The Happs

Sorry for such a delay on updating our weekly happs, it’s been busy around here even though we’re only two weeks into the new term. We’ve had a few bands travel out and lead at some local churches around the area and within at our campuses. We’re getting ready to send out more bands within this next month, so keep an eye out.

We had a band play at FAU’s Gathering on Tuesday night (we’ll be there every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month).  The same band got to lead at Plantation’s Wednesday night service.

(Photo Credits to Josh Blanchard)

(Photo Credits to Josh Blanchard)

Last Sunday was Super Bowl Sunday and the wonderful Jessica Busboom spent all day preparing delicious food for us to enjoy while we watched the game. We had so much fun watching the game and playing a few of our own games

Super Bowl party at Boom’s.

(Photo Credits to Josh Blanchard)

(Photo Credits to Josh Blanchard)

(Photo Credits to Josh Blanchard)

(Photo Credits to Josh Blanchard)

A few of our first years led at Fort Lauderdale Baptist Church’s Wednesday night youth service.

(Photo Credits to Erin Carloni)

(Photo Credits to Erin Carloni)

We were at the Garlic Festival this weekend and had the privilege of having Mary Bernard on the team with us. It was a great time of worship and a great time of eating all sorts of garlic seasoned food.

Garlic Festival

A group of our students got to volunteer at the ONE Conference. They worked in the Impact One Center helping represent the seven charities; Gospel for Asia, A21 Campaign, Samaritan’s Purse, Feed My Starving Children, Charity Water, Acres of Love, and With Open Eyes.

(Photo Credits to Becca Brown)

They donated their birthdays for clean water to impoverished countries.

(Photo Credits to Jordyn Kohles)

There’s a lot going on here.  Now we are prepping for our own night of worship and The Essential Worship Conference!  If you haven’t registered, you need to!

Worship, Hymns, Blues, and Improvisation

At Ocean’s Edge School of Worship we try to emphasize and develop an attitude of excellence on our instruments. One way we do that is to go beyond just playing worship songs for church services, we also study other songs and genres including pop, R&B, gospel, jazz and blues. In our “Performance Lab,” we have been working on the jazz standards “Autumn Leaves” and “So What,” as well as using the song “Killing me Softly” by the Fugees (originally done by Roberta Flack) as a fun song to improvise over. The thing we have really been focusing on is how to improvise…what notes/scales work with each chord, how to build a good solo, how to play on that type of gig, and becoming more creative and expressive as a player in general.

This week we will be covering hymns as a solo performer and improvising as a band. Here are the examples I am giving the students for inspiration.

-Doug Farrar

Denise’s Graduation Speech

A while ago, we blogged Denise Trio’s student story.  She recently posted her Ocean’s Edge graduation speech titled “Hipster Armor of God” on her blog and we wanted to share it with you.

“On twitter i follow Come&Live, which is basically a non-profit made up of Christian musicians who want proclaim good news of Jesus and model generosity, love and genuine faith. they blogged yesterday about standing firm – taken from Ephesians 6:13, which is the passage about the armor of God. It was such a great reminder of a simple phrase that has resonated in my life for the past year and a half. We need to be completely suited up so we can stand firm.

It also reminded me of my commencement speech from ocean’s edge. A spin-off of the armor of God, i spoke about the hipster armor of God. for your reading/reminiscent enjoyment, my speech is below:

Good morning staff, family members, friends, and Ocean’s Edge class of 2011. Thank you so much for allowing me to address you all on this very special day. It is truly an honor.

So, Wednesday night I started packing my stuff up, taking down posters, going through papers, and putting away all of my clothes. As I was folding and boxing everything, I was inundated with memories from this past year. I reminisced about that first day when I walked into the offices after driving 22 hours from NJ, arriving 3 days late, and was greeted by Jessica’s sweet face and then you all… the entire class. I was so overwhelmed and stressed out, but I can still remember what I was wearing. Julia thought my sister and I were in a strange conservative Christian cult because we were wearing matching skirts. I can also remember Lindsay’s bright yellow shirt. Think back to your first day. Can you remember what were you wearing?

