The Crystal Lewis Blog

1 Corinthians 9:24

‘run in such a way as to get the prize…’

ACT. DO. GO. RUN.

don’t wait. sit. sleep. watch.

princess bride is up there on my top 5 movie list.  remember when prince humperdink finds wesley and princess buttercup and princess buttercup basically bargains for wesley’s life.  she says:  ’will you promise not to hurt him?’  and prince humperdink says, ‘i swear it will be done’.  but of course he’s lying.  and once the princess is gone the prince tells the 6 fingered man to take wesley to the pit of despair and the 6 fingered man says, ‘ i swear it will be done’.  and wesley says, ‘we are men of action, lies to not become us.’ well, i always loved that part!  it shows, quite obviously, who is truly good, and who is not.  what am i?  what are you?  are we doers?  people of action? or do we sit on the sidelines, watching. waiting. snoozing.  the Bible says in James 1:22…” do not merely listen to the Word and so deceive yourselves, DO WHAT IT SAYS!” the Message says: ‘ don’t let the Word go in one ear and out the other. ACT on what you hear!’

in  The Message version, 1 corinthians 9:24 reads like this:

“You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. RUN TO WIN. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You’re after one that’s gold eternally.

I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me! I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.”

are you running today?  or have you been sitting on the sidelines watching the race?  let this scripture inspire you to action.

ps.  there is an action-inspiring website called www.exodusfitnessretreats.com

i hope to partner with them in some way in the future!

well, according to the calendar, it’s spring!  however the weather didn’t get the memo…. it’s still snowing!  but it’s been warm…which to us means 40’s!!  so the snow is slowly, but surely, melting.  and the hope of sun and new grass is evident.  Faith: the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  being sure of what we hope for, being certain of what we do not see.  hmmm.  well, i’ve lived here long enough to know that spring WILL come.  the winter has been long, but the snow WILL melt.  i’ve known Jesus long enough to know that what he has planned WILL be accomplished.  i don’t know the details of his plans, but i trust him implicitly.  he’s never failed me before.  my hopes have never been dashed where HE is concerned.  i know HE knows!  

we are all in this economic crisis together.  it’s tough.  it’s troublesome.  it’s scary.  but we have hope for tomorrow.  i received a fantastic and encouraging letter this past week from the desk of John Eldrege (author of Sacred Romance, Journey of Desire, Waking the Dead) and i was inspired by what he wrote.  here is an excerpt from his letter: (stuff in parenthesis is mine)

            ” ‘pray that you will not fall into temptation’ (Luke 22:40).  what temptation does Jesus know comes in a time like this? (speaking of what the disciples were dealing with at that moment in the garden)  well, what are you tempted to fall to when times turn dark, when crisis hits, when God seems to have failed to come through?  isn’t it temptation to fall into despair? or distress? to start thinking terrible thoughts? to give way to fear and doubt and unbelief? (to lose hope?) have you ever even put those things in the category of temptation? as in, ‘Do not yield to this SIN’? God Caught my attention with the seeming randomness of this verse, which got me wondering what in the world it was doing there, which led me to thinking what the temptation might be. then i realized i was on the brink of it myself.  distress. inner turmoil. fear. up until that moment i hadn’t even thought of it as temptation, as sin.    but now i see it for what it is: unbelief.  i see the damage that my unbelief does- to my own heart, my perspective, to my relationship with God. ‘Do not give way to this’, Jesus says.  watch and pray.  guard yourselves against this.”

that helped me.  i hope it helps you too.  when you find yourself hopeless, afraid, doubting.  know that he knows.  know that weeping may endure for the night…but know that FOR SURE, joy comes in the morning!

I received a sweet letter recently from a young girl that wants to sing.  I thought I’d share my response with all of you since i get letters like this from time to time….  maybe it’ll apply to several of you…

Dear Shaene,

          I hope the deadline for your school project hasn’t yet passed.  Here are the answers to your questions, i hope you can use them…

First of all, I should tell you that I don’t ordinarily have time to answer all the letters I receive.  However, I really wanted to respond to your letter because my daughter is also 12 years old and I know how much she would appreciate a response if she were in your position.  

