Why I might annoy you this Christmas...

The store was feeling the crowded energy of Christmas shoppers.

I noticed two women in line ahead of me, getting agitated with the sales clerk. At first I thought they were together, and then I realized they weren't - their only connection was their mounting frustration with this lone salesperson.

One woman was waving her twenty dollar bill in the air and saying "It's just not worth the savings" with increasing vigour. The other was pacing back and forth, tapping her wallet on the counter and saying, "I'm still waaaaiting." over and over. Finally, the first woman just walked away, with a final "It's really not worth the savings." The other let the clerk check out her purchase, but only with voluminous sighs worthy of a community theatre melodrama.

It was finally my turn, so I smiled at the clerk as he dealt with my purchase. But he was so beaten down, so embarrassed, that he wouldn't meet my gaze.

This wasn't a bad person or a lazy worker -

just someone overwhelmed on a busy day

in a crowded store.

As he finished my transaction, I tried one more time. "I hope your day gets better." He finally looked up and caught my eye. I gave him my biggest, goofiest grin. "Hope your day gets better, " I sing-songed.

He laughed, I smiled, and that was when I decided...

This Christmas, I'm going to be the

perkiest,

happiest,

most joyful

customer you've ever seen.

I'm going to smile at everyone - and I mean everyone!

I'm going to let you cut ahead of me in line.

I'm going to ask you, "How's it going?" before you check out my purchase.

And if things get too crazy, I may just break out in a round of

"We Wish You a Merry Christmas" while you're crashing your shopping cart into mine.

Extreme times call for extreme measures. You may find my approach silly or annoying, but giant-sized Grinchiness must be met with freakishly fantastic festiveness!

My challenge to you: How are you battling the Grinch this year?

Loooooong Day!

Today is our longest day of singing for the year.

9:30-10:30 am - set up and sound check

10:30-11:30 am - lead music for morning worship at Church of the Messiah

12:00-3:00 pm - Christmas carolling at Allan Gardens Christmas Flower Show

3:30-5:00 pm - band rehearsal for The Gathering

5:00-6:00 pm - The Gathering worship service

And tonight - shhhhhhh.....

Great people, great music, and our carolling even made it on tv!

Good day, indeed!

The pond at Allan Gardens.

Every church really IS a small town...

Tonight, we sang our 3rd annual Gospel & Christmas concert at St. Barnabas Church in Peterborough. As we arrived at the church, I couldn't help but remember the snow and bitter cold that greeted us on last year's visit!

Our Christmas product table, featuring ornaments made by moi!

Early in the evening, we sang Gerald's song, "Every Church is a Small Town." As we were singing the first verse, a family arrived, late for the concert. They made their way to the front and began helping their elderly mother from her wheelchair into the pew.

As all this unfolded, the audience stopped listening to the song, and turned their attention to the family. Some gave them a welcoming smile. Others had a look of concern over the mother's failing health. Others left their seat to help the mother find her way into the pew.

"Oh no," I thought, "No one is going to hear Gerald's song!"

And then I realized, "Oh my goodness,

we're watching Gerald's song!"

It was amazing! Here we were, singing this message about every church being as loving, caring, and giving as a small town, and right before our eyes, we were seeing that message in action.

I shared my thoughts with Gerald on the drive home.

He said, "You know, I had the exact same thought process."

How beautiful and rare when Life imitates Art...

Post-Birthday Bliss

Yesterday, we celebrated the start of Advent,
and the start of another year of Me!


I can't think of a better way to spend my birthday:


- singing in the morning at Church of the Messiah

- relaxed afternoon

- leading evening worship at The Gathering

- Thai food with all the family

- lots of chocolate, and a new MacBook Air!


Today, we're just relaxing...

And now that my birthday's over,
we can sing Christmas carols!

Infinitely More concert!

Tonight, we brought our East Coast Tour concert to St. John's York Mills.

I don't even know if it's fair to still call it our "tour concert." It was developed on tour, but since then, we've added new songs, and continued to tweak and tighten the transitions. I think I would just call it "our concert" now.

Either way, it was a fun night with an appreciative crowd. There were lots of photos taken, and I'll try to get them up soon.

We're starting our busy season now. Our product table was full of Christmas specials, and after Sunday, we'll be able to sing Christmas carols at home!

New photos!

I've just posted a new photo album featuring pics from last week's
Kerr Village Tree Lighting.

