This night convicted me as a worship leader that we are totally dependent on God to work in our hearts and lead us to him.  Nothing I do in preparing song sets or in interacting with students personally will make them worship.  When we pray for God to work in lives, he hears our prayers, and will do his good work in ways we never expect.  It is the greatest joy to see God bring students to him in worship.  Our mission is to know, live, and speak the good news of Jesus Christ and watch to see how he will use it.

I can’t wait to see the ways God will work in the upcoming weeks of Blue Team’s ministry.  Despite our musical abilities and our efforts to engage people well, we are entirely dependent on God to make our ministry fruitful.  I’m stoked for our team carry this humble attitude with us this of summer.

-Jesse

On Monday night here at Lake Ann, Ken Rudolph spoke about choices we can make to be filled with the Spirit, based on Ephesians 5 and 6. One of those choices is to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to one another and to the Lord. This point resonated with us, especially since our ministry as HeartSong starts with our worship with music to God. Throughout the week we saw different campers embrace this choice and sing out in worship with us, but one camper would consistently disengage during the time for singing. He would quietly stand and stare into space without singing or even mouthing the words. During chapel on Thursday night, I started to pray for him, that he would be moved by Ken’s words and our music and those singing around him and that he would join us in singing.

As a HeartSong team, we are committed to praying for each other and those that we meet and minister to while on the road. Many times we may play for a group of students who do not seem to want to engage or join in with our worship.  There are often times that we have a much smaller group of students than we expected, which is the case this week at Lake Ann. We know that the Spirit of God moves in ways that we do not expect, but it is easy to forget that our prayers are effective and can make a lasting impact on our lives and the lives of people around us.

I had this on my mind as I was praying for the camper during the song “Give Me Faith.” When I looked up, I saw that he was singing along. He was joining in and fellowshipping with the believers around him, and worshipping our God with singing. This was a great reminder to me that we should not be discouraged by our circumstances and should always commit to praying that God would move in the lives of everyone we know and meet.

~Taylor

Monday started the first day of RUSH camp! For me this was totally exciting because I have not been to camp in four years. To start out the week, my team drove out to the entrance of camp and welcomed the buses full of campers. We rejoiced because God provided so many campers that we could share the gospel with. Later that night after our first time of worship, a young girl, Sarah* came up to me and told me that our ministry through music had brought her to a believing faith in Jesus Christ. How awesome is that? God is so good in bringing us to himself.

For me, hearing the story of Sarah reminded me how big our God truly is. He could have picked anything to get the gospel across, but he chose music. As a vocalist I have the responsibility to communicate the truth of the music we sing. As I have heard many times in my HeartSong training, I have to memorize and internalize. I did not realize how truly important that was until I met Sarah. What I know and understand about the music I sing can influence someone’s eternal future.

As a believer I also have the responsibility to tell everyone about the name of Christ and his awesome gift of salvation. To be able to meet Sarah and talk with her made my heart rejoice. I have a new sister in Christ! I was reminded of the great rejoicing that must have been going on in heaven! Just as my team rejoiced as we welcomed the campers into camp, how much more were the angels rejoicing in heaven when Sarah was ushered into the kingdom of God.

-Aleska

*Sarah’s name has been changed for privacy reasons.

On the road, people are often surprised to find that there is more than one HeartSong team. We explain that there are actually four similar teams, each with a unique summer itinerary. Since we are apart for the entire summer, it’s easy for us to forget that we have friends on the road that are ministering in the same way we are. This past week was a great reminder that each team is part of a larger ministry. We each have our own style and opportunities, but we are working together to accomplish our mission of ministering to all those we meet on the road.

As each team pulled away from campus, we prayed for one another and for our summer travels. It is a great encouragement to know that we are not alone in our efforts and we have friends praying for us as we work. We are excited for the broad scope of impact that the teams will have as each goes it’s own different way; but at the same time, we are extremely excited for the reuniting of the teams at the end of the summer so we can find out the ways God has worked in and through our distinct, yet united efforts to share the Gospel.

-Brandon

Music is the first and most obvious thing about our ministry that people notice. But throughout this week of training, we learned that being a part of HeartSong involves so much more than that. As members of HeartSong, we seek to center our lives on Christ and worship Him exclusively. We also desire to grow together and live connected as a team. Finally, we hope to serve every person we meet selflessly, and we gratefully represent God, HeartSong, and Cedarville University. When we live out our core values when we’re off the stage and impact lives up close, suddenly the people who see us perform are not just impressed by our music, but by the way God’s Spirit shines through our individual lives as we worship.

For the first-time traveler and the experienced team member, Thursday night was not only a time of evaluation but also a time to worship with our HeartSong family. It was so awesome to be able to worship with each team and hear how each of the four teams had a unique musical flavor. That night gave us a taste of what the summer will be like, with everyone praising one God together. We are beyond excited to begin this journey, and would love for you all to follow along with us on FaceBook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Camps like Scioto are different though.  Jay puts it well when he says, “The way that Scioto is organized puts a huge emphasis on integrating God and faith into every single part of camp, not just by talking about it.  That philosophy has really stuck with me in that there’s no reason to separate the two— life and God things.  When you’re in a full time environment like that, the division starts to drift away in your mind.” God isn’t a big, scary giant, eager to snatch the fun out of the hands of His children.  In fact, it’s quite the opposite. He is the bringer of joy and thus it is useless to segregate our great memories and our good God.  God is the giver of all of our good gifts, all of our fun, all of our crazy camp stories, all of our backflips in the dining hall.

