Austin Stone Worship Conference | October 2013

Dear readers,

It’s really been such a long time since I've blogged. The last entry was in June. How terrible! This year has probably been one of the fastest years I've ever experienced. In just a couple months, it will already be Christmas-- and in just about one month, it will be my one year wedding anniversary! Craziness!

Well, since June, there really is a whole lot that I could fill you in on, but I've decided to dedicate this blog to my latest experience at the Austin Stone Worship Conference, in Texas. I spent the first morning exploring the city. Cities are always amusing to me because you have the rich and poor living closely side by side. You have homeless people begging on the street for coins, while 6 figure-making business men sit inside ritzy cafes or restaurants enduring long meetings. Needless to say, regardless of people's exteriors, you know deep down each person is dreaming of happiness. After much window shopping and gps navigating, I decided to take a stop inside probably one of the nicest coffee lounges I have ever been in: the Departure Lounge. I started to journal and pray. I wanted God to prepare my heart for what was about to happen during the next couple days.

That evening I walked all by my lonesome to the Austin Music Hall which was where the conference was being held. The first night of worship absolutely blew me away. When you have a room full of artists and worship leaders singing from the depths of their soul, there's nothing like it. I was so moved. I was actually battling a bad cold (still am) so I hardly sang, but I just soaked it all in. I stood there closing my eyes, allowing myself to get lost in the beauty. 

Following the service we were all dismissed and invited to get a free gift on the top floor of the building, as well as enjoy a live concert series at 'the Parish' on 6th Street. I quickly introduced myself to a couple girls around my age as I didn't want to wander around town by myself at night. The girls were God sent. We immediately clicked and had so much in common and so much to talk about. We enjoyed a lovely organic concert by Penny & Sparrow, as well as Miranda Dodson. We had to leave before Matt Mccoloskey took the stage. 

All the speakers on Wednesday were incredible. I was torn between taking extensive notes or just simply listening to the powerful words being spoken. Worship leader and artist Charlie Hall had a lot of wisdom to share with the audience. He talked about how so often we want to do what God asks with a little twist. God might call is into music ministry, or to lead a church, and we get so distracted by our own 'ego' that we end up pursuing His will for our own personal gain. Maybe we try and write the next big worship song not because we are simply moved, but because our hidden agenda is to get our name out there. We often want to do things that will bring God great glory so that we can share some of it. However, we will never really be effective until we are working side by side (with no pretenses) with Jesus. We cannot serve the church without doing it FOR Jesus and WITH Jesus. 

Christy, Brooke, Jill, Donna, (unknown).

For the sake of time I'm going to take some massive leaps here. Skipping ahead to our small group sessions, I went to one lead by Jourdan Johnson called, "Is This Really My Identity". The conversation centered around learning to embrace God's own personal story for our lives rather than getting caught up in the game of comparison. We need find confidence and contentment in our own callings, as we celebrate, encourage, and inspire each other as women in ministry. As artists sometimes we can be so focused on iTunes sales, or how many events we're playing at, that we forget God is at work with something so much bigger.

Any Jill Paquette fans out there??? The group I was with discovered I was from Canada and then a voice called out, "I'm from BC!" I looked behind me as this outgoing woman started to chirp in on the question I had posed about understanding the difference between being a performer (singer-songwriter), and leading worship. For me I feel there is such a huge gap between the two. Jill expressed the exact same feelings. She explained, "Some people think because I play and sing that leading worship is a give-in. That couldn't be further from the truth. Leading worship is a whole new world". At the time I didn't know Jill's last name (or Artist name) until after the discussion was over. When I found out, it was so neat to have met an artist I grew up listening to. It was humbling to know that even the more seasoned artists shared my weaknesses and we could encourage each other.

Now on to some of the meat and potatoes. The last thing I want to share is a moving message by Jesse Reeves. This sermon wrecked me, and Jesse isn't even a pastor. This blog won't do justice. I will just be scratching the surface. Bear with me:

Feed My Sheep
Jesse brought to life one of the most familiar stories found in the old testament. He talked about the life of David, starting from when David was first anointed as king in 1 Samuel 16. 

