Cedarville University

This year, the idea of leaving on fall break made me feel a few different things: 1. I felt really excited to experience touring again and to meet new people, 2. I felt a little worried because I knew I was already pretty tired from the semester so far, and I could really use a few days of rest and relaxation at home (not to mention needing time to devote to my senior research project!), and 3. I felt nervous jitters while at the same time felt myself looking forward to seeing how our team would interact with each other (as well as being able to get a good insight into personalities, etc). You see, for the first time since I’ve traveled, I’ve been placed on a team with a majority of people I’ve traveled with before. In my three previous years of traveling, I had only once been on a team again with a person I’ve traveled with before. This year, I’m with five! DJ, Caleb, Tim, Kurtis, Sam, and I traveled together last year, and we’re on a team together this year! Dani and Zac are the other two members, and it’s crazy to see how two new people add so much new flavor and bring variety to the team already.
My freshman year on HeartSong, we didn’t travel on fall break. Fall break tour was something that the HeartSong staff incorporated my second year, mainly to give the teams good insight into what it would be like to tour during our 10 week summer tour. I guess it’s kind of like a “mini tour.” From early Thursday morning to late Sunday night, the three teams go to different areas of the Midwest and visit Christian schools and churches. Each team is accompanied with a HeartSong staff member—Jim, Justin, or Matt—who help direct the teams on our first weekend out. My team got the chance to tour with Matt, and it was a lot of fun to have him around! Not only is Matt one of our directors, but he also traveled on HeartSong for three years when he went to Cedarville, so it was helpful to have him around and have his input and advice.
We went to various parts of Indiana—Bloomington, Lafayette, and Indianapolis. Looking back on the weekend, the main thing that stands out to me is the way our team was able to experience seeing God’s perfect timing and how it played out during our trip. I’m sure that God’s timing in circumstances can be seen often in life, but it can be easy for me personally to miss because I’m so busy or stubborn. It was neat for me to plainly see God’s hand and the way He chose to work. Let me give one instance from the weekend in which we were able to see this…
On Thursday morning, our team went to Lighthouse Christian Academy in Bloomington. On Saturday, we would be going to Faith Baptist Church and Faith Christian School in Lafayette, which is over 3 hours away. While we were with the students at Lighthouse, we found out that their girls’ volleyball team was playing in a big volleyball tournament at Faith on Saturday. It just so happened that we were able to attend Lighthouse’s volleyball game on Saturday! While we were at Lighthouse Christian Academy, we were able to get to know Eugene, the volleyball coach, as well as the girls on the team. These girls came to the tournament with the motivation to win the state championship, but a really sad series of events occurred in which they had to forfeit because some of the girls were stuck in traffic on the way. They were still able to play their final match (even though it wouldn’t count), and they ended up playing hard and won, even though rules and regulations prevented them from advancing! God knew way before we even left on tour what the events of the weekend would be and the places we would go, and He allowed our team to be there to cheer on those girls! It is so neat to see how the Lord works, even in tough situations.
Something that God showed our team over fall break, and something He keeps showing me time and time again is Isaiah 55:8-9, which says, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” God’s timing is more perfect than mine, and His ways, as He says, are higher or better than mine. He knows what is best, and His desire for us as a team is to seek what His ways are. I am so grateful to look back and see how the Lord worked during our weekend through His perfect timing. Please pray for us in that we would ask for God’s wisdom as we do His work and that we would not neglect to see His timing and His direction as we meet new people and go different places.
–Aubrey

Hello everyone,
While all other Cedarville students are heading home for a long fall break weekend, the HeartSong touring teams are getting ready for our first weekend out touring. I could not wait to get out on the road again, and get back into the swing of touring on the weekends. Fall break tour is a little different type of weekend for teams because each team has a member of HeartSong staff with them for the weekend. Jim Cato, the director of all the teams, was with my team all weekend.We had such an awesome weekend together playing in Xenia, Defiance, Toledo, and Marion Ohio. My team played in many different types of venues… from schools, to YMCA’s, to bonfire’s, to churches. It was an awesome first weekend to get into the swing of touring, and just meeting new people. It was very evident to me after this weekend that my team, is going to have an awesome year filled with a lot of fun and memories, but more importantly I think it will be so awesome to see how God is going to use us in different ways this year.
The biggest thing that I learned this weekend is that things change and God has a reason for these changes. I am in a completely different position this year with my team. Last year I was the freshman whose job was to do whatever I was told, this year it is so different because I am one of 3 returning members on my team. Myself, Taylor Valarik, and Tommy Hutchinson are the members on my team that all traveled with HeartSong last year as well. As returners, we are looked to for advice and guidance. This is so opposite from last year, because I was the one who needed to be taught everything. I probably annoyed everyone with all the questions I asked about everything. As a team it is important that we have a direction where we know we are going, and as a returning member, I realized that I need to lead by example. I, along with Taylor and Tommy, have been through this before, and it is our duty to make sure our first time team members know what they are to do, and how to do it correctly. Something that I learned that stemmed off from this new position is how prepared I need to be to worship before a service. It is so tough while leading music to remember all the small details, and order of songs, and etc. But there is so much more to leading worship than just making sure you remember the lyrics, and the order… It is about your heart being right before God. We need to surrender to the Holy Spirit and let him lead our worship. If I try to take control, my worship is in vain. So a huge thing that I learned this weekend was that although this year I am in the “worship leader” position, I need to remember why I am doing what I am doing, and that is to give God my whole self in worship, I need to surrender my life to Him every day.
My life verse is found in Galatians, it says, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”  This verse has continually been reminding me that this life is not mine. I owe God my whole life, God deserves my best. So yes, I do need to do my best to remember the words to our songs, and remember the order of our songs, and when to say what, etc. But, the most important thing is that I am right before God in my worship, and that I am surrendering myself to His will every time I sing or open my mouth.