Then I thought about how some of us have changed this past year. Some of the guys bought their first pair of skinnies, debuting them at ensemble performances and Not So Silent Night. The girls downstairs set the bar high on fashion, careful not to repeat outfits all year, which caused me to think twice before I reached for my standard t-shirt and jeans most mornings. Our class slowly evolved from American Eagle models to Christian hipsters.

One of the passages of Scripture that has resonated with me this year is Ephesians 6, which talks about putting on the full armor of God. That got me thinking, “What would the hipster musician version of the armor look like?” I now present you with the hipster armor of God.

First, there’s the belt of truth, which I’ll adapt to the guitar strap because most hipsters don’t need belts… Their skinny jeans are tight enough. With straps, there are so many different patterns and designs, customize-able with nicknames, favorite gear brands, graphics and colors. They are buckled tightly to guitars, especially if they are secured with strap locks, and slung just below the waistline so the hipster’s hands are free to shred and melt faces.

Then comes the breastplate of righteousness, the v-neck t-shirt. It all starts with the crew cut shirt, but later evolves into the smaller v, the “virgin v” if you will. Then the hipster gets bold, and the v gets lower and lower until, if you were a girl, you have to wear a cami underneath so you don’t make anyone stumble. In actuality, the true hipster’s chest is completely exposed because the V is so deep, thereby negating the usefulness of the breastplate.

Next, the Christian hipster would put their feet in the readiness that comes from… Toms shoes. That is, if you can find them… (Will). Who knew that shoes that are made of canvas, cause extreme foot odor, and fall apart after a few months of wear could cost so much money? But hey, they support social justice because with every purchase of Toms, the company gives shoes to a child who needs them in a third world country. I’m ok with that. Hopefully they hold up a little better there then they do here, though.

In addition, the hipster takes up the shield of faith, their instrument. They have spent days, dollars, and their social lives investing in that one 16-bar lick. Whether it’s a guitar, keyboard, drumset, or macbook (because Ableton loop fire-rs are musicians too!), the hipster’s instrument is positioned in front of him or her, so would take the hit if they were attacked by flaming arrows. Let’s be honest though, it’s more likely that the hipster would sacrifice his or her body to protect their Gibson Les Paul, hand-built pedalboard, and Marshall amp.

After that, the hipster puts on the helmet of salvation, the beanie. Hanging precariously off the back of the head, the beanie is worn on days that they woke up a little too late to wash their hair. It also looks like it could have been knitted by your grandmother and given as a gift at Christmas along with the matching pair of socks and mittens for those chilly days in… South Florida???

Finally, the hipster takes up the Sword of the Spirit –the Word. There is no substitute. Let me tell you, I have fallen in love with the Word of God this year. But honestly, it has taken almost 25 years. I used to read my Bible as a good little Christian girl, almost out of obligation. It wasn’t until last year, when I read through the whole book chronologically, that it changed my life. I have found so many answers to my desperate cries in those pages. God uses the Word to speak to us, if we would only discipline ourselves to read what He has to say. I don’t think we realize the power that we have in our hands, not to mention everything we learned this year in Apologetics and Doctrine about it. I encourage you to read your Bible! Develop a reading plan. Read it every day. You’ll be amazed at how quickly and deeply your relationship with the Lord will grow.

After you put on the armor, we are instructed to pray in the Spirit on all occasions and with all kinds of requests. This is another thing that I’ve learned this year… The power of prayer. I have asked God for very specific things and He has answered my requests. I prayed for unity and saw us bond in ways I never thought were possible. I prayed for my finances and was amazed at how He provided a job leading worship for me when money was tight. I even prayed over my car and it was fixed. These are only a few my cool God stories, but I know that there are so many more that you all can share. Please, don’t stop praying and sharing how God has listened and answered. Be encouraged that your Father in heaven knows what you need, but wants you to ask! When your will aligns with His, He will give you the desires of your heart. I am walking proof.