Samuel Anoints David:
Samuel goes to the house of Jesse (David's father), asking to look at all his sons. One by one each son is turned down by Samuel. Even the eldest is rejected. Finally Samuel says, "Are these all the sons you have? The Lord has not chosen any of these". I can imagine Jesse feeling perplexed. Sure, there was one more son, but he was the baby of the family. He was just a small shepherd boy. What use could he be to Samuel? Still, Jesse brings him in. David was God's choice. "The Lord does not look at all the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (Samuel 16:7). Samuel takes a horn of oil and and anoints David as king in the presence of his brothers. What would YOU do if you were anointed as royalty? Would your perspective change? Would you start expecting more from people or lording over them? Chances are, we probably wouldn't go quietly about it. Yet David, after been anointed as king, simply goes back to tending his sheep. 

David in Saul's Service:

Isn't it interesting, how in your Bible, the next chapter is probably labeled, "David' in Saul's Service". After David is anointed, instead of raging war against Saul and taking his rightful crown, David becomes a servant. When Saul is emotionally distressed he urgently cries out for someone to play music for him to soothe his anxious heart. David is summoned from his regular shepherd duties and becomes a loyal servant and music minister. 

Next heading...David and Goliath

David has been faithful in the little things, and now God has called him to things much larger. When the Philistine army threatens to destroy all Saul's men, David is the one brave enough, and willing to fight their biggest warrior, Goliath. Even Saul thinks David is too small for the task. Saul says: "You are not able to go.... you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth..." But David replies: "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and killed it...the Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine..."

So much is said in these verses. It's so hard to unpack it in a short blog. David loves his sheep. He has spent so much time caring for them, risking his life for them. What a foreshadow of Christ. David's heart is what catches God's attention. David is someone that God can use because he has a loyal and compassionate heart. Because David has been faithful in the lesser things, now God has brought him to face battles far greater, and he will be victorious. 

The bottom line here is, David never let his head get too big that he forgot his first calling, which was to take care of the sheep. When Jesus repeatedly told Peter in the new testament to feed his sheep three times, it wasn't because Jesus was trying to do anything poetic with the number three, or because Peter was deaf. I believe it was because we so quickly forget. We need to be reminded. I don't think it had sunk in the first time Peter heard Jesus' words.

I was so humbled towards the end of the service. So convicted to make every day matter. So often we hear a word from the Lord, "Amy (insert your name here), I'm going to anoint your ministry..." And the first thing we think of is: Green room. Big opportunities. That is the way Jesse put it. What we do in the waiting process between getting anointed and "becoming King", is where our character is proved. It's so easy to get up on a stage and share the good news. So easy. It's not as easy getting down and dirty, going to all the abandoned places where lost sheep have wandered off  to, and bring them home. We need to pour into people's lives. We need to be loving the world around us. Worship pastors need to be loving their local congregations. This is the radical call: to feed His sheep.  

Amy Savin | October 2013

Amy Savin | October 2013

Amy Savin at 2|42 Community Church

Amy Savin @ 2|42 Community Church | September 2013

Writers Night in Nashville

Richard Jordan, Rachael Mann, & Amy Savin | August 2013

At the Heart of Easter

This past Saturday my parents came out to visit me, along with my sister Hannah. It had been a busy week for me as I was preparing for three Easter services at our church. Still, I managed to get all my work done and the house clean. I was so excited to see my family. I squeezed little Hannah for like 10 minutes. I've always been close with my family, but the older I get, the more I realize that family is everything. Family and friends that is. Without people in your life, without a community of loved ones, life would be completely empty. Even God himself is a community- the Father, Son, the Holy Spirit. Surely God knows the significance of community. It is why we exist at all- to have RELATIONSHIP with God.

