Here we are, 60 days into this new life God has called us to. What’s it been like?
I had been in worship ministry, full and part-time for 40 years, 15+ at Friendship Church. My last day in that role was Easter Sunday – a bittersweet day for sure.
We took a couple weeks off in Northern Minnesota at a friend’s lake home to pray and catch our breath. I spent some time grieving as well. Not in the sense that I had made the wrong decision, but because I will genuinely miss working in that role in such an amazing church. I finished a new song while we were there and we also took advantage of the location and amazing background “vocals” provided by nature to video several songs.
Back home, in addition to the Covid shutdown and civil unrest, it has been surreal to work so closely with my best friend who also is my wife and partner in this new calling. It’s surreal to not only love each other, but to genuinely like each other and be able to “pull on the same rope” (as Cindy likes to say). We are growing in the area of communication, respect and honor as we realize the impact of so many little things like tone, facial expressions, etc. (smiley face)
We schedule our weeks, what songs we are working on for production and release, social media stuff and a bunch of other things that might bore the average person looking in. But we love this. Yes, it is a HUGE learning curve and we struggle with that part, but we press on through. Sometimes we have to stop and ask ourselves, “OK then, is this a problem to be solved through taking a break, consulting Google, prayer or something else!”
Writing songs is definitely the easiest part right now. There is no brag in there except to brag on God for giving me the music. Production and getting the music out there is the hardest part. Learning to mix is really a difficult thing and will take a lot of practice. Checking one wrong box at any stage of the process or saving something incorrectly can lead to hours of frustration. Ask me how I know this...so, I am working with two producers who live in Nashville and Florida to mix what we produce here in our studio. I will get there in time.
Although I make intentional time to write, God often gives words or melodies at strange times and in unusual places. To hear these songs come to life is exciting and humbling. “Lord willing and the creek don’t rise” (as Cindy likes to say) we are on schedule to release one song per month. This seems to be a good groove and we are so thankful for God allowing us to work with Him.
We have people praying for us in this calling and we so appreciate that partnership with the body of Christ. This helps us to make HIM famous all over our area and even across the world. This is our goal and declaration of faith as we proceed in this journey.
Thank you for taking the time to read this update. If you have a God-story you would like to share or if you need prayer, please contact us. We would love to hear from you.
Peace,
Mark and Cindy Alewine