We can laugh about the hipster armor, but like I mentioned earlier, in Ephesians 6 we read about the real armor that we’re supposed to put on daily, so that we can take our stand against the devil’s schemes. I truly believed that the devil has been and will continue to fight against us. He is the Father of Lies and wants to kill you, not just hurt you. But, there is hope. The victory is already ours! God has won! He promises us that if we put on the armor, we will be able to stand. As Paul so eloquently spoke, “Stand firm then… Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.”

Thank you Denise for sharing!

The Happs

Finals Week is over!  Yay!  After weeks of studying and practicing, all of our students survived.

(Photo Credit: Joshua Blanchard)

(Photo Credit: Becca Brown)

(Photo Credit: Joshua Blanchard)

Though there are a good amount of tests and essays involved, finals week at Ocean’s Edge is actually pretty awesome.  Our artist and performance lab students team up and put on a concert.  We got to hear some original songs and see some great performances.   

(Photo Credit: Tyler Prange)

(Photo Credit: Tyler Prange)

(Photo Credit: Tyler Prange)

(Photo Credit: Tyler Prange)

(Photo Credit: Tyler Prange)

(Photo Credit: Tyler Prange)

(Photo Credit: Tyler Prange)

(Photo Credit: Tyler Prange)

(Photo Credit: Tyler Prange)

Steven got to have his birthday during finals week.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY, STEVEN!

(Photo Credit: Joshua Blanchard)

Second Year students got to have their Acts Class final in Dunkin’ Donuts.

A huge part of finals week is instrument re-auditions.  Each term, every student has five minutes to display what they have learned on their primary and secondary instrument.  This includes scales, a piece, warm ups.  I caught the kids warming up outside the audition room.

An Ensemble led at our high school youth group, Liquid.

A team volunteered to lead worship at the Broward County Women’s Prison.  We had an unforgettable time of worship.  Two guest speakers taught, both women received Christ while serving time in prison and now use their testimony to spread the redeeming love of Christ.  They gave an invitation and over 100 women came forward to receive Christ.

While finals week is intense, the schedule is a bit more free than the usual class schedule.  So we still have fun in the midst of our tests.

And now we are in Term 2.  Here’s our schedule to give you an idea of daily life:

See you guys next time!

First Half of Ocean’s Edge is Over

All of our students keep blogs (we call them “e-portfolios” around here) throughout their school year to show their progress and keep an on-line résumé (that is spelled correctly, right?  I had to google the word then copy and paste it because I couldn’t figure out how to get the accent marks above it).  Anyway, as I told you last week in The Happs, Term 1 is over!  Finals weeks has concluded.  Now we’re in Term 2.  David Gurr’s latest blog post was a reflection on his first half of Ocean’s Edge:

I can’t believe it has already been five months of Ocean’s Edge. The time has gone by so fast and I have loved every minute of it. Some parts were stressful, but in the end I felt accomplished that It was over with and that I had gotten through it. I can say with assurance that this second half will be equally as difficult if not more, but I look forward to the challenges and the growth that will come of it. I have already learned and grown so much. Sometimes it is disappointing though, you just want to wake up and be perfect and amazing just like all the people you see on stage at Hillsong or Jesus Culture. These things take time though, I have to remember that. I also have to remind myself not compare myself to other people, my goal is to be as good as I can be. I look forward to see what God has in store for me in his time.

I have been up for awhile working on improving my scales and exercises. I am going to make it a priority to practice scales and exercises for 15-30 minutes before I practice parts for songs or whatever it is that I am doing. It’s amazing how 15 minutes of silly exercises improves your playing, they aren’t silly at all!

I attended Hammock Street Church this morning for service. I hung out for a bit and talked to the band for awhile and ended up volunteering myself for worship next week. I drove home, grabbed my gear, skipped lunch, and came right back for practice! I had told myself, “No David, you aren’t playing anywhere this week. Enjoy some time off.” But no, I can’t resist the urge to play! I just love it so much. In my last minute decision to play, I obviously didn’t have time to practice so I had to learn everything on the spot. I’m not terrible at doing things on the spot, but there is room for much improvement. Since coming to Ocean’s Edge, I have grown a lot in that area, and I mean a lot. I can actually look at a chart and read the notation and know which notes are sharp and flat and I can follow along with the melody if I have a minute to look over it. That may be elementary to some people, but it isn’t to me. It would have taken me much longer 6 months ago if I could have done it at all. So I really want to keep on improving in that area. It is encouraging to see I have already made it this far.