Really soon after my parents arrived, Peter and I took them to the local Farmers Market downtown Ann Arbor. I had never been there before and I was a little nervous that maybe it wouldn't impress them, but we had a great time :) We walked in and out of all the little shops, bought some pastries, looked long and hard for some daffodils (which we eventually found elsewhere), and just embraced the joy of being together. Dad caught me up on all his latest puns ;) You know you're a dad when you pull out the puns. Just sayin.     

                                   

Saturday went by far too quick. By the end of the day I was crying fat crocodile tears as I said my goodbyes. Peter held me tight as my family drove away. I had to go to bed early that night, since Sunday would be a little crazy for me. As already mentioned, Sunday I lead the worship and choir for three services. The choir was an absolute delight to work with. They had so much enthusiasm and spirit. The kind that is fitting for celebrating the fact that JESUS IS RISEN. Even still, I think sometimes we as Christians have a hard time getting into Easter. 

The Daffodils dad bought me :)

Maybe it's because we've heard the story so many times over and over. We struggle to make it real, authentic, personal. I think too often we cannot wrap our minds around the fact that Jesus' sacrifice on the cross was extremely personal- that it was for YOU, that it was for me. We forget that Jesus weeps over our pain and suffering. We forget that in our darkest moments Jesus is sitting right beside us holding us, praying for us. Maybe we think to ourselves, "why would Jesus care for me, when there are so many other people to care for..."  At our latest small group I made a statement to everyone. I said, "You know what sometimes gets to me? The fact that you read the old testament, and see God speaking to people in such awesome and miraculous ways. Through burning bushes, through clouds of fire, or an audible voice,...now it seems God is much more quiet..."As we all sat there and pondered, one of the guys spoke up: "I can't help but think that in the old testament, all the people ever wanted was a personal God, one who could speak directly to them. Instead people had to rely on the prophets for direction, or for Words from the Lord. Yes, they got all the "fireworks" of the Almighty, but they never had the intimacy. Today, because of Jesus sacrifice we have a personal relationship with God. We have what people two thousand years ago were dreaming of...".  For some reason this really hit me. So true. God doesn't need to part the seas or speak through burning bushes to get our attention anymore. We have his word; His LIVING word. We have his Spirit. We have a direct bridge to God. We don't need prophets to tell us how to live, where to go. His Word is the lamp to our feet. I feel like this leads me to my initial theme for this blog: community. Easter is about this very word. Because of Christ's death and resurrection, we have the ability to commune with God. The gap caused by sin has been bridged by the cross. Because God took our punishment upon himself we are now able to have community with Him. This truth is just so completely beautiful.

Friend, maybe your family is broken. Maybe your family continually fails to love you the way you need to be loved. Maybe you've never known any kind of healthy relationship or community. Let me tell you this: God wants you in his family. He loves you perfectly. Endlessly. I'm praying for you now- that the Easter story becomes real to you- that the heart of Easter can be born in you this very moment. Jesus is Risen. He is alive and well, healing us, and healing all of our broken relationships. Amen.

xo

...Amy

Friendship

Erin & Amy | March 2013 | Michigan 

“A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow.”
― William Shakespeare

Overcoming Insecurities

So you don’t feel “good enough”. You are continually disappointing yourself, and other people.

You don’t feel like you’re at the place in life you should be.

Maybe there have been wounds in your life that you’ve never taken care of. Maybe as you try and move on from one season of life to the next, you can’t. You’re still hurting.

You look around at all the people you know who are doing fine. Everyone’s doing fine. You’ve had so many of those “secret” meetings with God where you cry out, asking for him to pay attention to you for once, but you don’t see him. You can’t feel him.

It’s a hard place to be. Even when you’re a Christ follower, it’s easy to feel far from him. It’s easy to feel that you have nothing left to hold on to.

I know it’s hard to be preached at. No one likes that when they’re walking through crap. But I think it’s so important to call things what they are. It’s so important to see life through the lens of truth.

“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free..” (John 8:32).