Scioto Hills director, Aaron Cook looks back on 4 summers of ministry with HeartSong.  “Camps and conferences at Scioto Hills Christian Camp will never be the same as a result of the influence that HeartSong has had on them. At first glance I was struck by their musical quality, though the memories I have after many years of partnering go far beyond.  When I think of HeartSong I think of authentic friendships and partners in Christ-honoring ministry. Every time a team leaves after an event, it feels like part of our staff leaves…and every time a new team arrives it seems like we just pick up where we left off. “  When we are choosing to live our lives with God as a part of everything we do, others take notice.  Whether we are on stage, in the cabins, traveling in the vans or out to lunch after church, we pray our hearts and attitudes would shout Christ.  As we prepare to embark on summer tour in just one short month, may we daily choose to infuse each choice, each encounter, each silly moment all with Christ, for the glory and honor of His kingdom.

One of our teams will be partnering with Lift Ministries this summer, for the 6^th year in a row. Lift Ministries travels across the country visiting college campuses and hosting week-long camps for thousands of high-school students.

HeartSong leading worship at a Thursday night session for Lift.

For Spencer, one of HeartSong’s drummers, this will be his 3^rd year traveling on HeartSong with Lift: “Lift has had a major impact on my life. One area that I have really grown in because of Lift is my ability to interact, relate to, and minister to kids. Lift has taught me how to use my abilities and my gifts to reach out to kids and connect with them. I’m excited for this upcoming summer.”  HeartSong, as a ministry, exists to live the reality of the gospel to everyone we meet all summer long.  However, it isn’t uncommon that we become the ones whose lives are changed through what we encounter in churches and camps across the country.

Our Lift Camp team members will see hundreds of kids from Texas all the way up to Pennsylvania.  Their opportunity for impact is great, as it is for each of our teams this summer, but their willingness to be changed themselves is even greater.  As Spencer uses his drum skills to connect with kids, so other team members will use the skills they’ve honed in guitar or humor or soccer to meet kids right where they’re at this summer.

“On Wednesday evening, for example, we were playing “Less,” and all of the campers
were sitting down. Once we got to the chorus, a camper in the front row jumped
up and lifted her hand in worship. I was nearly brought to tears by her worshipful
heart. ”

Moments of genuine worship are often marked by an overflow of our souls. Often
our souls have spent so much time rejoicing over Him, that we can’t help but sing.
Other times, when our soul has been wretched by the pain and heartache of this
world, we have only soft cries or solemn silence left. Both of these are acts of
genuine worship. Both of these responses point back to a God who is bigger than us,
bigger than our earthly troubles. Our hearts are known by Him, the One who has
great plans for us, the One in control. How could we choose anything but worship?

Sam, along with other members of Heartsong Red, spent two weeks last summer at
Skyview Ranch and are excited to return in the summer of 2013, where moments
like this will surely not be few and far between. Skyview director Jeremy Hales
looks forward to the summer with them: “Heart Song provides authentic worship
that leads the Christian to the Throne of Grace! Skyview Ranch Campers continue
to share that they feel like it’s just them and God as they worship during our chapel
times. That’s an astounding thing when hundreds of voices are lifted up to the
audience of ONE – Our One True God and Savior! You can’t help but truly see their
HEART in their SONG!”

Deanna Ruman is a HeartSong member who has spent each of her summers at Lake Ann Camp, but her story is not rare. Director Brandon Waltz says it best when he states that a goal of the ministry of HeartSong is to “impress from a distance, and impact up close.”  What is done on the stage means nothing if it is not backed up in the moments with campers; whether through those interactions in the nurse’s office, at the lakeside or after a chapel service.  Deanna’s story is also not isolated to HeartSong, but can be easily translated to all Christians everywhere.  The Christian life is not a series of checklists used to appease a scorekeeping God.  No, the Christian life is about proclaiming the glory of God through everything we say and do and watching how He then shows up in tangible ways.

As HeartSong looks forward to a summer of impacting up close, we are thankful for the partnership we’ve had with Lake Ann and the way our teams have had the distinct opportunity of working alongside campers there for an entire summer.  “We have been so blessed by the work of HeartSong here at Lake Ann Camp. Their ministry creates a distraction-free environment where campers and staff have freedom to worship. We can’t wait to have them back here for this next summer to see how God is going to use them as a part of our summer camping program” says Joe Casteneda, Lake Ann’s Director of Communications.

God will continue to show up, just as He has so tangibly in summers past, as our teams keep pointing others to back to Him.  He is most worthy, and we cannot wait to proclaim that message daily as we serve this summer at Lake Ann Camp!

“From age to age the same . . . He must win the battle.”

When I hear that line, my mind wanders to all the cathedrals I’ve visited around the world. I love visiting church buildings of any kind, but the overpowering beauty of the cathedral always intrigues me.  There is an awe-inspiring silence in these structures that encourages me to be still and know that He is God.  God’s presence and power seem so close and I feel connected to the millions of worshipers that gathered long before my existence.

On one of these visits I found myself alone, surrounded by the limestone arches and the story of the Gospel expressed on stained glass.  I soon heard my single voice breaking the silence to ring among the ancient walls connecting me to those that came before me.  In that time of worship I experienced our overpowering, indescribable God.  I was grateful that He humbled Himself so that I might somehow be with Him at that moment but I know that He desires more than just a string of individual moments.

He cannot be contained in a cathedral or captured in an order of service on any given Sunday.  We seek after Him with our hearts using any and all creative tools that He provides for us.  While my experience in a cathedral may assist me in my search for God, it does not insure that I find Him.

God is not a by-product of a building; He is the reason for it.

With this recording, we have endeavored to mix together new and old sounds, styles, and texts to encourage you as you seek Him.   My prayer is that somehow this simple CD project might assist you in listening for God’s still small voice and that you might realize He transcends time and space to connect to His children.  Our unchanging, yet very contemporary God is always eager to meet us right where we are.