-Hayden

Throughout this year two HeartSong members (Hayden Browning and Aubrey Womack) will be writing about their experiences as they travel with HeartSong and as they experience student life at Cedarville University. We call this series of blog entries, “A Year In The Life”. Sometimes these entries will be about HeartSong and the stories we hear about and experience on the road. Other times, they will be about happenings on campus. Hayden and Aubrey are both coming at this with different eyes as Hayden is a sophomore at Cedarville and just beginning to enter a stride here on campus, whereas Aubrey is entering her senior year and experiencing her “last firsts”. Thanks for reading!

Hayden – Brownsburg

Photo Scavenger Hunts are great...rigged, but great!

Hey all,
This was my second turn at Brownsburg for the annual Cedarville Touring Teams retreat. The basic goal for this weekend is for all the teams to grow closer together as teams, and get some experience ministering in a church setting. I personally love this weekend because it’s the first real time when your team comes together and you can really start getting to know each other. I also love this weekend because the church we rehearse in all weekend is such an awesome church. Bethesda Baptist Church really welcomes us in, and makes all the teams feel at home. Heartsong and Lifeline ministered and worshipped with the Bethesda congregation in their sunday morning service, while East to West and Masters Puppets ministered to the youth and children from the church as well. It really was an awesome “getting started” weekend for all the teams.
Even though this retreat weekend came less than 2 months after summer tour with last years teams, I was so ready for this weekend. It is always such a good reminder while in host homes, that we are called to be servants, like Christ was a servant to everyone around him. I am not talking about me serving my host family, I am talking about my host family serving me. The body of Christ is called to serve others and when I am in a host home, I see the body of Christ at its best. There is nothing better than being in someone else’s home, that you do not know, and just sitting down and sharing with each other. I love it, and I am so looking forward to all the homes and churches I will be in this upcoming year.
One of the highlights of this weekend is always the photo scavenger hunt in downtown Indianapolis on Saturday night. All 6 teams split up and try to get as many creative and unique pictures as they can, trying to gain points in whatever ways they can. It is a great time you get to share with you team, even though in the end every team knows they will loose because the Lifeline players win every year (Yes, it is rigged). Anyways, we are so blessed this year with the people and the teams God has perfectly placed together. We are so excited to see all the awesome things that we will do this year through the power of Jesus Christ alone.

Aubrey – Brownsburg

Aubrey and Hayden on Sunday

I’ve caught myself many times this year acknowledging the various “last first times” for me on HeartSong. For instance, during our first team rehearsal, I thought, “This is my very last first practice!” and all throughout our touring teams retreat in Brownsburg, IN, I kept thinking, “This is my last Brownsburg experience!” It seems crazy that I am actually in the midst of my senior year at Cedarville! People often say that college goes by so quickly, and now I am discovering the truth in their statements! Being a part of HeartSong has been such a gift in my life—God has used this ministry to challenge and refine me and teach me about the importance of unity in his body, the Church (among many, many other things!).
During our weekend at Brownsburg, where we had music rehearsals and had sessions on what touring is like (basically, the “how-to’s” of touring), I was reminded of the power in community, even the power in serving together for God’s work. I got to stay in a host home with Rachel Lee (who is on another HeartSong team this year), and we found that we have had many similar experiences in our lives. We’ve wrestled with many of the same things, we’re struggling with similar stuff right now, and we also have desires to see similar things happen within the body of Christ. Rachel and I got the chance to talk to our host mom and dad for a while when we would come home in the evenings. Our hosts told us about their lives together and about their families, and we realized that they, just like us, have experienced similar situations and encountered many of the same difficult times that we have.
On Friday night in our host home, before we went to bed, I was reading in 2 Corinthians, and came upon verses 3-5. It says, “All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah, Father of all mercy, God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort—we get a full measure of that, too” (the Message). I love it when I spend time in the Word and God brings me to a passage or a verse that relates directly to my life right at that given moment. After reading this, I was just reminded of how God displays His grace to us through relationships He brings along our way. During our Brownsburg weekend, God brought Rachel into my life as a new friend, and He brought our hosts into our lives who are going through similar hard times so that we “can be there just as God was there for us,” just as 2 Corinthians describes. It was so neat to actually be able to see, again, the way God gives us just what we need at just the right time—for me, it was people who knew what I was going through and could completely identify with that! And now, when I pray for those situations in my life, I can pray for them as well.
I’m really looking forward to the year ahead of us! In the next few weeks, we’re getting ready for our first touring weekend in October during our fall break from school. Pray that God would continue to use the truth in the words that we sing and in the music that we play to encourage his body and bring people to Him—but also pray that God would allow us to form relationships with each other on our teams and with people in the churches and with our host families so that we can build each other up and bring glory to God.