You can visit the album here.

Kerr Village Tree Lighting

November 18, and we've just completed our first Christmas gig of the season!

We braved the cold and wind to sing for tonight's Christmas tree lighting in the Kerr Village area of downtown Oakville. Outdoor gigs are always a challenge, but never more so than in near-winter weather. The wind blew over our music stands, so I sang the whole set holding on to Gerald's stand to keep it in place. The weather played havoc with the sound, knocking out the guitar feed several times. And the cold cut through all our clothing and turned Gerald's guitar-playing hands into fleshy knots.

But there's something special about singing Christmas music! Despite the chill, everyone seemed happy and appreciative - we even had some little girls dancing at the foot of the stage.

The point of the evening!

About halfway through the set, Gerald turned to me and said, "Let's do Lean on Me." Not Christmas, but whatever. As we were singing it, a woman approached Mom at the CD table. She had a large bandage covering part of her face. "I've just finished cancer treatment. Part of my nose has been removed, and this is the song that got me through it." She bought our hymns CD, and Mom gave her a few angel ornaments, just because.

This week, we received encouraging news about someone we know who's fighting cancer. I can't help but think that we heard this woman's story for a reason tonight.

We got lots of photos tonight. I'll post them later - when I defrost a bit!

NOVEMBER CONCERT!

We're bringing our East Coast Tour Concert to Toronto!

Mark your calendar and join us for a great night of
music and inspiration!

Break Forth!

We're attending Break Forth!

Last year, we attended this awesome worship conference, and it was just incredible. 3 full days of learning from some of the best leaders in worship skills and songwriting, with 15,000 people from all across Canada.

To see photos from last year, click here.

We'll be booking some concerts in the Edmonton area for January 24, 25, and 26. If you're interested in booking us, please visit here.

Wild Sunday...

Today was hardly a "day of rest" for us,
but it was definitely a vibrant and memorable Sunday...


- a sermon from the Bishop

- tech issues from a buzzing mic

- a baby-dunking baptism

- John Lennon's "Beautiful Boy"

- liturgical dance

- Gerald's mouth trumpet on "Oh When the Saints"


The font at Church of the Messiah. Yes, the baby went completely under!


- band rehearsal moved to a new room for the day!

- Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On"

- Communion at The Gathering

- Gerald's stunning new setting of "In Flanders Fields"

- awesome band that can play beautifully with an unplugged rehearsal


We each pinned a poppy on the cross as we gathered around the altar for Communion.


Thankful for a full day, and a well-earned tired.


Flowers from the altar guild at Church of the Messiah - thank you, ladies!

My Dad got a cover story!

My Dad, Rev. Hollis Hiscock, has written a great article for
Silver and Gold magazine called

Is Faith Still Alive?

It's made the cover of the magazine!

You can find the magazine by clicking here.

The article is on page 8.

Yay, Dad!!!

My Rehearsal Buddy...

The puppies always want to be around us when we're rehearsing.
Sometimes, they bring a ball and try to join in our 'game.'
Other times, they ask to get picked up.
They love it when I hold them while I'm singing.

Tonight, Sebastian asked to get up while I was working out the harmonies for Gerald's new song.


If I can ever teach him to sing a third harmony line,
we're buying a bus and taking the show on the road!

New photos!

I've just posted our photos from Saturday's Music Team Workshop!

You can see them on our Infinitely More Facebook page here.

Music Team Workshop

Today, we lead the first-ever combined Music Team Workshop at St. John's York Mills. We invited members of the choir, morning worship team, and Gathering worship band for a time of learning and fellowship.

Gerald teaching the importance of a great song idea.

Patrick, the church's new organist and choir director, spoke about his plan for the morning worship program. I introduced the idea that everyone - whether a player or a singer - is not just a musician, but a 'worship leader.' Gerald taught a great segment on songwriting, focusing on the importance of a great idea and a great hook. We also shared our plan to start a monthly Christian songwriting group, which was met with lots of enthusiasm.

After we worked everyone's brains, we all relaxed with a feast of Thai food. Some people borrowed training DVDs, some shared ideas from the workshop, but mostly there was just lots of chatting and laughing.

I'm so excited that we've been able to introduce workshops to our church's music program. I think they're a great tool, not just for teaching skills, but especially for building community.

I'll let you know when I post photos...

Those Autumn Leaves...

A little glimpse of the changing season:

Virginia creeper

Wild rose hips

I love these colours!