This verse has been such a huge comfort to me. Friend, when you know the TRUTH about who you are- everything else changes. The truth is, YOU MATTER. Without you, this world would not be the same. You impact all the people around you more deeply than any celebrity, fancy preacher, speaker, or modern day hero. Life is a ripple effect. You may never know just how many people you impact, and how in turn, those people will impact others. No one can be a better YOU. You are completely unique and completely significant.

The enemy looks at your greatest wound and just keeps jabbing at it. The moment you think you're okay, he re-opens an old wound. Maybe your wound is singleness. Maybe it’s rejection. Maybe it is guilt for something you did 10 years ago and can’t get over. Maybe your wound is a hurtful thing someone said to you, or just a deep personal failure. Know the truth. Let it set you free.

I posted this on Facebook a couple days ago, and I’ll say it again: When you allow Jesus to love you the way you need to be loved, you see more clearly the truth about who you are. Our worth is what God says it is. The moment we understand our significance, we become dangerous to the enemy. We are unstoppable through CHRIST who gives us the power. We are SONS and DAUGHTERS of the living GOD.

The Piano I Was Raised On

I played this piano ever since I was 3 years old. It's currently with my parents in Canada, but it has a couple decades worth of jammin' on it. It's my beautiful antique! 

At Some Point We Grow Up

Our recent trip to California 

Me and Mum. She is an angel.

It's one of those days- I have more than enough things to do but I really just need this down time.  The past few months have been a bit of a whirlwind and I think finally my brain is catching up- not to mention my emotions too! It's so strange to me to be so far away from my family, and watch their lives virtually through the convenience of social media. I think when I got married it was the first time I actually did a "flash-back" of my life and realized how different things had become. Don't get me wrong, married life is amazing and I think it's most people's dream, but I don't think you can ever be prepared enough for all the changes it brings. You just have to go through the emotions! 

Recently Peter and I just came back from California visiting his parents. It was absolutely amazing. I had been there several times before visiting my own friends, but as I was sitting on the plane, I felt God speak to me saying, "Amy this time for you is going to be so special". And it was. I got to go down memory lane with Peter's parents, watching a bunch of home videos and looking through so many old photos. I laughed, I got teary-eyed. It was like experiencing an entirely new life all over again. I would look at Peter as he was 3 years old, 12 years old, 18 years old... and as I was watching, all I could think of was who I was as a young girl during those years. Both of us had completely different life experiences, and yet somewhere along the way we both met; these two lives became one. It was fascinating to me. It was overwhelming at times to just realize how BIG God is and how he worked for years on both of us, preparing us for a life together. Getting to know Peter's parents was a huge blessing. Not only have I felt like I've gained an extra set of loving parents, but knowing them also helped me to understand Peter in a new way. This trip helped me put more pieces of the puzzle together. 

While I was out in California I also managed to set up one performance all because of my lovely friend Sarah who lives in San Clemente. Sarah knew that I was raising funds for my next recording project and she put together a wonderful intimate acoustic cabaret. I felt so honored to meet so many people with moving life stories to share. It's amazing how music breaks down so many walls. I can't describe the feeling of seeing both young and old faces staring back at me, knowing we all get each other  The things I sing about, the glory, the pain-- both young and old get it. Age is just a number, as I am coming to understand.

So-- it's a Monday evening. I'm going to get back to my work after I finish this. But I just needed to write. I'm thinking of my own journey so much these days. Thinking of my family, thinking of my sisters, my brothers, mum and dad. How did I ever grow up? Haha. I don't understand. Feels like just yesterday I was going tobogganing with my siblings down our large back-yard hill at 51 Bonacres Ave. Now I'm all the way in Michigan, married,  awaiting yet another birthday next month. 

Balboa Park, San Diego

Thank you Jesus for every single year. It's nice to have something familiar through every age- your gentle hand holding mine. You are my forever home.