Yesterday I got to make a trip up to Guitar Center West Palm Beach. It must have been a year since I was up there. I forgot how amazing it is. Anyways, my Gretsch sensor was ringing so I searched the store until I found that beautiful model pictured above. They had her stuck in the back corner! I just had to play her, it was a lovely experience. I have a new quote that I came up with: “Take every opportunity to play a Gretsch. You won’t regret it.” I mean, they’re all amazing. That’s why I have two!

Going back to Friday, James Bartlett and I finally got together to record. We laid down a very lovely track that is still unfinished at the moment. I’m excited to see what it turns into the next time we get together. We are trying a few different techniques in our recording and writing process. Not that we have a formula that we use, but we tend to go about things in a similar manner. We are planning on mixing the vocals and such a little differently than we usually do. So I’m stoked to see what happens next.

Thank you David for letting us share!

The Happs

Wow.  Another apology for the missing Monday Happs blog.  I ended up going to the Southeast Calvary Chapel Pastor’s Conference.  Such an awesome conference.  So many great speakers and teachings.  Jon Courson, Bob Coy, Don Stewart, Damian Kyle, Don McClure, Mike MacIntosh, .  Worship was lead by Evan Wickham.  If you are in the southeast region, I highly recommended attending.  I walked away so challenged.  All the teaching audio files are available.  You should listen.  Also, somehow, a ton of our alumni have ended up in the Melbourneish area.  We had a great time catching up.  So great, that we forgot to take any pictures.  Here’s one of some of the dudes:

Also!  Congratulations to Andrew and Bonnie Strickland!!!  Baby Joshua has arrived!  Andrew attended Ocean’s Edge it’s very first year of existence and was hired on to be the Boca satellite campus’ worship leader.  He’s on staff with us as well and oversees our Worship Leading track.  How cute is their newest addition:

Congratulations, Stricklands!  We are so blessed by your family!

The past two weekends, we have had the privilege of leading worship at Rio Vista Community Church while their worship leader has been on vacation.  We love this church.

The crew backstage (Photo Cred. Joshua Blanchard)

Sound check

Here’s a video of the whole Rio Vista service:

Last night, a bunch of our students played at First Baptist Fort Lauderdale’s open mic night.

And now, we are in FINALS WEEK!

To prepare, Yoshi had his first Slurpee:

The Doggetts made dinner for their Ocean’s Edge small group:

Lunch for Daniela’s birthday:

So basically, a lot of eating.  But a lot of studying and eating too:

(Thank you David Gurr for letting me use a ton of photos off your facebook for this blog.)

So finals week, Meghan is definitely thinking, “Here we go!”

Emma is really excited as well:

See you guys next week.  Term 2 begins!

Holiday Blog (A Happs Apology)

Guys,

I’m sorry for the lack of blogging.  That what I said last “happs” blog.  Is “The Happs” the dumbest title ever?  I feel a little lame every time I type it.  Since my last actual weekly update (A.K.A. “The Happs) was before Thanksgiving, let me say “Happy Thanksgiving!”  Here’s my Thanksgiving crew in Saint AugustineWe all had a great break and a time to rest before coming back to full fledged NOT SO SILENT NIGHT time!  The planning and rehearsing was intense but so worth it.  We had two amazing nights of Christmas music and worship.  The night included a a five drum kit, dub step redition of “Carol of the Bells” that transitioned to the August Burns Red version.  Here are some youtube vids.  We had some videos made and they are in the process of being edited and we will show them to you.

The night concluded with an awesome time of worship.  We also partnered with Eikon’s “Change for Change” to build a well in the Amazons of Peru.  (I’ll let you know what the final amount is when all the funds are in).  Ashley Huizenga was our photographer for the event.  Here’s a gallery of pictures.  Here’s me being really proud of the students.