Dunking the Baby

We started our morning at Church of the Messiah for a service of baptism and communion. I'm a huge fan of baptism services - adults or babies, they always move me. I love the idea that we're welcoming a new "family member."

I've seen lots of baptisms - mostly babies, some sprinkle-on-the-head adults, and a few full immersion adult baptisms - but never a full immersion infant baptism!

Stained glass at Church of the Messiah

Instead of using the stone font, a large galvanized tub was moved to the centre of the worship space and filled with warm water. It was draped with a decorative cloth and became the centerpiece of the service. It was the perfect height when the children gathered to watch the baptism. After the prayers, we lead the congregation in singing "Wade in the Water" as the baby changed out of her fancy dress. As Tay prayed the words of baptism, he slowly lowered the baby into the water, until he gently covered her nose to dip her - quickly and completely - under the water and out again.

It was a beautiful image of a life changed, purified, and transformed.

In the evening, we led our worship band for The Gathering. There are some nights when it just flows, and this was one of them. Every song felt like it was in the right place at the right time. People lifted their voices and their hearts. The message was challenging and insightful. Gerald sang "If They Knew It Was Me" - one of the most powerful songs he's ever written.

Our Sundays are busy, but I wouldn't change them for the world.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Cool things about today:

- singing "Don't Worry, Be Happy" as the offertory at Church of the Messiah
(yes, it fit the Gospel!)

- debuting our new original setting of Psalm 126

- thoughtful, inspiring messages by Rev. Tay Moss and Rev. Anne Crosswait

- singing "I Can See Clearly Now" with Gerald

- playing with our awesome 7-piece band at The Gathering

- glorious sunshine the second weekend of October!


Take a little time this Thanksgiving to count your blessings...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

I took all these photos at St. John's York Mills today.

Jesus Jam photos...

... are now up on our Facebook page.

I've also added a few photos to our
"Making Music" album from our recent visit to
St. John's Weston.

Why I Love Mondays

Our Sundays have become really full:

• early morning rehearsal
• sound check
  
• morning service
• break for lunch
• private rehearsal
• band rehearsal
• Gathering service
• Chinese food and television
  

Sometimes we shake it up with Thai food and a movie, but you get the picture.

I'm definitely not complaining. We feel incredibly blessed to make a living doing what we love. I'm just acknowledging the reality that for most people in ministry, Sunday isn't our day of rest. And working in music always feels like a 24-7 job.

Last spring I found myself feeling completely overworked. There's this myth out there that if you're self-employed, you can pick and choose your work hours. The real danger is that you can actually end up working every day - taking gigs when they arise, writing songs when they come, arranging rehearsals around everyone's busy schedules, and constantly tackling site updates, music selection, booking, grant applications, writing newsletters, organizing gear...

So now, we take Mondays off.

I've taken to putting a vacation reply on my email so I don't feel obligated to check it "just in case". We try to avoid any kind of house work, car repair, or errands. And the best part is if we do go out somewhere, it's usually pretty quiet because the rest of the city is having a workday.

The only goal is to rest, reflect, spend time with family, and face a day with no expectations.

If you're self-employed, I highly recommend choosing your own day of rest, ordering some hot and sour soup, and reminding yourself that "rest" can sometimes be more productive than "work".

FYI - I've dated this for Monday, but let's be honest, I'm writing it on Tuesday and just adjusting the date. Nothing this solid was actually accomplished yesterday...

Jesus Jam at Church of the Messiah

Today was full so this blog will not be.

We had great services today, starting at Church of the Messiah in the morning and finishing with The Gathering tonight. Our 8-piece band at The Gathering included a violin solo on "My Heart is Filled with Thankfulness" - beautiful!

After the morning service, the children of Messiah were invited to join us for a Jesus Jam. We chose Hillsong Kids' "Let Your Light Shine" - which is crazy catchy and still ringing through my head - and invited the kids to bring their instruments and play along.

We had 2 guitarists, 1 violinist, and group of children who wanted to play shakers. The real challenge was the vast range of experience in the instrumentalists. Gerald was awesome in the way he taught the song to each child, finding ways for even the most inexperienced to feel included.

While we were teaching the song, some children were drawing on a large canvas. In the end, they all came together and played the song in our Rock Star Finale. It was a lot of work, but I think each child was able to learn something.

I'll be posting photos later this week...