PS- dear reader, I just discovered an incredibly moving song: Check out "To Build A Home" by The Cinematic Orchestra. I have been listening to it as I write this blog. Now we can have the same experience ;)

Writing the Album

And so it begins. Writing for my full-length album number two. And yes, that is an energy drink to help get the brain juices flowing. I may or may not have been influenced by my husband ;) Anyways, I'm trying to get out of the habit of making every song so painfully difficult to write. I'm assuming the more I write, the easier it will all become. You'll notice also the Bible. I don't know why, but I always write with one open. Every now and then I peer down and use a verse or two to inspire the next lines or thoughts. It's so much easier having a little bit of a template. Did I just reveal my secret as a song-writer? ;)

Sometimes I look at the world around me and it looks like there is a lot more violence, hate, pain and suffering than there is goodness. Last night I asked God why. Why does it look like the enemy is winning? I felt like God told me, "Amy, don't focus so much on the enemy. Focus on being kind. Focus on loving people. Where there is even a little bit of light, darkness has no power…"

Married. Moved. Michigan. Music?

Dear bloggers,

Can you believe today is Monday? More importantly, that Monday is almost over? I sat down to blog early this morning but got nowhere. Then Peter and I headed to IKEA to finish off some shopping. Then it was lunch, then we stopped by the Guitar Center, came home, unpacked, cleaned, played Ruzzle (so addicted to this game!!!! ps, Angela you're my favourite opponent)... nothing too crazy. Nevertheless, the day went by pretty fast.

As many of you know, Peter and I were married December 1st 2012. After the two-week honeymoon we came back and had our work cut out for us. Its one thing to get married, but it was another thing to go through the immigration process, and move all of your belongings out of one country into the next. Even though its only about a 4 hour car ride, it's a lot different then say, moving 30 minutes from your old home. As of last Thursday, I'm thankful to say I am pretty much all moved in. Just some books and photo albums that I've left with the parents, but other than that, it's nice to finally feel organized again!

As I write this it is a bitter cold day here in Michigan. The snow is beautiful of course, but it's freezing. I've been making all sorts of hot drinks to keep me warm and have been trying to stay active to keep my blood flowing, but there's no way around it sometimes. When you're a slim jim and have poor blood circulation, even the 20 second walk to the car sends chills down my back. Thankfully my husband lets me crank the heat to any level I need. Usually at the expense of his own discomfort.

Soundcheck for Sunday morning 

Anyways, all this random ramble. What is new and exciting in my life? I am absolutely thrilled to be working on staff at a local church here in Michigan as their full time Worship leader/Arts Director. Peter works at the same church so it's nice to be able to go to the mid-week meetings together. It's been so wonderful to get involved right away into a church that is growing and thriving. I'll admit I feel a little intimidated to be leading in a church where I hardly know anyone, but building new relationships is half the fun. The leadership is a blast. They are so down to earth and enjoy a good laugh. I love that their focus as leaders is to reach out to the community. An active church is a healthy church. What I also appreciate, is the fact that they are totally supportive of my Music career and continue to bless the calling on my life as a traveling recording artist. I'm not exactly sure what this next year is going to look like, but it will be a mixture of worship leading, writing and recording a new album for 2013 and setting up local and abroad tours. Right now I'm just seeking God on how to go about all of this. My heart feels anxious because I just don't know where all the financial backing is going to come from for the new album, but I'm just going to keep writing it. The songs are in me and they need to come out. I just have to trust God that he will provide all the necessary steps.  I'm not entirely sure, but I'm thinking of heading back to Nashville to record the whole thing there. In my immediate future, I'm looking to start playing some local shows in Michigan and it's neighboring States, so keep an eye open on the touring calendar.