We all had an amazing Christmas break (Merry Christmas!) and are very happy to be back for the second half of this year.  Happy New Year by the way!  God bless.  See you soon!

A Mom’s Perspective

So. Your kid is considering Ocean’s Edge. Get ready.

If they are being led of the Lord, and you are walking through this with them prayerfully you will have a battle ahead. Sorry. I wish I was typing something lovely and encouraging and slightly less gritty. But there is a spiritual war out there.
So again, get ready.

Over the years I’ve realized that the enemy’s chief weapon against us (OK–me, but probably some of you too) is fear. It is so prevalent. We give it nicer names in order to justify it: worry, concern, fretting, (insert your version here). Sometimes it truly is more those things than fear, but sometimes not. We must be on guard and discerning to know the difference, for fear of the future of your adult child may manifest in many different ways. We must be diligent to not let it keep our children from God’s will for their lives.

When we first heard about OE it sounded interesting to my husband and daughter. I was lukewarm. The more they looked into it, the more excited they both got. I remained lukewarm. I have never been the “must go to college to be successful in life” person, so it wasn’t that OE wasn’t a degree program. First it was the cost. I was pretty concerned with how we could take this on financially. But God had provided so amazingly in the past concerning Emma’s musical giftedness and His desire to develop and use it to His glory. I knew His past faithfulness demanded my present trust. And I (mostly) managed to rest in that.

That lasted right up until her audition, when they said they’d be delighted to have her. I didn’t sleep a wink all that night. Now all the money fears are coming back and my husband didn’t make the trip with us so he’s not there to talk me down. On top of that, we now have added in the “Fort Lauderdale is a big city and scares the pants off me” fears. (We have lived on my husband’s family farm for 25 years. It’s on an island off the coast of Maine. Car keys live in the ignition, we don’t know where our house key is, and you have to leave the island and then drive for 45 minutes to find a stop light. Enough said? Thought so.)

So I’ve got the “how do we pay for it” with the “it’s unsafe and why would anyone even think of sending their offspring to such a place.”  It really was a lot of wrestling. I could see that she was supposed to be there. My husband could see that she was supposed to be there. She knew she was supposed to be there. It was so clearly God’s will, yet still I struggled. To my shame, I couldn’t find peace or joy in the leading of our Lord. Thankfully God met me in that embarrassing place as He so often and graciously does.  He reminded me of His faithfulness to care for Emma in the past. He reminded me that my worry would accomplish nothing. He brought me to the place of knowing that even though it looked difficult from my view, that if He wanted her there He would accomplish it. Did I walk in constant assurance from that point on? Um, no. But that’s what spiritual warfare is, it is not once fought and done–it comes back. Ultimately the only answer to any fear that I might have is that my daughter is not my own. She was bought with a price. Our Lord has given my husband and me the privilege of raising her and we are so thankful for that. To hold her back from anything that He would want to do with her is the worst thing I could imagine.

It is so easy for us to see this temporal world as all there is. How much better if, instead, we are able to seek Him alone for direction, turning deaf ears to those voices that would tell us that this choice is wrong. Will people tell you your child needs a degree to succeed? Probably. Will you hear that it is too expensive? Likely. Will you hear, “so what will she do with that once she’s done?” Undoubtedly.  The answer to it all is only that it is where God wants her. That makes it the only place to be.

OE has been amazing. We are so blessed to see our daughter in that place. They truly seek to honor God as they disciple and nurture their students. However, that does not determine the rightness of God’s leading. He can and will lead us into difficult things that stretch, challenge, and even sometimes hurt us. A surrendered life embraces that, maybe with trembling heart and hands, but embraces nonetheless. God knew where our Emma belonged. He knows where your son or daughter belongs as well. Seek Him, be prayerful and honest about what might be holding you back. Is it fear? Then don’t listen to it because that’s not from Him.

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 1 Timothy 1:7

(As a footnote to those of you who are wondering about the details…God provided financially in such amazing ways. It did not make sense on paper that we could take this on, but praise God, He doesn’t only exist on paper. Funny how easy it is for me to forget that.)