So, I think the easiest way to do this would be for me to list your questions first and then my answer to each one…

1. What type of singing education did you get?

I didn’t have any professional singing lessons when I was growing up.  I had the benefit of my mother being an exceptional musician (piano, clarinet, voice) and was able to learn a lot from her.  I also had the added benefit of growing up in the church, my father was the pastor, so I was able to learn about stage presence, singing in front of people, etc. that way.   I did eventually take a few voice lessons with a couple of different professional singing coaches when I was an adult.  They can help you develop good technique and make sure you’re not developing any bad habits.

2. How did you get started out singing professionally?

Like I mentioned earlier, I began singing at a very early age on stage in church.  My first ‘paying’ job was ‘HITOPS’.  That was a musical written/directed by Ernie and Debbie Retino, the same team that did all the Psalty the Singing Song Book albums.  I auditioned for the musical and was chosen to be a part of the cast.  

3. What do you suggest a 12 1/2 year old do to prepare for a professional singing career?

Well, what I tell my own daughter is to practice, practice, practice!!  get good…no get GREAT at what you do so when the right opportunity comes along, you’ll be ready.  Consider learning an instrument.  I didn’t take my own advice as a kid.  I wish I would’ve practiced the piano more when I was your age.  Maybe today I’d be able to accompany myself.  

4. Do you ever get nervous or fearful singing in front of people?

Yes, sometimes I still get nervous, but it’s more like excitement rather than fear.  When you realize that God is honored by the singing of his word…there isn’t anything to be afraid of!

5.  Do you record in a studio?

Yes, sometimes.  Other times we set up equipment at home and record in the comfort of a bedroom!  Technology today gives us unlimited options!

6. If so, what do you have to know about recording as opposed to performing on stage?

Well, the nice thing about recording is you get many chances to get a song just the way you want it to sound.  Being on stage you basically get one shot!  That’s another reason practicing at home is SO important!

7. When you were little, did you sing in school or in church?

I pretty much answered most of that in numbers 1 and 2 above, but I also sang in school from Kindergarten thru High School.  I had parts in musical productions, choirs, and assemblies.  I would encourage you to sing whenever and wherever you can.  again….any opportunity = practice!!

I love riding horses and I used to ask my horse trainer all the time…”how can I become a better rider?”  And my horse trainer would always say to me.. “Ride more.  It’s miles in the saddle that get you the experience you need to become better.”  The same is true with singing…or anything else you want to be good at… the more you do it, the more experience you gain, the more you learn, the better you become.

recently i sang at a church that holds 4 weekend services every week, one Saturday night, 3 Sunday morning. on this particular weekend, i was also scheduled to sing at this same church for a women’s  event which was to take place on the following 3 consecutive evenings, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. so that adds up to 7 services in 4 days.   and not just 1 or 2 songs at each service either… i don’t know how church pastors and their staff hold up every single weekend doing multiple services, wait yes i do, by the Grace of God!  anyway, as i was singing the 2nd of the 3 Sunday morning services, after having already done one the night before and, like i mentioned, anticipating the next 3 days, i was struck by a new thought.  manna.  not that manna in and of itself is a new thought to me, but the way that God was applying it to me in that moment was new.  i was very aware of the condition of my voice…i was fighting a cold, i was feeling fatigued and quite honestly was fighting the anxiety that comes with worrying over whether or not my voice would hold out until the end.  i knew i had to make it last somehow and i knew that God would do it- for i can do ALL things through Christ who gives me the strength!- however, in that moment i realized that i was fighting against him as i ‘held back’ my voice, hoping to ’save some for next service’. Manna came to mind and the way that God provided exactly enough for each day, but only one day at a time.  and they always had enough. they had to trust God and only take what they needed for that day.  for me, i needed to trust that God would provide what i needed for each service.  trust that he would use me regardless of which notes i could or couldn’t hit.  trust him for strength.  trust him for endurance.  KNOW that he WILL provide just enough of what i need.