You know, it's been really strange for me to have a complete shift in my life. Being a wife and a homemaker has been beautiful and yet overwhelming. Half the time I'm thinking... "Hey wait-- If I'm always cooking and cleaning, how on earth am I going to have time for the rest of my life?" Still, I feel God whispering in my ear, "Amy, just enjoy. Enjoy all things. Enjoy all seasons. Everything you need to get done will get done- but do not worry about tomorrow. Each day is a gift, and it's the simple things that can bring so much joy..." And so I'm learning that. I don't allow my anxious little heart to get the best of me. I'm learning to work with the things that are in my hands right now. If that involves a lot of cooking and cleaning, then so be it. I have to admit, there's nothing so sweet as having your own home and haven with your best friend. I love it that Peter gets to work from home many days and I can be in the kitchen cooking up a storm, yet I can pop in our home office every 5 minutes and just give him a big hug...or a kiss. Doing life with your best friend is amazing. Even in this very cold cold city, in the middle of January, it warms my heart.

~Winter Wedding Decor~

Sarah Walker with Amy Savin

I have to admit, planning a winter wedding was an absolute blast! Growing up, I always thought that for sure I would get married in the summer. I was planning on doing a vibrant Sun-flower themed wedding with lots of bright yellows and pinks. I never would have thought that I'd actually be getting married in December! This changed everything for me! Initially I was feeling overwhelmed at the challenge ahead of me to find a location to host the reception (since having one outside was definitely out of the question), and also to find decorations that would not suggest "Christmas". I definitely tried to avoid the colour red at all costs. After much pondering and long hours of searching the web, I decided to do a very cozy theme of roses, pinecones, lanterns, and candles. Below are some of the details that made this day so special!

Bride's Flowers:

Sarah Walker, a talented artist and great friend of mine, put together the most gorgeous winter bouquet for me. I told her to just be creative as long as there were roses and pinecones. Sarah blew me away. She tied together cream roses, silver brunia, evergreen, and of course the pinecones. The final product was brilliant. To see more of Sarah's work, please see her incredible website: TheCuratedHouse.com

Bridesmaid's Flowers:

I had another great friend of mine, Tanya Tomic make the bridesmaids bouquets (seen in the photo with the cake). All the bouquets were made of synthetic materials from Bowring and Micheals Craft Store. 

Amy Savin Wedding (December 2012) ~ Photography by Leslie Ghag

Centerpieces:

As you can see in the above photos, we used two different centre pieces: 

1) Brown lanterns ( with Candles, Pinecones, fake snow) 
2)  Glass bowls (with water, cellophane, candles, fake snow). 

We placed each of the centre-pieces on gold chargers and used little tiny white plastic beads (from the dollar store) to imitate fluffy snow. Thanks to Beverly Campbell for all the ideas! To get the snow-look on the pinecones, we just dipped the pinecones in icing sugar, and then coarse (large crystal) sugar to get the sparkling effect. You'll also notice around the centerpieces little pinches of baby's breath, for a more dainty, snowy look. 

Cake: 

Tanya also make my cake. It was all completely vanilla (the most deliciously moist cake I've ever had) with icicles lining the entire cake! Tanya dipped the pinecones in icing and sugar (the same way the centrepieces were done) and used chocolate sticks in between the pinecones. As a cake plate, I ordered a wooden birch tree slab from save-on-crafts.com. The only problem is that the website said I was getting a 11-15 inch, but when it came in the mail, it was only 9 inches which was not big enough. So, Tanya creatively made her own plate 12-15 inch I believe, and we layered the two cake stands together. It turned out beautifully :)

All Photography by Leslie Ghag 

Amy + Peter's Wedding ~ December 1st 2012 ~

Amy Savin Wedding (December 2012) ~ Photography by Leslie Ghag

Amy Savin Wedding (December 2012) ~ Photography by Leslie Ghag

December 1st 2012, 10:00am, Peter and I made a promise to each other; a covenant that cannot ever be broken, except by death itself. It was an incredible day. I could not have asked for a day more perfect or beautiful. Being in the same room as so many friends and family that I love so dearly, felt like a glimpse of heaven. We were so blessed to have Leslie Ghag capture all the particulars and meaningful moments. Here are just a couple photos. Check back for more to come!

"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh" (Genesis 2:24).