Am7       G
Come pour out Your Oil Anointing

Bridge:
F            G  Am7
We need Your power
F            C/E     G
We need Your strength
F            G   Am7
Come pour it out Lord
F    G
Open Heaven

As before, ignore the slash chords. We will fingerpick the song using Pattern 4 for the first 3 bar, and Pattern 1 for the last bar, in every 4 bar sequence.

G-Kidz Guitar Track 1: Lesson 5

1. Playing Running Notes (10 minutes)

There are generally 2 ways to play running notes: using your index and middle finger and using your pick.

We can play running notes by alternating between our index and middle finger. The reason we do this is because it allows us to play faster than when we are using just one finger alone.

We can also play running notes by using a pick. We can also alternate between picking from the top to bottom and from the bottom to the top of each string, so that we do not have to pick from top to bottom, then move the pick back to the bottom and pick another note from top to bottom again.

2. Advanced Techniques (10 minutes)

a. Hammer-on. Place your 1st finger of your left hand on the 1st string, 2nd fret. Play it. While it is being played, use your 2nd finger on your left hand to strike the 3rd fret. This is a hammer-on on the first string from fret 2 to fret 3.

b. Pull-off. Place your 2nd finger of your left hand on the 1st string, 3rd fret. Place your 1st finger of your left hand on the 1st string, 2nd fret. Now play the first string with the 1st finger on your right hand. Then, pull down the string using your 2nd finger of your left hand, instead of releasing it normally. This is a pull-off on the first string from fret 3 to fret 2.

c. Vibrato. Place your 1st finger of your left hand on the 3rd string, 2nd fret. Play it with the 1st finger on your right hand. As it is being played, use your 1st finger of your left hand to bend the string slightly upwards and downwards repeatedly.

d. Slides. Place your 1st finger of your left hand on the 1st string, 2nd fret. Play it. While it is being played, slide your 2nd finger on your left hand from the 2nd fret to the 3rd fret. This is a slide on the first string from fret 2 to fret 3.

There are more advanced techniques which are out of the scope of this course.

3. Reading Tablature (10 minutes)

The above diagram shows you both standard music notation and tablature. Standard music notation shows you the notes in staves and clefs. You will need to take time to read the note, and decide where to play it on the guitar. Tablature, on the other hand, already tells you where to play it on the guitar. The first 2 bars show you the notes we played earlier. However, tablature does not tell you the timing at which you play each note; you will need to know this beforehand by listening to a CD or recording.

4. Running Notes in “Holy Spirit” (30 minutes)

Notice that in the first 3 and 5 you see in the first bar, the 3 is smaller. This means 3 is a grace note, i.e. it is a very quick passing note. You may use a slide to execute this grace note.

G-Kidz Guitar Track 1: Lesson 4

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

Yesterday we learnt how to strum the song “Our Love Is Loud”, using chords from the key of E. Today, we will learn another song, a slower song this time, “Holy Spirit” by the Planetshakers. To play this song, we not only need to learn some chords in the key of C, but also learn how to play single notes as well as learn how to fingerpick. In the actual song, the piano does most of the work. We call this a piano-driven song. There is an overdriven guitar (electric guitar effect), which plays mostly “fills” (short sequences of running notes), until the second chorus, where the song builds up and it strums. Another guitar plays a short introduction “riff” (slightly longer sequence of running notes) at the start of the song.

2. Warmups (10 minutes)

We will learn a simple warmup exercise to do before playing each time. This exercise will train finger strength/stamina as well as finger independence. Finger strength is measured by how easy you find it to press down on the frets without needing too much effort. Finger stamina is how long you can play before your left hand gets tired. Finger independence is your ability to move only the fingers you want. For example, if you only want fingers 1 and 4 to move, fingers 2 and 3 shouldn’t move as well.

This diagram is called tablature, or tab, for short. The 6 horizontal lines represent the 6 guitar strings, from the thinnest string on the top, to the thickest strings at the bottom. It is as if you are holding the guitar horizontally upside-down facing yourself.

The numbers represent the frets you need to hold. If the number 1 appears on the 1st string (top), you press down the 1st fret on the guitar with your left hand, and play the thinnest string on the guitar with your right hand.

For this exercise, always hold the 1st fret with your 1st finger (index finger), the 2nd fret with your 2nd finger (middle finger), 3rd fret with your 3rd finger (ring finger) and 4th fret with your 4th finger (little finger/pinky)

3. Chords in the Key of C (15 minutes)

As before, let us practise holding each chord, and the transitions between the chord progression C – F – Am – G.

3. Fingerpicking Basics (10 minutes)

Fingerpicking is really easy. At this level, we shall only play the strings 6,5 and 4 (collectively called the bass strings) with our thumb. We shall also only play the strings 1,2 and 3 with fingers 3, 2 and 1 respectively. In other words, you are ONLY allowed to play the 1st string with your third finger (ring), the 2nd string with your second finger (middle) and the 3rd string with your first finger (index).

We will now hold a G chord and play its strings one by one, starting from the 6th string downwards.

4. Fingerpicking Exercises (15 minutes)

G-Kidz Guitar Track 1: Lesson 3

1. Playing “Our Love Is Loud” (45 minutes)

Above is the chord sheet for the song taken from the band’s official website. All the F# and C# are actually F#m and C#m. You will notice that the chord progression that we have been practising so far is the chord progression for the verses. At this level, you can ignore all the chords with slashes, eg. E/G# (pronounced “E on G#”). Just play the first chord before the slash, eg. just play E when you see E/G#. Do NOT follow the chord diagrams here. Use those that we have covered in Lessons 1 & 2.

2. Tuning (15 minutes)

At this level, you are advised to get a digital tuner and tune your guitar with it before you play. A guitar which is out of tune just sounds bad no matter how good a player you are. The most common tuning for guitar is E A D G B E (from the 6th to the 1st string). To remember this, just think “Ed And Don Go Bowling Everyday”.

There are other tunings as well. Whenever you tune a guitar a different way, the chord positions all change. The song “Our Love Is Loud” actually uses an E A E E B E tuning, and you can see from the diagrams above that the chord positions change drastically when the guitar is tuned that way.

Guitarists use alternate tuning to make their sound more unique and different from others.