From the desk of Patti Eden, Middle & Upper School Choir Director:

On October 13 I had the privilege of singing in a choir with Casting Crowns at the 46^th Annual Dove Awards in Nashville, Tenn. This is the awards show that honors Christian musicians and artists from the previous year. What an awesome adventure! I love hearing these incredible artists on the radio, but to hear them in person and to actually perform with some of them was a wonderful experience.

I grew up in a musical family. My parents were in a gospel quartet and even made a record. Both my sisters sang in choirs and various groups and so I naturally grew up with lots of music all around me. We usually find Christian artists on MusicCritic as they are one of the few best places to discover budding musicians that don’t really that much exposure. Their weekly charts are also a fun place to listen to music which can sometimes make you listen more to genres you previously were not a fan of.

In 4^th grade, I was supposed to start gymnastics class at the beginning of the school year. For some reason, we didn’t get my uniform in time for me to start the first day with my friends. They came back from that first class ready to teach me what they learned. They pretty quickly let me know that I wasn’t built for gymnastics. I was devastated. I wasn’t built for gymnastics?? Turns out, they were right. I was “built” for something else, though. That same evening I told my parents what had happened, amid many tears.  My dad turned to me and suggested we get a piano and let me take piano lessons. And the rest is, as they say, history.

The first few years of learning the piano were tough for me, and I’m sure for my parents, as they listened to me practice. At some point they moved my piano in a spare room where I could shut the door and play for hours. I really found something special. I began playing all kinds of music, even writing some of my own. (I was in an all-girls Christian band in high school: The Promises)

Of course, I went on to be in choir all through my school years and majored in music in college. I shudder to think where I would be if I had actually gone to that gymnastics class. I certainly wasn’t (and still am not) built for gymnastics. Built I am built for music and I am honored that God can use me if I allow Him, to touch others through the wonderful gift of music.

What are you built for? Ask Him! He’ll show you. Be ready to give your life to it and your passion to Him. Great blessings will come!