Emma and Nina’s first visit to Ocean’s Edge

Emma is a violinist at Oceans Edge

Priorities in Worship

Our student and blog photographer, Becca Brown made this video with Forrest Brown.  Forrest is the worship leader for our Hollywood campus.  You’ve seen him blog for us before.

Ocean’s Edge on Leading in Worship from Rebecca on Vimeo.

When grace isn’t grace…

I’ve always been a hard worker. Not that I’ve done everything right in my hard work, but I have always been diligent at my jobs. I believe that someone who works hard should be well compensated. And that’s what life experience has taught me. In fact, it was a lesson well learned at my first few jobs. I was paid by how much work I did…whether in promotional sales, a subcontractor, or as a waiter, I only got paid when I actually worked. And how much I was paid was dependent on how much work I did.

So when I began my first salaried position as a restaurant manager, I didn’t take hard work for granted. In fact, it paid off well. In the first two year I received over $10,000 in raises as well as generous bonuses. I began to build the life for myself that I wanted. And in all of that hard work, I would often need a well-deserved rest. I would call up my friends one evening with an invitation to go to Orlando to a theme park the next day. “Can’t afford it? Don’t worry, it’s on me. I need a break and I have earned it! I want to reward myself and have fun.” So off to Disney we would go. Next time we’ll do Universal Studios. ‘Next time’? Yeah, I was known for taking 4-6 trips a year with friends to Orlando. I deserved it.

Maybe that’s why I struggle so hard sometimes with grace. All too often in my life I feel like I need to work hard to please God. After all, the reward is so much greater than the raises and bonuses I used to receive. Think about it: Heaven. For Eternity. No sorrow, pain or death. No war, crime or disease. No working for someone else and not seeing the fruit of our labor or benefitting from it. Honestly, sometimes I just don’t get it. If I wanted something from my bosses, then I had to work for it. Want a raise? Be more productive. Want a big bonus? Cut labor costs and work harder. Want a promotion? Learn my boss’ job and do it.

Then there’s God. He comes along and offers all to us. He does all the work and gives out all the reward. I’m not used to that. There have been countless times that I have thought to myself: ‘I just need to work harder to be a better person…a better husband, father, pastor and Christian. I don’t want to get on God’s bad side. I want Him to see how hard I am working. I have to prove to Him that I am worthy and deserving of the reward.’ It’s then I realize: I don’t. And I never will. And that’s where my world falls apart.

Grace is not something I am used to. If I slipped up for even a moment with my boss, it was a phone call that would remind me. I can remember times when I would have a day off and my boss would show up at my restaurant and decide that it didn’t meet his expectations. I would get the call to show up to work immediately and get it in line. No excuses, no second chances. Fix it now, or else. After all, that’s what I was paid to do. Maybe that’s why I would go to Orlando on my days off…

With God, there is no hiding. I can’t meet His expectations, and He knows that. I will always mess up. But with Him, there’s that gentle reminder that He still loves me. I am not going to get ‘fired’ or demoted. I will not lose my grace. Why? Because I’m not getting paid. That means I would be earning it. And that would not be grace.

So now what? The concept of grace has done two significant things in my life: First, I think a whole lot more about my destination. Heaven. What will it be like? Heaven has become a reality to me in ways I can’t explain. I look forward to arriving there. I look forward to meeting Him face-to-face. Second, I realize more than ever that I need to extend the same grace that I have received to those around me. No strings attached.

And maybe there’s a third…gratefulness for His gracefulness.

-Pastor Michael Rust joined the staff of Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale in July of 2005. He enjoys serving in various ministries throughout the church and is currently serving as the Youth Pastor at our Boca campus. His passion for apologetics stems from 20 years as a Jehovah’s Witness. He’s taught in Youth Ministry, Deep Faith classes, Adult Education classes, at the Calvary Chapel Bible College, and Christian Apologetics at the Ocean’s Edge School of Worship. He also leads the ministry, Answers for Jehovah’s Witnesses.